The Mountain School of Milton Academy - Approved
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A semester at the Mountain School gives 11th grade students the experience of shared work on a farm, courses to explore systems and critical thinking, programs on forestry and natural history, and the opportunity to learn both independence and interdependence in a community of peers.
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Andrew Li
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01-06-2025
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01-06-2025
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02-15-2026
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How To Contact
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Lucretia Penfield
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151 Mountain School Rd
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Vershire
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VT
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More Information
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09-15-2025
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02-15-2026
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fee
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0.00
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Milton Academy
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5079
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Helpful Links
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Detailed Information
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The Mountain School is a semester program for high school juniors located on a hilltop farm in Vershire, Vermont. Each semester, 45 students gather here to love, work, and study with each other and out faculty. The Mountain School provides students with way of connecting with the land, connecting with others, and connecting with themselves.
Disconnect to reconnect. On our hilltop farm, you’ll have opportunities to challenge yourself and grow as a student, a friend, a leader, and a person. The days here are long, but the weeks slip by quickly. If you’re open to it, you’ll find meaning in everything: the feeling of your hands in soil, the simple ritual of doing dishes, walks through the woods with your friends, planning how we spend our time together, and - of course - in small, discussion-driven seminar classes. By the end of four months, you’ll come to know the land, your friends, and yourself in new and profound ways. The spirit of the Mountain School lives on in our alumni, who form lifelong friendships, personal and professional networks, and return to campus 20, 30, and even 40 years later.
The Mountain School offers need-based scholarships based on a family’s ability to pay. These are direct grants that do not need to be repaid. We do not offer merit-based scholarships because all students accepted to the Mountain School are academically qualified, or work-study because Shared Work will already be a part of your experience
- Farm: You’ll get your hands dirty as you plant, weed, and harvest crops on Garden Hill. You’ll also get your mind active as you take Farm Seminar and learn about agricultural practices, sustainable farming, and land use protocols. Time on the farm provides an opportunity for the shared work that establishes and sustains our interdependent community.
- Food: At the Mountain School, you’ll engage with your food at every level: planting, nurturing, harvesting, cooking, and eating. This end-to-end experience with food fosters competence, confidence, and community. As you take Food Systems seminar, you’ll discuss the means of production, the modes of distribution, and consider real solutions to the challenges of feeding this planet. Culinary Studies students will have the chance to learn skills ranging from sauteing to fileting to fermenting. And, three times a day, we will all sit down together to enjoy the food and each other’s company. (And then do dishes.)
- Forest: There are hundreds of acres of forest to explore on the Mountain School’s campus. Through Environmental Studies class, you get your own forest site to study - a place to engage with Field Science and Natural History. Afternoons provide the opportunity for woods crew: splitting logs, trimming limbs, and clearing trees, all while learning about forestry and fuel. Of course, there’s plenty of time to explore as well, and the Outdoor Program provides you with the skills to be comfortable in the woods, from knot-tying to stove use to how to read a compass.
- Future: Understand the systems that shape our world. Engage in critical thinking. Do the labor that creates food and fuel. Discuss with your peers and sharpen your intellect. That’s what you’ll get in a semester at the Mountain School, and it’ll prepare you to find true, meaningful solutions in the real world. You’ll be a problem solver, ready for the future.
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Eligibility Information
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Files
