The Grammar School spring 2018
www.thegrammarschool.org
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message from the head
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reetings! I believe this Roots & Wings will resonate with past and present members of The Grammar School community. As they have for almost six decades, our students continue to embrace learning through hands-on experiential projects in the outdoors. They love to play and study in the woods and begin to understand the need for stewardship of the land. TGS continues to foster a culture of kindness where students develop a sense of personal responsibility to the school community and to the wider world.
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Nick sitting with his daughter and other preschoolers
Table of Contents S............................3 Outdoor Education at TG An Education that Leads tion ..................5 to an Ecuadorian Expedi Science of Survival ........................10 at The Grammar School ..............................12 Alumni in the Outdoors 2018 .....................16 Foreign Language Night Studies ................17 Global Learning: Navajo lds The Grammar School Ho r ......................18 Inaugural Ski for Hunge ...........................19 TGS at BKL Festival .......... rs............................19 Celebrating our Founde
Outdoor education at TGS teaches students to observe, collaborate, and improvise. Students learn about the interconnectedness of natural systems while gaining the cognitive, emotional, and physical benefits of spending time in the outdoors. TGS faculty and staff are proud to be carrying on these traditions. I hope that these articles and the stories of several alumni will bring back memories of your own TGS connections. I’d love to hear your TGS stories — the ones about class projects, trips to Quebec and Boston, foreign language nights, favorite teachers, work jobs, Medieval Faire, Mummers play, chorus, recitals, the musical, and the times you spent joyfully playing and exploring in the woods. Our connection with all of you is what keeps TGS grounded in its history and what keeps its mission alive. We always welcome you to TGS to share your stories in person, but until then, please pass them along and be in touch. I look forward to hearing from you! All the best,
Nick Perry
Cover: Photo by Justin Altman Editor: Mary Heller Osgood Assistant Editor: Tara Meinhard Photography: Justin Altman and other submissions Design/production: Susan Kochinskas, Flocksholm Design
roots&Wings spring2018 The Grammar School 69 Hickory Ridge Road, Putney, VT 05346 802.387.5364 info@thegrammarschool.org www.thegrammarschool.org Faculty and Staff Nick Perry, Head of School P ’28 Justin Altman ’95 Paqui Arroyo-Moyano P ’21 Ken Brautigam P ’11, ’13 Alisha Cannon P ’26, ’28 Kat Ellison ’04 Laurie Fichter P ’04, ’06 Johanna Gardner P ’08, ’10 Nathaniel Hall P ’25, ’28 Mary Heller Osgood ’68, P ’95, ’97 Ailyn Hoey ’87, P ’26 Paul “Hop” Hopkins P ’19, ’22 Alli Lubin Libby McCawley P ’07, ’09 Eve McDermott P ’06, ’08 Tara Meinhard ’88, P ’29 Matt Mitchell Scott Moore P ’21 Kathy Richardson ’67, P ’02, ’03, ’05 Jessica Sardinas P ’19, ’24 Annie Schulzinger Jared Stolper P ’11, ’15
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Outdoor Education at TGS utdoor study and play always have been key components of The Grammar School’s educational philosophy. This year TGS has renewed its commitment to outdoor education for all students at the school. The enhanced focus on the outdoors includes recently implemented activities as well as established elements of the curriculum. Teachers shared some of the highlights of their outdoor experiences this year.
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Preschool — Preschool teacher Ken Brautigam says, “Preschoolers celebrated a long winter and all it had to offer. From following fresh tracks in the snow, investigating ice formations along the stream, checking on the sapling shelter we built in the fall, and keeping the pond shoveled for sliding action, we relished our daily nature time in all kinds of conditions. With warmer weather, we tapped our sugar maple and watched as the buckets slowly filled, and indoors we boiled the sap into syrup right before our eyes. Our garlic plants poked up in the garden as soon as the snow retreated. As we observed the gurgling stream, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of frog eggs in the pond. Hooray for spring!”
Board of Trustees 2017–2018 Chris Adams P’17 — Walpole, NH Alex Bodel P ’24, ’26 — Westminster West, VT Kyra Chapin ‘02, P ’25, ’27 — Putney, VT Katherine Cook P ’21 — Walpole, NH Andrew Cooper-Ellis ’07 — Putney, VT Peter Cooper-Ellis, Chair, ’68, P ’07, ’18, ’23 — West Chesterfield, NH Rick Cowan P ‘’07, ’09 — Chester, VT David Greenewalt P ’20, ’22 — Putney, VT Erika Gustafson ’91 — Medford, MA Justin Sterner P ’24, ’26 — Putney, VT Eric Velto P ’21, ’24 — Bellows Falls, VT Katherine Wagenbach, Vice Chair, P ’19, ’25 — Putney, VT Trustees Emeritus/Co-founders George* and Kitty Shumlin P ’69, ’70, ’74, GP ’05, ’06, ’09, ’12, GGP ’28, ’30 Roy (Dick)* and Dottie Richardson — Putney, VT P ’63, ’67, ’68, ’69, ’74, ’76, GP ’02, ’03, ’05 Marcia Leader P ’82, ’85, GP ’10 — Putney, VT
Preschool spring snowman
* deceased
Exploration on skis
Preschooler samples sap
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Kindergartners find frogs
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Zane ’26 admires a frog
Gabriel and Leander compare and examine specimens caught in the TGS forest
K. — Libby McCawley notes that for kindergarten students, the
First graders sketch in the outdoor classroom
outdoor classroom offered a wide range of opportunities across the curriculum. “We went on regular listening walks to see what flora and fauna we might observe when we took time to stop, look, and listen. During language arts, the children fashioned an alphabet on the woods floor using sticks and rocks. We spent time outside to observe the seasonal changes and signs that herald the coming season. Taking math outside included finding and sorting natural objects by attributes, as well as representing a variety of numbers with found objects. In early winter, the kindergarten joined first and second grades outside in an exploration of food scarcity as they searched for hidden “acorns” (peanuts) to build a cache for the winter. Spring included a unit on vernal pools and the animals in our area that inhabit them. We also planned and tended a school garden with the first graders, as we explored seed and plant varieties, germination, and the symbiotic relationship between certain plants, insects, and worms.”
