WINDSOR, Vt. (WCAX) – Ice fishing is a winter sport for those who love the outdoors all year round. In the town of Windsor, it’s also the opportunity for a high school senior to earn his diploma.
The fish were biting on Monday on Lake Runnemede. But any day on the ice is a good day for Cole Anderson.
“I love fishing. I’ve loved it ever since the day I was born,” Anderson said. That’s the main reason the Windsor High School student chose to put on an ice fishing derby as part of his required senior capstone project. “It’s nice that you get to organize something that you love.”
He got some help from James Aldrich, the town’s recreation director. “I think Cole learned that it was a bigger project than he thought it was,” Aldrich said. He says finding a sponsor was the biggest hurdle. But Windsor’s Coon Club came through, helping to purchase the gift card prizes and participation awards. “I think he’s hit a home run, especially for being a kid that is not super outgoing.”
“I think he learned a lot of self-confidence,” said Jen Townsend, an interdisciplinary learning teacher at Windsor High School, who focuses on non-traditional, hands-on approaches to education. “I think school sometimes knocked him down and said you are not that capable, but this really built him up and showed him what he can do when he puts his mind to it.”
Several dozen people showed up Monday to wet a line, including Kiana Greene, a third grader from Guilford, whose two-foot pickerel may have been the catch of the day. “It’s just so pretty outside and I love it,” she said.
Along with the other winners, bragging rights also go to Anderson, who will be celebrating the derby’s success right up until graduation. “I just appreciate Windsor High School for letting me do this.,” he said.