Dear TA Families, It's been a jam-packed February. Here are a few highlights from this past week. Black History Month Panel: "Spread love, no matter the color." Yesterday morning students attended an assembly for Black History Month featuring two Black artists and entrepreneurs, moderated by DEI coordinator Tony Strat-Cortez and student reps from SARJ...
Thetford Academy is committed to antiracism, and to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment in our school community. With DEI professional development opportunities for faculty and staff and school-wide recognition of a variety of cultural events, holidays, and traditions, it’s been a fun and informative Fall on campus. On October...
Photo: DEI Coordinator Tony Strat-Cortez presents at an all-school assembly last year. Thetford Academy’s Dean of Students, Siobhan Lopez and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator, Tony Strat-Cortez recently participated in a three-day institute focused on restorative justice practices. Building Restorative Practices, hosted by Great Schools Partnership, focused on how educators...
Thetford Academy celebrates and acknowledges Juneteenth as an important milestone in our nation's history. On this day, we commemorate the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and recognize the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in our society. As an educational institution committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community, we...
Pride Month Statement Thetford Academy would like to recognize June as LGBTQIA+ Pride month and celebrate the diverse community we have on campus. We recognize the beauty and value in creating an educational space where students of any background or identity can succeed and grow to their full potential. Pride Month is...
Thetford Academy's Student Alliance for Racial Justice (SARJ) will host a free screening of the movie "My Name is Pauli Murray" on March 10th at 7 p.m. in TA's Martha Jane Rich Theater, with discussion to follow. The film is a look at the life and ideas of Pauli Murray,...
On Friday, February 10, 2023, Thetford Academy’s Student Alliance for Racial Justice (SARJ) student group will host a premiere of the PBS film "Driving While Black." "Chronicling the riveting history and personal experiences – at once liberating and challenging, harrowing and inspiring, deeply revealing and profoundly transforming – of African Americans...
Photo: DEI coordinator Tony Strat-Cortez and Sora Bolles '26 Last week, Thetford Academy student Sora Bolles '26 presented invited testimony to the Vermont State Board of Education on behalf of the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network (VSARN). VSARN is a project of Vermont Learning for the Future and is made up of...
Notes from the classroom: Guest post by English teacher Joe Deffner. Whenever we talk about race, I am always looking to bring the conversation to Vermont. I don't want students to think of racism as a problem that exists in other places, but not in Vermont. In The Hate U...
Tony Strat-Cortez joined TA's team last month as the school's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator. A 2009 graduate of Thetford Academy, Tony (he/they) brings a strong background in DEI and advocacy work to the role–including his own experiences at TA as a transgender and bicultural student. “Although some...