SCHOOL ZONE 11-8-12

FOCUS ON VERMILION HIGH SCHOOL

Continuing our series on activities in each of our school buildings, this week we are highlighting Vermilion High School. 

In addition to the many athletic, drama and music activities that the public is familiar with, VHS students are able to choose from a variety of academic related clubs and activities.  Our high school offers Student Council, National Honor Society, Academic Challenge, Model UN, Mock Trial, Leo Club, Speech and Debate Team, Science Fair, Book Club and Art Club.  A new club offering for students is a technology club in which students play Minecraft, a challenging game using blocks to create and defend virtual worlds.  

For those who may not participate in organized athletics, we offer Intramural activities after school to promote healthy living and an annual Powder Puff charity football game.  Admission to this year’s event is a non-perishable food item that will be donated to the Vermilion food pantry.  Some of the other charity and service activities students actively participate in throughout the school year are the annual Veteran’s luncheon sponsored by the VHS social studies classes, Operation Christmas Joy and Relay for Life.  All of our students are offered points for volunteering with social service agencies or participating in other types of service projects, such as the annual Vermilion spring clean-up. 

Every year administrators and teachers at VHS offer travel opportunities to help teach students about history and culture outside of Vermilion. This year there are several opportunities for students to participate in educational trips with student groups:

• Grade 8 trip to Washington D.C. to visit historic sites and learn more about the United States government;
• Spanish students trip to Puerto Rico to learn more about the culture and language in that region;
• French classes trip to France to study the culture and language of that country;
• VHS marching band trip to Virginia Beach where they will perform in the Parade of Nations, learn more about percussion performance and tour historic Jamestown and Williamsburg;
• Participating Seniors will travel to Chicago for the first annual Senior trip where they will be exposed to various artistic and historic sites and will visit Notre Dame University. 

Students who are interested in participating in any of these trips should speak with their teacher or advisor for more information.

Many of our teachers are using hands-on teaching methods in their classrooms.  For example, students in Physics classes are making and testing rockets using precise calculations; Math students are participating in a egg drop activity using bungee cords; and French students are using vocabulary words to write and create their own short film using iMovie.   Students have also embraced the hands-on philosophy and are creating projects to promote their school.  Last year our district created a promotional video for the City of Vermilion and Vermilion schools that was featured on the City website, Vermilion.net.  This year during Spirit Week students in our Film Making class organized the student body to create a promotional video that was later posted to YouTube.  The video shows students enthusiastically supporting all of the many athletic teams we have in Vermilion. 

Parents or community members who are interested in keeping in touch with what is happening at Vermilion High School can view the VHS announcements at the following link:  http://sailornewsnetwork.wordpress.com/category/announcements/ .  It is a great place to see our Sailor News Network team in action, and keep up-to-date on what is happening in our schools.