Fall session is in full swing across MVSD’s after school programs, with several standout highlights. Highgate Crossroads is one of just five schools statewide piloting an advanced manufacturing and computer chip program in partnership with GlobalFoundries and Vermont Afterschool. They are also preparing for the fall Highgate Actors’ Theater dinner performance of Gooney Bird Greene on November 12th. At Franklin Central, students voted to perform Beauty and the Beast Jr. as the inaugural production of the new MVSD Wanderers’ Theater program, with costumes, sets, and rehearsals all underway. Swanton Crossroads is thriving under new Site Coordinator Jodi Stone, with students collecting gently used jeans for kids through their Community Club. At MVU, Beyond the Bell has launched a partnership with UVM to publish student stories through the Sense of Place project, and esports is back for another season. A major congratulations goes to MVU alum Dawson Laplant, a current student teacher at Highgate Elementary and six-year Crossroads staff member, who has been named Vermont Afterschool’s 2026 Rising Star Award recipient.