Burlington City & Lake Semester Highlighted in Publication from United Nations University
Burlington, VT Burlington High School (BHS) is once again making international news. Last month, the United Nations University published a book featuring Burlington City & Lake Semester (BCL), a collaboration between Shelburne Farms and Burlington School District, which offers real-world learning, using the community as a classroom.
Learning, Collaborating and Transforming: The 20-Year Journey of the Global RCE Network celebrates Regional Centers of Expertise (RCE), with BCL highlighted as an illustration of global best practices.
Dov Stucker, BCL’s Lead Teacher, noted that BCL is a shared program, mutually envisioned and supported by BSD and Shelburne Farms, a global leader in education for sustainability. BHS students who enroll in the experiential program can earn a half credit of English, a half credit of Social Studies, and a full credit of Applied Research. He sees this recognition as further evidence of the local success and global impact of the program, which stresses partnerships, student involvement, and place-based learning.
“In 2021, BCL was honored by the U.N. University as a flagship program in Education for Sustainable Development,” said Stucker. “This opened up a regional partnership that includes BSD, the University of Vermont, and Shelburne Farms, as well as a worldwide network, with partners from across the globe. Working together, we are reshaping the way students engage in learning and with their community.”
“When we talk about Deeper Learning in Burlington School District, BCL is often held up as an exemplar alongside our afterschool programs and the hands-on courses at Burlington Technical Center,” said Superintendent Tom Flanagan. “Recognition like this helps reinforce what we know to be true in our school district: we are committed to creating robust opportunities to make sure every learner is challenged, empowered, and engaged. I’m proud of the work being done in BSD, and I’m grateful for staff and students who have poured time, energy, and resources into BCL to create incredible learning experiences for students.”
“The Greater Burlington RCE was recognized in 2015, and partnerships have been at the heart of this effort ever since,” said Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Learning at Shelburne Farms. “Shelburne Farms and the University of Vermont, along with dozens of other organizations, have committed to educating for a sustainable and just future, realizing the vision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As members in this International community of RCEs we learn so much from others and by sharing our work here in Vermont. It is an honor to have Burlington School District as a partner in this work. We are thrilled to have the deep sustainability learning of BCL educators and students highlighted in a UN publication.”
The publication is available online, free of charge; BCL is explored in Chapter 3, beginning on page 32.
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Burlington School District (BSD) is a pre-k-12 public school system of more than 3,000 students in Burlington, VT. BSD’s mission is to graduate students who: value different cultures, engage with the community, communicate effectively, think creatively, skillfully solve problems, and achieve at their highest academic, intellectual, and personal potential. Join the Journey! www.bsdvt.org
Burlington City & Lake Semester is an immersive program at Burlington High School (BHS) that gives students the opportunity to use the city of Burlington as a classroom for one semester of their high school experience. Students meet downtown and study the people, places, possibilities, and problems of the city through real-world, hands-on experiences. The Burlington City & Lake Semester is operated as a partnership between Shelburne Farms and the Burlington School District. Btvcityandlake.org