1. — Alisha Cannon says that in the spring, first graders learned about different habitats around the world. “They spent a good deal of time outside exploring our own forest and stream habitats, collecting data, and looking for specific plants and animals. Then they studied other habitats, comparing and contrasting them with the habitats found around the TGS campus. They also made reallife connections to our literature unit on Laura Ingalls Wilder's book Little House in the Big Woods. The first graders learned about maple sugaring, growing a vegetable and herb garden, baking bread, making butter and cheese, and sewing a quilt.”
Second graders search for animal tracks
2. — Eve McDermott commented that in the second grade, students explored the lessons of the natural world in every season. “This winter brought some great skiing, snow fort building, and opportunities to try and identify tracks in the snow. Second graders went on tracking expeditions and learned about winter
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During a unit on beavers, third and fourth grade students collected natural materials to build their own miniature beaver dams
To culminate a study of Ancient Egypt, third and fourth graders worked together to build a model of a pyramid out of mud, sticks, and leaf litter
adaptations of mammals in our region. They discovered the subnivean layer and investigated properties of insulation.”
throughout the year to observe the natural world, reflect on changes they notice, and enjoy the beauty and quiet of nature.
3–4. — Kat Ellison says that third grade students investigated
5. — Matt Mitchell said he understands that the physical energy
natural resources and seasonal changes and the weather throughout the year. Teacher Annie Schulzinger noted that the school’s outdoor classroom played an essential role in the science curriculum in the fourth grade. “This spring, fourth graders built a weather station and made daily observations outdoors of various conditions including temperature, wind, rain, and clouds.” Third and fourth graders visited their sit-spots in the woods weekly
inherent in the fifth grade child is recognized, accepted, and channeled through hands-on learning, exploring, and interacting with the natural world. “Students created a wilderness skill lesson that culminated with a team-building overnight and fire and survival workshop. This spring the class went on a backpacking trip to the Pinnacle, with a wilderness first aid and cooking component.”
Kaitlyn ’23 draws at her sit spot
Atticus ’22 at his sit spot
Cooking breakfast after overnight
Primitive fire building
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5–6. — In the winter, art teacher Scott Moore and fifth grade teacher Matt Mitchell led the fifth and sixth graders to design and build an ice wall in the field behind the art room. Scott said, “The project was inspired originally by the American transcendental movement and pictorial ideas of filtered, refracted, and reflected light. Scott noted, “The sculpture was an ephemeral piece that always was changing, and it was most impressive on a sunny day with light moving through it.”
6. — With middle school science teacher Paul “Hop” Hopkins, sixth graders studied Sacketts Brook last fall and found it to be a clean, healthy waterway. Hop says, “Students collected data just upstream from the Culvert. After analyzing their findings, they came to the conclusion that the discharge of Sackett’s Brook was 7.8 cubic feet per second, which translates to 58.4 gallons or an astounding 466.78 pounds of water per second! They also conducted chemical tests and found that the brook had a pH of 6.0 (slightly acidic), and was low in dissolved oxygen, ammonia, and nitrogen. There were forms of life in nearly all the 20 samples taken from the brook. Erosion and litter were not found on the banks, and there was a wide buffer zone.”
Insulation lab
Ice wall construction…Finished ice wall
Water testing
Sixth graders collecting and examining data from Sacketts Brook
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Seventh graders on top of Mooslilauke
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Eighth graders in Ecuador
7. — Every fall, Paul “Hop” Hopkins takes his seventh graders into the woods behind the school. For more than a decade, seventh graders have established tree plots in the TGS woods. This year they worked in pairs to identify all of the trees on their sites, and using accepted forestry practices, students calculated the number of board feet and total value for each tree, each species of tree, and the entire plot on which they worked. They also observed the changes in the canopy cover, the substrate on the ground, the presence of wildlife (including bugs), herbaceous plants, and ambient noise from September to November.
Hop says, “The seventh graders took a trip to Mount Moosilauke in September to identify the five forest zones that are present on the mountain. Moosilauke offers real-time demonstrations as to why these zones exist as they do. As we ventured through the krummholz and into the alpine zone, the air became much cooler, full of moisture, and very windy (I estimate that we experienced gusts of 45 mph!). The kids understood why I asked them to pack so many layers, including gloves and a winter hat!”
