December 22, 2000
Vermont Junior High School
Students to Sample College Life
MIDDLEBURY,
Vt.—Middlebury College Cook Commons, in conjunction with the
Foundation for Excellent Schools, has invited approximately 50 6th,
7th, and 8th grade students most of whom are from Vermont to campus
to sample college life at Midd Day on Saturday, Jan.
13. Junior high school students from the Vermont towns of
Bakersfield, Fairfield, Danby, Coventry, Chester, Andover, Benson,
and Pownall as well as the New York town of Ticonderoga will join
several Middlebury students who will act as counselors for the
day. The purpose of Midd Day, which will be free to all
participants, is to offer the young students a glimpse not only of
college life, but also of possible choices for their future.
Many of these students would be the first members of their families
to attend college.
The
event, which is open solely to the invited students, will run from
approximately noon until 8 p.m., and will include activities ranging
from a talk on college admissions to a hockey game.
The
Foundation for Excellent Schools, a national organization based in
Cornwall, Vt., and co-sponsor of the event, strives to help schools
collaborate with the community and beyond by developing partnerships
with colleges, parents, businesses, and other schools. Cook Commons
is part of the Colleges commons system, which divides the
campus into five groups of dorms.
Justin
Drechsler, a junior at Middlebury and one of the organizers of the
event, said, Through Midd Day, we hope to reach out to
those students who might be discouraged about their future, letting
them know that opportunities exist for everyone. Though the
bulk of the day is centered around college, we also stress life-based
skills like goal setting and a positive attitude.
This
is actually the second time Midd Day has taken place.
Initially, this was to be a one-time event, but feedback was so
overwhelmingly positive last year that we decided to make it an
annual happening. Our eventual objective is to convince several
other Vermont colleges to run comparable programs, thus expanding the
number of students that we reach, added Drechsler.