Work Program
O
ne of the truly unique qualities about Buxton and our students is our shared commitment to the school and each other. This is perhaps best seen in our innovative ‘work program’ – a twice weekly event during which students break into crews to perform maintenance work.
Unlike at some boarding schools, all of our students are required to participate. It is an important and invigorating time for our students, and one that is an essential and deeply loved part of the Buxton experience.
Tasks include:
- Chopping wood
- Crew or costume work in the theater
- Picking apples
- Cleaning
- Painting
- Cooking and baking
- Office work
- Mowing and raking
- Gardening
- Snow and ice removal
- Caring for animals in the biology lab
- Mixing and stocking chemicals in the darkroom
“It’s a way to give back to a place that gives so much to you.”
“This is our community and we need to take responsibility for our own spaces. It’s a great opportunity for us to feel ownership of our spaces and it’s really fun.”
Testimonials
-
"Buxton has given me the freedom to be the person I want to be, make the art I want to make, and learn the things I want to learn. At Buxton we learn not only in the classroom, but in the community. We learn how to be good to each other and how to support each other. Buxton has so much to offer students, both inside the classroom and outside of it."Great Barrington, MA
-
“At Buxton you get to focus on what you want to be learning; whether it is social skills or in-depth studying- you learn to take responsibility of your education.”Troy, NY
-
“Living your education means to not only learn things, but to use what you learn in your everyday life.”Mexico
-
“To me, living your education means to be independent, to take charge, to not be afraid of asking for help, to learn from your peers, to love to learn, to take what you have learned from a loving environment and take it into the world.”New Hampshire
-
“Your education is more than just your time in class, it’s your life as a whole. Learning is not limited to a teacher teaching you something in a classroom.”Missouri
-
“To me, at Buxton, it’s not boundaries that you make, but the ones you break through.”New York, NY
-
“At Buxton, I can choose what I want to do with my education. I can design my own path and invest my time studying topics that I’m really interested in.”New York, NY
-
“At Buxton you can experience your intellectual development in a community that accepts your perspective of the world.”Mexico
-
“I felt instantly at home when I stepped on the campus. At Buxton, we are in school 24/7. We learn things in the classroom, but we really learn valuable things outside of the classroom. We learn how to work with others and respect each other’s spaces. Our education surrounds us and we learn new things everyday.”Albany, NY
-
“I chose Buxton over public school because I think I function better in a smaller environment. You’re able to get to know students and faculty on a deeper level, which is rare.”Williamstown, MA
