The Mountain School Spring 2019 Student and Parent Handbook
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The Mountain School
Spring 2019
Student and Parent Handbook
Table of Contents
Contacting the Mountain School ……………………………………………………1-2
Welcome & Mission Statement………………………………………………………..3
Calendar………………………………………………………………………………..4
Arrival & Driving Directions……………….…………………………………….........4
Visitors………………………………………………………………………………....5
Transportation: Planes, Trains, Buses…………………………………………….……5
Places to Stay Nearby…………………………………………………………………6-7
Technology: email, phones, computers, mail ………………………………………….7
Dorm Life, Laundry ………………………………………………………………….8-9
What to Bring/Packing List ……………………………………………………….…9-10
What Not to Bring…………………………………………………………………….11
Chores ………………………………………………………………………………….11
Work Program ……………………………………………………………………..…...11
Major School Rules & Expectations……………………………………………………11
Academic Integrity…………………………………………………………………….12
Disciplinary Action & the Summit Committee………………………………………..13
Daily Schedule…………………………………………………………………………15
Weekends………………………………………………………………………………16
Religious Services & Holidays………………………………………………………...16
Solo Camping Trip & Outdoor Program…………………………………………........16
Health Care & Facilities……………………………………………………………… 17
Medications……………………………………………………………………………18
Advisors……………………………………………………………………………......18
Grades & Comments…………………………………………………………………...18
College Counseling…………………………………………………………………….19
SATs, ACTs, APs…………………………………………………………………..19-20
Harassment Policy……………..…………………………………………………........20
Money & Incidental Accounts………………………………………………………...21
Tuition Insurance………………………………………………………….…………..22
The Mountain School
151 Mountain School Rd.
Vershire, VT 05079-9655
www.mountainschool.org
info@mountainschool.org
Phone: (802) 685-4520
Fax: (802) 685-3317
0Faculty Contact Information
Alden Smith, Director, English, Derby House
alden.smith@mountainschool.org Kareen Obydol-Alexandre, Transportation
Coordinator, Health, French, Miles House
Alison Baker, Dining Manager, Chef kareen.obydolalexandre@mountainschool.org
alison.baker@mountainschool.org
Kathy Hooke, Math, Environmental Science
Annie Janeway, Director of Alumni Relations kathy.hooke@mountainschool.org
annie.janeway@mountainschool.org
Kit Halsey Leckerling, U.S. History, Forestry
Ben Tiefenthaler, Latin, Farm Manager, Underwood House
ben.tiefenthaler@mountainschool.org kit.leckerling@mountainschool.org
Beth Somerset, Alumni Coordinator Liana Horster, Farm Manager
beth.somerset@mountainschool.org liana.horster@mountainschool.org
Bruce Brough, Environmental Science, Outdoor Marisa Hebb, Mandarin Chinese, Farm
Program marisa.hebb@mountainschool.org
bruce.brough@mountainschool.org
Matt Severson, Chef
Chas Cook, Facilities matt.severson@mountainschool.org
chas.cook@mountainschool.org
Missy Smith, Art, Derby House
Comfort Halsey Leckerling, Director of Studies, missy.smith@mountainschool.org
Spanish, Underwood House
comfort.halsey@mountainschool.org Sarah Traphagen, English, Testing Coordinator,
Library, Tobold House
Doug Austin, Business Manager, Math sarah.traphagen@mountainschool.org
doug.austin@mountainschool.org
Pat Barnes, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental
Emily Arons, Chef Science, Outdoor Program
emily.arons@mountainschool.org pat.barnes@mountainschool.org
Emily Boren, Admissions Director, Rob Benson, Facilities Director
Outdoor Program rob.benson@mountainschool.org
emily.boren@mountainschool.org
Sam Kelman, Facilities, Farm
Emily Sartin, Graduate Resident sam.kelman@mountainschool.org
emily.sartin@mountainschool.org
Sue Kruse, Head Advisor, Director of Financial
Gwynne Durham, Assistant Farm Manager Aid, Math, Conard House
gwynne.durham@mountainschool.org sue.kruse@mountainschool.org
Jack Kruse, Work Program Director, Humanities, Trudy Amber-Dowlin, Office Manager,
English, Conard House Admissions
jack.kruse@mountainschool.org trudy.amber@mountainschool.org
1Office Telephone (802) 685-4520 with extensions
Academic Program x112
Admissions x126
Advising x117
Business Office x113
Director x111
Facilities x118
Farm x115
Financial Aid x117
Graduate Relations x114
Health x120
Kitchen x116
Main Office x110
Transportation x120
Dorm Telephones—area code (802)
Conard 685-4832
Derby 685-4800
Miles 685-3084
Tobold 685-4880
Underwood 685-4886
Don’t despair if you can’t get through on
the dorm phone. Email is a great way to
make a plan. Feel free to call the office
phone number to leave a message for your
child if that’s more convenient for you.
