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RU Students in front of Machu Picchu
RU Students in front of Machu Picchu

RU Students in front of Machu Picchu as part of their nine-day service learning trip to Cusco, Peru.

Click Here to read an article about the trip from The Herald.

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.

Student cleans algae off coral

Student scuba dives and clean algae off coral

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!

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.

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,

 

We hope that your spring vacation is going well.  We wanted to share more good news about the Orange Southwest School District.  A short while ago, our High School joined our middle school and Braintree Elementary by being recognized in the national rankings.  RUHS (grades 9-12) is ranked as the 13th highest performing high school in the state of Vermont.  We are also ranked above 77% of the approximately 23,500 public high schools in the United States.

I want to personally thank our leadership team and all the staff that have contributed their hard work to making this possible for our students.

“Randolph Union High School earned high National and metro-area rankings in 2024 Best High Schools, which U.S. News released yesterday. Here is your school’s updated U.S. News profile page, with details about its rankings: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/vermont/districts/orange-southwest-unified-school-district/randolph-union-high-school-201657.”

 

Most Sincerely,

 

Layne W. Millington

OSSD Superintendent

Read More about RUHS ranked as 13th highest performing high school in VT
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
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.

Build the Change Logo

We are excited to announce that Brookfield Elementary is part of the 2024-2025 Build the Change Showcase Schools program!

 

Build the Change is all about giving children a voice and allowing them to express their hopes and ideas for a better future.

Children use their creativity to solve real-world challenges with LEGO® bricks and other creative materials – and it is all achieved via learning through play.

 

This is a program created through a partnership with LEGO® and Take Action Global.  

 

More information can be found at the following links:

LEGO: Build the Change

Take Action Global

Find Out More about Build the Change

Dear OSSD Community,

We hope that your spring vacation is going well.  We wanted to share more good news about the Orange Southwest School District.  A short while ago, our High School joined our middle school and Braintree Elementary by being recognized in the national rankings.  RUHS (grades 9-12) is ranked as the 13th highest performing high school in the state of Vermont.  We are also ranked above 77% of the approximately 23,500 public high schools in the United States.

I want to personally thank our leadership team and all the staff that have contributed their hard work to making this possible for our students.

“Randolph Union High School earned high National and metro-area rankings in 2024 Best High Schools, which U.S. News released yesterday. Here is your school’s updated U.S. News profile page, with details about its rankings: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/vermont/districts/orange-southwest-unified-school-district/randolph-union-high-school-201657.”

Most Sincerely,

Layne W. Millington

OSSD Superintendent

Find Out More about RUHS ranked as 13th highest performing high school in VT

Dear OSSD Community,

 

We hope that your spring vacation is going well.  We wanted to share more good news about the Orange Southwest School District.  A short while ago, our High School joined our middle school and Braintree Elementary by being recognized in the national rankings.  RUHS (grades 9-12) is ranked as the 13th highest performing high school in the state of Vermont.  We are also ranked above 77% of the approximately 23,500 public high schools in the United States.

I want to personally thank our leadership team and all the staff that have contributed their hard work to making this possible for our students.

“Randolph Union High School earned high National and metro-area rankings in 2024 Best High Schools, which U.S. News released yesterday. Here is your school’s updated U.S. News profile page, with details about its rankings: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/vermont/districts/orange-southwest-unified-school-district/randolph-union-high-school-201657.”

 

Most Sincerely,

 

Layne W. Millington

OSSD Superintendent

Find Out More about RUHS ranked as 13th highest performing high school in VT
RU Students in front of Machu Picchu

On February 13, 11 Randolph Union students and three chaperones embarked on a nine-day service learning trip to Cusco, Peru.  After 26 hours of travel—by bus, airplane, and car—students and chaperones arrived in Cusco, one of the South American nation’s most populous cities, high in the Andes Mountains. They were greeted by local Ubelong team leader, Martina Käser. That organization was responsible for organizing student homestays and coordinating day-to-day activities.  During the trip, the students and chaperones lived with host families in Tambillo, completed service learning in a local community center, visited the Sacred Valley, and toured Machu Picchu. 

Find Out More about RU Students visit Peru
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!!!
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

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