LI to grow

Lyndon Institute is about to get some new tenants.

The Stevens School, which is currently located in Peacham, is going to be relocated to a portion of LI.

LI, the private high school right down the hill from Lyndon State College, will lease one floor of its historic Vail Barn building to the Stevens School. The middle floor of the building will be renovated and leased out. The move is planned to happen this fall after summer vacation.

The Stevens School is an independent elementary school, and it will remain independent even though it's becoming a small part of a larger campus.

"This is neither a merger nor a formal business partnership. We respect Steven's independence and the quality of their academic programs," said Rick Hilton, headmaster at LI.

A meeting was held early in February between representatives for Stevens School and the LI Board of Trustees. This is when and where the board approved the idea of leasing out the middle floor of the Vail Barn.

The Stevens School consists of children from grades 2-8. The school is making the move to Lyndon to make it easier on these children's families around the Northeast Kingdom, who have to travel back and forth to pick up their kids, according to Stevens School director Julie Hansen.

Not only is Lyndon accepting new people into its community, it appears it is welcoming a school with similar core values that are at LSC. It is not a coincidence that LSC's Stevens Dining Hall has the same name as Stevens School. Both adopted the name from Thaddeus Stevens. Stevens was a congressman and the primary author of the 14th Amendment. He was known for his commitment to equality and his democratic principles. Many schools, like the Stevens School and LSC, find his core values admirable, so both honored him by making his name a part of their school. 

The staff at Stevens school are pleased by the relocation. The plans to relocate took five years, Hansen said.

"We're very excited about it," she said.