GARDEN HILL FUND
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Save the date:
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Big Idea Day offers graduates the opportunity to meet and engage in a discussion on a topic that affects our lives and which may be related to a current event or issue at The Mountain School. The 2016 topic will be announced later this summer.
We want alumni all over the U.S. and world to get in on the discussion. Please volunteer to host! It's easy to host a Big Idea Day event in your home, at a cafe, at a park, or wherever you'd like. Click the button at left to sign up. |
TMS @ Work:
alumni women in government
Government and politics are on the minds of many Americans during this tumultuous presidential election cycle. In the midst of it all, we've just witnessed the first woman to win a party's nomination for president. With this broad context in mind, we profile four female graduates who have made their careers in government.
Becca Slaughter s98
I live in Bethesda, MD (my very first time not living in an apartment in a city other than while at TMS!) with my husband, two small kids, and two small dogs. I grew up in NYC and then lived in Connecticut for college and law school, with a year off in NYC before law school and a year in DC in the middle of law school. I have lived here in DC since I graduated in 2008.
I work in the United States Senate, as Chief Counsel to my home-state Senator, Charles Schumer of New York. After law school I did a brief stint as a law firm associate, and then moved to Senator Schumer's office, where I've been for seven years (and I also took a year off of law school to work for him a decade ago).
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
Generally, my job is to advise Senator Schumer on matters of policy related to the Judiciary Committee. Our jurisdiction includes nominations, immigration, crime, civil rights and civil liberties, intellectual property, antitrust, bankruptcy, national security and privacy. Some of these issues I handle myself, and some of them are primarily handled by two other lawyers I supervise. I also handle technology and telecom policy for our office. On a day to day basis, being responsible for a policy area means everything from discussing the issue with the Senator, to meeting with constituents and lobbyists, to drafting legislation, memos, and materials for hearings, to negotiating with advocates and other Senate offices about proposed legislation, and coordinating with other branches of the government. All of that work is in service of helping promote the issues that are important for the people of New York and therefore for Senator Schumer.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work? And of course, since you're a lawyer, let's ask the age-old question of "should I go to law school?"
I think there are a lot of different ways to get involved in public policy, on the state, local and federal levels. I advise starting with reading the newspaper (all the newspapers) and figuring out which people or groups are doing the kinds of policy work about which you care, and then try to go work for them! Many people get their start with an internship, but it's also great to work for advocacy groups who work on issues about which you are passionate.
I am a lawyer, and I practiced at a law firm briefly before coming to the Hill. Unlike many of my colleagues in public policy, I really liked both law school and being a traditional law-firm attorney—I just happen to like government work better. I do think law school is expensive and can be hard, particularly for those who are just using it as a means to an end. So I think you should go to law school if you want to be a lawyer (or if you think you could like being a lawyer even if you would prefer to do something else). A law degree is useful in public policy and government, but not at all necessary, and not worth it if it will make you miserable. Life is too short to do things that will not make you happy.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
I use lessons from TMS every day. I think my passion for civic engagement was instilled at TMS as I learned the value of living in a place where each member shares responsibility for the well being of the community as a whole. I learned a lot about critical thinking and evaluating the other side of an argument from an unbiased perspective (remember learning about creationism?), a skill that serves me very well when I approach complicated and controversial areas of policy and politics. I also think I learned how to listen at TMS. I vividly remember Jack passing me a note in Humanities suggesting, gently, that I talk less and ask more questions and really listen to the answers of my peers. Jack taught me that having the answer myself was not the only or the best way to participate, and that was a real wake up call for a type-A student like me. I think those lessons help me every day to find common ground with those I might not expect, and to reach across the aisle to forge consensus; that is the most rewarding part of my job.
And I still instinctively check whether branches on trees have alternating or opposite branch structures.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Is it fair to skip to dessert? Because that is what I would do. And I would have all of the desserts.
Quick takes - pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill.
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday brunch.
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Bathroom (my semester was the one where the chickens went on a 'fowlicidal' rampage and pecked each other to death)
4. Journal or science site? Journal at my science site.
I live in Bethesda, MD (my very first time not living in an apartment in a city other than while at TMS!) with my husband, two small kids, and two small dogs. I grew up in NYC and then lived in Connecticut for college and law school, with a year off in NYC before law school and a year in DC in the middle of law school. I have lived here in DC since I graduated in 2008.
