Letter from The Headmaster

It is hard to believe that it is already July, but time flies when you are having fun. Maybe it is the fact that we are finally emerging from the Covid fog, but this has been an amazing summer already. There has been great energy with all of the staff & students as we have been enjoying the sunny days with lots of snow still up on the hill. The students have been working hard in the classroom to achieve our highest average GPA ever at the academy. New students have been coming in & out every week which has kept everything fresh & exciting. June ended with record breaking heat, but everyone made the most of it by spending as much time as possible in one form or another of water. Enrolment paperwork has been coming in from all around the world & we are on track to have our largest ever fall semester of students. Please make sure to confirm all of your details with Dan to make sure everyone gets the roommates they want in September. It has been a lot of fun seeing the campus fill up with campers again to remind all of us what a special place this really is. All of the students have been settling in to their summer ski town life up in Government Camp with the close proximity to the mountain & all of the lakes. Luke & Levi have another exciting weekend planned of river rafting & fireworks so we are all looking forward to another month of fun in the sun.

-Mike Hanley

Academics

Summer Solstice was this month. Staff and students are both soaking up the sunshine with the longer and sunnier days. Late June was scorching record-breaking heat. Thankfully the classroom is always a cool spot on campus to reprieve from the heat and students have gone to Brightwood Beach before class and after dinner many times this month.

Students have certainly gotten into a great classroom routine and are working on a myriad of things in class: goal setting, practice PSATs, video clip editing, artwork, Khan Academy courses, previous courses, and Edgenuity courses. Most students enrolled in Edgenuity are about halfway through their courses now. The students taking Edgenuity courses are meeting expectations with a 3.54 average overall GPA.

The Student of the Month for June is Aaron Gander because of his diligent dedication to maintaining pace and great grades and his considerate character.

-Kayla Hokanson

Student Life

Hey Parents,

Boy have we been busy on the weekends! This past month was filled with exciting trips and much needed rest. We started the month off with a group bowling trip and an adventure to Silver Falls State Park. The kids have gotten their fair share of swimming in so far, with trips to Timothy Lake, The Salmon River, The Deschutes River & Brightwood Beach. We ventured into the city for a day to go thrift shopping, check out The Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, capped off with a stop at a Portland Staple, Voodoo Doughnuts.
We finished off the 4th of July weekend with a rafting trip in Central Oregon & an awesome fireworks show in Hood River.

As you all know, we have moved up to Government Camp for the summer & our kids have been loving it! They have been doing a great job with keeping the house clean & respecting their roommates. We are looking forward for another month of fun & adventure with our students.

-Luke Giacopelli, Marianna Goings & Levi Thompson

Snowboard

June was the month of extremes for the Academy and the state of Oregon. We started out the month with a surf trip to the coast while Timberline was rebuilding their summer public park up higher on the mountain. What a day the team had out there chasing waves and frothing in the ocean! Having the opportunity to hit the coast within a few hours drive, grab rentals, and be in the line up before 10:30am is such a treat. While Timberline continued to rebuild the public park we were met with winter conditions returning to Mt. Hood and almost a full week of snow… in June. That was just one extreme. The crew powered through utilizing campus as much as possible with dry slope sessions, training on the trampolines and in the skatepark before the move up to Government Camp. Half way through the month the weather changed back into typical summer time glory and we had a new park on the mountain to train in. The crew got to spend time riding a near perfect 18 foot half pipe, three medium jumps, and their pick of eight different rails. We had about a week straight of perfect training conditions until extreme number 2 hit. Oregon experienced the most intense heat wave in history with temperatures setting records for three consecutive days from 108, to 112, to 115 degrees. We were able to seek refuge at the coast once again for an impromptu surf trip which never disappoints. To end the month on a high note, June 30 was the first day that brand new private FTC park opened up for us which is what we have all been looking forward to! Summer time is rolling and the snowboarding is all time. July should be even better!

Until next month,
Cheers!

-Brandon Sorel

Freeski

Greetings Freeski Families!

June has been a busy month here at the Academy. Summer operations started at Timberline June 1st which brought a new park that had moved up to the mile, along with a quieter parking lot in the first half of the month with spring pass folks heading home. Timberlines new Mile park came with a beautiful 18’ half pipe, a 3 jump line, and a series of different jibs down below. There was a little something for everyone and provided for a great training space for all of our athletes! Summer at Mt. Hood can be a wild and temperamental thing.. June 6 it was snowing sideways at the Timberline Lodge, and then on June 25th some of the highest temps ever recorded took place at the same lodge! The last week of June brought a record setting heat wave this year that delayed the private parks opening. With the mountain closed for the day we beat the heat by heading out to Timothy lake with the crew for a day on the water. Timberline eventually got the parks, and rope tows going later that week and we were all pleasantly surprised at the offering they provided, with again, a little something for everyone! Fast laps, good vibes and lots of progression were taking place that first week. This really set the tone for the rest of the summer, and we’re excited to see what July has in store!

-Brian McCarthy & Topher Newett