High-Impact Learning Opportunities & Flexible Pathways

Stowe High School is a traditional school with a blended block schedule and course offerings bound by the constraints of a small student body. We have few alternative pathways available for learning or to meet graduation requirements, and, aside from VT’s Dual Enrollment program and our local Green Mountain Technical and Career Center, SHS currently has no formal, equitable system in place for providing students with opportunities to pursue their own interests outside of the traditional classroom model and for linking those experiences to personal learning plans, proficiencies, or college and career readiness.

I plan on studying the implementation of Internships or Professional Experiences and their impact on student learning and engagement. I hope to visit many schools in Vermont and New England to learn how these schools have successfully implemented similar programs and then use those learnings in creating one that works well for our school and community. I intend to capitalize on the strong relationships between the school and the town, and encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities that exist in their community in order to complement their on-campus learning experiences. With everything from a large ski resort, to independent entrepreneurs, to skilled tradespersons and artists in the area, the opportunities for mentorship and learning are diverse and exciting. Through this effort funded by the Rowland Foundation, all students will have the same access to these meaningful work-based placements, and our hope is that by graduation every Stowe student will have engaged with a mentor and business in the community and made the invaluable connections between their personal interests, talents, and careers that will help guide them in their post-secondary planning and life pursuits.   

See the SHINE website here