News & Events

The sap is running, and so are we! While we wish we could host our annual Maple 5k fun run at Rock Point School, we couldn't let this year go by without a maple run of some kind. This is the perfect time of year to dust off your running shoes and get out for some fresh air. Here's how to participate in this year's virtual run:

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.

Each year, members of our staff write a Valentine poem with a couplet for each student and member of the community. On an afternoon before Valentine's Day, C.J. and the admin team put on their finest Valentine-y fashions and read the poem for all to hear. This tradition started with former Headmaster, John Rouleau, and has continued with Abbey Baker (English teacher) and Emily Skoler (College Counselor) writing the verses.

For the first weekend at Rock Point School, students split up by dorm floors for a weekend of adventures. This year, the 2nd Floor Residents, including new Residential Educators John and Haley, traveled to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for a visit to Lake Willoughby. Our generous Office and Systems Manager, Mary, lent her lake house to the group for the weekend! 

Our beloved Mo Reilly, former Director of Community Development, has moved to the countryside of Eastern Vermont to be with her partner full time! We already miss her great sense of humor and excellent organizational skills. Mo helped implement and update many systems, such as our student information software and donor database, which will help Rock Point School thrive in the future.

This year, we were challenged to create virtual versions of our traditional end-of-the-year events. Each one plays an important role in closing the school year and helping students transition to their next step, whether that is a summer off or preparation for college. Our staff has worked hard to capture the spirit of these events online, but one of the biggest challenges is making sure all the technical pieces work!

As Rock Point School staff and students have spread out across the country, we have had to get creative with ways to connect with students and find ways for them to connect outside of the classroom. We have recently turned to a program called Discord. Many communities use Discord as a platform to connect, share media, organize events, video/voice chat, and a lot more.

Rock Point School staff have been using some of their time at home to read! Here are some books staff have enjoyed lately:

We are offering a digital space for Rock Point School alumni to connect during this time of physical distancing (we can still be social!). It will be a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, share stories about RPS, and support each other.