2Welcome to the Mountain School! For the next four months, you will learn to read the
forested landscape, study hard, feed and care for barn animals, lead school meetings, and
build strong friendships. This handbook is intended as a resource; in it you will find rules
and expectations, as well as important details you will need. Please become familiar with
it. Our guidelines have been thoughtfully developed with advice from students, teachers,
parents, and schools. We hope this handbook will help you in making the Mountain School
home. Do not hesitate to write or call if you have questions.
The Mountain School Mission
The Mountain School cultivates a diverse and interdependent community of scholars
who learn to know a place and take care of it. Through collaborative learning and
shared work, students emerge from their semester prepared to reach beyond the self
and focus on the common good.
3Calendar for Spring Semester 2019
Saturday, February 2 School opens. Orientation session for families at 2 pm. This
will include a chance to meet the faculty. Students should arrive
between 10:30 am and 2 pm.
March 14-April 1 Spring break. All students off campus. Vacation begins after
lunch on Thursday. Students return on Monday evening.
Saturday, June 1 Closing ceremony—10:30 am. There will be a meeting for
families at 9:45 am. Families and friends are invited for
lunch following the ceremony.
Arrival and Directions to the Mountain School
Students may arrive any time between 10:30 am and 2 pm on opening day and should
check in at the dining hall. There will be a buffet lunch available between noon and 1:30
pm. Please let transportation coordinator, Kareen Obydol-Alexandre, know as soon as
possible if you will be travelling unaccompanied and need help getting from the bus in
Hanover, NH or the airport in Lebanon, NH.
Driving directions: NYC: 6 hours, Boston: 3 hours, Burlington, VT: 1.5 hours
PLEASE DO NOT USE GOOGLE OR MAPQUEST DIRECTIONS. They can be
inaccurate. Please note: There is no cell phone reception in our area and GPS units can be
faulty once you leave the interstate.
From the South:
Take I-91 north to exit 14, Thetford. Turn left off exit 14 onto route 113. Take 113 for 14.2
miles to the town of Vershire. Less than a mile past the Vershire post office, you will see a
sign for the Mountain School. Turn left onto Vershire Center Road and follow it for .8 mile.
Turn left at the T. The Mountain School will be on the left another .8 mile up the road.
From the North:
• Take I-91 heading south. Take exit 14, Thetford.
Turn right onto route 113. See above.
• From I-89 south, head to Chelsea (you’ll need a
map). See below.
From the West: Take Route 113 east from Chelsea
and climb the 4-mile hill toward Vershire. At the top of
the hill, Ward’s Garage is on your right. Continue 1.7
more miles on Route 113, then turn right onto Brown
Road. Go straight at the stop sign, and the Mountain
School is on the left .8 mile after the stop sign.
4Visitors
Visitors are welcome to come any Saturday afternoon or Sunday as long as students have
cleared it ahead of time with dorm parents, dormmates, and the director.
Permission to Leave Campus
Students may leave campus from 12:30 pm Saturday to 5:30 pm Sunday (dinner), with
permission from parents and the director. If you have to miss some part of the regular
school program (including Friday night), you should have a conversation with the director,
and the director may need to have a conversation with your parents. If you are going to
leave campus with someone other than a parent, we need to have signed permission. We
also need signed permission if you are going somewhere other than home for a weekend.
Transportation
Vershire, VT is located in central/eastern Vermont, close to the NH border. We provide
transportation between the “Upper Valley” area (Lebanon, NH / Hanover, NH/ White
River Junction, VT) and the Mountain School. When you make your plans, please be sure
to allow for the 45-minute drive to buses and trains. Contact us as soon as you have your
travel information to arrange a pick-up or drop-off.
Vacation begins after lunch on the first day and ends on the evening of the last. If you are
travelling to and from New York or Boston, take the Dartmouth Coach leaving
Hanover at 2:30 or 2pm and returning at 6:20 or 6pm. We recommend buying tickets
as soon as possible, as the buses & trains often fill up. Once your arrangements are set,
please let Kareen know.
Buses: Boston/New York:
Dartmouth Coach to/from Hanover, NH 800-637-0123. www.dartmouthcoach.com.
Roundtrip service from Hanover to Boston (including Logan airport) is available every
two hours and twice daily from Hanover to New York City.
Trains:
Amtrak's "Vermonter" runs one service daily from New York to nearby White River
Junction, VT. For departure times, please contact: 1-800-USA-RAIL or www.amtrak.com.
Planes:
There are three airports in the vicinity: Lebanon, NH; Manchester, NH; and Burlington,
VT (please note: we do not provide transportation to Burlington, VT or to Manchester,
NH). For Boston’s Logan Airport, please refer to the “bus” section above.
• Lebanon, NH (45 minutes away) We provide transportation to/from Lebanon Airport.
• Manchester, NH (2 hours away) Flights out of Manchester should be scheduled to
depart after 4 pm (after 6pm on closing day) and arrive before 2 pm to allow for bus travel.
We provide transportation to/from the bus station in White River Junction, VT. Contact
Greyhound Bus Lines: 1-800-229-9424 or www.greyhound.com for more information.
Please review schedules before booking flights to make sure that one will match up.
