The Sharon Academy

We encourage all of our students to take advantage of any of numerous opportunities to make the most of their high school years. Exploring one's interests in high school is rewarding intrinsically and it can also build knowledge and experiences that may benefit the student in the application process. Please note that we do not encourage students to be involved in activities merely to build a resume for a college application. Rather, we find that students enjoy developing their personal interests which can have the added benefit of strengthening a college application.

A partial list of opportunities that TSA students enjoy is found below.

Academic:

• Independent Studies: Students may take outside classes or study a topic on their own, either under the guidance of a TSA faculty member or an outside member. Students need to write up a proposal using the following as a guide: IS Contract  (Please use this as a guideline only.)

• Governors Institutes of Vermont: These institutes provide students with an opportunity to explore a topic indepth in the summer or during a winter weekend. Summer institutes topics are Arts, Asian Cultures, Current Issues and Youth Activism, Engineering, Information Technology, Mathematics, Science and Technology.

• UVM's Math department has a number of opportunites available to high school students each year. TSA students participate regularly in the Prize Math Exam, for example.

• Poetry Out Loud competition: This national recitation competition is an excellent opportunity for students.

• College level courses: Students may take college-level courses at a variety of local institutions, including Dartmouth College and the Community College of Vermont.

Sports:

TSA invites all students to participate in our team sports. See the athletics page for more information.

Theater and the Arts:

TSA has a strong tradition in this area with many opportunities for students. See the Theater and the Arts page for more information.

Leadership:

There are many opportunities for leadership within the school, although they may not be traditional areas of leadership as seen in other schools. We encourage students to take leadership roles in a variety of contexts. These range from Student Government to directorial positions during the musical theater interim.

Community Service:

Students are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of community service per year. This can be a wonderful opportunity for students to gain experience in a field of interest to them while also contributing to the broader community.

Travel:

Many of our students choose to travel abroad or within the US to enhance their educational experience. If students would like to travel during a time that would cause them to miss school, they should refer to  our Travel Planning Guide. 

Semester