The Teaching Model

Mount Snow Academy is a full time winter program for ski and snowboard competitors in grades 7-12. Our staff, coaches, and teachers are committed to a balanced curriculum of athletics and academics through which young people can work to achieve their personal best in each area of their lives.

Students attend Mount Snow Academy from early November through early April. They begin the school year at their home school and participate in their home school activities and athletics for the first and last quarters.

Each year teachers are hired to meet the specific academic requirements of individual students. These young people arrive at MSA with books and a curriculum for each subject from their home school. They continue in their own school’s curriculum for each course. At the Academy students are taught by qualified teachers, each of whom has earned a Bachelor’s Degree and three quarters of whom hold one or more Master’s Degrees. Several Mount Snow Academy teachers are also college professors.

(Please refer to teacher biographies).

Because students work one-on-one with their teachers, they must be prepared to actively engage in discussions during their class times. A by-product of this inter-action is an increased ability to logically reason and to verbally present one's thoughts. This process, in turn, has a positive effect on a student's self esteem. Our one on one system allows a student's strengths to be enhanced, while the areas that need improvement can be dealt with on a daily basis in each subject area. Our students return to their home schools on track with their classmates, and in most instances they have been able to delve more deeply into each subject area. Any student who has been enrolled in an advanced placement course and has been taught the AP curriculum while at Mount Snow Academy has earned a four or a five on the standard AP test given in May. These scores, of course, have gained each student college credit. Mount Snow Academy has earned the respect of faculties and administrators at schools throughout the East and Mid-West.

Mount Snow Academy stays in close contact with the student’s home school. In order to confirm progress and any curriculum changes, Academy teachers communicate directly and regularly with home-school teachers via bi or tri-weekly reports. In mid January and again when the student returns to his\her home school, a very detailed report is written to each teacher in each subject area. These reports include a suggested grade. All the major works accomplished in each subject area accompany each of these detailed reports. A copy of all reports is sent to parents.

SOME OF THE COURSES WE HAVE TAUGHT AT M.S.A.

Advanced Placement (A.P.) All Levels (7 - 12)

English

American History

European History

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

Mathematics

(through Calculus)

French

Spanish