5• Boston, MA (3 hours away) Dartmouth Coach provides excellent service from Logan
Airport to Hanover, NH eight times per day; see www.dartmouthcoach.com.
• Burlington, VT (1.5 hours away) The Mountain School does not provide
transportation to Burlington airport, and there are no buses that serve this route.
Places to Stay Nearby
Closest - Within 15 Minutes
The Stagecoach Stop, PO Box 112, Vershire, VT 05079. 802-333-3690
Inexpensive hostel-style accommodations. The hostel is run by VerShare, a community
organization.
The Devil’s Den B&B, 396 VT Route 110, Chelsea, VT 05038. Contact Rhoda and Bill
Ackerman, 802-685-4582.
Homey B&B located less than one mile from the center of Chelsea. Wireless internet
available.
Windswept Acres Homestay, 16 Windswept Ln, Chelsea, VT 05038. Contact David and
Sarah Gordon, 802-685-3842
Wireless internet available, beautiful views.
The Richardson Place Vacation Rental, Rt 113, Vershire, VT 05079. Contact Diane
Ward 802-685-2238.
House rental nearby; right off of Route 113.
Closer - 30-40 Minutes
Silver Maple Lodge, 520 US Route 5 South, Fairlee, VT 05045. 802-333-4326 or
800.666.1946
Set in a restored 18th-century farmhouse, this cozy B&B with exposed hand-hewn beams
and antique furnishings is on US Route 5 by Connecticut River.
Lyme Inn, 1 Market Street, Lyme, NH 03768. 603-795-4824
1800s inn offering classy rooms & suites with marble bathrooms, plus a farm-to-table
restaurant.
Breakfast on the Connecticut, 651 River Rd, Lyme, NH 03768. 603-353-4444
New England Bed & Breakfast near the Connecticut River.
Norwich Inn, 325 Main Street Norwich, VT 05055. 802-649-1143
Historic and cozy Vermont inn, just across the river from Dartmouth College.
6The Hanover Inn, Main Street, Hanover, NH 03755. 603-643-4300
Located right on the Dartmouth green in Hanover, NH, across the street from Dartmouth
College.
Six South Street Hotel, 6 South Street, Hanover, NH 03755. 603-643-0600
Located in downtown Hanover, NH close to shops and restaurants.
Close - 45 Minutes+
The White River Junction (Vermont) and Lebanon/West Lebanon (New Hampshire) area
has lots of places to stay and is convenient for people driving from Boston or New York
who want to stop about 45 minutes short of the school. Some possibilities are:
Fireside Inn 25 Airport Rd, West Lebanon, NH 03784 Phone: 603-298-5906
Marriott Courtyard 10 Morgan Drive, Lebanon, NH 03766 Phone: 603-643-5600
Marriott Residence Inn 32 Centerra Parkway, Lebanon, NH 03766 603-643-4511
Comfort Inn 56 Ralph Lehman Dr., White River Junction, VT Phone: 802-295-3051
Econo Lodge 91 Ballardvale Dr, White River Junction, VT 05001 Phone: 802-295-3015
Hampton Inn 104 Ballardvale Dr, White River Junction, VT 05001 Phone: 802-296-2800
Hotel Coolidge 39 South Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05001 Phone: 802-295-
3118
Technology
We strive to use technology as a way to advance the school’s values of simple living,
direct conversation, engagement with place, and communication with home.
Communication with home
There is no reliable cell service here! Each dorm has a phone for all residents to share.
Calls are free. Parents can leave messages at any school extension and may call any home
telephone number if the message is urgent (see pgs 1-2 for phone list). Students also have
internet access in the classroom building and can communicate with home via email.
You can send and receive mail using this address:
Your name, 151 Mountain School Road. Vershire, VT. 05079-9655
Please do not order catalogs or magazines to this address.
7Packages
FedEx and UPS come to the above address, though we discourage ordering candy and
other snacks. The food is excellent here, and excess packaged food can create clutter,
compromise the school’s food values, and create unfairness.
Internet
High-speed fiber internet is available in the academic buildings on central campus. By
recommendation of our alumni, there is no internet access in the dorms.
Computers
If you already own a laptop and a printer, bring them along with extra paper and ink
cartridges. If you don’t have a laptop, we have some to loan. Please let us know if you
think you will need to borrow one. We also have printers in the academic building. Bring a
flash drive to transport and backup your files.
Movies and Shows
We advise you to refrain from watching shows and movies on your computer. Minimizing
screen time will help you get to know—through conversation and creating your own fun—
the amazing people in your semester.
Handheld devices
The fall 2012 semester, along with advice from many alumni, created our existing policy,
starting with this statement: We, as a group of current students, do not believe there should
be any cell phone use here, but we respect that prohibiting cell phone use without student
input could compromise some of the core values of our school. We want to maintain a
trusting relationship between faculty and students, as well as preserve the voice of the
current students in this issue. Here is the policy:
During the opening weekend, dorm parents will ask their residents to hand in their phones
and other handheld devices. After one month without handheld devices, there will be a
series of conversations about technology among students and faculty, after which students
may choose to have their phones returned to them.
