2023 Sabin Award Honorees Senior Art Project Melds Strategic Plan Pillars
As I write this, the blossoms are sailing through the air on Long Walk, and students have left for the summer, making campus quiet and picturesque. This campus is so beautiful in every season. I know our alumni who returned for Reunion a few weeks ago were happy to be back! This summer we will be hosting many camps, such as photography, mountain biking, and football, as well as other activities including our Board of Trustees intensive working session.
Our commencement ceremony, like those that came before it, was beautiful and meaningful, laced with the traditions that contained elements of all the things that make Vermont Academy special — especially the care and respect we have for one another and the students. I hope you enjoy the ceremony pictorial (and other spring shots) contained within this edition as much as we enjoyed this special event.
In addition to saying goodbye to the Class of 2023, we wished a fond farewell to Maryann McArdle P ’94, ’96, ’02, ’06 after 32 years serving Vermont Academy. Maryann held many roles at the school over the years, from librarian to communications director to dean of students to associate director of college counseling. Please join us in wishing Maryann well on her retirement.
I am excited to give you a peek into the art piece created by Jessica Shapiro ’23, the 2023 recipient of the Bob ’37 and Beth Campbell Art Purchase Prize. It is a project that combines facets of three of our four strategic plan pillars: ingenuity, independence and community. I am sure you will be just as impressed by her work as the attendees were at the Honors Art Show opening during Spring Arts Day. This project embodies our vision for student learning and our purpose of preparing our students for self-discovery and lives of fulfillment.
Finally, I wish to extend my thanks to everyone who participated in our 8th annual One Day for VA. Under the guidance of our new Director of Annual Giving Lee Darcy P’25, the buzz of excitement on that day was palpable as we strived to surpass our participation goals with several generous challenges. We did it, thanks to you! While One Day for VA may be over for this year, our work continues and, if you haven’t already, I hope you will consider supporting our school with a gift as we approach our fiscal year end on June 30.
Enjoy your summer!
With gratitude,
Dr. Jennifer L. Zaccara, Head of School
On June 2-4, 2023, alumni and guests gathered on Vermont Academy’s campus for this year’s Reunion festivities. With over 100 in attendance, the atmosphere was lively and joyous as friends new and old found moments of connection. From the food truck lunch to the farm-to-table dinner, from the dedication of the Leavitt Memorial Patio to the honoring of Don McInnes ‘59 and the late Robert “Bob” Campbell ‘37 as this year’s Sabin Award recipients, there was much to do and celebrate.
The College Counseling office is pleased to report that almost 60% of the Class of 2023 earned a place at their “first choice” college or university. This is an increase over last year’s results. The Class of 2023 also had 14 students who will continue to pursue their athletic passions by playing their sport at the NCAA level. Other students have chosen to take a gap year to pursue their varied interests. Congratulations to the graduating class! We wish them well in their future endeavors.
Thank you to the Class of 1953 for their generosity in funding the creation of the Leavitt Memorial Patio. This space, adjacent to the Wildcat Den, offers a space for current students to relax, study, and enjoy social time, while reflecting on Vermont Academy’s influential leaders of the past. We can’t wait to see our students enjoy this space for years to come.
The late Robert “Bob” M. Campbell ’37 and Donald “Don” Gordon McInnes ’59 received the Sabin Award at the Academy’s 2023 Reunion. The Florence R. Sabin Class of 1889 Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes and honors Vermont Academy alumni who, through their diligence and efforts, have used the basic academic and life skills acquired at the Academy to achieve significant success in their professional careers or have made outstanding contributions in community involvement thereby bringing honor to themselves and to Vermont Academy. The award was established in 1985 by the Vermont Academy Alumni Association.
Robert “Bob” M. Campbell ’37 Bob was a filmmaker who founded Campbell Films, the first commercial film company in Vermont, in 1956. Specializing in productions that supported the fundraising campaigns of universities and nonprofit organizations, the organization helped schools like Vermont Academy, MIT, Middlebury, and the Perkins School for the Blind raise capital and build awareness of their missions. With the Perkins School for the Blind, Bob’s efforts were critical to raising awareness of the rubella epidemic and of the growing population who were made deafblind by the disease.
After graduating from Vermont Academy, Bob attended Dartmouth College and earned his MBA at the Tuck School of Business in 1942. Although he could not join the military due to medical issues, he was proud to play his part in WWII by working for Remington Firearms until the war ended. He and his wife, Beth, moved to Saxtons River in the 1950s and raised 11 children there, revitalizing their adopted hometown by purchasing and restoring the Saxtons River Inn, bringing a center of community life back to the town they loved.
