Kira Brightens Up Mural

Over the summer Kira Mitchell updated the mural in the outdoor La Casa play area.

Thank you Kira!

Spotlight: VIMSIA Student Artwork in Online Contest

From the Inside Out Expressive Arts Program presented the online art contest, “Love & Change In the Time of Corona.” All the art is hosted on Facebook on the VI Student Gallery Online. Congratulations to Deja Marie and Ellis!

Deja Marie Simon

Title of Artwork: We survive this!

Description: This drawing was inspired by face mask. Due to this pandemic masks have become a important part of our wardrobe. I have noticed that lots of people in my community respect the safety of everyone around them. It is important that you protect yourself and everyone around you too.

Ellis Wiseheart

Title of Art: "Love is in the Air"
Acrylic on canvas

My painting, "Love is in the Air" explores how the power of love can help you through difficult times. This shows our current situation with the Coronavirus, but the idea can apply to a variety of struggles that we all face.

PGIA Students “Explo” Online Summer Courses

PGIA students had the opportunity to take experiential online courses through EXPLO, an innovative educational non-profit organization. VIMSIA was awarded 20 scholarships so our students could participate in a wide variety of classes from Cooking to Engineering and Neurology to International Relations. Read more about all the online offerings here.

Divina who is entering the 9th grade this fall shared, “We learned about the different kinds of studies in medicine such as neurology and radiology and specific illnesses such as type one diabetes. We also played fun games such as role-playing where there would be a doctor and a patient and we would be assigned a personality and illness and the doctor would have to ask certain questions about family history and the patient’s symptoms. While doing this with others I made a few friends and when we got time we would talk about other things. I made a friend from Montreal and Toronto.”

Mya also a rising 9th grader, used this experience to explore careers options. She says, “The Explo summer program experience was very delightful and helpful for my career choice. As I want to be an engineer, I participated in this program. It taught me to learn the main components of the engineering cycle. We were given prompts to create a specific object. This really helped to open our minds and design objects useful for the world. This was a very effective and awesome opportunity that I was able to attend.”

AnaPia, a rising 12th grader says, “The EXPLO International Relations program has exposed me to a variety of international situations as well as a chance to negotiate a solution. Through simulations and guest speakers, I have had the opportunity to better understand the power dynamics within the international community.”

VIMSIA is one of founding member schools of EXPLO Elevate - Independent Schools Consortium. EXPLO Elevate’s mission is “to help schools design, build, implement, and continuously improve the environments needed for all learners to thrive now and in the future. EXPLO Elevate is a division of Exploration Learning, a 43-year old non-profit international leader in education innovation. EXPLO inspires students and teachers to explore the world of people and ideas, and to experience the joy of learning in pursuit of purpose and meaning.”

VIMSIA update from the Head of School

Good day, VIMSIA Families.

Given the present COVID-19 status in St Thomas and the Territory, VIMSIA continues with our plan to reopen on August 18th as an on-campus school. The decision to open our campus or not in these times of COVID-19 is largely influenced by local conditions. Safety is our first priority, yet the detrimental education and emotional long-term impact on students and families are also of concern. We will continue to monitor the situation and act accordingly. Our COVID-19 safety and operational plan remains available on our website.

Re-opening updates

Testing will be required of all staff and students ages 3+ before returning to campus (whether you traveled this summer or not.) Staff antibody testing will be conducted on August 7th. Student testing will be available on campus on August 12th, 13th, or 14th. Times are TBD - costs should be covered via your health insurance; uninsured will need to pay out of pocket. The antibody test involves blood being drawn with same-day results. VIMSIA will only be accepting test results from providers in the Virgin Islands. PCR swab tests can also be conducted. One can utilize your healthcare provider or the service provided by VIMSIA at school.

Thermal screenings will be conducted daily on campus by staff. A person with 100.4 temperatures will be sent home. An additional temperature screening procedure to be conducted by parents at home before leaving for school is being pursued.

