Academics
Feb
13
Leo Downey Wins TA Middle School Spelling Bee, Heading to State Finals
TA’s annual Middle School Spelling Bee went 36 rounds before defending champion Leo Downey correctly spelled the word “patrilocal” to win the contest. (Patrilocal definition: adjective 1. relating to a pattern of marriage in which the couple settles in the husband’s home or community.) Runner-up Margaret Smallwood also had an impressive performance, getting knocked out […]
Feb
09
Student of the Month: Tim Gray
January’s Student of the Month takes his responsibilities seriously. Never before has Ms. Silver had an advisee who checks in with her if he will be absent to see if there is any advisory-related work he should take care of ahead of time. Whether he is motivated by the desire to excel, or by the […]
Jan
30
TA Students Win Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Three Thetford Academy students, Layla Hanissian, Eloise Van Meter, and Olivia White, were recently recognized for their artwork and creative writing by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The awards program comprises the nation’s “longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7-12,” and is presented by the Alliance for Young Artists […]
Jan
14
Instrumental Teacher Greg Mellinger Featured in “High School Today”
Thetford Academy’s instrumental music teacher Greg Mellinger recently penned an article for the National Federation of State High Schools Association‘s publication “High School Today.” The article, titled “Maintaining School Activities in a Small School Setting,” discusses the importance of providing students with a broad range of athletic, club, and arts activities—and the challenge of doing […]
Jan
13
Anthology Project in 29th Year
On Friday, English 10: Identity & Voice students presented the final project of the semester: “The Anthology.” 2020 marked the 29th year of the Anthology assignment, which is now considered a rite of passage for TA students. Since retired teacher Peggy Sadler began the project back in 1991, the assignment has shifted, but the essence […]
Jan
10
French Students Ring in New Year with Raclette
Students in Madame Heinzmann‘s French classes said au revoir to 2019 by sharing a raclette during their final class of the year. Raclette is a Swiss tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. Wheels of cheese were melted using a heat source (traditionally a fireplace), then the melted cheese was raked (raclé) off, little by little, onto […]
Jan
07
TA Student Writing Featured in VTDigger
This week, TA seventh grader Piper Leibon was featured in the online newspaper VTDigger for her Young Writer’s Project (YWP) submission titled, “Tomorrow.” YWP, a Vermont-based non-profit organization, engages young people to write and use digital media to express themselves “with clarity and power, and to gain confidence and skills for school, the workplace and […]
Jan
02
Visual Arts Students Collaborate with Juneberry Chorus
TA’s Visual Arts teacher, Karyn Neubauer, includes a multimedia unit in her curriculum every year. So when Patricia Norton, director of the Upper Valley Music Center‘s Juneberry Choral Program, reached out with an idea to incorporate multimedia art into the group’s next choral performance, it felt like a perfect fit. Juneberry Community Chorus, one of […]
Dec
16
Creative Writers Share Their Work
Ms. Silver‘s Creative Writing students performed a sampling of their semester’s work on December 12th in the Martha Jane Rich Theater. The class, made up of Thetford Academy juniors and seniors, opened with a collage of “I Remember” statements, followed by music to allow for a scene change. For the rest of the show, small […]
Dec
13
NH Charitable Foundation Supports TA With Two Grants
Thetford Academy recently received two generous grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (NHCF) to support school initiatives. NHCF, New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, manages nearly 2,000 funds and awards more than $40 million in grants and scholarships every year to communities serving New Hampshire residents. This year, Thetford Academy received a grant from NHCF’s […]
Dec
12
World Language Students Compete in Poetry Recitation Contest
On Tuesday, December 10, thirteen students represented Thetford Academy at Hanover High School’s Annual World Languages Poetry Recitation Contest. With the support of TA’s World Languages faculty (Dana Brettell, Karen Heinzmann, and Jane Chambers), the students memorized Students memorized poems by some of the giants of French and Spanish literature. On the French language side, […]
Nov
22
Career and Technology Center Students Recognized
TA’s partner career and technology education programs, River Bend Career and Technical Center and Hartford Area Career and Technology Center (HACTC), recently honored TA students for their outstanding performance and achievement in their fields. At HACTC, senior Grace Novotny (Natural Resources) received the October “Outstanding Student” award commending students who have demonstrated excellence based on […]
Nov
22
Dartmouth’s Dr. Yolanda Sanchez Visits Biology Classes
Dr. Yolanda (“Yoli”) Sanchez, Associate Professor of Molecular and Systems Biology from the Geisel School Of Medicine and Norris Cotton Cancer Center, visited Mr. Engler’s Biology and Advanced Biology classes this week. Dr. Sanchez’ work is focused on research to identify drugs, and drug targets, for the treatment of cancer. Dr. Sanchez’s visit gave students […]
Nov
21
Creative Writing Students Perform in Poetry Slam
Funded by a gift from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, poet Geof Hewitt, of Calais, VT, spent a week with Ms. Silver‘s Creative Writing class and a week with Ms. MacGregor‘s. Sitting at desks arranged in a circle, Geof had the students write pages worth of poems each day, writing in 7-minute bursts with the […]
Nov
19
Vermont Stage Co. to Present TA Student Poem
Every year, the Vermont Stage Company reviews poems from the Young Writer’s Project (YWP) to include in their annual “Winter Tales” show. All students that responded to the prompt for the YWP weekly writing challenge “Winter 2019” were entered for consideration, and several were selected for presentation by the Vermont Stage Company in December. This […]
Nov
18
TA Robotics Team Competes in NH
Five of TA’s VEX Robotics teams competed on Saturday at Pinkerton Academy in the “Turkey Day Classic” event. It was a good day for 4886, with team 4886T “Complete Signal Loss,” (Tate Whiteberg, Alex Holzer, and Carter Banks) earning 3rd place in the qualifying rounds before a tough defeat by three points in the semifinal […]
