Two years ago, Meghan McCarthy, an eighth-grade math teacher at Harwood Union Middle School, proposed the idea of bringing the ski and ride program to Harwood after seeing its success at the elementary schools in The Valley and Crossett Brook Middle School. She believed the ski program would benefit Harwood students.
Fast-forward to this year: On ski days, students attend their morning classes and leave campus around 10:30 a.m. for lunch at the Gate House Lodge. Most students return to school at 1:30 p.m., but they have the option to stay at the mountain if signed out by an adult. This program gives students who might not otherwise be able to go to the mountain the opportunity to visit once a week for about three hours.
“With basketball, I’m no longer able to go to the mountains on weekends or at all in the winter. If it wasn’t for the ski program, I wouldn’t be able to go to the mountain at all,” said Victoria Grace, an eighth-grade student at Harwood. “I think the ski program is such a great opportunity to connect and spend time with people you might not usually see outside of school,” added Maeve Barry, a Harwood eighth grader.
A survey is sent out in mid-October to ask students who they would like to be grouped with in the ski program. The purpose is to allow students to be with their friends. Ruby Maring, an eighth-grade student at Harwood, said, “In elementary school, I didn’t like the ski program because groups were based just on ability, and I couldn’t ski with my friends. I now love the program because I’m able to hang out with my friends on the mountain.”
Chaperone Kevin Russell said that one thing that went well this season was “the positive behavior and teamwork with the boys in my group, even though we had quite a split in ability levels.”
A couple of weeks before the program started, Sugarbush staff visited Harwood to talk about staying safe on the slopes and help students avoid injury.
“One thing I really like is seeing you all take some responsibility for positive participation and making good choices. These are life skills and part of the Harwood way,” said Jon Potts, Harwood eighth-grade English teacher and the organizer of the program this year.
Harwood Union Middle Schoolers thanked this year’s sponsors: Darn Tough, Village Grocery, MRV Rotary, Lawson’s, Sugarbush, Mad River Recreation District, Clear Water Filtration, and Case Group LLC. They also thanked the parent chaperones and the PTO, who are key to making the program happen.
Students Teddy Bergstrom, Zoya Bianchi, Maeve Barry, and Victoria Grace helped write this article.