I work in the United States Senate, as Chief Counsel to my home-state Senator, Charles Schumer of New York. After law school I did a brief stint as a law firm associate, and then moved to Senator Schumer's office, where I've been for seven years (and I also took a year off of law school to work for him a decade ago).
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
Generally, my job is to advise Senator Schumer on matters of policy related to the Judiciary Committee. Our jurisdiction includes nominations, immigration, crime, civil rights and civil liberties, intellectual property, antitrust, bankruptcy, national security and privacy. Some of these issues I handle myself, and some of them are primarily handled by two other lawyers I supervise. I also handle technology and telecom policy for our office. On a day to day basis, being responsible for a policy area means everything from discussing the issue with the Senator, to meeting with constituents and lobbyists, to drafting legislation, memos, and materials for hearings, to negotiating with advocates and other Senate offices about proposed legislation, and coordinating with other branches of the government. All of that work is in service of helping promote the issues that are important for the people of New York and therefore for Senator Schumer.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work? And of course, since you're a lawyer, let's ask the age-old question of "should I go to law school?"
I think there are a lot of different ways to get involved in public policy, on the state, local and federal levels. I advise starting with reading the newspaper (all the newspapers) and figuring out which people or groups are doing the kinds of policy work about which you care, and then try to go work for them! Many people get their start with an internship, but it's also great to work for advocacy groups who work on issues about which you are passionate.
I am a lawyer, and I practiced at a law firm briefly before coming to the Hill. Unlike many of my colleagues in public policy, I really liked both law school and being a traditional law-firm attorney—I just happen to like government work better. I do think law school is expensive and can be hard, particularly for those who are just using it as a means to an end. So I think you should go to law school if you want to be a lawyer (or if you think you could like being a lawyer even if you would prefer to do something else). A law degree is useful in public policy and government, but not at all necessary, and not worth it if it will make you miserable. Life is too short to do things that will not make you happy.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
I use lessons from TMS every day. I think my passion for civic engagement was instilled at TMS as I learned the value of living in a place where each member shares responsibility for the well being of the community as a whole. I learned a lot about critical thinking and evaluating the other side of an argument from an unbiased perspective (remember learning about creationism?), a skill that serves me very well when I approach complicated and controversial areas of policy and politics. I also think I learned how to listen at TMS. I vividly remember Jack passing me a note in Humanities suggesting, gently, that I talk less and ask more questions and really listen to the answers of my peers. Jack taught me that having the answer myself was not the only or the best way to participate, and that was a real wake up call for a type-A student like me. I think those lessons help me every day to find common ground with those I might not expect, and to reach across the aisle to forge consensus; that is the most rewarding part of my job.
And I still instinctively check whether branches on trees have alternating or opposite branch structures.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Is it fair to skip to dessert? Because that is what I would do. And I would have all of the desserts.
Quick takes - pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill.
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday brunch.
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Bathroom (my semester was the one where the chickens went on a 'fowlicidal' rampage and pecked each other to death)
4. Journal or science site? Journal at my science site.
Camilla Vogt s08
I live in DC—it’s fantastic! I am originally from Massachusetts, so I felt a natural pull back east after graduating from Colorado College in 2013. I picked DC because it offered the unbeatable combo of an unpaid internship and nowhere to live—the stuff post-graduate dreams are made of. My first year consisted of nonstop biking between work at the U.S. Senate and a seafood restaurant where I made lobster rolls. Eventually, I was hired by my current office in the House of Representatives, and I have been working here ever since!
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
I am a Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Jared Polis (CO-02). I handle his
agriculture, foreign policy, and healthcare portfolios. The job is half research, half interacting with people. I absolutely love it. My semester at TMS played a huge role in making this opportunity possible, because it sparked a passion for agriculture that led me to an internship at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency perspective was that to understand our political system is to understand the legislative branch, so when I returned to Colorado for my senior year, I started working in Senator Michael Bennet’s district office. His team offered me a position in DC upon graduation, and the rest is history!
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work?
