Activities and Sports
In keeping with the Buxton philosophy that every aspect of school life is valuable to a student’s education, activities play a prominent role. Students of any degree of interest and ability are urged to take part, and everyone is counted on to support each other’s efforts — as co-participant, audience, or encouraging friend.
Studio art, ceramics, photography, music, drama, dance, creative writing, and drumming — all are designed to foster personal expression and commitment through self-discipline, patient practice, interpersonal skill, and astute observation of life.
Every student is invited to try out the various activities. Regardless of previous training or talent, active involvement is open to all. The hard work of preparation and the often unsettling act of presentation before peers, family, and the community-at-large provide learning opportunities for each individual involved. With these challenges come new levels of insight, courage, and ambition.
Art
Students who are not enrolled in art classes or who wish to work beyond the regular art schedule may explore the studio arts, ceramics, and photography.
Chamber Music
Students who are interested in playing chamber music may participate in one of a number of group ensembles. The ensembles vary in size and instrumentation and are individually coached by the music faculty. Groups from duos to seven-piece jazz ensembles form each term to rehearse and perform student composers’ work as well as standard repertoire. Rudimentary sight-reading ability is necessary. Performances are given several times each year.
Chamber Orchestra
Chamber orchestra is open to all students who have an interest in playing music in a larger group. A wide variety of instruments can be accommodated in the chamber orchestra. Repertory works are performed during the Fall Arts Weekend and Spring Arts Weekend, and in the winter the orchestra provides music for the touring All-School Play. Recent performances have included Bach’s Orchestra Suites in C and D,Handel’s Water Music,Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,and Schubert’s Rosamunde Overture;waltzes and rags by Scott Joplin; and arrangements of pieces by George Gershwin and Duke Ellington.
Chorus
Choral activities and vocal ensembles are open to all regardless of prior experience. Twice a year, major choral works are undertaken. An additional piece involving all students and faculty is performed at Graduation. Vivaldi’s Gloria,Mozart’s Missa Brevis K.220and Requiem K.626,Schubert’s Mass No.3,Gounod’s Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile,and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana have been performed in recent years.
Drama
Three full-length plays are open for cast and crew to the entire school each year. The All-School Play involves everyone — as an actor, crew, or orchestra member — and goes on tour for the week of the All-School Trip. The other two plays are performed during the Fall Arts Weekend and Spring Arts Weekend and are also given additional on-campus performances. Recent seasonal plays are The Medea, Arsenic and Old Lace, Room Service, Our Town,and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.Recent All-School Plays include An Italian Straw Hat, Jabberwock, Candide,and Nicholas Nickleby.
Drama Minor
The purpose of drama minor is to learn about the rehearsal and performance process by choosing plays, blocking and rehearsing them, learning lines, creating appropriate costumes, sets, and props, and performing the plays for the Buxton community. An afternoon activity offered in the late fall and spring, drama minor is open to anyone who wishes to participate, regardless of theater experience or background. The group will meet once a week to begin with and possibly more often as opening night approaches.
Dance
This activity explores West African, Afro-Caribbean, modern, and other creative influences in dance, both traditional and contemporary. Several levels of classes run from November through May, accommodating beginners as well as experienced dancers. Individual and group choreography performances are given during Spring Arts Weekend.
Drumming and Percussion
West African, Afro-Caribbean, and contemporary influences of the drum in music are explored in this activity. Studies include both hand and stick techniques, traditional arrangements, individual compositions, and performances with dance during Spring Arts Weekend.
Creative Writing
A weekly activity, creative writing affords the opportunity to pursue projects of choice in an informal, nonacademic setting. Students are given the option of sharing their work with the other members of the group and may read before larger audiences of relatives and friends during the annual Fall Arts Weekend and Spring Arts Weekend.
Sports
As with the other activities at Buxton, competitive and recreational sports are an integral part of life at the school. Competitive sports are not mandatory, but regular outdoor activity is expected of everyone.
In the fall, the school fields varsity and junior varsity soccer teams for boys and girls. In recent years, athletic competitors have included The Academy at Charlemont, Berkshire Country Day School, Darrow School, Deerfield Academy, Hoosac School, Northfield Mount Hermon School, The Putney School, and Bennington College. The soccer schedule is available on this site.
During the winter months, students can choose from a variety of indoor and outdoor athletic activities such as varsity basketball, skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and ice-skating.
In the spring, biking, tennis, softball, soccer, volleyball, running, kayaking and swimming are offered.
The school’s athletic resources include a weight room, two playing fields, an outdoor basketball court, and skating ponds. Additionally, Buxton is situated next to a thousand acres of undeveloped forest and meadow, providing easy access to trails for hiking and biking. Riding classes can be arranged.