Our team is an eclectic group with divergent backgrounds and histories. We all believe deeply in the value of progressive education and enjoy seeing its positive impact for Putney students every day. To learn more about why we love Putney, read on!
Students serve on our admission committee and help shape the future Putney School community.
B.A Earlham College
M.A. Columbia University, Teachers College, Klingenstein Center
I like working at Putney because this is a place that truly wants students to be great. Putney is a place that is doing more than educating students academically, we are giving each student skills to really navigate life. That is the reason I have chosen to make this place my home. Also, I have to argue that you would never find a more warm and inviting community like Putney.
Learning is something that is life long for me. I keep myself in books, deep conversations and believe that we can learn from each other. I strongly believe that everything we do is a learning opportunity and I love working in education because students are always pushing me to stretch out of my comfort zone and learn more.
I love being outdoors at Putney. The views and the greenery are unreal here and I just love taking it all in. Also, I love the dining hall as the food is yummy and students are very proud when they bake something fresh for the community to enjoy.
B.A. Miami University
M.A.T. School for International Training
Putney creates and recreates a remarkable and compelling community each year, comprised of energetic new students from all over the world, seasoned returning students prepared to lead and contribute, and a generous-hearted, committed faculty and staff of able adults, some of whom are long-time friends and others who are more recent arrivals offering new ways to understand education and fresh camaraderie. Together, we make Putney more than just a school.
Far from my earlier studies in literature and language teaching, I’m now learning about native plants, natural gardening, and other horticultural matters.
I admit I love my office best. It’s a place of both quiet focus and of close collaboration and conversation with students. What’s more, the location gives me a broad view of campus, and of the local ‘travels’ of student friend groups, teachers, the occasional horseback-riding, mountain-biking, or cross-country skiing group, campus pups, and other friends in the school community.
I love the first warm days after Spring’s new grass has filled the lawns, when first-year students finally believe what we’ve been telling them: winter and mud DO eventually give way to lilacs and apple blossoms and newborn calves.
Over the years, I have admired the Putney School environment. It’s an inspiring, intentional space where students can dive into their curiosity, discover a stronger sense of self, and trust that their contribution to the community is valuable. Being a part of transformative spaces that center the growth of young people is incredibly rewarding.
I love the work of admissions here as students begin to imagine what is possible. There is a thoughtfulness to understand students as whole people and best serve families that is a pleasure to be a part of. I enjoy the challenge.
The innate sense of community here is open, helpful, and honors individual contributions within the whole and makes it a good place to put one’s energy.
My personal work as a theater director and educator is a lifelong sandbox of exploring new ideas and developing skills. I love collaborating with others as we chase stories to share on-stage. Every production brings its own demands, obstacles, and revelatory confrontations to move through together. I particularly love facilitating young people’s discovery of themselves and their craft through theatre arts. It inspires and teaches me – and guides me in all my other activities.
Joining this great team is certainly a new learning adventure. It’s a feast of new ways to understand people and the places they create together. This is a fascinating place and I feel lucky to collaborate with folks who love young people and learning with such heart.
Fall is alway a stunning season in Southern Vermont but it’s that first return of cooler breezes in the late summer that I’ve fallen in love with here at Putney. That exciting first promise of fall is all the more tasty in this beautiful setting.
B.A. Kenyon College
I love Putney’s innate sense of community. When I stepped on campus, I could see a strong reciprocal relationship between the people and the campus. Everyone graciously returns what the campus provides for them. And, as this relationship is constantly cultivated among students and faculty, I think the thread of community interwoven through Putney’s fabric grows stronger.
I am always fascinated by how drastically different parts of life are often more connected than we think. In college, I majored in music and played on the lacrosse team, and I would constantly find little parallels between the preparation and execution of both of those parts of my life. Now, I am always looking for ways to find interconnections in everything I do.
Campus always looks so picturesque during the fall. However, and perhaps more importantly, I really enjoy wearing sweaters.
I love Putney enough to move across the country to work here; it is a learning journey for me just like it is for all our prospective families. I love building and developing relationships with families and helping them navigate through what can be an overwhelming journey.
Putney is a unique and special place that finds the right people at the right time. I’m so looking forward to seeing these young, talented minds embrace rigorous academics and evolve within their passions. Students here are confident and lead with honesty and curiosity. Each individual at Putney learns and creates while feeling seen, heard, and appreciated. I was drawn to Putney by the chance to collaborate with dynamic professionals, contribute my experiences and perspectives, and share new adventures.
Journalism taught me to seek out stories and inform others. I like to think of learning as an ongoing story everyone should share. Whether through my experiences or daily interactions, I am dedicated to learning one new thing each day in whatever capacity I can.
The barn would be my favorite place on campus. The opportunity to work with and learn more about animals is a true privilege. Being from California, I am not used to actual seasons. However, I’m looking forward to fall!
I was faculty at Putney for five years in the math and science departments. I loved the academic freedom to design my own curriculum and encouraged students to do the same. The moment when a student would get excited about an independent project or project week was always the best part of the day. I loved incorporating arts into student assessment and talking often about the chemistry atom project where students used nearly every medium from 2D and 3D to ceramics, tap dance, weaving, and music composition. Putney students have an impressive ability to communicate their understanding of science artistically.
I remain active by setting ambitious long-term goals. One is to ride my bike 50 miles in all 50 states. This has been a wonderful way to understand our country better and see places I would never have seen otherwise. Another current goal centers around birding the local area. I hope to see as many bird species in Windham County (the county where Putney is) as possible. This has connected me to the local birding community, inspiring me to offer an ornithology class in the spring. It also connected our school to the MOTUS collaboration and the construction of the radio telemetry tower on campus. I’ve found that my large goals lead to unexpected opportunities.
Despite my wife’s confusion, my perfect day is 18F and sunny with skis on my feet. I look forward to skiing each winter and am excited to introduce my son to skiing on Putney’s trails and Brattleboro’s tow rope this year.
Thank you for your interest in The Putney School! We have a thoughtful application process that aims to uncover your creative and intellectual passions and your character. The students who
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Students from more than 30 nations around the world are represented at The Putney School. Most years, about 20 percent of students come from outside the U.S., contributing to a
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At Putney, we look for driven, creative students who want to and are able to take advantage of the intellectual freedom and autonomy afforded students both in the classroom and
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At Putney, There’s No Such Thing As Extracurricular. Everything Is Learning You are going to be learning all of the time – inside and outside, with teachers and fellow students,
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