As the school year draws to a close, I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on some of the different ways that the Shelburne Community School (SCS) has succeeded in educating and enriching its students over the course of the last year. The scope of learning at SCS goes beyond the traditional "3Rs." During the school day and after regular school hours, our children are given a variety of opportunities to expand upon different areas of interest. They are also regularly exposed to new ideas and offerings that may well ignite a passion that even they did not know existed. When I spoke with John Bossange earlier this week to get an idea of the in school and out of school extra-curricular offerings, I received a list that was over two pages long! There were many programs that were possible because of parent volunteer involvement including Hands on Nature, Jr. Great Books, and Everybody Wins! Mentoring which take place during the day. Iron Chef, First Light Drama, and Odyssey of the Mind are all after school activities. School sponsored programs that happen during the regular day include Student Council, Scripps Spelling Team, Yearbook, GeoBee, Stock Market Teams, Math Team, and Project FEED as well as classroom drama productions. Additionally, (thanks to our wonderful PTO) our students have the opportunity to write songs with singer-songwriter Jon Gailmor, learn about the ways that the media and advertising can negatively influence us, and hear speakers from Pennies for Peace about educational conditions in Afghanistan. After the official school day ends, even more enrichment opportunities begin. There are 13 interscholastic sports offerings (which involve over 250 sixth through eighth graders each year), dances, and fifth grade socials, literary cafes, talent shows, and Literary Journal. The SKAT program for sixth through eighth graders has many additional offerings that change each term. These include photography, cooking, computer programming, and art studio. The most recent iteration included a Debate Club offering, which involved nine students. They learned the basics of debate and culminated their learning by debating the merits of stem cell research. This was another example of a parent-led enrichment offering. In short, SCS clearly understands that educating children means giving them multiple chances to participate in activities outside the scope of core curricular offerings. Moreover, SCS embraces the expertise of its parent volunteers and actively incorporates their energy and enthusiasm to reach more students and enhance the learning experiences of all.