Bring a watch and alarm clock, since you won’t be able to use your phone at first. You
may also want to tell your friends that you won’t be able to respond to texts.
Dorm Life
You will be sharing a dorm with up to 11 other students. These dorms are rustic but
comfortable—water, heat, and electricity are precious resources. You and your dormmates
are entirely responsible for keeping the place clean and clutter-free. There is no custodial
staff here to clean up after you. Rooms are small so the more organized you keep your
belongings, the better. You do not need a ton of clothes here, but feel free to bring games,
art supplies, and musical instruments. Plastic bins (no taller than 10”) are good for storing
things under beds.
Every dorm is connected to a faculty home. Your dorm parents will help you move in, get
settled, generate dorm expectations, etc. Throughout the semester, they will check you in
8at night and can, of course, be called upon to help you at any time. Mostly, your dorm
parents are there to be supportive, to listen, and to have fun.
There are a few dorm rules that we set, but you and your dormmates can create the rest.
We ask you to be in the dorm by 9:30 pm during the week and 11 pm on Saturdays. We
ask you to turn lights off at 11 pm during the week and midnight on Saturdays. Visitors
from other dorms are welcome but please note the specified times posted in every dorm.
These times allow you to have a little privacy in the place we hope you consider home for
the next four months.
Laundry
There are four small laundry facilities available, ten machines shared by 45 students.
Washing machines and dryers are free. Since the water eventually ends up in our gardens,
we provide biodegradable laundry detergent for your use. It’s allergy-free and easy on our
soil and sewage systems. To save energy we encourage you to hang your laundry outside
on our student-made clotheslines.
Dining
Mountain School meals are participatory, with everyone lending a hand in cooking and
cleaning up afterward. Menus aim to acquaint students with a place-based diet and feature
simple, hearty dishes prepared from scratch. It is common for students to sit down to a
meal made with ingredients they had a hand in tending or harvesting. The kitchen can
accommodate most diets, including vegetarian and vegan, kosher, halal, as well as gluten,
dairy, nut, or peanut free. If you have questions about the dining program or the food
experience at school, please contact our dining manager (see p. 2).
What to Bring
Bring clothes and equipment for informal country living.
Keep in mind that you will want clothes for classes and
weekend activities—clothes that should be casual but also
respectable. For work around the farm, hiking, basketball,
etc., you should have clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. As
a general rule, don’t bring too much because dorm rooms are
small. We have some items to loan so there is no need for a
shopping spree.
Students spend approximately 18 hours each week outside in
all kinds of weather. The clothes you bring need to be sturdy,
comfortable, easy to layer, non-cotton, and okay to get very
dirty. The school maintains a supply of warm clothes (fleece
pants, hats, gloves, rain gear) for student use. Some good
resources for outdoor/warm weather clothing include
Campmor, LL Bean, and your local thrift shop.
9Packing List
Our goal is for you to buy as few things as possible expressly for your Mountain School
semester. We hope this will work to reduce end-of-semester waste and to help families
purchase only essential items.
o Several pairs of clothes for everyday use (e.g., rugged jeans that can get dirty
with room to layer long underwear underneath)
o 2 heavy non-cotton sweaters, fleece jackets, or light synthetic jackets
o 1 pair of leather or heavy-duty work gloves
o 1 pair of hiking/work boots
o 1 pair of warm winter/snow boots (insulated and waterproof)
o 1 pair of sneakers/running shoes
o 6 pairs of socks you like to wear, any fabric
o 4 pairs of wool socks
o 2 pairs (top and bottom) of non-cotton base layers—a.k.a. long underwear
(capilene/polypropylene or wool work great)
o 1 set of twin linens (it’s okay to bring two if you have them). If you’re buying
them new, extra long sheets work best.
o 1 mattress pad
o Blankets or a comforter, and a pillow
o 2 towels and several face cloths, if you use them
o 1 warm wool or fleece hat; 1 hat with a brim for sun protection
o 1-2 pairs warm gloves or mittens
o 1 bathing suit
o School supplies you normally use: notebooks, pens, pencils
o 1 watch (not the clock on your cell phone)
o Photo id for standardized tests & traveling
o An alarm clock (also not your cell phone – could be on your watch or separate)
o Toiletries
o 1 bookbag for academic use
Bring only if you own them already:
For school and the dorm:
o 1 laptop and charger labeled with your name and printer
o paper and ink cartridges
o 1 flash drive
o 1 desk lamp
o 1 calculator for math class
o 1 laundry bag or basket
o 1 mug to keep in the dorm
o 1 water bottle that you like
For the outdoors:
o 1 headlamp and batteries
o 1 pair of fleece pants for camping
o 1 pair of gaiters (to cover tops of boots)
o 1 set of waterproof raingear (jacket and pants)
o 1 warm winter parka
10o 1 pair of high rubber boots
o 1 scarf/neck warmer (to cover your cheeks and nose)
Optional Equipment:
o Recreational equipment: lacrosse stick, fishing pole, cribbage board, speakers,
camera, musical instruments, etc.
o Fun costumes/clothes and/or a fancy outfit (for weekend activities)
o A power strip
o Wall decorations/posters (must be put up with tacks, no tape please)
o Plastic bins (no higher than 10”) to store things under your bed
o Slippers for your dorm
What not to bring
For safety reasons, students are not permitted to have cars on campus, and we ask you not
to bring hot pots, electric blankets, halogen lamps, or a television. You also won’t need to
bring snowshoes, cross-country skis, a large backpack for camping, or sleeping bag, as we
provide those to all students.
