News & Events

The 8th Annual Maple bRUNch is on April 6th! Come taste the maple syrup we make here at Rock Point and drizzle it on everything from pancakes to bacon to yogurt. If you'd like to work up your appetite before brunch, we will have a fun 5k race through our beautiful lakeside property. Don't worry, you don't have to run the race to get brunch! 

Tours of our sugaring operation and sugar house will be available throughout the morning. See the schedule of events below. We hope you can join us! 

8:00 am - Registration for the Race

The 5K race will go through our sugarbush and property. The entry fee for the race is $10/person INCLUDING BRUNCH. PRIZES for best time in each category (Male, Female, and under 12).

9:00 am - Race begins

9:00 am-11:00 am - Brunch

Enjoy a delicious maple themed brunch including pancakes, waffles, bacon, homemade maple granola, baked goods and more! Brunch is $10 for an adult and $5 for children under 12 years old. FREE FOR RUNNERS!

All proceeds from the event go to our maple sugaring program, which includes giving tours to other schools in our community.

Click the button below to register for the run!

Twenty years ago former Head of School, John Rouleau, started a tradition of writing a Valentine poem for the school with a rhyming couplet for each student. After John's retirement, C.J. has continued the tradition with help from Emily Skoler (guidance counselor) and Abbey Baker (English teacher). On Valentine's Day, they perform the poem wearing appropriately silly Valentine garb. This year's poem included rhymes about chess, coding, and baking! Read introductory lines below, or click here for the full poem.

Happy Valentine's Day, Rock Point School!

It’s that time again when we gather near

To express affection for those we hold dear

We pound our hearts; we swear our troth

We serve up lattes full of red, foamy froth

It’s a day when old foes set aside all previous animus

And behave with actions completely magnanimous

Those who love PCs and those who love Macs

Join forces in love to work on their hacks

Even the great rivals Moriarty and Holmes

Can be spotted in yoga class chanting synchronous Oms

So it’s time at Rock Point School to put another cheesy poem in motion

That we may recite to you our Valentine’s day devotion

What: Four 10-minute plays

• "823" by Val (grade 10) - A father and daughter struggle to find a way to get closure during a family tragedy.
• "Alice in Cafe Poirot" by Yukiko (grade 9) - Alice wants to tell William that she loves him, but keeps getting interrupted by a series of mishaps in a busy cafe.
• "Airport" by Jeff (grade 10) - A bumbling duo attempt to board a plane for their mother's wedding, but are held up by the head of TSA, who has a personal bone to pick with them.
• "Brett is the Best" by Jesse (grade 12) - A lawyer has a backwards idea to get his client out of a jam, involving inventing, and then getting him out of, a juicy scandal. 

Join us for a fun night of original entertainment! 

*Photo from the 2018 School Play

Photo of James Graham in his offices at Community Phone by ARAM BOGHOSIAN for the Boston Globe

James Graham (class of 2014) is the founder and CEO of Community Phone, a small cell carrier based in Boston. Founded on the idea that telecommunications should be about personal connection, the company creates affordable cellphone plans with unlimited, personalized customer support. With support available by phone or in person at the two hubs in Boston and Milwaukee, customers feel comfortable coming in to get help with everything from understanding their bill to learning how to use their smart phones. James and his company were recently featured in the Boston Globe.

James and his co-founder, John LeGue (a childhood friend) wanted to create a telecommunications company that puts its customer first and helps create a positive community of users, something that is revolutionary in a business that often leads customers to feel at best confused and at worst cheated. Community Phone doesn't sell users' data to advertisers; they have a money back guarantee; and they partner with organizations in their community. As James says, “People have to feel this is fully for them. I don’t know a way to do that, other than it actually is.” 

For those of us who were lucky enough to know James at Rock Point School, it is no surprise that his company is on the cutting edge of the business, while still valuing the human connection that is at the heart of communication. In his time at RPS, James formed strong relationships with staff and students, ran in the Burlington City Marathon, played piano, worked as a technology consultant for Sugar Snap Catering, and created cellphone apps in his dorm room. He was an integral part of the community in and out of the classroom. We can't wait to see where James and Community Phone go next.                                                                                        

As part of our ongoing visiting writer series at Rock Point School, we invited Rachel Lindsay, local artist, writer, and cartoonist, to share her expertise with our students. Lindsay is the author of RX: A Graphic Memoir about her experience working in the pharmaceutical industry and coping with mental illness. She also writes a weekly comic strip called Rachel Lives Here Now in Seven Days and was named an "Artist to Watch" by the Comic Report!

Lindsay was a great presenter and had all the students buzzing with ideas by the end of the day. During the workshop, students were introduced to different elements of cartooning, creating characters, and how to develop a strip. They were given "panel prompts" and had time to experiment with different styles and ideas. In the second half of the day, Lindsay shared her personal journey from working in marketing to becoming a graphic artist on her own terms. We are so grateful to Rachel Lindsay for inspiring our students and sharing her time with us.

