On Saturday, June 3, 2023, sixteen student-athletes graduated from Carrabassett Valley Academy in a Commencement Ceremony held in the Richard Bell Chapel at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain.

"Together, you have traveled the world, endured a global pandemic, survived van rides in questionable weather, taken on physical testing, studied for exams, supported one another through disappointments, celebrated each other’s successes, and begun your plans for the next step in your journey," CVA Head of School, Kate Webber Punderson '89, told the Seniors. "You have shown courage, tenacity, fortitude, kindness, and gratitude."

This year's Commencement speaker was Doug Lewis, World Cup and Olympic athlete, Hall of Fame inductee, global ski racing commentator, and owner and head coach of ELITEAM athlete development camps. Class Valedictorian, Dahlia Saifee (in photo), and Salutatorian, Summer Saifee, addressed the class, along with Senior Class Choice speaker, Ruby Poland, and Faculty Choice speaker, Althea Noyes. Dory Michaud performed her original song, “The People Made Me Go,” and Kiernan Mann presented the dedication of the Class of 2023 Yearbook to CVA French Teacher, Beth Hamblet.

During Commencement, five awards were presented to student-athletes that best exemplify the criteria for each award. Award recipients were:

• Dahlia Saifee '23 received the John Ritzo Headmaster's Award. This award is presented to the Senior who has best-exhibited leadership qualities and has made the most contribution to the betterment of the school and the local community.
• François Meloni '23 received the David Holmes Most Improved Student Award. This award was established by former math/science teacher, David Holmes, to honor the student who has shown the most growth over the course of his or her time at CVA.
• Sasha Jansujwicz '23 received the Benjamin Weisbein Award. This award was established in memory of former CVA student Ben Weisbein, and is presented to the Senior who best exemplifies the qualities that Ben possessed - superb athleticism, a tireless work ethic, high academic standing, and the admiration of his peers.
• Charlie Koenig '24 received the CVA Alumni Association Award. This award, established in 1993 by the CVA Alumni Association, is a scholarship funded each year by members of the CVA Alumni Association. The award is designated to a rising Senior who exhibits a strong and steady character, reliability, a consistently positive attitude, and respect for others. 
• Amy Latendresse '24 received the J. Keith Penninger Memorial Fund Award. This is a tuition award that was established in 1998 in memory of J. Keith Penninger, Class of ’96, and is presented to the Junior who best represents CVA in terms of leadership and commitment to the CVA mission and community.

CVA Board of Trustees Chair, Lindy MacKinnon Gruen '92, presented the H. King Cummings Service Award to the Town of Carrabassett Valley. This award was established in 1989 and is given annually to an individual or individuals within the CVA community who have performed valuable service beyond normal expectations and have made an outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Carrabassett Valley Academy.

Bob Luce, Chair of the Carrabassett Valley Select Board, accepted the award on behalf of the town.

"The town of Carrabassett Valley has certainly made, and continues to make, outstanding contributions to the growth and development of Carrabassett Valley Academy," remarked Gruen. "The town is a significant part of every CVA student’s experience. The character and support of Carrabassett Valley play a critical role in making sure that CVA delivers on its mission for the student-athletes of today and tomorrow. It’s a perfect partnership, in the perfect setting."

After the ceremony, students, families, and friends gathered together to celebrate the graduates. It was a beautiful and memorable day. Congratulations to the CVA Class of 2023!

On the eve of graduation, the CVA senior class gathered with family and friends to celebrate their successes and memories with one another at the annual Senior Banquet.

This Spring, as has become a tradition in the CVA Senior English class, the seniors were asked to share their beliefs in an “I Believe” poem. As a way to introduce the Class of 2023, the Seniors presented a small part of their beliefs in a combined spoken poem at the banquet.

CVA parent and long-time coach and cheerleader, Jeni Conover, offered a toast on behalf of the Senior parents. Student Speaker, Sasha Jansujwicz, gave an eloquent and heartfelt speech to the Senior Class.

