Encounter Weeks
Each fall, winter and spring, every student participates in an Encounter Week. During these weeks, students explore the wilderness and community by participating in intensive field-based programs. Encounter Weeks are a chance to step away from the classroom, to experience something new, and to connect with faculty and classmates across the grade levels in a unique and special way. Many alumni report that their strongest and fondest memories of their time at VCS are of the various Encounter Weeks they participated in while enrolled at the school.
During Encounter Week, classes are suspended and students participate in the program for five days. Most Encounter Week programs are included with the cost of the tuition and fees at Vermont Commons School. Please note that some programs, such as the national and international travel, do have an additional fee. Students who choose to participate in national and international trips participate in fundraising efforts to help cover the expenses of those trips. These trips are also longer than most Encounter Week programs, typically lasting seven to ten days.
The Encounter Week options vary from year to year and are based on the particular interests and talents of the teachers who lead them. Generally, they fall into one of four categories:
Wilderness: Students embark on a backcountry adventure in which they live without the comforts of home while learning to trust and rely on one another for support, success, leadership and direction. Students sleep and eat in tents, yurts and/or Adirondack, White and Green Mountain shelters and spend each day hiking, canoeing or snowshoeing to explore the fall, winter and spring environments.
Service Learning: Students experience their ability to have a strong, positive impact on the lives of others. Service Learning programs provide students with the opportunity to recognize and assess needs; learn about people, organizations, and issues within the community; and understand the roles of individuals as community members.
Apprenticeship: The Apprenticeship Encounter Week allows Vermont Commons students to expand on their knowledge base and learn new skills in a variety of settings, from the coastal study of Acadia National Park to our own Commons Room, which doubles as a studio for landscape painting or theater set design.
International /National Travel: Each year the school strives to provide one or two long-distance travel opportunities for students. Students have traveled to several Latin American countries as a supplement to our strong Spanish curriculum. Other examples include a trip to England to study historical and literary sites, a trip to Rome to study art history, and a trip to Belize to study rainforest ecology. National trips have included Yellowstone & Yosemite National Parks, the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, and New York City to study the city's art history and historic sites. These programs are offered at an additional fee.
The following are some examples of Fall, Winter and Spring Encounter Week options:
- Backpacking in the White Mountains
- A Naturalist Tour of Acadia National Park
- Silkscreening
- Graphic Design
- Stained Glass
- Cooking
- One Act Plays
- Puppetry
- Snowshoeing and Winter Camping
- Wilderness First Aid and Leadership Training
- Theater Set Design
- Nature Photography
- Canoeing in the Adirondacks
- Watercolor Painting and Oil Painting
- Flyfishing
- Backcountry Skiing
Bicycle tour around Lake Champlain