Social distancing will be practiced throughout campus.

Washing hands frequently will be institutionalized. Twelve new hand-washing stations have been installed around campus in addition to existing bathrooms. Handless water faucets have been and are being installed on all faucets.

Water bottle filling stations are replacing water fountains. Each student is to bring his or her own-labeled water bottle.

Facemasks are to be worn by all staff and students when not practicing social distancing. LaCasa and Primary students will be taught the procedures of facemasks usage, but we do not anticipate their full compliance all day. Face shields are optional for staff and students.

ACs and fans will operate with windows open. Regular cleaning of AC units has been instituted.

Sanitization: Classrooms will be disinfected on a regular basis with CDC approved products. Our maintenance/cleaning staff will continue to do their routine cleaning and a third party vendor will disinfect daily.

Nine new outdoor learning areas have been created with shade and waterproof covering to facilitate social distancing.

Five new enclosed classrooms have been created.

Class sizes have been cut in half. Small Pods of students have been created to restrict interaction between students.

An area designated for students that show signs of illness has been established and procedures established to have them sent home immediately.

No after school activities, study hall, or BEC for the fall semester.  Campus will be physically closed to students at 3:30 pm.

Our Covid-19 task force has met and will continue to review and to update our protocols. Members are Atty. Greg Ferguson, Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, Mr. Kevin Likens, Baker Magras, Dr. Brad Kappel, Caribbean Chiropractic Center, Dr. Brendan Anzalone Chief Medical Officer AeroMD and Michael Bornn.

Staggered start to the school year

Montessori: To facilitate safe and timely arrival procedures, all Montessori families must enter campus through the lower main parking lot, starting at 7:30 am. Montessori families may not enter school through the upper parking lot. Thank you for your understanding.

All parents wait in cars while temperatures are taken. Primary and Elementary groups for the first two days will be determined during staff week and parents will be notified on August 11th.

The purpose of these staggered start days is to help transition the students in smaller groups to the new procedures and protocols that will be happening on campus.

The staggered start times each day will continue daily. Please be respectful of the time slots for drop off, siblings will be invited to join at the time their oldest child arrives. This will help disperse the number of children.

Tuesday, August 18

7:45 -8:00 Elementary - Group A full day

8:00 -8:15 Primary - half of the class for a full day  

8:15-8:30 La Casa - returning students only, staggered start dates for new students will be as notified by teachers

Wednesday, August 19

7:45 -8:00 Elementary - Group B full day

8:00 -8:15 Primary - half of the class for a full day  

8:15-8:30 La Casa - returning students only, staggered start dates for new students will be as notified by teachers

Thursday, August 20

La Casa will continue staggered starts for new students

Primary and Elementary will be fully present

PGIA:  To facilitate safe and timely arrival procedures, all PGIA families must enter campus through the upper PGIA parking lot, starting at 7:30 am. PGIA families may not enter school through the main parking lot. Thank you for your understanding. Temperatures will be taken upon arrival at the car.

PGIA Staggered Start Dates:

Tuesday, August 18th - Grades 11 & 12 will attend

Wednesday, August 19th - Grades 9, 10, 11 & 12 will attend

Thursday, August 20th - Grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 will attend

Friday, August 21st and forward - all Grades 7-12 will attend

The PGIA school day runs from 8 am - 3:15 pm

Other news

Curriculum expansion: Spanish classes have been expanded in the Montessori program. Music classes have been added for Montessori students. A learning specialist has been added to the staff to assist Kelly Butler with her duties. Chemistry, Physics, and Information Technology in a Global Society are now offered within the DP curriculum. Online courses through the IB and other sources will be added this year to expand course offerings in the PGIA.

VIMSIA is also prepared to provide distance learning classes and education in the event the COVID-19 scenario requires such. Teachers have taken numerous PD courses and webinars over the summer to improve distance-learning skills.

