The Walden Year
Place-based inquiry in the champlain valley
A program for learning outdoors, focusing on a creative, compassionate, interdisciplinary education in arts, ecology, writing, civic engagement, and wellness.
The Walden Year partners with The Willowell Foundation and runs in connection with local supervisory unions and the Community College of Vermont. We anticipate that Walden Year students will be eligible to enroll in up to 6 credits from CCV as part of the Walden curriculum. Please note that while the program has some overlap with The Walden Project and is informed by its design and successes over the last 24 years, the Walden Year will be a unique expression of place-based education.
The program is modeled on Henry David Thoreau’s sojourn to Walden Pond where he immersed himself in ecology to deepen his sense of self, and explore his relationship with self, society, and the natural world. To that end, we support student centered-inquiry and encourage youth to follow and pursue their own areas of interest with support and guidance from the staff of Vermont licensed teachers. To learn more about this program’s predecessor, The Walden Project, click the button below.
INTRODUCTION
In the Walden Year, students actively participate in co-creating the learning community. Through community partnerships, they have the opportunity to gain workplace experience. Students develop voice and agency through project-based learning, and also develop healthy habits to foster lifelong wellness, including: mindfulness and meditation, journaling, connection with nature, connection with community, nutrition, community service, and cultivating the life of the mind.
The following core questions are woven into the student experience and are used to frame discourse at The Walden Year:
What is my relationship to self?
What is my relationship to society?
What is my relationship to nature?
Student demographics
This program is for students ages 16-19 in the Champlain Valley interested in individualized, community-embedded learning. We encourage recent high-school graduates to consider this as a gap year opportunity. The Walden Year seeks a heterogeneous mix of students that reflect the broader demographics of the community.
location and schedule
The Walden Year takes place at Willowell’s Monkton property. Students meet there Monday-Friday from 10 to 3:30. This later start enables students to stay enrolled at their sending schools and take a course during the first block before coming to Walden. The Willowell Land has been the nexus of most Willowell programs since the early 2000’s, hosting the Walden Project, Pond Brook Project, New Roots Project, summer camps, community events, the Gordon Sculpture Park, and the community garden. The fields, cedar groves, and wetlands here are the Walden Year’s classroom. Classes take place primarily outdoors year-round, though there are several shelters and cabins onsite.
The fall semester begins on September 4 and ends on December 20. The spring semester begins on January 13 and ends on June 6.
Curriculum
Stay tuned for a comprehensive look at Walden Year curriculum.
tuition
Walden Year is tuition-free thanks to some generous support. However, we’re still seeking funds to fully cover program costs and encourage participants and friends of Willowell to consider a donation to help keep Walden accessible. You can donate in the following ways. Please write “Walden Year” in the memo, however you donate.
By check, made out to Willowell Foundation. Mail to: Willowell, PO Box 314, Bristol, VT 05443
Clicking the button below.
The Walden Year admits students and families of all socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and disability.
If your child requires assistance to participate fully in our programs please reach out to schedule a call with us.
teaching team
Peter Housekeeper (director)
Peter has 6 years of experience in the field of education. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in English, and went on to teach in a variety of settings ranging from arts and music to autistic education. After completing his Master’s in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College, he took the position of head high school English teacher at a classical charter school. He briefly taught ELA at a small cooperative middle school before receiving his Vermont educator’s license with an endorsement in high school English.
aidan gardner (americorps member)
Hello all! My name is Aidan Gardner, and I am an Americorps member serving with the Willowell Foundation. Most of my time spent serving with Willowell is with the high school program, The Walden Project. Having attended The Walden Project as a highschooler, I have a deep connection with the program and the Willowell Land. I am so thankful to be back and helping the students and faculty in any way I can and I look forward to joining the Willowell summer camp team!
My partner and I currently live in the beautiful town of Lincoln. It has been such a blessing to be living somewhere where I can connect with nature, and do some of my favorite outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding.
ethan mitchell (co-director: new roots)
As New Roots Co-Director, Ethan Mitchell brings over 15 years of teaching experience to the program through his involvement in the Walden Project and with various other programs throughout the state. Ethan’s focus is on history and mathematics, but he likes teaching a wide variety of subjects and is particularly skilled at pivoting from traditional teaching modalities toward more integrated and embodied approaches to learning. Ethan is an innovator; he's also a dad, an essayist, a researcher, and a dreamer. When not working with children, he spends a lot of time cooking, canning, coding, and doing construction.
