News and Events : News 07-08

NMH's Transition Year Program
Turns 25

MOUNT HERMON, MA— Pam Shoemaker’s office is crowded with books—on shelves, on stacks on the floor, on the large table that serves as her desk. The walls are studded with photographs of her former students—students who’ve made good by graduating from colleges and building careers—and there are a lot of them. From this cozy space, Pam Shoemaker has guided Northfield Mount Hermon School’s Transition Year Program (TYP) for 25 years. The program provides a postgraduate year for four to six high-achieving, low-income students.

A TYP student pops in. He and Shoemaker briefly discuss the novel she has assigned to the PG English class she teaches. The author is Haitian, as is the student. Shoemaker says he already has taught her things that have enriched her experience of the book.

Another student walks by the office and Shoemaker draws her in. Her head is covered by her fitted sweatshirt’s red hood. “Are you going to wear that hood all day?” teases Shoemaker. The girl chuckles. Shoemaker’s demeanor becomes more serious. “Do you have enough long underwear and sweaters?” she asks. The girl says she does and goes on to her next class.

The Transition Year Program began when college admission officers started contacting NMH about students whose applications they received. The students were smart, motivated, and accomplished, but needed some grounding: a long-term stable situation that the school could provide. Shoemaker designed and developed the program that has produced many successful students. Kimmie Weeks '01, who won a Brick Award last year for his humanitarian work; and Beatrice Biira '04, recently featured in President Bill Clinton's book, Giving, are graduates of the program. A balance of one-third African-American students, one-third Native-American students, and one-third Latino/a students is what Shoemaker aims for.

She says of her role of nurturing these students, “It’s like going along with someone learning to ride a two-wheeler. First you’re holding on and catching them when they fall. Then you see them ride off.”

Contact: Kate Snyder, 413-498-3357 or ksnyder@nmhschool.org.

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