This summer VIMSIA has greatly explored and invested in live streaming education. The systems we are developing are based on university methods modified for k-12 schools. Incorporating these strategies and technologies is a process that we are committed to beyond the current crisis. While live streaming will be an addition to our school in the future, VIMSIA will be an on-campus school for the Fall 2020 semester. PGIA students who cannot be on campus for certain periods of time will be supported in their education by teacher office hour sessions, managebac, and email. Please reach out to us if you feel you are in need of special assistance for the Fall semester.

Bus service will be provided by the Dept. of Education once public schools open. ONLY STUDENTS THAT HAVE NO OTHER OPTION FOR TRANSPORTATION SHOULD REGISTER FOR BUS TRANSPORT. Online registration is required through the Department of Education and due by July 31.

Ferry service from St. John continues to be worked on. The Department of Education has announced their reopening date as September 8th. We do not anticipate the morning ferry for students running until then. There has been no confirmation of an afternoon student’s only ferry. I will convene a St. John parent zoom call next week to finalize alternatives. Presently there are two alternatives: Private vans on the car barge in the morning and the afternoon or the passenger ferry each way.

Yours in Education,

Michael Bornn

STATEMENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGARDING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

During the past four months, the Board of Trustees has been actively engaged in managing the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for our school. Through one-on-one interactions with staff, teachers, parents, students, and from attendance at the town halls, committee and staff meetings, we realize that there are many outstanding questions and concerns regarding the Board and how it makes the decisions that guide this school. In response to these concerns, the Board takes the opportunity to provide this statement to our VIMSIA community. 

We would like to begin by addressing the decision to not offer tuition refunds for the latter half of the second semester of the 2019-2020 school year. As a Board of Trustees, we are entrusted with safeguarding the institution not only for any given school year, but for generations to come. We are also mindful of the legacy we inherited from decades of Trustees before us who worked hard to make the school what it is today. It is important for everyone to understand that VIMSIA did not arrive at its current institutional stature overnight, but through generations of sacrifice and dedication of countless community members before us. As per our charter, the Board needed to take into consideration not only the year 2020, but the years 1990, 2030, 2050, and beyond. 

All teachers and staff are hired under one-year contracts that VIMSIA would need to honor even if tuition refunds were given. VIMSIA has always made an effort to make its education affordable for the entire community, and because of this, even full tuition is less than the actual cost incurred by the school for educating each child. Furthermore, nearly 70% of the student body receives some financial accommodation against tuition. VIMSIA always makes up this shortfall in income through fundraising, something that has been significantly hindered because of the pandemic. Therefore, if the Board had offered tuition refunds to parents it would have necessitated layoffs in staff and teachers, caused disruption in the continuity of VIMSIA’s educational program for students, unsettled VIMSIA’s strategic planning and budget, and set the school back in its progress many years, if not decades, all for a crisis, that while epic in scope, will be temporary. This was not a tradeoff the Board felt would have been responsible to take as stewards of this institution. 

The Board recognizes the hardships experienced with the distance learning program, and that some parents felt the value received from the distance learning program was not equal to the value of the tuition paid. However, it is important to understand that the transition to the distance learning system required staff and teachers to quickly learn and adopt new technologies to provide continuity of learning. Our entire community gave more time, and exerted more effort, than if school had just continued normal on-campus learning. Asking our entire faculty of staff and teachers to give more and do more, while experiencing layoffs and pay cuts was not the fair way to handle this situation. We are extremely grateful to our VIMSIA Head of School, administrative and staff teams for their dedication and commitment to the school. As they did after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, they rose admirably to the challenge and went way beyond the call of duty to provide an element of stability and educational continuance to our student population, in extraordinarily trying circumstances. 

