Twelve Sterling students graduated this semester, and were honored in a December commencement ceremony. We wish them the best as they go out into the world as problem solvers and environmental stewards, and we know that they will enrich their communities as they have enriched ours.

1)  WILLIAM APPLEBY

William graduated with a major in Natural History. His senior project was comparative ecological study of the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast Kingdom.

2)  ERIC TICEHURST DUBE

Eric graduated with a major in Sustainable Agriculture. His Senior Applied Research Project is titled, Craft Cider: Business viability measured by the triple bottom line and regulatory compliance

3) AMANDA KOSAKETH

Amanda graduated with a major in Outdoor Education and Leadership

Her senior project was focused on Ecopsychology and Ecotherapy. Amanda spent time researching her topic through reading books, articles, visiting nature programs in the area and leading nature activities with high school students from Buffalo Mountain School in Hardwick.

4)  JONATHAN M. KREINDEL

Jonathan graduated with a major in Sustainable Agriculture

During his senior year, he has balanced a developing career in value added food product processing with coursework in Animal Science.

5)  SHANNON MARISSA MAES

Shannon graduated with a major in Conservation Ecology. Her Senior Applied Research Project is titled, Bumble Bee Biogeography of Craftsbury, Vermont and the surrounding area

6)  NATASHA INAZ PHIEFFER

Natasha graduated with a major in Sustainable Agriculture

Her Senior Project explored the Viability of Growing and Selling Fresh Cut Organic Flowers in Northern Vermont.

7)  IRA ASHER POWSNER

Ira graduated with a major in Conservation Ecology

His Senior Applied Research Project is titled, Activism and Organizing – Where Energy and the Environment Meet Environmental Justice

8) MAEGAN REICHLE

Maegan graduated with a major in Sustainable Vegetable and Fruit Crop Production

Her Senior Project is titled, Bread and Roses –Edible landscaping using production oriented and aesthetic principles. Maegan chose to focus on promoting consciousness through experience and weave together the ideational threads from her many courses into her own unique tapestry.

9) TREVOR RING (Was not be in attendance)

Trevor graduated with a major in Cross-Cultural Food Studies Trevor could not join us today, but he sends his best wishes to all from India. His senior year has combined the study of  Culinary Arts, Food Systems, Agriculture and Global Studies.

10) COLIN JOSEPH TALIAFERRO

Colin graduated with a major in Livestock Production and Management

His Senior Project is a study in livestock marketing, accessing funding through grant writing and the development of a breeding and genetics plan for a cattle operation.

11)   RYAN TALIAFERRO

Ryan graduated with a major in Sustainable Livestock Production

His Senior Project explores issues related to irrigating the American West and water conservation systems

12)  PAIGE WIERIKKO

Paige graduated with a major in Community-Based Nonprofit Management

Paige has been a program Intern at The Center for an Agriculture Economy, and her senior project was to assist with the Renaissance of the Hardwick Community Gardens

Winter Expedition 2012 has returned to Craftsbury Common. Enjoy the hot showers, everyone!

Please join us on Saturday, December 8th, for the end of semester Senior Symposium, an opportunity for the community to celebrate the hard work of students completing their Senior Projects and Senior Applied Research Projects.  All presentations will be held in Simpson Hall.

The students presenting at the Symposium are:

9:00 Jaci Slattery, Developing a Summer Adult Agriculture Program on Martha’s Vineyard

9:35 Ira Powsner, Community Solar In Vermont: Blazing A Trail In The Green Mountain State

10:10 Lindsay Blyth, An Urban Experience

10:45 Rianna Clark, A Journey in Bioregionalism and Food Sheds

11:20 Eric Dube, Craft Cider: Business Viability Measured by the Triple Bottom Line and Regulatory Compliance

12:00-12:45 Lunch Break

1:00 Shannon Maes, Bumble Bee Biogeography of Craftsbury and the Surrounding Area

1:35 Paige Wierikko, Hardwick Community Garden Renaissance

2:00 Maegan Reichle, Bread and Roses

Congratulations to Kristen Kropp and Malaika Whitney whose “American Gothic” costumes won the Halloween Costume Contest.

