news-and-events-at-rock-point-school_4

News & Events

at Rock Point School

Abbey Baker

Abbey started teaching English at Rock Point in 2014, and before that spent eight years working as a writing tutor. She has enjoyed bringing together her love of creative writing, literature, and working with young people. Some highlights of her job at Rock Point have included developing the Visiting Writer Series, running the school's Gender & Sexual Alliance, working with the Vermont Young Playwrights' program, and launching a zine-making elective for students to publish and showcase their creative work. As the Academic Coordinator, Abbey works with students on their Personal Learning Plans, helps them figure out life after high school, and works with teachers to support each student. Outside of school, she loves spending time with family, exploring Burlington, and trying to keep up with her students' pop culture recommendations.

Recent Posts

Rock Point School Cabaret Night April 20th

on April 17, 2023 By Abbey Baker | performance
April 20, 2023 ~ 5:30 p.m.
Read - Rock Point School Cabaret Night April 20th

Seniors Study Banned Books

on March 16, 2023 By Abbey Baker | Open & Inclusive academics
This year’s senior English class recently embarked on a project to investigate book banning – why and how are books banned, and what are the cultural implications of banning books? As a group, they read several articles about banned books, including Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools, and discussed their opinions on what it means to have materials censored in a school or community. They discussed both the historical context of books that have been banned in the past, as well as current examples of books that are banned or censored.
Read - Seniors Study Banned Books

Celebrating the Legacy of MLK

on January 25, 2023 By Abbey Baker | Open & Inclusive college community
At Rock Point, we believe in taking a ‘day on’ instead of a ‘day off’ to honor a historical hero with as important a legacy as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, on Martin Luther King Day, students were invited to St. Michael’s College to participate in a full day of events celebrating the legacy of Dr. King. The entire student body loaded up our vans and headed to the SMC campus, where we were greeted by an admissions counselor. We heard about the college, took a tour of the campus, then joined in with their MLK Day celebration.
Read - Celebrating the Legacy of MLK

Playwriting 2021

on December 1, 2021 By Abbey Baker | academics
Nine RPS students elected to take part in the Vermont Young Playwrights' workshop on Tuesday, November 16. Among them were students with lots of experience writing plays, students who have been involved in theatre but never tried their hand at writing their own play, and students who are trying out drama for the first time. With the guidance of professional playwright Jordan Gullikson, they spent the day playing improv games, learning the basic tenets of writing plays, and then beginning their own plays.
Read - Playwriting 2021

Gender & Sexuality Alliance Conference Nov. 17th

on November 18, 2021 By Abbey Baker | Open & Inclusive
Rock Point School's Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) provides a space for students to discuss identity, belonging, community, activism, and more. Every week, we gather and hold a student-facilitated meeting that focuses on any relevant topics students want to discuss and address. We make crafts, eat snacks, and generally support each other in finding our ways with regard to gender, sexuality, and more.
Read - Gender & Sexuality Alliance Conference Nov. 17th

Inventor Day 2021

on May 17, 2021 By Abbey Baker | Motivation
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Read - Inventor Day 2021

Research Projects: Pandemics and Virology

on February 19, 2021 By Abbey Baker | high school academics
This winter, our English and Science teachers teamed up to guide students through a research and writing unit about the nature of viruses and pandemics. Our students have learned so much first-hand this year about pandemics; we decided to present them with the scientific and historical context and have it culminate in a project of their own creation. In Science classes, students learned the basic science behind how viruses work and some information about historical viruses that have caused pandemics. We studied several types of writing and communication in English class, including narratives, infographics, and persuasive writing. Students then chose a specific topic within virology and pandemics, and dove into a research project.
Read - Research Projects: Pandemics and Virology

Anti-Racism Programming at Rock Point School

on February 17, 2021 By Abbey Baker | Open & Inclusive community
This fall, staff members participated in the Point Made Learning program called “Look Deeper: Race” as part of our professional development. Over the course of the six-week training, teachers and residential educators met weekly to discuss our responses to the film and to try to build a common understanding of racism, anti-racism work, and how we can incorporate the learning and ideas into our work with students. We were excited to bring students into this program this winter.
Read - Anti-Racism Programming at Rock Point School

Goodbye, Summer Session!

on August 25, 2020 By Abbey Baker | summer
Our first ever Remote Summer Session ended on August 13th. We are happy to say that even in the virtual world we were able to have fun, laugh a lot, play games, make connections, and even get some credit-earning academic work done.
Read - Goodbye, Summer Session!

FAQ about Distance Learning at RPS

on April 10, 2020 By Abbey Baker | transitions academics COVID-19
We are all new to Distance Learning and there has been a certain amount of trial and error to the process. We wanted to share these answers to Frequently Asked Questions about how we are teaching our students remotely in hopes that it will help people invision what is now becoming the norm across the country for this school year.
Read - FAQ about Distance Learning at RPS