Kids VT, Back to School 2025
Thrifted Back-to-School Wardrobe; Students’ Takes on Phone-Free School; Good Citizen Hall of Fame; 7 Fun Fall Events
Mealtime: Quick and Company-Worthy Salmon
My husband and I wanted to go to Scotland for our honeymoon, but then the mad cow disease epidemic happened, and it didn’t seem like a romantic getaway to traverse the country with burning piles of cattle everywhere like a forbidden barbecue. We ended up going to Prague in the Czech Republic instead, and it…
Alzheimer’s Association Brings Old and Young Together
When Milton’s Connor Eaton was growing up, he and his grandfather, John Cushing, shared a love of woodworking and made several birdhouses together. So when Cushing was diagnosed with dementia caused by Lewy body disease and his cognition started to deteriorate, Eaton, now 16, decided to work with him on more birdhouses. They made one…
Civics Standouts From the 2025 Good Citizen Hall of Fame
Visiting a town clerk’s office. Designing a new “Future Voter” sticker. Picking up trash on a local trail. These are some of the 25 activities in this summer’s Good Citizen Challenge, a youth civics project aimed at building a new generation of active, engaged citizens. Organized by Kids VT and Seven Days — with support…
Students Sound Off on New Cellphone Ban for Schools
The buzz of notifications in a back pocket. A text sent below the desk. A snap. A like. All these daily interruptions from cellphones will soon disappear for Vermont K-12 students when the state’s bell-to-bell ban on the devices takes effect in the 2026-27 school year. And some students are unhappy about it. “You’re coming…
Kid Governor Program Gives Vermont’s Fifth Graders a Vote
Vermont will have a new governor this fall, and it’s going to be a fifth grader. The Secretary of State’s Office, a partner on Kids VT’s Good Citizen Challenge, is offering a new civics program called Vermont’s Kid Governor. Fifth-grade students from around the state will launch classroom campaigns vying for the top executive seat.…
Save the Dates: Fall Fun for the Whole Family
Fair Haven September 11-14 The Tunbridge World’s Fair first delighted Green Mountain guests in 1867 and has stayed strong through more than 150 years of cultural shifts and technological advances. This year’s festivities strike the perfect balance between 19th-century living and modernity with a vast and varied lineup, including fiber crafting demos, pony pulling, dairy…
Student Journalists Report the Back-to-School Issue
This year’s Back-to-School Issue of Kids VT was written almost entirely by young people. Contributors include Seven Days summer interns Sam Hartnett, Anthony Cinquina and Madeleine Kaptein. The latter two came to us from Middlebury College, through the school’s MiddWorks internship program. Sam graduated from the University of Vermont last May, and his tenure here…
A Teenager Goes Back-to-School Shopping at Thrift Stores
Since I was 10, I’ve aspired to be a pro thrifter. I spent weeks researching how to properly scavenge through clothes and imagine the possibilities for what I found. An item may look plain or ugly hanging on the rack until you try it on and style it. When I discover something unexpected and get…
Young Vermont Hunters on the Thrill of the Chase
Young Vermont hunters need a few pointers before they pick up a rifle and pursue a 10-point buck. They first have to qualify for a license. The state requires that they complete a hunter education course to learn how to safely handle a firearm, interact with an outdoor environment, and follow hunting laws and ethics.…
Hiring High Schoolers: Teens and Employers Weigh In
Annalise Wood applied to work at 18 businesses this spring before finally landing a job as a cashier at Shelburne Market in July. The 18-year-old Hinesburg resident, who will attend Bates College in Maine this fall, hoped to get work experience and save some money for college. Most days, she checks out customers at the…
