Students participating in the Spring Concert on Thursday, May 26 will be transported to Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls at 11:30 AM  in order to rehearse on stage. These students should bring a bag lunch with them, to be eaten at Memorial Hall. Students who are not participating in the concert may be dismissed at 11:30 AM with prior parental permission - please contact Jen Rizzi in the Main Office to provide said permission.  Afternoon buses return to the early schedule on that day, and buses will be departing from Memorial Hall at 3:15 PM, with any students who have remained on campus being transported to the hall prior to that time. 

Faculty Reflections

Sabine Mauri has taught French at The Academy for 11 years and has served as the International Student Coordinator for the last 4. Her thoughts on teaching follow:

"Born and raised in Germany, I try to bring my own experience of living outside my native culture and language community as a daily example of what communication in a foreign language is all about. Having been made to feel welcome and accepted myself at The Academy gives me a strong desire to “give back” to the community with the talents and experiences that I can bring to the table. 

While the subject matter that I love teaching – the fundamentals of the French language – doesn’t seem to change all that much over time with its basic grammar structures and situation-based vocabulary, I have had to challenge myself to find forever new ways of teaching these concepts in order to truly reach the particular students sitting in my classroom. Additionally, the fact that The Academy trusts its teachers to identify and successfully teach “worthy topics” in the ways that we as teachers choose, is fantastic and allows me to choose topics of enduring value near and dear to my heart such as the German occupation of France during WW2, the persecution of Jews as it presented in France, and the value of the Allied invasion of Normandy to liberate Europe, Impressionism and cultures of Francophone countries. 

I also appreciate that our little school is small only in size, but not in its aspirations as it does mighty things in the realm of honoring each student’s voice, allowing them room to learn from their mistakes and take responsibility. Allowing students to experiment in this way can be messy, but it is ultimately a gift from the Academy community to each of us so that we – adults and kids alike – can grow as responsible individuals."

End of Year Staff Appreciation Lunch

Hello Academy parents!  At the end of each school year, the Academy Parents Council hosts a lunch to thank the staff for their hard work throughout that year. This year’s lunch will take place on Tuesday, June 14 at school. Please consider helping us with this special day! Kathy Osborne (parent of Reilly and Patrick) is chairing the event and is looking for volunteers to help with set up, clean up, and donations of food and drink. Email Kathy to volunteer or for more information. Thank you!!