| Welcome Summer! It is that sweet spot in the year when the calendar turns decidedly to SUMMER! We just celebrated our Senior Class yesterday with Senior Day, complete with turf games, and a BBQ (photo above) welcoming them soon into the ranks of Burr and Burton alumni like you. We'd love to see you at Graduation, coming up this Friday, June 7 at 5:00 p.m. (location weather dependent, check out the website for updates). In this issue of The Belltower, there's so much we want to share with you - from the Five Things That Matter interview, to the Gala, to the newest issue of The VIEW. And, don't forget to register for Reunion 2024 coming up in September - we can't wait to connect with you here at Burr and Burton!  |
Five Things That Matter with Grace Pinkus '20 It’s finals week at UMass Amherst, and Grace Pinkus ’20 is eagerly awaiting what will essentially be her first traditional graduation on May 18, where she will earn a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. As with all 2020 high school graduates, Covid restrictions derailed her high-school graduation experience. Ironically, our meeting was on Zoom - a platform, Grace said, with which she was very familiar. We were meeting to talk about her experience as a member of the student group that founded Unified athletics programming at BBA. Our conversation ran the gamut from the early days of Unified, to life as a Division I (D-I) soccer athlete, to Grace’s future career plans. However, the theme that ran throughout our conversation was the sense of cohesive purpose she gained from her time at Burr and Burton. In the fall of 2018, Grace, Aryn Iannuzzi ’20, Johnny Miceli ’20, and Joe McCoy ’20 traveled to a leadership conference in Indianapolis, Indiana as members of Burr and Burton’s Student Athletic Leadership Training (SALT) program. At the conference, they attended a session about Unified athletics, and they came home wanting to implement a Unified program at Burr and Burton. “I was really touched and inspired by the story of Unified,” Grace said. “I had done some work with Joe (McCoy) with Special Olympics, and I had coached some younger, disabled soccer players.” |
Are you coming to Reunion? Come on back to Burr and Burton for Reunion 2024 - September 20-22, 2024. CLICK HERE or on the button below to register today. - 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.
- 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@burrburt on.org, or by phone at 802-549-8103. Check out the Spring issue of The VIEW The spring issue of The VIEW hit mailboxes this May, featuring our Unified programming at Burr and Burton. In addition to The VIEW cover story, we featured an alumni profile of longtime trustee, and generational Burr and Burton alumnus Ed Campbell '70, and a teacher profile of Kelly Cray, our English Language and Cultural Support teacher. The VIEW's cover feature of Unified programming at Burr and Burton touches on the people who innovated and advocated to continue our goal of building belonging. Take a look at our Five Things That Matter alumni interview in this issue of The Belltower with Grace Pinkus '20, one of the Unified founders at Burr and Burton. To read The VIEW online, click here or on the button below. |
THANK YOU for joining us on Giving Day! On April 4, for our third annual Burr and Burton Giving Day, 97 alumni gave, an increase of more than 30% over last year! Thank you all for leading the way and giving back. We are so grateful for you! Wait, what?! Some of you didn't get a chance to give yet this year? Well, there's still time! Our fiscal year ends June 30, so don't delay, give your gift to Burr and Burton today! Click here or on the button below to give. |
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| | | Thank you to those of you who joined us last Friday for the BBA Gala Celebrating Our Unified Community! Fueled by your generosity, we raised more than $250,000 to support the people, programs, and school culture that make Burr and Burton a welcoming, caring, and supportive community for all students. From the Unified Drum Circle and Mamma Mia's "Dancing Queen" to the beautiful friendships and experiences highlighted across BBA's Unified programming, it was joyful, it was impactful, and I sincerely hope it was a lot of fun. Thank you again for being with us, and for showing your support for the students and community we are honored to serve. Gratefully, Kate Leach Director of Advancement
Burr and Burton Academy Congratulations to our 2024 Hall of Fame Come celebrate the 2024 Burr and Burton Hall of Fame Award recipients during Reunion Weekend on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 11 a.m. in the Riley Center for the Arts. We are so proud of this incredible group of alumni and friends! And, stay for the rest of Reunion Weekend (click here for the full weekend schedule). Alumni Achievement Award: Danny Pinsonault ’73* Alumni Service Award: Rhoni Basden ’04 Alumni Arts Award: Robert Eaton ’05 E.H. Henry Distinguished Faculty/Staff Award: Brian Gawlik* Athlete(s): Jenna Hoffman ‘11, Eddie Lewicki ‘11 Special Olympian: Alexi Leach ‘14 Legend Athlete: Tom Pelton ‘74 Coach: Carl Rice* Friend of Athletics: Ed Campbell ‘70 Team: Girls Lacrosse 2001 Legend Team: Boys Soccer 1962-64 *posthumous award Click HERE for a list of all Burr and Burton Hall of Fame winners. We love you MORE, alumni! Coming this summer... Burr and Burton is launching a new alumni platform with Almabase to bring you more. More opportunities to connect with your fellow Burr and Burton alumni. More ways to give back to students as a mentor or internship host. More ways to post job opportunities, or find a job. Stay tuned to your email for ways you can connect and get more from Burr and Burton. Questions? Contact Meredith Morin, Associate Director of Advancement at mmorin@burrburt on.org. |
