Principal's Corner
Rivendell Academy
At Rivendell Academy we strive to cultivate in our students an inclination to question, think critically, and to wonder at the world around them. Our curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills to identify, analyze and solve problems in the complex situations that they may encounter in their lives.
Students learn and practice essential skills through community-based projects, interdisciplinary courses, frequent guest speakers, and local, regional, and international travel linked to in-class learning. We have an innovative and successful 6th Grade Challenges program. We are continuously seeking, establishing, and maintaining relationships between school and community, including in 2023 establishing a food bank at Rivendell Academy.
We are committed to the success of all of our students, and our Academy actively encourages students to explore essential ideas in depth within each discipline.
For more information about our school, our programs, and what is happening here, visit our Academy News page or our Academic Program page.
"The thing that inspires me to teach is the students, and their questions and their spirit, their complexity. I appreciate them as complex people.
Students continue to change and the world continues to change, and so my curriculum has to continue to change. And that's challenging and inspiring."
- Rachel Sanders, Science Teacher
Rivendell Interstate School District
Our three schools are places where students feel known and cared for by teachers and staff, and where education is personal. We continue to build and deepen a culture of learning, collaboration, engagement, and social responsibility among our students and ourselves. We challenge our students of all ages to look at the issues facing our community, country, and world and to feel energized rather than discouraged. We hope that they have as much confidence in their potential as wee see in them.
The Rivendell Interstate School District's principles and practices remain the same as at the time of our founding: a belief that we are three buildings but one school, and an approach to interdisciplinary and project-oriented teaching that empowers our students to be independent and critical thinkers who apply their learning to their lives and the world around them.
We work best when we work together, and we know that learning does not just happen in the classroom. As a district-wide staff we aim to make learning real, make it concrete, make it linked to the community, and make it mentally and physically active.
From our outdoor classrooms, Farm to School program, and our partnerships with organizations like High Tech High, Critical Explorers, Vital Communities, and the Upper Valley Teacher Place Collaborative, we remain grounded in our founding principles while continuing to evolve in order to provide our students with the education and experience that they need in our evolving world.
Patricia Rella began as Principal of Rivendell Academy in July 2024 and is honored to serve the students, staff, and community of the Rivendell Interstate School District. Prior to becoming principal, Patricia taught Spanish at the high school and college level for 25 years.
Patricia received two bachelors’ degrees from the University of New Hampshire, a Master’s in Language Acquisition and the Teaching of Spanish from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), and a Master’s in Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has lived, studied, and worked in Spain for over three years, and studied at the University of Chile.
In addition to her work in education, Patricia is a certified travel agent and founder of Cobblestone Travel, whose tagline, “Where the Back Roads are the Main Attraction,” reflects her passion for authentic cultural experiences. She loves sharing her deep appreciation for the language, history, and traditions of Spain and serving as a bridge between cultures.
Patricia lives on a small farm where she and her family raise much of their own food. She tends to the fruits and vegetables and finds one of her happiest places in the greenhouse. She enjoys spending time in the mountains, reading, cooking, and playing pickleball, and completed both the Madrid and Burlington marathons.
Patricia values honesty, self-reflection, humor, belonging and respect, and believes deeply that learning is the key to opening doors throughout life. Her goal is to help students and adults discover how they learn best, empowering them to build confidence, agency, and a lifelong love of learning.