DO Program

After three tough months of training, 12 members of D.O.O.R. (Diversified Occupations On the Run) successfully crossed the finish line of the Crowley Brothers 5K Road Race. Many family members and supporters traveled down to Rutland early Sunday morning, June 9th, to cheer on the runners. For most club members, this was their first road race and much training went into meeting the goal of running 3.1 miles without stopping. Congratulations to the student runners and teachers for an awesome race and great season of D.O.O.R.!…

On Saturday, June 1st, youth rowers from all over New England flocked to the Lake Champlain Maritime Musuem for the 2013 Spring Wave.  The Diversified Occupations’ Osprey Rowing Club performed very well, taking home a first place finish in Race #1. The team consisted of Kira, Patrick, Howie, Melissa, Molly, Seamus, Tiffany, and coaches Ms. Lynch, Mr. Olsen, and Polly.  The day was action packed, with multiple races including the “Mess-About”, ice cream for all, and an awards ceremony. Congrats, rowers!…

      On Thursday, May 23rd, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and the Diversified Occupations Program launched Water Lilly, a 32′, six-oared pilot gig into Lake Champlain at Basin Harbor.  A bagpiper led a procession of over 150 excited guests and the new boat down to Basin Harbor.
     Following the launch, the eight student boat builders, D.O. teacher, Wendy Lynch, LCMM Master Boat Builder, Nick Patch, and LCMM co-Director Eric Tichonuk delivered individual speeches to a packed auditorium at the LCMM.
     It was a day of celebration after five months of hard work in the boat shop. “I’m proud of my work. This has been a wonderful chapter in my life, ” said Tami J., student boat builder.  Another student, Devin L. said, “It took five months of hard work to build the Water Lilly. Seeing the gig out on the water showed how hard we worked.” Molly S. confessed, “I’m not going to miss the bag lunches!”  One student added, “Down the road when I get a job, I’ll know how to use tools and get along with co-workers, thanks to the wonderful boat shop!”
To learn more about the origin and history of the name, Water Lilly, click here.
 
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On Monday, May 6th , a group of five student scientists and two teachers embarked on a four-day trip to the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, in Rochester , NY. The group included Stacy, Clifford, Seamus, Hillary, Hannah, Mr. O. and Sally. To make this trip possible, D.O. students raised money by building bird houses and having a Vermont Skulls fundraiser. Instead of staying in a hotel, D.O. rented a house, and lived as a family for the week. The group split their time between banding song birds at the banding station and catching raptors at the hawk blind. Alongside the BBBO staff and volunteers, the students helped band over fifty song birds.
With Dan Dan the Eagle Man running the show at the hawk station, they caught a variety of raptors. Some of these raptors included Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, a Northern Harrier, and as a special treat, a Northern Goshawk. It was totally awesome! When they weren’t banding birds, the group did other fun activities. They enjoyed skipping stones and chilling out on the beach at Lake Ontario. On the last night, they let loose and played games at the arcade. Mr. O. and Dan were the kings of the air hockey table! Special thanks to Betsy Brooks for inviting the group to Rochester, TGIF Café for making lots of meals, and the Doolans, Ms. Lynch, and Mrs. Stine for sending some spending money and yummy treats. Students are already exited to go back next year!…

On Monday, 5/13, the D.O. Current Events class headed off on an exciting four-day educational trip to our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.  Instead of renting a costly bus, we choose the cheaper way and flew down on U.S. Airways from Albany, NY.
The whole trip was full of highlights.  Some of these included riding bikes on the National Mall to see all of the monuments and memorials; meeting and visiting with Senator Patrick Leahy; seeing all of the beautiful animals at the National Zoo; watching a cool 3-D IMAX movie at the Museum of Natural History; visiting the Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknowns, and the changing of the guards; staying in the dorm rooms at the 4H National Conference Center; riding the Metro trains and busses; and living as a family for four days!
What a trip of a lifetime! Thank you parents, D.O. teachers, and community members for all of your support!  We raised every penny for this amazing trip! …