Calendar
1 Halloween Dance, Rowland Center, 8:30 pm to 11 pm. Admission is $3 if you are wearing a costume and $5 if you are not.
3 School photo retakes
6 Winter Sports Mandatory Parent and Athlete meeting [see below]
11 Full Day Faculty In-service. No school for students.
17 Winter Sports begin
19-20 Parent-Teacher Conferences [see below]
19-22 “The Diviners,” Riley Center for the Arts, 6:30 pm
26-28 Thanksgiving Break
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From the Headmaster
Dear Burr and Burton Community,
What do you think of the Mountain Semester? That’s the question I have been asked again and again by parents, community members, teachers, Burr and Burton friends, and opponents of this project. For those of you who don’t know, the Mountain Semester will be a wilderness study program located on 100 acres in Peru. Burr and Burton students will have the opportunity to spend one semester away from our main campus in this unique learning environment.
When I was considering joining Burr and Burton, I found the Mountain Semester to be one of the most impressive, visionary projects I had ever seen. I thought it spoke volumes about the school itself that in this age of “drill, drill, drill” (for high-stakes tests, not oil), a school that served the public had the vision to think about creating educational experiences that can change the way students view the world. It was, and is, inspiring, and I am fully committed to seeing this vision come to fruition. My rationale is as follows:
- It will make Burr and Burton Academy an even better school. The Mountain Semester will be a rigorous program academically, experientially, emotionally, and spiritually. It will provide a challenging curriculum that will go beyond the textbook in order to bring to life the very real environmental issues facing the world. It will challenge students to think in different ways, to assume responsibilities in a small community, and to take on authentic scientific research that can be built upon from semester to semester. This program has the potential to transform the way students think about themselves, their responsibilities as global citizens, and their hopes and dreams for the future. Elsewhere in the country, this type of opportunity is limited to a select few privileged students, yet ANY Burr and Burton student will have the chance to participate in this program.
- It is in an ideal location. To create a powerful wilderness study program, we need a setting that is away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, and we need a property on which we can implement a true research-based curriculum. The Mountain Semester will be situated on 100 pristine acres encompassing wetlands, streams, meadows and forest. It is surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest. It is close enough to be accessible, yet far enough away so that students will be transported into another world. In this setting, students can study habitat, conduct stream studies, understand forestry economics, create environmental art, listen to the language of nature, and marvel at the natural beauty that surrounds them. To walk the property is to appreciate its beauty, and generations of Burr and Burton students and faculty will develop a sense of ownership for the program that is built upon this land.
- It will be built entirely with private dollars. As with every other building at Burr and Burton, Mountain Semester buildings will be constructed entirely through private fundraising efforts. (For those who might think otherwise, the simple fact is that tuition dollars do not even cover the annual operating expenses of this school, so there is no money left over to divert from our programs on the main campus.)
- It will provide needed space for additional students. As I write this, I am acutely aware that we are filled to capacity on the main campus. To continue our historic mission of serving ALL students from sending towns, we will need additional space in the event of continued growth. We could build another building here on our main campus and offer more of the same—and there is nothing wrong with that—or we can create a program that adds to the richness of the Burr and Burton experience. In spite of demographic trends elsewhere in Vermont, this year, we have set yet another record for enrollment: 741 students arrived on Day One, despite projections that our enrollment would be closer to 700.
- We will be a good neighbor in Landgrove and Peru. The buildings and parking areas have been thoughtfully sited so as to be visible only from the very top of Bromley Mountain. We will abide by the limits placed on the use of the facility in order to preserve the very special character of the Landgrove and Peru communities. We will offer our facility as a community resource, just as we do on the main campus. For 175 years, Burr and Burton has endeavored to be a model member of this community, a partner with other organizations, and a point of civic pride. That tradition will continue.
- It will make us an even better school (see point #1). Yes, I am repeating myself, but education is what we are all about. Burr and Burton is an educational institution; the creation of this program will make us better at everything we do, and it will provide yet another avenue for success for our students.
I share these thoughts because I am convinced the more you learn about the Mountain Semester, the more quickly you will want it available for the sons and daughters of our sending towns.
Yes, I am an idealist at heart, but that is why I became a teacher.
