Stratton Mountain School
7 World Cup Circle
Stratton Mountain, VT  05155
802-297-1886 (t)
802-297-0020 (f)
gosms.org

Admissions Director: Kate Nolan Joyce at knolan@gosms.org or 802-856-1124

Admissions Associate: Carson Thurber at cthurber@gosms.org or 802-856-1108
gosms.org/admissions

Founded: 1972

Sports: Primary sports: alpine skiing, nordic skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing (moguls and pipe&park); fall and spring sports: soccer, cross-country running, skateboarding, cycling, golf, lacrosse, tennis

Grades: 7-12&PG

Program length: Full-term academic and athletic program from September to June. Five-month winter term academic and athletic program from November through March: Student athletes in grades 7-9 who want to attend SMS during the winter season, can be part of a special program intended to introduce them to the demands and rewards of a winter sports academy. Visit gosms.org/winterterm for more information. One- and three-week athletic development programs: for more information on our athletic development programs, please visit gosms.org/alpinecamps or gosms.org/Nordicdevoprogram to find out about our alpine and nordic in-season training opportunities.

Application period: We accept applications from Nov. 1 to March 15, and the admissions committee will review them on a rolling basis. For all applications received by March 15, Stratton Mountain School will notify applicants by April 15. The admissions committee will continue to review applications after the March 15th deadline on a rolling basis if space is still available.

Staff/student ratio: 1:3 staff-to-student, 1:4 coach-to-athlete

Cost: For the 2010-2011 school year: full-term boarding: $41,500; full-term day: $30,250; 
winter-term boarding: $29,750; winter-term day (grade 9): $21,000; winter-term day (grades 7-8): $12,500. For more information, visit gosms.org/tuitionandfinancialaid.

Scholarships: Financial aid may be available to student athletes who demonstrate financial need. Because the financial aid program is limited, student athletes are encouraged to apply before March 15. For questions regarding financial aid, please visit our website, gosms.org/tuitionandfinancialaid.

Headmaster: Christopher G. Kaltsas

Academic strengths and overview: The SMS faculty brings years of practical and academic experience into the classroom. More than 50 percent of our teaching staff holds a master’s degree. Individually, they are world-class athletes, physicists, linguists, artists, farmers, and professional writers. Each faculty member incorporates his or her passion for teaching and a solid foundation in their field of study into the curriculum. Our commitment to employ teachers whose sole responsibility is teaching has resulted in an exceptional legion of academic staff. Importantly, our teachers have a passion for education, and they make great strides to ensure SMS student athletes are successful in the classroom. Stratton Mountain School offers a rich environment — one that is intellectually challenging both in and out of the classroom. During their years at SMS, our student athletes learn to demand excellence from themselves, to balance high expectations, and to maintain a rigorous schedule. They develop the crucial ability to translate independence into the sense of responsibility and maturity they will need to be successful in college and life beyond. Small classes emphasize the dynamic learning environment, ensuring each student athlete receives the attention he or she deserves. The rich learning environments combine interactive, hands-on application with video and audio tutorials. During the winter, the academic schedule is purposely constructed to cater to the aspiring world-class athlete without diminishing his or her academic course load.
    If you have proven athletic and academic achievements and a demonstrated commitment to community, we want to meet you. Since 1972, SMS has provided an integrated academic and athletic program that supports physical, mental, and emotional growth in our student athletes. Our unique approach ensures that SMS student-athletes participate in a rigorous, college-preparatory education while pursuing national and international competition. The SMS mission is to provide each student-athlete with the opportunity to pursue excellence in competitive winter sports and college-preparatory academics while developing strong personal values. Both academics and athletics receive the attention and value they merit. Extra support off the mountain and outside the classroom is consistently available throughout the day, which allows student-athletes to take charge of their own academic and athletic success. On the road, student-athletes don’t experience an interruption in their studies. Through our collaborative web-based curriculum, student-athletes can interact with teachers, get new assignments, and submit their work. The teachers’ content-rich class web pages allow student-athletes to plan for future trips and maintain course loads while traveling to competitions. Our athletic philosophy is centered on a healthy approach to competition, dedication, and goal setting. Throughout the course of a student-athlete’s enrollment at SMS, he or she learns to balance a proven training regimen, positive community spirit and hard work. The athletic staff is regarded as one of the most comprehensively experienced staffs in the world. Many members of our coaching staff have competed or coached on an international level. USSA recognized SMS as the USSA Club of the Year in 2009, marking SMS as one of the most prominent snow sports academies in the country. The SMS Alpine Program is comprised of highly motivated individuals with a passion to achieve success. Our 12-month program is supported by an essential combination of dryland preparation, on-snow training, and competition. During the summer and fall, coaches take student athletes to biological age-appropriate training camps utilizing top venues around the world to ensure that they are properly prepared for the rigors of winter competition. During the winter season, our top-level ski racers represent SMS at international and national competitions such as NorAms, U.S. Nationals, J2 Nationals, Whistler Cup, and the J3 Olympics. At J2 Nationals and J3 Junior Olympics in the past few years, SMS has had more athletes competing than any other snow sports academy. The SMS Nordic Program has combined sports science, a proven training program, and efficient workouts to boast one of the most successful nordic programs in the country. Its unprecedented national and international success has produced more than 13 nordic Olympians in the past seven Winter Games. The program also claims a continuous streak that extends beyond 14 straight years with at least one World Junior team member and at least one Junior National gold medalist. USSA has recognized the program twice as the USSA Club of the Year. As of 2010, the women’s team has claimed the Roger Weston Award for three years running, which acknowledges the best high school team in the country. The SMS Snowboarding Program began in 1993 as one of the first programs of its kind in the country. In its short history, the program has earned three USSA Snowboarding Program of the Year titles and is recognized worldwide as one of the best teams in the country. In combination with the most up-to-date, on-snow training techniques, the innovative dryland program integrates gymnastics, skateboarding, and a fun combination of plyometric and strength-training exercises to enhance a student athlete’s overall snowboarding experience. Currently, SMS athletes are present in every level of competitive snowboarding and have worked their way onto podiums of the Revolution Tour, FIS Junior World Championships, the FIS World Cup, US Grand Prix, X Games, the U.S. Open, and the Olympics. In 2007, SMS launched the Freestyle Skiing Program. With an early emphasis in Mogul Skiing, the program found immediate success. In just three short years, nearly all of the 12 SMS mogul skiers qualified for Junior Olympics. Beginning in the 2010-2011 academic year, SMS integrated halfpipe and slopestyle (pipe and park) skiing into the fulltime Freestyle Program.

