Field Notes
VREC is committed to our goal of advocacy that includes sharing a positive narrative of our rural schools, in the spirit of our mission to inspire school communities to learn, share and thrive.
See below our FIELD NOTES: stories of the amazing people and programs enriching our school communities.
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Hazen Union: A Community School Approach to Learning
Hazen Union School Principal Dr. Jason Di Giulio likes to ask challenging questions: “What is a school?” and “What does a school do?” The questions arise from Di Giulio’s deeper philosophical stance that embraces inquiry as a core value. The questions are ones that Di Giulio has asked of himself, students, staff, administrator, and community members. It is this knack for seeking understanding, this process of investigation, that has enabled Di Giulio to become a successful educational leader and Hazen Union School to become a successful community school.
A Vermont Educator in Finland: Shared Struggles and Shared Hope
In January, I had the pleasure of spending 10 days in Finland as a Fellow with The Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools Program. This experience brought 16 U.S. K-12 school administrators to Finland for an intensive exploration of Finnish school leadership, the education system, and culture.
Student Centered Learning & Passion Projects at Blue Mountain Union
When navigating the pedagogy of student-centered learning the differences of strategy, approach and opinion may be disorienting. That is where an experienced educator and leader is a boon for students, staff, and communities. Emilie Kinsley is one such experienced educator. Emilie has worked in the region for close to two decades. In that time Emilie has taught English, been principal of the grades school, a classroom teacher - left the school system for some time - and returned as principal of the middle & high school at Blue Mountain Union (BMU). Grounded in these experiences Emilie effectively engages students who are enrolled in the Senior Capstone Seminar – a class that is framed as Personalized Learning or Student-Centered Learning. It is Emilie’s insightful and intuitive understanding of the families and students within the BMU region that makes this program so successful in this rural community.