8. — Eighth graders traveled to Ecuador this spring for a service learning trip, where, as teacher Laurie Fichter noted, “Everything we did was outside.” Co-leader and former TGS teacher Charlie Boswell P ’13 observed that, “Students started the day with morning chores, cleaning, cooking, gathering firewood, and helping with dishes. Before lunch we harvested quinoa and discussed its role as a traditional food, its nutritional value, and the international demand that is pricing the staple out of local markets.” Students also enjoyed homestays in San Clemente, a progressive community committed to preserving its pre-colonial traditions. Our mission statement includes, “The Grammar School curriculum cultivates social and environmental awareness and responsibility in the broader world.” Since 2013 TGS students have participated in the Ecuador trip, run by Gogi Abroad, which was founded and directed by former TGS Spanish teacher Liz Jackson P ’21. Gogi partners with the Nahual outdoor adventure and sustainability school in Ecuador, to expose students “to the common goal of seeing the world and all its cultural wonders through the lens of empowerment, education, and environmental awareness.”
Laying out the tree plots
Michael from Nahual, Libby Green, Laurie
Charlie Boswell added, “Laurie and I had the distinct treat of catching up with Libby Green ’13, who had returned to this farm as part of a pre-college gap year. Libby was a member of the first TGS class to visit Ecuador.”
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An Education that Leads to an Ecuadorian Expedition by Laurie Penfield Fichter he Grammar School’s Capstone Trip to Nahual and San Clemente, Ecuador celebrates and capitalizes on many aspects of the TGS curriculum. Throughout their TGS education, students work, study, and play outdoors and they learn the importance of sustaining their school community through daily work jobs, community service, and mutual support. In addition, each grade’s curriculum includes presentations and performances that help students become confident in their own points of view and their own voices. Building on the skills and knowledge they have acquired through their years at TGS, this spring the eighth graders were ready to experience an international, indigenous culture in Ecuador that relies on subsistence farming, hard work, and communal effort.
machine brought the milk to metal jugs, so we could take the milk to the calves to feed them. The adults who were helping us didn’t speak English, so we had to interpret what they meant. After milking and feeding the calves, we had to herd them to a pasture a little ways away, so they could graze for the day.
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Ecuador was an amazing trip. I learned a lot about sustainability, working closely together, living in harmony with the land, looking out for one another, and always learning and adapting to seasonal changes and other issues as they appeared. It was a simpler way of living, requiring hard work and dedication, but putting less strain on our planet.
Alli The Ecuador trip gave TGS students the opportunity to work outside of their comfort zones and to accept new challenges. Many students had the experience of being in a minority for the first time. They were able to stand up in front of a community of indigenous people with assurance, to adapt to indigenous homestays with host families, and to work side by side on the farm with people who did not speak English. Reflections from several eighth graders illustrated the value of the trip from the students’ points of view.
Connor A chore I experienced on an Ecuadorian dairy farm was milking. The milking was done by machine, not by hand, but the other students and I had to lead the cows into a stable. We did this by putting food in a trough, so the cows would stick their heads through the stanchion. Then, we could lock them in. This made it easier to milk them. The hardest part of this chore was feeding the calves, because they kept trying to take each other’s milk. We had to wake up at 4:30 am to get the cows to their milking stations. The milking
Charlie cutting straw
Mixing adobe
A magical moment was the time we woke up at 4:00 in the morning to make it to the barn by 4:30 to milk the cows. This gave us precious time to fall deeply into the atmosphere of the very early morning. The night was quiet and forgiving. The one thing interrupting the quietness was the sound of our footsteps through the mud and grass. Knowing Zinnia and I were the only ones awake at the farm at that hour gave us a sense of freedom and peaceful comfort. The stars were singing with radiance and the city lights where buzzing with a soft glow. I had not noticed the beauties of the night when I was busy with my thoughts or rushing to prepare dinner, but once I made the decision to wake up for the purpose of going to milk cows and seeing the night, I found an acceptance and permission to let myself admire the night’s beauties.
Zinnia Splitting Wood — I am not a very active person. This is a fact. One of the things that I was dreading doing in Ecuador was splitting wood. Waking up early and doing something active sounded like hell to me, but I was pleasantly surprised with my wood splitting experience. My cabin woke up at 6:00 am, as we
Willa digging the foundation
Harvesting quinoa
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Students were involved in many aspects of indigenous Ecuadorian life. They completed leather projects in Ecuador, which required they contemplate creativity and aesthetics. They were asked to consider who was behind the objects they buy as consumers, and they discussed their heightened respect for the craftsperson and his or her art. Another connection was made during the job of harvesting a quinoa crop. The labor became an exercise in cultural exchange and learning about sustainable agriculture. The quinoa seeds TGS students separated from the plants were for planting. The sacks of quinoa seeds were traded for cooking potatoes and onions.