From 1957 to 1970, Bob was on Vermont Academy’s Board of Trustees, and his children attended the school. Bob and his wife also endowed a vital part
of the Vermont Academy experience when they created the Bob ’37 and Beth Campbell Endowment Fund for the Arts and Lecture Series.
Donald “Don” Gordon McInnes ’59
Don had a long and illustrious career in transportation before retiring in 2000 as the COO of BNSF Railway. Since retiring, he has devoted his time to serving others, acting as chair of the board of the Heritage Museums and Gardens in Sandwich, MA, and serving on Vermont Academy’s Board of Trustees.
After graduating from Vermont Academy, Don received his BA in economics from Denison University, his MS in transportation at Northwestern University, as well as a certificate in transportation from Yale University. He then joined the military and served in both the United States Air Force and the United States Army, where he was stationed in Vietnam from 1967-1968, before beginning his career in transportation. Joining BNSF Railway as budget manager for operations, Don worked his way up to COO in 1993. Don was instrumental in the founding of The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and was elected the first chairman of the board, serving two terms. From 1967 until her passing in 1995, Don was happily married to Betsy Campbell. Today Don and his wife, Carol Haverty, have a blended family with four children.
Don served on Vermont Academy’s Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2017. During that time, he was involved in many projects that helped ensure the vitality of the school, including chairing the highly successful Fulfilling Our Promise: The Campaign for Vermont Academy initiative.
The Sabin Award
The 2023 Sabin Award Selection Committee included Chris Cota ’66, Amber (Smith) DiPasquale ’02, Kate (Marshuetz) Double ’91, J’Nisha Little ’16, Fred Nichols ’56, and Tom Oxholm ’82.
To learn more about the Sabin Award or to read the full profiles of Bob and Don, please visit https://www. vermontacademy.org/alumni/sabin-alumni-award/ honorees.
All seasons in Vermont are beautiful in their own way, but spring is particularly gorgeous as flowers bloom on campus and the sun shines stronger. By this time of the year, our students are comfortable on campus and relish the Wildcat traditions and celebrations that spring brings: Earth Day, Spring Arts Day, Spring Fling, warm weather athletic pursuits, and of course, commencement!
Maryann McArdle has been with Vermont Academy for 32 years in a variety of roles. Before she leaves, we asked her some questions in hope of getting some insights about her time here.
Q: What brought you to Vermont Academy?
My sister saw an ad in the paper for an assistant librarian here and thought I should apply. I was hired and started working in 1990. It was a part-time job that paid $6 per hour! From there, I moved to a full-time position, as the assistant to the then Headmaster Bob Long. After a few years in the Head’s Office (using a typewriter and answering a switchboard), I moved into the Dean’s Office as assistant to Martha Kurtz. I continued in that role after Martha moved on, working with Joe Elias, Sean Farrell, and Jason Roderick. I was eventually promoted to dean, where I stayed for several years. From there, I became the director of communications, and then alumni & parent director, before joining the College Counseling Office in 2017. I may hold the record for the number of jobs held at VA!
Q: Of your many jobs at VA, did you have a favorite? I really enjoyed being the dean of students because that’s where I felt most connected to the students. I’ve always considered that office to be the “heart of the school”, and it was certainly never boring! The college counseling job is a close second. I have a lot of connections with the students, but without being “on” 24/7.
Q: What do you consider to be your greatest VA accomplishment? My accomplishments were mostly small ones. As dean, I took pride in things like knowing the names of all of our kids by Mountain Day. Back then, we had between 250 and 260 students, so it was a pretty big task. Getting an issue of VA Life to the printer on schedule always felt like an accomplishment, same with finding out one of my students got into their top choice college. I suppose my biggest accomplishment happened one year when there was no snow for Winter Carnival, and we couldn’t use the hockey rink because of a roofing issue. We had to start from scratch and came up with dodgeball and a lip sync contest. They were huge hits then and are still mainstays of Winter Carnival.
Q: What has been your most memorable moment? I’ve had so many! It’s impossible to pick just one. Chaperoning trips to Italy, Spain and Morocco with Bill Newman; following Jill Schibley ’98
on the ‘T’ with a group of students and cheering her on as she ran the Boston Marathon; seeing our boys basketball team win the AA conference championships in Boston when Bruce Brown ’16 was playing; having the opportunity to hear Sister Helen Prejean, alum Jim MacLaren ’81, and Ken Burns speak in our auditorium; even getting married in the Warren Chivers Ski and Outdoor Education Center! So many wonderful memories.
Q: What stands out most about your time at VA?
