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NOTES FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Over the last several weeks, the stark black stage of the Dave Gavett Theater has been transformed. Each time I walk in, it seems to reveal yet another scene from this weekend's production of Footloose. At times, it's a high school hallway filled with bright yellow lockers, at others, it's a country bar or a church. Although I've seen glimpses of what the show will be like, the full production only makes sense when scenes flow together -- when set transitions are seamless.
The quick costume changes and set transitions inherent in any production are a microcosm of the continual transitions we experience throughout life. This weekend, we'll witness quick costume changes and set changes during the GMVS production of Footloose. We'll also witness the transition of one ski season to the next with the World Cup season opener in Solden. And, we'll witness an important transition in our school's governance from one devoted Board Chair to another.
After five years of dedicated service to GMVS as the Chair of our Board of Trustees, Jane Goldstein P'09 will be stepping aside and "passing the gavel" to Josh Slocum '94 who will become the first alumnus to chair our Board of Trustees. Jane has not only witnessed the natural shifts and continual transition inherent in the life of our school. She has -- with commitment, empathy, and thoughtfulness -- shepherded us through a number of transitions with grace. As Jane vacates her position as Board Chair, she remains loyal to the work of the school. She will continue to serve as a Trustee and has recently taken on the role as Chair of the Advancement Committee.
As we transition from fall into winter, we welcome Josh to his new role as Board Chair. Upon graduation from GMVS in 1994, Josh went on to Princeton University where he took his passion for sport in a different direction as a rower. After Princeton, Josh began his career in investment banking and attended Harvard Business School. He is now the Managing Director at Chieftain Capital Management and serves on a number of non-profit boards including Row New York. While Josh's finance and accounting expertise are important assets to our board, equally important is his complete understanding of the GMVS experience combined with his deep passion for education and athletics. Josh lives outside of Manhattan with his wife and four daughters -- and he's actively working to foster a love for the sport of skiing in his girls.
Just as with the sets for our production of Footloose, I'm anticipating that this transition will be seamless and make sense for our community. Thanks to Jane's hard work and dedication, and Josh's experience and passion for GMVS, I'm excited and looking forward to the next chapter in our school's governance. We thank Jane for all her hard work as Board Chair over the past 5 years, and we look forward to introducing you to Josh, as fall turns to winter.
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The cast in action! |
FOOTLOOSE...ON STAGE THIS WEEK!
Footloose is a GMVS theater production you will not want to miss. Performance are Thursday, October 25; Friday, October 26; and Saturday, October 27. Curtain time is
7:30pm with a special 2:30pm matinee on Saturday.
Tickets at the door.
Adults $10; Children & Students (with ID) $5
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G7 & WINTER TERM
Our student population is growing...We are excited to welcome our 7th grade (G7s) and 8th grade winter term students to campus! Next week student athletes from as far away as Ohio and North Carolina, from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont will arrive at GMVS and add to the energy and enthusiasm of our community. Eight students will begin our G7 program and three (OR FOUR- PLEASE CHECK WITH ABBY FOR THIS DETAIL) 8th graders will transition into our upper school. This year's diverse G7 group consists of an even mix of boys and girls, and includes alpine skiers and one nordic skier. They will be here for one week of classes before heading out to Colorado (alpine) and Idaho and Montana (nordic) with others for on-snow training camps. Our G7s will participate in team building activities, a tuning clinic and preparations for training camps. We look forward to welcoming them all to GMVS!
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GREEN TEAM REBOOT!
by Sammie Gaul '18
On a community service trip in my sophomore year I had a wake up call. I was collecting garbage on the side of Number Nine, a road that splits off the road that leads to Mt.Ellen and Mad River Glen. In the winter I passed this road everyday for ski training, and in the spring I had done hill sprints up there. I wasn't expecting to pick up much trash because, after all, it was just a small road in a rural area of Vermont. Surprisingly, my friends and I collected over seven full bags of trash on a stretch of road that was only a few miles long. That was the catalyst to Green Team. That community service trip not only made me more conscious of my own environmental footprint, but also made me look into how GMVS could improve. With the support from faculty member Mary Ganzenmuller, and a group of dedicated students, we are trying to tackle environmental issues and increase awareness of these issues on campus. Our main projects this year are to create reusable bags for boarding students to use on dorm runs and to increase signage and awareness around campus in order to reduce waste. We also have a trip to a recycling facility lined up to see best practices and transfer that knowledge back onto campus. In the springtime we will also plan to help and give back to the Mad River Valley, by doing projects like Green Up Day. Overall, we want to make Green Team as effective as possible so that we can make GMVS and the community a better place.
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DEBATE CLUB COMES TO CAMPUS
by Hayden VanAlstine '19
This fall, Jackson Jewell and I are excited to introduce a debate club to the GMVS campus. This is a student-led and student-driven club, moderated by History Department Chair, Andrea Harris. Jackson and I are both passionate about politics and we created this club in hopes of stimulating productive conversations among students. At GMVS we are lucky to have a bevy of international students who bring unique perspectives to the table during debate. Our vision for this club is to enable students to hear many different opinions, so they can formulate educated opinions of their own. All GMVS students are welcome to come and participate, or just come and listen. Prior knowledge on any debate topic is not required for attendance. The club meets once a week to discuss and debate hot topic issues in American and international politics. So far, we have had two successful and productive debates about the efficacy of the electoral college, and centralized economic planning vs decentralized planning. We encourage all students to join this club and exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech.
