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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The Bucks News Network
The Bucks News Network (BNN) offers students a dynamic, hands-on approach to journalism, where creativity and autonomy take center stage. In this unique classroom, students choose their storytelling formats—podcasting, video, or writing—and cover topics of their interest, even traveling for stories like the World Dairy Expo. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and guided by History Teacher Neil Emerson, BNN has grown from a printed newsletter into a vibrant, student-directed online news platform. This program not only teaches essential communication skills but also fosters collaboration, innovation, and real-world experience.
Exploring the Value of Experiential Learning
The quote, “the only source of knowledge is experience” is attributed to Albert Einstein.
We think he may have had a good point, as do many of the staff, parents and students who are involved with the Kingdom East School District Experiential Learning program.
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.
Windows & Mirrors: Reflecting on Community (Cabot Community School)
For anyone who lives, works, or plays in the NEK Cabot’s reputation as a close-knit community is well known. Like many rural communities in our region, Cabot is a community of people that care about and for each other. It is a community where adults model civic engagement – at town meeting, in its structures of government, through volunteerism, and within the business community: the hardware store is also a popular gathering place where in addition to picking up your Saturday project materials you can also catch some great local music, grab some locally sourced food and a local brew to go with it.
Small School: The Heartbeat of the Community
For anyone who lives, works, or plays in the NEK Cabot’s reputation as a close-knit community is well known. Like many rural communities in our region, Cabot is a community of people that care about and for each other. It is a community where adults model civic engagement – at town meeting, in its structures of government, through volunteerism, and within the business community: the hardware store is also a popular gathering place where in addition to picking up your Saturday project materials you can also catch some great local music, grab some locally sourced food and a local brew to go with it.
Canaan Memorial School: The Power of 1!
Canaan Memorial School is like many rural schools: a mix of relationships between students, staff, parents, family, community services, nonprofits, and social organizations, and volunteers, and the municipal offices, and the town library, and the town celebration committee, and local businesses, and, and, and, and, and…. It is through these many interconnected relationships that a school becomes a hub of the community. It is through these relationships that a school is a community school. It is true that community schools seek to foster the educational opportunities beyond the walls of the school and expand experiential learning for students; it is also true that the programs and opportunities that arise in the community school do so from the unique needs and assets within a community.