BRATTLEBORO — Once again this fall semester, Marlboro College is welcoming high school students who are looking for a unique opportunity for academic challenge and enrichment.
As part of Marlboro's effort to reach out to the local community, motivated high school juniors and seniors (or home-school equivalent) are eligible to take a Marlboro class at no cost.
“Taking a class at Marlboro College has given me the chance to experience what a class here feels like,” said Britte Cornish, a local teen who studied comparative religion last fall semester.
“I got to experience the fabulous community of Marlboro College, make friends and be a part of an extraordinary learning experience.”
Some of the classes suggested for promising high school students include music fundamentals, painting, Antigone and philosophy, digital arts workshop, astronomy, and thinking politically.
Students can discover a wealth of research techniques in “TMI? Navigating Information in the Social and Natural Sciences,” or hone their skills in a writing seminar called “Writing Like a Mountain.” From computer science to religion, the options are as broad as the interests of students, Marlboro said in its program announcement.
“For many participants, despite years of being in school, a college class can be that first spark that really sets their intellectual growth on fire,” said Ariel Brooks, director of non-degree programs at Marlboro. “In addition to experiencing the teaching methods of inspired college faculty, students work alongside academically driven peers with a broad range of experience.”
Free classes are just one of the ways that Marlboro College has made its unique academic community and resources available for area teens in recent years, the school notes.
Other examples include summer programs - week-long, hands-on explorations with college faculty members - and dual-credit courses offered through the Windham Regional Collegiate High School.
Applications for free classes must be completed by Tuesday, Aug. 27, for the fall term. Classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and the semester runs until Dec. 18.