Head coaches: Alpine Program Director & Head Men's Coach Mike Morin, mmorin@gosms.org; Head Women's Alpine Coach Eric Harlow, eharlow@gosms.org; Head J3 Alpine Coach & Program Director David Edry, dedry@gosms.org; Nordic Program Director Sverre Caldwell, scaldwell@gosms.org; Snowboarding Program Director Ross Powers, rpowers@gosms.org

Coaching staff: Women's alpine coaches: Jamie Kingsbury, Dylan Snell; Women's alpine coach & women's alpine equipment manager: Stephanie Darling; men's alpine coach & men's alpine equipment manager: Kyle Darling; men's alpine coach & men's strength and conditioning coach: Matt Maloney; men's alpine coach: Daniel Pawlak;  J3 alpine coaches: Josh Bedard & Matt Stanton; SMS development program coordinator: Alissa Consenstein; snowboarding elite coach: Ian Kirk; snowboarding amateur coach: Scott Johnston; snowboarding development coach: David Redden; nordic coaches: Matt Boobar, Poppet Boswell; freestyle skiing (pipe and park) program coordinator: Jesse Ramirez-Mallis

Notable alumni: Since 1972, 33 SMS alumni have competed in the Olympics, and more than 90 athletes have achieved placement on national teams throughout the world: Lindsey Jacobellis, SMS ’03: silver, snowboardcross (2006); Kristen Luckenbill, SMS ’97: gold, soccer (2004); Andy Newell, SMS ’02; Ross Powers, SMS ’97: gold, halfpipe (2002), and bronze, halfpipe (1998); Louie Vito, SMS ’06. Competition is the cornerstone of SMS. Our student athletes compete internationally and gain exposure at some of the most prestigious events in the world.

Training facilities: The SMS campus is within close proximity of Stratton Mountain Resort, which features nearly 600 acres of top-ranked skiing and snowboarding terrain. Stratton’s cross country trails deliver the challenging and varied terrain that nordic skiers dream about. Freestyle training for snowboarders and skiers takes place on world-class halfpipes and terrain parks. Built in 1999, the SMS campus boasts one of the best snow sports facilities in the nation. The SMS weight room houses more than 1,000 square feet of lifting space complete with free weights, guided weight machines, and cardio equipment. The Peak Performance Facility now contains 26 spin bikes, four Olympic lifting platforms, four glute-ham machines, four sets of rings, bumper plates, medicine balls, and several sets of dumbbells and kettlebells. The SMS Strength and Conditioning Program is led by a team of certified strength and conditioning specialists and is designed to develop the complete athlete by integrating different movements, sports, and specific workouts. Our sports training facilities also include a gymnasium, sports science lab and physical therapy facility, as well as a skate park and trampoline gym. In addition, there are fully appointed tuning areas on campus. SMS has state-of-the-art facilities throughout its campus, and the athletic training room is no exception. From rehabilitation equipment and injury-prevention exercises, to hot and cold whirlpool tubs for treatment, the athletic training room is well prepared for outstanding treatment and performance improvement. Staffed by a certified athletic trainer, sports medicine treatment at SMS is easily linked to various other sports medicine facilities in Vermont and New England. Our residence halls feature double and triple occupancy rooms, common areas for socializing and recreation, a centrally located laundry room, and a dining hall. The academic building houses a cutting-edge computer lab, a 35-seat theater, two fully equipped science labs, 12 classrooms, and a spacious library for study. Each classroom is equipped with projectors to enhance the classroom learning experience.