Beth Bicknell
Spaulding High School & Central VT Career Ctr
Beth Bicknell was fully garbed in VEHI PATH Adventure clothing from years past and shared her binder of materials from the first PATH Adventure and the first Safety Puzzler Calendar when we met with her at Spaulding High School. “I am totally on board with this year’s PATH Adventure – Tidal Wave,” she said. “Our school mascot is the Crimson Tide so it fits right in.”
As the school’s Administrative Coordinator, Bicknell compares herself to the man running the controls behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. “I organize and facilitate plenty of activity and I prefer to steer things from behind the scenes,” she said. Obviously, this is a role in which Bicknell continues to thrive.
“My investment in promoting my own well-being and those of my colleagues was sparked years ago when I was invited to participate in the annual Mountainside Wellness Conference at Bolton Valley,” she said. “I so wanted to be a part of the team and eventually it was my turn in 1991, which was also the last time the conference was held.”
“Beth is a consistent source of positivity and energy at Spaulding and on the PATH team,” said Laura Thygesen, the Barre Unified Union School District’s VEHI Wellness Champion. “She is the go-to for everything and is always willing to help, no matter what she is doing, and with a smile on her face. Beth is an inspiration through her dedication to her career and her dedication toward her own well-being and a cheerleader to encourage others on their way. Not only does Beth stay positive and encourage others to do so, she spends much time seeking out ways to improve on the culture of the school and encourage folks to get involved in activities and programs for self-betterment. She does her best to take part in all these great activities that she organizes - a true role model. Beth organizes social activities to make people feel appreciated, welcome and part of a school community from sending cards to folks, going for a walk, to staff luncheons.”
“Beth is an institution. She knows everything from how to repair the copier to what the school mascot was 30 years ago to what flowers are what and the family connections of about everyone and she could tell you what the PATH Adventure was 20 years ago,” Thygesen added. “She is the cornerstone rock of Spaulding High School.”
“I arrived at Spaulding in 1978 and ten administrators later, I have a profound sense of pride about all that I and our team can accomplish together,” Bicknell said. “Sometimes I pay staff back with cookies and I always serve as their cheerleader.”
“I am an avid walker and hiker no matter the weather,” she said. “I grew up in Williamstown and had to walk a good quarter of a mile to the bus stop in the early mornings, seeing my share of bear, deer and coyotes. I have lived in Tunbridge for several years on a homestead once farmed by my husband’s family and have two grown children and two grandchildren.”