I’m not going to break any new ground here, but internships can be incredibly valuable. Whether it is with an agency, a local campaign, a think tank, a Congressional office, an advocacy organization, or in the government relations arm of a big business—policy experience will help you learn where your skills are uniquely suited to thrive. Hustle, ask questions, treat every project like it is important, and find people you trust as mentors. For better or for worse, DC is a relationship-based culture. Many job offers stem from a personal reference or previous experience. Unpaid internships are the frustrating standard in much of the policy field, though they are a nonstarter for many students. Do research on what institutional support you might be able to access—I received a fellowship from my college, for example—as it can go a long way to making the impossible possible.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
Make your own fun! DC (and life more generally) can be a serious place, full of serious people, thinking serious thoughts. Although the level of passion and intellect is one of my favorite things about this city, I feel strongly that it shouldn’t preclude goofiness. Saturday evening activities at TMS serve as my reminder that a great costume and some rockin’ dance moves make life infinitely more fun.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Homemade pizza with garden veggies! You just can’t beat it. I also miss steaming mugs of mint tea.
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall?
Garden Hill! I now spend the majority of my day at a desk, so I’d give anything for a few breezy garden afternoons.
2. Solo or Sunday brunch?
Sunday brunch. I am a firm believer in the convening power of good food, and some of my favorite moments of my semester were cooking with friends on Sunday morning.
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding?
I would have to say chicken feeding, because, chicks!
4. Journal or science site?
Journaling at my science site? Writing calms me, and my science site served a similar purpose, particularly when surrounded by the quiet of winter and snow.
I live in DC—it’s fantastic! I am originally from Massachusetts, so I felt a natural pull back east after graduating from Colorado College in 2013. I picked DC because it offered the unbeatable combo of an unpaid internship and nowhere to live—the stuff post-graduate dreams are made of. My first year consisted of nonstop biking between work at the U.S. Senate and a seafood restaurant where I made lobster rolls. Eventually, I was hired by my current office in the House of Representatives, and I have been working here ever since!
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
I am a Legislative Assistant in the office of Congressman Jared Polis (CO-02). I handle his
agriculture, foreign policy, and healthcare portfolios. The job is half research, half interacting with people. I absolutely love it. My semester at TMS played a huge role in making this opportunity possible, because it sparked a passion for agriculture that led me to an internship at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency perspective was that to understand our political system is to understand the legislative branch, so when I returned to Colorado for my senior year, I started working in Senator Michael Bennet’s district office. His team offered me a position in DC upon graduation, and the rest is history!
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work?
I’m not going to break any new ground here, but internships can be incredibly valuable. Whether it is with an agency, a local campaign, a think tank, a Congressional office, an advocacy organization, or in the government relations arm of a big business—policy experience will help you learn where your skills are uniquely suited to thrive. Hustle, ask questions, treat every project like it is important, and find people you trust as mentors. For better or for worse, DC is a relationship-based culture. Many job offers stem from a personal reference or previous experience. Unpaid internships are the frustrating standard in much of the policy field, though they are a nonstarter for many students. Do research on what institutional support you might be able to access—I received a fellowship from my college, for example—as it can go a long way to making the impossible possible.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
Make your own fun! DC (and life more generally) can be a serious place, full of serious people, thinking serious thoughts. Although the level of passion and intellect is one of my favorite things about this city, I feel strongly that it shouldn’t preclude goofiness. Saturday evening activities at TMS serve as my reminder that a great costume and some rockin’ dance moves make life infinitely more fun.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Homemade pizza with garden veggies! You just can’t beat it. I also miss steaming mugs of mint tea.
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall?
Garden Hill! I now spend the majority of my day at a desk, so I’d give anything for a few breezy garden afternoons.
2. Solo or Sunday brunch?
Sunday brunch. I am a firm believer in the convening power of good food, and some of my favorite moments of my semester were cooking with friends on Sunday morning.
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding?
I would have to say chicken feeding, because, chicks!
4. Journal or science site?
Journaling at my science site? Writing calms me, and my science site served a similar purpose, particularly when surrounded by the quiet of winter and snow.
Kathy (Blanton) Lett f93
I live outside Washington, DC, in Falls Church, VA. Since college I have lived mostly near or in DC, though I also did a lovely but too-brief stint in Denver, CO. I work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and have been with EPA for over 16 years.
