But this morning at 10:45, the iconic College building stands empty. Though the outside temperature is approaching 90 degrees, it is warm, but not yet hot, inside the Chapel, and the only sounds to be heard are the floorboards creaking underfoot and the distinctive yet barely audible rustling of leaves in the soft breeze outside the open windows on the building’s north side.

A walk around the main floor reveals clues to previous occupants during the past few days—a business reply card for Vermont Magazine (parent), a half-full Poland Spring water bottle resting at a 45-degree angle against a hymnal on the back of a pew (student), a to-do list—“Karl notes”—with half the items crossed off (Commons staff).

When you are alone in a place where usually you are one among hundreds, you begin to notice things that you had previously been unaware of. For instance, immediately inside the entrance to the Chapel, affixed to the walls to the immediate left and right of the towering twin wooden doors, are two bulletin boards.

One contains what you’d expect: a calendar of events to be held in Mead during the next three weeks; a list, with descriptions, of the various choirs and choruses at Middlebury; and a sign listing the steps one needs to take to reserve the space for an event or rehearsal space.

The other corkboard, however, has just one sheet of paper—a listing of all the components of the Chapel’s 1971 Gress Miles organ. That isn’t all that is attached to the board, though. Someone had both the time and occasion to pin three butterfly wings in a space where you might expect emergency exit instructions to be.

A walk up the north stairs to the balcony reveals a plaque dedicated to the memory of “the graduates and students of Middlebury College who gave their lives in The Great War, 1917–1918.” It lists nine names.

On the back or eastern wall of the balcony are two other plaques listing those from the College lost in the nation’s 19th- and 20th-century wars—Civil War (11); WWI, again (9); WWII (163), Korea (1), and Vietnam (6). And on the wall at the top of the south stairs is another Civil War memorial, this one seeming more substantial—it’s marble—than any of the others. It was given by the Class of 1904 and is “dedicated to the sons of Middlebury College who served their country, 1861–1865.”

A few steps down is a sign printed on red construction paper reminding people to turn off their cell phones.

By 8:35, the tables hold groups of six or eight students; some kids are quiet and look around awkwardly, others talk loudly, and smile and laugh. More kids stream in as they try to get breakfast before their 9:00 Commons meeting.

At a table of girls, one looks at her watch and the four rise in unison. They deposit their dishes on the conveyor belt and push through the doors into the warm sun.

Over in Bi Hall, Room 216 is still filling up.

It’s 10 minutes after 9.

Some kids are talking to their neighbors. Others sit waiting, fingers twisted together.

Wonnacott Commons Heads Will Nash and Deb Evans stand in the front of the room, facing the group, and with a few clearing of throats, the meeting begins.

Nash and Evans talk about the Commons as a community, a neighborhood.

Commons Coordinator Brenda Fizur invites students to her office where she always has home-baked chocolate chip cookies. Commons Dean Matt Longman ’89 talks about the history of the name Wonnacott.

James Tresner ’09, the Commons Residential Adviser, stands up, holding a wooden carved squirrel.

“This is Wonny, our mascot. Some interesting facts about Wonny: he has his own Facebook page and he lost an ear in a skydiving accident.”

The group laughs.

Now it’s time to become acquainted.

Each student stands up, holds Wonny, says his or her name and hometown, then states an interesting fact.

“I took a gap year and got my pilot’s license.”

Ooos and ahhhs.

“When I was five I jumped off the roof to see if I could fly.”

Laughs and groans.

“I once convinced someone that if they married a twin they’d have to marry the other twin too.”

Big laugh.

“I can touch my nose with my tongue.”

The group yells, “Do it!”

She does and everyone cheers.

By 10:15 the meeting is over.

Will Nash tells them to take a break; there are snacks in the hall.

In half an hour they’ll reconvene and, as a group, take care of the first bit of business of being a student at Midd for the next four years. They’ll learn about—and sign—the Honor Code.

Seems like the first-years are on their way.

Every day this week, the editorial staff of Middlebury Magazine will fan across campus to record the goings-on as August gives way to September, and a quiet campus welcomes the arrival of students. The third in a five-part series.

During a week when temperatures have cruised into the 90s and most of us are trying to be as still as possible—preferably in air conditioning—the fall athletes have returned to Middlebury and are moving fast.

On Wednesday morning by 9 a.m. it’s already into the 80s with thick humidity. Cicadas and crickets are ceaseless. Seagulls linger hopefully near the practice field where the women’s soccer team is drilling.

