EVENTS
Thank you to everyone who attended the FIRST Vermont Community Schools Symposium on Friday, May 1, 2026!
Community Schools leaders, students, families, and community partners from across the State of Vermont spent the day learning about and celebrating the incredible work underway in Vermont Community Schools! Please follow the link below to access the VT Community Schools Symposium presentation slides, afternoon workshop presentations, and related VT Community Schools materials and resources!
Vermont Community Schools Symposium – Friday, May 1, 2026
We are thrilled to welcome guests from near and far to the University of Vermont campus for the first Vermont Community Schools Symposium!
PARKING: If you indicated ‘yes’ for parking passes, detailed information and a parking pass will be emailed directly to the email used for registration.
Please email ccsc@office.uvm.edu with any questions or for further information about the symposium, the Catamount Community Schools Collaborative, or the University of Vermont.
This event has been made possible through financial support from the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships and a Congressionally Funded Community Project (CFCP), administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education, US Department of Education, supported by a congressional direct spending request through Senator Sanders to expand the Community Schools model in Vermont, leveraging CCSC resources, partnerships, applied faculty research, and service-learning courses.
This event has also been made possible through support from and collaboration with Vermont Community Schools, community partners, and state and federal agency supporters – THANK YOU!
On Friday, May 1, the Catamount Community Schools Collaborative will host the first Community Schools Symposium in Vermont!
REGISTRATION CLOSED.
Questions? Please contact:
- Dr. Bernice Garnett – bernice.garnett@uvm.edu
- Dr. Peter Knox – peter.knox@uvm.edu
CCSC Newsletter Archives
NEWS
Community Schools: A Blueprint for Vermont Schools?
In 2021, Vermont legislators passed Act 67 to pilot and assess the community school model in rural communities. Newport Town School is one of five original sites awarded funding to join UVM’s Catamount Community Schools Collaborative, a partnership of UVM, the state’s Agency of Education, and Vermont public schools. Community schools reimagine the role of school. They are vital connective tissue in a region, bringing together resources and services to improve outcomes for students and the broader community.
UVM Grad Students Persist With Mental Health Work in Rural Schools Despite Funding Cuts
When federal funding for an ambitious new CCSC-affiliated UVM mental health internship program focused on Vermont’s rural schoolchildren was abruptly cut last spring, the inaugural cohort of interns made a remarkable decision: All ten of them — grad students working toward a Master of Social Work or M.S. in Counseling degree — chose to continue the work in their placement schools anyway.
UVM Students Support Community Schools in White River Valley
Now in its third year, the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships program has expanded into the White River Valley, partnering with the Catamount Community Schools Collaborative, to support the region’s innovative Community Schools initiative through multiple residential student internship placements.
OpEd Mentions CCSC as Collaborative Model for Addressing Chronic Absenteeism
(The74) – While many teachers and principals have worked tirelessly to get students back into the classroom, chronic absence has become a problem too big for educators or schools to solve alone.
Celebrating UVM’s Community Schools’ pilot interns
The Catamount Community Schools Collaborative’s (CCSC) first-ever Celebration of Learning was held in early May. This event highlighted UVM CCSC student interns who engaged in learning projects and initiatives to strengthen connections between schools and surrounding communities in rural Vermont.
Northeast Kingdom seniors, students team up for meal program
NEWPORT CENTER, VT (WCAX) – A meal program in the Northeast Kingdom is becoming a way to revitalize small schools and towns, as unlikely pairings help build the community’s future.
UVM’s Statewide Internship Program Returns
Students can explore paid internships with housing provided in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and White River Valley, in partnership with the UVM Catamount Community Schools Collaborative.