Birch and Alder, affectionally known as the Lowers, perch on the edge of the Forest Garden and the challenge course and are a 10-minute walk from the main campus. Birch, with 14 rooms, and Alder, with 16 rooms, both have full kitchens where residents bake bread or cookies, try their hand at fermentation, or make popcorn for weekly movie nights and game nights.

While the fireplaces in Birch and Alder are out of commission, they add ambiance. So does Alder’s piano, which welcomes any student to tickle its keys. Walk into either dorm’s common rooms, and any day you might find students jamming out, knitting or carving, or practicing their taxidermy skills. In both common rooms, drying racks on pulleys hold gear and herbs. Birch is a substance-free dorm.

Houston House has five double rooms, all with private baths. Named for former faculty Ned Houston, it is often designated for older students, veterans, and students with medical needs.

Houston House is home to Sterling’s teaching kitchen and a newly renovated food library.

The common area features newly renovated kitchen, laundry, and living area. The whimsical gardens behind Houston are flanked by shrubbery archways and abundant with fairy houses and host Sterling’s graduation festivities.

Up to 12 students live in South House, which has six rooms, all with private baths. The dorm’s large common room is a repository for board games and book, and it’s home to a large collection of pottery made by Sterling students. South House has a large shared kitchen, and it shares a backyard with neighborhood chickens, ducks, and dogs. Formerly an inn, South House boasts some eclectic wallpaper.

The dorm backs up to the town cemetery, where graves date back to the early 1800s. The Orleans County forester has a separate but adjacent office in South House.

North House was once home to the College’s president. Now its five homey rooms lodge up to 10 students with shared bathrooms. Behind North House, students often gather around the firepit and play games on the lawn, which is shared with the neighborhood chickens. In summer, the well-kept yard has apple, pear, and plum trees, as well as blueberry bushes for snacking.

North House backs up to Sterling’s Edible Forest Garden and the Dawnland Heritage Garden. The dorm’s sprawling porches face Craftbury’s grassy common and the path to the Lowers. North House is neighbors with Strong Hall which houses the fiber studios and woodshop.

If you like to tinker with your bike, Kestrel is the dorm for you with the bike repair shop in its basement. Kestrel has a summer camp vibe and is the closest dorm to the dining hall. Kestrel’s two common rooms both have a kitchen. Its 19 rooms accommodate up to 25 students who share the renovated bathrooms. A large Smart TV for watching movies and playing video games takes up one wall but sometimes the piano provides the focal point for entertainment.

The yard is home to a backyard jungle gym, which was a senior research project. Kestrel also has a firepit, where most evenings students gather. 

If you’ve always wanted to live in a haunted house, legend holds that Kestrel provides that opportunity. Most students who’ve roomed there say they’ve experienced a friendly ghost wandering the dorm’s barnboard hallways.

When requested, Merlin is Sterling’s LGBTQ+ house. At other times, the 12-room building, which has eight doubles and four singles, is a general interest dorm. Sterling’s most recently renovated dorm has upstairs and downstairs porches outfitted with oversized wooden rocking chairs that beckon students to hang out. A full kitchen and two efficiencies are the perfect places to make treats or whip up a midnight snack. Merlin has two common rooms, one upstairs and one downstairs.

The building also houses the wellness center, and it’s attached to Mager Hall, home to Sterling’s admin offices. Merlin shares a large backyard with Kestrel, and it’s the dorm that’s closest to the library.