Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy

Last updated
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy
Address
Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy
1 Academy Loop
PO Box 369

81645

United States
Coordinates 39°35′11″N106°25′51″W / 39.586425°N 106.430863°W / 39.586425; -106.430863
Information
Established2007(17 years ago) (2007)
School districtEagle County Schools
CEEB code 061011
PrincipalWade Hill
Faculty11.5 FTEs [1]
Grades5–12
Enrollment172 (as of 2014-15) [1]
Student to teacher ratio15.0:1 [1]
Website www.eagleschools.net/schools/vail-ski-and-snowboard-academy

The Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy is a public school operated as part of the Eagle County Schools District, in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. It provides students in fifth through twelfth grades with a flexible schedule that allows them to participate in skiing and snowboarding training programs at Vail Ski Resort, making it the first public winter sports academy in the United States. [2]

The academy is operated in conjunction with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, providing a traditional and flexible academic program while giving student-athletes the opportunity to train and compete at the international and Olympic level. Established in 2007, the academy was developed after years of negotiations between district and club officials, making it the first such public ski and snowboard training academy in the US. [2] [3] As of 2011, the program serves about 200 students at the middle school and high school level, and includes individuals who competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as members of the United States Ski Team and a number of elite-level junior competitors. Similar publicly funded winter sports training programs have existed in European countries for years, where they have achieved success in developing Olympic champions. [2]

While the academic program is free for county residents, the ski and snowboard training costs a minimum of $7,500 per year, but upwards or 50,000 depending onw how much you travel. Regardless, this is significantly more affordable than the $25,000 charged by some of the 20 private programs that combine classroom education with comparable training. [2] Students use laptop computers that allow them to complete coursework and interact with teachers remotely, wherever training or competitive events may take them. The academic year is structured so that students are in classes for a traditional school day during the fall and spring, while during the winter all academic programs are shifted to the afternoon to allow students the opportunity to train in their sport in the morning on school days, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday, with no training (and a full day of classes) on Mondays. [4] [5] The heavier academic load carried by students in the fall and spring allows for a lighter course load during the winter, while students are training and competing. While students who were in traditional public school programs had been forced to miss up to 40 days each school year, VSSA is designed to coordinate with the schedules of the student-athletes in a program described by a school official as "No child left behind on the slopes". [2]

As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 172 students and 11.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 15.0:1. There were 3 students (1.7% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and none eligible for reduced-cost lunch. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vail, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numerous events the city hosts annually, such as the Vail Film Festival, Vail Resorts Snow Days, and Bravo! Vail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Mountain College</span> Public college in western Colorado, U.S.

Colorado Mountain College (CMC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in western Colorado. Founded in 1965, the institution offers numerous associate degrees, seven bachelor's degrees and a variety of career-technical certificates. Approximately 20,000 students take on-campus or online classes every year.

The National Sport School (NSS) is a public high school in Calgary, Alberta which teaches grades 8 through 12. In partnership with Winsport Canada, the school was created to support student athletes with Olympic potential. Developmental and competitive athletes are able to train and travel internationally, while staying in school. It was founded in 1994 as the first national sport school in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Craig School</span> Private school in New Jersey

The Craig School is an independent, private coeducational day school located in Mountain Lakes and Montville, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in second through twelfth grades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Township High School</span> High school in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States

Vernon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Vernon Township, in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school opened in 1975 and serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Vernon Township School District. The school has gone through expansions over the years including a new wing with several classrooms; the gymnasium was doubled in size. In April 2007, renovations were started on the auditorium and outdoor fields.

The Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School (SCVTHS) is a fully accredited, four-year vocational public high school located on an 80-acre (320,000 m2) campus in Bridgewater Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is part of the Somerset County Vocational and Technical School District, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from all of Somerset County. The school offers over 20 different programs, on both a full-time and part-time basis, that combine training in occupational and academic skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedictine Academy</span> Defunct Catholic school in Union County, New Jersey, United States

Benedictine Academy was a Catholic parochial, college preparatory high school that served young women in ninth through twelfth grades in Elizabeth, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was opened in 1915 by the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth, Saint Walburga Monastery, and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Lake Tahoe Preparatory School is a college-prep boarding school in Olympic Valley, California,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic County Institute of Technology</span> High school in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States

The Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT) is a four-year countywide vocational public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as part of the Atlantic County Vocational School District. ACIT is located on a 58-acre (230,000 m2) campus in the Mays Landing area of Hamilton Township. The school was constructed in 1974 and underwent a major renovation in 1994 and 2009-2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy for Performing Arts</span> High school in Union County, New Jersey, United States

The Union County Academy for Performing Arts is a full-time four-year public magnet high school located in Scotch Plains, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus. Its first year was the 2008–2009 school year. The school offers majors in theatre, dance, and technical theatre. The school is part of the Union County Vocational Technical Schools (UCVTS). The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2017.

Ocean County Vocational Technical School Grunin Performing Arts Academy is a specialized, public high school program which concentrates heavily on the fields of performing arts such as dance, vocal music, and theater, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from all of Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in Toms River on the campus of Ocean County College, it is the sister high school of the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences, another full-time program that is also part of the Ocean County Vocational Technical School district. Because the school is a full-time program, students take both their performance major and academic courses at the school. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools through July 2027.

Warren County Technical School (WCTS) is a technical and vocational public high school located in Washington, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grades as well as adult learners from across Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as part of the Warren County Technical School District. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty High School (New Jersey)</span> High school in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

Liberty High School is a four-year public high school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as part of the Jersey City Public Schools. The school was established in September 1999 as a partnership between the Jersey City Board of Education and Hudson County Community College.

Hialeah Gardens High School is a public high school in Hialeah Gardens, Florida, United States, which opened its doors in August 2009. It is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system. The school principal is Maritza D. Jimenez.

National Sports Academy was a private preparatory school for winter-sport athletes in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The academy was closed in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newark Collegiate Academy</span> Charter school in Newark, New Jersey, United States

Newark Collegiate Academy (NCA) is a four-year charter public high school located in Newark in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the TEAM Academy Charter School network of charter schools in Newark run by the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) which serves students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. NCA opened in August 2007 with plans to ultimately serve over 570 students, mostly matriculating from TEAM's middle schools, Rise and TEAM Academies.

The Union County Vocational-Technical High School ("UCTech") is a full-time vocational public high school, located in Scotch Plains in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. This school serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from across Union county as a career academy on the Union County Vocational Technical Schools Campus, which also includes the Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Academy for Information Technology, Union County Magnet High School and the Academy for Performing Arts. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Daylight/Twilight Alternative High School is a four-year alternative public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Trenton, in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Trenton Public Schools. The school offers daytime programs for students who have faced challenges in the traditional school setting, as well as evening programs for those ages 21 and older. A 30/60 day course program offers six cycles throughout the year in which students take a four-hour core course on a daily basis for 30 days while also taking a two-hour elective for 60 days in each cycle.

The School of Education and Training is a four-year public high school in Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operated as part of the Paterson Public Schools. It is one of a number of academy programs serving students in ninth through twelfth grades based at the John F. Kennedy High School campus.

Paterson STEAM High School is a four-year public high school in Paterson in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operated as part of the Paterson Public Schools. It is one of the academy programs serving students in ninth through twelfth grades offered by the school district.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 School data for Vail Ski And Snowboard Academy (VSSA), National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed December 12, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Pennington, Bill. "Where All School Days Are Snow Days", The New York Times , January 11, 2011. Accessed January 17, 2011.
  3. Terrell, Matt. "Vail ski academy starts strong: School for competitive skiers will have more students, new teacher next year", Vail Daily News, June 26, 2008. Accessed January 17, 2011.
  4. Academy home page, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. Accessed January 12, 2011.
  5. Salerno, Josh. "Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy offers nontraditional PS curriculum: Three Summit County teenagers join innovative program", Summit Daily News, December 9, 2007. Accessed January 17, 2011.