“Since it is only three weeks long, one ends up becoming close with people after only two or three days. There’s an unspoken bond from the get-go… No where else is so accepting, inspiring and life-changing.”

Dormitories

Boarding students live in small, single-sex dormitories, each of which is staffed by two college-age dorm heads. Dormitory life is safe, close, and comfortable. In keeping with The Putney School tradition, there are no locks on dorm room doors. Visits between students from different dorms are allowed only in dorm living rooms during supervised visiting hours.

Meals

Workshops

Afternoons

Evenings

Students sign up for two arts-related evening activities upon arrival. Each evening activity meets twice a week for the entire three-week session. While activities change each year, a sample of past offerings includes:

African Dance Art History Batik Book & Card Making Blacksmithing Breakdancing Cartooning Ceramics Children's Book Writing Creative Writing Figure Drawing Illustration Knitting

Landscape Watercolor Large Scale Drawing Inlay Jewelry Old School Painting Photography Putney Magazine Student Activism Swing and Latin Dance Theater Improvisation Weaving Woodworking World Music Ensemble Yoga

Weekday Schedule

Weekends and Special Events

Weekend time is scheduled but not hectic, giving students an opportunity to meet new people and participate in the arts, both on campus and in the area.

Throughout each session, events and field trips are planned to capitalize on our commitment to the arts, the Vermont landscape, and our dedication to creating a memorable experience.

Students participate in dorm activities, all-campus field trips, dances, faculty presentations, an overnight camping trip, open fiction and poetry readings, a talent show, flea market trips, and other local activities. As part of our commitment to community, we spend one morning each session in service to the campus or to the Putney community. Students begin each day in a community sing.

A highlight of each session is the International Dinner, for which our international students prepare food from their countries to share with the entire student body.

Camping Trips

Our students spend a night each session camping at one of many beautiful campsites in Vermont, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts. Each trip is comprised of two adult leaders and twelve students. A unique opportunity to appreciate the out-of-doors and to bond with students from other parts of the program, the camping trips are a much anticipated and memorable highlight of the session.

Performances, Readings and Exhibitions

Throughout each session, students perform, share and display their work-in-progress. On the final Friday of each session, presentations, exhibits and performances of student work are held for students, their families, and friends.

Evaluations

At the completion of each session, workshop teachers write a narrative evaluation, describing each student's participation and growth over the course of the session. These evaluations are mailed to families at the end of the summer. We do not grant academic credit.

Health Services

A full-time nurse is on staff. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and on-call medical care is located in Brattleboro, Vermont, 11 miles south of Putney and in Bellows Fall, 16 miles north of Putney.

In an effort to best serve our students, we ask that families share all relevant medical information about a prospective student during the application process. If a student’s medical or psychological condition is not divulged in advance, the director has the discretion to ask a student to leave without refund of tuition.

The Farm

The Putney School Farm is a working dairy farm with an organic garden that produces much of the food we eat during the summer months. Students have the opportunity to work with animals and to help with farm chores in selected afternoon activities and at a.m. barn. Students in workshops also use the farm as a resource and for inspiration.

Students Staying Both Sessions

For students who are staying for both sessions, the weekend between Session I and Session II is an opportunity to spend time with family off campus in the surrounding Vermont countryside. Students who remain on campus participate in a relaxing, recreational program.

Day Students

Day students enroll in morning and afternoon workshops and participate in sing, assemblies and selected community activities. An average day begins at 8:25 am (Sing) and finishes at 5:30 pm (Afternoon Activities). In an effort to integrate day students into the community, they have the option to spend the first and last night of each session in dorms. Day students are expected to participate in the programs at all times that they are on campus. There are additional fees for Evening Activities and campus field trips. Please contact the business manager for more information.

Expectations

Students agree to certain expectations for conduct while they are at Putney. These expectations, as outlined in the Student Enrollment Agreement and Contract, help ensure the safety and respect we consider necessary to each student’s happiness, productive effort, and sense of community. We expect all students at Putney to work with energy, sustained effort, and an open mind.

In keeping with our efforts to encourage students to focus on their work and the community here at Putney, we provide limited access to the internet. Cell phones are not allowed on campus. Students traveling with cell phones give them to the business manager at registration, after which they are stored in a safe in the Summer Programs office. Personal computers are not allowed. Use of iPods and other portable personal electronics is limited.

Students who fail to adhere to the expectations and spirit of the program risk dismissal or withdrawal without refund of tuition or fees. It is vital to each student’s success at Putney that he or she has chosen to come to Putney and is committed to getting the most out of this opportunity.