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RU Team 'H' gets ready for the start of the competition
RU Team 'H' gets ready for the start of the competition

3 RU Robotics teams compete at the Vermont New Hampshire Region Robotics Tournament at the Coe-Brown Academy with 2 teams qualifying for the State Championship.

Student cleans algae off coral

Student scuba dives and clean algae off coral

RU Senior Ethan Davignon
RU Senior Ethan Davignon scores 1,000th career Point

Congratulations Ethan Davignon for reaching the 1000 point milestone. Ethan finished his high school basketball career with a total of 1017 points. He joins a very select group of athletes at Randolph as he is just the 10th Galloping Ghost to reach this mark and the first to do it since 2016.

Congratulations to the RUHS Bowling team for winning the State Championship!
RU Bowling State Champs 23-24

Congratulations to the RUHS Bowling team for winning the State Championship!

RUHS has launched its first eSports team!
RUHS eSports Team

RUHS has launched its first eSports team!

Sign in front of the District Office

About OSSD

The Orange Southwest School District serves students and families in the towns of Randolph, Braintree, and Brookfield, Vermont. Our three elementary schools provide services to students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Randolph Union High School serves students from grades seven through twelve; and the Randolph Technical Career Center provides technical education services for juniors and seniors from communities throughout Central Vermont.

News & Events

Latest News

Dear OSSD Community,

On April 8th, there will be a solar eclipse visible across much of Vermont starting in the early afternoon.  The best locations for viewing the total eclipse are in the more northern parts of the state.  The OSSD will join many districts around Vermont who are closing early on the 8th to allow staff, students, and their families time to travel to prime viewing locations to witness this rare event.

  • April 8th will be half day for students and staff.

Most Sincerely,

 

Layne W. Millington

OSSD Superintendent

Read More about April 8th will be half day for students and staff
Best Elementary School 2024

US News and World Report have released their 2023-24 Best Schools in the Country list.  Two OSSD schools have been identified as some of the best in the state!

 

Braintree Elementary is ranked the 5th Best Elementary School.  

Click Here to see the full list of Elementary Schools.

 

Randolph Union High School is ranked the 20th Best Elementary School.

Click Here to see the full list of Middle Schools.

Read More about 2 OSSD Schools rank as some Vermont's best

The OSSD Board is launching its search for a new Superintendent for the 2024/25 School Year and beyond.  The Board is interested in knowing what superintendent skills and attributes the various stakeholder groups in the OSSD communities value.  The Board and the Screening Committee will  use this information to inform their search work as they move through the process.  Please complete this survey by noon, on January 31, 2024. 

Click Here for access to the survey.

Read More about OSSD Superintendent Skills & Attributes Survey

The OSSD Board is currently seeking folks to serve on the Screening Committee and once members have been identified they will begin their work immediately.  

The OSSD Board charges the Screening Committee with the authority and responsibility to conduct the initial superintendent screening process. This process shall start following the receipt of the Secretary of Education's permission to begin the search process and shall conclude with recommending finalist candidates to the full board. The Screening Committee shall strive to present up to three licensable candidates to the full board that meet the search criteria established by the board. The Screening Committee shall provide information on the finalist candidates’ experience, specific skills, and related background details to the Board following completion of the initial screening process but shall not rank order the candidate list.  The full OSSD Board retains authority to hire the new superintendent.

Screening Committee Membership includes: 3 Board members (1 from each community), 2 Central Office employees, 2 administrators, 2 teachers, and 1 staff member. 

In February, the Board will work with Jackie to make decisions regarding the next phase of the selection process.  They will decide how to involve other stakeholders and also solidify the finalist hiring process. 
 

