Middlebury College Fetes Mid-Year Graduates withAnnual Ski-Down Celebration on Jan. 29

Bachelor of arts degrees from Middlebury College will be received by 72 students from the Class of 2000 upon the mid-year completion of their academic requirements at the liberal arts institution in Vermont.

Although March graduates earn degrees months earlier than the rest of their classmates because they enter the College a semester earlier, they must still wait until May to receive the actual diplomas. To more immediately honor their accomplishment, however, the College invites students to participate in a special mid-winter celebration: a ski-down in cap and gown at the Snow Bowl, the College’s ski facility close by in the Green Mountains.

Following the custom initiated by mid-year graduates over a decade ago, most students choose to participate in the festive procession on the slopes. Led by a Middlebury College standard-bearer, honorees ski down the mountain in a parade of caps and gowns, blue and white balloons, and skis to the cheers and hearty congratulations of family, friends, and College faculty and staff waiting below.

The College also looks forward to seeing its ski-down graduates return later each spring, when they join the rest of their graduating class at the College’s official commencement ceremony on the main campus in May.

What: Middlebury College’s annual ski-down in cap and gown celebration for mid-year graduates.

Where: Middlebury College Snow Bowl, in Hancock, Vt., on Route 125 E.

When: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information: Heather Cahill, associate director of Middlebury College alumni and parent programs, at 802-443-5192.