Second meeting of TRSU’s ‘Portrait of a Graduate’ set for Dec. 5

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC

About 25 community members gathered in the library at Green Mountain High School on Monday Nov. 14 to participate as a “design team” in the first of four meetings aimed at answering the question “what should a graduate from a Two Rivers Supervisory Union school – elementary, middle or high school – look like.” In other words what skills and learning experiences should the schools ensure their graduates have? Portrait of a Graduate is a program of the Ohio-based advocacy nonprofit Battelle for Kids which says it helps bring community perspectives to the work of transforming school systems.

Working with a facilitator from the , participants looked at the ways the world has changed and continues to change and what education can do to prepare students to live in the future. There were discussions of embracing innovation and technology as well as developing critical thinking and digital literacy skills for looking at rapid change.

“Education is not identical in every community in Vermont or anywhere,” TRSU Superintendent Lauren Fierman told The Telegraph, noting that each community puts its own stamp on its education system through its own values and priorities.

“A community-wide discussion of how we define success in completing 6th or 8th or 12th grade helps us know what people think as we make decisions,” she said.

The second meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday Dec. 5 at the same location and community members including parents and graduates who have constructive, forward-looking ideas are encouraged to attend and participate. The work of the facilitator is being paid for funds from Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, a federally funded Covid recovery program.