Link to Screening Committee Charge

Read More about Screening Committee

 

The Orange Southwest School District Board of Directors has launched its search for a new Superintendent.  The new Superintendent position begins July 1, 2024.  The vacancy will be posted within the next few days on SchoolSpring and the National Association of School Superintendents website.  The Board hopes to begin interviewing candidates in mid-February with the goal of identifying a finalist by early March.  The full job posting can be viewed here

In the near future, OSSD stakeholders (parents, administrators, teachers and all other employees) will be asked to complete a survey that identifies the qualities and skills they believe are important for the next superintendent.  The survey results will be used to inform the Screening Committee and the Board as they move through the interview process.

The OSSD Board will be working with Vermont School Boards Association Consultant, Jackie Wilson.  Jackie is a retired superintendent from Southern Vermont and she has helped numerous boards identify finalists that match their community’s needs. 

Read More about OSSD Board Launches Superintendent Search
Willy Walker OSSD Director of Child Nutrition

By Michelle Holder

There are exciting things on the menu with the new OSSD Director of Child Nutrition and Food
Service, Willy Walker.

His experience in food service is nothing short of impressive; you might recognize his name
from his Bethel catering service, Traveling Willy-B’s, or as a former chef for the Willy-B’s Tavern
at The Three Stallion Inn. He’s been working in restaurants since he was 15, and since
graduating from culinary school in 1986, he has spent his career providing excellent food to
Vermonters.

In addition to his own businesses, Walker also has extensive experience managing larger,
systems-based food services for the White River Valley School District, The Abbey Group, and
Greater Claremont Area Food Service, which served 11 schools.

When I asked him what brought him to RUHS, his answer was easy: the kids. “I always liked
being around the kids,” said Walker. “They like to be communicated with. If you can talk to them
like adults, they are so responsive.” His dedication to kids extends beyond the kitchen; as the
coach for the RUHS Boys’ Varsity Boys’ Baseball team, Walker brings enthusiasm and genuine
joy.

Walker has many ideas about how to help bring nutritious meals to the schools. Before
accepting his job at the OSSD, he cooked at Roots Farm Market in Middlesex, where he
created meals and baked goods using locally-grown ingredients. This is something he hopes to
bring to the OSSD.

Schools currently use local ground beef from Larocque, local syrup, and some local vegetables.
Once he gets systems in place for the schools, he looks forward to collaborating with more local
farms next year. “It’s great to hear from farmers,” said Walker. “What better thing than to get
local food right here in the village?” Walker encourages local farmers and producers who would
like to partner with the OSSD to reach out to him.

Another way Walker hopes to incorporate local food is by partnering with students in RTCC.
Coming up, he’ll have eggplant in the kitchen and later microgreens planted by our students. In
return, he’ll give food scraps to RTCC’s compost. Walker asserts, “It’s going to make it much
more advantageous for the kids because what they’re growing, they’re going to be eating.”

Expanding menus is another goal. The schools currently serve free breakfast and lunch to
students at all schools. There are now 8 or 9 different breakfast options at RUMHS each day,
including cereal, yogurt parfaits, bagels, and a hot entree with eggs, hashbrowns, and breakfast
meat.

And there’s something for everyone, even those with special dietary needs. Offerings include
gluten-free bread and dairy-free milk, a deli station, and vegetarian options along with salad
bars at RUMHS and RES.

Walker also wants to celebrate more holidays across the district. “We’ve got lots of plans to
help celebrate the holidays and the cultures, too, which I think is important because then we get
some more understanding of one another.” In addition to the Thanksgiving meals, he hopes to
add in some special meals for a variety of holidays including, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day,
Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. These meals will also introduce students to new
ingredients and flavors, such as okra.

He also encourages parents to fill out applications for free and reduced lunch, available on the
school’s website. While all students in the district will receive free breakfast and lunch, these
forms help the school district receive federal funding and obtain grants. They can also help
provide additional benefits to the families directly.

Walker says he loves hearing from students and parents about their hopes for school meals. “I
love talking with parents. I’d love to hear from the kids if they want certain items. If I can make
that happen, I will. They’re my customers, same as the parents.”

