JISP 2025

Registration is open!
Southern Vermont Arts Center is proud to be a JISP provider again for this winter. Along with Bromley Mountain (where the Junior Instructional Ski Program originated) and other community partners, SVAC is offering educational programming for local students during the school day. This year, acting classes are available Tuesdays and Thursdays, and studio art classes are available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. All programs begin the week of January 7 and end March 7. Please sign up early as space is limited!

Scholarships are available.
Please begin the registration process and follow prompts for financial aid awards.

All students in grades K – 8 are welcome!
Students in the Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union will ride school buses to SVAC with their teachers. Homeschool, independent school and other districts’ schools’ families transport their own children.

Winter Weather
Please note that SVAC follows the BRSU’s decisions about closing for road conditions. If school is closed, there is no class at SVAC. However, it is possible that occasionally Bromley Mountain will close, and SVAC will remain open. Please call school or SVAC for up-to-date information.

JISP Grades K–4 Art 
Instructor: Lee Williams
Tuesday or Thursday, 12–2p.m.
$150, scholarships available
Grades K–4

This group will explore different weekly themes, ranging from “adventures in the forest” to “my alien friend.” We will be experimenting with different materials and techniques, including drawing, painting, collage, mixed media, mask making and sculpture.

JISP Grades 5–8 Art
Instructor: Stan Sears
Tuesday or Thursday, 12–2p.m.
$150, scholarships available
Grades 5–8

Come make art in 3D. Learn to use hand drills, small saws, and other tools to build sculptures, toys, towers, lanterns and more. Experiment with wood, paint, wire, cloth, glue and other interesting materials for projects that may be small or tall, may roll or wiggle or float–creations that develop in exciting, unexpected ways.

JISP Friday Grades K–8 Art Workshop
Instructor: Stan Sears
Friday, 1–3 p.m.
$225, scholarships available
Grades K–8

On Fridays, we welcome students in grades K–8 for an open workshop in 3D art. Students will make projects that suit their interests and experience, using a variety of tools and materials.

Tuesday: Dorset School, Flood Brook School, Mettawee Community School, Mountain School at Winhall, Homeschools
January 7–March 4 (skips February 18)

Register for Tuesday K–4 Art
Register for Tuesday 5–8 Art

Thursday: Currier Memorial School, Manchester Elementary Middle School, Sunderland Elementary School, Homeschools
January 9–March 6 (skips February 20)

Register for Thursday K–4 Art
Register for Thursday 5–8 Art

Friday: Long Trail School, Maple Street School, Red Fox Community School, Southshire Community School, Wells Village School, Homeschools
January 10–March 7 (skips February 21)

Register for Friday K–8 Art Workshop

JISP Grades K–4 Acting
Instructor: Todd Hjelt
Tuesdays or Thursdays, 12–2 p.m.
$150, scholarships available

The class will focus on cooperative play and storytelling through the use of theater games and improvisation. Students will learn the basics of scene structure and character development. Then collaboratively we will create a performance piece based on the concept, “The Pop-Up Book.”

JISP Grades 5–8 Acting
Instructor: Michelle Cox
Tuesday or Thursday, 12–2
$150, scholarships available
Grades 5–8

Students will build a solid acting foundation in a safe, fun, non-competitive atmosphere. Theater games and scene study hone essential skills. This is a wonderful environment to make new friends and let one’s imagination run wild. We will work toward a short performance in March.

Tuesday: Dorset School, Flood Brook School, Mettawee Community School, Mountain School at Winhall, Homeschools
January 7–March 4 (skips February 18)

Register for Tuesday K–4 Acting
Register for Tuesday 5–8 Acting

Thursday: Currier Memorial School, Manchester Elementary Middle School, Sunderland Elementary School, Homeschools
January 9–March 6 (skips February 20)

Register for Thursday K–4 Acting
Register for Thursday 5–8 Acting

Teaching Artist Bios

Michelle Cox
Michelle is an experienced teacher, actor and director. A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.

Todd Hjelt

Stan Sears
Stanton Sears is a sculptor and a professor emeritus of art at Macalester College, St Paul.  He holds degrees from Rhode Island School of Design and Penn State. In addition to the fine arts, his training has included study in architecture and landscape architecture. Stan and his wife, sculptor Andrea Myklebust, have worked together to create more than 70 large-scale public art projects for sites across the United States. Find out more about their public art  or read Macalester College’s 2018 ebook, A MATERIAL EDUCATION: THE ART & SCIENCE OF STANTON SEARS.

Lee Williams
A resident of Shaftsbury, VT, Lee is originally from Wales, UK. He has taught art and design extensively at the university level and with children. Lee has exhibited his work throughout Europe as well as in Australia and the US. He has received various fellowships and commissions to undertake public and private work in a variety of media. He has led many community-based arts projects and events.