Respectfully yours,
Mark H. Tashjian
Headmaster
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Election 2008
Results of the Mock Election are in! Barack Obama ousted John McCain 333-67 for the presidency, while Ralph Nader piled in 26 votes. In the race for US House of Representatives, Peter Welch won in a landslide with 220 votes with the next highest being Mike Bethel with 49. Jim Douglas captured 210 votes for governor, while Gaye Symington brought and 94 and Anthony Pollina 59. With the slimmest margin of victory for the BBA Election, Thomas Costello edged out Brian Dubie 203-132 for the position of Lt. Governor. Jeb Spaulding won the race for state treasurer, Deb Markowitz won for secretary of state, Thomas Salmon won the position of auditor of accounts, and Bill Sorrell remained in office as the attorney general. Thank you to all of those who participated!
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Cross-country champs with Coach Dave Curtis
Congratulations to the Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams
Girls team earned State Championship for the third year in a row!
Boys team were runners-up
Kelsey Kelleher ‘10 was Individual State Champion for the second year in a row.
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled this semester for Wednesday, November 19 from 1 pm – 5 pm and Thursday, November 20, from 1 pm – 8 pm with a break from 5:00-5:45 for dinner. Students will be dismissed at 12:35 on both days. Scheduling is done again this year online at:
https://www.pickatime.com/client?ven=11601183. This link will also be available on our web site: www.burrburton.org in the Parents Center.
All parents are encouraged to schedule appointments with teachers. If you have any questions or are having problems scheduling appointments, please email us at ptc@burrburton.org.
Helpful Hints: The pick-a-time software is VERY sensitive to both case and punctuation. Please follow the examples exactly in order to register. The most common problem when trying to set up appointments is not entering your student’s birth date correctly. It needs to be entered exactly as the example is shown: mm-dd-yyyy. Also, if you are a split family, and another parent has already made appointments, you will need to contact us at ptc@burrburton.org so that we can “clone” your student.
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Student and Parent Telephone Directory
The 2008-2009 Student and Parent Telephone Directory is now available. Students will receive them in their advisories and have been asked to bring them home. Additional copies may be requested from the School and College Counseling Office.
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College and Career Information
Seniors
Keep those applications coming! Let us help you brainstorm essays, review applications, and consider good matches. Many seniors have already submitted one application; other students are still working through the initial process. A good rule of thumb is to apply before the December break. Remember to have your test scores sent directly to the colleges from the College Board or ACT. We’re here to assist and support you.
If you still need to schedule some campus visits, consider taking advantage of days and times when there are no classes: Tuesday, November 11, is an in-service day for teachers only; there are also two early release days (for parent conferences) on Wednesday, November 19, and Thursday, November 20.
Update re Juniors
College-bound juniors took the PSAT on October 15 and those results are due in December. We are also in the process of organizing college planning and transition workshops for all juniors to take place during the school day in the upcoming months.
Beginning in late January, when we will have completed our most intense period of work with the current seniors, we will conduct individual meetings with juniors.
Gap Year Fair
Hanover High School is hosting a Gap Year Fair for students considering a year off between high school and college on Wednesday, November 12, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Representatives from organizations offering opportunities for internships, volunteering, traveling, and studying will be present to share information about their programs.
Castleton On-The-Spot Admission Program
Students with completed applications have an opportunity to interview with Castleton Admission counselors here at Burr and Burton and immediately receive their admission decision. Sign up in the School and College Counseling Office if you’d like to participate in this program that will take place in early December.
Upcoming College Visits
Juniors and seniors may be excused from class, with teacher permission, to attend college meetings. Students and parents can find our most up-to-date list at http://connection.naviance.com/burrburton. We post a paper calendar inside the School and College Counseling Office and we also remind students through daily announcements. Although the travel season is winding down, fifteen colleges have made appointments for the month of November.
College Athletics
Seniors interested in playing intercollegiate athletics next year need to register at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. Stop in the Guidance Office for assistance or computer access.
Selective Service Registration
Eighteen-year-old males need to register with the U.S. Selective Service at www.sss.gov. Male students need to do so in order to be eligible for federal financial aid.
Last Chance for December SAT
Seniors: November 5 is the regular registration deadline for the SAT on December 6 at Burr and Burton. Go to www.collegeboard.com.
ACT Registration Deadline
Seniors who want to take the December 13 ACT (in Bennington, Springfield or Castleton) should register by the November 7 deadline at www.actstudent.org.
