Mountain biker at Legacy Bike Park — Wyatt Beers competing at Legacy Bike Park.

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Wy'East Mountain Academy made significant progress with the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Arrival Day saw more parents on campus than we have had in the past 15 years. It was an incredible opportunity to connect face-to-face with nearly every parent and student, as they arrived from eight different countries, bringing great momentum to kick off the year. The day concluded with an in-person orientation for staff, students, and parents in B.O.B., setting the tone for how we can continue to raise the bar on what is possible at Wy'East. This quickly transitioned into the Week of Welcome, where students had the chance to collaborate with every staff member and student, regardless of grade or sport. The cultural value of improving lives through shared passions was contagious, leading directly to our first podium results of the year for the mountain bike team. Meanwhile, the snow programs are heading to Europe and Utah, and the skaters are off to California to expand their horizons.

Sincerely,
Mike Hanley

ACADEMICS

Students working on computers in classroom — Prestyn Redd, Thomas Xu, and Tino Wang working hard on schoolwork.

Academically, we are off to a fantastic start this semester. It was very exciting to meet so many parents on arrival day as well as all of the new and returning students. Having a face to put to each of the emails that we send and receive will offer a help to both teachers and parents alike. It was also really nice to be able to sit down with each student/parent set and go over the coursework plan that the teachers have planned out for them. That was a great chance to discuss the overall plan for each student as they strive to earn a diploma from Wy’East Academy.

The students have begun the semester as they typically do…we have some students who have raced out of the gate and are already way ahead in their classes. We also have a large portion of students who are just staying right near the established pacing goal for their sport. And then we have a few students who are adjusting to the online learning platform and beginning the semester a little bit behind. Many of the kids who fall into the last grouping are new students who just need to learn how class works here at Wy’East. We are already noticing a positive change in those students and we anticipate each student catching up to their specific pacing goal.

The general attitude in class has been one of hard-working, goal-oriented students. They all know that in order to be able to maximize their training, they need to stay caught up with their classes. We have begun assigning double academic days for students who have shown that they may need some extra time to stay caught up and we also utilize study hall for those who need a little less extra time. These extra class hours are exactly what some of the students need from time to time and it’s nice to have the resources available to be able to offer that.

Best,
Adam and Heidi

STUDENT LIFE

Students posing in a skate park — The entire Wy'East student body on arrival day.

Our September kicked off with an exhilarating white water rafting expedition on the Deschutes River. Guided by experienced instructors, students navigated through exciting rapids, building teamwork and camaraderie as they paddled through the swift waters, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Students laced up their hiking boots and set out to explore two of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Mt. Hood Area: Little Hawaii and Tamanawas Falls. The scenic trails provided ample opportunities to appreciate the stunning autumn foliage and the vibrant nature surrounding us. Students were captivated by the mesmerizing sights and sounds of cascading water, with many stopping to take pictures and enjoy the serene beauty of the landscape.

The month culminated in a rejuvenating trip to the Ka-Nee-Tah hot springs. Located on the Warm Springs Reservation, these natural hot springs offered the perfect way to unwind after the first full month of action-packed training and travel. Students soaked in the warm waters, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the chance to relax and chat with friends. It was a wonderful way to reflect on the experiences so far while soaking up the natural beauty of the area.

Best,
Barbara and the residential team

CULINARY

What a great month September was for the culinary team! Before all the students moved into their cabins, we hosted our annual Adult Skate Camp. The whole campus was sold out and our adult campers enjoyed great food and skating. The highlight of the weekend was our plated dinner on the second evening.

We loved welcoming new and returning students to campus. It was great to see a full campus of new students. The culinary team has been hard at work to create different meals to start off the year for the students and staff. We have a new addition in the morning, Stephannie, and she gives us a great start each morning with nutritious and delicious food. Lunches have been good with choices of chicken tenders, burritos, gyros and other student favorites. Kellen has done an amazing job at taking care of dinners, with a focus on a great home cooked meal. Overall, the students have been happy with the food we are providing them.

Best,
Travis and the culinary team

FREESKI TEAM

Greeting Freeski Families,

What a fantastic start to the school year! The energy has been just as high as when we kicked things off with our Week of Welcome. It was wonderful to see our athletes come together, not only within their own sports but also alongside other disciplines. The camaraderie is growing, and we couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.

Throughout the month, athletes collaborated closely with one another and got to know all of the coaches, setting a strong foundation for the season. Along with team bonding, students completed their standardized testing, giving us valuable insights into where they are and how we can support their growth. Each athlete has also received a performance booklet, which will be crucial in setting goals and creating personalized plans to develop their skills. From here, the focus is on progression—both academically and athletically.

