As we look to the East we see the Meadows. We don’t see the Connecticut River, which is blocked by the trees at the back edge of the sprawling fields. But out of sight should never be out of mind.   

“For us at Loomis Chaffee, the Connecticut River is a major part of our ecological landscape,” said Marley Matlack, the Christopher H. Lutz director of the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies.   

It is, too, for other schools located near the river that flows for more than 400 miles through New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut before reaching Long Island Sound. The river is, noted Marley, a natural resource that we must preserve and protect.   

Three schools — Loomis Chaffee, Deerfield Academy, and Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) — have worked together to form the Connecticut River Schools Collaborative. The idea originated when Loomis Chaffee students went on an educational trip down the Connecticut River in 2022. Loomis Chaffee worked with Bald Mountain Meadow, which specializes in interdisciplinary, place-based learning expeditions, on that trip. “We talked about how wonderful it would be to create an organization for schools centered around an important ecological landmark, and in New England that is the Connecticut River,” Marley said.   

Just beyond those trees bordering the Meadows, one might see an osprey or a bald eagle. The river is home to many species of fish and wildlife. The hope, says Marley, is that down the road more schools will join the Connecticut River Schools Collaborative.    

The three schools already have launched into collective action. In the fall each school participated in the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) Source to Sea Cleanup. The CRC is an organization that “advocates for clean water, healthy habitats, and resilient communities throughout the entire Connecticut River watershed,” notes its website.   

On February 23 Northfield Mount Hermon is hosting the NMH Eco Summit, with a special focus on the Connecticut River, for not just the three schools in the newly formed collaborative but other surrounding schools as well. There will be workshops as well as talks from invited speakers about the river and its importance.  In the spring, Marley said, Loomis is planning to sponsor what she called a “bio blitz,” which involves gathering scientific data about the river.   

Loomis seniors Adelaide Looney and Nina Cushman are creating a Geographic Information System (GIS) storymap of the Connecticut River for their capstone project in the Global & Environmental Studies Certificate program. GIS storymap projects combine maps, multimedia, and text to create a narrative. The two seniors are mapping schools along the river as well as focusing on indigenous history and historical and cultural landmarks. Marley said the intention is to enable any school to use this map and build on it “to think about the river in a different way, historically, recreationally, scientifically. ... We need to understand it is important to think about the future of these natural resources.”   

Just as in 2022, the school is working with Bald Mountain Meadow to offer a June 2025 trip to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and along the Connecticut River with a focus on environmental studies and outdoor education as students paddle from the headwaters south to the Meadows at Loomis Chaffee. This time students and faculty from Deerfield and Northfield Mount Hermon will join LC students and faculty on the journey. Marley said there are still some openings for Loomis students. That trip and the Eco Summit at NMH are open to any Loomis student.