November Update
November Update!
Wy'East Mountain Academy
November News!
Letter from the Head Master
Greetings Parents,
Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving break? The last couple of months have flown by and soon we’re all heading off for the holidays. Autumn has been mild with sunny days mixed in with some rain.. but the students found a bit of paradise on the mountain. They’ve been hiking, skiing, and snowboarding on slopes and hitting some rails. I hope you have been able to see the Facebook page and Vlogs! The coaches have been doing a great job documenting our students this year.
Parent’s Weekend was wonderful. Thank you to all of those who made it to campus. I believe that Saturday was one of the most beautiful days this fall. It was a special time to get to know each other a bit more and begin to build stronger relationships. Speaking of getting to know each other better, I would to have a parent or two start a parent club. It was Kyleena’s idea to start a parent Facebook page, so thank you! That is one place where you can communicate with each other. But, I would like to take it to the next level and need some parents who will step forward to make a parents group happen. Interested?
Academically, we are a little more than halfway through the semester. It’s been a bit of a learning curve with Edgenuity, getting all the pieces in place, but we are very happy with the program. We will also be adding the MAP standardized assessments to their educational experience. Our teachers have been crushing it! Props to Lori and Matthew for supporting our students in concert with teachers, parents, and coaches.
I have some exciting news for all parents, and especially seniors. As you know, senior portraits are treasured heirlooms. Our very own photographer extraordinaire, Michael Foushee, has created a photography package to document your student at this milestone. Michael is not only an athlete, skate park builder, and coach, he is an incredible photographer. I urge each one of you to look at his website to view his spectacular landscape and portrait photographs. Michael will meet with your student and document your student at this pivotal time in their lives. I encourage every parent to take advantage of Michael’s artistic gift and photograph your student. https://www.michaelfoushee.com.
Our accreditation process is still in motion with our site visit this week. I have been ferociously working on the project. I am looking forward to having this be completed so we can continue to grow!
One last thing, if you have not emailed me your student’s holiday itinerary, please do so as soon as possible. Anything outside the following times are an additional fee, as we will need to pull someone off shift to pick them up. The only exception is on Nov 16th, during the day, if you absolutely cannot get a flight out for Thanksgiving.
Holiday Leave and Arrival Dates:
Thanksgiving Break: Nov 17 and 25 (between 8am and 4pm)
Holiday Break: December 15 and January 3 (between 8am and 4pm)
Thank you for your trust and allowing us to care for your students! The kids this year are fantastic!
- Ann
Cayden sliding through our dry slope rail line
The Snowboard Team visiting Volcom HQ in Costa Mesa, California
Parents Weekend!
Skateboarding
The beginning of October found us half way through our first major trip of the year. We ventured down to California for the final stop of the Hotwheels Junior Series at Woodward West. Ava Godfrey left with some hardware, taking 3rd in street and 1st in mini ramp. Max Bardas and Jed Reagan also competed and put on a great show. After the contest, we spent a few days around Sacramento and San Francisco to film and explore the local skate scene.
We returned to Oregon where we were treated with some uncharacteristically dry fall weather. We were able to skate outdoors at local parks and ramps without having to hide from the rain- so lucky! The dry weather lasted all the way through until the end of the month when we embarked back down south again for our second Cali trip of the year.
Our second trip to California is sure to be one for the books. We headed all the way south to San Diego (even hitting Mexico for a day). Then we spent a full week in Encinitas for the Exposure competition, filming, and visiting companies within the industry. Now we are off to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento to take full advantage of being in the area. This trip will nearly last us all the way to Thanksgiving break, where the students and myself are looking forward to some much needed R&R and family time. All in all, the year is off to an awesome start!
-Donovan Lawler, Head Skateboard Coach
Student of the Month: Jack Walsh
The crew in Southern California
Jed Ragen, Sacremento California
Max Bardas, Southern California
Big Mountain
Greetings parents, siblings, and friends of the Academy students! The Big Mountain program is well on its way to an action packed, successful season and the snow hasn’t even started to fall yet. We kicked off the year with an incredible trip to Jackson Hole where we were fortunate enough to be a part of the Teton Gravity
Research world premiere of their latest film “Far Out” as well as their Hall-of-Fame induction. Our very own Ellie Snow Armstrong’s father, Rick Armstrong, was honorably inducted into the Hall-of-Fame for his extensive career in pioneering big mountain skiing and continuously setting the bar for what is possible in the sport.
