| Don't miss out - register for Reunion Weekend today! We are so excited to welcome you back for Reunion 2024 on September 20-22. Click here or on the button below to register. Everyone is welcome to attend Reunion 2024, with a special welcome to classes ending in 4s and 9s. Please check the Reunion webpage for a listing of all events. And, if you are a golfer, join us for the Jeffrey Charbonneau ’05 Golf Tournament on Sunday, September 22! A block of rooms has been reserved at Barrows House in Dorset. When calling to make your reservation, please mention that you are attending Burr and Burton Reunion Weekend. Breakfast at the hotel is included in your stay. Please call (802) 867-4455 to make your reservation. If you have any questions about Reunion, please contact Meredith Morin, Associate Director of Advancement at mmorin@burrburton.org, or by phone at 802-549-8103.  |
Five Things That Matter with Betsy Shaw '83 It can be rare for someone to match their talents with a life filled with purpose and achievement. It is rarer still when that life leads to the very top of their field on the world stage. As a Burr and Burton student, Betsy Shaw ’83 couldn’t envision that her athleticism and competitive spirit would lead her to represent the United States at the first-ever Winter Olympic Games for the sport of snowboarding - a sport that didn’t even exist when she grew up. Beginning as a ski racer first for the Bromley Outing Club and then moving on to the Burr and Burton Ski Team, Betsy knew two things - she loved winter sports, and she belonged in athletics. She participated on the Burr and Burton Field Hockey Team and Ski Team for four years and went on to compete in ski racing for one season at the University of New Hampshire. But, she found that she began to lose her passion for ski racing. Just as her love of ski racing was waning, the sport of snowboarding was surging in popularity, right here in her backyard. Burton Snowboards was founded in Londonderry, Vermont in 1977, and Betsy felt lucky to have a front-row seat for the birth of this new sport. By the time she turned 20, Betsy had become a competitive snowboarder. “Jake Burton reached out to offer me a sponsorship,” she said. “I was sponsored by Burton and a member of the Burton Team throughout my career.” For the next 13 years, she competed around the world first as a member of the World Pro Snowboard Team, then as a member of the first-ever Snowboard Olympic Team in Nagano, Japan in 1998. On the World Pro Snowboard Team, Betsy competed in the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) competitions. She won the U.S. Open here on her home mountain of Stratton in 1991. She won the World Title for giant slalom in 1995, and bronze and silver medals in the 1995 ISF World Championships in Davos, Switzerland. In 2014, Betsy was inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. |
Join us to celebrate the 2024 Hall of Fame Keep the good Reunion vibes going with the Charbonneau Golf Tournament Join fellow alumni, families, and friends for the annual Jeffrey Charbonneau Memorial Golf Tournament on Sunday, September 22 at the Equinox Golf Resort. Click here or on the button below to register. Registration closes on September 15, so don't delay! For more information, contact Jacque Lewicki at jlewicki@burrburton.org |
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Liz Hand Mackey named President of the Burr and Burton Alumni Board Liz Hand Mackey ’05 has been named President of the Burr and Burton Alumni Board following a board vote this summer. Liz has served on the BBA Alumni Board since 2017. “How cool?! I get to volunteer with this generational cross-section of caring BBA folks who constitute the Alumni Board,” she said. “I’m excited to continue to offer our time and energy to support the school’s exceptional education and its future growth. I’m also looking forward to bringing on additional voices. So alumni, don’t hesitate to connect with us and share your experience and good ideas!” Growing up in East Dorset, Liz graduated from BBA in 2005. She followed in her brothers’ footsteps and attended Middlebury College, earning a BA in History and her Vermont teaching license in 7-12 social studies in 2010. In 2013, while serving as an AmeriCorps member in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she earned her MEd from Northeastern University. Liz has taught, coached and served as a dorm parent for middle and high school students. In 2018, Liz transitioned to higher education, working administratively and teaching at Dartmouth College. Liz is now an associate attorney at Langrock Sperry & Wool and is married to former BBA English teacher Wil Mackey. They live with their 7-year-old and split their time between Middlebury, VT, and Hanover, NH. Liz ski tours with her husband, runs with her dogs, and coaches youth soccer, ice hockey, and baseball. Previous Alumni Board President Dr. Andrew Boyer ’01 has been named to the Burr and Burton Board of Trustees, where he will continue his valuable service to Burr and Burton. |
Bulldog Field Hockey Legacy Burr and Burton is lucky to have such a rich legacy of Field Hockey. Coach Barb Miceli is working to collect stories from over the years. Click here or scan the QR code above to share your field hockey legacy with future players. Questions? Reach out to Barb Miceli at bmiceli@burrburton.org. |
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| | Burr and Burton welcomed 186 ninth-graders to their first day of school last week, and all students started classes together on Friday, August 23. Headmaster Mark Tashjian and Associate Head Meg Kenny greeted each new ninth-grader with a handshake, welcoming them to their first year at Burr and Burton. Photo: James Chandler '10 |
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The Centennial Pageant Celebrated the Story of Burr and Burton By: Jill Perry-Balzano In 1929, to celebrate 100 years as a school, the Burr and Burton community put on a pageant detailing the founding and various eras of Burr and Burton Seminary. This pageant was not a beauty contest—it was a vibrant play acted out by students, teachers, and community members. Co-authored by author and local archivist Sarah Cleghorn 1895 and Mary Campbell Munson 1880, the pageant included fifteen different stories depicting the founding of the school and its first hundred years. Community member Walter Hard 1900, poet and proprietor of Hard’s Drugstore, played the role of Joseph Burr, the local merchant who upon his death left $10,000 to form an academy in Manchester. Burr, a lifelong bachelor known as a very good businessperson, placed a unique stipulation on the gift: it would be made only if the community could come together collectively to raise the gift of an equal sum. The people of the town took the challenge seriously, and in 1829, Burr Seminary was incorporated. The story of the second bequest, left by Josiah Burton that led the school to formally become a co-ed institution was also depicted, with ancestor George W. Burton taking the lead. Like most good events, drama unfolded beforehand: The 1930 Burtonian reveals that a severe thunderstorm rolled through the area just hours before the performance was to begin, leaving the area without power. Thankfully, three townspeople were able to rig up a “farm lighting outfit”—and the show was able to go on. For more on the centennial pageant and the history of Burr and Burton, see The Castle in the Pasture: Portrait of Burr and Burton Academy by Frederica Templeton as well as the 1929 and 1930 editions of The Burtonian yearbook. From the Archives is a quarterly column in The Belltower Alumni Newsletter. As we approach Burr and Burton’s 200th anniversary, we’d love the opportunity to celebrate the people and places of this incredible school. For questions about From the Archives, contact Meredith Morin, Associate Director of Advancement at mmorin@burrburton.org. |
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| Stay Connected Burr and Burton's mission is to educate students intellectually and morally for a life of responsibility, integrity, and service. |
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| | | | PO Box 498 Manchester, VT 05254 |
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