The women wear game faces. First week back is exciting, but also anxious, says Katie Ruymann, a senior from Medford, N.J. “We have a tough season right off the bat, so this first week is important for getting players focused on our goal: winning the NESCAC.”

Through the steamy haze at the South Street end of the complex, the men’s soccer team is also working through intense midday heat. They shout encouragement to each other and show little tolerance for low-energy performances.

Icing his leg on the bench, one of the players says the team is looking forward to the season and is highly motivated after last year’s late-season surge that ended in a heartbreaking loss to Williams in the NESCAC Championships.

It’s 2:30 at Peter Kohn Field. Under a scorching sun, the field hockey team runs drills end-to-end. The air temperature is 90, but the turf adds another 10 degrees, so it’s about 100 degrees on the field. Dozens of water bottles with players’ names on them line the side of the bright green turf.

Midway through the sprint there are a few casualties. The heat is causing one athlete some breathing problems since she recently had surgery for a broken nose. Another hobbles off toward the trainer’s golf cart with a sore ankle. Resting and ice seem to help.

A short distance away, the cross-country team is finishing up drills on Dragone Track. They congregate under a tree, trying to figure out the best time for a long run. A first-year student says he’d be fine with 6 a.m., but that suggestion is met with noncommittal smiles and vague nods.

The football players have gotten a slight reprieve today—they’re not out in the sun this afternoon. But they might rather be. Instead, they’re watching video from yesterday’s practice in a hot, unair-conditioned room in the field house.

The fields are mostly quiet now, except for the unlikely wind chime created by a hot breeze blowing on the flagpole. A couple wanders back to look at the fields. They’re parents of a first-year student, and they confess to playing hooky from parent orientation.

“Pretty nice set-up back here,” says the dad, gazing across the fields to the mountain scenery. “When does anyone have time to study?”

Every day this week, the editorial staff of

Seen & Heard on Hepburn Road, 10:47 a.m.

“Welcome to Brainerd! I’m Mukui, council co-chair. Can I help you with your bags?”

Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” the live version, blares from a window in Stewart. Various SUVs line the road, flashers flashing. A Public Safety officer smoothly manages the constant flow.

“I don’t think that will fit in your room.”
“It will.”
“Son, I really…”
“I’ll make it.”

New commons dean Natasha Chang lugs a box up to room 404. Behind her, three pairs of skis and dangling boots all but topple over the young R.A. toting them. A father, dripping sweat, pauses for water at the welcome table.

“Gifford’s that way. No, that’s Hepburn, the next one over. Well, that’s the chapel. But the one after that. Yup, that’s Gifford. You’re welcome! Good luck!”

An impromptu dance erupts as Smash Mouth churns out “Walking on the Sun.” A mom rushes by with a (melting) white and blue cake. A Midd Recycling truck beeps in reverse to load up a pile of discarded boxes.

“Hey you, wait up!”
“I think he said his name is Peter.”
“Well did he say which room he’s in? This carpet is heavy.”

A Middlebury Transit van pulls up and unloads. Several parents collapse in the shade of a maple and warily introduce themselves. Someone’s car alarm goes off and everyone laughs. A young woman sits in an Adirondack chair and knits.

“I’m just poking fun, honey.”
“It’s not funny.”
“Alright, I’ll stick to carrying bags. Where to?”

Giant stuffed suitcases roll up the sidewalk and rumble back minutes later, deflated and empty. Two parents open the hatch of their car and place a Middlebury College decal on the rear window. They kiss each other and laugh, then drive away.

Every day this week, the editorial staff of Middlebury Magazine will fan across campus to record the goings-on as August gives way to September and a briefly quiet campus welcomes the arrival of students.

It’s 7:30 a.m. on the Middlebury campus. The only thing moving so far this morning seems to be a lawnmower in the distance. Yet as I stroll about campus, there is a feeling of expectancy everywhere. Although the air is cool, the sun is already warming the sidewalks. Long, early shadows stretch across swaths of grass, across the vacant tennis courts, arcing over the patio in front of McCullough, which workers are cleaning with bristle brooms. Even as I watch, the shadows begin to recede and many sights come into view.

A mass of deflated balloons has been left on the curb near Franklin Environmental Center to be picked up, along with trash bags. A brown cotton jersey dangles from the sign in front of Carr Hall, where it waits for its owner.

Outside Old Chapel, a man carrying a manila folder walks back and forth in front of the doorway, again and again, as if he’s got something serious on his mind. Finally, with a determined gesture, he enters.