"It will sound cliché, but trust me, you will realize that the tools that you have gained at CVA are much more unique, and incredibly useful for life than you realize at this moment. You have made memories, friendships, and connections at CVA that will last a lifetime–I know I did," said CVA parent and teacher, Courtney Schad '95, on behalf of the Alumni Association.

The annual Senior slideshow capped off the evening. Many thanks to Nya Wolfe '23 for creating such a moving and beautiful tribute to the Class of 2023!

We are so proud of all of our seniors who are on their way to new, great adventures. Their journey at CVA has been unique to each one of them, and so are their post-graduate plans.

Josie Alexander

Alta Ski Resort & Community College

Elli Andrus

Southern Maine Community College

Africa Arango

College in Spain

Kai Glidden

Rocky Mountain College

Sasha Jansujwicz

Connecticut College

Jackson Knobloch

Clarkson University

Kiernan Mann

Westminster College

François Meloni

University of Colorado Denver

Dory Michaud

University of Utah

Althea Noyes

Colby College

Ruby Poland

University of Utah

Dahlia Saifee

Middlebury College

Summer Saifee

Skidmore College

Grace Schad

Montana State University

Baran Tatlidede

University of Utah

Nya Wolfe

Aveda Institute

On the final day of Spring Term, students, family members, coaches, and faculty gathered at the Carrabassett Valley Anti Gravity Complex to recognize Big Dogs from all grades and disciplines with academic and athletic awards. In addition to the awards, every student received a personal notecard signed by CVA staff. Congratulations to each and every Big Dog for your many accomplishments this year!

"The CVA community has a palpable sense of joy," said Head of School, Kate Punderson '89 in her remarks. "Thank you, students, for sharing your joy with all of us. I hope you leave for the summer with a great sense of pride. What you have achieved this year is incredible - and something most kids could only dream about. I am so, so proud of each of you."

Moments like CVA Graduation and The Big Digs Awards Ceremony are made possible by your support of the CVA Annual Fund.

This year, our goal is to raise $155,000 for the Annual Fund to help bridge the gap between tuition revenue and the full cost of running the academy. Your donation will help us reach our goal!

If you haven’t given to the Annual Fund this year, we ask that you show your Big Dog pride by donating before June 30th.

Every gift, regardless of size, will bring CVA student-athletes one step closer to achieving their dreams.

Donations made online on the DoG (June 14th), will be entered into a raffle to win a custom, CVA-branded L.L. Bean Pullover. 

Make a personal gift. When making your donation online, you can dedicate your gift:

• In honor of a teacher, coach, or staff member
• In celebration of a student-athlete or his/her class
• For the graduation of a student
• In memory of a friend, family member, or loved one

Jamie always puts in consistent effort in all of his classes. This student-athlete started to travel more this year, and even while on the road, he continued to produce excellent work and met all of his deadlines. Great work, Jamie!

Ben is being recognized for a whole year’s worth of kindness. CVA community members note that Ben has been respectful and engaged consistently throughout the school year, always saying hello and offering to help around the community whenever he can. Congratulations Ben!

Congratulations to Big Dogs Boden Gerry '24 and Theo McLemore for their 2023-24 U.S. Snowboard Development Team nominations, and to Acy Craig '21 on her nomination to the 2023-24 U.S. Pro Snowboardcross Team!

CVA high school student-athletes had a busy Spring Sports season this year. In addition to their dryland training regimen, they picked from a variety of spring sports offerings including fly fishing, golf, mountain biking, field games, and trampoline/skate park.

CVA Middle School students had a blast this Spring. They learned to build a fire with flint, canoed down the Carrabassett River, hiked Sugarloaf and picked up trash, swam in Flagstaff Lake, and visited a local trampoline park on a rainy day. For the last day of Middle School Spring Sports, they headed to Higgins Beach for the annual CVA Spring Surf Day. Thanks to CVA Weekend Program U14 Alpine Coach and surf instructor, Jack Fox, almost everyone caught a wave or 8!