Head of School C.J. Spirito was interviewed by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce President Tom Torti on Channel 17 public access TV to discuss the impact of Rock Point School in our Burlington community and the academic options for youth who “walk to the beat of a different drummer". Or, as C.J. states, are "kind of underdogs”.

Tom Torti referred to the School as "an asset to our community" and highlighted the beautiful Rock Point lakeside campus in his introduction. C.J. shared the culture, and education program of Rock Point School and the types of students who thrive there. He also discusses some of the history and impact of Rock Point School within the community, from when it was first opened as an all-girls school in 1928, to today, a unique boarding school where all young people can find a place where they are valued, understood and belong. 

Enjoy these two short excerpts from the interview below!

You can watch the full 30-minute interview here on Channel 17's website.

C.J. speaks to Tom Torti about the students who enroll at Rock Point School

C.J. touches on why the teachers and staff are drawn to Rock Point School

On October 26th, Rock Point School was honored to accept the Samara - Anderson Walk Award from COTS, Committee on Temporary Shelter serving Vermont.  This honor is given each year to COTS Walk participants who have gone above and beyond in support of people – including children – who are homeless or facing the crisis of homelessness.

Our students completed community service projects throughout the year to benefit COTS, including an MLK Jr. Service Day activity that included creating kits for COTS guests based on their wish list, as well as organizing the Ooky Spooky 5k, and participating in the COTS Walk. 

Students and staff attended the COTS Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and heard inspiring talks from COTS Executive Director, Rita Markley, and Burlington Mayor, Miro Weinberger. Both spoke about the economy, housing crisis, and opioid epidemic affecting the lives of Vermonters as well as people around the country, and what COTS and the state of Vermont are doing to prevent more people from becoming homeless.

Our students are passionate about helping others and we are so proud to partner with COTS, as they do such outstanding work in our community.

For the second year, students participated in a day of poetry called "Share Your Heart, Share the World" with the Sundog Poetry Center. This year, the event featured Vermont Poet Laureate, Chard deNiord. Currently, deNiord is a professor at Providence College and lives in Westminster, VT. He is the recipient of the Pushcart Prize (1998) and was included in Best American Poetry (1999).

Our students attended workshops and readings with other high school students and professional poets from around the state. We were particularly happy to see poets LN Bethea, Rajnii Eddins, and Lizzy Fox who participated in our visiting poet series last year.

Thanks to Sundog Poetry Center for hosting this inspiring event!

It's that time again! The Ooky Spooky race will be on Saturday, October 20th! Come to Rock Point School at 9 am (registration begins at 8am) for a spooktacular run!

Each year, we host this fun, costumed, 5k race to benefit COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter) Families and children of all ages are welcome! There is also a "fun walk," for people interested in exploring the Rock Point property and watching the race. As usual, prizes will be given for best costumes, as well as those with the best time in each category. The course is an all-terrain adventure on trails, the bike path, and the beach. 

We encourage interested runners to register early. Payment and release forms will be collected the morning of the race. If you have any questions, please call the school at (802) 863-1104 or email C.J. at (cspirito@rockpoint.org). For more information and to register, click the link below.

Our new staff have just completed their first couple weeks of inservice and are ready to meet new students on Sunday! We are excited to introduce them to our community and share all their energy,  enthusiasm, and experience with you.

Zachary Whiting (back row, left) is from Maryland and has been working with young people in experiential education for several years. He has worked on challenge courses, canoe expeditions, and taught skiing. With all his experience in the outdoors, Zachary can't wait to take our students on adventures in the dorm program!

Marsi Foster (back row, right) taught science at Rock Point School in the nineties and has returned to us as a tutor after working in special education in schools around Vermont. Several alumni told us that Marsi was their favorite science teacher ever and we are so happy to have her back in our community. She has been bringing her sweet puppy, Charlie, with her to work, which is an added bonus!

Sean Morrissey  (front row, left) is from Vermont and has been working as a behavioral interventionist and TESL teacher since graduating from Saint Lawrence University in 2016. He is excited to share his interest in creative expression with students in the dorm program.

David Boggs (front row, middle) is our new school nurse. David works in the Critical Care unit at UVM Medical Center and is excited to start his work at Rock Point. David is happy to join our small, supportive community and help us keep our students healthy.

Laura Abrams (front row, right) is our new Admissions Associate! Laura grew up in Vermont and recently earned her degree in Art Therapy.  She will be assisting Hillary and is looking forward to meeting new families and students this year!

We can't wait to see what this group of amazing people brings to our community! We appreciate the enthusiasm and interests they have shared during staff meetings and know they have a lot to offer our students.