Many thanks to everyone who made the Halloween Party on the Sterling Farm such a rip-roaring good time!

Photo via Matt Anderson.

The dates for student internship presentations are set!

Join us in Simpson Hall on five evenings this fall to support Sterling students and learn about what they accomplished on their internship. This is a great chance to get to know students and get a sense of how their studies at Sterling relate to their future careers.

Presentations are scheduled for the following dates, and are all held at 6:30 pm in Simpson 3.

October 29th

November 7th

November 14th

November 28th

December 15th

Refreshments will be served!

We are thrilled to welcome Favor Ellis to campus as our new Dean of Students. Favor comes to Sterling College with 18 years of experience working with young adults in educational and residential settings. 

In her own words…

My passion for depth of experience and intentional living has led me to look for work in a small community focused on relationship, collaboration and integrity.

I was raised off the grid in rural Maine, deep in the forest, two miles from our nearest neighbor. We relied solely on solar and wind power, and grew, harvested and put up most of our own food. I learned to be curious, compassionate and creative in the face of rural isolation and I continue to apply these values to all my choices and relationships.

My appreciation for the natural world runs deep; Ecopsychology was a cornerstone of my graduate work at Goddard College, and I am deeply invested in supporting communities that prioritize social justice, diversity and equity, in conjunction with a deep reverence for the natural world.

To all of our new students, we thank you for sharing yourselves with us. We hope your goals and dreams will be nourished and will prosper here, and that they will provide both motivation and courage as you open a new chapter in your lives. We look forward to your active participation in the continuous process of forming and building community at Sterling, with your care, kindness, curiosity, questioning, learning, listening, passion and creativity.

Here are some facts, figures, and inspiration about the newest group of Sterling College students.

Total = 29

• Male = 18
• Female = 11

13% from Vermont
52% from New England (including Vermont)
48% from outside New England (including 2 international students)

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Many thanks to all of the alumni, students, and staff who help stain Hamilton and Jefferson over the weekend, and painted this incredible mural on the side of Hamilton Hall.

Additional thanks to the local artist Tara Goreau, who oversaw production of the mural and stayed up until dawn to finish the details.

More photos of the mural are available here. Thanks to Emily Coyle for taking pictures!

PHOTO: Brittany Benedetti, ‘12, on her internship at Wheeler Summer Camp.

The Internship Program is a cornerstone of the Sterling College curriculum, giving students the chance to apply their learning in the context of a real world job.

Each Sterling student completes a 10-week off-campus internship, part of a series of courses that include Work Search and Writing and Communications. Sterling graduates often point to their internship as a critical piece of their overall education, an experience that provides real world job skills and a hefty dose of entrepreneurial training.

Here is a list of Sterling students who are pursuing their internship this year:

William Appleby

Lucky Bunch Farm - Vancouver, Washington

Farm Intern: seeding, transplanting, cultivating, harvesting, supporting the CSA and Farmer’s Market, working on various carpentry projects, putting up the farm stand, completing general farm maintenance; etc.

Jacquie Bartz

Jolly Adventures - Nemaska, Quebec

Cree Cultural Intern: studying the Cree language and culture; trapping and hunting bear, moose, beaver, and caribou; ice-fishing; cleaning hides; cooking traditional foods; building tents; watching bear dens for activity; learning to survive in the bush; etc.

Deborah Benson

Mandala Farm - Gouldsboro, Maine

Farm Apprentice: caring for animals (horses, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and cow) and daily chores, rotating pasture, horse driving, milking cows, planting, harvesting, washing and packing vegetables for market and CSA, butchering and processing chickens; etc.

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Student: Ladda “Amanda” Kosaketh

Internship: Massachusetts Audubon Society

Location: Sharon, Massachusetts

I worked as an Instructor-Counselor at Moose Hill Summer Camp. Moose Hill is one of Mass Audubon’s many day camps. Mass Audubon is the largest conservation organization in New England. Its mission is to protect the nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. Its vision is for Massachusetts to live with respect and appreciation of nature and ensure its protection. 

