TA News

Dear TA Families,

So much is happening as we come roaring into the final stretch of the school year. Here are a few features from this past week – it might have been a short one, but it was packed with activity!

Accolades in the Arts

On Wednesday evening the arts department hosted the annual Spring Concert & Arts Expo in Anderson Hall with exhibits and performances from all of the arts disciplines. The school cafeteria was transformed into a gallery displaying creations in a wide array of media, including paintings, woodwork, ceramics, collage, and more. Students in the culinary arts classes catered the event, making the setting even more like a professional art opening, serving homemade refreshments from stations around the cafe. 

At 6pm attention turned to the theater. The middle school choral concert delighted a packed audience of family members and friends, followed by a two-part instrumental concert featuring high school musicians. Advanced students in the stage band closed out the night, showing off a whole lot of talent.

Accolades in Athletics

Early Thursday morning, TA’s varsity track and field team journeyed across the state to compete in the Division 3 Championship Meet at Fair Haven Union High School – and came home 12 hours later with 1st and 3rd place finishes! The boys team are state champions for a fifth year in a row. The girls took third. Congratulations, Panther athletes and coaches Emily Silver and Joel Breakstone.

This has been quite a season for the storied track and field program at Thetford Academy. Every meet recap includes mention of another record-breaking performance. At the state meet this week, the boys 4×100 team set a new TA and Division 3 record with a time of 45.22; Ben Mattern’s time in the 3000 earned him the #2 spot on the TA record board; and, the 4×400 relay also made it onto to the TA record board at #2. Meanwhile at their meet over Memorial Day weekend, Uly Junker-Boyce set a new TA and Division 3 record in the 100m dash with his time of 10.87, and Evan Rich set a new TA and Division 3 record in the triple jump. Check out all of the state meet details here – and look for a story on our website soon to more fully cover all of the amazing feats by girl and boy track and field competitors this spring.

Accolades in Academics

Friday was our second Roundtable Day of the spring, with a special morning schedule dedicated to portfolio presentations in advisories. The stakes were especially high for seniors, who must successfully demonstrate proficiency in TA’s transferable skills through a polished presentation to peers and faculty as part of their graduation requirements. We were delighted to have so many senior parents attend their student’s roundtable, as family participation adds even more depth and meaning to the process. 

Special thanks to the senior advisors – Jon Beard, Karen Heinzmann, Stephanie Joyce, Karyn Neubauer, and Mark Weigel – for guiding the seniors this year; and also to the Class of 2024 for their steady work with the portfolios and roundtables, in year two of implementation at TA.

In Other News …

• It was a beautiful night for the Class of 2024’s senior prom at Ohana Family Camp on Friday. No photos yet – but we look forward to sharing some soon. 
• Best of luck to our middle school track athletes competing in the state championships at UVM tomorrow. 
• Thank you to the One Act drama class who hosted the first-ever Thetford Children’s Theater Festival earlier today.
• Reminder: We have a special schedule for the final week of school, June 10-14; details in this doc.
• Last call: If you haven’t had a chance yet to take the annual parent survey, please do so this weekend. Survey closes on Monday.

Thanks so much,
Carrie Brennan, Head of School