After 28 years at Rock Point School, our beloved guidance counselor Emily Skoler is retiring from Rock Point School! Her next step is helping her father with family business as he enters his 90’s. During her time at Rock Point School, Emily served as a reading and writing tutor, then academic coordinator, and finally a guidance/ college counselor. In all of these roles, Emily’s empathy, attention to detail, intelligence, and genuine appreciation for the students have been enormous assets for the school.
Emily’s work has created a robust post-high-school planning and college counseling program at RPS. With her leadership, “Senior Seminar” was born! This seminar is a time each week for seniors to dedicate to post-high school planning, college applications, resume writing, and more. Seniors cherished these hours working with Emily and appreciated having the time set aside to focus on the future. As we hire our next guidance counselor, we are grateful for all the work Emily has put into creating a structured post-high-school planning program at RPS. We also appreciate the help she is giving us as we transition with a new counselor.
Here are some words from Emily Skoler as she starts a new chapter:
I have loved working at Rock Point School. When I thought about growing up and working, first, I never had any idea what I would do––even when I was doing other work––and then, I never imagined that I could love my job so much and have such an incredible community with whom to work: students, families, and colleagues. The most painful part of this transition for me is thinking about not working with the specific students whom I know from this year.
My favorite thing, and what I will miss the most, is the work with students, parents, and colleagues. That has always been the heart of being at Rock Point School. It is a privilege to do real work together, and I cherish the connections that develop while doing that work.
I definitely plan to stay connected with the school! I plan to be a friend, supporter, donor, and a regular at many school events.
Emily has been an integral part of the school community in so many ways, from her incredible work on our last three self-studies for NEASC accreditation to her enthusiastic participation in RPS traditions like the Valentine Poem and the Hydration Station at Prom. Emily’s regular presence at staff meetings and in the classroom will be missed, but we look forward to seeing her in her new role as a “friend of the school.”
If you would like to stay in touch with Emily, you can still contact her through her RPS email for the next few months. After September, you can contact the school to get a message to Emily. You can always write to her the old-fashioned way––on paper, sent in an envelope, with a stamp. If you include your address, there's an excellent chance she'll write back! You can write to her c/o Rock Point School, 1 Rock Point Road, Burlington, VT 05408, or at her home address if you have that.
If you are an alum and you require your transcript, please contact our Office and Systems Manager, Mary Hamilton, at mhamilton@rockpoint.org.