James and Georgia get ready to harvest quinoa
had been doing every morning. Alli and I lethargically made our way to the barn. Michael [teacher at Nahual] was loudly sawing through eucalyptus and cypress wood, which I would soon discover to be very hard, dense wood. He gave a quick demonstration on how to split it and left us to practice for about twenty minutes. Handling an ax felt awkward at first, and I was disappointed but not surprised at my lack of strength and inability to get the job done. Michael came back and after seeing my failures, asked if I would like to help with something else. I declined, saying that I was determined to get at least one piece of wood to help cook breakfast. I whacked and whacked the ax at the hopeless eucalyptus, until finally, FINALLY I made a dent. I kept working at it until a nice piece of firewood fell off. Soon after, I was chopping block after block. Out of the three people I was working with, I had produced the biggest amount of firewood. When I was done, I felt weak but really good. I realized it was incredibly liberating to wake up early in the morning and do something active and helpful.
Students collect adobe straw
Lunch!
Students fed a calf that would grow and provide nourishment for a community, and they cooked meals for 20 people. After a morning of chopping wood, which wouldn’t be used until weeks after they had departed, a 13 year old girl said enthusiastically, “I feel so capable.” They learned to prepare adobe and helped build an ornamental wall, using pre-colonial techniques. Nightly, the group gathered to form appreciate circles or to discuss the day’s events. Students were asked to name something they were surprised by that day and something each felt he or she could have done better. The students’ honest observations showed they had reflected on their experiences: working with their hands, harvesting, washing the pots and pans after dinner, and processing all that was happening around them. They were proud of their achievements and frank about where they needed to improve. They know, intellectually, what they have learned, and they feel deeply what they have experienced; perhaps still to come is the understanding of how well TGS prepared them for this journey and those yet to come. Students came away from the Ecuadorian farm enamored by the place. They know, intellectually, what they have learned, and they feel deeply what they have experienced; perhaps still to come is the understanding of how well TGS prepared them for this journey and those yet to come.
Zinnia works on the ornamental window
Jasper shows his leatherwork
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Science of Survival at The Grammar School he outdoors has been an integral part of students’ daily experience since the school’s founding. From the early days when many children walked, bicycled, or skied to school, to decades of using the school’s land to learn about the environment and for daily recreation, taking advantage of what the Vermont woods and fields have to offer has been a key part of the curriculum. Head of School Nick Perry has expanded the school’s focus on the outdoors as an integral part of the learning process.
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The year long integrated fifth grade curriculum, designed and implemented by fifth grade teacher Matt Mitchell, examines the science of survival and the evolution of attitudes towards the wilderness. The culmination of the fall unit on water, shelter, food, and fire was a class hike up Mt. Wantastiquet in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, followed by a campout in student made shelters on the school property (in November with temperatures in the teens). The next day students led a workshop for the public on fire and shelter building, attended by over 50 children and adults. Matt read and told stories to give students an understanding of changing views towards the wilderness from the Middle Ages to the present day. Scary folktales and mythology with savages and wild beasts, and the perspective promoted by the Bible that humans were put on earth to control and cultivate the land, were common approaches in the western world for centuries. It took the efforts of individuals for the wilderness to be viewed as something to be revered, protected, and sustained. Fifth graders learned how Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson promoted the importance of preserving and appreciating the wilderness in the 19th century, which led to conservation efforts by John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt in the early 20th century. Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac in 1949 provided an impetus for Rachel Carson and other environmentalists in the 1970s and promoted present day understanding and appreciation of the wilderness as a limited and vanishing resource. Matt designed lab based experiments for fifth graders to work with real data to find relevant results. They discussed the importance of potable water and examined several methods for purifying drinking water. They took samples from flowing and stagnant water and tested the effectiveness of methods including chemical purification, boiling, and filtration by culturing bacteria in petri dishes, and they graphed the data and drew conclusions. Shelter was another crucial component of the study. The class did a lab on synthetic versus natural insulations to see which was most effective. They insulated paper cups with a variety of materials, filled the cups with boiling water, and measured the speed of cooling compared to a control cup with no insulation. Though they found that synthetic insulation usually worked best, they realized that when they created their own shelters outdoors
Fifth graders Robbie and Teo in their shelter
they would have to choose materials that were available in the woods. For finding food, students learned how to use industry standards to forage and identify edible, medicinal, and poisonous plants and fungi in the wild. They studied the components of primitive fire building and practiced with a bow drill, flint and steel, and a magnifying glass. They took the knowledge gained from their experiments in the classroom and applied them to real experiences in the natural world. Matt commented that students’ research skimmed the surface of basic survival topics, but their findings opened their eyes to the value of more in depth, thorough investigations. Matt chose to work at The Grammar School because of how well its outdoor focus aligned with his educational background and teaching goals. TGS Head of School Nick Perry, a former colleague of Matt’s from the North Country School in Lake Placid, New York, was promoting an outdoor nature based approach that lined up perfectly with Matt’s own graduate studies and teaching experience in outdoor based education. Over the years he observed how critical it was for students to be connected with outdoor space, and when he initially visited TGS, he saw an opportunity in an environment that could combine a meaningful recreation and teaching platform. He tweaked and improved his outdoor curriculum over the years, and his Science of Survival unit took shape. Combined with his background in wilderness first aid, Matt is well equipped to take students out in the woods in a variety of weather conditions.