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
My current position focuses on policy questions for industrial and commercial facilities that create hazardous waste. We develop and interpret regulations for safe management of hazardous waste by those facilities and also try to encourage recycling of hazardous waste rather than disposal. My career at EPA started right out of college. I was a Comparative Literature major with an Environmental Studies minor (my TMS pedigree!), and I knew I wanted to be in the environmental field, but I wasn't sure where. After participating in a host of interviews at EPA, my impression was that federal environmental policy work is nuanced and complex and can be incredibly varied, so I took the job when it was offered. I didn't expect to stay at EPA for as long as I have, but it has remained challenging and interesting and I have found it to be a very good organization to work in where many of my colleagues are totally dedicated to the mission of environmental protection.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work?
If you are interested in policy work, have an idea of what you want to do and pursue that, but be open to other options, either regarding the issues you want to work on or the type of organization you want to be a part of. I have found that effective policy work requires a deep understanding of a topic as well as a strong understanding of how that issue relates to the world around it. There is a lot to learn in unexpected places and someone who can make connections and bring new ideas to a conversation can be just as valuable to a team as someone who has studied the issue for many years. Also, if you are interested in policy work at an Agency, in my experience a certain amount of patience and tenacity helps. Government work exists within both the political system and a bureaucracy. There are good reasons for this, but it doesn't often lead to very fast change.
Is there something you learned at The Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
My time at Mountain School impacts my life daily. My attempts to connect my children to the place where they live, my backyard garden, and my choice to make the environmental mission personal by biking to work are all informed by those short months in Vershire. At work, we often must thoughtfully balance differing world views about what the Earth's resources are for and determine when and how to accommodate those opposing view points, all questions I remember struggling with in other ways at Mountain School. On top of all that, I never write "prioritize" or "utilize" when "rank" and "use" will do.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Fudgy Oat Bars. Grown ups can have fudgy oat bars for dinner and no one can say anything.
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday Brunch (making it)
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Chickens
4. Journal or science site? Journal
I live outside Washington, DC, in Falls Church, VA. Since college I have lived mostly near or in DC, though I also did a lovely but too-brief stint in Denver, CO. I work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and have been with EPA for over 16 years.
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
My current position focuses on policy questions for industrial and commercial facilities that create hazardous waste. We develop and interpret regulations for safe management of hazardous waste by those facilities and also try to encourage recycling of hazardous waste rather than disposal. My career at EPA started right out of college. I was a Comparative Literature major with an Environmental Studies minor (my TMS pedigree!), and I knew I wanted to be in the environmental field, but I wasn't sure where. After participating in a host of interviews at EPA, my impression was that federal environmental policy work is nuanced and complex and can be incredibly varied, so I took the job when it was offered. I didn't expect to stay at EPA for as long as I have, but it has remained challenging and interesting and I have found it to be a very good organization to work in where many of my colleagues are totally dedicated to the mission of environmental protection.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work?
If you are interested in policy work, have an idea of what you want to do and pursue that, but be open to other options, either regarding the issues you want to work on or the type of organization you want to be a part of. I have found that effective policy work requires a deep understanding of a topic as well as a strong understanding of how that issue relates to the world around it. There is a lot to learn in unexpected places and someone who can make connections and bring new ideas to a conversation can be just as valuable to a team as someone who has studied the issue for many years. Also, if you are interested in policy work at an Agency, in my experience a certain amount of patience and tenacity helps. Government work exists within both the political system and a bureaucracy. There are good reasons for this, but it doesn't often lead to very fast change.
Is there something you learned at The Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
My time at Mountain School impacts my life daily. My attempts to connect my children to the place where they live, my backyard garden, and my choice to make the environmental mission personal by biking to work are all informed by those short months in Vershire. At work, we often must thoughtfully balance differing world views about what the Earth's resources are for and determine when and how to accommodate those opposing view points, all questions I remember struggling with in other ways at Mountain School. On top of all that, I never write "prioritize" or "utilize" when "rank" and "use" will do.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Fudgy Oat Bars. Grown ups can have fudgy oat bars for dinner and no one can say anything.
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday Brunch (making it)
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Chickens
4. Journal or science site? Journal
Martha Roberts f97
I work at Environmental Defense Fund, where I advocate for policies to address climate change and protect human health and the environment. I’ve been here nearly a year.
