On August 27th, CVA kicked off the 2023-2024 school year by welcoming 62 new and returning student-athletes and their families for Fall Registration Day. These CVA Big Dogs represent all five disciplines (Alpine, Backcountry, Freestyle, Ski Cross, and Snowboard) and came from as far away as Turkey. Families met with teachers, staff, coaches, and the healthcare team to make sure they were ready for the start of the school year.

One of the most important traditions of Registration Day is the Gratitude Ceremony. CVA’s ethos, culture and community is shaped by the core values of kindness, respect, commitment, and gratitude. At CVA we work to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to us, and to give thanks continuously. 

Each Registration Day, CVA coaches lead students through a gratitude exercise – to write down what they are thankful for, to remember the CVA experience and this first day of a new school year, with gratitude. A few selected students then read their notes of gratitude aloud, while others presented their notes of gratitude to their families.

Dr. Joel Wong, a professor of counseling psychology at Indiana University’s School of Education said, “The act of writing [notes of gratitude] slows down our thinking process and allows us to ponder more deliberately. By writing, we retain a permanent record of our blessings; we can return to our gratitude… months or years later to recall what we were grateful for.”

Following the Gratitude Ceremony, the CVA Community gathered for the Welcome Luncheon at the Anti-Gravity Center, where Head of School, Kate Webber Punderson '89 kicked off the start of CVA's 42nd year with welcoming remarks.

"Students, congratulations on being a part of the Big Dog community this year," Kate stated. "This experience will shape you in positive ways for the rest of your life. You have earned your place in our community, and we cannot wait to be a part of this fantastic year with you. We are all here for you. Bring your kindness, respect, commitment, and gratitude, and we will give you our full commitment, love, and support each day of your journey."

The first week of school at CVA is one of joy and excitement for the entire community. Each year, in addition to settling into their new academic schedule, the students and staff are busy reuniting with old friends and making new ones, forming new clubs, and preparing for the busy year ahead.

During athletics, the Big Dogs took part in concussion baseline testing. Results from baseline testing can be used if an athlete has a suspected concussion. Comparing post-injury to baseline test results can help identify the effects of the injury and make more informed return to school and play decisions. At CVA, we utilize the foremost technologies that incorporate a mix of balance, short-term memory, and other evidence-based practices to ensure athletes can return to sport in a structured and safe manner.

To end their first week back at school, students and staff attended a special presentation by guest speaker Cindy Pierce. Cindy is an author, speaker, storyteller, and sexuality educator. Combining years of research and storytelling, Cindy engages audiences with her message about supporting young people to make healthy choices and develop social courage.

The presentation addressed the challenges and pressures teens face in a fast-moving world online and offline, while covering topics about Consent, Engaged Bystanders and Social Courage – staying safe, helping others stay safe, being respectful of others, and making healthy choices. Thank you, Cindy, for the amazing presentation. You can learn more about Cindy’s work by clicking here.

For the first full weekend back on campus, all students attended a class orientation trip - it’s a highlight of the year for many. These trips are “device free,” allowing our students to unplug, get to know each other, bond as a class, and make memories to last a lifetime.

Grades 8 & 9 enjoyed sailing on the schooner, Olad, and camping off the coast of Maine near Stonington.

The 10th grade class went rock climbing in Acadia National Park and camped overnight in the Bar Harbor area.

The Juniors spent the weekend at Northern Outdoors in The Forks, Maine, tackling the ropes course and whitewater rafting on the Kennebec River.

The Seniors embarked on a three day, two night canoe trip in the Moosehead Lake Region of Maine.

FIS and U16 Alpine Academy student-athletes traveled to Corralco, Chile in August for a pre-season training camp. The goals for this camp were to establish the technical foundation for the 2023-2024 season, gain significant mileage skiing at speed to reinforce the improvements, and to take advantage of the great giant slalom training. The 2+ week camp included drills, technical work, directed free skiing, and many powder days.

“We are very happy with the positive group dynamic and effort of all the athletes attending the camp,” said Alpine Program Director Kirk Dwyer. 

Academy U14 and Weekend Program U12/U14 athletes spent 10 days training in Chile as well. Similar to the FIS and U16 athletes, these athletes had a significant focus on early-season technical development in the elements of Slalom and GS. Full-day training sessions helped athletes get a lot of mileage under their belts and allowed for tremendous skills progression.

Thanks to a new partnership between the National Brotherhood of Snowsports (NBS) Eastern Region - Snowburners NY Ski Club and U.S. Ski & Snowboard, CVA student-athlete Kennedy Hicks '25, along with other members of NBS, attended a camp at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s Center of Excellence (COE) in Park City this August. The first of its kind, the camp provided the athletes with a week of intensive dryland training and testing, nutrition, psychology, branding and social media education.

Kennedy is a member of NBS, which strives to introduce more people of color to skiing and is working toward bringing racial diversity to the sport’s highest level. Congratulations, Kennedy, on this amazing training opportunity and your continued commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in winter sports.



