News & Events

Like many people, we do not take Martin Luther King Day "off;" instead we chose to honor his legacy through service. This year, our history teacher, Gus, had students listen to King's most famous "I Have a Dream" speech and then led a discussion on social justice and preserving/promoting rights. Students discussed the roles of bystanders and collaborators, and the differences between empathy, pity, and sympathy.

Because of the overwhelming response to our event last month, The Enigma of Adolescence: Decoding our 21st Century Youth with Dave Melnick, we are hosting a follow-up dialogue on January 27th to focus on the challenges of growing up, parenting, and working with adolescents in the digital age.

Our favorite moments during the school year are when alumni come to visit us or get in touch with an update! It was great to see Bapi B, Ben P, and Will S recently. Bapi, RPS class of 2011 and a graduate of Roger Williams University, is now working as a researcher at the Naval War college where he is persuing his interest in observing the threat various insurgent and terrorist organizations pose to stability in South Asia. Ben, RPS class of '11 and a graduate of Mitchell College, is working in Washington D.C. in the political arena. Will, RPS class of '12, is enrolled in Mountain Guide School and is working as an educator at The Outdoor School.

We are excited to announce that Rock Point School will host a public lecture by Dave Melnick, LICSW, Director of Outpatient Services at NFI, Vermont. When: 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 Where:Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Film House, 60 Lake Street, Burlington, VT

Our 2015 Reunion was a blast! Former students and staff came from far and wide, and from classes as far back as 1952, to join us for a beautiful weekend. We loved seeing alumni returning with their families! It was wonderful to meet children and partners of our former students, as well as to see some parents of our alums. Headmasters CJ Spirito, John Rouleau, and Russell Ellis entertained us with stories of Rock Point going back 40 years. Check out photos from the photo booth here. Check out more photos from the weekend here.

The Head of Rock Point School, C.J. Spirito, quoted this wonderful line that Kurt Vonnegut often used in his commencement speeches: "If this isn't wonderful, what is?" C.J. was inviting us all––graduates, fellow students, staff, parents and relatives, Trustees and friends of the school––to pause and take in the accomplishment of graduation, the community, and being together. It was a beautiful graduation ceremony, with families, fellow students, and staff speaking movingly to the graduates, as well as graduates speaking to their families and the community. It was wonderful to see alumni who came to graduation and to hear updates on their lives, which included making weather forecast videos in a meteorology college program, consulting to help start-up businesses, and finishing up a great freshman year of college. We are proud of our graduates' college acceptances, as well as the significant merit scholarships they received based on their academics and the opportunities they took advantage of at Rock Point. Jewelry Design & Repair, Psychology, and pre-Veterinary studies are some of the things that the class of 2015 is heading off to study. We will miss them and hope to see them soon! Friends from the classes of 2013 and 2014

Rock Point School just hosted its annual Mud Olympics to celebrate the end of classes. Ryan and her team worked hard on the venue, and we're happy to report that the infrastructure of the slimy, foot-deep mud- pit supported the athletes well, while the spectators and photographers found themselves able to enjoy the beautiful surrounds of the Rock Point property. From the egg toss to the bucket balance, the judges declared all participants a righteous mess! As participants and spectators alike sang in the opening ceremony: mud, glorious mud! To the old saying, "Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty," we add, "and everything else, too!"

Since 1995, the Vermont Young Playwrights' Project has been pairing professional actors and writers with groups of students to produce original 10-minute plays! Rock Point School has been participating in the project for almost as long and we love seeing what our students come up with! This year, our students worked with professional actor and playwright, Seth Jarvis, to write their plays. We did an in-school performance of several of the student plays in February and submitted them to the Festival in April. At this year's Festival at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, students from schools all over the state gathered to attend workshops on playwriting, acting, improv, and even stage combat! Sam McArthur ('15), our featured playwright for the second year in a row, had his play "Ghost Play" performed by professional actors, while Julia Eastham's ('15) play "Breaking Strings" was given a staged reading. The photo above is Julia discussing her play with the audience. Check out videos of the plays below!

A Southern Gothic Prom? That's right! This year's party took on a decidedly Southern flair with garden decorations and Southern cooking, but with a Gothic twist. "Think Gone with the Wind meets Frankenstein," said Prom Committee Princess Selina (also a dorm staff and creator of those delicious looking prom treats). Instead of our traditional "lame-o" rides, this year we rented a 1950's black Limo (reportedly owned by the Rockefellers) from Classic Limos! It was a fabulous night and just the beginning of our End of the Year traditions!