Middle School Programs

8th Grade/Winter Term Program

The GMVS eighth grade program is intended to be an integrated, full-year program which prepares students for the GMVS high school curriculum and which provides them with the study skills needed to meet the demanding schedule of a ski academy. Eighth graders integrate into the GMVS community and follow the same academic and training schedule as the rest of the high school. While all eighth graders take English and History together, it is common for eighth grade students to be in classes with 9th graders for Math, Science and Foreign Language. All eighth grade classes incorporate study skill and time management components. Students learn how to take class notes, follow a syllabus while travelling, read for meaning, and use a daily and weekly planner. The goal is for students to leave the eighth grade with the study and planning skills which are necessary for combining a rigorous academic program with the time demands of ski training and travel. A fully integrated Winter Term (November-March) option is also available for 8th grade athletes.

7th Grade Winter Academy

The GMVS 7th Grade Winter Academy is designed to give young student athletes an introduction to GMVS academic and athletic life. Each year the program accepts a small number of highly motivated alpine and nordic racers who wish to experience a “taste” of life at GMVS. The program runs for approximately 14 weeks from mid-December to the end of March. The program operates as a “school within a school” and is designed specifically to meet the academic and athletic needs of the middle school child.

7th Grade Academic Curriculum

Students attend classes in their own building and operate on a different schedule than the Academy students. Students take four core courses: Math, English, Science and Social Studies and may also take French. The curriculum is designed to be integrated and interdisciplinary with a special focus on the concepts from the nationwide Hands on the Land program, which seeks to foster an understanding and appreciation of local environment, environmental stewardship and active citizenship with a special focus at GMVS on winter/alpine studies.

In Math we offer a pre-algebra program. Students are pre-tested when they arrive to determine which pre-algebra topics will be covered while they are here. We send the home school a list of topics covered when students return to their home schools and can also provide a copy of the exit assessment. We use the text Algebra ½, Second Edition, by John H. Saxon, Jr. We are happy to discuss special arrangements for students not taking pre-algebra at their home school.

The English curriculum seeks to develop skills for future learning and emphasizes reading, writing and study skills. The course incorporates responses to literature through various texts and writing assignments. Learning activities include regular journal writing, writing and editing the weekly “G7” newsletter, constructing responses to literature and poetry and researching and delivering a speech on a topic of choice. The Science component engages students in a study of winter ecology. The field-based program is designed around the Keeping Track curriculum which inspires student participation in stewardship of wildlife habitat. Learning activities include lab investigations and experiments and the application of the scientific method. Integrated skills include conducting guided and open-ended inquiry based on the scientific method of problem solving, investigation and recording observations, graphing and scientific illustration.

In Social Studies students investigate the concepts of landscape and community focusing on Vermont’s past and present. Students learn about the six physiographic regions of Vermont, their geologic origins and the impact of human actions on the landscape. They study the original inhabitants of Vermont, the Abenaki Indians, and interview elder residents for an oral history projects on how the landscape in the Mad River Valley has changed over time.

In English, Science and Social Studies, the final weeks of the program will include an integrated unit focusing on the history, literature and the science of alpine environments, specifically the Yukon Quest sled dog race. Known as the “toughest sled dog race in the world,” the race covers over 1000 miles between Whitehorse, Yukon territory and Fairbanks, Alaska, and begins in mid-February. Students will research the history and geography of this famous race, choose a dog team, map their team’s progress, read short stories set in alpine environments and engage in snow and tundra studies. They will also work with a local musher, ride on dog sleds and learn about the sport of sled dog racing in Vermont and the Arctic.

Students enrolled in French at their home schools may also take French as part of the Winter Academy. We cover the same material as our local schools which teach the equivalent of French 1 over 7th and 8th grade. Students continuing with French at GMVS should expect to take French 1 in 8th grade.

Along with traditional study, review and assessment, students compile a portfolio of their work to be graded at the completion of their academic participation and available for review by their home teachers. The portfolio exercise provides students with an opportunity to exhibit math, writing, research, editing and organizational skills. All seventh grade classes incorporate study skills and time management components. Students learn how to take class notes, follow a syllabus, read for meaning, and use a daily and weekly planner. The goal is for students to leave the seventh grade with the study and planning skills, which are necessary for combining a rigorous academic program with the time demands of ski training and travel.

Please contact the admissions office for more information about our middle school programs.