LSC Talent Show

Lyndon State’s AMS Club has nearly $275 to work with following last week’s talent show fundraiser, which included a variety of musical acts.

Half of the money raised will cover annual conference fees, while the other half will be put toward the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, according to club spokesman and event organizer Stephen Decatur.

The newly-formed musical duo of Jacqueline Laviolette and Kyle Gadapee took first place in the annual competition. The pair performed a cover of Beyoncé’s ‘Listen,’ with Laviolette signing and Gadapee accompanying her on piano.

Both said they were very pleased with the performance overall and look forward to collaborating again in the future.

They also collected a set of prizes totaling $250, all of which was donated by local businesses.

 Newcomer Drew Cathcart finished second after performing a song he wrote just the day before.
 “I only messed up once or twice,” Cathcart said while laughing when asked to talk about the quick turnaround.

 Third place went to repeat performer Alyssa Rovella for her rendition of ‘Clean’ by Taylor Swift.
 Local meteorologists Kerrin Jeromin and Steve Glazier emceed the event, while a panel of five judges evaluated the talent.

 Other notable acts included a dance set by Sarah Burnett and a rap performance by Steve Neas and Trevor Richmond.

 The show featured 11 acts in total.

Many of them can be seen at other Lyndon State music events and at The Stage in Lyndonville.

If you missed all of the action and want to check it out, watch the video below!

Final Project

For our final project we plan to focus on the AMS Talent Show this Thursday.  We will do a podcast with the winners of the event, feature some photos from the event, as well as write an accompanying story to go with it.

Early signs of winter intriguing for VT snow enthusiasts

              Communities throughout northern Vermont are celebrating the unofficial start of winter following last week’s hefty pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm.  

The system, which dumped nearly a foot of snow across the region, added natural powder to area ski slopes and will serve as a base snowpack for snowmobile and cross-country ski trails.  
Jay Peak reports that about 10 trails and four lifts are open as of this week, with more to come as manmade snowmaking continues in response to falling temperatures.

Q Burke Mountain remains closed but plans to be ready for business by December 13, according to Ski Vermont’s website.

Away from the slopes, Lyndon State’s on-campus snowmobile club is excited to see the flakes flying once again.
  
Club President Anthony Macari is a big fan of the winter season because snowmobiling is his pastime.   

“It means the start of more fun, more recreation, and just getting out into the environment and being able to explore areas of this region that we don’t get to see just driving in a car or even hiking a mountain,” he explained.  

Macari says that the snowmobile club recently built a trail that will connect directly to Lyndon State’s campus. The trail is between one and two miles long and will give college riders access to a network of trails throughout Vermont.  

“The trail should be in place for this season, so that’s great news for anyone who wants to snowmobile around this area,” Macari said. “I think it might actually help the Lyndonville economy too. More people riding in the area is certainly a good thing.”  

However, the news for snow lovers isn’t all good as the winter solstice approaches.  
According to an annual report from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, the region may not see the frigid temperatures of years past this season.    

The south-central and southeastern parts of the country will likely see below-average temperatures, while the western U.S. and New England are projected to have above-average temperatures, according to a summary of the U.S. Winter Outlook. 
 
Despite the unfavorable forecast, Macari remains hopeful that the snow and cold will come. After all, it’s only the first week of December.  

“It’s just the start of more fun for me,” he said.  

Anyone interested in joining the snowmobile club can contact Macari via email at anthony.macari@lyndonstate.edu. 

Winter Recreation in Vermont

For our video project we plan to feature different types of winter Recreation in Vermont.  Skiing, sledding, hiking and other types of recreation could be featured in the story.

For sound we plan to use some natural sounds, as well as a possible interview.

The Immersion Semester: Lyndon State College

The first outdoor immersion program ever offered at Lyndon State is off to a successful start, according to participants from the Mountain Recreation Management Department.

 The program, typically referred to as an immersion semester, was launched by Professor Ben Mirkin at the beginning of the school year.

 Its goal is to provide interested students with firsthand outdoor education in the form of trip planning and lengthy wilderness expeditions.

 This fall, students took three hiking trips and a canoeing trip, all of which lasted between three and 10 days. Locations included northern Maine and the Long Trail in western Vermont.

 Sophomore Matt Cowley is one of about a dozen mountain recreation students participating in the school’s first immersion semester.

 He says the curriculum is designed to teach students how to confidently lead groups on wilderness excursions while addressing any issues that arise along the way.

 “I don’t know if I want to stick with mountain recreation too much,” Cowley explained. “But the leadership and group dynamic skills I’ve learned are transferrable to anything. I think that’s really valuable.”

 The group didn’t waste any time getting started, as the first expedition began just two days after students returned from summer vacation.

 In addition to outdoor training, immersion participants are required to plan logistics, gear, and food for each trip.

 The focus of the program has since shifted from off-site expeditions to classroom activities because of inclement fall weather conditions. Students are now taking a wilderness first responder training course and a geology class that will satisfy a general education requirement.

 Despite the unconventional structure of the program, Cowley insists that it is academically rigorous.

 “It was a lot of work,” he said when asked about the expedition portion. “It wasn’t easy at all, but that’s not really a bad thing.”

 Cowley believes that the program is here to stay at Lyndon State. In fact, department officials hope to make the immersion semester a regular part of the mountain recreation curriculum because of its early success.

 For Cowley, the work has been challenging, but ultimately worthwhile.

 “I’m proud that I was able to do it. I’m happy to be here.”

Slideshow Synopsis: The Immersion Semester

For our audio slideshow project, Louis and I plan to focus on the new immersion program that the Mountain Recreation Management Department launched earlier this fall. The program runs for an entire semester and boasts a curriculum focused solely on firsthand outdoor education and experience. As a result, students in the immersion program frequently plan for and embark on canoeing, hiking, and climbing expeditions that span one to two weeks. They also receive extensive training in the areas of outdoor emergency care, group dynamics, and nature preservation.

Tyler Weller is a sophomore mountain rec major and a member of the first-ever immersion class at Lyndon State. Louis and I plan to interview Tyler to get his take on the program and learn more about the curriculum. We think that Tyler's stories and information will make for a very engaging audio piece.

For the project itself, Louis will be conducting the interview with Tyler and I will be writing the accompanying article with input from another student in the program. Louis and I both plan to take pictures of Tyler prepping for his classes/trips, hiking outside, getting his gear together, etc. We also have some pictures from earlier expeditions that we may add to the slideshow with credit to enhance the overall story.

Fish Audio Slideshow

An Audio Slideshow on Fish! Check it out.