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2009 Burtonian
Online Yearbook Ordering
Beginning November 1, all students, parents, and employees can go to www.JostensYearbooks.com to purchase the yearbook with a major credit card. The price is $55. Questions can be directed to bbull@burrburton.org.
Parents of Seniors: The Burtonian yearbook staff is still accepting Family Message ads until November 15. The cost is $35 (payable by check to BBA) for a quarter page ad. Send checks, photos (optional), and messages to Brooke Bull to reserve your spot today. Questions can be directed to bbull@burrburton.org.
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From the Business Office
Please be sure to check your student’s cafeteria account balance periodically. A lock-box is located next to the cash registers in the cafeteria for the deposit of cash or checks to replenish accounts. Students can check their balance any day at the register or you can call the Business Office at 549-8213 or email us at dfilippi@burrburton.org.
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From the Performing Arts Department
Burr and Burton Presents “The Diviners” November 19-22
Seniors Taylor Dear and Robert Leonard with junior Lauren Charnow
The Burr and Burton Academy Performing Arts Department will present “The Diviners” Wednesday through Saturday, November 19-22, at 6:30 pm in the school’s Riley Center for the Arts.
This powerful play, written by Jim Leonard, Jr., tells the fable-like story of a disturbed yet gifted boy and his unlikely friendship with a disenchanted ex-preacher who has wandered into town. Marvelously theatrical, funny, earthy and touching, the play is set in rural southern Indiana during the Great Depression and affectionately examines the people of the American heartland whose need for a real preacher pushes the community toward inadvertent violence. It is the story of what happens when people’s best intentions tragically collide.
Tickets are $6 for Burr and Burton faculty, staff and students and $10 for the community. For 24-hour ticket information call 549-8144. Tickets may be ordered online at http://bba.ticketjunior.com. The box office will be open one hour prior to all shows.
Music students: Green Mountain Music Festival auditions will be held at Proctor High School on November 5.
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From the Advancement Office
Our Annual Giving Campaign is Underway
We have just launched our 2008 – 2009 Annual Giving Campaign! A message from members of the Board of Trustees was e-mailed to all of our friends and family encouraging support. The Annual Giving Campaign brochures were recently sent out highlighting the importance of education and those special individuals who dedicate themselves day in and day out to each student here at Burr and Burton.
We are looking to you to support our dedicated faculty and high-quality education by making a gift to the Annual Giving Campaign. Your support goes to purchase essential items our teachers need in the classroom, technological advances for education, innovative programs and extracurricular activities. Please help us reach our ambitious goal of $450,000. We are looking for 100 percent parent participation – each and every gift is appreciated.
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From the Athletic Department
Important Winter Sports Information
The mandatory Winter Sports Parent and Athlete Information Night
Will be held Thursday, November 6, at 6 p.m. in the following locations:
Boys Basketball: cafeteria
Alpine Skiing: John Wright’s room (#31 in the Seminary Building)
Nordic Skiing: Wellness classroom (off of the gym lobby)
Girls Basketball: gym
Snowboarding: gym
Dance: Hunter Seminar Room in the library
All winter sports begin practice on November 17.
All freshmen and transfer students will need a physical exam prior to participating if they did not play a fall sport, and all returning students must have had a physical exam within the last two years. Physical forms and permission forms can be downloaded from the school’s web site, www.burrburton.org. These completed forms must be brought to the meeting on November 6 or mailed (attn. Tammy Shields) to the school before November 6 (please identify the sport on the form).
All returning Burr and Burton students must have the required number of community service hours or Service Learning projects complete before the first practice.
Sophomores: 2 Service Learning projects completed.
Juniors: 4 Service Learning projects completed.
Seniors: 37.5 hours
If you have any questions, please feel free to call Director of Athletics Kathi Bierwirth at 549-8119.
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From the Booster Club
On behalf of the Burr and Burton Booster Club, I would like to thank everyone who helped with Burr and Burton’s recent Homecoming celebration. Homecoming kicked off with the cross-country team’s only home meet and ended with a dance sponsored by the Student Council. Events include a School Spirit Parade, Powder Puff Football, a cookout and bonfire, and all the sports’ teams hosting games over the weekend. All of this happened because of a combined effort of the Burr and Burton community. Parents, students, faculty and staff, and local businesses all contributed time, money, and food to make this a great event. I apologize for not naming specific people or businesses, but the list would be way too long and I know that I would unintentionally miss someone. Thank you all though—this could not have happened without you.
