Knowledge Tree

My name is Kate Spencer and I live in Strafford, Vermont. I was born and raised in the little village of Strafford (population 1,100!) and I am so thankful for it. Strafford's community- full of vibrant, varied people has taught me so much: the importance of listening, the beauty of staying down to earth, how to keep active and happy in the long winter months, and much more that belongs in another piece of writing. I am also part of the equally vibrant and interesting community that is the Sharon Academy, my high school. This year is my first year at TSA and I'm already amazed at all I have learned there and the opportunities that we, the students, have access to, even as freshmen. It was through my Humanities teacher, Stephanie, that I was introduced to DOTCOM! TSA is not just unique because we are a small school, or because students trot around in socks or even because we refer to teachers by their first names. TSA is unique because it fosters open communication every day between teachers and students, board members and students, parents and students. We definitely have a voice at Sharon and we are taught to utilize it well. My favorite classes are Humanities and Spanish. Current Events time in Humanities is most fascinating part of my school day. I am passionate about solving the world's environmental issues, staying on top of the news, music and art. I dream of traveling around the world and giving my whole life to aiding the starving, hopeless, and poor. I am mostly outgoing and friendly, I like to keep moving and laughing, but I do try to take time to observe and listen and keep quiet- I feel its important to use both sides of the spectrum, it's sort of a yin and yang idea of mine.

My family has subscribed to The New Yorker for as long as I can remember- the issues have always laid around the house on tables and chairs. When I was in fourth grade I started to flip through them just for the comics, when I was in sixth grade I stepped up to the movie, art and music reviews, and in seventh grade I started to read select articles and the short fiction piece near the back. Now, I make a point of reading it cover to cover, and though that sometimes is quite a task, I am always impacted by what I read- be it a particularly beautiful poem or a abstract on the Peace Corps. NPR is another constant presence in my house. The voices of Terry Gross, Robert Seigal, Melissa Block, and Steve Inskeep wake me up every morning- again, it was in seventh grade that I began to pay real attention to everything those newscasters were saying, but I feel that having NPR as the background music to my life has affected me in a positive way!

I am most concerned about my community's approach to major environmental concerns. Before I say more, I must explain that the majority of my town is environmentally conscious. About a fourth of our community lives off the grid and GroSolar, a successful solar panel company, is based in Strafford. But it is the rest of us that I am worried about: our idling cars, minimum carpooling and energy draining establishments like the town's school and general store. A group of people are working on organizing a carpooling board, I want to become involved in that- another idea of mine is to convert the two buildings in question to some sort of alternative power.

I really enjoy working with people. I love being around people, observing people, having engaging conversations and hearing stories. There is nothing more invigorating then bouncing ideas off of others, be it in an acoustic jam session or a heated debate or a even just a discussion about what to do on a Friday night. School has done a good job of training me to work in groups, I have always found my work turns out the best when I am surrounded by people. And if producing good work isn't incentive enough, there seems to always be laughter in group work (no matter how hard or serious the project), which is never a bad thing!