Since 1994 Rutland High School has run an enrichment term as part of its academic year based on programs found in such colleges as Middlebury and Dartmouth. Originally it ran during the month of January and was known as Jan Plan. To address concerns over curriculum continuity it was moved to the last weeks of the school year in 1998. Known as YES Plan (an acronym for Year End Studies) the program enables students and teachers to develop creative courses that do not fit into traditional programming.
Science teacher George
Hooker and history teacher John
Peterson wanted to team teach a class that would involve taking students
off campus for their learning experience. Originally they conceived a hiking
trip along the Long Trail from Rutland to Canada in 1999 but the Green
Mountain Club discouraged groups from using the trail so early in the season.
Almost simultaneously they each came up with the idea of making a canoe
trip from Rutland to Canada studying science and history along the way.
This is the fourth time we have done this trip. (And probably the last
time because the window of time for YES Plan will be shortened in the future.)
We ended with a bang! We never have had so much wind as we had this year
- we ended up with one capsized canoe off of Button Bay Point and had to
stay off the lake for four days.
(left to right: standing-Sam White, Phil Charles, Emily Gartner, Mike Kavouksorian, Erin Greene, Colby Shaw, Sara Gilbert, Eliza Tobin, Trista Harder, Annie Coppock; kneeling-Brett Porter, Adrian Chen, Andrew Pissanelli, Mr. John Peterson, Mr. George Hooker)