John A. Conlon
President
Burr and Burton Booster Club
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From the Health Clinic
The Burr and Burton school-based health clinic participates in the Vermont Department of Health’s Vaccine for Children program. Congress created the federal Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program to help prevent certain vaccine-preventable diseases by providing immunization services at no cost.
In collaboration with the school health clinic’s medical director, Dr. Robert Schwartz, we will be offering all students the opportunity to receive the Tdap or the HPV vaccine beginning November 1. Parents must sign two forms of consent in order for their student to receive either the Tdap or the HPV vaccine.
No student will receive either vaccination without both forms of parental consent on file. The vaccine parental consent forms may be downloaded from the school’s website in the Parent center (www.burrburton.org/parents). Students should bring the completed paperwork to the health clinic.
Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
Your student is required by Vermont law to have a current Td/Tdap vaccine in order to remain in school. Most students are in need of this vaccine booster at 14-15 years old. You may have already received a letter from our health clinic stating that your child is in need of a current vaccine, please contact our office so that we may bring their immunizations up to date. This vaccine is available for your student at no cost (usual cost $36.26).
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
The HPV vaccine is recommended for girls and women 13-26 years of age who did not receive it when they were younger. It protects against genital human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States. HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. Every year in the U.S. about 10,000 women get cervical cancer and 3,700 die from it. There is no treatment for HPV only to be vaccinated against it. This vaccine is given in a 3-dose series. This vaccine series is available for your student at no cost (usual cost $359.25).
Please call the health clinic if you have questions about our new immunization program: Meg Burns 549-8132 or Heidi Welch 549-8238.
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BBA Dancers Turning Up the Heat
The Burr and Burton Varsity Dance team has been invited to compete in the National Dance Team Championship in Orlando, Florida, at the end of January where the team will compete in the Hip Hop and Pom divisions.
To help them meet their expenses, members of the Dance team will hold a “Hike for Heat” fund-raiser on Saturday, November 8. The girls will be collecting pledges, and then the team will hike Mount Equinox together. Thirty percent of the funds they raise will be donated to the Interfaith Council’s Emergency Needs Fund to help local families with heating needs this winter, with the balance going to help the team fund the trip to the Nationals.
If you would like more information about this event, or if you are interested in making a donation, contact coach Barb Miceli by phone 549-8190 or e-mail
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BBA Hosts Soccer Camp for Tots
Burr and Burton Academy Service Learning students are hosting a Tiny Tots Soccer Program for boys and girls 3-5 yr olds on five Saturdays this fall on October 4, 18, 25, and November 1 and 8. The program will run from 11-11:45 am on the Burr and Burton soccer field. The pre-schoolers will have the full attention of twenty-five Burr and Burton students playing games, practicing skills, singing songs and most of all having fun! The entry fee is non-perishable donations each week for the local Food Cupboard. For more information please contact Heidi Welch at 549-8238.
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From the Library
Here is just a glimpse at what’s new on our shelves:
The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Hannah Crafts and edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Authenticated as a manuscript written by an escaped Civil War slave, this autobiographical novel follows her from a North Carolina plantation to her flight to freedom in the North.
How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein. This book tackles why our state lines are where they are. Here are the stories behind the stories, right down to the tiny northward jog at the eastern end of Tennessee and the teeny-tiny (and little known) parts of Delaware that are not attached to Delaware but to New Jersey.
The Arrival by Shaun Tan. This wordless graphic novel evokes universal aspects of an immigrant’s experience through brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. When her former owner breaks his promise to set her free and sends her to live with a loyalist family at the start of the Revolutionary War, Isabel is heartbroken and determined to do whatever is necessary to win her freedom including becoming a spy.
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas. Once luxury was available only to old money and royalty. Today luxury is simply a product packaged and sold by multibillion global corporations focused on growth, visibility, brand awareness, advertising and profits. This fascinating book is a blend of history, culture and investigative journalism.
Other great titles to add to your reading “to do” list include:
Golden Legacy by Leonard S. Marcus … What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro … Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz … The Clarks of Cooperstown by Nicholas Fox Weber … Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter … Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital by Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft … The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century by Alex Ross … A Hatred for Tulips by Richard Lourie … UnSpun: Finding Facts in a World of [Disinformation] by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
Lisa B. Tuttle Memorial Library Hours
Monday – Thursday 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 1:00 pm
Online catalogue: http://northshirelibraries.com
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