We understand that distance learning was difficult for young children, but the Board must also balance that recognition against the fact that no school anywhere in the world had the perfect distance learning program. The reality is that the perfect distance learning program is not something that is achievable anywhere because distant learning is not as beneficial as on-campus education for younger children. Nevertheless, in recognition that distance learning for younger students does not work for every family, the Board decided to offer a refund program for the 2020-2021 school year for La Casa and Primary. The refund policy in 2020-2021 was made possible with the aid of forward planning, but will still create a significant financial hardship on the school if it has to be implemented. 

Please keep in mind that VIMSIA always works with families that need financial assistance. These financial accommodations are always done on a one-on-one basis in a confidential and dignified manner. 

The Board understands the difficulty the pandemic has caused VIMSIA’s families and community, not only financially, but emotionally as well. For this reason, we did not arrive at our decision lightly, but only after much research, internal debate, and thoughtful consideration. 

The Board also takes this opportunity to discuss some of the developments that we have been working on prior to and even during this crisis, namely the continued development of our academic leadership team at the school. VIMSIA made some phenomenally talented strategic hires and promotions in both Montessori and in the PGIA. In Montessori, we welcomed Ms. Heather McCabe to lead our Montessori program in 2019, and she will continue to grow in her leadership role in the coming years. Over at PGIA, we promoted Alex Silva to head of MYP and Matthew Stocking to head of DP to strengthen the PGIA program led so aptly by Gloria Arpasi for the last decade. In the coming years, we expect to continue developing our education leadership positions at the school, and we remain actively recruiting and looking for talent to fill those roles. 

Our next focus of growth opportunity is going to be in the improvement of the Montessori Skills Assessment. The Board understands that the nature of the Montessori program does create a feeling of risk for some parents because the educational development cycle of students is different, and the payoff in unmatched educational achievement and results is sometimes not understood until later. This different cycle, coupled with the fact that Montessori does not give grades, makes the End-of-the-Year Assessment particularly important for parents. The Board plans on working with Ms. McCabe this coming school year to make substantive improvements to the End-of-the-Year Assessments, understanding that this year will be unique and challenging because of the continuing pandemic. 

In addition to improvements in education, the Board intends to improve on its community outreach and transparency with concerted efforts to create better communication with parents, teachers, staff, and students. The Board agrees that greater transparency about school finances would be beneficial for the entire community. The Board is currently vetting several options, including Finance Committee newsletters, an annual Open Board Meeting for parents to attend, Finance Presentations at PTA meetings, and changes to student contracts to inform parents about the value of education and how the tuition money is spent. 

Recently, some have questioned whether Board Meetings should be open or whether Board minutes should be public. The Board disagrees that open Board meetings and public minutes are healthy ways to address Board transparency. The school is a private non-profit, under no legal obligation to publicize its Board minutes or finances. The Board of Trustees is an all-volunteer board, and there is not a single person on the Board that receives remuneration of any kind in exchange for dozens of hours of work per month. Board members are nominated, recruited and retained for the professional experience (fiscal, insurance, legal, medical, mental health, academic, entrepreneurial, organizational development and human resources) they bring to the table, so that VIMSIA does not have to spend its limited fiscal resources paying for these services. For the Board of Trustees to function, it is imperative that each member be able to voice concerns in strict confidence. Having open Board meetings would hinder frank discussions and make finding quality members for our all-volunteer Board more difficult. That being said, in an effort to improve transparency, the Board will implement one annual “open” board meeting for parents to attend, and a Board member will be present at the end-of-the-year PTA meeting going forward. 

While this statement does not address each and every concern, the Board is here to make the school better and for that reason, we are always happy to hear the suggestions and feedback from every stakeholder in our community. We attach a separate brief on our roles and responsibilities as a Board of Trustees of a non- profit educational institution. Our individual profiles are listed on the school’s website. We remain open to discussing and addressing valid concerns (understanding that the school also has a well-documented grievance policy and competent academic and administrative teams as first points of call for individual issues) while always staying mindful of our obligations to the institution and community as a whole. 

We look forward to many more generations of educational excellence and community development. 

