St. Johnsbury Academy Featured in a National Exploration of Whole-Person Education
St. Johnsbury Academy is proud to announce its inclusion in Elevate: 16 Boarding Schools and the Practice of Holistic Education, a new book examining what it truly means to educate the whole person.
Authored and edited by Jake Weld and Jeremy McGeorge, Elevate features chapters written by leaders from sixteen independent boarding schools reflecting on the relationship between mission, authority, structure, community, and character. Each school contributes in its own voice, while Weld and McGeorge provide framing analysis and a concluding synthesis that examines what it takes for institutions to remain coherent over time.
The book does not propose a single formula. Instead, it documents institutional self-examination and treats structure as a serious educational variable. In their analysis, Weld and McGeorge claim that a school’s coherence is not sustained by vision alone, but by the ongoing practice of responsibility—through governance choices, clearly defined roles, durable boundaries, and a willingness to maintain the framework that keeps mission legible. Elevate is thus both inquiry and record: a collection of lived institutional perspectives and a meditation on the conditions that make holistic education possible. It is written for educators, trustees, graduate students of educational leadership, and parents seeking a clearer understanding of how mission is carried out in daily practice.
The chapter on St. Johnsbury Academy offers a compelling portrait of a school founded in 1842 with a long-standing commitment to whole-person education. Intellectual challenge, character formation, global perspective, experiential and applied learning, and a diverse day and boarding community are intentionally woven together. The Academy’s model—blending comprehensive academics, mentorship, leadership development, and a deeply rooted culture of belonging—reflects its belief that education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but the cultivation of judgment, resilience, responsibility, and character.
“We are honored to be recognized among other excellent schools as a school committed to educating the whole student,” said Headmaster Dr. Sharon Howell.
“It is especially meaningful because we serve a genuinely diverse community of learners from rural New England, around the US, and 20 countries around the world. On our Vermont hilltop campus, students with diverse intelligences and socioeconomic backgrounds pursue everything from elite academics to the arts, innovation, the trades, new languages, athletics, entrepreneurship, and more. Through daily whole community meetings, close mentorship, and a culture that values many forms of excellence, we challenge our students to become deep thinkers, bold creators, and compassionate, responsible members of society.”
For families considering boarding school, Elevate highlights how St. Johnsbury Academy integrates cherished traditions, intellectual rigor, residential life, supportive relationships, and community connection to foster meaningful growth beyond the classroom. For educational leaders, it showcases the Academy as a distinctive example of how mission, structure, and culture work together to shape young people of competence, integrity, and purpose.
Together, the sixteen schools featured in Elevate suggest a powerful conclusion: education at its best is formative, not transactional. It shapes not only what students know, but who they become.
Elevate: 16 Boarding Schools and the Practice of Holistic Education is available for purchase through major booksellers.
For more information about St. Johnsbury Academy, visit www.stjacademy.org.
