Rhapsody in Vermont

Teaching Pre K-8, Nov/Dec 2003 by Romano, Katherine

Sure, it might be a little off the beaten path, but Vermont's Ripton Elementary is brimming with cultural opportunities for its students - and most can be found right in their classrooms

It's a picture-perfect September morning in Vermont. Even though fall is just a week away, the hills of the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest are brilliantly blanketed in green and colorful patches of wildflowers are still in bloom along the winding roadsides. It was with an almost manic glee that we made the scenic trek through hill and vale to today's breath-taking destination: Ripton Elementary School in Ripton, VT. As we marveled at how clean the air felt and the mind-blowing lack of cars on the Vermont roads, we could hardly wait to see what was in store for us at the end of our journey.

Even though the school has been at its current location for 14 years, it looks like it could've been erected mere weeks ago. First, Ripton Elementary is situated in a clearing surrounded by a forest of pine trees that looks as though its been plucked from the pages of a storybook. The school's doors and trim gleam with fresh fed paint, the sidewalks are swept clean and the school grounds are artfully manicured. As we stood outside and admired the view with Ripton's principal, Jane Phinney, the school's bell broke through the quiet.

"Get ready," she warned us, "here they come!"

Stampede! We stood back and watched as Ripton's 54 students pounded around the corner and spilled out onto the school's expansive playground and playing fields. As the kids rocketed past us, we noticed something interesting begin to happen. Over on the soccer field, a game was quickly organized by some intermediate students and one particularly enthusiastic kindergartner who was quite literally throwing himself into his role as goalie. On the playground, a swinging third grader stopped mid-pump to help a smaller child struggling to get herself onto a swing. As two little girls staked their claim on the teeter-totter, we watched as one helped her friend get on board and then realized she needed a hand herself. Before she had a chance to ask, she got a boost from an older boy running past her to join the industrious fort-building going on in the woods (the kids are allowed to play "five trees deep") behind the school.

Like brother, like sister. Jane Phinney told us that this almost sibling-like camaraderie between the younger and older students is thanks in large part to Ripton's multi-age set up. The school's classrooms are grouped as preK and kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth and then fifth and sixth grade. In addition to intensive all-school thematic units, the multi-age learning environment extends even as far as the lunch room. Every lunch table has a multi-age seating chart and every child is assigned a task for his or her table - from table washer, to recycler, to bringing leftover food items to the school's compost pile - everyone is responsible for something. "We see the younger kids learning from the older kids and vice versa, every day," Jane commented.

The big rule. Ripton's big rule, Jane told us, is that no one is excluded. This is also the key governing factor to the All-School Meetings, which are run entirely by the students. Ripton's staff is intent on teaching the principles of democracy by involving the kids in as many school decisions and processes as possible. "Sometimes we have to step in and keep them on track, but they do a very good job of resolving their issues peacefully," Jane said.

Oh, and there's one more big rule. Despite Ripton's seemingly remote location, Jane Phinney and her staff of 19 make sure Ripton's students are thoroughly educated in the arts and other cultures by the time they graduate. From Meals Program Director Kathy Angier's lessons in authentic sushi preparation during an all-school unit on Japan, to a visit from the Burlington Taiko (Japanese for "big drum") Ensemble, cultural exploration is served up to the kids from all directions. The way Jane Phinney and her staff see it, if the arts aren't easily accessible in Ripton, VT, a town of less than 600, it's their duty to ensure these kids are enlightened one way or another. And, amazingly, without the backdrop of an artistic urban landscape, these teachers have converted Ripton Elementary into an exciting community where all sorts of cultures intertwine.

Artists-in-residence. For the first half of the school year, all of Ripton's students study some aspect of both Vermont's and New England's colorful history. In January, the tide changes to a cultural study on a country or continent of the teachers' choosing that is specifically designed to expose the kids to new learning opportunities as well as adhere to the district curricula and Vermont State Standards (as an aside, Ripton's scores on standards-based and standardized tests are some of the highest in the state). This year, the focus is on Africa, and, in addition to a myriad of wonderful in-class explorations, Jane and the teachers are arranging for African drummers and mask makers to come to Ripton and work with the kids. The study will culminate on stage with an all-school performance of selections from the musical, "The Lion King."