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Fourth graders Elan, Margaretta, and teacher Annie work on the fire
Fifth grader Elena keeps it going
He is committed to using the outdoors as a basis for his curriculum. Matt says, “To me, education is taking an idea that I am passionate about and teaching it to students as a scholastic entertainer. I feel that teaching is not authentic when it’s prescribed; it should be connected to students’ interests. My
students have loved learning about historical approaches to the outdoors, combined with outdoor activities.” He knew he wanted to pursue a career where he had autonomy in his classroom and and the outdoors at his disposal. TGS was a perfect fit.
Fire and Shelter Workshop Over 50 parents and children attended a Fire and Shelter Building workshop at TGS in November. The event was hosted by the fifth grade as the culmination of their Science of Survival unit.
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Alumni in the Outdoors any TGS alumni have chosen outdoor careers or lifestyles, and they credit TGS with fostering a value for outdoor education and play. Titiana Shostak-Kinker ’90, Hayden Lake ’00, Kris Dobie ’98, and Ailyn Hoey ’87 shared their stories.
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Titiana Shostak-Kinker ’90 arrived in kindergarten at TGS when she was four years old. Her experiences at school had a lasting impact on her life and career choices.
Titiana says: As a child, I was exposed to the outdoors nearly every day at The Grammar School in Putney, Vermont. We had long recesses during which we could run around outdoors. We had sports during and after school, including cross country ski racing, that took place outside even on the coldest days of winter. My memories of TGS include hours in the outdoors, spending time in nature. In fact, my memories of time spent outdoors are more vivid than any other memories at school.
Outdoor yoga
My TGS education influenced me in myriad positive ways. The school laid the foundation for my love of cardiovascular exercise, that I’m very comfortable in the wilderness, and that I inhabit my body and take great care of myself! (And, at TGS I also learned to be a decent writer and I can do math…) After graduating from TGS, I attended the Northfield Mount Hermon School. Though I never got involved in their outdoor program hiking and rock climbing programs, I continued to be passionate about outdoor sports. At NMH I ended up playing field hockey and lacrosse, as well as cross country ski racing. Following my freshman year at Colby College in Maine, I spent the summer landscaping in Vail Colorado. The next year, I officially began “working” in the outdoors as an orientation leader for Colby’s mountain bike orientation (1995). I then left Colby and returned to Colorado where I worked in various jobs as a raft guide, ski lift operator, and waitress. Eventually I went back to college at Prescott College (1997), where I studied Outdoor Education full time. During my undergraduate career, I was able to study and travel in the Everest Region of Nepal, climb in the Wind Rivers of Wyoming, backpack in the Grand Canyon, assist in rock climbing classes in the City of Rocks, Idaho, and much more. I became immersed in the outdoor field through Prescott College. I went on to work at Outward Bound in Colorado and California, the Women’s Wilderness Institute, Prescott College, and for guide services based in Arizona and Switzerland. Last winter I worked in the US Virgin Islands, which went through two Category 5 hurricanes in a row in September. I find deep satisfaction watching the Colorado River run its course through rapids in the Grand Canyon or the waves breaking during a storm in Hawaii.
Rock climbing
I have seen the influence that the outdoors has had on my clients and students. The incredible life changing experiences that I’ve been privileged to witness and even facilitate through my work are so important in today’s world. My focus on outdoor careers has affected my life in a very positive way. My passion for the outdoors has made me less materialistic and more honest. I appreciate nature deeply. I live simply; I don’t like to acquire material possessions and I’ve seen firsthand how they can be taken away in an instant. I’m in tune with my body, and I move my body often, whether I’m rock climbing, ocean swimming, mountain biking, or doing yoga. I value living in my body, close to nature, values that were instilled in me at TGS. I feel so very honored to have attended TGS from age 4 through age 14.
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Hayden Lake ’00 grew up in Grafton, Vermont and attended TGS for 5th–8th grade. He always has loved being in the woods, and he now lives on land abutting the school’s property. Several of the trails (including the Ravine Trail and some mountain biking trails) enjoyed by the school community are on Hayden’s land. Hayden says:
Hayden at work
My grandfather was a logger and forester, and from when I was very young I spent a lot of time in the woods with both him and my father. At The Grammar School, I continued to have many opportunities to be in the woods, both for classes and recreation. I attended the Putney School, with a semester at the National Outdoor Leadership School, but my main focus was in fine arts. From Putney I went on to the Museum School and at the Massachusetts College of Art, but after a couple of years in Boston, I realized that I really wanted to return to the woods to pursue a degree in forestry. I received my degree from the University of Vermont, which led to an internship with an established consulting forester (George Weir, P ’07) and helped me develop my own client base.
As a student at TGS, I remember spending time both learning and playing in the woods, which I found to be equally important and related. I always appreciated how much the classroom expanded into the outdoors at TGS. In sixth grade I learned to identify tree species, and at Putney School I read The Forested Landscape by Tom Wessels, P ’94 and Northern Woodlands magazine, which were influential for my career.
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Kris Dobie ’98 grew up in Walpole, New Hampshire and attended TGS from kindergarten through eighth grade. The outdoors and cross country skiing have been lifelong passions.
