News & Events

After the "Share Your Heart, Share Your World" poetry workshop run by Sundog Poetry this fall, our English teacher, Abbey Baker was inspired to incorporate more poetry writing into the school year. The idea of having professional poets come to the school for workshops was appealing to the students as well. So far, two poets, Lizzy Fox (left) and Ellen Bethea (right, with RPS student), have given workshops and we are hoping to host two more before the end of the school year.

On December 1, Rock Point students joined over 150 students from around the state at the Vermont Youth Climate Summit. Students gathered at UVM to discuss the changes in the climate they are likely to see in the coming years. The summit opened with a video message from Senator Bernie Sanders, encouraging students to keep moving our state toward energy efficiency and creating sustainable energy.

Our amazing residential educator, Kelly Ainsworth, wrote a song about her time at Rock Point and performed it for us at graduation in June. Kelly recently moved to New Jersey to be with her fiancé and is now working at a preschool. We miss her contagious smile and generous spirit. The song captures so much of what is special about our school and we are so grateful to Kelly for sharing it with us!

The theme for the 185th Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Church in Vermont was "Declare Dignity," with special guest, Dr. Donna Hicks, renowned author of Dignity: The Essential Role It Plays in Resolving Conflict. As our country is suffering such deep divisions, the Episcopal Church in Vermont wants to bring people together. Hicks' theory is that by treating one another with dignity, even in the midst of conflict, we can become more connected to one another and create meaningful relationships that allow us to resolve our conflicts without sacrificing our sense of self.

The morning of the 2017 Ooky Spooky was bright and clear and over 40 costumed runners showed up ready to race. Runners aged seven to seventy finished the course, which had to be slightly rerouted this year because of closures on the bike path. Our overall winner was Levi Renderer, a convincing Batman, and our best costume winner was Rock Point mom, Kathy Delaney as Rey from Star Wars.

Gus, our history teacher and resident bee expert, has been incorporating elements of bee keeping into his curriculum for several years. This year, with the importance of pollinators becoming more widely known, the severe decrease in the bee population, and our efforts to cultivate more of our own food, Gus is including more pollinator education throughout his classes.

We are so excited to have our students back on campus! Everyone has now arrived, despite threatening weather in the south. Opening Day included our traditional Convocation in the chapel, where C.J. lead us with a great sports analogy, getting everyone in "ready position." Family members, students, and staff shared their hopes for the year. One parent shared, "This is a fearful time in our world, but I hope we will not let our fear make us smaller, make us shrink into ourselves. I hope we will reach beyond our fear and connect with others." The sentiment is one we will carry with us through the year.

We are thrilled to introduce our new staff! While Mo, our new office administrator, joined us for training starting in June, our three newest staff members began training in mid-August. It is wonderful to have their energy and enthusiasm on our team and we can't wait for them to dive into the school year with our students.

Today was Lonnie's last day as our Office Administrator! We celebrated Lonnie in staff meetings, with a classic Rock Point kazoo choir playing the graduation song. In typical Lonnie style, she did not want a big flashy gift (even though she deserves one!), but we will honor her with a garden in front of the school. A.J. (class of 2017) painted a rock to decorate the garden with Lonnie's name. Additionally, we put together a scrapbook with letters from students and families through the year.