I live in Washington, DC and have been here almost three years. Since high school, I’ve moved around a lot—five years in the Bay Area for college and grad school; nearly a year in Wisconsin; a year in Vietnam on a scholarship; four years working in Colorado for an environmental organization and then a judge; three years in New York City for law school.
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
I’m an environmental lawyer. I help defend standards that limit greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector, and advocate for their implementation. In particular, last year the Environmental Protection Agency issued the Clean Power Plan—our country’s first nationwide limits on carbon pollution from power plants, and a huge step forward in addressing climate change—and I’m part of a team that defends these standards in court.
I’ve been interested in environmental health and environmental policy for a long time—I still have my copy of 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth. I’m in my specific position mostly because nearly ten years ago, I got a fellowship working down the hall from a woman who became my mentor, and she inspired me to start working on air pollution and climate change issues and to go to law school. So there was some planning involved in getting me here, but also some random luck.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work? And of course, since you're a lawyer, let's ask the age-old question of "should I go to law school?"
I really recommend trying a variety of different jobs in college and immediately afterwards. Get a work study job while you’re in school; pick internships that expose you to a variety of different job paths. Even if you know you’re interested in policy work, there’s a huge difference between working as a grassroots organizer and working for a think tank. Both can be rewarding jobs—but for different personality types. Do you like spending your day with people? Do you prefer a job that’s more introspective? Do you want to have a direct impact or work on the big picture? It’s really helpful to try out different opportunities so that you get a sense of what’s a good fit for your personality.
If you’re considering law school, definitely, definitely take a few years off before going! Law school could be a great next step, but it’s a big commitment and it’s important to make sure it’s the right fit for you. Think hard about what the financial implications will be—the amount of debt you could face after law school can drastically limit your flexibility in choosing a job. Don’t go to law school just because you can’t decide what you want to do or don’t like your job now.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
The Mountain School really empowered me to be proactive. It helped me realize that I’m perfectly capable of considering my surroundings and determining what needs to get done to make a place better: no need to wait for someone to give me step-by-step instructions. If I saw that a sheep had gotten out of the pasture, it was my responsibility to tell someone, even if no one had told me it was my "chore” to check on the sheep.
Now, having initiative doesn’t mean being a bad team member and just going my own way. It’s vital to be responsible and have good communication with your coworkers and partners. But it makes me a more effective and happier employee to look at our team’s priorities over the coming months, and choose the course of my day to achieve those goals—rather than waiting for someone to tell me. If something’s going wrong, or not getting done, or could be done more effectively, I have the opportunity to make a change and make it better.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Ok, this isn’t a dish exactly, but I would love to have fudgy oat squares!
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday brunch
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Chicken feeding
4. Journal or science site? Science site
I work at Environmental Defense Fund, where I advocate for policies to address climate change and protect human health and the environment. I’ve been here nearly a year.
I live in Washington, DC and have been here almost three years. Since high school, I’ve moved around a lot—five years in the Bay Area for college and grad school; nearly a year in Wisconsin; a year in Vietnam on a scholarship; four years working in Colorado for an environmental organization and then a judge; three years in New York City for law school.
What do you do? How did you decide to get into this kind of work?
I’m an environmental lawyer. I help defend standards that limit greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector, and advocate for their implementation. In particular, last year the Environmental Protection Agency issued the Clean Power Plan—our country’s first nationwide limits on carbon pollution from power plants, and a huge step forward in addressing climate change—and I’m part of a team that defends these standards in court.
I’ve been interested in environmental health and environmental policy for a long time—I still have my copy of 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth. I’m in my specific position mostly because nearly ten years ago, I got a fellowship working down the hall from a woman who became my mentor, and she inspired me to start working on air pollution and climate change issues and to go to law school. So there was some planning involved in getting me here, but also some random luck.
What advice do you have for younger people interested in policy work? And of course, since you're a lawyer, let's ask the age-old question of "should I go to law school?"
I really recommend trying a variety of different jobs in college and immediately afterwards. Get a work study job while you’re in school; pick internships that expose you to a variety of different job paths. Even if you know you’re interested in policy work, there’s a huge difference between working as a grassroots organizer and working for a think tank. Both can be rewarding jobs—but for different personality types. Do you like spending your day with people? Do you prefer a job that’s more introspective? Do you want to have a direct impact or work on the big picture? It’s really helpful to try out different opportunities so that you get a sense of what’s a good fit for your personality.
