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Colorado State University offers country’s first online ski area management certificate

Alli Langley
alangley@summitdaily.com
Students at The Peak School left school to ski with their classmates and teachers on Friday, March 27, at Breckenridge Ski Resort and Copper Mountain Resort. The private school in Frisco invited students' families to join for Community Ski Day, designed to build relationships outside the classroom environment.
Courtesy The Peak School |

THIS WEEK IN SUMMIT SCHOOLS

Tuesday, March 31

Dillon Valley Elementary, Preschool Roundup, 4:15 p.m.

Summit High School, Boys Lacrosse vs. Valor Christian, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, April 1

Frisco Elementary, PTSA, 4 p.m.

Upper Blue Elementary, Technology Showcase, 5 p.m.

Upper Blue Elementary, PYP Exhibition, 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 2

Silverthorne Elementary, Preschool Roundup, 4:15 p.m.

Silverthorne Elementary, PTA, 4:15 p.m.

Summit Cove Elementary, PYP Exhibition, 1:30 p.m.

Summit High School, Girls Soccer vs. Steamboat 4 p.m.

April 6-10

Spring Break

Colorado State University recently launched its online Ski Area Management Graduate Certificate of Completion for students looking to make a career on the slopes.

Each course within the ski area management certificate, offered online through CSU’s Warner College of Natural Resources, is an eight-week accelerated program that incorporates industry knowledge and best practices, as provided by CSU faculty and ski area managers.

Mark Gasta, Vail Resorts executive vice president and chief people officer, said the program provides a unique advantage to students because of its holistic business approach.



“Graduates will come out not only with some deep expertise or concentration or passion, but in addition they’ll have a great understanding of the overall workings of the industry and resorts,” he said.

Industry collaboration helps prepare students to make strategic management decisions, assess the impact of policy on ski areas, make informed capital budgeting decisions, improve managerial and operational efficiency and effectiveness, communicate professionally, critically examine the industry’s future, employ sound financial practices, develop positive stakeholder relationships, and balance the priorities of operating within an alpine environment.



“The ski area management program curriculum can be of great value — not only to the individuals who are choosing to participate, but also to the industry. It’s great to have young people come into our organizations who not only have this understanding of managing what is ultimately a natural resource, but it’s also terrific to [complement that] with the business acumen that can be developed through the program,” said Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw Valley Ski Holdings.

For more information about the online certificate program, call 970-492-4898 or visit http://www.online.colostate.edu/certificates/ski-area-management.

Peak School students spend class time skiing

Students enrolled at The Peak School in Frisco left school early Friday, March 27, to bond on the mountain.

The private school held its third Community Ski Day for students in Division II (eighth- and ninth-graders) and invited students’ families to participate at Breckenridge Ski Resort and Copper Mountain Resort.

Students attended three blocks of class in the morning, then they rode Summit Stage buses to the resorts to ski in the afternoons.

Liz Wood, the school’s admissions and communications director, said the purpose of the recreational ski program is for students to build relationships with their peers and teachers outside of the classroom environment.

Frisco summer camp registration opens Wednesday

This summer, the town of Frisco’s Recreation Department will offer camp options for children ages 5 to 15. Registration opens Wednesday, April 1, at 8 a.m., and camps fill quickly.

“Our No. 1 priority is to engage and interact on a one-on-one level with campers so they have an authentic and safe experience. Our success with this has been so gratifying and we regularly hear that our campers can’t wait to come back the next day,” said Sara Skinner, Frisco recreation program coordinator.

There are two options for Frisco summer day camps, Frisco Fun Club or sport camps:

The Frisco Fun Club is a state-licensed day-camp program open to children 5 to 12. It will run Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., from June 3 to Aug. 21 at the Frisco Nordic Center. This camp option focuses on staying active and making healthy choices. Kids are encouraged to bring their bikes, and Fun Club will have some bikes campers may borrow.

The Frisco Fun Club also has 15-passenger vans to get campers to and from fun adventures. Local and Front Range field trips will include hiking, playground visits and swimming in Summit County and visits to Jumpstreet and Water World in Denver.

The Fun Club costs $40/day for children of Frisco residents and an extra $5 per day for non-residents. Discounts of 20 percent are available for each sibling attending on the same day when parents call (970) 668-2558 or register in-person at the Frisco Adventure Park Day Lodge.

The town is also offering four sport camps, which focus on mountain biking, running, water sports and other activities and run in weeklong sessions.

For more information, stop by the Frisco Adventure Park Day Lodge, visit FriscoRecreation.com or call 970-668-2558.

Denver rally calls for less testing

About 200 educators, students, parents and community members assembled at the state Capitol Wednesday for a rally called “Our Students Are More Than A Score” to protest the time and resources excessive standardized testing takes time away from student learning.

The community rally was sponsored by the Colorado Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, FairTest, Colorado Jobs with Justice and the Colorado PTA.

“Too much focus on standardized testing takes up valuable time spent on learning. We need more time to focus on what helps students the most,” said Kerrie Dallman, a high school social studies teacher and president of the Colorado Education Association.

“Of all the things we teach our kids, the most important is love of learning. No bubble test can measure that!” she yelled to cheers from the energized crowd.

State Sen. Nancy Todd told education supporters about her bill in this legislative session to eliminate negative consequences for educators, students, schools and districts now imposed when parents choose to opt their children out of state standardized assessments.

“Senate Bill 223 protects the fairness and integrity of school accountability while honoring a parent’s right to choose,” Todd said. “We need to remove harsh, unnecessary penalties in the education system that wrongly penalize districts and educators when parents exercise their rights.

“It’s not good for anyone to hear, ‘Take this test because we said so,’” Todd continued. “We need to find standardized testing’s proper role and balance in public schools so parents won’t opt their children out in the first place.”


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