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GIRLS SOCCER!
The GMVS girl's soccer team finished out the regular season on a strong note. On
October 13 they traveled down to Hartford Vermont -- a cold rainy Saturday. The lady Gumbies didn't let the weather slow them down. With 30 second left in the first half, Ariana Turner ran with the ball and made it through their defense and then around the goalie for the first goal. The second half they came out with even more energy and had some great crosses and passes. Erika and Molly connected for two more goals for a final 3-1 win. We took this energy into the next game against Stratton. Emma Austin scored on a direct kick from 30 yards out, then scored again off a corner kick. Stratton tied it up with a few minutes left, forcing two 10 minute overtime periods with no score. For our last regular season game we played the 2nd seeded team from Harwood. The girls fought hard and it was 0-0 at half time but they had many chances. Lauren Hunter along with other players were able to stop their freshman stand-out and she was not able to put any strong shots on net. The first playoff game was Tuesday vs. Rice that u
nfortunately ended in a 1-4 loss, but the Gumbies measure their season in more than just numbers.
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GMVS coaches were treated to a visit from former Men's World Cup USST Head Coach, Sasha Rearick (also former GMVS Boys' Head Coach). Sasha, currently the U.S. Men's Development Head Coach, lead workshops for our staff over a two-day period which focused on technical, tactical, and motor skill development in young athletes.
With the past decade devoted to World Cup coaching, Sasha has a finely-tuned eye for what makes a top level skier. He is now applying that to junior racing is
and sharing his invaluable
knowledge with our coaches.
Most of what Sasha had to offer, reinforced our process and beliefs in how to develop and advance junior athletes. We are thankful he took the time for a visit and look forward to collaborating with him in the future.
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U18 winner, Josh Valentine powers out of the start!
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GMVSXC ATHLETES FINISH STRONG AT TH
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NENSA FALL ROLLERSKI CLASSIC
On October 13 the New England Nordic Ski Association held the 3rd event in their rollerski series - The Fall Classic in Jericho, VT. Participants from ski clubs and NCAA teams from across New York, Quebec, and New England showed up to throw down in the largest rollerski competition ever held in North America! Over 170 athletes put bibs on to test their fitness against the fastest in the North East. Seven GMVS athletes raced in the 10k competition and all were in the top 10 in their age groups. U18s Josh Valentine, Brian Bushey, and Carl Kellogg went 1,2,4! We are going to be trading in the rollerskis for snow skis pretty quickly here and the Gumbies are about to hit their stride!
Full results for the NENSA Fall Classic can be found here.
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Gumbies at the starting line at Cochran's
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MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE TEAM RECAP
This Fall marked our first "season" of competitive team mountain bike racing. Our competitive nature and skills came out many times on the podium with all levels of riders. There were three scheduled races for the season which is put together by the Vermont Youth Cycling organization and in conjunction with the New England High School Cycling Association (NEHSCA). The first race was in Ascutney (which we did not participate in), the second at Cochran's, in Richmond, and the third in Craftsbury. Team members included Lydia Riddell, our only Varsity level girl and points leader; Varsity boys - Trey Jones (1st place winner, Cochran's), Alejandro Miquel; JV Girls - Elena Gober, Ava Pavlik; JV boys - Sebastian Segre, Tomas Barata,
Gavin Dewey, Luke Keating, Dillion Rowles, Gavin Wirth; and 9-10 boys - William Patton.
Each race distance is 5k and consists of up to 4 laps. The number of laps you sign up to complete determines which level you compete at - 4 laps for varsity; 3 laps for JV; 2 for middle school. Coaches are Adam Julius, Cindy Mumford, and Doug Williams. They look forward to adding more riders to the team next fall and possibly investigating more race opportunities.
Wet, rainy, cold, muddy...sounds like fun doesn't it? We thought so and we can't wait to enhance our presence next fall.
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Frosty trails and a beautiful view from our hike up Mad River Glen,
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A FEW SNAPS FROM OUR RECENT ADVENTURES
Check out great photos of GMVS activities on SmugMug, a photo-sharing website where we post pictures from races, games
, camps, theater and other weekly campus events. The website is gmvs.smugmug.com and the password is GMVScommunity. Enjoy!
Our amazing Valley and beyond, from the top of Mad River Glen.
Chilly, wet, outdoor workout.
U16s working out on Inverness.
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October 25-27
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Theater Production: Footloose
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| November 4-19 |
Colorado Training |
| Dec. 19-Jan. 2 |
Holiday Break |
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GMVS ONLINE STORE
Check out our logowear (Big Truck hats, hoodies, and t-shirts) and gear up to support Gumbies around the world as the season continues.
Order HERE!
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