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Vermont Junior High School

Students to Sample College Life

MIDDLEBURY,

Vt.—Middlebury College Cook Commons, in conjunction with the

Foundation for Excellent Schools, has invited approximately 50 6th,

7th, and 8th grade students most of whom are from Vermont to campus

to sample college life at “Midd Day” on Saturday, Jan.

13. Junior high school students from the Vermont towns of

Bakersfield, Fairfield, Danby, Coventry, Chester, Andover, Benson,

and Pownall as well as the New York town of Ticonderoga will join

several Middlebury students who will act as counselors for the

day. The purpose of Midd Day, which will be free to all

participants, is to offer the young students a glimpse not only of

college life, but also of possible choices for their future.

Many of these students would be the first members of their families

to attend college.

The

event, which is open solely to the invited students, will run from

approximately noon until 8 p.m., and will include activities ranging

from a talk on college admissions to a hockey game.

The

Foundation for Excellent Schools, a national organization based in

Cornwall, Vt., and co-sponsor of the event, strives to help schools

collaborate with the community and beyond by developing partnerships

with colleges, parents, businesses, and other schools. Cook Commons

is part of the CollegeÂ’s commons system, which divides the

campus into five groups of dorms.

Justin

Drechsler, a junior at Middlebury and one of the organizers of the

event, said, “Through Midd Day, we hope to reach out to

those students who might be discouraged about their future, letting

them know that opportunities exist for everyone. Though the

bulk of the day is centered around college, we also stress life-based

skills like goal setting and a positive attitude.

Áª°Õ³ó¾±²õ

is actually the second time Midd Day has taken place.

Initially, this was to be a one-time event, but feedback was so

overwhelmingly positive last year that we decided to make it an

annual happening. Our eventual objective is to convince several

other Vermont colleges to run comparable programs, thus expanding the

number of students that we reach,” added Drechsler.