All faculty and staff remain in the glow of our spring experience at Vermont Academy. We are still talking about so many of the special moments as well as the closing traditions here! VA traditions instill a marvelous consistency of experience that is one of our trademarks.
I am writing on a sunny but cold day after the wonderful Winter Performing Arts Concert. It was a coming together of our community this week when we all celebrated our talented performing artists, beginning with a one-hour performance by our acting classes and continuing to the spectacular event with Chamber, Jazz, and Vocal Ensembles and a performance by our Dance Team. As faculty member Maryann McArdle commented after the performance, “It was astonishing!”
These last two years have presented so many challenges to our school community and to our nation’s entire educational system. The faculty and staff at Vermont Academy remain committed to protecting our entire community, including our most vulnerable members who are at most risk from COVID-19 infection.
The fast-spreading Omicron variant quickly threw the world into disarray, and the impact of it has led us to think about the busy, family-packed last weekend of our academic year. We discovered that a change to our planned schedule would provide our Class of 2022 and their families with an opportunity for an even more meaningful celebration! And more family members will be able to attend the celebration.
Today I spoke with someone who was developing project-based work in artificial intelligence (AI) projects, pre-college experiences in AI, and AI careers and ventures. The company teaches people to harness technology for social good. Projects are technology-based, but they serve the public in some way. The representative attended Stanford, well known for its forward-thinking programs in technology and for its design thinking. Sometimes when you hear about these things, it feels like someone is speaking a different language. What does the future look like?