Vermont Middle School Seminars

Whether you want to write your first novel or create a poem that captures a specific emotion or experience, this dynamic workshop-style course is a step toward finding your voice and pushing your boundaries as a creative writer. Through personalized exercises led by published authors, develop skills in the genre of your choosing while exploring important craft challenges such as dialogue, imagery, narrative structure, word choice, theme, and storytelling technique. Read more Draw inspiration from your surroundings in pastoral Vermont, the natural world, and featured guest writers. Share your work and receive valuable feedback from your peers and instructor as you push yourself to think creatively and try new techniques. Host a celebratory final reading and present your best pieces to the Pre-College community. Read less

From the farms, fields, and gardens to the dinner table, culinary traditions and eating local are the beating heart of Vermont’s identity. Dive into Vermont’s thriving food and farm culture, meeting with inspiring individuals and entrepreneurs who have dedicated their lives to the land. Expand your understanding of sustainable food systems as you sow, harvest, cook, and savor your way through Vermont’s food scene. Explore the challenges in the local Read more food and farm industry as a driver of economic development, job creation, and how eating local can promote public health. This seminar provides immersive experiences that encourage thoughtful engagement with food-related issues, sustainable and organic farming practices, farmers’ markets, food accessibility, and more. Gain hands-on experience in the fields, learn about composting, germinating seeds, and try your hand at planning your own garden. Meet with farm-to-table chefs to learn how locally produced food influences their menu throughout the seasons. Create a menu of your own and prepare a final farewell feast using products sourced from local farms and markets to celebrate the culmination of your program. There is a $150 supplemental fee for this course. Read less

From major theater releases and streaming platforms to YouTube and TikTok, more video is being produced and consumed than ever before. Dive into the craft of video production and filmmaking in this production-oriented seminar to explore the medium’s potential for creative expression and visceral impact. Practice storyboard development, camera operation, sound recording, lighting, direction, and non-linear editing. Just as importantly, learn how to work as a team, translating ideas to visual Read more reality as you collaborate on a series of video projects with your peers. As part of your craft, study and learn from the work of filmmakers and directors, from the popular to the obscure. Explore the myriad possibilities of the medium by reviewing a variety of films, from documentaries to experimental shorts, as you build your own cinematic vocabulary. Cap off the session by filming your self-chosen final project. This is an opportunity to tell a story in a narrative, documentary, or experimental style, producing a short video to present at a campus-wide film screening. The resulting short film festival is often a highlight of our final day celebrations on campus and provides a tangible accomplishment you can bring home to show family and friends (or rack up views on YouTube!). There is a $150 supplemental fee for this course. Read less

Designed for photographers of all skill levels, this seminar teaches the basics of digital photography and composition before diving into more advanced shooting techniques and editing instruction. Whether your passion is portrait, landscape, adventure, or storytelling, build your confidence and nurture your creativity through one-on-one workshops with your instructor and group critiques. In the classroom, learn aesthetic principles and review the work of a variety of photographers, Read more from Dorothea Lange to Krista Rossow. Then, head outside for digital photography tutorials in the field, using Vermont landscapes and New England towns to become a better travel photographer and storyteller. Back on campus, learn the techniques of photo editing and basic digital manipulation, while also discussing the implications of digital manipulation in an age dominated by the power of the image. Collaborate on projects with other seminars, curate a gallery showing of your work, and leave with stronger image-making skills and passion for photography. Students are responsible for bringing their own digital camera with manual controls and a computer with Adobe Lightroom installed. There is a $100 supplemental fee for this course. Read less

Meet new friends, learn essential skills in outdoor education, and tap into your potential as a leader in Vermont’s Green Mountains. With your peers and instructor, explore Vermont’s forests and trail systems and undertake a series of exciting challenges as you learn to work as a team. Rotate responsibilities as the leader of the day, time-keeper, scribe, and inspiration-giver. Learn basic navigation and survival skills, learn how to build a fire, Read more and go on a scavenger hunt as you navigate campus in pairs. Take day trips to explore surrounding lakes, swimming holes, and hiking and biking trails. Back on campus, research a famous leader’s life to discover the traits, habits, and peculiarities that led them on a path toward impact and leadership. Volunteer in shifts at the campus garden to water, weed, plant seedlings, or harvest vegetables and herbs for the Castleton University kitchen. Then, plan recipes and a menu for meals to be made from the fruits of your harvest. Team up with a local library to help out with an outdoor story hour for young children, or interview passersby to learn about the lives and livelihoods of Vermonters. Other service opportunities may include volunteering on the site of a working Vermont dairy farm, trail clearing, or assisting staff members with projects at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Read less

The ever-growing sports industry provides it all: entertainment for thousands, economic benefits, the thrill of competition, healing opportunities for citizens and communities in crisis, and marketing opportunities that stimulate economies near and far, to name just a few. In this seminar, explore the varied opportunities that sports management provides—including team and athlete management, sports marketing, or sponsorship management—while developing an understanding Read more of the business that takes place on and off the field. It’s clear from the sports organizations that have been sold or dissolved that some management strategies are more effective than others. Use case studies and lectures to find out what makes a team or sports organization gain traction with a fanbase and how it maximizes revenue. Virtually meet with coaches and managers to learn what makes a flourishing sporting franchise. Sports truly are a cultural phenomenon and nowhere is this more evident than the world’s most fervent fanbases. Consider the psychological effects of fandom, then use your analysis to determine the best actions to take as a successful sports team manager. What draws people to attend matches, buy concessions, and support local, or global, teams? Why might you see a New York Yankees hat in Brussels but not a Cincinnati Reds hat in Cleveland? Through immersive activities and discussions, explore effective marketing and communication methods, solve business problems, and gain the skill set to understand future career options in this exciting field. Read less

Develop and refine your artistic vision as you explore studio art through work in drawing, painting, sketching, and collage. This seminar, taught by a working artist, is for all middle school students regardless of skill level or experience. Expand existing techniques, establish new skills, and explore your creative side in both studio- and plein air-based lessons. Create pieces based on subjects ranging from the human figure to still life, from landscape to portraiture, Read more and from imaginary to realistic. This collaborative and interactive course blends art practice with visits to area museums, discussions with accomplished artists, and lessons on art historical subjects like classical art and impressionism. Through regular group discussions and one-on-one meetings with your instructor, constructively evaluate your own and your classmates’ work. With your instructor’s guidance, learn how to start a personal portfolio and share your work online. At the end of the session, work with your classmates and instructor to curate and exhibit your work at a program-wide gallery opening on campus. There is a $100 supplemental fee for this course. Read less