Chores
Every student has a morning chore. Since chores rotate bi-weekly, you might be caring for
the pigs one week and washing blackboards the next. Between 7:45 am and 8 am daily,
everyone is busy doing his or her part to keep the school and farm running smoothly and
looking clean and beautiful. With every student working, the entire campus gets cleaned
and the animals get fed in about fifteen minutes.
Work Program
Rather than relying on custodial or support staff, students and faculty work together to
meet the labor requirements of the farm, clean and heat the campus, help with meal
preparation, and tackle the dozens of other jobs that sustain the school. The work period is
similar in time to a sports period and runs from 1:30 to 3:50 every afternoon except on
Wednesdays and Saturdays when we do work in the morning instead. Depending on the
particular needs of the day, you may find yourself collecting sap in the sugarbush, planting
vegetables, splitting wood, moving hay, helping with an office project, or otherwise
maintaining the buildings and property. Work is assigned so that you try as many new jobs
as possible and work with a different group of people each day.
Major School Rules and Expectations
Because we have great respect for the honesty, good judgment, and goodwill of the
students who choose to attend the Mountain School, we expect that they will be our
partners in creating an atmosphere of trust and consideration for others. As teachers, we
would like to move beyond the supervisory role. However, there are four major school
guidelines that everyone must meet in order to build and preserve the trust we need to
make this happen. For failing to meet any one of the following expectations, a student may
be asked to leave the Mountain School.
• Be honest. Stealing, plagiarism and other forms of academic deceit are serious breaches
of this standard. We expect complete integrity.
11• Respect others and their property. Harassment and/or the willful destruction of others’
belongings—including school property—are major offenses.
• Let us know where you are. Students must keep the school accurately informed of their
general whereabouts at all times when under the school’s jurisdiction. This is an important
matter of safety.
• Have clean fun. We prohibit the use or possession of illegal drugs or alcohol. Students
in the presence of a drug/alcohol violation may be viewed as participants in that violation.
Not every school guideline is covered in the four major rules. For example, we also expect
incoming students to stop smoking or using nicotine before they arrive.
Students will learn about our other guidelines—how to visit another dorm, for instance—
once they arrive.
Statement on Academic Integrity at the Mountain School
The Mountain School expects complete integrity in all academic matters. Plagiarism,
cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious breaches of this standard,
and can result in dismissal from the school. In order to maintain our academic integrity,
it is expected that all students will:
• Appropriately acknowledge any and all use of outside assistance in the
preparation of academic work. Outside assistance includes (but is not limited
to):
o All sources used in preparation of homework, papers, speeches, and
presentations.
o Any collaboration (including proofreading and/or editing) from other
students, friends, teachers, family members and/or internet sources and
services.
• Submit their own original work for each assignment, obtaining permission
from their teacher before using similar or identical work in more than one class
(this includes work completed at another school or program).
• Ask faculty members for assistance whenever an uncertainty arises.
12Disciplinary Action and the Summit Committee
When an infraction of Mountain School guidelines occurs—either one of the four major
school rules or an important guideline such as dorm visitation hours—the faculty/staff
member who has observed the incident talks to the director, who decides whether or not
the action warrants a summit meeting. The director may consult with other faculty
members to determine whether the summit committee is the appropriate group to handle
the incident. If the infraction is a flagrant violation of a major school rule, the director calls
the faculty together as soon as possible and informs them of the situation. The director
assumes ultimate responsibility for all disciplinary action.
The summit committee is made up of four people—two faculty members chosen at
random from available members for a term of two semesters; and two students, chosen at
random from a pool of all interested students. Eligible teachers are all full-time faculty
who live on or near campus, who have been at the Mountain School for at least one
semester, and who have not served within the past year. Part-time faculty are also eligible,
though not required, to serve. In case summit members need to recuse themselves from a
case, we select two faculty alternates and two student alternates.
The teacher in his or her second semester is the leader of the summit committee. When an
infraction is to be decided by the summit committee, the leader assembles the person who
observed the incident, the student(s) involved, the advisor(s), and the other members of
summit. The summit group listens, gathers information, and then discusses and
recommends a consequence to the director.
When the summit committee has come to a conclusion, a member of the group presents
that recommendation to the director, who approves it, sends it back to the summit for
reconsideration, or overturns it. The director communicates the decision to the student and
the student’s parents are contacted. The sending school is definitely notified if the
consequence is suspension or expulsion.
There are no automatic consequences; the summit committee recommends whatever
consequence fits the particular rule violation. The most serious consequence is dismissal.