Kris says: I think often of my time at The Grammar School, even now that I’m in my thirties. Not so much the day-to-day schedule of bus rides and classes, but the role it’s played in my life to this point. It’s difficult to explain; like explaining how to breathe, it’s simply ingrained on the most basic level. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved being outside and needed outdoor activity to be my best in other areas. The Grammar School not only provided the opportunity, but actively fostered it. There were classes held outside on warm spring days, group activities around the Maypole, walks to the Culvert for swimming, ice skating at [former TGS teacher] Dave Rothschild’s house, and hikes to Green Mountain Orchards in the fall. And there was the skiing. My first pair of skis was purchased for PSD class, and I have vivid memories of Tuesday afternoons spent skiing in the soccer fields or trails around school. Early on I liked to join my friends downhill skiing at Maple Valley, but my passion for cross country skiing developed quickly, in large part thanks to Chris and Mary Heller Osgood. Soon I joined the Bill Koch League, which meant ski practice after school, races on weekends, and frequent trips to West Hill Shop for gear (the wax room/ woodstove smell of the shop still brings me back in time as soon as I walk through the door). After TGS I moved on to the Stratton Mountain School and Colby College where I continued ski racing, and spending the requisite countless hours training outside. After skiing competitively from grade school through college, I needed a break from racing but wanted to continue to be involved with the cross country skiing community in New England. I had an interest in photography and started by working as a
I love my job. It’s a great combination of time spent outdoors, both on my own and interacting with clients, landowners, loggers, and other foresters. I often walk 8–10 miles a day, exploring areas of the local forests that few people get to experience.
Kris and family
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Kris Dobie action photo of World Cup racers in Quebec City
Crafstbury Marathon by Kris Dobie
photographer for the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) and the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association (EISA), then for various touring centers and sponsors. I now work full time as a nurse, but freelance as a photographer, which helps me keep in touch with skiing and many of the people I grew up seeing every weekend at races — in a way this community feels like my second family.
outside is simply a part of the routine, but it’s the part that rejuvenates me for everything else. I couldn’t function without that time skiing, biking, running, hiking, or walking the trails around our home — just ask my wife. She would also tell you that it’s contagious: she’s developed an affinity for hiking and is learning to ski. Now that we have a young son, we’re trying to prioritize providing him opportunities to appreciate the outdoors as well. Our quality of life is better because of the time we spend outside, but also indirectly because of how that time refreshes us and allows us to focus on career, family, and friends. Thank you for helping me to lay a foundation of values that I’m proud of and for driving me in ways that I continue to discover.
I think my time at The Grammar School had such a significant impact on my love of the outdoors because these activities were incorporated into everyday life there. They were special breaks from class, but not unusual. My life now is similar — being
Last Light by Ailyn Hoey
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seventh and eighth grades, and she credits the school with giving her the confidence to pursue her interests. Currently she oversees the main office and administration at TGS and her son Zane attends kindergarten.
Ailyn says: I’ve always loved being outdoors, whether hiking, skiing, camping, or exploring. I’ve also always been artistic, and my artwork is inspired by the nature. My love of Vermont is reflected in my drawings, but I also love to explore and familiarize myself with new habitats. My drawings are inspired by remote, unspoiled and often rugged landscapes. The drawings I create are expressions of my relationship with these places. I was very shy when I entered seventh grade at TGS. Being encouraged to do independent projects in art and science was very good for my self confidence, and the wonderful teachers at TGS helped me believe in myself and in my abilities. I have especially fond memories of Dottie Richardson, once I got over my fear of her. I often say that TGS ruined my subsequent education — every other school was a let down. I attended Northfield Mount Hermon School for my freshman year, but was frustrated that there was no time for me to pursue my art, and decided to complete my high school education at home on my own. In my late teens, I discovered my passion and talent for racing cars. After racing cars and instructing driving for a few years, I enrolled at Vermont Technical College to be an automotive technician. After graduation I worked in the field both as a technician and a teacher. While I enjoyed working in the automotive industry, I found I missed having a more creative livelihood. I eventually made my way back to my first love — creating art. For the past 15 years my primary
focus has been charcoal drawing, which I stumbled upon after being commissioned to create a figurative piece in black and white. I used charcoal for a finished drawing and realized that the techniques I used for the figure would translate well to landscapes. Since then I have continued to Dottie Richardson and Ailyn Hoey develop these techniques that I use in my work and share with others through private lessons and workshops. I have exhibited my work in New England, Florida, and Texas and have been awarded artist residencies in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, the Cape Cod National Seashore and Vermont Studio Center. My husband Mark is a sculptor, creating wildlife forms in fabricated sheet metal. Because we are both artists, we have had flexible schedules, allowing us to travel and spend time outdoors. We sent our son to TGS because the school values outdoor education and embraces children as individuals. We appreciate that the teachers are invested in meeting the unique needs of all students. I have such fond memories of TGS, and I am happy to observe today the similarities to my time here such as cross country skiing, the focus on the outdoors, the musical, and small class sizes.
Lowell Lake by Ailyn Hoey March by Ailyn Hoey
PHOTO BY ALLI LUBIN
Ailyn Hoey ’87, P ’26 attended TGS for two years in
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Foreign Language Night 2018 hen The Grammar School French teacher Johanna Gardner came up with the idea of Foreign Language Night almost 10 years ago, she was looking for a way for students to share what they had learned about the French language and culture. Spanish teacher Paqui Arroyo has been equally enthusiastic about showcasing the Spanish speaking world, and Foreign Language Night at TGS has become an annual celebration.