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| Burr and Burton's sold-out performance of Mamma Mia! CLICK HERE or on the image above to see photos from Burr and Burton's sold-out performance of Mamma Mia! The show ran for six performances here in the Riley Center for the Arts on the Burr and Burton campus from March 19-23. Members of the cast joined Gala attendees for a reprisal of some of the performance's best numbers, including Dancing Queen. Beginning with the spring 2025 issue of The VIEW, we will include an In Memorium section of each spring issue. Please click here or scan the QR code on the left to submit information about alumni, faculty, and staff who have passed away. To be considered, submission data must be confirmed with an obituary or social media link. All submissions are subject to editing for space and consistency. All submissions must be received by March 1 to be included in each year's spring issue of The VIEW. |
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175 years of women at Burr and Burton As we prepare to close out the 2023-2024 Burr and Burton school year with graduation next Friday, June 7, we can’t help but get a little nostalgic for graduation and graduates past. One special group of graduates who are near and dear to all of our hearts are “the ‘49ers;” an intrepid collection of 16 women who entered Burr Seminary* in 1849 with the radical goal of accessing a college-preparatory high school diploma. The idea of educating women to prepare them for college was groundbreaking at the time, maybe even a little bit scandalous. But, the tide was indeed turning, and between 1836 and 1875, 50 women’s colleges opened in the United States, which catalyzed eager women pupils to prepare themselves to enter college courses of study. Sixteen of those women turned their attention toward attending Burr Seminary with an eye on college and beyond. One of the ‘49ers, Lucy Barrett, approached the Assistant Principal William Burnham to ask him for private instruction, so she could prepare to enter Mount Holyoke College. Burnham responded that he didn’t have the time to tutor her privately, but he encouraged her to come and join the existing classes… classes consisting of all men. The rest, as they say, is history. Three of the original ‘49ers were graduates of that first class, Lucy Barrett, Caroline Anderson Barrus, and Emma Wickham Roe. On the occasion of their 50th reunion in 1899, Caroline Anderson Barrus shared a reflection of those early days as the first women students at Burr Seminary. She reflected on the graduation ceremonies, held at the Congregational Church, calling it “the gold day of the year.” She said, “People came from all the adjoining towns to see and hear everything. The procession from the Seminary to the church was a pleasing sight… As the principal called their names the Salutatorian writers of essays and the Valedictorian rose from their seats and went up the steps (often with shaking knees) to the platform… The social time was a pleasant winding up of the festivities though a bit saddened by the good-byes that must be said.”** The “gold day of the year” is again nigh, this time for the class of 2024. Much has changed in the ensuing 175 years, but shaking knees and sad goodbyes are as timeless as a graduation tradition gets. This year as we celebrate 175 years of women at Burr and Burton. We are eager to bring you stories of the women who have lifted up this incredible school and paved the way for the women who are graduating in just a few days in the Burr and Burton Class of 2024. Burr and Burton women have been scientists and business bosses; community leaders and poets. We are eager to celebrate the women who came before and elevate their stories to share with you. Join us this coming year as we celebrate the women of Burr and Burton Academy!
*Burr and Burton Academy was founded as Burr Seminary in 1829. In 1860, it was renamed Burr and Burton Seminary in honor of Josiah Burton, a founding trustee who was committed to providing education for women. Burton’s $6,000 bequest upon his death went toward expanding educational opportunities for women at Burr and Burton. The Castle in the Pasture, Portrait of Burr and Burton Academy
**B&B Seminary ’49 Mrs. Caroline Anderson Barrus responding for the “Forty-niners” (at their fiftieth reunion in 1899. Courtesy of the Manchester Historical Society. 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@burrburt on.org. Thank you to the Manchester Historical Society for providing materials for this column. Photo of Lucy Barrett, Class of 1849 from The Castle in the Pasture, Portrait of Burr and Burton Academy |
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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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