Other consequences for serious rule violations may involve a suspension, either on or off
campus, for as short as one day or for as long as the remainder of the semester. Lesser
infractions that do not relate to our four major school rules, such as entering a dormitory
outside of visiting hours, sometimes result in a loss of privileges.
The director, in consultation with other faculty, may decide that summit is not the
appropriate forum for dealing with an infraction if the situation involves one of the
following: complex psychological issues, a case involving sexual misconduct, a minor
infraction in the final days of the semester, or issues with potential legal repercussions.
One important goal is to preserve the dignity and self-esteem of any student appearing
before summit.
13The Mountain School’s Six Core Skills
• Knowing a place
o Examining a place from different perspectives
o Understanding the interplay of human and natural history
o Knowing what questions to ask when encountering a new place
• Effective communication
o Producing clear writing with a voice
o Giving a prepared speech with eye contact
o Using precise imagery and examples
• Flexible thinking
o Using emotional intelligence and empathy
o Being open to change based on additional information
o Considering alternative points of view and accepting uncertainty
• Craftsmanship
o Sticking to a task until it is complete
o Striving for creativity and innovation
o Working to master course material
• Collaboration
o Listening and honoring others’ ideas
o Working as a constructive part of a group
o Inviting comment
• Reflection
o Identifying what you know and don’t know
o Describing the effects of your actions on others and the environment
o Understanding strategies used after solving a problem
14Sample Daily Schedule—-Monday to Friday
(On Wednesdays, mornings and afternoons are reversed)
7:45 Morning chores—Collect spinach in the greenhouses for the lunch salad.
8:00 Breakfast.
8:25 Morning meeting—announcements, news.
8:45 French—Oral presentation on immigration policies.
9:40 Free period. Advisor meeting with Sue. Work on English paper.
10:30 Snack in dining hall.
10:40 Humanities.
11:35 Free period—Play basketball and work on Environmental Science reading.
12:30 Lunch and dish crew.
1:30 Work period—Split firewood near the chicken house.
4:10 English—hand in paper on Raymond Carver’s stories. Discuss T.S. Eliot’s “The
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
5:05 Precal/Calc—Hand in homework and review in small groups for test.
6:15 Dinner and time to relax with friends.
7:30 Quiet hours for study. Work on Humanities and E. Sci. readings.
9:30 Check-in at dorm.
10:00 Finish English journal and get ready for sleep.
11:00 Bedtime
15Saturday
8:00 Breakfast Sunday
11:30 Brunch
8:25 Morning meeting 5:30 Supper
9:00 Work and activities 7:30 Quiet study
12:30 Lunch 9:30 Check in
6:15 Supper
11:00 Check in
Weekends
Weekends are short. The weekly school program runs through lunch on Saturday. We
offer various activities including hiking, swimming, cross-country skiing, and trips to
town, depending on weather and student interest. You will work with faculty to plan
homegrown, low-tech adventures for Saturday nights. On Sundays, you may sleep late, go
to church, or help prepare a lavish brunch for the whole school.
Religious Services and Holidays
As a religious holiday approaches, we gather interested students and ask them how they’d
like to honor that day. Then we help to make their plan happen for them, whether they
want to attend services, host a service, or teach other students about the holiday. Students
are welcome to miss classes to observe a religious holiday, and teachers will help them
stay on track.
We also strive to support students who wish to practice weekly religious traditions. We
can provide transportation to services in the area and help students practice on campus.
Solo Camping Trip and the Outdoor Program
Every student has the opportunity to participate in a three-day solo camping trip. Unlike
other solo experiences you may have heard about, this is not a survival test. After
receiving much training, you will be given the option to participate.
During the solo, faculty members are positioned at base camps near the solo sites. We
check on you twice a day through a flag system, and you will have a whistle to use if an
emergency arises. All students have ample food and water and are equipped with warm
sleeping bags and all the gear and training they need to make a shelter for themselves.
The focus of solo is not to test your endurance, but rather to provide you with the
opportunity to be alone—allowing you to use your observation skills and to connect to a
natural space with minimal human intervention. Solo also allows time for uninterrupted
reflection. You may want to bring your English journal. In the past, many have come away
with their most inspired writing.
We have designed a solo camping experience that allows even those who have never
previously slept outdoors to thrive. The outdoor program is devoted to building the skills
and confidence necessary for safe and enjoyable travel in the woods. You will go on one
extended hike each week in which you will learn about and practice those skills:
16navigating with a map and compass, staying warm and dry, building shelters, etc. You will
experience a night hike to develop a sense of comfort of being in the woods at night. An
overnight group camping experience will give everyone a chance to sleep outside and test
some of their new skills (this will be the very first camping experience for some and
familiar for others).
Health Care and Facilities
The South Royalton Health Clinic (802-763-7575, 30 minutes away), CVS Minute Clinic
(West Lebanon, NH, 866-389-2727, 40 minutes away) and Chelsea Health Center (802-
685-4400, 15 minutes away) handle all routine medical care. Psychological counseling is
also available on an as-needed basis. For emergencies, we turn to the Dartmouth-
Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH (603-650-5000) or Gifford Medical Center in
Randolph, VT (802-728-4441)—both about forty minutes away. Vershire has a trained,
volunteer rescue squad, including some Mountain School faculty members.
