Program Blocks

Two women chopping butternut squash in a kitchen classroom. One woman is smiling at the camera while the other is focused on chopping.

Hands-On Learning That Sustains Our Community

During weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, Mountain School students participate in Program Blocks—hands-on, experiential sessions that sustain the daily life of the school.

From the farm to the forest, the kitchen to the classroom, Program Blocks are where students practice real responsibility and gain practical skills that deepen their connection to place and community.

What Are Program Blocks?

Children outdoors in snowy forest, one girl using binoculars, others observing.

Program Blocks rotate students through vital areas of campus life, including:

  • Farm Crew & Sugaring

  • Harvest Kitchen & Dish Crew

  • Woods Crew & Trail Maintenance

  • Campus Operations & Community Engagement

  • Outdoor Program & Science Hike

Each rotation offers a different perspective on what it takes to sustain a self-reliant community—and how labor, leadership, and care intersect in everyday life.

Two young people, a woman and a man, are in a forest tying ropes around trees, likely setting up or inspecting a safety system or marker, with green leaves and multiple trees in the background.

Farm Crew & Sugaring

Group of people planting a tree outdoors on cloudy day.

The rhythm of the farm connects students to the seasons.

  • Fall Semester: Harvesting vegetables, processing food, and caring for animals.

  • Spring Semester: Planting new crops, participating in maple syrup production, and caring for newborn animals.

Students learn the full cycle of food production—from soil to table—while contributing directly to the school’s meals and sustainability efforts.

A woman holding a baby goat at a petting zoo, with alpacas and other animals in the background.

Farm Day

Two women gardening in a field with green plants and blue sky.

Once per semester, the entire community joins together for Farm Day—a full day dedicated to seasonal work like bringing in the harvest or preparing the fields.


It’s one of the most anticipated days of the semester: joyful, challenging, and deeply satisfying.

Woman in a turquoise headscarf and dark shirt holding tomatoes in an outdoor garden.

Harvest Kitchen

Three young people preparing food in a kitchen. The person on the left is chopping vegetables on a red cutting board, the person in the middle is shredding cheese or similar ingredient into a bowl, and the person on the right is smiling and holding a spatula.

In Harvest Kitchen, students transform the farm’s bounty into meals for the entire community. Working alongside chefs and farm staff, they learn food preparation, preservation, and the joy of shared nourishment.

Three women wearing green aprons chopping butternut squash in a kitchen.

Woods Crew & Trail Maintenance

A person wearing a yellow hard hat and black shirt is chopping down a tree with a saw in a wooded area, surrounded by leaves and branches.

Every student learns the fundamentals of forestry, safety, and sustainable fuel production, felling trees, splitting firewood, and maintaining the campus trails. This work connects students to the ecosystem that supports the school, fostering a tangible respect for the land.

Two women and one man in a forest, wearing orange safety vests, holding gardening tools, with the women smiling and striking poses, and the man walking in the background.

Campus Operations & Community Engagement

Students support the function of the school and the local Vershire, Vermont community in numerous ways. Some blocks may be spent helping the admissions or alumni offices, while others may find themselves volunteering at the local elementary school or with area nonprofits.

Caring for a place extends beyond the boundaries of campus.

People creating a decorative flyer for a spring ball with colorful gems and glue on a wooden table.
Young person with brown hair taking a photograph with a Canon camera, wearing a red shirt and a large backpack, outdoors with trees in the background.

Program Blocks are where purpose meets Practice

At The Mountain School, learning isn’t confined to the classroom—it’s lived every day through meaningful work, collaboration, and connection to place. Program Blocks invite students to take part in the essential rhythms that sustain our community—on the farm, in the woods, in the kitchen, and beyond.

This is where students grow into leaders—through action, reflection, and shared effort.

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