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The evening program was held at the school in late February. Inspired by riddles and stories, the language teachers helped students adapt their own scripts to use vocabulary appropriate to their class levels. Students also presented French or Spanish games, videos, songs, and autobiographical poems. The teachers noted that the students seemed to love being on stage and having their moment in the spotlight to perform in another language. Comments from the students reflected their commitment to the process. As a fifth grader said, “Being the main character made me nervous, but it still was really fun to act in our Spanish play, especially in front of a crowd,” and sixth graders expressed how proud they were to have come up with a humorous plot for a movie that the audience could understand without speaking French. Another fifth grader noted, “I really liked how everyone made awesome plays that were good for learning. All of them were funny and it was fun to watch other people performing them!” A fourth grader chimed in, “I liked being the crocodile,” and he cheerfully recited his French lines from memory: “J’ai faim. Je veux manger le panther gris. [I am hungry. I want to eat the gray panther.]”
First graders teach colors and numbers in French
Teachers emphasized how invested all the students were in their performances, and a parent reiterated that language program at TGS is one of the baselines of the school. One eighth grader echoed others’ comments when she said that the most rewarding part of the evening was “seeing all the hard work that everyone put into wonderful presentations and working together to make that happen,” and another spoke for many in the community when he wrote in his poem, “...Vermont es mi casa [Vermont is my home]/Esta escuela es mi casa [This school is my home]/Y construye una comunidad de confianza, [It builds a community based on trust,]/Y una, que yo siempre recordare [And one that I will always remember]...”
The evening culminated with a sampling of French and Spanish foods, including crêpes, country style bread made by students at school, cheese, salami, and fruit.
Foreign language has been an integral component of The Grammar School since its founding in 1960. French classes begin in kindergarten and in fifth grade students have the option of focusing on either French or Spanish. The language program helps students develop an awareness and understanding of non-English speakers and other cultures, and Foreign Language Night extends that message to the broader school community.
Lilly ’20 and Oscar ’21 act in an Asterix French video (with subtitles)
Fifth graders show off the masks they made in Spanish class for Foreign Language Night
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Global Learning: Navajo Studies a Vibrant Part of The Grammar School’s Curriculum this Month By Meg McIntyre/The Keene Sentinel Reprinted with permission arlier this month at The Grammar School, students learned about Navajo code-breaking, dreamcatchers, cradleboards and much more.
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It’s part of “Indigenous Ways of Knowing,” the school’s global education theme for this school year. Throughout the year, teachers are incorporating the concept into their curriculums, from Wampanoag history to indigenous number systems.
From November 6 to 10, members of the Navajo Nation of Arizona visited the school to give workshops on Navajo culture. Throughout the week, the visitors worked with different grade levels on various subjects. For example, 8th-graders learned about Navajo rites of passage, while the 3rd- and 4th-graders learned Navajo weaving techniques.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN ALTMAN
Eve McDermott, the Putney, Vt., school’s 2nd-grade teacher, said the staff picked the theme for this year because of its focus on learning from the natural world. The school emphasizes outdoor education, she said, which made the theme seem like a perfect fit.
Brent Chase performs “In Beauty May I Walk,” melding Navajo music, storytelling and dance, at The Putney School recently
McDermott said the workshops helped the students practice understanding the world through nature. “It’s really important for our kids in this day and age of the screen and of being really removed from many experiences, experiencing things firsthand. This is a real balance to that tendency in our society,” she said. “It kind of brings us back to where our focus should be.” The week culminated with “In Beauty May I Walk,” a performance by Brent Chase, one of the visitors from the Navajo Nation, melding Navajo music, storytelling and dance. McDermott said the Navajo hoop dance was especially powerful, moving one 2ndgrader to happy tears.
“We’re still glowing a week later with the spirit of the whole thing. We just can’t wait to have Abenaki and Iroquois come and just learn about their cultures. It’s so important,” McDermott said. “We have a lot to learn from them.”
“IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR KIDS IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF THE SCREEN AND OF BEING REALLY REMOVED FROM MANY
“It was just a feeling that you could really relate to, because the energy and the spirit of the hoop dance is really, really powerful in a room to watch it,” she said.
EXPERIENCES, EXPERIENCING THINGS FIRSTHAND. THIS IS A REAL BALANCE
Teachers will continue to incorporate the theme for the remainder of the year, and the students will put on a fundraiser to buy school supplies for The Little Singer School, a K–8 school on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. The Grammar School also hopes to invite Abenaki and Iroquois representatives to give similar presentations to the students.
TO THAT TENDENCY IN OUR SOCIETY,” SHE SAID. “IT KIND OF BRINGS US BACK TO WHERE OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE.”
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The Grammar School Holds Inaugural Ski For Hunger By Libby McCawley he Grammar School held its inaugural Ski For Hunger on a warm March afternoon on the lower field. The event raised over $5700 to benefit The Putney Foodshelf.
