| Registration is open for Reunion 2024! We are so excited to welcome you back for Reunion, September 20-22, 2024! CLICK HERE or on the button below to register for Reunion 2024. Here are a few things you can do to help us make this the best Reunion ever. - Update your contact information. Click HERE or on the button below. We want to make sure you receive all mailings and email correspondence regarding Reunion.
- Nominate your classmates for a Hall of Fame award. Click HERE or on the graphic below. The selection committees are meeting soon, so do this today! Nominations for 2024 will close on March 15.
- Give us your feedback. Fill out the Reunion 2024 planning survey by clicking HERE.
- Follow us on social media. Click on the social media icons below to make sure you’re getting all of the up-to-date Reunion information.
- Check the Reunion website. We’ll be updating the website with Reunion details, so come back HERE and visit us often.
- Call your friends! Reach out to your classmates, and encourage them to attend Reunion.
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 Kathi Bierwirth '81 At the end of this year, Kathi (Frost) Bierwirth ’81 will retire from Burr and Burton Academy after nearly 40 years of teaching, coaching, leading and supporting students. Kathi has the rare gift of being a person who always knew that she wanted to make Burr and Burton her life’s work. Drawing on the incredible support and encouragement she enjoyed as a student of Burr and Burton when she graduated in 1981, Kathi knew two things: that athletics and serving students at Burr and Burton would forever be a part of her future. A three-sport varsity athlete and overall “involved” student at Burr and Burton, Kathi went on to earn her undergraduate degree in physical education and health from Castleton University, where she competed on the basketball team. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in education from the University of New England. She began her career at Burr and Burton as a physical education teacher and went on to teach phys ed, health, general math, and science for 15 years, after which she became Burr and Burton’s first female Athletic Director, a position she held for 16 years. Kathi retires this year after spending the last eight years as the Director of the Target Program, an alternative education program where students receive individualized instruction and support |
Join us for Giving Day on April 4 You’re invited to join us on Thursday, April 4 for our third annual Burr and Burton Giving Day. For 194 years, alumni have set the foundation for Burr and Burton’s success. We ask you to continue that tradition with a gift on April 4. Generous donors have already pledged matching gifts to help you double the impact of your gift on Giving Day. Last year, more than 100 donors stepped up to give on Burr and Burton’s first-ever Giving Day, exceeding our goal for alumni donations and qualifying for more than $20,000 in matching gifts. Click HERE or on the button below and bookmark the link to participate on April 4. |
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| Nominations for Hall of Fame 2024 close March 15 Click HERE or on the button below to nominate the next class of Hall of Fame winners. Want some inspiration? Click HERE for a list of all Burr and Burton Hall of Fame winners. |
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| | Join us for the Burr and Burton Gala - May 24 Join us for the Burr and Burton Gala on Friday, May 24 at the Wilburton Inn. The Gala is Burr and Burton's most important fundraising event each year. This year, the Gala will celebrate our Unified Community at Burr and Burton. If you'd like to receive an invitation, please contact Mary Francis, Events and Marketing Coordinator at mfrancis@burrburton.org, or by phone at 802-549-8277. |
Spring Musical, Mamma Mia - March 19-23 Burr and Burton Performing Arts presents the international smash phenomenon and Tony and Grammy Award-nominated Mamma Mia! on March 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 at 6:30 pm with an additional matinee on March 23rd at 2 pm in the Riley Center for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased at BBATickets.com. Thank you to our Spring Musical sponsor, Northshire Bookstore. |
Almost Alumni celebrates Class of 2024 On Tuesday, February 27, the Class of 2023 celebrated their Almost Alumni status with some Burr and Burton trivia, prizes, games, and swag. The event celebrates the 100(ish) days until Graduation. It's almost time to welcome this new class of alumni into your ranks! |
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The Artist & The Astronaut is streaming now! Join us to stream The Artist & The Astronaut, the documentary by Burr and Burton retired cinematography teacher Bill Muench. This film has been seven years in the making, and now it's available to you! It will be available on-demand worldwide for $9.99. Because you are a valued friend, we are offering special pricing for you AND YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES to watch this award-winning documentary for just $6.99, if you sign up before midnight. CLICK HERE or on the button below to start streaming now. Then get ready as the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Skylab 4’s splashdown, the mission commanded by Jerry Carr. Please feel free to share this link with your family and friends. The long wait is over! NOTE: The platform for streaming THE ARTIST AND THE ASTRONAUT is GATHR.COM where you can watch on your favorite device or by mirroring to your smart tv. You will be given access to view the film. If you have further questions you can visit this page for information. https://support.gathr.com/how-to-join-a-virtual-event |
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Much like the limestone blocks stacking upon one another in Seminary, alumni are the building blocks of Burr and Burton. One venerable alumnus from one of the first graduating classes is James K. Batchelder, class of 1860. A quick internet search will tell you that he was the state attorney for Bennington County in the 19th century, a Republican presidential elector, and the President of the Vermont Bar Association. He also served in the Vermont House of Representatives for five terms, including a term as speaker. But, what may be tougher to come by on a quick Google sweep is that his commitment to his community was equally legendary. Mr. Batchelder, “Batch” to his friends, had deep roots through Manchester and through American history. He is the great-grandfather of current trustee and alumnus Ed Campbell ’70, and was also related to noted American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster. Esteemed and respected by his colleagues, Batchelder was eulogized before the Vermont State Bar Association by Robert Healy upon his death in November 1925. With great respect, and maybe a bit of awe, his eulogy noted that Batchelder argued his last case just 12 days before his death at age 83. “He died as he desired, while in the harness. It never would have suited him to retire,” Healy mused. Batchelder aspired to loftier political goals, losing bids for the governorship of Vermont in 1886 and again in 1910. His eulogy professed that these losses could only be due to “a factional quarrel in Bennington County” which “prevented Mr. Batchelder from obtaining the political position to which his talents gave him the right to aspire.” Beyond the workaday musings, his eulogy went on to describe him as an enthusiastic horseman, noting his “fast” and “fearless white-footed” horse named Tom “who was so well-known around town, that his presence outside any courthouse let you know that Batch was present.” It is easy to draw similarities between Batchelder and his great-grandson, local attorney Ed Campbell. Both received their law degrees from Albany Law School. Batchelder was a Burr and Burton trustee for 31 years (Campbell for 42 and counting). And, it was also said of Batchelder that, “Few lawyers have ever lived anywhere whose practice brought them into touch with so many phases of life and so many kinds of people. Few have known human nature better.” Similar? Yes. Yes. And, also yes. Batchelder’s eulogy concluded, reflecting on the imposing figure of Batchelder, “over six feet tall, always erect and stalwart.” It said, “While in the plentitude of his powers he had, in the sphere of his practice, few equals and no superiors. He was a master of pleading both in law and equity.” Coming this spring to your mailboxes - check out the spring 2024 edition of The VIEW for an alumni profile on Ed Campbell ’70. From the Archives is a (hopefully) entertaining column that will run quarterly 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. Thank you to the Manchester Historical Society and Ed Campbell for providing materials for this column. Photo depicts James K. Batchelder, third from left, at a plaque dedication in Arlington. Photographer William F. Hayden (1880-1964). Used with permission from the Collection of the Bennington Museum. Gift of Harry and Nellie Hayden. |
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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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