Alumni Life Lessons

List of 24 items.

• Chiaki Ishioka ‘79

  SMS alpine alum Chiaki Ishioka ‘79 has been the producer of the Japan Women's Golf Tour "Yamaha Ladies Open Katsuragi" since 2010.
  

   

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  At the first European camp, we drew a big SMS in the snow on the Hintertux Glacier. I was surprised by the boldness of Americans, in addition to the crevasses under the snow!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  I learned “don’t be cocky” and “respect others.” In my first year at SMS, I had a tough time communicating, so I became able to take a bird's eye view of myself.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Sumner Erbe was my favorite coach. I didn't know anything at the time, and he quickly understood my personality and skills. He taught me how to think about skiing techniques and training methods. He also taught me the fun of other sports, such as kayaking. I'm sure these were the basis of my skiing life.

• Benzi Ross ‘79

  Alpine alum Benzi Ross '79 is the Executive Director of Project Bike Tech, an amazing non-profit that places Bike Tech in School programs in the Junior and Senior year in high schools as full curriculum countrywide. We use bicycle education as a conduit to teach core academics, enhance lives, create career opportunities, and inspire new generations to be passionate about bikes. Join the movement - we change lives daily!
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  Wow.......there are just so many. Hmmmmm............I think coming into the school, then the Tyrol, going to the kitchen to see Rickster, making sure he's still cooking, and then going into the den...everyone was always watching either MASH or reruns of Caddy Shack ... The jukebox down in the library always played "MONEY" Pink Floyd...LOL (Lyles) Richie Ross and (Ralph) Craig Schwartz the culprits there...hearing Burnt (Brian Burnett) and Dulin (Andy Dulin) laughing in the "depths".........The rhythmic sound of the Ski deck as Herman yelled instructions to Sara Macnealus...gathering around the trampoline...running up the mtn in the fall - in the rain and of course heading up the mtn...Brrrrr to train at 5 am........and so many more in my head!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  To be self-sufficient and to be in charge of myself - to be bold and look fear in the eye and not back down - to be a good friend, the camaraderie was poignant even though we were all competitors. I know that's more than one, but I learned so much!
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Larry Herrick...not sure what class it was. I liked all of his because he asked me to think - in the 5th dimension (he will explain).

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• Eric Grosse ’87

  Alpine alum Eric Grosse ’87 started his career on Wall Street and later moved to the Bay Area, where he eventually had the opportunity to start and scale several consumer e-commerce companies.  Eric co-founded the discount online travel site Hotwire and ran Expedia Worldwide before going back to his startup roots and co-founding Chairish, a leading online destination for awesome one-of-a-kind items for the home.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  SMS was a very spirited place in my time, especially when I was one of the young kids.  In my mind, Larry Herrick’s presence kept everyone in line, and he always guided us in a way that acknowledged our youthful energy.  Depending on the situation, Larry used either his wit or his brawn to steer us on the right path, and his style of leadership is my favorite memory.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you? SMS taught me so much, but one lesson that sticks out is not to let success go to my head or get too down when things don’t go my way.  Ski racing is both wonderful and cruel, especially when experiencing the sport's highs and lows as a less-than-fully-formed teenager! I didn’t have the self-awareness to realize it at the time, but SMS taught me to look beyond the scoreboard and focus on what I can control: a positive mindset, a desire to learn, and the importance of balancing hard work with joy in what I do.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Wow, this is a tough question to answer as SMS’s strength has always been its teachers and coaches.  I’m amazed at who was in my corner in high school: Larry Herrick, Herman Gollner, Bill Dunkel, Fritz Vallant, Mrs. DeSantis (I could never call her Peggy), Rob Clayton, Len Bugel, Toshi Furukawa, Bill Reed, Terry Leonard.  What a remarkable and completely original group, all of whom taught and inspired me in very different ways. Sorry, I’m taking the 5th and can’t pick just one!

• Jon Needell ’88

  Alpine alum & SMS Vice Board Chair Jon Needell ’88 is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Kairos Investment Management Company, a real estate private equity fund manager, a recovering investment banker, and a four-time Ironman (slow amateur).
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  The double-overtime win against GMVS in Soccer junior year. I know that sounds weird for a ski academy memory, but we had a great team and went undefeated that year. I pulled my quad and played lefty for the last overtime period. Also, beating Fritz in tennis senior year. I trained all summer, so it was a lot of fun to run him around the court. I was so happy to beat him I lost to Rob Clayton right afterward. Also, the ski-a-thon. I always competed for the top money-raising prize with Sue Jedlika. I had to personally call all my sponsors, which was a great experience. Of course, finally, the opportunity to be at SMS with my brother Greg for my senior year when he started coaching.  He was not my coach, but he knew how to push my buttons and helped get the best out of me anyway. Sorry to have so many, frankly there are many more!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  All in all, with skiing leading the way, I learned how to compete and how important it is to put in your best effort to compete well.