All students must have a physical exam within one year of attending the school and all
medical/insurance forms must be returned to the school by September 30th. A parent or
guardian’s signature on the Permission to Treat section gives the school permission to act
on behalf of the parent when a student requires emergency treatment. Parents or guardians
must complete this Emergency Form in order for students to receive medical treatment and
attend classes. In addition, students must have the Health History Form completed by their
doctor.
For most medical needs, the school provides transportation. However, if you should need
regular transportation to a treatment facility in the area, we may not be able to provide
transportation by one of the school staff. There are a number of taxi services in the area;
costs for taxi trips, and also the costs for special transportation provided by the Mountain
School, will be billed to the student’s incidental account.
For ongoing treatments, immunizations, and special medicine orders, arrangements should
be made with the school and medical facilities in the area ahead of the student’s
attendance. Please let us know how we can help.
All students are required to have health insurance through a U.S.-based insurance
company and must submit a copy of their health insurance card with their
health/emergency forms. If you do not have insurance coverage for your child, the
Mountain School offers a student medical policy. Please contact the business office
(802-685-4520, x113), if you would like to enroll in the school’s policy.
The best way to stay healthy at the Mountain School is to get plenty of sleep, eat well-
balanced meals, drink lots of water, wash your hands often, laugh with your friends, and
stay in touch with your family.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Health Liaison, (see pg 2).
17Medications
If you are taking any prescription medications on a regular basis, our health liaison will
ask to see them when you arrive, and in most cases, will administer the medication to you
as prescribed. If you need a refill during the semester, please have it filled at Kinney Drug
in Bradford, VT or sent directly to Kareen Obydol-Alexandre. It is important for us to
keep track and have a clear understanding of your health while you are here. We have
ibuprofen, decongestants, and other over-the-counter medications that we can administer if
needed. The semester is very busy and physically demanding. If you are not feeling well,
please tell the health liaison immediately and we will care for you.
Advisors
For the next four months, you will live, work, and play side by side with faculty. Our
experience is that students form secure and supportive connections with many of the adults
here. You will also be assigned an advisor, a faculty member who meets with you one-on-
one for at least thirty minutes each week. Your advisor will want to know how you are
doing and can help you with time management and addressing conflicts or challenges. The
advisor also serves as a contact person for your parents and your sending school. Your
parents can call your advisor at home anytime if they have any questions or concerns.
Grades and Comments
Twice a semester (March & end of term), each student receives grades and comments from
individual teachers and a letter from the advisor. Copies of these documents are sent to the
students’ homes and to sending schools. The schools will also receive an official transcript
at the end of the term. All students will receive Physical Education credit for their
approximately five hours per week of outdoor activity including hiking, orienteering,
camping skills, farm work, and seasonal sports.
AP/Honors Courses
All courses are inherently challenging at the Mountain School. The difference in the
following two categories of courses has to do with content and overall preparedness for
the AP exams, not with rigor. These courses are considered AP: U.S. History,
Calculus AB, Calculus BC, and Advanced Spanish, French, and Latin. Students are
NOT required to take the AP tests. These courses are considered Honors: English,
Environmental Science, Physics, Precalculus, Algebra II, Studio Art, Humanities,
Intermediate Spanish, French, and Latin, and both Mandarin Chinese classes.
AP tests
APs are administered at the Mountain School in May. Some students do not take any AP
tests; others take up to three. Please check with your counselor and/or classroom teachers
for testing advice. You can also talk with your teachers here when you arrive. Registration
will take place at the Mountain School in March.
18College Counseling
Spring of junior year is an important time for college counseling. Students will have an
individual conversation with a visiting college counselor from Milton or one of our other
sending schools. For students who have just begun the college counseling process, this
meeting serves as a question-and-answer session that culminates in a preliminary list of
college choices. To prepare for this meeting, parents and students will be asked to respond
to a college counseling questionnaire. Students who are able to take the PSAT, SAT, or
ACT tests prior to coming to the Mountain School should have scores available for visiting
counselors to take into consideration. Please be sure to consult with your home school
counselor and double check to make sure you are registered for all the tests your counselor
considers important before coming.
SAT and ACT testing
Rod Skinner, Head of College Counseling at Milton Academy, recommends the following
testing sequence: one SAT and/or ACT in the spring of junior year; one to three SAT
Subject Tests (the number will depend on the student's individual academic record and
level of preparedness) in the spring of junior year; and then one SAT and/or ACT in the
fall of senior year, followed by a round of SAT subject tests as needed.
The ACT is an excellent alternative to the SAT and/or SAT subject tests. Some students
find its achievement-based focus a more comfortable fit. (In particular, students who find
that the Critical Reading section of the PSAT or SAT does not match their ability and
performance in English should strongly consider the ACT.) Most schools will accept the
ACT as replacement for either the SAT, the SAT subject tests, or both.
Please remember that you are responsible for registering for all tests, except APs, before
you arrive at the Mountain School.