The fall weather has been perfect. We’ve had plenty of sunny days, and with the leaves starting to change, that only means one thing: snow is on the way! We can’t wait to see the progress these athletes will make in the months ahead!

Best,
Brian, Topher, and Leo

SNOWBOARD TEAM

Group of teenagers posing on a beach in Oregon — Snowboard team spending a day surfing on the Oregon coast.

Dear Snowboard families,

We are excited to wrap up the first month of school here at Wy'East! It was great to meet the parents that dropped their kids off on arrival day, and we look forward to meeting those that didn’t in the near future during Parents Weekend. We had an awesome start to the school year with the Week of Welcome and during the start of our sport specific training.

During the "Week of Welcome", our students participated in a variety of activities designed to foster camaraderie and fun. Through spirited games of knockout and dodgeball, engaging team-building exercises, everyone had a chance to interact and build new friendships. It was also a great opportunity for everyone to see eachother thrive in their specific sports, as well as maybe pick up a new one. It was a joy to see our campus alive with laughter and teamwork!

Our snowboarders have been particularly active, taking full advantage of the dryslope zones on the airbag jump and rails. They’re making great strides in honing their skills as they prepare for upcoming competitions and the season ahead. Additionally, our students have been utilizing trampolines, the gym, and stationary bikes to stay fit and ready for our exciting trip to Europe.

The snowboard team will be ending the month of September and welcoming October from the Netherlands where we have two groups of riders dividing and conquering another European country. One group will be competing at Snowworld Landgraff, and another will be focused on training and content creation at Snowworld Terneuzen. We will then join forces and train all together in Austria for one day at Banger Park’s world class airbag training facility (who designed our new coming campus landing bag), and two days at Hintertux, a glacier in the Austrian Alps that sets up and awesome park and a great place to start the early snowboard season.

We look forward to updating everyone when we return home. Thank you for your continued support as we embark on this amazing journey together!

Cheers,
Stewart and Brandon

SKATE TEAM

Group of teeangers outside of Tactics in Portland Oregon — Skate team visiting Tactics in Portland, OR.

Hi Skate Families,

The first month of the 2024/25 school year has been action packed. The skate crew is getting along well and they have a great dynamic during athletics. Everyone has been pushing themselves hard to progress and check off their goals. We have been spending a lot of time in the Concrete Jungle taking advantage of the warm sunny weather and taking shelter in Bob on the couple rainy days we have had. We joined up with the snowboard program for a day of surfing at the coast and will try to get a couple more surf days in before the coast gets too unruly.

A big highlight from the month was the NorthWest Open September 21st-22nd. This event was put on in collaboration with Tactics Boardshop, Cons Shoes, and Ourselves. The Skate students made their way to downtown Portland to watch the Pro/Invite contest on Saturday. For this event features were built at Directors Park and the pros skated in 3 jams for cash. The students were able to skate on the features after each jam if they wanted to. There was a vendor village as well for the public to win prizes from the sponsors. The Sunday portion of the event was held on our campus. The focus for this day was an open youth contest and two public jams for cash. The youth contest was capped at 50 competitors skating in 3 person 2 min jams in the Jungle. From the jams the top 10 moved on to finals where they had three 45 sec runs, best run counts. It was a full weekend of skating for the students between jumping into the public jams (pros included in public) and the youth contest. I am very proud of how all of the students skated and pushed themselves. Lila took 1st in women's and Dj took 3rd with Cam getting 4th in the open youth.

Our first big trip of the semester is coming up quickly. We will be in San Francisco Oct.11th-18th meeting industry connections, skating the city, and visiting colleges. SF is a major hub for the skate industry and is viewed as the proving grounds for the best skaters in the world. Nothing about skating in SF is easy, the ground is rough, the hills are steep, and at every spot you skate there will likely be someone filming for a video or shooting a photo for an ad. This trip is usually most students' favorite trip given the amount of people we see and the industry we get to visit.

Best,
Brian Johnson

MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM

Hello Mountain Bike Families,

The mountain bike team had a great start to the semester and month of September. Our training was brief before the trip to Legacy Bike Park but proved to be beneficial with the success of our team during this trip. Congratulations to LJ for coming in 1st in Pro Men and Kayla for coming in 3rd in Pro Women. Although Ry, Watou, and Wyatt didn’t podium during the event they were able to get some sick photos and videos from the trip. It was long days at the park and all the kids were up and ready to go from sun up to sun down. I cannot be happier with the group of students that we have on the team and am excited to see what the month of October holds for the progression of the team.

Best,
Kevin Simpers