March 9, 2008
Guest Writer; Brittany Edgerly, 12th grade alpine racer from Maine
Being a CVA BIG DOG
My name is Brittany Edgerly, and I have been attending CVA since the 8th grade. Since the day I walked through those doors, members of CVA treated me as if I was just another component of their family. Of course being a 14 year old and my first time living away from home, I couldn’t have been any more nervous. But honestly, I have never felt so comfortable being around people I had just met for the first time. CVA has a way of making you feel at home. With the 126 students and 55 staff it’s not much of an issue getting help when needed. If there is ever a concern with athletics, academics, or just getting along with your roommate, you have staff that is there for your support 24/7. Also, each student has an advisor, who meets with them once a week to go over how things are going, and if they have any questions their advisor is always there. There is also a student leadership program at CVA, where there is a president, vice president, secretary, a treasurer, and around 10 proctors who are all there if you don’t feel comfortable talking to an adult about an issue you’re having.
The type of students who attend CVA are those who are dedicated to their sport, work their hardest in academics, and most importantly give respect to their fellow classmates and teammates.This brings me into being a “BIG DOG”. BIG DOG stands for Be There, Initiate, Give Respect, Dedicate, Open your Mind, and last but not least Go For It. When you first walk into CVA, this is most likely one of the first things that you will see, and definitely the most important. This sign is what CVA is all about. In just 6 letters you learn exactly what the CVA student stands for, and if they don’t quite stand for it when they enter CVA, they most certainly will when they leave. When it comes down to your sport, most would like to say that they are all individually based. And yes those who say that are correct on some level. But, we are all a part of a team where everyone supports one another. When it’s time for race day, or comp day, and you’ve just finished your run, there is no better feeling then seeing your teammates at the bottom of the course screaming your name when you have just come through the finish line. Even if you didn’t have the best run in the world, at least you had support 100% of the way.
Besides being the athletes we are, we also like to do things for the community. Each year around December every student participates in the canned food drive where we collect canned foods from houses on the mountain and donate them to food kitchens that support the needy. And around February and personally my favorite time of the year, are the Special Olympics. Two days out of the week we take off from school and training in order to give our full attention to helping out the Special Olympians from across Maine. Each student has a special Olympian who they will take skiing with them for the day, and usually around 7 that night there is a dance in which the students and Olympians attend.
When we’re not saving the world, CVA kids do like to have fun. Every weekend in the fall and spring there are movie trips, and shopping trips. This gives boarding students especially, a chance to get out of the dorms for a little while and do something different. In the spring time the student council organizes the prom, where the boys and girls get a chance to dress up and show their moves on the dance floor for a few hours.
But I would have to say that the best part about being at CVA, besides skiing, is just being able to be yourself. Being a girl at CVA, I have never had to worry about what I looked like, what I was going to wear the next day, or if the type of eye shadow I was wearing matched my shirt. Girls at CVA don’t need to worry about that kind of stuff. You get up in the morning put on a nice pair of clothes, put your hair up and walk out the door. It’s not like public school where some teenage girls get up 2 hours before they have to be at their first class. But when it comes down to it, CVA is a place for students who want to grow and learn, and respect the community in which they live.
February 25, 2008
I am often asked “What is the difference between the 9, 7, and 5 month terms? Which is best for my student?”
The nine-month program was designed with an essential balance between academics and athletics. In the fall term, students are highly focused on academic work and attend classes on Saturdays to prepare for the winter months. Students attending in the fall semester get in optimum physical shape from a sport specific dryland training program plus the benefits of playing a team sport: mountain biking, soccer or skateboard team. The close, family-like atmosphere created in the fall encourages lasting relationships between students and faculty. During the height of the winter competition season student-athletes travel the world accompanied with enhanced academic packets that support the objectives of the classroom curriculum. Interactive whiteboard technology reinforces learning with a whole new level of interactivity and efficiency both in and out of the CVA classroom. In the spring, the focus shifts more heavily to the academic experience and students attend classes on Saturdays in this term as well.
Students who attend CVA for the full year can rely on the academy’s college counseling services. Seniors who are at CVA for five or seven month winter term will need to rely upon their home school guidance counselor for those services and arrive at CVA with their applications completed.
Our five-month program begins in November and ends at the end of March. This program is specifically for 8th grade students, but CVA accepts applications from 9th-12th grade students who have a B average and have compelling reasons to participate in the shortened program. For the five-month term, students are considered to be full-time CVA students and they participate in our program, which means they transfer into and are fully immersed in our academic and athletic curriculum. While students are here, CVA teachers are responsible for the course content, grades, and exams. Home schools award credit based on successful completion of course requirements.
The student has two choices with the seven-month program: arrive at CVA in September and stay until the end of March, or arrive in November and stay until June. For the seven-month term, students are considered to be full-time CVA students and they participate in our program, which means they transfer into our academic and athletic curriculum. While students are here, CVA teachers are responsible for the course content, grades, and exams. Home schools award credit based on successful completion of course requirements for those students who arrive at CVA in September and return to their home schools at the end of March. CVA awards credit based on successful completion of course requirements for those students who arrive at CVA in November and stay until June.
As with the nine month program, during the height of the winter competition season, the five month and seven month student-athletes travel the world accompanied with enhanced academic packets that support the objectives of the classroom curriculum. Interactive whiteboard technology reinforces learning with a whole new level of interactivity and efficiency both in and out of the CVA classroom.
If a family is applying for the five month term or seven month term with a September arrival, we begin discussing how that will work for the student during the admissions interview. It’s at that time we ascertain if we can align the home school courses with CVA’s curriculum. For example if a student is taking geometry at home, he’d take it at CVA; biology at home, biology at CVA etc. Accepted students then receive information in September that outlines, for each course, the concepts they will be studying at CVA for the five or seven months. The family then reviews that information with home school teachers to develop a plan for that the student is responsible for the transition back in the spring.
When I am asked which term is best, I always give the squishy answer; it depends. It depends upon the student’s athletic and academic goals, the student’s ability to handle transitions, and the family’s needs. The home school’s willingness to be helpful with the transitions also plays a large role.
I can say that in the 10 years I have been here, I have come to appreciate the value of the ramp-up time that the fall provides for both athletics and academics. I observe that students who are here in the fall are much more confident and prepared for the winter and handling their academics while training and travelling.
