Blue Mountain Union, is a Pre K – 12 school serving the towns of Groton, Ryegate, and Wells River since 1970. Blue Mountain is a small school, serving just around 400 students. With fewer students, Blue Mountain has become a place where young and old students can connect with ease.
Current student counselor, Julie Gandin, is a Blue Mountain graduate for the class of 1975, and has worked at Blue Mountain for 32 years. Over the years, Gandin has witnessed how Blue Mountain’s Pre K – 12 system has fostered strong relationships amongst its students, staff, alumni, and the larger community.
Gandin expressed how she believes Blue Mountain´s small size is responsible for building better relationships with students across all ages. When asked about her favorite part of Blue Mountain´s pre-K-12 system, Gandin shared: ¨ I really do think of it as a family, and I think the kids do too.¨ When asked about her K-12 schooling, junior Addison Murray mirrored Gandin’s response, expressing, “It’s really shaped who I am. It made me more comfortable to be myself.”
At Blue Mountain, it is easy for older students to connect with the younger students. One reason for this is because there are ample opportunities for the high school and elementary school to be together. For instance, the elementary school holds monthly assemblies, and four times out of the school year, the high school and middle school join in the celebration. Additionally, inside many elementary classrooms, high school students work 1-on-1 as academic support with their younger counterparts. On a more localized scale, certain high school classes integrate the younger grades into their units of study. For instance, many history classes have written stories and shared them with Pre-K and 1st-grade students. Child development classes also spend meaningful time with young children, engaging in hands-on research, and Electronic Journalism students interview kindergarten and first-grade students about their learning for a local radio station. When asked, kindergarten students Jackson Rowe and Blake Dexter about their time with the high school students, they both said: “We had a lot of fun with them.” They also said that high school students join them in Gym class to help them with activities.
Gandin also mentioned how the building serves a purpose beyond traditional classrooms. Gandin stated that
¨I think it becomes a central space for everything that’s going on.¨ Community members bond throughout different events such as sports events like Men’s League Basketball, Little League T-Ball and Babe Ruth Baseball. Community food events such as Twin State Fire school, Thanksgiving dinner, with these events, Parents are able to connect through their kids’ interests after school hours, creating bonds within the larger community.
Sports are also a great way for students of different ages to connect. At small schools like Blue Mountain, sports programs run a little differently versus at traditional high schools. Many younger athletes look up to their older role models on the court and in the classroom as they see them every day and sit in the stands during games to cheer them on. Additionally, at Blue Mountain High School, 9-12 grade athletes lead K-2 skills for Basketball, Soccer, and softball once a week.
Murray highlighted “softball, had focused on it [mentoring] more than any other sport.” Last year, the Blue Mountain softball team started a 1-on-1 mentoring program for younger students that focuses on the little things, like hitting and fielding. The softball team has continued to mentor younger students this spring by holding joint practice events at the start of the season.
¨High school students also officiate many elementary games throughout the year. Students are most likely to be seen refereeing soccer and basketball games for the elementary students. Blue Mountain Elementary student, Dhyan Patel shared how he feels having high school students officiating games. Patel said ¨I like seeing the older kids be the referee in my games.¨ Young students enjoy seeing High school students officiate games.
For the Blue Mountain community, it is more than just a pre K – 12 school. It is a place where everyone can build solid relationships, no matter the age. Many cherish the simplicity of the pre K – 12 system. Knowing that it brings the community together in ways most schools aren’t able to.
