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On Friday, Feb. 8, Thetford Academy turned 200 years old! Students celebrated the school’s birthday in style, with an all-day Founders’ Day and Founders’ Night extravaganza. Other posts describe the school's Bicentennial Gala on Feb. 9 and Vermont Historic Marker dedication on Feb. 8. Chico Eastridge ’00, Studio Producer & Education Outreach Coordinator at CATV in White River Junction, VT, produced an outstanding Founders' Day film for Thetford Academy. Click here for the Youtube video. Despite … read moreFebruary 15, 2019 -
At noon on the day of Thetford Academy's 200th birthday — Friday, Feb. 8, 2019 — Virginia Anderson Barrett ’51, daughter of legendary TA Principal Carl Anderson (1925-1961) and wife of the late TA Headmaster Ruel Barrett (1961-1977), unveiled the Town of Thetford’s first Vermont Historical Marker in a ceremony on Academy Road. Marking the site of the original Thetford Academy campus, the first building of which opened its doors for the first time on Feb. 8, … read moreFebruary 15, 2019 -
Carrie Brennan, the founding principal of an innovative public charter school in Arizona and an accomplished educator, has been named the next head of Thetford Academy. She will assume her new position on July 1, 2019. “I am absolutely thrilled that Carrie will lead Thetford Academy,” says Ann Bumpus, President of the Thetford Academy Board of Trustees. “Her record of accomplishment and commitment to academic excellence, inclusivity, community engagement, and collaborative leadership builds … read moreFebruary 5, 2019 -
By Marc Chabot, Dean of Academics and Robotics Team Advisor Featured Photo: The winning team: Isaiah Kol and Marshall Melancon and their robot BeefCake, along with their alliance partner from Team 603A, Belmont, NH. In case you were wondering how Thetford Academy’s 9th season is going, here is an update! Saturday was our last tournament before the State Championship in two weeks, and all three of our teams have qualified during the course of the season. Our teams almost always make it to the elimination rounds … read moreFebruary 4, 2019 -
Scott Finn, Vermont Public Radio's new president & CEO, joins Thetford Academy's Bicentennial Speaker Series to discuss the role of public media in America.Finn's talk, titled "Filling the Gap: How Public Media Can Respond to a Decline of Reporters," addresses the nearly 50 percent decline in reporters in Vermont the last two decades, a decline that mirrors the rest of country. "Meanwhile," says Finn, "We are increasingly confronted with confusing and even false stories online." … read moreFebruary 4, 2019 -
Basketball standout Kiana Johnson, a senior from Chelsea, scored her 1000th point during the TA vs. U-32 varsity basketball matchup on Friday, Feb. 1. Kiana, who transferred to TA at the beginning of the school year after Chelsea's high school closed, hit her 997th, 998th, 999th, and 1000th career points with four consecutive free throws, as an enthusiastic crowd provided a respectful silence while she concentrated at the line. The Panthers went on to win … read moreFebruary 2, 2019 -
Friday, Feb. 8, is the 200th birthday of Thetford Academy. Parent - Alumni - Staff - Community Event The Big Bicentennial Event for parents, alumni, staff, community members, and friends of Thetford Academy is our Bicentennial Gala. The gala will take place in TA’s Vaughan Alumni Gymnasium beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9, and will feature a cash bar, a catered dinner, live music, an archival photo exhibit, the release of a short film on TA’s history, two keynote speakers … read moreFebruary 4, 2019 -
Every morning, when most TA students are stealing that last five minutes of sleep, this intrepid member of our bicentennial class has already been on the road for an hour, proving each day that it’s possible to commute to Thetford from almost Canada and to be an incredibly successful student. And we’re grateful that she chose us. Her positive outlook, her intellect, her great sense of humor and her tremendous work ethic make Maeve Curtin a special panther and a valued … read moreJanuary 30, 2019 -
Hypertherm and FUJIFILM Dimatix, two Lebanon, N.H., businesses, celebrated 15 Thetford Academy and Lebanon High School students' achievements upon their successful completion of the inaugural STEM High Tech Manufacturing Internship program on Tuesday night, Jan. 15. The internship was an unequivocal success. During the program finale, which took place at Hypertherm's 71 Heater Road facility in Lebanon, each participating student presented his or her outtakes from the semester-long internship in three- to five-minutes speeches. Audience … read moreJanuary 17, 2019 -
Bicentennial Speaker Series: Derrick E. White, Ph.D., Monday, Jan. 21 @ 7 p.m. TA will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 21, with a Bicentennial Speaker Series presentation by Professor Derrick E. White, entitled “Making a King: The Contested Legacies of a Civil Rights Icon.” This special event, free and open to the public, will take place at the Martha Jane Rich Theater at 7 p.m. Visiting Associate Professor of African & African American Studies in the Department of History at Dartmouth College, Professor White is a scholar of … read moreJanuary 3, 2019 -
Jake Colby began the Thetford Academy - Montpelier home varsity basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 22, determined to reach his 1000th point. Coming into the game with 990 combined career points for Chelsea High School (grades 9-11) and Thetford Academy (grade 12), he was ready to get the milestone done and over with ... and with four fouls and approximately five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jake made a short jump shot from … read moreDecember 23, 2018 -
