AVON – Mr. and Mrs. Richard Beal of Ira, Vt., formerly of Avon, announce the engagement of their daughter, Heather Beal, to Matthew LaRocca, son of Paul and Mary Anne LaRocca of Sparta, N.J.

Miss Beal is a 2002 graduate of Middlebury College with degrees in geology and secondary science education. She works as the curriculum director for the Montana Outdoor Science School (MOSS) in Bozeman, developing curriculum and teaching natural science to students ranging from pre-kindergarten to adult.

Mr. LaRocca is a 2002 graduate of Middlebury College with a major in chemistry and a minor in music. He most recently completed a master’s degree in music composition from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is currently working at Montana State University as a recording engineer in the music department and is music director of Monforton Middle School in Bozeman.

The couple will be married in an outdoor ceremony in Panton, Vt., on Aug. 2 at the summer home of the future bridegroom’s parents, along the shores of Lake Champlain.