My responsibilities included creating age-appropriate lesson plans that encouraged natural history learning and creative arts, managing kids ages 3 to 16, and supporting the positive development of the campers. In the above photo, I am holding a salamander my camp group found during an activity at one of the camp’s vernal pools.

Comments from Amanda’s Supervisor:

“Over the summer she taught or observed students who had a variety of social skill challenges including Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, and anger management issues. She learned techniques to manage some behaviors but what is most important is that she always maintained an attitude of respect and caring for each person.”

Student: Erica Tenner

Internship: Pegasus Riding Academy

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This past summer I worked for the only non-profit, therapeutic horseback-riding academy in the city of Philadelphia. Pegasus’ mission is to provide disabled individuals with therapeutic activity and exercise in various forms, while concentrating on ability rather than disability.

My responsibilities at Pegasus included exercising the twelve horses, lesson instruction/assistance, and equine and volunteer management. In this photo, I am riding Mason - working with him to bring his hind end under him and round his back, which in turn will strengthen and promote his physical health.

Comments from Erica’s Supervisor:

“She is a great rider, which will be an asset in any therapy program. She also demonstrated great patience with both riders and volunteers.”

At the beginning of each semester, new students are welcomed to Sterling during an All College Meeting, and the Admissions Team reads a profile of the incoming class. This profile of new students is copied below.

There are 19 students new to Sterling College. Some of you will be here for both sessions, some for just the first session and some will be coming for just the second session; 4 of you plan to continue into the fall semester.

Your academic interests include Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems (as part
of the Vermont’s Table Program), Outdoor Education and all things environmental.

You are from New Jersey, New York, Singapore, Arizona, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Illinois, Vermont, California and Connecticut (by way of Canada).

You have attended other colleges including Corning CC, University of Colorado, Prescott College, Worcester State College, St. Catherine University, Macalester College, Hofstra University, SOKA University, Bennington College, Middlebury College, Amherst College, Tufts University, Rhode Island School of Design, Boston University, University of Virginia and the International Culinary Center of New York.

You have traveled, volunteered, lived, studied or worked in Australia, Brazil, national parks, forests and deserts in the US, Belize, Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, France, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Peru, Serbia, Morocco, China, Nicaragua, Canada, Hawaii, across the US, India, Portugal, Senegal, Croatia, Italy and Germany.

You enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, backpacking and climbing as well as ice hockey, bike racing, running, triathlons, snowboarding, whitewater canoeing, outward bound adventures, mountain-biking, skiing and softball.

You are artists of many kinds including musicians, writers, drawers, painters, tattoo artists, dancers, belly dancers and singers.

You practice Yoga, meditation and are members of spiritual communities.

You volunteer at food pantries, co-ops, in town clean-ups and in community gardens.

You actively compost, recycle, work in apple orchards and berry patches and grow food.

You have attended Beef Camp and Bee School and have enjoyed WWOOFing in various locations.

You enjoy canning, cooking, brewing, permaculture, farming, pot luck meals and gardening.

You have taught at a Spanish institute in Brooklyn and been part of a farm house renovation project.

You enjoy caring for animals.

You take care of people in their homes.

You enjoy collecting books and stamps, blogging, off-roading, 4-wheeling and traveling.

You have been members of movements and clubs including Food Roots, Community
Gardens, Share Our Strengths, Team Hole in the Wall, environmental clubs, history clubs, philosophy clubs and food coalitions.

You are student government leaders, participants in Occupy movements and have worked on innovative housing projects.

You are leaders in sustainable food projects and slow food chapters.

You are Girl Scouts, 4-H members, YMCA hike leaders and have led canoe trips.

You have worked with community radio, Story Corp, an oral history project, been part of a living history reenactment and presentation, and have volunteered at a museum of Tolerance.