In May, the U18 Alpine Men went on an overnight camping trip. Camping is a great way to work on team building, while having fun. The men set up their tent, built a fire, and prepared their own meals, all of which require effective communication, problem-solving, and mutual respect to complete.

Current and rising U18 Alpine Men also went to the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association's (CVOA) Neal Trask Range to try out a new activity together - trap shooting.



For the last Saturday All-School Sports event, CVA coaches hosted students and staff for a day of games and a BBQ lunch at the Carrabassett Valley Town Park. The Big Dogs spent the day playing, swimming, painting rocks, and tie-dyeing t-shirts. Thank you to the coaches for putting this together and to Mother Nature for providing a perfect day!

Thanks to generous funding by the CVA Parent Support Organization, the Environmental Science class has been able to run an aquaponics project for the past 3 years. Aquaponics is the combination of Aquaculture (growing fish for food) and Hydroponics (growing plants without soil).

The aquaponics project for this class is entirely student driven. After being given some fundamental information, the students design, build, and maintain their own aquaponics systems through most of the year. There are always lots of issues which require some problem solving and quick critical thinking. This year the students presented their work to the school in a poster presentation similar to a science fair.

The students at CVA held their annual Art Show, exhibiting their creative artistry in photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, and more. We have some truly talented students at CVA! Thank you to CVA Art Teacher, Waylon Wolfe, for transforming the academic center into an art gallery, and for creating a great video of the event. A Big Dog thank you to everyone who attended the show.

The CVA Student Council hosted the High School Prom - Aloha-style! Students from grades 9-12 started with flower exchanges and photos at the Webber Academic Center, then travelled to The Rack BBQ for dinner and dancing, followed by a post-prom event back on campus.

Thank you to CVA teacher, Beth Hamblet, and the Student Council for the amazing job of organizing and decorating. Thanks to Waylon Wolfe for the photos, and to the CVA Parent Support Organization, who helped make it a special and memorable event. Thank you, as well, to The Rack for hosting.

To celebrate the end of the 2022-2023 school year, CVA held their Annual Yearbook Gala and Foreign Film Festival. The event gave students one last chance to all get together, sign each others yearbooks and view foreign films created by CVA French and Spanish students.

All students studying French or Spanish were tasked with creating a music video where they lip sync to a song in a foreign language. Congratulations to the award winners:

• Best Lip Sync - French/Spanish 4 & 5 (Sasha Januswicz '23, Dahlia Saifee '23, Summer Saifee '23, Althea Noyes '23)

• Best Movie - French 2 (Luna de la Vega '25, Jake Wagner '25, Thomas Harrigan '25, Paul Harrigan '25, Mia Bruno '25, Logan Macleod '26, Kenadie Dickey '26, Kennedy Hicks '25, Lily Cole '25)

• Judges’ Choice - Middle School French (Nick Klemperer '27, Tommy Fremont-Smith '27, Tatum Folger David '27, Mikey Lord '27, Ethan Godomsky '27)

A Big Dog thank you to CVA Teacher, Waylon Wolfe, for creating the CVA Yearbook for students and staff!

• The SYNC Team Store has been updated with new, lower prices on CVA outerwear and apparel.
• Purchase CVA logo gear year-round in our Apparel and Accessories store.

Registration is now open for the 42nd Annual Sugarloaf Ski Club Golf Classic to support the Dick & Martha Ayotte Scholarship fund which helps local kids have access to the sports of Skiing and Snowboarding.

This year's event will be on Friday, June 23, 2023 at 9am and will feature a Shotgun start Scramble

If you cannot play, you or your family can still support the cause by being a hole sponsor. For more information, contact: TheClub@Sugarloafskiclub.com