 |
 The Mountain School at Winhall is proud of its many service projects. Students are active serving the school, peers, the community and the world. Some of our community service projects include:
• Adoption of The Long Trail. The Long Trail is the oldest long distance hiking trail in the US. It was started in 1910, completed in 1930. It is 272 miles long with 185 miles of side trails. Approximately 99% of the maintenance on the trail is done by volunteers. Most years there are about 800 volunteers working on the trail and your students have now joined this elite group of outdoors people who care enough to put in sweat equity.
The particular section adopted by The Mountain School at Winhall is the 1.6 miles of the Long Trail from mad Tom Notch to the summit of Styles Peak. All but the first 0.1 miles of this section is in the Peru Peak Wilderness. This section of trail was built in the 1960's as part of the trail relocation of trail from Mad Tom Notch to Griffith Lake. The old trail location followed FR 21 (Mad Tom Road) and then FR 58. This relocation moved the trail off of road into the woods and over Styles and Peru Peaks, for a much more interesting hike. From the top of Styles there is an excellent view looking east, with the Landgrove valley in the foreground and various peaks going over to NH.
Because this section is in Wilderness, only hand tools can be used for trail work. Thus blowdowns must be removed with handsaws, no chainsaws allowed. The trail is more rugged than some of the non-Wilderness areas, with less trail markers and a narrower footpath. The work MSW students have been doing with cleaning the drainage-waterbars and curtain drains-is critical to preventing serious erosion of the treadway.
The Mountain School adopted this portion of the Trail last fall, and will be responsible for keeping the Trail clear and safe with the help of the Green Mountain Club and other organizations. Community members interested in helping are asked to call the school September 15 or May 1 of each year to attend the Trail Work days.
• Holiday Toy or Food Drive. Each November and December, students at MSW participate in a toy or food drive, sponsored by other local non-profits, to assist in donating toys and food to needy families in the Northshire area. Hundreds of families are in need each year. The Mountain School works to donate one toy or five cans of food per student each year. For more information, call the school in early November.
• Pennies for Pigs. Each Fall, students collect loose change to raise funds for Heifer International, a global organization committed to education and sustainability for developing areas or countries both nationally and around the world.
 • Class Service Projects. In addition to the all-school projects mentioned above, MSW students are required to perform at least one classroom service project per year. These projects are voted decided upon with student input.
MSW has been involved in many other service projects over the years, including raising funds for tsunami and hurricane victims, wounded soldiers, wildlife projects, and many more. If you would like to participate in a service project, or have an idea for one, please contact the school office.
| |