  
  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  TD McCormick and Larry Herrick. TD for being the first teacher to help me explore my business interests. For Larry, it is, of course, the laughs. I spent a lot of time on the floor in Larry’s class after I fell off my chair laughing. Sometimes it was only me, but hey, you were learning, and he was funny.

• Darren Bloch '92

  Alpine alum Darren Bloch '92 has been the Executive Director of the Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC since 2014. The organization is a 25-year old non-profit that works with philanthropy and civic-investors to develop private-private partnerships aimed at solving particularly stubborn challenges across the City of New York.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  One specific moment doesn't come to mind, but I have really deep memories of morning sport during the winter. Mornings that were dark and cold. Being a little groggy, being pushed, pushing yourself more, getting it done, and getting it done with a group of mates. Also, the nights before a race. Whether we were on the road or racing locally, there was always great energy that filled any room.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  Understanding just how hard you need to work to succeed at a high level in ANY endeavor. I know I benefited from seeing and learning the value of that level of self-motivation and self-discipline. The other lesson was understanding just how many people were involved in supporting the work and dreams; that even in an individual sport, there is a "team" involved. Starting, of course, with parents, just being willing to lose that time with us growing up that they'll never get back [yes, perspective from a sentimental dad]. But also being aware of everyone else - coaches, teachers, classmates - who collectively contributed to helping my journey in big ways and small. That has stuck with me.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  There's no way I'm going with one favorite. On the classroom side, names like Bugel, DeSantis, Newton, and Pace stand out - if for no other reason than their sheer determination to work with what must have seemed like a pack of wild dogs most of the time. They were all understanding when needed, demanding when they should be, and somehow got me thinking even when my head was on anything but academics. On the ski-side of the house, Pavel was a really positive force. But two other guys who helped me (and my brother) immensely were Kirk Petty and Greg Bartlett. My brother and I arrived at SMS a bit "unpolished," and I remember those guys really giving us extra attention and putting in some extra time that they didn't need to do, but it was hugely beneficial and appreciated.

• Col. Kristian Thiele ’94

  Alpine alum Col. Kristian Thiele ’94 is an 18 year veteran of the US Air Force. He's an instructor pilot and assistant director of operations for the wing’s 182nd Fighter Squadron, and Col Thiele is currently deployed in Southeast Asia.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  Anywhere we trained in the summer: Mammoth, Norway, etc.  Oh, and running obstacle courses until vomiting, then doing it again.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  Train to win, don't train not to lose.  That has served me very well in my occupation as an F-16 pilot.

  
  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Coach Pavel Stastny.  He was a total hardass which I needed as a punk high school kid.  The discipline he instilled in me has carried since.  Yes, he is the one that made me puke. But he and I both loved it!  Then he made me run again.

• Gordy Megroz ‘94

  Alpine alum Gordy Megroz ‘94 is a contributing editor for Outside Magazine based in Jackson, Wyoming. He also writes for Men's Journal, Men's Health, Bloomberg Businessweek, and SKI.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  I have thousands of great memories from SMS. I think that, like a lot of other students, I loved early-morning training on fresh corduroy (except for when you'd get to the bottom of a run and your whole face was frostbitten), punch-drunk van rides, staying up too late cracking jokes in crappy motels the nights before races, racing (when it went well), and just hanging out in the dorm rooms in the old school, which were all filled with the pungent odor of stale ski boot liners. Even to this day, that smell doesn't gross me out; it evokes nostalgia. But I'd say my fondest memory is from my sophomore year. The senior class prank was to "steal the school." We gathered outside the lobby at 3 AM (as I recall), got in the cars of day students, and took off to a water park in Massachusetts, where we splashed around all day. When we all came back to the school with third-degree sunburns, the teachers and staff were waiting for us, trying to look stern but barely able to conceal their smiles. Note: If you're a current student, don't even think about trying this. Things were way different back then. I'm pretty sure that today somebody would get arrested.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  This is cliche, but it's that hard work produces results. I wasn't the biggest guy at SMS, nor was I the most gifted skier among my peers, but I was easily one of the hardest workers. I busted my ass in the gym and on the hill, and by my senior year, I had some pretty respectable finishes. When I figured out what I wanted to do for a living, I applied the same principles. As an intern at Outside magazine, I always tried to take on more work than I was being given, and I was often the last person to leave the office, which sometimes didn't happen until midnight. I was rewarded with a full-time job and kept working hard, improving my craft, and climbing the ladder.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  I loved all my teachers. Peggy DeSantis for improving my vocabulary. Larry Herrick for introducing me to different kinds of literature (even though I still think White Noise is a bad book, Larry). Len Bugel and Lee Petty for piquing my interest in science. TD McCormick and Bill Reed for breaking up lessons with absurdity. Jill Newton for putting up with the fact that I was (and still am) so, so bad at math. Elaine Pace, who taught me to think critically and allowed me to opine and debate, even though I now know that most of what came out of my mouth was just wrong. And Pavel Stastny, my coach. Pavel was firm and demanding, but he could offer the smallest advice and change my skiing for the better. And when you got a compliment from him, it was the best feeling in the world.

