Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes

A great school in a great community. It is too bad that the new principal is so out of touch with our neighborhood, but this is no reason not to send your kids to this wonderful school.
—Submitted by a parent

The diversity, and the involvement of the parents in keeping this school going. There are a lot of students there from different cultures and countries and I have done a reading program there and it is a delight to be in the building. The spirit is in the air.

It is simply amazing in more ways I can explain!
—Submitted by a parent

I've worked at several schools throughout my career and I've never worked with such a devoted, professional and caring staff! The incredibly diverse children and families that we work with are also amazing in so many ways.
—Submitted by a parent

Kids find a way to reach across sociocultural barriers to find laughter and commonground. They embrace diversity as part of their everyday world, and will continue to look for it beyond Barnes.
—Submitted by a parent

Why Do I love Barnes school? I love it because I can go and visit my kids almost anytime. I it because you get a warm feeling when you walk into the school like cheers the bar where everybody knows your name. I it because my kids come home from school happy and well taken care of. I 100% trust everyone in the school and the care they provide my children. The parents of the children and most of the community feel like family and its nice when you can have that for a school. These and a million other reasons is why I love Barnes. Barnes is part of the community and the community is part of Barnes.
—Submitted by a parent

Who wouldn't like the place that teaches and takes care of your children and all of their friends so well everyday!
—Submitted by a parent

We're the country's first magnet school for sustainability. Sustainability is modeled in every element of the curriculum - from the waste stream to livable wages to the way history is taught using local communities. This school really is the cornerstone of a great community.
—Submitted by a parent

Ms. O'Connor, my son's first grade teacher, is making a tremendous positive change in his life! And the dedication of the community(kids, parents, staff) to this school is like none I have ever seen or experienced!
—Submitted by a parent

The Sustainability Acadamy at Lawrence Barnes school is the first of its kind in Vermont. As a new magnet school, Barnes Sustainability Acadamy has integrated into its curriculum key sustainability concepts of environmental stewardship; economic justice; civic engagement; and equity. Children from all walks of life attend the Barnes Sustainability Academy and are fully engaged in activities such as gardening; student government; live laboratories at local farms located in the City of Burlington; local history research; and service learning. Parents participate extensively in magnet school program design by teaching Afterschool courses; sitting on parent-teacher committees; and bringing diverse talents from many cultures into the classroom. There are over 9 languages spoken by families that attend Barnes and an active PTO that regularly organizes community dinners where multi-cultural fare is often included.
—Submitted by a parent

The Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes school has been an incredible part of my family's life for more than 5 years and our lives are made more wonderful day by day because of it!
—Submitted by a parent

Our neighborhood school has one of the most diverse student bodies in Vermont, active parent groups who reach out to us non-parents, a curriculum focus on sustainability, kids and teachers who are involved in their community, and a fine new principal.

Both of our children have received excellent individualized teaching. The school has taught our children community and leadership skills and given them the opportunity to interact with children from many different backgrounds.
—Submitted by a parent

Barnes is a wonderful, small, caring school. Kids get a lot of staff attention. There is a very dedicated group of involved parents. My child's teacher is amazingly creative, and I'm very pleased with the progress he's made academically.
—Submitted by a parent

I have two children who attend Barnes and my family has found the entire experience to be horrifying to say the least. There is rampant bullying (that goes unpunished), a lack of effort put forth from the 'educators', and a general attitude of apathy on every level.
—Submitted by a parent

I have had 5 kids at Barnes - the Jewel of the Burlington School District. The teachers are experienced and amazing. Each goes out of their way to create individual education plans for each student. Every adult in the school - from the principal to the janitor - work together to create a consistant, safe, fun educational environment. The student to teacher ratio is exceptional and the special educators are too.
—Submitted by a parent

My middle daughter and son came to this school from Tx. I feared that they had not been given enough education there in order to be able to walk in and feel comfortable with their knowledge of the classroom. I found that not only is the school awesome about making no child feel awkward about social standing, but that the teachers there seem to go above and beyond to make sure the children are stimulated and productive. There after school program is wonderful, as it gives our family away to help harness the energy of our children, and they are amoungst friends and learning all at the same time. My children love this school, and look forward to the tearchers and friends there. When I have come to volunteer I have been welcomed, when I had to confront discpline problems with my own children, they backed me completly. A+.
—Submitted by a parent