The many traditions at the Academy form a foundation for the passage of each year. These are the events students most look forward to and alumni reminisce about.

 

Chapel

Each morning students and faculty meet during our school-wide daily assembly, Chapel. Daily announcements are read, the Headmaster or Assistant Headmaster give a short talk, and students or guests speak or perform. During Chapel, students sit with their advisories and check in with their advisors. These groups become tight-knit as students see each other and their advisors each morning.

 

Pep Chapel

Pep Chapel is fall pre-home football game tradition that culminates with Homecoming weekend. All students meet in the gym for Pep Chapel, and school-wide cheers are led by the band, faculty and cheerleaders. The atmosphere is festive and it is a great way to begin a Friday.

 

Freshman Sing

Each fall the new freshman class takes the stage in Fuller Hall and sings the Alma Mater to the rest of the student body and faculty. The upperclassmen are always proud of their efforts.

 

Homecoming (LI) Weekend

Homecoming Weekend is the most anticipated event of the year at the Academy. Each fall since 1894, the St. Johnsbury Academy and Lyndon Institute football teams have played each other, resulting in one of the oldest football rivalries in the country.

 

In 2013, USA Today conducted an online poll to determine the greatest rivalry in the nation. “The Game” easily won the Vermont, New England, and Eastern regions, before finishing fourth in the nation.

 

Leading up to Homecoming Weekend, the Academy campus and the entire St. Johnsbury community prepare for The Game with team highlights in the local media, Pep Chapel, a parade with class floats, a bonfire, and Homecoming King, Queen and the Royal Court—all building anticipation while celebrating class unity and the school community.

 

Senior Capstone Day

Senior Capstone Day, when seniors present their Capstone projects to their peers, faculty members, and members of the community, happens once each semester in early December and early May. Capstone is a culmination of all previous learning, and serves as an opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of our standards as they head to college, careers, and carry their overall Academy experience into their personal and professional lives.

 

Winter Carnival

Winter Carnival is a yearly tradition that embraces winter in the Northeast Kingdom. Classes compete with each other, collecting points at indoor and outdoor sports events and other fun contests, including the yearly dance-off!

 

Spring Day

Unlike Homecoming Weekend and Winter Carnival, Spring Day is not based on competition between classes. All students come together to play games, listen to bands, be outside, and celebrate spring as a community.

 

Spring Fashion Show

Each spring, the Art in Fashion Design I and II students put on a fashion show for other students and the community. The students put many, many hours into their creations and the results are amazing year after year.

 

Commencement

Commencement at the Academy is an exciting celebration. Seniors are honored in a number of formal occasions including Last Chapel, Prom, Baccalaureate, Class Day, and finally Commencement.

 

The St. Johnsbury Academy Alma Mater sung by the Class of 2022. Here’s the lyrics if you would like to sing along!

 

VERSE 1
Our strong band can ne’er be broken
Formed at St. J. A.
Far surpassing dreams unspoken
Of a long past day.
Forever. . .

 

CHORUS
Lift the chorus, speed it onward
Let it float away;
Hail to thee our Alma Mater
Hail to St. J. A.

 

VERSE 2
High above the busy humming
of the bustling town;
Stands our noble Alma Mater
Looking proudly down.

 

VERSE 3
Face the world and make it better
We have just begun.
Carry forth the shield of courage,
Face the rising sun.