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News from the Mountain
It has been an exciting semester of learning and discovery at the Mountain Campus! From establishing new community rituals to experiencing trademark Mountain Campus traditions, this pioneering group of students and teachers have been courageous in charting a new path forward.
Students in Literature, Leadership, and Learning in the Outdoors, taught by English teacher Scott Clausen and Mountain Campus advisor Jon Hammond, have been engaging in hallowed Mountain Campus traditions—like observing seasonal changes in a chosen natural place, an Ndakinna practice that reflects the Abenaki concept of “our land.” One student spent time reflecting on her Ndakinna spot near Jones Brook, which was dry in September but flowing again after the autumn rain. The class has also created new traditions, such as weekly community fires, where students and teachers gather to share stories, reflect, and connect. Woven throughout are texts, projects, and outdoor skills that explore multiple perspectives on leadership and learning.
Students in Conservation Biology and Environmental Literacy (ConLit), taught by Science teacher Rebecca Allen and English Department Chair Nancy Strain, have found inspiration in an integrated approach to the science and stories of conservation. Their inaugural field trip, “Science and Stories of the Inland Sea,” where students travelled north towards Lake Champlain, along the way stopping at the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail and the Shelburne Museum’s Contemporary Indigenous Art exhibit, brought both subjects to life and built community. Reflecting on the semester so far, Allen shared, “What’s remarkable is that no two students are having the same experience . . . Growth out here isn’t uniform—it’s personal, dynamic, and alive.”
Two additional integrative courses—Environmental Chemistry and Literature and Vermont Ecology and Data Science—will be offered this spring, continuing the Mountain Campus tradition of experiential, place-based learning that invites students to explore, reflect, and grow.
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