High School Students Archives - Stafford Technical Center

Stafford SADD Members Underwrite Christ the King DARE Program Expenses

The Stafford Technical Center SADD Chapter was advised by Bill Lucci, a parent of a Christ the King student and Assistant Director-Adult Technical Education at Stafford Technical Center that the Christ the King DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program at Christ the King School was in need of funds to pay for the expenses for running the program. The Rutland City Police Department has agreed to provide the services of the DARE Instructor, Officer Keith Lorman, who has undergone specific training to provide the DARE core curriculum to fifth or sixth graders. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and a generally poor economic environment, the funds pay for the program’s expenses were not there. Mr. Lucci told the SADD members about the plight of Mrs. Barbagallo’s fifth grade class, and they unanimously voted to donate the funds ($200) to run the programs.

SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) is a peer leadership program designed to make students role models of responsible behaviors and to act to reduce negative behaviors, such as drug usage. The students saw the opportunities to help the younger students in this case as a perfect example of the type of positive activities that they should be promoting. Normally, the SADD Chapter never has any additional funds, but the chapter just won $1200 as national finalists in a contest involving distracted driving that was run through ActOutLoud.org. The SADD members have chosen to deal with the issue of eating while driving in this contest and their project will be promoted on that site and there will be voting through that site from May 10-21, for the winners, who will get $10,000.

The Stafford Technical Center SADD Chapter is made up of Mill River Union High School students Kayla Jones, Nate Hance, James Reed, Cantlin Eaton, Cierra Phelps, Erika Stocker, and Haley Cotrupi, Rutland High School students Ashley Barnes, Chris Crout, Jamie Bonilla and Jordan Grenier, West Rutland High School student Kayla Stewart, Proctor High School student Kyle Lenher, and Otter Valley Union High School students Joanna Lilly and Geoffry McDonald.

Two Stafford Students Win Governor’s Award for Community Service

Two Stafford Technical Center students, Erika Stocker of Wallingford, and Ashley Barnes of Rutland, recently won the Governor’s Award for Community Service in the youth division. Both girls are seniors in the Public Safety Services Program and are members of the Students Against Destructive Decisions Chapter at Stafford Technical Center. The awards are granted through the Vermont Commission on National and Community Service, a bipartisan committee of 15 persons appointed by the governor. Both Ashley and Erika have also been nominated for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award at the gold level.

Ashley Barnes has been an active member of the Rutland City Police Cadets and has done hundreds of hours of assisting with traffic and crowd control, parades, training and other events over a 2 and a half year period. Ashley has assisted Detective Ray LaMoria of the Rutland City Police in teaching the RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Program to all sorts of people, from elementary school students, to high school students, to college students, and to special populations. Ashley plans on becoming a trainer in this program.

Both Ashley and Erika are both active members of the Stafford Technical Center SADD Chapter, and have donated hundreds of hours in training, and in projects designed to reduce the incidence of underage drinking, promote positive personal behaviors, provide positive role models, and to reduce other negative behaviors such as drug usage, dating violence, bullying, etc. They have presented on topics such as “Improper Cell Phone Use”, “Sexting”, and “Teen Dating Violence” at a number of schools and the state-wide Governor’s Youth Leadership Conference. They have been part of a number of highway safety projects, including the “Slow Down, Stick Around” Program which partnered community members and area libraries in an attempt to increase awareness of the dangers of speeding in cars.

Erika has been a very involved member of the Wallingford Fire Department, where she has done every task possible for a junior firefighter for the last five years. She has reported to car crashes, fire scenes, fundraisers, community benefit programs, and training. Her dedication is such that she has on more than one occasion been at a fire scene so late into the night that she came directly to school from the fire scene.

High School Students assist at Rutland’s Car Safety Seat Installation Clinic

Rutland hosts Vermont’s busiest car safety seat installation clinic, where new parents, grandparents, and anyone else who transports youngsters, can bring their car safety seat and have it installed by a technician who has had specialized training. The clinics are held weekly on Thursday afternoons from 3-6 at Regional Ambulance Service. The technicians come from different walks of life- police officers, EMTs, police dispatchers, and professionals from child and family centers. Students from the Stafford Technical Center SADD Chapter have recently been assisting the technicians.

The student assistants perform a variety of tasks. They act as scribes for the technicians, recording and documenting the particulars of this installation. They assist in childcare, so the technicians can do the installations without interruptions. The assistants also help the technician as required in any other part of the process. It is a win win situation for everyone. The technicians get assistance and are able to focus on getting the task done, and the students get to serve their community, learn new skills, and make professional contacts. The students who have been involved in the last two clinics are Cierra Phelps and Haley Cotrupi, juniors from Mill River Union High School, and Kayla Stewart, a junior from west Rutland High School. All three girls are students in the Stafford Technical Center SADD Chapter, and are enrolled in the Public Safety Services Program at Stafford.

Photo: l-r: Haley Cotrupi and Cierra Phelps help at car safety seat installation

Department of Motor Vehicles and High School Students Team Up to Address Speeding

Recently, students from Proctor High School and Stafford Technical Center’s Vermont Teen Leadership Program, and Rutland High School’s Green Mountain Teen Institute Program linked up with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles to heighten awareness of the dangers in speeding. The partners came together at the Rutland DMV Office, where they placed a couple of hundred “Slow Down, Stick Around” ribbons and attached information cards for DMV patrons to take. The ribbons can be used as bookmarks and are there to reinforce the message every time someone looks at the ribbon.