Most Sincerely, 

Greg J, Ferguson, President
on behalf of your VIMSIA Board of Trustees 

Get S.C.E.T. Training Concludes - PGIA Wins Again!

On Friday, July 17th four VIMSIA students: Krishiv Amarnani, Mireille Boumedine, Zack Edwards, and Amelie Zucker completed the Get S.C.E.T. (Sandia Cyber Education Training) held by Sandia National Laboratories, which provides cybersecurity for the U.S. nuclear energy program.

During the week, the students gained points for answering challenge questions requiring them to apply newly-learned skills in networking, scripting and programming, cryptography, and cybersecurity. The week ended in an intense, four-hour challenge competition on Friday.

Krishiv participated in this high school level program even though he is still in middle school. He did well, managing to overcome some technical difficulties with his computer. Despite this being the first time in any kind of similar training or competition, Zack finished at number 12. Amelie, a veteran of the VIMSIA CyberPatriot team, was also participating in her first competition of this type and placed at number 5 on the leaderboard. Mimi finished in the first place! Mimi and Amelie were the only two Virgin Islanders in the top 5.

Advisor Rebecca Hoffart said, “I am ridiculously proud of them. They did a great job representing our school and our territory, and I am sure Sandia now has these kids on their radar.”

Left to Right: Krishiv Amarnani, Mireille Boumedine, Zack Edwards, and Amelie Zucker

Semester 2 - PGIA Honors 2020

The young ladies and gentlemen listed here have worked extremely hard to end the school year with an IB 6-7 average.  Their work ethic and tenacity are to be noted and celebrated.
We are incredibly proud of the entire PGIA and the determination you all showed over this school year.  Challenges and new experiences make us stronger and more capable of tackling the future.

Art is a Verb Spotlight: Boys 10th Grade Dance

The Pre-DP Boys 10th Grade group choreographed this dance themselves!

Performed by:

Thomas Brunt
Amir Ottley
Aidan Griffith
Scott Harrington
Tyler Weiss
Orin Hayes

See their performance here!

Check out other the Art is a Verb projects here!

PGIA's Ms. Sibyl Rolle Directs Virtual Play - July 10th

Our Ms. Sibyl Rolle is directing a virtual play with Four Walls Theater based in Brooklyn NY and is inviting the VIMSIA community to tune in.

“Michelle Tyrene Johnson’s timely play, “Rights of Passage”, directed by Sibyl Rolle, asks the question what happens when a white police officer comes to a law office to seek legal help after killing an unarmed black youth? Controversy and media attention hasn’t yet happened, but for the police officer, explaining what happened is more complicated than he bargained for.

The Livestream! performance is Friday, July 10 at 8pm EST/ 5pm PT.
The recording of the performance will only be available through July 24th.

Those who donate prior to the start of the livestream performance will receive a Zoom link for an exclusive talk-back with the artists after the show.”

Eventbrite

To find out more information you can visit the Four Walls Theater website or Facebook.

Obituary: Claire Foster

With sorrow we inform the VIMSIA community of the passing of Claire Foster - one of the original founders of VIMSIA.

Claire Foster

Claire Marie Foster of St. Thomas, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2020.  She was born on July 7, 1929 in New Jersey, to parents Clara and Leon Cybulski.  Raised in Collingswood, New Jersey, she attended St. John grammar school and Camden Catholic High School.  From childhood she yearned to travel, so she started her adventure with American Airlines, managing a V.I.P. ticket office on Wall Street in New York City.  She moved on to McGettigan’s Travel Bureau in Philadelphia where she was offered the chance to travel more extensively.  Soon she was invited to the opening of the elegant Virgin Isle Hotel, in St. Thomas, where she immediately fell in love with the island.  While staying at Galleon House on Government Hill, she became friendly with the owners and shared with them how she had always dreamed of running a guesthouse.  They told her to ask again in 15 years.  Two years and two trips later she was offered a job at Travel Services on Main Street, where she started in January 1961, and soon became a manager.  Shortly thereafter she met, Englishman, John Foster, who was the navigator of the 75-foot yacht, Eroica, which he sailed from England to St. Thomas.  That summer her dream came true, when she had the chance to run Galleon House.  

