Moonlight in Vermont: A Look Back at the Fall Trimester

Remember it? I will share this link in hopes you find a moment of relaxation listening to Willie Nelson. 

This is the season that moves us from fall to winter, and the time when the morning mist captures a chill in the air. The nights darken early, and we draw just a little bit closer to each other and to the spirit of camaraderie that has been part of the Vermont Academy story since 1876. We all treasure our wonderful campus, the campfires, the stars, and each other, and it is worth taking a moment to be grateful.

The concluding weeks of the fall trimester included exciting achievements happening on the stage in the Nita Choukas Theater in Horowitz Performing Arts Hall and on the soccer fields. Talented VA students and faculty performed three shows of the one-act comedy This Is a Test by Stephen Gregg. The cast and crew worked hard to revise some of the script's language to restore the original intent behind the comedy which resulted in laughter echoing throughout the theater. Our Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Soccer teams have had outstanding seasons and are currently in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) semi-finals. On top of that, the Boys’ Varsity soccer team became the 2023 Lakes Region Champions due to their impressive 7(W)-1(T)-0(L) record. It has been wonderful to celebrate these team’s victories as a community and we wish them the best of luck in the rest of the playoffs.

Our wonderful Family Weekend in October included many conferences with faculty. Our faculty prepare for these meetings in earnest, and we consider ourselves partners with our families in handcrafting the best education for every student. When the students leave for Thanksgiving break, these dedicated faculty members gather to have discussions about how each and every student here can be best supported and successful. The Vermont Academy way of teaching and learning includes both traditional assessments and content delivery as well as project-based, real world applications of learning. Our students become independent learners and creators by using the methodology we have. They are the heartbeat of the future, and we are investing in this kind of training, experimentation, and refinement of thinking through trial and error. 

Our new schedule has helped us to achieve our educational aims, and the students have had one long block of 90 minutes a week along with extended times for regular classes as well. The 90 minute blocks allow for a local forestry service, Long View Forest, to teach our Field Biology and Advanced Environmental Science classes to use special tools such as angle gauges, diameter tape, and hypsometers to assess the size and value of the trees on Vermont Academy property. Our Sustainability class used this time to work on their end of the trimester projects which include a clothing swap shop and making planters out of empty cans and recycled plastic bottles. We have two members of the Class of 2024, Sofia Bianconi ’24 and Tony Gao ’24, whose Capstone Projects include studying cutting edge cancer research and looking at the Israeli-Palestinian war and possible ways to go forward with conflict resolution, respectively. 

In the arts, Zoe Jacobs ’24 is nearing completion on her third original tune to be recorded on her end of year Advanced Music EP album, and we have two students that were accepted to perform in the Vermont Music Educators DVI Regional District Band: Sydney Palmiotto ’24 and Caitlin Masure ’25.The entire 9th grade class and Honors Advanced Art students took a field trip to the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, and the Southern Vermont Arts Center to study the Impressionists. This opportunity was made possible through the Bob ’37 and Beth Campbell Fund for the Arts and Lecture Series. Projects and project-based learning are thriving at Vermont Academy.

Winter is coming! We are excited to fully dive into our programming at Vermont Academy at Mount Snow that will include ski immersion opportunities. This is a historic moment for Vermont Academy as we now have a boarding opportunity less than a mile from Mount Snow and Carinthia Parks. Vermont Academy has graduated many D1 athletes and Olympians as well as snow sport coaches and industry leaders in this area of competition. We will also use our West Dover site as a place for weekend activities for all students and year-round sports and academic specialized programming.

This winter you can look forward to hearing about our Candlelight Concert, a wonderful celebration of performing arts which we hope you can join us at on Tuesday, December 12 at 7:30 pm, the 24 Hour Play Festival, action on the hockey rink and basketball courts, Winter Carnival, which is the oldest of its kind in the nation, lots of activity on the ’77 Snow Park on campus with the rails and jumps “under the lights” at night, and more stargazing in the observatory on clear, crisp nights.

Wherever you are, join us in gathering with friends around a crackling fire, sharing stories, and remembering that togetherness in the midst of striving is so important to reaching goals and cultivating inner resilience and strength.

Best,
Jennifer