The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles is so committed to this effort that they have offered SADD chapters in areas of the state where there are DMV offices the opportunity to replicate this partnership locally. DMV was well represented at the kick-off of this program, with new Commissioner Robert Ide being joined by Sgt. Joseph Arduca and Inspector Adam Pockette as well as Rutland DMV District Office Supervisor Robin Delong. Cameo Bixby-Clements, a Rutland High student represented GMTI. Proctor High School’s SADD Chapter was represented by student Amanda Zuber and advisor Claire Molner. The Stafford Technical Center SADD team consisted of student Kayla Stewart of West Rutland and advisor John D’Esposito. Troopers Mark Perkins and Rene Klementowski of the Vermont State Police and Rutland County Sheriff Stephen Benard represented the law enforcement community.

Rutland County’s partnership between law enforcement, youth, and the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles represents another locally developed concept to solve a problem which will be replicated through Vermont, and perhaps through the nation

Students Link Up With Rutland Free Library For Highway Safety

Students Highway Safety Photo Recently, students from the Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program Chapters in Proctor High School and Stafford Technical Center began a partnership with the Rutland Free Library in Rutland which is aimed at reducing excessive speed on roads and highways and the many crashes which result from speeding. At the winter meeting of the Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program (VTLSP), an organization of high school students from about 40 Vermont schools, which focuses on highway safety issues, the students decided that they wanted to work on a project to reduce the incidence of speeding and the deaths and injuries resulting from speeding.

They came up with a theme for the campaign, “Slow Down, Stick Around”. The theme would be printed on ribbons and would have a card explaining the risks of speeding attached. The plan originally was to disseminate these ribbons at highway rest areas and visitors centers, but when they were done, some additional venues were discussed- auto body and repair shops, chambers of commerce, and car dealers. Someone else recognized that the ribbons would make excellent book marks, and would tend to be used over and over, so libraries became sites to give out the ribbons and cards.

Some of the facts involving speeding are: 36% of all fatal motorcycle crashes are speed related, as speed goes up, the likelihood of a fatality increases, and young males are the most likely to be involved in a fatal speed-related crash.

The students involved in delivering the basket full of ribbons and cards to Dan Amesburry, the assistant director of the Rutland Free Library were: Taylor Trombley of Proctor High School and her VTLSP Advisor, Claire Molner, two students from Rutland High School’s GMTI Program, Jonathan Giffin and Cameo Bixby- Clemons, Lt. Kevin Geno of the Rutland City Police Department, Rutland County Sherriff Stephen Benard, and two Stafford Technical Center students, Kayla Jones of Tinmouth, and Ashley Barnes of Rutland.

Photo: Slow Down, Stick Around Rutland at the Rutland Free Library: Dan Amesburry (w/beard), Claire Molner, Jonathan Giffin, Lt. Kevin Geno, Ashley Barnes, Kayla Jones, and Taylor Trombley

Heritage Family Credit Union donates prizes for Financial Literacy

The Heritage Family Credit Union donated a Wii Fit System, Nintendo DS, and an MP3 player that were given away on June 5th to students in Stafford Technical Center’s Hospitality & Entreprenuership program. The student’s names were entered throughout the year for every financial literacy test they passed. The curriculum is free through the National Endowment for financial education. The Heritage Family Credit Union supports the teaching of financial literacy to high school students. Their generous donation served as motiviation for students to score well on their financial tests.

These students names were drawn for the following prizes:

Wii Fit System: Stephen Bassett (Otter Valley Union High School)

Nintendo DS: Alison McLellan (Proctor High School)

MP3 Player: Jenna Pelkey (Otter Valley Union High School)

Stafford would like to thank the Heritage Family Credit Union for their generosity and for supporting financial literacy. We also extend our gratitude to Katrina Kessop who has done a tremendous job as our “resident teller” at our STC Heritage Credit Union Branch. Kessop instructs the Hospitality and Entreprenuership students how to properly handle money and assist customers with credit union transactions.

Students establish Highway Safety Partnership with Pittsford’s Maclure Library

The Vermont Teen Leadership Safety Program (VTLSP) Chapters from Stafford Technical Center and Proctor High School recently established a partnership with the Maclure Library in Pittsford. VTLSP, an organization of high school students from around the state, wanted to bring increased awareness to the dangers of excessive speeding on Vermont roadways. One startling statistic is that 36% of all fatal motorcycle crashes are speed related, and young males are the most likely to be involved in a fatal speed related crash.

VTLSP created a slogan, “Slow Down, Stick Around”, which would be printed on ribbons with an attached card explaining the risks of speeding. These ribbons were originally to be distributed at highway rest areas and visitor centers. However, VTLSP wanted to expand their venues to include auto body and repair shops, local chambers of commerce, and car dealers. It was also suggested that these ribbons would make excellent bookmarks so public libraries were added as a distribution point.

Those students involved in delivering the ribbons and cards to Bonnie Stewart, Librarian at the Maclure Library were Kayla Jones and Vicky Stone of Stafford Technical Center and Alyssa Zsido of Proctor High School.They were accompanied by their advisors, John D’Esposito (Stafford) and Claire Molner (Proctor).