On December 18th, students at Vermont Day School loaded boxes of donations onto their school bus and delivered 1,031 pounds of food and dental hygiene items to the Shelburne Food Shelf. The Food Drive is an annual event for Vermont Day School with this collection far surpassing their initial goal of 790 pounds and setting the record for the largest in the school’s 5 year history. Susan Stock, of the Shelburne Food Shelf, also let the students know that this was the largest donation to the Food Shelf so far this year.

The 5th grade class led the initiative along with their teachers, Shannon Riddle and Erin Capps. “I look forward to Food Drive every year,” explained Capps. “It’s an authentic leadership opportunity for our students, and a great way to teach students to be active and supportive community members.” The 5th graders inspired families to participate in the Food Drive by holding signs up during morning and afternoon drop-off times, posting signs around school, and charting the school’s progress towards meeting their collection goal.

During the month of December, students learned about the concept of food insecurity. They invited Shelburne Food Shelf Board Members, Susan Stock, Dana Valentine, and Toby Knox to the school to talk about what they do, who they serve, and how it all works. They graciously answered enthusiastic questions from the crowd of elementary and middle school students and emphasized the importance of the Food Shelf in the community and how everyone can help.

On Monday, October 28^th, Vermont Day School held a heartfelt Groundbreaking Ceremony to mark the building phase of a new addition. Attendees included key community partners including Lee Krohn, Shelburne Town Manager and Lou Natale, of Shelburne, who served as a community advisor on the project. Bob Bickford, Project Manager for Wright & Morrissey, and David Epstein of Truex Cullins were on hand to celebrate the milestone as well as Rich McClean of Lakepoint Property Management and Rob Wheeler of Northfield Savings Bank.

Sage Bagnato, head of school, introduced and thanked all of the community partners involved in bringing the project to fruition. Board Chair, Ed Wilkens, remarked on how far Vermont Day School has come in just five years and how proud he is to be involved with the school. Lee Krohn, Shelburne Town Manager, spoke of the impact a small school can have on a child’s future and congratulated Vermont Day School on its milestone.

Students and faculty marked the occasion by singing the school song and sharing their “hopes and dreams” for the new space. Remarked one middle school student,

“The old building ties us to our roots and the past while the new addition shows how the school is willing to grow with the times. I’m very excited that each class will have their own space to grow and learn.”

Vermont Day School, located near Route 7 in Shelburne, has nearly outgrown its current space and will build a 7,000 sq. ft. addition, nearly doubling its size, to accommodate new classrooms, a dedicated space for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and a community gathering space.

“We are growing with intention,” says Sage Bagnato head of school. “We are in need of a larger space to accommodate student demand and to fully realize our vision for building community partnerships, high quality STEM curriculum, and high quality project-based learning.”

In 2015, Vermont Day School opened its doors with 12 students, 4 faculty, and a powerful vision. Today, that vision is being realized, and continues to grow, as the school celebrates its 5^th year of operation with 63 students enrolled in grades K-8. The new space will allow the school to grow to about 100 students.

The mission of Vermont Day School is to foster skills, knowledge, personal attributes, and work habits that enable children to thrive effectively, meaningfully and joyously in the world of today and tomorrow. The school realizes this mission through high quality project-based learning, which not only is a rich and engaging learning experience, but also prepares students to be 21^stcentury creative thinkers and problem solvers. Community partnerships with organizations like Shelburne Farms, Ben & Jerry’s, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Seventh Generation, and Burton have enhanced the student learning experience outside of the classroom.