TA News

Dear TA Families,

As June draws to a close, and the 2024-25 school year is fully and officially over, I wanted to reach out with a final message to share parting reflections and summertime school info.

High Note: Celebrating the Class of 2025

The school year ended on so many high notes. This was literally the case with the joyful musical performances at baccalaureate and graduation – thanks to the TA Stage Band, the student ensemble group Halogenica, and soloist Ava Hayden. In their last days on campus, the talented Class of 2025 reminded us of the power of song to unite and celebrate! 

This year’s seniors carried on the rich Thetford Academy tradition of centering student voices at graduation. With 10 singers, 4 band members, 2 speeches at baccalaureate, and 4 speech givers at graduation, we had an impressive total of 20 seniors (nearly a third of the graduating class!) boldly performing and speaking to their classmates and the community from the high-profile stage at these two year-end events. 

A few of my favorite take-aways from the graduation night messages: 

• Grace Elmer: ‘Let’s leave here proud of who we are, not because we have all the answers, but because we’ve learned how to ask better questions.’
• Uly Junker-Boyce & Isaac Yukica: ‘We at Thetford Academy have soul and purpose, and we let commitment and connection motivate us towards success.’
• Bianca Pulaski: ‘Without these teachers, there wouldn’t be a T in TA. Thank you for being such wonderful mentors and guiding us every step of the way.’

High Note: Panther Prowess

Congratulations to our varsity teams this spring for an inspired season! Wow, what a whirlwind of wins and records and all-out effort in the final weeks of the school year. Special recognition goes to the state championship baseball and boys track and field teams – both achieving the highest note of #1. Track and field athlete Uly Junker-Boyce carried that top spot momentum to the New England competition and came home from Connecticut with two gold medals. The championship baseball game had many memorable moments with Liam Brooks’ diving catch to clinch the game a perfect close to the night. I imagine everyone has seen the abundance of TA sports coverage in the local press by now, including our own stories on the TA website. Bragging rights have been well deserved – it was a fun (and proud!) season for panther athletes and fans alike.

Summer Events & Opportunities

The classrooms might be empty and office activity dialed down, but things are happening on campus in July and August. Check out these events and opportunities – and come by campus any day for a walk on our wooded trails, a round of disc golf, or a picnic under one of our timber frames!

• Schoolhouse Rocks Concert Series – first up, July 2! Link to details
• Thetford Arthouse Cinema – free film screenings @ TA! www.thetfordcinema.org
• Tuesday Fun Runs, 5:45pm – open to the community & all levels welcome!
• Debate Camp, Aug. 4-8, – still a few spots available, open to rising 7th-10th graders! thetfordacademy.org/uvsdc
• AFS is still recruiting host families for 2025-26; learn more about welcoming an international student into your home by contacting AFS staff Patricia Chery, [email protected]

Summer ‘Housekeeping’ Items

• Final report cards were sent out via Alma to parent and student email addresses on June 20. Students and parents can also log into Alma for access to all four report cards from this year, and high school students can view the graduation progress tracking feature.
• The 2025-26 school calendar is posted on the TA website: https://thetfordacademy.org/calendars. The calendar page is also a good resource for summer event info.
• We are re-opening the annual school survey links for one more week, July 1-8. If you didn’t have time in May to do the survey, take it now and help us reach our goal of at least 100 respondents for each of the surveys. [Links sent out via email.]
• The TA front office will be minimally staffed in July. If you need to connect with a school administrator in the coming weeks, please call or email in advance to set up a meeting time. The counseling department will be open on Tuesdays during the summer, 8am-3pm. 

Closing Note: Gratitude

Lastly, I want to share my abundance of gratitude to you for being a part of Thetford Academy this year. It takes a village (or, in our case, the coming together of many villages) to create a vibrant, caring, and engaged school community. A community that nurtures and challenges, in equal parts. Thank you, teachers and advisors. Thank you, coaches, counselors and custodians. Thank you, parents and grandparents. Thank you, students. Thank you, bus drivers and parent drivers. Thank you, school staff and administrators. Thank you, volunteers and donors and panther fans. Thank you, alumni and trustees. Everyone has a role to play in making each year come together. Thank you for doing your part in 2024-2025!

Wishing everyone a good summer,

Carrie Brennan, Head of School

Featured photos: A few more of the many high notes in June … The timber frame class completed the new wash-pack station for the school garden. We welcomed the TES 6th graders ‘across the bridge’ and into the TA community. The rain held and temps were perfect on the evening of June 13, making for a lovely outdoor graduation for the Class of 2025. (Link to this and many more graduation photos by Dan Grossman.)