Head of School Weekly Email: We Did It!
July 01, 2026
Dear TA Families,
Wow, what a finale to the 2025-26 school year! It’s been a high-energy month at Thetford Academy – and the activity and achievements didn’t stop with the school year’s official end. Here are some highlights from June and invitations for summertime opportunities.
Congratulations, Seniors!
The Class of 2026 had a proper TA send-off on June 12 with Class Day festivities during the school day and graduation in the evening. The graduating seniors kept their spirits high despite the disappointment of the ceremony being moved indoors. Their families, friends, and teachers filled the gym to overflowing. The speeches, performances, and poetry wowed the crowd – and the heartfelt flower presentation to loved ones generated lots of hugs, smiles, and tears, as it always does. Read the graduation re-cap with links to post-secondary plans, awards, photo gallery, and more.
Congratulations, TA Retirees!
The last days of the school year were not just about bidding farewell to the seniors. We had a cohort of teachers ‘graduating’ as well: Tiffany Badams, Elizabeth Dowe, Jennifer Gernhard, Karyn Neubauer, and Chris Schmidt retired on June 12. We celebrated these five awesome educators and their long careers in the classroom with a joyful mix of gratitude and awe (and some bittersweet goodbyes) – lots of hugs, smiles, and tears here as well. Read our Century of Service story, which includes a link to interviews with each of the retiring teachers.
Congratulations, Varsity Baseball!
On Saturday, June 13, just a day after graduation, the undefeated baseball team (with 9 newly graduated seniors on the roster) headed to the state championship game in Burlington. They did not disappoint their loyal panther fans, with a resounding 8-0 win at Centennial Field. A thrilling cap to an amazing season! Check out our state title game summary with links to news coverage, as well as J&R Photography’s game album.
Congratulations, Track Team, Decathletes & Sebastian Perdrizet!
Our dedicated track and field athletes stayed busy after the final bell as well, with nine qualifying to compete in the New England championship meet in Maine on June 13, a team of four competing in the 50th annual Vermont high school decathlon June 17-18, and Sebastian Perdrizet ’27 representing TA on the national stage at the New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia on June 20. Read more about the finale to their season – and a big shout out to Sebastian, who was recently named Vermont’s Gatorade Player of the Year!
Congratulations, Drama Trio @ Thespies!
For the first time ever, Thetford Academy was represented at the International Thespian Festival. Natalie Perry ’26, Logan Wells ’27, and Londyn Oshoniyi ’28 traveled to Bloomington, IN in June for a full week of programming and competition that they described as amazing, eye-opening, unforgettable, and life-changing. The three students were selected to participate based on a regional competition in Boston earlier in the year. Read about their experience – and their outstanding performance achievements!
Reflections & Feedback: Annual Survey – Final Request
We’ve extended the deadline for the annual parent and guardian survey until July 8. We have only 33 responses thus far and would love to significantly increase the response rate. Do you have 5 minutes now to take it? Here’s the link!
Summertime Opportunities
Campus might seem quieter at this time of year, but there are still a variety of activities happening during the summer months – and everyone is invited to participate. Here is some of what’s going on: Fun Runs on Tuesday evenings, weekly drop-in soccer practices and Mon/Wed open gym for basketball, free films hosted by Thetford Arthouse Cinema on (through July 10), the Schoolhouse Rocks concert series, and debate camp for a week in August. Check the school calendar for details and updates. And, as always, you are welcome anytime to come enjoy our outdoor resources throughout the summer – the trails and fields, the garden, and the disc golf course are all open to the community.
We did it! 2025-26 officially comes to a close, and this is my final weekly message to the school community. Thank you for reading along each week and staying connected to our TA stories and school news. I look forward to resuming the routine when the new year begins in August. Until then, wishing everyone a Happy 4th and a wonderful summer season!
Carrie Brennan, Head of School
This week’s photos: The image of Sam Kraemer and teammates celebrating the baseball win captures the elation, energy, and joy of June’s achievements. A few more of the many celebratory moments this month – featuring our nationally competing thespians, our decathletes, and our graduating seniors.
