Take a quick trip down the 2024 Mettawee memory lane with these 10 stories from the last 12 months:
METTAWEE STUDENTS MEET WITH SCHOOL BOARD
The February meeting of the Mettawee School Board featured a new twist on the concept of public engagement: The Student Council had the floor.
“We’re constantly exploring ways to get feedback on how our school is performing,” says Mettawee School Board Chair Julie Mach. “Reaching out to parents and taxpayers always comes to mind, but at a recent meeting a new audience was identified. Why don’t we hear directly from our students?”
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METTAWEE MAKES MATH FUN
If you give a student the choice between math or recess, the odds suggest that you’ll soon be heading outside to play. “Math is such an important skill for our kids to master,” acknowledged Mettawee math plus teacher Kimberly Donaldson. “If making numbers fun gets more of our students engaged, then let the games begin.”
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OUTSIDE — AND THE LEARNING IS EASY
Early in the day, one Mettawee student already had learned a gardening tip he was eager to share. “When you transplant a ramp, you carefully brush the dirt away from the bulb, making sure you don’t hurt the roots. If you break off the roots, the plant dies.”
Mettawee students recently made their first trip ever to the Smokey House Center in Danby, which serves as a living laboratory to advance ecologically sound farming and forestry. On this visit, kindergartners and first graders spent the day on a project that involved transplanting ramps - a species of wild onion - from one part of the forest to another area in the woods filled with sugar maple trees.
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HISTORY COMES ALIVE FOR METTAWEE STUDENTS AT FORT TICONDEROGA
It took an hour by bus for the Mettawee Community School fifth graders to travel back to the 18th Century. Their destination was Fort Ticonderoga situated on a bluff overlooking the southern end of Lake Champlain, where it also happens to be the site of America’s first victory in the Revolutionary War.
“We’ve been studying history, especially the War for Independence, in the weeks leading up to this field trip,” said Mettawee fifth grade teacher Mandy Thomas. “Books are wonderful, but the stories come alive when the kids can actually stand where events took place.”
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METTAWEE HONORS SACRIFICE
It was the last day of school before the long Memorial Day weekend. A dozen veterans dressed in uniforms from The Granville American Legion Post 323 Color Guard stood at parade rest in the parking lot in front of the Mettawee Community School (MCS). At precisely 8:30 am, the students from Mettawee emerged through the front door silently by grade with each student holding a small American flag. They lined up solemnly on the grass, face to face with the veterans who had served their country.
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METTAWEE MUSICIANS MAKE MAGIC
The words of Wizard of Oz lyricist Yip Harburg graced the program of the Mettawee Community School Spring Concert: “Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.”
Feelings and thoughts filled the school’s auditorium during a performance featuring a wide range of music for families and friends: Traditional folk songs, gospels, overtures, and rock ’n roll — music by notable musicians like Woody Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Tom Petty and Bruno Mars — choral arrangements and instrumental performances — and even the official state song of Vermont ("These Green Mountains") and the National Anthem.
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OUTDOOR AND OVERNIGHT MEMORIES AT METTAWEE
The annual overnight camping trip for Mettawee sixth graders does not go unnoticed by the rest of the students. “We saw how thrilled they were when they came back to school last year,” noted one new sixth grader. “This summer I was so filled with anticipation that I spent the last few weeks before school packing for our trip.”
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TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK A VETERAN
It never gets old. The Mettawee Community School’s annual tradition of hosting a Veteran’s Day breakfast for local service men and women always moves and impresses young and old alike.
For the students, it’s an opportunity to share a special moment with a family member, friend or neighbor who sacrificed and served in the United States military. For the veterans, it’s a chance to be with future generations and receive their admiration and gratitude.
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A FEAST FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG-AT-HEART
The spry, silver-haired guest donned a Mettawee Community School baseball cap. When asked if he still attended the school he smiled conspiratorially and replied with a twinkle in his eyes, "Graduated this year. Took a long time to get through first grade.”
Good humor and good food, the foolproof recipe for the annual Thanksgiving Feast at Mettawee. This quarter-century tradition of gathering students and senior citizens for a festive lunch on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, is a custom well worth its place on the calendar.
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METTAWEE MUSICAL, A TRUE TREASURE
The Mettawee Community School (MCS) is quite a distance from Broadway, but all the elements of the Great White Way were onstage at the school’s Winter Musical, Treasure Island: Costumed singers and dancers performing ensemble productions. Stage marks on the floor with sound boards and changing sets. A missed line and quick recovery. A curtain call and encore number. A rousing standing ovation from the audience.
“Each year the musical generates so much energy at Mettawee,” said MCS Principal Brooke DeBonis. “For six weeks everyone - students, teachers, and staff - gets involved learning lines, making costumes, rehearsing songs, building the scenery, directing performers. This event is a lesson in collaboration and patience. Somehow it all comes together and the show goes on.”