Susan Rogers
Twin Valley Middle and HIgh School
From competitive cycling once upon a time to a myriad of running and snowshoe races to educating Vermont youth about food and health, Susan Rogers has it down. Family and Consumer Science instructor at Twin Valley Middle and High School, Rogers designs and facilitates courses in food preparation and serving, managing food waste, health and media literacy. And to top it off, she is an advocate for employee health serving as the supervisory union’s VEHI PATH wellness champion.
“Susan takes on the task of getting and keeping us involved in healthy living,” said Lisa Gilbeau, one of her Twin Valley colleagues. “As a long time health teacher she is well prepared to explain the true benefits of being mindful about health. She has been in charge of our wellness program as long as it has been part of our school. She is the inspiration in our building and I am so grateful that Susan has made sure the para-educators are actively involved in the PATH to wellness program. I appreciate all of her weekly messages and the promotion of Invest EAP, the employee assistance program.”
Ann Bolognani, the school’s librarian, said,” Susan has been a consistent source for health and wellness information. She speaks at nearly every faculty meeting about opportunities to participate in Path to Wellness. She organizes whole school walking days and shares healthy recipes. She really models healthy lifestyle and willingly shares and encourages others. “
Rogers revels in teaching students and is thrilled Twin Valley students receive a full semester of health. In addition to sharing information about how to prepare and cook foods, she addresses food waste, recycling and composting. “I also teach a World Cuisine course,” she said. “We use two of my favorite books; “What to Eat” by Marion Nestle and The Hungry Planet: What the World Eats “by Faith D’Aluiso and Peter Menzel. The Hungry Planet shows families from around the whole with one weeks’ worth of food and What to Eat focuses on nutrition policy and provides the reader with the science and policy.
Outside of Twin Valley, Rogers stays active year round, entering and completing several 5K running and snowshoe races. “I take a selfie at each race,” she said as she scrolled through several photos on her phone. “I have been running some 5Ks that serve as fundraising events. It’s nice to have people here support me.”
Last November, Rogers was a true trooper. The VEHI PATH team invited her to join us on our climb to the summit of Haystack Mountain. Regardless of the chill in the air and the freezing rain, she stuck it out with us. “I do what I do because I love it,” she said with a big smile.