The following year, after she and John were married at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, they bought the guesthouse, which Claire lovingly managed.  The adventure continued when they had their two children, Johnny and Lilibet, which inspired her involvement in the founding of Montessori school.  Later, she joined her husband’s firm, John Foster Real Estate.  A lifelong and devout Catholic, she served as Lector, Eucharistic Minister, the leader of many prayer groups and pilgrimages, and was presented to John Paul II in Rome, Italy.  She was a longtime member of The Papal Foundation, West Indian Franciscans, Inner Wheel Club, Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, where she also served as secretary for over twenty years, and she was instrumental in the founding of the Knights of Malta Virgin Islands Area and St. Thomas Yacht Club. 

She loved their residence in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where she relocated after hurricanes, Irma and Maria, damaged their home on St. Thomas.  She worshipped at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola until medical problems intervened, which also prevented her from returning to her treasured home on St. Thomas. Claire dearly loved and cherished her family and is survived by her beloved husband of 58 years, John; son, John P., Shane (wife), Olivia, Sophia, Miles, Parry, Sheridan (children); daughter, Lilibet, Charles Pessler (husband), Tristan John (son); sister, Janet Christensen; sister, Bonnie Ostroff, Joel (husband); and many more family members and friends. 

A memorial service to be held on St. Thomas, will be announced at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 8i Estate Elizabeth, St. Thomas, VI 00802.  For information about the service, please feel free to contact the family at cfosterinfo@gmail.com. 

Art is a Verb - Now Online

The Art is a Verb 2019-2020 Collection is now online!

While this global event has disrupted the student artwork and dance performance showcase, Art is a Verb, these artists and dancers continued create.

These DP dancers got together with the support of their families to produce this video of their performance of “Too Late” check out this power video and others now featured on the school website!.

VIMSIA Library Open for Summer Concierge Service!

The VIMSIA Library will be open this summer! Ms. Schlesinger will continue offering the Library Concierge Check-Out.

If you have not already used this service here are instructions on how to get started.

Check out the Summer Reading collection. It has the VIMSIA suggested reading lists, cool online reading challenges, and more!

Stay tuned for more fun updates from the Library this summer.

Celebrating the Montessori 6th Years

We had the opportunity last week to celebrate the 18 wonderful 6th year students with VIMSIA's first even Virtual Graduation.  Please click here to enjoy the video that is filled with teacher tributes, student presentations and a special musical tribute from the 4th and 5th year students.  

Prior to the Virtual ceremony we had the opportunity to see the graduates briefly when they came to campus to pick up the much treasured Montessori Medallions.  

Black Lives Matter Protest - St. Thomas

Many VIMSIA students and staff were among the USVI residents who came out to contribute their voices to the Black Lives Matter Protest on Saturday. The Peaceful Protest started at the waterfront and worked its way to Roosevelt Park. I am proud to see so many VIMSIA faces standing up and speaking out for  what they believe in. Keep up the good Work! 

Please return library books you are not using!

Many students still have library books at home that they checked out before school went into distance learning mode.  It is now time to return those books!  Please place your books in the bin located near the office door on the car deck.  Notices will be emailed to all students who have books checked out.  Look for emails directly to students in grades 4-12, and to parents of students in CASA, Primary, and Lower El.  Families are encouraged to continue to check out books over the summer, but PLEASE bring back books that you are not currently reading so that others may enjoy them.

A letter from VIMSIA Leadership in response to tragic events across our country.

To the VIMSIA Community,

Our hearts are heavy with the recent acts of hatred and violence and the resulting calls for justice taking place across the country. Our community joins all those mourning the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others. The pain of these deaths require, at the very least, our solidarity and we must step up to denounce racism with one voice.  

