Academic Philosophy

Mountain School courses are designed to provide a demanding, integrated learning experience that takes full advantage of our size and rural setting. The curriculum balances hands-on learning and critical thinking, links academic disciplines, and inspires self-reflection and personal development, while pushing students to reach beyond the self and focus on the common good. Whenever possible, teachers design lesson plans that challenge students to consider this particular hilltop farm in Vermont.

At the same time, we work hard to ensure that each student is fully prepared to reenter the curriculum of his or her home school. The faculty often consult with teachers at our sending schools to make the transition between programs as smooth as possible. Environmental Science and English provide somewhat different models for thinking about the complex natural and social systems a student encounters at the Mountain School. Students are prompted to shape questions about their experience here that reverberate throughout the curriculum. 

Because our students come from as many as thirty-three different public and private schools, learning increases exponentially as they seek common ground in class discussion. 

Classes range in size from two to sixteen, with an average class size of eight to twelve.

Course Offerings

  English               Environmental Science        Humanities 

  U.S. History        Mathematics                     Languages

  Studio Art          Chemistry                         Physics

English: (required)

The English course reflects and expands upon the experience of the Mountain School semester. Diverse readings encourage students to think through some of the questions that arise naturally in the course of their four months here: How do we talk about the identity of nature? What is the nature of personal identity? How is the world changing and how might we choose to participate in those changes? Readings range widely, from essays to poetry to contemporary fiction. We focus on improving skills in public speaking, close reading, effective writing, and synthesizing knowledge and experience. The reading list includes works by Robert Frost, Willa Cather, Leo Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau and Tillie Olsen. Student journals are a major component of the course. 

Environmental Science: (required)

This course equips students to discover the remarkable complexity of a single place. On weekly science hikes students learn to identify common tree species, determine the age of trees from core samples they have taken themselves, read the signs of wildlife activity from tracks and scat, and interpret the historical forces that have shaped a given portion of our 300-acre campus. By the end of the term every student is an expert on a site that he or she has chosen, mapped, and pondered over the course of four months. Intensive reading, field work, lectures and class discussion help students translate their understanding of a particular microcosm into a nuanced appreciation of the global environment.

U.S. History:

The United States History course at the Mountain School has five main objectives:
 • To examine, through readings, discussions, group projects, simulations, and class presentations, the history of the United States and its people from pre-Columbian civilization though the Civil War (fall semester) or from the end of Reconstruction until the present day (spring semester). 
• To understand some of U.S. History’s classic problems and ideas, and to develop some of our own responses to the discipline’s fundamental questions. 
• To relate historical phenomena to current and anticipated events, especially the roots of today’s societal inequalities. 
• To connect what we learn to our own lives; in particular, to the choices we will make, and to our search for a meaningful life. 
• To create a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and reflection about historical events and ideas. 
This is not a traditional AP course, but students who complete all the course requirements for this course will be well prepared for the AP in U.S. History; those who wish to take the AP in U.S. History should inform their instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Mathematics (Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Calculus):

From Algebra II through Pre-calculus on into Calculus (we do not offer Geometry), math classes are designed to prepare each student for re-entry at the appropriate point in his/her home school's mathematics program while also allowing each student to take advantage of the unique learning environment at the Mountain School. This learning environment includes a physical setting full of potential mathematics applications, small classes, close relationships with teachers, opportunities for both independent and group work and a chance to stretch one¹s thinking beyond traditional cut-and-dry mathematics. Students are divided into math sections based on a detailed questionnaire filled by a math teacher at the home school. Since curricula vary from school to school, each math section typically covers a set of core topics as a class and then breaks up to work independently or in small groups on additional topics. An emphasis placed on developing problem-solving skills with the farm providing a rich source of intriguing applications for mathematical principles.  

Language:

French, Spanish, and Latin are offered at intermediate and advanced levels.  At the intermediate level, the aim is to build fluency through oral drills in grammar, structured writing, focused reading, and conversation. At the advanced level, close reading of challenging texts and more extensive essay assignments in the language form the basis for improving fluency and increasing exposure to the culture. Additional coursework and practice on specific test components are available for students hoping to take an advanced placement test.

Humanities:

This elective class considers the nature of human inquiry, particularly in science, and some of the controversies that have sprung from our urge to understand better how the world works. Drawing on a wide range of readings--including Daniel Quinn's Ishmael, Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, the Unabomber's manifesto, and McKibben's The End of Nature--Humanities provides a forum to discuss the tough issues that accompany advances in human knowledge. The course features training in student-led discussions, dialogical thinking, and interdisciplinary writing.

Studio Art:

The studio art class follows the course of art history from basic drawing to Modernism. The first half of hte term begins with line, then form in drawing. Following the study of form as related to color, students work on space, color, composition and abstraction in the second half of the term. The simple premise is to prepare the student for further study in art. 

Physics:

This class covers the first half of a rigorous first-year physics course. Since math is used extensively in solving problems, students should have a solid foundation in algebra and trigonometry. The program is designed to meet the needs of students returning to a rigorous math-based physics class while also developing a solid foundation in conceptual physics. The syllabus includes study of motion, force, gravity, work, and energy and can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual sending schools. While gaining the elemental skills of physics, students also gain an appreciation for the physics of everyday phenomena. Laboratory exercises give students hands-on experience with physical principles and build their skills in investigative science. The labs also take advantage of our the unique learning environment at the Mountain School, such as studying the effect of gravity on objects dropped off our local rock-climbing cliff or learning vector addition through orienteering.

Chemistry (spring semester only):

Designed to offer a second semester of a challenging lab-based chemistry class, this course also integrates the special opportunity of a working organic farm in its teaching of chemical principles. Typical topics covered include: molecular geometry, kinetics, equilibria, acid-base interactions, thermodynamics, and redox reactions. Questionnaires are sent to each student's chemistry teacher at the home school to identify topics covered in the first half of the course in order to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Please feel free to contact the Mountain School directly for more detailed descriptions of these courses.

Advising

Each student, when he or she arrives at the Mountain School, is assigned a faculty advisor. We recognize that living in such an active, intense place can pose challenges for students who have not lived away from home before, and our advisors make sure that students get the support they need to be happy and successful members of our community.

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