HATFIELD — Fragrance from a box of crayons reminds Smith Academy senior Marissa Belina of visits to her grandmother’s house.
Now, the way that scent from the waxy writing instruments draws upon her memories is the focus of “How Smell Connects to Nostalgia,” a thesis paper Belina is writing for a college-level psychology course she is taking at the high school.
Like the other 16 juniors and seniors in the course, one of three classes where students have an opportunity to be part of Concurrent Enrollment with Vermont State University, the assignment is to explore the concept of cognitive bias by drawing from both their own experiences and the academic literature they are reading.
“I’m enjoying it. It’s an interesting class,” Belina says. “It is challenging, but not too challenging.”
Senior Kellen O’Sullivan explains that the focus of his thesis, titled “Functional Fixedness: Mental Sets and How They Affect Me” is on the psychological effect that creates a mental block. This comes about, he said, when one might be prevented from using a wrench to pound a nail, even if a hammer isn’t available for the task.
For fellow senior Molly O’Brien, her thesis is “How Does Intelligence Grow With a Kid: How Does Nature and Nurture Work?” offering a personal exploration on once having an Individualized Education Plan, but eventually testing out from it.
The course fits with her interest in psychology.
“I felt it would be good to have a college-level class before graduating,” O’Brien said, who considers psychology a possible college path of study. “I feel like the class has helped me grow and learn what it might be like as a minor.”
They are among around 70% of juniors and seniors taking the opportunity to be in Concurrent Enrollment classes for the first time, a program that started during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Conor Driscoll, who doubles as Hatfield’s school superintendent and principal at Smith Academy, said this is an outgrowth of an effort to develop unique innovation pathways, which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is encouraging.
Driscoll had ideas for both a mental health innovation pathway, using psychology and counseling, and for an adventure leadership innovation pathway. He then made the connection with Vermont State, and Bridgett Taylor, the university’s school and community outreach coordinator, due to his appreciation for its emphasis on outdoor education.
A grant from the state education department provided the stipends necessary to train the teachers and develop the curriculum in partnership with Vermont State, which certifies the courses and ensures the students will get the full three credits. Students also are likely to be able to transfer some or all of those credits to other colleges and universities, potentially saving them both time and money.
“It is a real college course,” Driscoll said. “They make sure it meets their level of rigor.”
“This gives them a leg up to start studying it,” Driscoll said.
In addition to psychology, the other courses being offered are food science and pre-calculus with applications.
Smith Academy is the first school in Massachusetts to be part of Vermont State’s Concurrent Enrollment flexible pathway, joining a number of high schools and technical centers in Vermont and a handful of schools in New York and New Hampshire, said Brandon Kennedy, associate director of admissions at Vermont State.
“We’re really excited about the partnership with Smith Academy and happy to work with the school and to encourage this educational model,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said Vermont State’s mission is to support education locally and help Vermonters with their continuing education.
While Smith Academy has AP classes and dual enrollment with local institutions, such as Smith College, the Concurrent Enrollment means better scheduling, with students both remaining on campus and getting in-person attention.
For the psychology course, Darcy Albanese, the high school biology teacher, was the main point person in putting it together, though it is being taught by high school social studies teacher John Garrett.
Vermont State vets the credentials and requires the teacher to have a master’s degree, and ensures the course meets the academic level set at the institution, Kennedy said.
Garrett compliments the students on the work they have been doing, observing that while they have many more weeks of class time than a college undergraduate would to complete assignments, high schoolers also have more courses overall.
“They’re taking a heavier load, ” Garrett said.
The syllabus approved by Vermont State works well for an introduction to psychology class, Garrett said, adding that sample assignments were approved by the college’s faculty advisory board and the college also provided the academic journals being used.
“Frankly, we’re very lucky,” Garrett said. “It’s very cool we get to do this.”
Driscoll said students saw the great opportunity being presented right away, with many students enrolling the first chance they got.
O’Sullivan said being part of the psychology and food science Concurrent Enrollment courses has been positive. “It’s a little more challenging than any other class,” O’Sullivan said.
In food science, the 10 students recently read a scholarly article about finding an edible solution for wasteful packaging and the class will soon be doing hands-on pickling and fermenting, and learning how to make kimchi.
Senior Grant Murray said another topic has been learning about temperature and safety, with some food preparation skills he may be able to use at home. Senior Aidan Hopfenspirger said the class also examined how bacteria spreads and how to prevent it.
While it’s uncertain if students will use their knowledge in the workplace, senior Shai Foley said they could also achieve ServeSafe designation for use in commercial kitchens.
Moira Pitrat, who teaches chemistry, said she looks forward to leading the students in fermentation work. “It’s been fun to do a deep dive into other topics,” Pitrat said.
With both teachers and students confident in the success of Concurrent Enrollment, the hope is that it will continue to benefit both the high school and Vermont State.
“My ideal vision is for Smith Academy to have a full semester of college courses, which would be good for students,” Driscoll said. “That could be a real feather in the cap.”