In the face of these injustices, we must remain committed to building an inclusive community, the strength of which rests on our shared appreciation for a diversity of cultures and identities. This cannot be passive. We must each continue to find ways of taking action to demonstrate our values. This work is essential to fostering mutual respect, responsibility, and empathy in each of us, so we may carry these values out into the world.

VIMSIA’s goal continues to be the education and development of global citizens, which we are constantly working towards in both our Montessori and PGIA classrooms. We aim to provide a space to help students share their thoughts and feelings, as well as develop solutions and take action to address the world’s injustices. To that end, PGIA students are invited to a forum on the Causes and Consequences of Current Protests tomorrow, June 4th at 3:15 pm.  This optional, open forum will build and expand on conversations that have already taken place within Individuals & Societies and Global Politics classes this week. 

For anyone struggling to process these recent events in a productive and healthy way, know that you are not alone and we are here to support you.  We encourage students to reach out to our Guidance Counselor, Samantha Kaffenbarger, or any staff member with whom you feel comfortable. 

We have included a link to a library collection of vetted resources, some of which our staff are already using in the classroom. This collection is by no means an exhaustive list but it is a start to aid understanding of what is happening in our country.
Racism, Civil Disobedience & Global Unrest

Sincerely, 

VIMSIA Leadership Team   

Dying Earth - Poem by Vidhika Khemani

Dying Earth

By Vidhika Khemani 

 In a world with a sky of true bright blue,

you steal away life only thinking of you.

The rustling of the leaves is what you hear.

Sunbeams through trees dimming is what we fear.

Chemicals in my bodies of water,

are wickedly worse than manslaughter.

Atmospheric air absorbs pollutants,

which may cause humans to be turned into mutants.

You kill me each day, slowly and silently.

I stand here defenseless and helplessly.

You don’t hear my screams, or screeches, torn apart,

with tears in my eyes, and pain in my heart.

 I need you to make a conscious choice,

‘fore toxic pollution quiets my voice.

Campus Improvements - Spring 2020

There have been some beautiful and functional improvements to campus over the last few weeks. As you drive by campus you will see a new water feature made from recycled WAPA utility poles. Under the solar awning we have installed some seriously big fans which will improve the airflow in the area. Our athletic field lights are bright, and the field will be ready to host evening athletic events as soon as it is safe to do so.

New Book Alert: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Hot off the press and into the VIMSIA library, Suzanne Collins newest book in the Hunger Games series has just arrived! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to the Hunger Games series we all know and love. Reserve it today at the VIMSIA library online.

VIMSIA GIRLS GO CYBERSTART TEAM EARNS 1000 POINTS

The VIMSIA Girls Go CyberStart team competed Wednesday and Thursday in the national championships of the Girls Go CyberStart online cybersecurity competition.  The competition lasted a grueling 36 hours.  Yes, the team did take time to sleep!  Our team worked together, stayed in touch via text and Zoom, and learned so much through the process. A growth mind-set was definitely needed, and the team never gave up. 

As a first year team going to the national championships, we knew we would be up against difficult, unfamiliar challenges.  The team had to work hard for every point, applying deep thinking and creativity to solve the problems.  They earned 1000 points!  Results are unofficial until next week, but we will place closer to the middle of the pack than the top ten. Of course, just making it to any national level championship is an immense feat.  We are very proud of this team!

Next year we will be able to bring a more experienced group to this competition, and our goals will be high.

VIMSIA will also be fielding Middle and High School teams in a different online competition coming up next weekend - InteGirls.  This one involves solving online puzzles and will be challenging.  It is also an opportunity to learn a lot and build team relationships.  You can learn more about the InteGirls competition here:  www.integirls.org

Feel free to contact Mrs. Hoffart (rhoffart@vimsia.org) or Ms. Petrich (mpetrich@vimsia.org) for more information about InteGirls.