Head of School Weekly Email: Activity Highlights for Feb. 7-11
February 11, 2022
Dear TA Families,
It was a busy week at TA with lots of mid-quarter momentum. Here are a few highlights of the many activities happening at school.
Arts & Academics – Poetry Slam
Artist-in-residence Geof Hewitt was back at TA this week, working with Abby MacGregor’s creative writing students. The class hosted a poetry slam in the MJR Theater today, with over a dozen students sharing their original works in the performance contest. Congrats to winner Marshall Melancon ’23 and runner up Isaac Yukica ’25. The judging was close, with just 2/10ths of a point between the two poems!
Prospective Students – Taste of TA Visits
We enjoyed hosting a group of 8th graders from The Lyme School on Thursday morning and look forward to middle schoolers from Chelsea and Tunbridge visiting next Wednesday. The groups are participating in our ‘Taste of TA’ program that provides an in-person experience during the school day. The Lyme students visited classes, met with counselors, learned about unique TA programs, and toured campus.
Summer Opportunities – Governor’s Institute
Michael Fernandez ’23 was featured on WCAX, in this news story promoting the Governor’s Institute of Vermont. Congrats, Michael! Applications for the Governor’s Institute summer program are due by April 3. More details on the website: https://giv.org/apply_summer.
Winter Athletics – Basketball Teams Back in the Groove
The boys’ varsity beat Lake Region 60-39 on Wednesday. From the Valley News coverage: “Sophomore forward Mitchell Parkman had 15 points to lead Thetford, freshman forward Boone Fahey added 14 and junior guard Jacob Gilman chipped in with 12.” Meanwhile, the girls’ varsity team also had a big mid-week win against Montpelier on Tuesday and were featured in the local sports round-up in yesterday’s paper: Link. Best of luck to the boys in their home games tonight against U-32 and the girls away at Randolph tomorrow. We are rooting for you!
Thetford Outdoor Program (TOP) – Succulent Planter Workshop
The TA garden might be dormant this time of year, but the garden club and gardening efforts are thriving. Garden Coordinator Ehrin Lingeman and the garden club hosted a ‘make and take’ session in the sunny greenhouse today during power hour. Students designed their own planters with baby succulents from Honeyfield Farm in Norwich and got to take home their creations.
Happy Friday,
Carrie Brennan, Head of School
Featured photo: Planting succulents in the greenhouse brings us a hint of springtime in February.