I think it’s pretty incredible that in a tiny rural village in a tiny rural state, I’ve been able to meet people from all over the country and the world. I’ve made so many dear friends. Relationships built at this school are strong and lasting. Don’t even get me started on how many couples I know of that have met here and then married—students and faculty alike! The people are what I will miss the most about VA. Obviously, the campus is a beautiful place, but I will miss the people.
Q: What advice do you have for students?
Try something new! Join the crew team, hike the Long Trail, sign up for the musical. You can get out of your comfort zone and take risks at VA. I attended a big high school with almost 3000 students and it was virtually impossible to make a team or a production unless you were a superstar. But at a small supportive school like Vermont Academy, you really can do anything. It’s an opportunity you may not have again in your life.
Q: After retiring, what are your plans?
This summer, I’ll be working in my garden, hanging out with my grandkids, playing keyboard with my band Swing Low, and working on my French. I’m heading to France with my husband in September when it might be strange to not be coming back to school. I’m learning French with Duolingo, and I hope to be able to converse a bit when I’m there. After that, it’s wide open. We’ll see what pops up.
Q: Any last words?
First, I’d like to thank VA for educating my four children, Ollie ’94, Eli ’96, Rosie ’02, and Conor ’06. I’d also like to thank VA for always believing in me. Former Headmaster Jim Mooney used to say, ‘Make yourself indispensable’ and I took that advice to heart. Being indispensable has seen me through some hard times here and simultaneously opened up a lot of doors for me. It was, and is, good advice—thanks, Jim.
Vermont Academy thanks Maryann for all she has done for the school and all of the students. She will be greatly missed.
Jess Shapiro ’23’s installation at the Honors Advanced Art show, was a tremendous display of the ingenuity, independence, and respect for community that mark our students’ growth at Vermont Academy.
Jess has long been interested in the intersection of art and social science. Under the guidance of pottery teacher Ryan Burch, her project involved taking her greatgrandmother’s teapot, a sentimental family heirloom that she valued, and re-imagining it. In doing so, she sought to make a statement about the devaluation and misogynistic language used when this artform, which has historically been femaledominated, is referred to as “craft”.
Jess started her project by working with Science Faculty Chair Joe Echanis ’79 to make a 3-D model of the teapot. Working with Joe, she learned how to use Vermont Academy’s 3D modeling software to scan and edit the teapot, and then used a 3D printer to print it. She then used that printed copy to create a slip cast (a ceramic forming technique) mold before hand-building the other elements of the teapot. For the decorative pieces, she used overglaze decals, white glaze, and gold lustra. At the show, she displayed the teapot as part of a tea set, inviting viewers to also be participants.
Jess notes in her artist statement, “I see this tea party as a way to celebrate the feminine in an intentionally audacious way in order to bring visibility to the gender biases that perpetuate in the art world.”
Jess’ work integrated independence in its conception, ingenuity in using science applications like 3D modeling to execute her ideas, and community by working in a cross-disciplinary way with the Vermont Academy faculty community. Pottery teacher Ryan Burch adds, “By creating this stunning and awe-inspiring tea set, Jess captivated her audience and shared her value systems and her opinions through her art.”
The quality of Jess’ work and her vision for her senior project led this piece to be selected for the prestigious Bob ’37 and Beth Campbell Art Purchase Prize. Jess will be attending Goucher College in the fall.
Thank you to everyone who has made a gift to Vermont Academy so far this fiscal year (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023). Because of you, our students, faculty, and staff feel valued and inspired. As our fiscal year draws to a close, if you have not yet done so, there is still an opportunity to support our school.
For a small school like Vermont Academy, the impact of a gift on our programming is significant. It powers a rigorous curriculum in the classroom, robust student experiences, including programs in athletics and the arts, bold strategic initiatives, campus maintenance and improvements, and so much more. Simply put, without our donors, Vermont Academy would not be able to offer the quality educational experience that it does.
In addition to the programming, the impact of giving on the people in our community is critical. Philanthropic support has allowed Vermont Academy to increase financial aid for students, thereby removing financial barriers to enrollment. These gifts go to work immediately in the same year they are given, helping us create a close-knit student body of critical thinkers who want to make a difference in the world. It also allows us to offer our faculty professional development opportunities so that they can grow personally and professionally to meet the unique needs of our students. Annual giving impacts every student and teacher and ensures that Vermont Academy thrives even in the most challenging of times.
We invite you to demonstrate your support of Vermont Academy and join our community of donors by making a gift by June 30. You can make your gift online at www.vermontacademy.org/giving or by calling Lee Darcy P’25, director of annual giving, at 802-869-6610 or by mailing a check using the enclosed envelope. Checks must be dated June 30 or sooner to count for this fiscal year.
Thank you!