CVA coaches, athletes, and their families kicked off the 2023-2024 season with the official start of the Weekend Program. Over 280 Alpine, Freestyle, Snowboard, and Ski Cross athletes, ages 8-18, reunited with old friends and welcomed new team members.

The CVA Weekend Program offers competitive athletes the opportunity to train and compete from December to March. The program strives to help each athlete be the best they can be in skiing and snowboarding by building strong technical skills, promoting sportsmanship, and instilling a life-long love of skiing and riding.

More details coming soon.

Ways to Get Involved:

Buy a Raffle Ticket

Attend the Event

Donate an Auction Item

Sponsor the Event

Raise your Paddle

Volunteer for the Bash Committee

For more information, please contact Melissa Fogg at (207) 237-4505 or mfogg@gocva.com. 

Season’s Greetings from Carrabassett Valley Academy!

CVA empowers student-athletes to pursue their dreams. While immersed in a positive, supportive community, Big Dogs are given tremendous opportunities to excel in skiing and snowboarding while soaring in the classroom. 

The Annual Fund powers the CVA experience. It fuels our vital financial aid program - helping to open the doors to more students. It supports our dedicated teachers and coaches who are committed to each student’s individualized growth and success. It ensures our students have access to programming and people that help them believe in themselves, develop resilience, and embody kindness, respect, commitment, and gratitude.

Please join me in supporting this year’s Annual Fund Campaign and together we will empower students to pursue their dreams. 

Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year,

Kate Webber Punderson ’89

Head of School

kpunderson@goCVA.com / 207-237-4470

Congratulations to the CVA Student Spotlight award winners for November! Each month CVA teachers and staff nominate students who exemplify what being a Big Dog is all about in each of the three foundational pillars of our mission - academics, athletics, and community.

Thank you to D'Ellie's Bakery & Deli for sponsoring our Student Spotlight award recipients. Each month D'Ellie's provides gift certificates to our winners and displays their photos proudly on their wall.

Danica's focus and effort in the classroom and on the road have stood out among her peers. The results speak for themselves; her teachers note that she recently had the best essay in US History and has earned a 100% in Algebra II - both are honors-level classes. Keep up the great work, Danica!

Owen is a very talented student-athlete who works hard and is improving quickly in his sport this year. His coaches say that he is always nice to work with and is a great teammate. Great job, Owen!

Hayden is a hard-working student-athlete with the self-confidence to be a strong leader in our Big Dog community. She helps motivate fellow student-athletes with her positive attitude during athletics. She has gone above and beyond to welcome our new students to the community. Way to be, Hayden!

Congratulations to all of the Big Dogs named to the 1st Trimester Honor Roll!

The World Languages department at CVA offers rigorous, college-preparatory foreign language classes that help prepare students for a post-secondary academic career. While minimum requirements vary from college to college, elite colleges and universities usually require a minimum of 3-4 years of a foreign language. CVA's world languages course offerings ensure that students are ready to move on to the college of their choice, offering middle school conversational French and Spanish, up through French and Spanish 4.

French teacher, Beth Hamblet, and Spanish teacher, Jennifer Simmons, utilize a variety of resources to engage students while they are in the classroom or learning from the road. A combination of online and printed materials, and fun activities, immerse students in the language and culture of French and Spanish-speaking countries. Whether they are making Mexican hot chocolate using a molinillo to stir, baking a buche de Noël for the holiday season, or identifying the parts of the body on life-size cutouts of themselves, students at CVA graduate with the skills they need to continue their foreign language studies at the college level.

Beth holds a B.A. in French from the University of Georgia and has pursued graduate studies at Plymouth State University. She has nearly 30 years of experience in education and has taught French at CVA for six years. Beth's son, Chad, graduated from CVA in 2018 and her younger son, Adam, is a member of CVA’s Class of 2024. Beth enjoys skiing and during the summer she returns to her native New Hampshire where she teaches young children to swim.

Jennifer holds a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Maine at Orono with continuing education credits in Spanish and German. She is state-certified in Spanish and brings ten years of teaching experience to CVA. 

CVA Peer Mentors hosted 7-9th graders and new students for a night of bowling, food, and friendship. At CVA, students entering grades 10-12 can apply each spring to become a Peer Mentor. The role of a Peer Mentor is to guide and support other students at CVA, helping to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment for all students. Peer Mentors receive training in teen Mental Health First Aid or Suicide Prevention, and serve as the link between students and staff to address student concerns and promote a positive culture.

Congratulations to CVA Alpine student-athlete, Charlie Koenig '24, who earned a spot on the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Eastern Team. This team is comprised of the top 30 junior racers (15 Men; 15 Women) in the Eastern Region with a goal to recognize and support these athletes as they pursue their full athletic potential.

"Every year, we recognize a group of junior athletes who have proven their commitment to excellence by racing at the highest levels, and who have proven their ability by succeeding there," stated the letter from the USSS Eastern Region committee. "Our hope is to provide you with as much opportunity as possible, and to facilitate your continued growth by providing financial support for high level competition and training opportunities. We are here to help our Eastern ski racers make the jump to the U.S. Ski Team and continue to develop to the highest levels."

Each month we'll spotlight some of our CVA coaching teams at the Academy. Our coaches work hard to support the athletic dreams of our Big Dogs and we are so proud of them.