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Skiers from kindergarten through eighth grade set a distance goal and obtained monetary pledges for that designated distance. Students had the option of skiing laps around a 400-meter or a 1kilometer track during a 90 minute period. Stations on the course offered water, energy drinks, and snacks for the skiers. Students were motivated to ski as many laps as possible in the alloted time, and the only complaints were that they wanted to do more. The school presented a check to Foodshelf Board Chair, Nancy Olson, Board Member Laura Chapman, and to Foodshelf Coordinator, Hannah Pick at an All School Meeting in early May. “The Putney Foodshelf is exceedingly grateful for the efforts of all the students and faculty who made Ski for Hunger a big success,” said Ms. Pick. “Special thanks go to each individual skier who gave it their all, to their family and friends who supported them, to Libby McCawley who dreamed up the idea, and to Matt Mitchell for rallying the support to make it happen. It was truly a joyful and inspiring event to witness, and we are thrilled that this is intended to be an event repeated for years to come.” “Cross country skiing has been an integral part of the TGS experience since our founding,” said head of school, Nick Perry. “We see this as an ideal way to combine our love of the outdoors with our commitment to helping the Food Shelf address food scarcity in our community.”
Lilly ‘20 and Sadie ‘20 present the check for $5,754.75 to representatives of the Putney Foodshelf
All done!
Because the event was such a success, The Grammar School hopes to open it to the community next year. Throughout the school year, The Grammar School supports the Putney Foodshelf in a variety of ways. Each month, a designated class spearheads food collection from the school. In addition, special food drives happen in September, when the school fills their school bus with donations for the Top the Truck drive, during the holiday season, and at the school’s spring musical event.
They’re off!
Georgia ’18 with teachers Laurie, Eve, Annie, and Jessica at a feed station
Lilly ’20, Dexter ’25, John ’21
Willa ’18 and Georgia ’18
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TGS at Bill Koch League Festival
By Sarah Sterner P ’24, ’26
hile many of us were tuned in to Olympic competition in Pyeongchang this winter, young cross country skiers from all over New England and New York headed down to Weston, Massachusetts for the Bill Koch League Nordic Ski Festival. The BKL is a youth ski league established in honor of Bill Koch, the first American to win an Olympic medal in cross country skiing, a silver in the 1976 Winter Olympics. Bill Koch, who grew up in Guilford, Vermont and skied for Putney School and the Putney Ski Club, continues to be an inspiration for local cross country ski racers, and this winter the Putney Ski Club sent 12 skiers to the Festival.
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For several decades the Putney Ski Club BKL was based out of The Grammar School, where cross country skiing has been a deeply rooted part of the culture. All students in kindergarten through 8th grade cross country ski during the week at school, and in addition The Grammar School has 10 students who participate in the after school Putney Ski Club BKL program. Three of those racers accompanied the club to the regional festival races this past weekend and contributed to four of the ten Putney Ski Club podiums.
Sadie ’20 and teammate Caroline display their medals
the races continued with Henry Sterner coming in 1st in the 1–2 individual classic sprint and Sadie Bell earning 2nd place in the 5–6 individual classic sprint.
Henry Sterner in 2nd grade and younger brother Charlie in kindergarten from Westminster, along with PSC teammate Matt Northcott from Walpole, took 1st place in the grade 1–2 skate relay race. Sadie Bell of Putney in 6th grade and PSC teammate Caroline Tarmy of Putney won the grade 5–6 girls skate relay. Sadie Bell also competed in an individual skate sprint on Saturday, where she took the bronze medal place. On Sunday
The Putney Ski Club BKL racers are coached by TGS alumnus Zach Caldwell ‘84 and his wife Amy of Putney. The Grammar School is very proud of its Nordic skiing heritage and the accomplishments of these student athletes, and we all send heartfelt congratulations to United States women’s Nordic teammates Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall for winning Olympic gold in the team sprint in February.
Celebrating our Founders
Then and Now (left) Buddy reading
n May, TGS held a brunch to celebrate our founders and look forward to our future. Guests of honor Dottie Richardson and Kitty Shumlin were featured in a short film by Lisa Merton ’66 and Alan Dater about the early days of the school. You can view this film at the following TGS website link: https://thegrammarschool.org/ Dottie and Kitty giving/waystogive/. Kathy Richardson ’67 and Jeff Shumlin ’74 spoke about their families’ involvement at TGS, and Head of School Nick Perry commented on the many core traditions that have remained integral to the school since the beginning.
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At this event, the Board of Trustees announced the establishment of the Founders Fund, which will support faculty advancement and physical plant upgrades. We are well on our way towards our $150,000 goal. This fund is meant to honor our founders by helping to sustain the future of our beloved school.
(below) Outdoor education
(above) Musical
802.387.5364
info@thegrammarschool.org www.thegrammarschool.org
The Grammar School Summer Camp 2018! TGS
will have four weeks of camp this summer! Each of the four oneweek sessions will have camps for preschool, rising kindergarten through eighth graders. There also will be four weeks of mountain bike camp for children 8–15 years old. The dates for the camps are:
Session 1: Session 2: Session 3: Session 4:
June 25–29 July 2–6 (no camp on July 4th) July 9–13 July 16–20
Visit https://thegrammarschool.org/summer/