You can read the full article on her training here: Advancing Diversity: NBS President’s Vision and USSS Partnership (skiracing.com).

Congratulations to the members of the CVA Mountain Bike Club who recently participated in Mountain Mayhem - a unique 12-hour trail mountain biking endurance challenge to support WinterKids’ mission of getting kids outside and active in the winter months.

Winter Wheels, CVA's team name, raised over $1700 and accumulated 239 points, earning them the Trailblazer Cup (1st place team prize based on a combination of fundraising and points from time on the mountain).

The Winter Wheels Team included: Tommy Fremont-Smith '27, Nick Klemperer '27, Lucia Littlefield '26, Abby Manson '27, Zack Bussiere '26, and Derek Barbie '26. Way to go Big Dogs!

A special thank you to the Fremont-Smith family for sponsoring Winter Wheels!

CommUNITY Advocates

The mission of CVA CommUNITY Advocates is to promote and maintain a community of belonging where all students, faculty, and staff feel welcomed, valued, respected, and safe. It also seeks to create awareness and inclusion of differences, preparing students to be advocates for unity beyond CVA. The group is open to all employees and students. Meetings and activities occur a few times a month.

Mental Skills Club

This club supports Big Dogs in their pursuit of unlocking their full potential on and off the slopes. CVA’s Mental Skills Club is a gateway to transforming the way student-athletes approach challenges. Each meeting explores a diverse array of themes and offers a unique opportunity to delve deep into the intricacies of mental skills that amplify athletic performance and overall well-being.

Volleyball Club

This informal student-created club will meet weekly at the outdoor court in the Fremont-Smith Field while the weather cooperates, and will move inside as Winter Term approaches.

CVA is continuing its commitment to the mental health of our student-athletes. During the late-summer Employee Orientation and Training Week, 25 teachers, coaches and staff participated in a day-long Youth Mental Health First Aid training. The course, from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, is designed to teach school staff how to help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.

The course introduced common mental health challenges for youth, reviewed typical adolescent development, and taught a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered included anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. 

Thank you to Brittney Dunphy, Community Health Educator at Redington-Fairview General Hospital for partnering with us on this training.

This fall, thanks to a grant from the CVA Parent Support Organization, all sophomores will take a similar course called Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA). The course is taught by Tristy Wolfe who received special training and is certified to teach the course by Mental Health First Aid USA®, a division of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

This is an evidence-based training that teaches teens in grades 10-12 how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges in their friends and peers. The training gives teens the skills they need to have supportive conversations with their friends and emphasizes the importance of getting help from a responsible and trusted adult. 

Teens who participate in tMHFA will receive a certificate of completion for taking the course and a manual to use during the course that they can take home after the last session.

CVA Head of School, Kate Webber Punderson '89, and Killington Mountain School Head of School, Claire Butler, recently joined the New England Ski Journal’s Basecamp podcast to talk about Ski and Snowboard Academy life.

The CVA Fall Family Weekend kicks off on Friday, October 6, with afternoon parent-teacher conferences and the CVA Annual Harvest Dinner on Friday evening. This event coincides with Sugarloaf Homecoming and is always an enjoyable weekend for our CVA Big Dogs and their families.

Homecoming highlights include the Tailgate Ski Swap & Sale on Saturday morning at The Rack BBQ, and the Sugarloaf Upcountry Artists Art Show in the King Pine Room on both Saturday and Sunday. Don't forget to stop by the CVA Information Booth and say hi. The booth will be set up on The Beach, outside of the Sugarloaf Base Lodge.

Once again, the CVA Environmental Club is teaming up with Sugarloaf to provide recycling education, environmental awareness, and enthusiasm about tackling the climate crisis through the Forever Project. Visit their booth in the Narrow Gauge room on Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Their booth promises to be a hub of excitement with a Recycling Game Show and interactive displays that make learning about recycling a breeze.

This year, the Environmental Club is also co-sponsoring a Winter Sport Clothing and Equipment Drive. If you have any gently used winter clothing or gear lying around, bring it along! These items will find new life first within our local schools and then within the economic ministries. It's a win-win that prevents perfectly good clothing from ending up in landfills. Drop off points and times for the Winter Clothing Drive are:

• Saturday at The Rack during the Ski Swap & Sale from 9am to 2pm.
• Saturday and Sunday in the Narrow Gauge Room from 9am to 4pm.

Avoid the peak-season rush and order your team jacket and CVA-logo gear now. The SYNC Performance X CVA store is now open!

Don't forget to renew your membership to the Sugarloaf Ski Club! The mission of the Sugarloaf Ski Club is to provide the opportunity for all youth to participate and excel in skiing and snowboarding, promote community building events, support competition, and preserve the history and heritage of the mountain. To become a member, or to renew your membership, click on the link below.