Those in the course Sports and Society have created a new verb: “to Barnsdale.” It means to put 110% effort into a fictional story—because that’s just what our December Student of the Month did as Taxpayer #1 in a town meeting for the fictional municipality of Barnsdale. Yes, Tyler Wojcik is this month’s honoree! Recurring themes when it comes to this kind-hearted junior are his earnestness and his appreciation for the learning process. Mrs. Barton praises … read moreDecember 20, 2018 -
The 8th annual Mr. Thetford Academy Pageant—a beauty pageant/talent show spoof —featured land-kayaking to the sounds of a river, a Michael Jackson moonwalk, a wrestling match between a brother and a sister, and plenty of corny jokes, as 11 contestants and their escorts competed for the Mr. TA crown. Along the way, the packed house heard from Adelit Rukomangana, a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide; witnessed the contestants field challenging, on the spot questions; and … read moreDecember 9, 2018 -
The choral and instrumental music programs will perform their winter concert on Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the Martha Jane Rich Theater. Nacho plays electric guitar with his instrumental class. The band has been working hard preparing for the concert. Approximately 40 musicians in grades 7-12 will be playing pieces from a broad scope of styles and eras, including music from Bach, Tchaikovsky, Leroy Anderson, Mel Tormé, and Vince Guaraldi. A number of holiday classics … read moreDecember 14, 2018 -
TA's sugar shack is starting to take shape. Adjacent to the timber framed outdoor classroom just south of the student parking lot, the structure will be completed in the upcoming days — with several months of time to spare before this year's sugaring operation begins. With help from Mike Wells and Jere Linehan, Scott Ellis's Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education class leveled the foundation, built the floor and supporting walls, erected the roof trusses, and began … read moreNovember 30, 2018 -
Thetford Academy is among the nation’s 250 state finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest – a nationwide competition challenges students in grades 6-12 to apply STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to find creative solutions to real-world issues impacting their local communities. Out of thousands of schools that entered the contest, the 250 state finalists — five from each state — were chosen based on their creative and strategic proposals to solve complicated … read moreNovember 29, 2018 -
Paper turkeys, paper plates, paper tablecloths, and plastic utensils adorned the tables, but the food was the real thing: delicious turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, plenty of peas, and rolls — served free of charge to all students and staff on the last day of classes before Thanksgiving (Tuesday, Nov. 20). Casey Huling checks on the turkeys in the TA Café's kitchen. The idea of the Thanksgiving feast came from Special Education paraprofessional Becky Sarazin. The Student … read moreNovember 22, 2018 -
The Thetford Historical Society’s Geography Bee celebrated TA’s Bicentennial this year by focusing the contest on TA and Thetford town history. It was a tough field - eight teams sparred in the adult division and five in the youth division, answering questions that might stump event the most dedicated Thetford historian. For example, do you know... Which school year did the TA boys varsity soccer team and the boys varsity basketball team both win State Division … read moreNovember 19, 2018 -
Len Whitaker's and Casey Huling's sections of 9th grade history classes have been studying ancient Greece. On Nov. 8-9, Mr. William Bugg visited as special guest star, presenting a two-day unit on Greek tragedy. He took the class on a deep dive into mythology, telling the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus Rex, and other tales from the House of Thebes. They then discussed the origins of tragedy, made paper masks modeled on ancient Greek theater masks, and … read moreNovember 15, 2018 -
In the fall of 2014 and 2015, Chris Schmidt's Timber Framing class built two new dugouts to replace deteriorating structures for the Panther baseball team. This fall, Chris's class has designed and, as of Oct. 30, erected the frame of the first of two dugouts for the Panther softball team. In September, the class of 12 students divided into three groups, each of which researched, designed, and constructed a scale model of a softball dugout. Using … read moreNovember 4, 2018 -
At times during the Thetford Academy - Vergennes Union High School Division III state championship game on Saturday, Nov. 3, it looked like intermittent heavy downpours would add an element of chance to the game. But the Panther girls' resiliency, superior ball-handling skills, and deep playoff experiences over the past three years didn't leave anything to chance — even as the ball and field conditions became slippery. An insurance goal was added midway through the second … read moreNovember 4, 2018 -
Boys Win State Behind Owen Deffner's First Place Finish; Girls Take Fifth It was snowy and cold and trail conditions were tough—but there was no stopping the Panthers at the VPA cross country state championship meet last Saturday. Owen Deffner '19 finished first in the D-III race with a time of 17 minutes, 42.1 seconds, leading the boys to an overall first place finish and the team's first state championship title since 2010. Ian Spelman finished fifth … read moreNovember 4, 2018 -