Your essays spoke to your hopes, dreams and goals for your studies at Sterling as well as to life values. Here are some of those things you shared with us:

It’s only through first hand experience that I can learn how I will react and therefore understand myself. In this way I think that experiential learning can teach me so much more than anything a classroom and a textbook can offer.

Growth is something I am always striving for and I know my Vermont’s Table experiences will be a time of intellectual growth and enlightenment.

I am craving structured and dedicated time to think deeply about food from the soil up, to understand the land from working in it, to investigate our habits, our needs, our pleasure, and our problematic system.

I must apply the same intellectual demands on myself as I would for food; indeed, everyone ought to think deeply and honestly about what it means to eat in America in our time.

Farm-to-table systems are a really promising model for a more sustainable food system and I would like to focus on them specifically.

I hope to start my own farm where I will teach classes and hands-on fieldwork about Sustainable Agriculture to those who want to learn to farm and to live off the land.

I believe Vermont’s Table would give me a taste for the differences in food production methods and contextualize the benefits of each.

I abhor how the lifestyle of a restaurant cook makes me think of food as just a commodity, something to be ordered, fired, sold and bought when I am convinced there is so much more than that. I want to somehow share that fierce excitement I feel when I learn something new or try something different with food.

I’ve become aware of how interdependent we can be and that it’s a great thing. I want to grow and strengthen in this view and way of being.

The sustainable food world is watching Vermont and it is exciting to be part of that innovation and growth.

Growing up I quickly realized that working with my hands made me happy. After herding sheep for three months I realized that farming is the type of work that suited me best.

I believe the cross pollination of ideas is essential to developing holistic, long term,
systematic solutions that will improve food for everyone.

I want to be a part of a system that encourages its citizens to partake in our food system in a conscientious manner that is empowering but most of all fun.

Nature has so much to teach us. I have made a personal commitment to nurture myself, the earth, and all living beings to become environmentally aware.

To the Sterling Community, we ask that you welcome our new students, and appreciate their energy, ideas and motivation.

To all of our new students, we thank you for sharing yourselves with us. We hope your goals and dreams will be nourished and will prosper here, and that they will provide both motivation and courage as you open a new chapter in your lives.

We look forward to your active participation in the continuous process
of forming and building community at Sterling, with your care, kindness, questioning, learning, listening, passion and creativity.

Members of the Environmental Education class pose for a photo at Shelburne Farms. From left, Alexis Drane, Paige Wierikko, Allison Van Akkeren (faculty member and author of the following article) and Kate Sims.

Sterling College students engaged Craftsbury Elementary students in nature study activities and farm to school programs this spring as part of their course work in Environmental Education. They trained with Four Winds Educators to design and implement dynamic nature study lessons for the classroom.

As part of a lesson on bird nests, the elementary school students learned to identify which nest belonged to what bird using a key. Observant, inquisitive and intelligent students were involved in seeking out the owners of the nests. The excited students, as groups, built their own nests using sticks, strings of yarn, hair, hay and other objects — the nests were then tested to see if they held eggs (small chocolate ones)! 

A lesson on composting, designed by Sterling College student Kevin Cannon as part of his Senior Project, was also presented by the Environmental Education class.

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First off, I’d like to thank my parents, my in-laws, my sister and niece, and especially my wife Abby, for making the trip up here to celebrate with me, but more importantly for their support while I was in school, both financially and emotionally.

Also, a big thank you to all the faculty and staff that I worked with during my time at Sterling. I wouldn’t be up here without you. I’ll extend that thanks to all graduates’ family and friends with us today, as I’m sure they would thank you from this podium if given the chance.

I’ve been away from this place for some time now, but to be invited to commencement, to be welcomed back so warmly, and to be selected as a speaker is truly an honor and a privilege. I suppose I’ve earned myself a reputation here as a bit of an entertainer. I have here a letter from Will Wootton, addressed to my father after I left school a year and a half ago, that says this about me:

“We’ll miss his enthusiastic singing, especially.”

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