A car pulls into a shaded parking space, and two weary parents uncurl from the seats. They have the beleaguered look that comes from driving a long distance with a time constraint. Snagging a passerby, they ask if they can park on the sidewalk to unload. The passerby doesn’t know, but says it’ll probably be OK.

Over at Proctor Dining, bacon, eggs, and pancakes warm in trays, but there are no diners yet. And in the bookstore, rows upon rows of textbooks line shelves, labeled and organized by subject and class.

The library is open but deserted; only the air conditioning makes a sound. Upstairs, the blue comfy chairs sit in a perfect line, looking towards Proctor Hall, where workers are setting up ladders.

Outside in a meditative place, the water sculpture in the Garden of the Seasons trickles serene streams around azure morning glory. And in town, bright blue balloons beckon students into the bank. We are all waiting.

O

As always, we hope to call your attention to items that captured ours and alert you to events that you won’t want to miss. If you have a news item that you think we’d be interested in, drop us a line at middmag@middlebury.edu .

• Middlebury Magazine contributor Angela Evancie ‘09 is spending the year as a Compton Mentor fellow and is working with North Country Public Radio, based in Canton, New York, on a storytelling project that illuminates environmentalism in the Champlain Valley.

• Speaking of North Country Public Radio, Sarah Harris ‘11 recently completed an internship with the NPR affiliate, and her final piece was a delicious dispatch from the St. Lawrence County Fair. If Sarah’s name seems familiar, that might be because she was one of the Middlebury Fellows in Narrative Journalism in 2009.

• The Quidditch World Cup is leaving these green pastures for a more urban locale—New York City.

• Nordic ski coach Andrew Gardner was recently profiled in the Burlington alt-weekly Seven Days. In addition to coaching the cross-country ski teams, Gardner is the College’s coordinator for athletic sustainability.

• The Class of 2014 arrives on campus next week. In anticipation of the new academic year, the MiddMag editorial staff will be fanning out across campus next week, bringing you vignettes from around the quad(s) as the College shifts from summer to fall mode. We’ll be filing new postings every day by 3 p.m. Keep an eye out for us.

• Where has this book been for 46 years? We’re going to fish around to see what we can find out. Stay tuned.

Notable young writer Tiphanie Yanique embodies the heart, soul, and spirit of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She arrived six years ago in the coveted role of waiter and returned this summer as a distinguished Fellow and rising star.

When “going back to school” takes on a whole new meaning.

There are over 8,200 first- and second-year members of the Teach For America (TFA) corps currently assigned to rural and urban schools across the country. And while there may be some debate about the long-term effectiveness corps members have on the achievement levels of their students, there is no doubt that TFA teachers—most of whom enter the program straight out of college—quickly learn that teaching is exhausting work that requires patience, determination, advance planning, and a tremendous amount of energy.

Thirteen members of the Middlebury College Class of 2009 entered Teach For America after graduation 15 months ago. Some went into urban schools in New Orleans, Washington, D.C., and New York City, while others were placed in rural outposts across the United States.

Now with one year under their belts and one more year to go (since TFA is a two-year commitment), middmag.com decided to find out what their experiences were like.

Ruby Bolster '09 (in red) teaches at the Bureau of Indian Education School in New Mexico.

For Ruby Bolster ’09, who is teaching at a Bureau of Indian Education School in New Mexico, her biggest challenge is “the combination of inexperience and isolation. TFA’s summer institute [a five-week intensive training program] gave me a solid base, but there are so many things about teaching that you can only learn through extended experience.

“Furthermore, I teach and live 43 miles from the nearest grocery store, 52 miles to the nearest post office, and almost 100 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart, which is a staple of life in this corner of the Southwest. When your only surroundings are the school and the desert, it is easy to get caught up in your classroom and lose sight of your work/life balance.”

Sheyenne Brown’s biggest challenge is keeping up with her planning. “My school—the TEAM Charter School in Newark, New Jersey—doesn’t fool around, so my lesson plans and unit plans are always due way in advance. It can be cumbersome trying to get the new plans out while, at the same time, you are busy teaching the last ones.”

TFA has given Brown ’09, who’s originally from Newark, the opportunity to help turn her home community around. “I am getting to work with the kids I wanted to work with: Black and Latino children who, in some cases, are severely below the reading and math levels they need to be on for their actual grade level. I have also gotten to know them as little people with opinions and wisecracks and attitudes, and it’s rewarding to be a part of their development.”