For questions about the OSSD Nutrition program, or to collaborate with local ingredients,
Walker can be reached by email Willy Walker or through the OSSD
website, https://www.orangesouthwest.org/programs/food-service.

Read More about OSSD Hires New Director of Child Nutrition and Food Service

Upcoming Events

News from Around the District

Here is a look at what is going on around the district.

Dear OSSD Community,

On April 8th, there will be a solar eclipse visible across much of Vermont starting in the early afternoon.  The best locations for viewing the total eclipse are in the more northern parts of the state.  The OSSD will join many districts around Vermont who are closing early on the 8th to allow staff, students, and their families time to travel to prime viewing locations to witness this rare event.

  • April 8th will be half day for students and staff.

Most Sincerely,

 

Layne W. Millington

OSSD Superintendent

Find Out More about April 8th will be half day for students and staff
RUHS Bowling Team

The RUHS varsity bowling team just finished a season for the record books. The Galloping Ghosts finished the regular season undefeated winning the inaugural central division championship. The success didn’t stop there for the Ghosts. They looked to continue their winning ways as they headed to the team bowling state championship. The Ghosts made it all the way to the finals where they finished off the season in emphatic fashion with a dominant 4-0 win in a best of 7 series against South Burlington. This win brought home the Ghosts first team bowling state championship in program history!

 

Click here to see the news clip and article from NBC5.

Find Out More about RU Bowling team wins State Championship!!!
Best Elementary School 2024

US News and World Report have released their 2023-24 Best Schools in the Country list.  Two OSSD schools have been identified as some of the best in the state!

 

Braintree Elementary is ranked the 5th Best Elementary School.  

Click Here to see the full list of Elementary Schools.

 

Randolph Union High School is ranked the 20th Best Elementary School.

Click Here to see the full list of Middle Schools.

Find Out More about 2 OSSD Schools rank as some Vermont's best
RU Robotics Team 'H'

On Saturday, February 17, 2024, two of the RU Robotics Teams traveled to Manchester, New Hampshire to compete in the NH/VT VEX Robotics Competition State Championship. 

Aiden Murphy (grade 9), Laurin Salls (grade 9), Ben Donnelly (grade 8), and Wyatt Jacobs (grade 8)  on Team 3042H (also known as “The Big Pelicans”) came in strong as they were ranked 16th out of 40 teams. The 15th-ranked Team 603P from Belmont, New Hampshire (also known as “The Pink Panthers”) chose them as their partners. 

Together, the two teams formed a winning alliance that took them all the way to the semifinals, where they lost to an alliance of two teams from Plymouth Regional High School. The Big Pelicans’ ended with a record of 5-3-0. 

Excellence and tournament awards from the championship went to teams from Thetford Academy. 

Also competing on Saturday was Randolph Union Robotics team 3042U (“The RU Ghosts”), with Shota Armstrong (Grade 9) and James Joaquin (Grade 10). Antonio Reyes, who is also on the team, was unavailable due to the school trip to Peru. 

Any Randolph Student who is interested in joining RU’s competitive robotics team should contact Coach Tim Moynihan.

Find Out More about RU Robotics Team Makes Semi-Finals

I am so very proud to announce that my RTCCTV students have been collaborating with the Randolph Vermont Historical Society to produce some mini-documentaries about the history of Randolph.  We have officially launched the first one!  You can watch it on the RTCCTV Page on the website or our RTCCTV YouTube channel.

This type of student filmmaking project brings community members together and puts a very positive light on the Tech Center as well.  Students are tasked with: researching history, stepping outside their comfort zones to schedule and conduct interviews, learning to respect and gain the trust of their elders, ethically respecting and presenting history in film form, collaborating with other artists like Green Mountain Drone and Vermont Walks who graciously gave their permission for footage use, and so much more.

This instructor would appreciate it if you liked, subscribed, and shared far and wide!  

Thank you for watching and for the continued support!  It means everything! 

Find Out More about RTCCTV Presents "Randolph Remembers"