At print time, test dates are not confirmed, but we anticipate this will be a good
schedule to follow:
SAT and SAT Subject Tests
Take the SAT on December 1 before you come to the Mountain School.
Take the SAT on March 9 and/or the SAT or SAT subject tests on May 4.
(Note that the June SAT date conflicts with our closing day.)
ACT
Take the ACT on December 8 or June 8 at a test center near your home.
Take the ACT on April 13 while you’re at the Mountain School.
We will provide transportation to nearby testing. Testing coordinator, Sarah Traphagen,
will be in touch with details as testing centers are confirmed.
How to register:
Students should register for SAT &/or ACT tests before coming to the Mountain School.
You can do so online at www.collegeboard.com (SAT) or www.actstudent.org (ACT).
19Please use the information listed below when registering to test while you’re at the
Mountain School:
• Use your own school’s code for the “high school code” for all tests. This is the
code for the school to which test scores will be sent.
• Use your home address as the street address.
• Use local school’s code for testing center. Details to follow as test centers are
confirmed.
• If you are registering for any tests in January or June, remember to use the
appropriate test center code for your area.
Standardized Testing Prep
Based on the advice given to us by our graduates and several college counselors, we do not
offer SAT or ACT prep courses or tutorials. Students often get together on Saturday and
Sunday afternoons to study for SAT and ACT tests. Graduates tell us that the time-
consuming nature of a formal test prep program can have a difficult impact on their
Mountain School experience. They also say that they enjoyed the productivity and the
relaxed atmosphere of the weekend afternoon test prep gatherings.
Some students will score well enough in the spring to be done with SAT testing, but most
will not. Our advisors at Milton say that the best time to take a test prep course often falls
during the summer before senior fall. At that time, students will have a set of scores in
hand and will have a clearer sense of what areas of testing need improvement. This plan
fits best with the developmental and academic readiness of the students and optimizes their
Mountain School experience.
Extended Time or Untimed Tests
If you qualify for extended-time or other learning accommodations at your home school,
please contact our director of studies as soon as possible. The more information we have,
the better our teachers can serve you. Please provide the Mountain School with any
relevant paperwork and your College Board SSD number, if applicable.
Harassment Policy
The Mountain School is committed to providing a safe and supportive school environment
in which all students are treated with respect.
The school respects and promotes the rights of students and others to speak freely and to
express their ideas, including ideas that may offend the sensibilities of others. However,
we do not condone and will take action in response to behavior that interferes with the
learning or dignity of others.
“Harassment” means an incident or incidents of verbal, written, visual or physical conduct
based on or motivated by a student’s or a student’s family member’s actual or perceived
race, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or
disability that has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with a student’s
wellbeing or creating an objectively intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment.
20Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and
other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature by an employee, another
student, or third party. The harassing behavior is sufficiently severe, persistent, or
pervasive so as to create a hostile or abusive educational setting, or so as to limit the
student's ability to participate or benefit from education at the Mountain School.
Sexual harassment also includes the harassing conduct mentioned above when one or both
of the following occur:
• Submission to that conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or
condition of a student's education.
• Submission to or rejection of such conduct by a student is used as a component
of the basis for decisions affecting that student.
Racial harassment means conduct directed at the characteristics of a student’s or a
student’s family member’s actual or perceived race or color, and includes the use of
epithets, stereotypes, racial slurs, comments, insults, derogatory remarks, gestures, threats,
graffiti, display, or circulation of written or visual material, and taunts on manner of
speech and negative references to racial customs.
Reporting Harassment
• If you believe you have been harassed or witness conduct that you believe may
constitute harassment, report the conduct to any adult.
• A complaint or report may be made orally or in writing. The head advisor or
other adult will promptly record in writing the time, place, and nature of the
conduct, and the identity of the participants and the complainant. This report will
be maintained in a confidential file accessible only to authorized persons.
• Any other person (including faculty) who witnesses conduct believed to
constitute harassment will take prompt and appropriate action to stop the
conduct and immediately report the conduct to the head advisor or to the
director.
• If the head advisor or the director is the person alleged to be engaged in the
conduct witnessed or complained of, a report will be filed with the director of
studies.
• All levels of investigation of the initial report will be completed within 30 days.
• When it is determined that a faculty or staff member has engaged in harassment
against a student, the director will use his discretion to initiate disciplinary
and/or corrective action in accord with school policy, state and federal law.
Money & Your Incidental Account
The $500 enrollment deposit funds your “incidental account.” You will use this account to
charge textbooks, other program and personal expenses, and cash withdrawals. We don’t
recommend that you bring a lot of cash; you won’t need it.
21Tuition Insurance
The enrollment contract obligates parents to pay the semester tuition even in the event of
withdrawal, dismissal or absence from the School. Milton Academy offers an optional
Tuition Refund Insurance Plan. If your parent/guardian is interested in information about
this plan, please contact Doug Austin (see page 2). In the unlikely event that the Mountain
School hires a collection agency to obtain unpaid tuition, the parent/guardian will be
responsible for any associated fees.
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