The CVA Freestyle coaching team represents more than 45 years of coaching experience and consists of (left to right): Jesse Duncan, Mogul Coach; Nate McKenzie, Action Sports Director/Freestyle Program Manager/Head Mogul Coach; Mark Spinney '12, Freeski Head Coach; and Hank Vinall, Freeski Coach.

"There’s no question I truly love, and have loved, this sport right from the beginning. Every year, working with the younger athletes refuels me – I see their fresh excitement, their realization of the passion they have for the sport, it reignites my desire to help them get to their goals.” - Nate McKenzie

After attending the University of Maine Farmington Ski Industries program, Nate founded the Freeski program at CVA. Over the last twenty-plus years, eight of his athletes have gone on to compete at the X Games, and six have been named to the U.S. Ski Team. He remains the Program Director for the longest-running Freeski program in the country. He is a Level I U.S. Gymnastics, Level II US Ski & Snowboard Mogul, and Level IV US Ski & Snowboard Aerials certified coach.

Each year, Nate works diligently to fold in new training protocols to meet the demands of the sport and keep CVA athletes at the forefront of competition. He works closely with the coaching staff to ensure their training and certifications are up-to-date, subscribing to the belief that the knowledge of the coaching staff, and their ability to impart that knowledge to the athletes, is the backbone of the program.

Nate works to understand each athlete individually, focusing on detail, fundamentals, and individual goals as the foundation for any successful athlete. The stronger an athlete's fundamentals are, the more apt they are to be able to try new skills, to push themselves, and the sport, forward.

Jesse has been a coach at CVA since 2005. He is a certified level 200 US Ski & Snowboard Freestyle coach who has coached park and pipe and is now instrumental in CVA’s Mogul program. He lives in New Sharon, Maine with his wife and son, Osten Duncan ’22.

Mark is a CVA alum whose competition experience includes NorAms, Free Flow Tour, Revolution Tours, and the Junior Olympics. Following graduation from CVA in 2012, Mark moved to Summit County, Colorado, where he experienced many local successes. Rail Jam victories and filming opportunities have allowed him to expand his free ride knowledge and experience in this ever-growing sport.

While in Colorado he started coaching for the Team Summit program, resulting in a handful of the athletes earning victories in the 2022 Nationals in Slopestyle, Halfpipe, and Rail Jam. Mark's coaching approach has disciplined roots of the early days of Freeskiing and a strong understanding of the sport today and where it is going.

Hank grew up skiing at Saddleback Mountain in Maine and began coaching part-time at the Academy. During the summer, Hank is a Freestyle coach for Windell's Ski Camp at the base of Mt. Hood in Oregon. Hank currently coaches full-time at CVA, helping Freestyle athletes learn, grow in their sport, and throw down new tricks on-snow.

A Big Dog thank you to the CVA Parent Support Organization for putting on another successful Wreath Sale! More than 600 wreaths were purchased and more than 300 were delivered locally by PSO and student volunteers.

This year's sale raised more than $25,000!

The CVA community would like to thank everyone who purchased a wreath this year and helped support educational, cultural, and athletic programs at CVA.

Jeremy Jones '93 and Mark Fawcett '90 were CVA’s first two snowboarders and here they are 34 years later.

The two Big Dogs were attending Baldface’s annual Risk Maturity course. The course aims at giving professional riders and filmmakers the tools they need to navigate the hazards in the backcountry. This is done through avalanche education, first air, weather forecasting, and hands-on practice.

Looking good guys!

CVA alum, Jeremy Jones '93 recently published “The Art of Shralpinism,” where he reminisces about the early days at CVA and lists his favorite chairlifts including the Sugarloaf Spillway Chair.

“Part memoir, part skills guide, part almost motivational, self-help guide, The Art of Shralpinism provides a window into Jones’ evolution as an individual and an athlete. It gives readers the opportunity to learn from his lessons, lifestyle and wisdom” -- Tom Hallberg, Backcountry Magazine

Jeremy Jones is an award-winning snowboarder, the owner of Jones Snowboards, and the founder of Protect Our Winters, a global nonprofit that unites passionate outdoor people to protect the places they love from climate change. The recipient of eleven “Big Mountain Rider of the Year” awards from Snowboarder Magazine and a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Jones has starred in dozens of snowboard films including his highly acclaimed trilogy, Deeper, Further, and Higher.

CVA has partnered with Sugarloaf to present Warren Miller's latest film, ALL TIME, at Sugarloaf Mountain. ALL TIME reimagines the past 74 years of filmmaking plus features new footage with Maine athlete, Donny Pelletier, and the next generation of skiers and riders at Woodward Park City. Don’t miss out!

When: Wednesday, December 27 at 7 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)

Where: King Pine Room Sugarloaf Base Lodge

Tickets: $10 each, proceeds benefit the Sugarloaf Ski Club

All ages are welcome, so bring the whole family! Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. Visit https://warrenmiller.com for more information.

Carrabassett Valley Academy has an immediate opening for a Business Manager. This position is responsible for overseeing the Academy’s financial management, accounting procedures, and human resources, with the goal of operating the school in an effective and efficient manner. This is a full-time, year-round position. Visit gocva.com/jobs for more information. All interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to Kate Punderson, Head of School at kpunderson@gocva.com.

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.