I get a strange feeling when I think about how the eight most fun weeks I have ever had are coming to an end. This final week of European Art Classroom felt like the perfect conclusion to our experience. It is nearly over as our group takes its final breath of Provençal air, and our eyes take their last snapshots of the beautiful scenery here to remember. We hope that the scent of fresh baguettes, lavender sachés, and noisettes will last in our minds forever, or else we must visit again whether it be part of a college, with family on vacation, or later in life.

The awards season. It arrives every year with graduation, and on Monday we moved through our underclass awards. In a week, many more will be handed out. So much goes into wrangling the names of the winners, and each year I am reminded that the only award that’s easy to determine is one calculated by GPA: do the math, pick the winner. Simple. But do the numbers ever tell the whole story? No. Do they tell the story of character and grit, of intrinsic drive? Sometimes. Maybe. Not always. 

Almost exactly two years ago Jacob Dombrowski ‘13 (Middlebury College) gave a senior speech in assembly.  During his eloquent delivery, he shared, “If there is one bit of advice I can offer you all before I end my time here it is this: Do not be afraid of who you are. You’ll never make a difference in the world until you find out what truly sets you apart.”

Students are entering their second to last week of classes before final exams. The Spring Term may feel like it is flying by, but the work done by each of our students is remarkable. We see glimpses of student work each time one of our off-campus programs posts a blog since all are student written and feature student photography! We do not yet have digital portfolios for each of our students (those are a work in progress), but in this post we highlight student work on-campus.

I often find myself sitting outside on our patio under the sun reflecting back on the week. This week is no exception. If I were to sum up all of our experiences this past week into writing, the blog would go on for an eternity.

“No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, love can heal your wounds.” The words echoed through the Norris Family Theater as the documentary, Reparando, the story of La Limonada, played to students and faculty last Friday night.

We can feel the momentum start to shift toward the end of the year as the weather warms, the river beckons, and in early evenings students spontaneously gather at the firepit, by the pond, and outside the Wise Center. During this time we are reminded from an unlikely source to use our skills! 

A reluctant blogger….

I come from a family of English teachers and fell in love with reading and writing long before the Internet. I read voraciously throughout my childhood devouring all the Little House on the Prairie books, and I wanted to be Nancy Drew. In high school I read all of Jane Austen’s novels during a winter break, and I still re-read them every year or two—just for pleasure.