TA News

As the year draws to a close, Thetford Academy’s teachers continue to design rich learning experiences for students. Culminating projects are designed to bring together the ideas, information, and skills students have learned over the course of the semester and put that learning into practice.

For example, in Scott Ellis’s Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education course, students selected projects that will become a future resource for our community, like making signs and an interactive map of the tree species on the quad, and building benches for Thetford Academy’s new nine-hole disc golf course.

Students in Joe Deffner’s Civil Rights Literature class interviewed someone they know who has undergone change or a turning point in their life, and then created an audio story that included both the interview and their own narration. For example, Whitney Lewis recorded a poignant conversation with her mother about raising her brother who has Smith-Magenis syndrome.

Math students in Melissa Perry’s Geometry course ended their semester by identifying a building on campus they could attach a deck to. They went outside, took measurements, planned, and clearly explained what properties of a rectangle they used to ensure the deck was a rectangle, and “built” the deck. 

Also in English, TA’s tradition of the 10th grade Anthology Project wrapped up its 33rd year! Students presented their anthology of writing, songs, and art – each piece in the anthology written or chosen to reflect their personal identity, values, and experience. In the final presentation last week, students shared songs that resonated with them, poetry that moved them, stories about how they felt when a teacher can’t remember how to pronounce their name, and a wide variety of writing on themes that felt personal and important. 

It’s always inspiring to watch our students integrate what they’ve learned into tangible, real-world projects and experiences – and rewarding to see them connect with and support each other along the way. Another school year has come to an end, and we are proud of our students, who have also taught us so much.