If you’re considering law school, definitely, definitely take a few years off before going! Law school could be a great next step, but it’s a big commitment and it’s important to make sure it’s the right fit for you. Think hard about what the financial implications will be—the amount of debt you could face after law school can drastically limit your flexibility in choosing a job. Don’t go to law school just because you can’t decide what you want to do or don’t like your job now.
Is there something you learned at the Mountain School that you apply in your daily life, whether in your job or at home? What stuck with you?
The Mountain School really empowered me to be proactive. It helped me realize that I’m perfectly capable of considering my surroundings and determining what needs to get done to make a place better: no need to wait for someone to give me step-by-step instructions. If I saw that a sheep had gotten out of the pasture, it was my responsibility to tell someone, even if no one had told me it was my "chore” to check on the sheep.
Now, having initiative doesn’t mean being a bad team member and just going my own way. It’s vital to be responsible and have good communication with your coworkers and partners. But it makes me a more effective and happier employee to look at our team’s priorities over the coming months, and choose the course of my day to achieve those goals—rather than waiting for someone to tell me. If something’s going wrong, or not getting done, or could be done more effectively, I have the opportunity to make a change and make it better.
If you could have one Marilyn-prepared dish tonight at dinner, what would it be?
Ok, this isn’t a dish exactly, but I would love to have fudgy oat squares!
Quick takes: pick one from each of the pairs below:
1. Garden Hill or dining hall? Garden Hill
2. Solo or Sunday brunch? Sunday brunch
3. Bathroom chores or chicken feeding? Chicken feeding
4. Journal or science site? Science site
Spring 2016 Garden Hill Fund grant recipients announced
In this past spring's round of the Garden Hill Fund (GHF), five graduates shared $20,000 in grant money generously donated by alumni. Their projects, like other GHF grant recipients before them, are impressive, admirable and have significant potential for positive impact, both locally and globally.
The student GHF committee this round was made up of those in Jack Kruse's Humanities class. This process change married the GHF program with the Mountain School academic curriculum. Humanities students, who made the final decisions on which proposals to fund and for how much, said the process tied in well with what they were learning and was enjoyable. With the Garden Hill Fund incorporated into the Humanities course, current students now help link alumni funding with the good work of other alumni.
Congratulations to the Spring '16 grant recipients:
The student GHF committee this round was made up of those in Jack Kruse's Humanities class. This process change married the GHF program with the Mountain School academic curriculum. Humanities students, who made the final decisions on which proposals to fund and for how much, said the process tied in well with what they were learning and was enjoyable. With the Garden Hill Fund incorporated into the Humanities course, current students now help link alumni funding with the good work of other alumni.
Congratulations to the Spring '16 grant recipients:
- Elizabeth Fair f89 ($7,000)
Researching tuberculosis stigma in Blangadesh - Joseph Schottenfeld s07 ($1,400)
Creating a short documentary about migrant laborers from Tajikistan - Nate Sloan s03 and Gideon (Grody-Patinkin) Irving s03 ($3,000)
Creating a "Gideon & Hubcap" musical touring show geared toward kids - Sarah Gross s12 ($3,600)
Establishing a permanent garden garden at Seeds of Peace camp in Maine - Shannon Flaherty f99 ($5,000)
Launching Goat in the Schools, a student-written children's theater program in New Orleans
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Mountain School Where You Live 2016
This past spring, on May 7th and 8th (plus one event in early June), alumni and their families and friends gathered in 17 locations around the U.S. and U.K. to appreciate where they live and celebrate the spirit of The Mountain School. Folks enjoyed hikes on the coast and in the woods, farm work, building raised garden beds, visiting historic landmarks, and sharing good food, among other activities.
About Us
The Mission of the Mountain School Alumni Initiative is to support a dynamic community of Mountain School graduates by connecting them to each other and helping them to carry forward the intellectual curiosity, celebration of place and commitment to service we associate with the Mountain School.
Got feedback? Contact us.
The Mission of the Mountain School Alumni Initiative is to support a dynamic community of Mountain School graduates by connecting them to each other and helping them to carry forward the intellectual curiosity, celebration of place and commitment to service we associate with the Mountain School.
Got feedback? Contact us.
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