News & Events

In week two of summer session, we have spent a lot of time in the garden! Kara Buchanan, our resident herbalist, helped students learn about the various herbs and plants in and around our garden. Students tried various herbs, learning about their properties and some plant biology. Students made a healing salve by mixing olive oil infused with comfrey, plantain, St. John's wort and calendula with beeswax and essential oils. The salve can be used to soothe bug bites, burns, and dry skin.

We are wrapping up our first week of Summer Session 2016 and it has been a full one! Students have spent time getting to know one another, playing, and learning together. On the first morning of Cultivations Class, students took a "fox walk" around the property. Fox walking is a mindfulness practice that helps you tune into the sounds of the woods and be present in the moment. We've also been working on our carving skills in Cultivations, making eating utensils from sumac wood.

Join us for a free screening of All-Star Ultimate Tour, a documentary about a team of frisbee players on a mission to promote women in ultimate. When: 7:30 pm, August 1st Where: Rock Point School Library The movie will make you laugh, cry, and think more critically about gender in sports. Following the film we will have a casual discussion. For more about the film, go here. Questions? Please contact: Kate or C.J. Kate Desrochers - kate.desrochers@gmail.com or C.J. Spirito – cspirito@rockpoint.org

Come one, come all – We invite all ages and all skill levels to play Ultimate Frisbee 6-7:30 Mondays at Rock Point School this August. We play in sneakers or bare feet – no cleats, please. Bring a dark shirt, a light shirt, and be ready for fun! Questions? Please contact C.J. Spirito – cspirito@rockpoint.org

Join us for a night at historic Centennial Field on Thursday, July 14th at 7:05 as Burlington's minor league baseball team, the Vermont Lake Monsters take on the Williamsport Crosscutters!

After the art show this May, the Core 1 class collectively decided to create a fairy house as their final project in Art. This was inspired by the artwork of Andy Goldsworthy, who mostly does installations outdoors with natural materials. The students were excited to use what they could find in the natural world to create beautiful art. Jeannie, our art teacher, provided the perfect stump as a base for the house. After one look at the stump, it was easy for the students to see its potential. After some initial brainstorming and sketches, students began to stockpile things they found interesting - acorns, moss, bark, and even morel mushrooms.

The 19th Annual Wiffle Fest is coming ... it's just a little later than usual. This year, the day long tournament will take place on August 13th starting at 9am sharp. Wiffle ball players of all ages and skills are welcome! Join us for wiffle ball with our very own "Green Monster", a potluck lunch, and lots of fun. For more information and to add or join a team (2 players minimum), see this page. Entry fees are $40/ team and the proceeds go to Rock Point School. Check out this video from Stuck in Vermont to see all the fun!

This spring, our Biology class was busy! The class has been working its way through the diversity of life, starting with the most basic and culminating in human biology projects. Mari, our science teacher, led several field trips to research centers at the University of Vermont so students could see the concepts they learned in action. One of their first trips was to the Zadock Thompson Zoological Collection, looking at the diversity of insect life. Students were particularly interested in the many species of bees in the collection, given their recent apiary work. Next, students toured the Miller Research and Educational Center, UVM's agricultural research facility. The MREC trip coincided with information on mammals and advanced organ systems. Students learned about dairy cow life cycles, bovine digestion, and agricultural research. While touring the Miller Center, the class saw fistulated cows, pet dairy cows, and learned the milking procedures.

As temperatures were predicted to rise over Memorial Day weekend, our Vermont City Marathon relay team kept up their training and focused on hydrating. On the morning of the marathon, race organizers made the decision to stop the race if temperatures (and humidity) rose above 82 degrees. With four staff members on various relay teams, plus a student relay team in the race, we were hoping the weather would cooperate. Student volunteers manned a water station at mile 25, hoping to keep runners cool and hydrated in their last mile. Our five person student team trained with Junior Milers from Run Vermont for twelve weeks and they knew they wanted to finish, regardless of the weather. Micah (grade 12), Alekya (grade 12), AJ (grade 11), Eli (grade 10), and Tim (grade 11) finished with a time of 4:27:08 - just before they called off the race due to heat! We are so proud of our team and our participating staff members for persevering and training so hard.

Rock Point School held its 16th annual art show,The Road Less Traveled this month at the Rose Street Gallery, with an opening night filled with guests, student artists, members of the Rock Point School community, food, musical entertainment, and a “kids’ corner” where children could make art. With the help of art instructor Jeannie Waltz, the senior class put on the entire show––from advertising, collecting artist statements from fellow students, hanging the show, preparing the food, arranging entertainment for the opening, recording sales, and, ultimately, taking down the show. Students prepared the entire 2015-2016 school year for this event, creating works of art out of media such as watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, stained glass, photography, and more.