Sarah Emmons ’09 taught ninth-grade algebra at a large public high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and her biggest challenge “was definitely motivating my students to succeed. Early in my first year the phrase ‘pulling teeth’ took on a whole new meaning for me.

“It seemed like my students would rather do anything other than master my objective for the day (including fighting with each other or doing drug deals in class). But as the year went on, and I got a better feel of what motivated them, they began to do a little more work for me. By the end of the year, a system of stamps, prizes, and climbing mountains finally clicked and I saw huge gains in their mastery scores.”

Emmons, who hopes to be a high school principal someday, is starting a master’s degree program in educational leadership at the University of Oklahoma this fall while fulfilling her second year with TFA. “I have determined that a school truly needs the right vision, direction, and implementation in order to be transformed. I sometimes joke that Teach For America needs to start another branch called ‘Administrate for America’ so that TFA’s vision of excellence can have a role at the administrative level.”

Another member of the Class of 2009 is balancing graduate school with her Teach For America responsibilities. Layla Zhu was at the Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont this past summer before returning to her teaching post in Houston, Texas.

“The most rewarding parts of teaching,” said Zhu, “are having a positive impact on my students’ lives, developing long-lasting relationships with students and colleagues, and sharpening my communication, conflict-resolution, and leadership skills.” Zhu teaches six sections of math class a day.

Brooke Farquhar teaches pre-Kindergarteners in Memphis, Tennessee.

Brooke Farquhar, who was in the Feb class of 2008.5 at Middlebury, is returning to the Ridgeway Early Learning Center in Memphis, Tennessee, this month. She puts her experience in the context of how she views her students:

“I remember during the TFA summer institute that one of the experienced corps members told us that at some point ‘these kids’ are going to become ‘our kids.’ Now as I am going back into my second year of teaching, I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t think of the kids in Room 116 as ‘my kids.’”

In order to find the most talented candidates, the selection process for Teach For America is highly competitive. A record 46,000 individuals applied to join the 2010-12 TFA corps and 12 percent (or about 5,520) were accepted.

At Middlebury, the Career Services Office sets up on-campus interviews in October, December, and March for graduating seniors interested in TFA. Susan Walker, associate director of CSO, explained:

“TFA’s 12 days of interviews is more than for any other recruiting organization that comes to Middlebury, including the large Wall Street firms. We manage the promotion, the application process, logistics, and communications with TFA recruiters and students, and I don’t think our record with Teach For America would be as impressive if not for the services provided by our staff.”

This month, as TFA veterans like Brooke Farquhar return to “their kids,” eleven recent graduates from the Class of 2010 are heading to their first Teach For America assignments.

The newest members of the corps from Middlebury are: Hillary Coleman, assigned to the D.C. region; Dale Freundlich, New York City; Alexandra Garfield, Connecticut; Kelly Janis, San Antonio; and Dallas Moody, New York City.

Also, George Osei-Mensah, Houston; Michael Panzer, New York City; Kathleen Remington, St. Louis; Julia Szabo, Phoenix; Molly West, Tulsa; and Claire Williams, Los Angeles.

Our regular recap of goings on at the College and a look ahead to events on the horizon.

As always, we hope to call your attention to items that captured ours and alert you to events that you won’t want to miss. If you have a news item that you think we’d be interested in, drop us a line at middmag@middlebury.edu .

• The 96th session of Middlebury’s Language Schools concluded last Friday with the conferring of degrees and a speech by NPR President Vivian Schiller, MA Russian ‘85.  The week prior, the Bread Loaf School of English held its commencement ceremony up in Ripton.

• Barbara Hofer, an associate professor of psychology at Middlebury, recently appeared on CBS’s The Early Show, where she talked about her new book, The iConnected Parent.

• The Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference is in full swing. Readings are held each afternoon and evening and are open to the public. If you can’t make it to the Mountain, you can listen to recordings on Middlebury’s iTunesU channel.

• Thanks to a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Middlebury will be getting a new vessel for student-faculty research on Lake Champlain.

• We recently stumbled on a cool photography site, “Documenting Middlebury,” created by Isaac Sadaqah ‘11.

• Did you know that the College has a plum tree on campus? We didn’t either.

Yes, the 2010 session of the Language Schools is over, but we have one final video postcard to share with you. It’s mock debate time in the French School, where capitalism squares off against socialism. This segment was produced by George Altshuler ‘11.  Ryan Kellett ‘09 was the executive producer of the Language School Postcard series.

Past segments: Postcard from the Davis School of Russian, Postcard from the Chinese School , Postcard from the Portuguese School , Postcard from the School of Hebrew