During our time in Jackson Hole, the team got to sit down with living snowboard legend, Jeremy Jones, and get some insightful advice on what it takes to be at the top of your sport. What a humbling experience to sit down with someone of that caliber on an informal level and hear his take on being the best.
After the Jackson Hole trip we’ve been busy getting out hiking in the mountains here, visiting some local skate parks, spending time on the trampolines, and taking advantage of the beautiful weather September has provided for us! As a team, we’ve also gotten gym memberships at the Mount Hood Athletic Club in Sandy where we work on core strength, cardio, and different isolated muscle groups twice a week. Their facility is a wonderful resource being 12 minutes away and includes a pool, steam room, sauna, and two hot tubs for self-care and stretching after our workouts. This momentum is going to carry us into winter to start in the right mindset and physical shape as I’m already seeing results!
-Brandon Sorel, Head Big Mountain Coach
Student of the Month: Haley Houston
The team went on a hike to warm their legs up for winter
Ellie and Evan in Seattle
The crew got a tour of K2 and got a firsthand look at how they make snowboards
Freeski
We have had a great month and a solid start to the year on the freeski side of things. From daily workouts and dry land training consisting of upper and lower body strengthening, the boys are well on their way to being prepped for the hill. We balance our workout time with trampoline training, helping each student individually to learn new and polish old tricks to bring to competition.
With our competition season around the corner we have had the privilege of visiting the Utah Olympic Park twice this month. Each trip everyone has shown great progression and have had breakthroughs within their bag of tricks. Having access to the Olympic Park allows us to use their trampolines prior to the landing bag sessions which has proved to be very effective in getting the most out of each day there.
Keeping the athletes on track academically has been a breeze with our new teaching staff. We receive daily progress reports from the teachers outlining any and all that may be falling behind. Evening school sessions on the road have been effective and have kept everyone on track or ahead in their classes.
During our first trip to Utah we got to take an industry tour of the Saga Warehouse guided by the owner. The kids were shown first-hand how to hot press logos onto hoodies, and even make their own. They finished the tour with a meet and greet with the brands’ head designer who showed them some of the steps in prepping a clothing line a year in advance. As a whole, the team is blending well together and there is nothing but good times ahead! Look out for progress reports and the first update on our winter competition schedule.
- Brian McCarthy & Toph Newett, Freeski Coaches
Student of the Month: Dave Whelen
Snowboard
The snowboard team has been busy this month. We have been gearing up for for the snow to fall and training hard, focusing on airbag, trampoline and skateboard training.
We also went down to California and toured the Volcom headquarters as well as Sierra Nevada College. As much as I’m focused on getting the kids good at snowboarding, I want to expose the kids to different opportunities within the industry. While at Volcom, Kaelin told the kids how to use their internship program as a gateway to getting a full-time position with the company. The kids loved the California trip and I would love to do this style of trip again in the future.
And finally, we got our first dose of pow and to took the kids up to Timberline for a few shred sessions. Check out the first session of the season in our latest VLOG!
-Tommie Bennet, Head Snowboard Coach
Student of the Month: Edgar!!!!!
Academics
Our students have been working hard in the classroom, putting in extra hours during evening Study Halls and in private tutor sessions to stay on track and balance their busy athletic schedules. We have worked individually with students who have fallen behind to develop daily schedules, goal setting, and checklist tracking. We have seen some incredible academic improvements, and are impressed by our student's strong dedication to their studies.
Aside from classwork, we have been working with our students on college and career planning. Through career surveys, the Portland College Fair, and a recent visit from a representative of Sierra Nevada College, students are getting lots of great insights for the future. In addition, we have been mentoring our juniors and seniors for their SAT exams and college prep work.
The fall is a beautiful time of year to be outdoors in the Pacific Northwest. Our field trip to Wildwood Recreation Site brought our students closer to the natural world and helped them identify native plants, questioning the intricate connections between plant, animal, and human.
With winter trips, holidays, and the end of the term approaching, we have built a strong line of communication between students and coaches to prepare students for studies on the road. Working to build student confidence and individual accountability, we are excited to introduce a new mentor program that will begin at the start of next term, to help our present students learn to be leaders and welcome our new students to our community.
Miss L & Mr. Matthew
Student of the Month: Roya Behbakht
October Students of the Month:
Academic:
CAMERON EATON
Freeski:
AUSTEN ABEL
Skate:
MAX BARDAS
Snowboard:
ROYA BEHBAKHT
Big Mountain:
EVAN BOWERS
Congratulations!!