By Charlie Buttrey We made history!! As part of Thetford Academy's year-long bicentennial celebration, close to 70 runners and walkers were at the starting line when the blast of an 1820's-style muzzle loader shattered the morning stillness and sent them on their way to compete in the Asa Burton Bicentennial Blitz 5K race. This was a race with a twist. As the competitors traversed the Daniel Grossman Woods Trail on the TA campus, they passed more than two … read moreOctober 15, 2018 -
Scott Ellis, coordinator of the Thetford Outdoor Program (TOP), was recognized by the Society of Health and Physical Educators of Vermont (SHAPE Vermont) with the Physical Activity Leadership Award during a ceremony Oct. 19 in Killington. The state-wide award recognizes outstanding individuals who actively promote lifelong health and physical activity. Ellis, who teaches Thetford Academy's half-day outdoor and environmental education course and leads TOP's monthly student adventure trips, has made it his mission at Thetford Academy … read moreOctober 19, 2018 -
This September, alumni everywhere came out to honor TA's beloved, 40 year-old Mountain Day tradition. The first of many events celebrating TA's 200th birthday this year, #MountainDayEverywhere was an enormous success and a whole lot of fun. Over the first two weekends in September, TA alumni hiked from where they were - there were hikes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, New York, Montana, and of course - right here in Vermont! All alumni were invited … read moreOctober 2, 2018 -
Eighteen poets performed at TA's Poetry Slam to a packed theater this past Friday morning, while four student judges sat in the audience, ready to hold up score cards. Emily Silver's Creative Writing class hosted the event, while Poet-in-Residence Geof Hewitt was the ever-entertaining MC. Congrats to the brave souls who performed: Michael Adams-Lindberg, Samara Spelman, Ellen Veracka, Grace Davis, Jacob Slaughter, Jordan Smith, Chris Sanso, Alexis Gaetz, Gavin Slider, Alden Nichols, Kiana Johnson, John Longshaw, … read moreOctober 1, 2018 -
Thetford Academy's 4th annual Homecoming weekend kicks off Friday, Sept. 28 with middle school and high school dances. The full Homecoming Celebration happens on Saturday, Sept. 29! JV and Varsity girls soccer teams face People's Academy at 11 a.m.JV and Varsity boys soccer teams also take on People's at 1 p.m.BBQ and concessions provided by Project Senior to benefit the Class of 2019TA swag, including a bicentennial t-shirt, and other giveaways of TA spirit gear to … read moreSeptember 29, 2018 -
Thetford Academy has a big birthday this year - the school is celebrating 200 years since Asa Burton founded Thetford Academy, the first secondary school in Vermont. In honor of this milestone event, TA is hosting a series of community events aimed at bringing our community together in the spirit of TA’s core values and progressive mission. Beginning in October, TA brings a series of thought-provoking speakers to campus to share their personal stories, ideas, and … read moreSeptember 25, 2018
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Have you ever wondered where the Thetford Academy trails go? Are you curious about the school's management of Thetford Hill State Park, next door to TA? Would you like to hike the school's new trails at a leisurely pace and see the new yurt built by the Thetford Academy Outdoor Program and the new outdoor classroom built by TA's Timber Framing class? Here's your opportunity. Trail signage made by students in the TA shop; map made by students in … read moreSeptember 11, 2018 -
On Tuesday, an all-school announcement interrupted TA's lunch period--a surprise for all students was "happening now" on the green. Students would not be disappointed, announcer (Alden Nichols '19) promised. And if they appreciated art and cookies, they were not. Alden and his classmates William Bugg '19, Owen Deffner '19, and William Bosco '19 had spent part of their summer constructing a TA Trojan Horse. Up-cycled from wood scraps, the horse sculpture stood more than 6 … read moreSeptember 7, 2018
Academics
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics courses teach critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration.
Humanities
Every day, students in English, World Languages, and Social Studies build their skills and confidence in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Arts
Thetford Academy’s wide selection of courses in visual, performing, and practical arts are an essential component in the TA curriculum.
Experiential Learning
Thetford Academy provides students with high quality, meaningful experiential learning opportunities through classes in every academic department.
Student Life
Clubs and Activities
Clubs and activities reflect the interests and passions of today’s students with a balance of traditional opportunities and new offerings.
Beyond the Classroom
From traditions and special events to travel and community service, the time our students spend outside the classroom deepens their learning and inspires personal growth.
Student Services
Advising, counseling, health, academic and social support are some of Thetford Academy’s strongest attributes.
Athletics
Thetford Academy is a Division III school and competes in the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference (NVAC) as a member of the Capital League.
