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What is Quantum Leap?

For more information about Bennington College's Quantum Leap Program, please visit here.

Founded in 1999 by Bennington College faculty members Susan Sgorbati and Danny Michaelson, Quantum Leap addresses concerns regarding the lack of academic engagement in the population of local elementary, middle, and high school students. Originally organized as a response to truancy and dropout prevention, Quantum Leap has since diversified to include a wide variety of specialized initiatives.
Each of the Quantum Leap initiatives addresses some of the many reasons why students struggle to find value and relevancy in their education. Students of Quantum Leap develop personalized academic plans and these plans assist students as they gain ownership of their educational path. Since its founding, Quantum Leap has blossomed into many far-reaching initiatives and specialized projects, including the Quantum Leap Exhibit Program.

What is the Quantum Leap Exhibit Program?

MOUNT ANTHONY UNION HIGH SCHOOL'S

Quantum Leap Exhibit Program

Based at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, Vermont, the Quantum Leap Exhibit Program is an academic reengagement program that services students through smaller and more individualized classes, and under the premise that personal choice and projects-based learning are essential to student success. The Quantum Leap Exhibit Program focuses on providing the public high school students of Southwest Vermont with an educationally transformative experience.

The intensive and creative curriculum relies heavily on expression through research, writing, the arts, and media literacy. At the conclusion of each semester, students showcase their accomplishments in a formal setting. These exhibits are open to the public and free of charge. The presentation of their achievements in a formal setting is what ensures gratification for a job well done, and spurs on future academic accomplishments.

The construction of a personalized academic plan engages students in the reflective process and allows students to take control of and have a powerful voice in their own education and development. Personal choice is what lends meaning to the curriculum and allows students to self-direct... engaging and reengaging in their own education.

The attributes that set the Quantum Leap Exhibit Program aside in philosophy have the potential to be highly beneficial to all students, regardless of track. They deliver what all humans need: to be successful and valued, to be productive, to have purpose, to forge bonds with others, and to contribute to society.

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) has honored Bennington's program, Quantum Leap, with the Vermont State Merit Award—one of six state merit awards given annually as part of the New England Higher Education Excellence Awards. The awards recognize institutions and individuals who have made substantive contributions toward improving higher education opportunities for New England students.