“Long Trail kids – and teachers – do much more than their daily academic schedule reflects,” notes Director of Student Life Beth Bove. And this month has been no exception. “In some places, there is a typical winter let-down, but around here, we keep a busy momentum.”
Long Trail School just celebrated Airband X, the tenth annual version of a wildly popular lip-sync contest which sold out its performance in two days. Airband requires top-secret practices of storyline, musical selection, choreography and set design; most groups prepare for months before the final reveal. Even faculty and the Head of School get in on the acting; this year, their “Monday Open Door Policy” skit was hilarious! Airband ticket proceeds benefit the 10th grade exchange trips to Germany and Spain. On top of that, Long Trail had a group participate in theGreen Mountain District Festival choral and instrumental performances. Another group of middle school students competed at Castleton University in the regional Mathcounts event for which they trained weekly. The middle school also hosted a Snowflake Ball recently, which gave students a chance to dress up and socialize with students from other towns, grades and schools.
The World Languages department has launched the school’s annual celebration of International Week, coinciding this year with the visit of French students to Long Trail and BBA. All week, the announcements are done in languages other than English with snippets of music from around the globe. Daily activities include International Jeopardy, Where in the World? Games, Chinese New Year recognition, and more. On Thursday, the whole school (more than 200 people) will participate in an International Potluck Lunch, to which students and staff will contribute a dish that relates to their family’s ethnic background. “Every day there’s a new event or something to celebrate,” comments eighth grader Shayla. “It makes going to school very exciting.”