• Sarah Piampiano-Lord ’98

  Sarah Piampiano ’98 left a successful career in banking to become a professional triathlete. She’s won two Ironmans and five Ironman 70.3 titles (so far). Sarah ended the 2017 season ranked 4th in the World Ironman Rankings.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  I'd say some of my best memories generally were the van rides we would take to races that were far away. We always played great music, there were a ton of laughs, and I loved the camaraderie with the other women on the team.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  I think one of the biggest lessons I learned was perseverance. You learned quickly that some training days or races would be better than others, and you just had to stay goal-oriented and determined and drive towards success. It was a great skill to learn at a young age.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Looking back, I have very fond memories of Margaret DeSantis. At the time, she was tough, and she held us all accountable (which at times was hard), but I look back with admiration on the way she pushed us and didn't let our athletic pursuits be an excuse for not excelling in the classroom.

• David Vaughan ‘99

  Snowboarding alum David Vaughan ‘99 is the founder of Vaughan Snowboards. He is involved in all day-to-day actions of Vaughan Snowboards and spends most of his time on sales, design, and business operations. He still enjoys building a few boards, and he feels very lucky to have great people in Canada and Lake Tahoe who handle most of the production.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  Tough one. I have many fond memories of Stratton. Early season training at Copper Mountain, Ethan Foster playing Neil Young on repeat, Ross Powers sleeping on my parents' hotel room floor the night before graduation, or maybe just hanging out in the halls after study hall.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you? 
  

  I think I have 2 lessons that have really stuck with me.

  1. I was at the top of a race course with a broken boot freaking out, and Coach Palmer said, “true champions thrive in adversity.” I always remember this, and it paid dividends in my business life after snowboarding. (And, yes, I won that race.)

  2. Do everything to the best of your ability; it will reflect in your results. At the time, this was about how doing our best at kitchen duty would show on the hill, but it always stuck with me.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  I really enjoyed all my teachers and coaches at SMS. TD got us interested in history outside the classroom. Len was a genius who had a way of explaining complicated physics problems so anyone could understand. Where else could you be coached by a snowboard legend like Andy “the Dog” Coghlan? Mrs. DeSantis was tough but fair and prepared us all for the next steps of our education. But, I would have to say my favorite was Coach Palmer. Both on and off the hill, he made sure that we were set up for success.

• Ryotaro Yao '99

  Alpine alum Ryotaro Yao '99 works as Marketing Manager for Netflix Japan. Ryotaro works on local drama series, movies, and global dramas, like Stranger Things.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  My favorite memories are things I could not find/experience in Japanese schools:

  - Training/competing in world-class environments - Stratton, Canada, Mammoth, Saas-Fee, etc.;

  - Ski camps with the team and teachers;

  High-level education, including study hall, made me grow into a business person who can work globally.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  Always push yourself to the next level!
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  TD is my favorite teacher, and Mr. Tom Sell! They taught me how to enjoy skiing and learning, which I keep doing 18 years after graduation.

• Seth Therrien ’00

  Alpine alum Seth Therrien ’00 owns Crush Groovin, a lifestyle brand inspired by the colors, designs, and extreme sports movement of the 1980s. They primarily sell neon trucker hats and have recently ventured into sunglasses. You can follow their casually extreme story on Instagram (@crushgroovin) and all of their gear is available at https://www.crushgroovin.com/
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  It’s difficult for me to pinpoint a favorite SMS memory. One of the rad things about SMS is that you experience more during your time there than most people probably do in their lifetime. I loved all the things that we did on our own time that involved the snowboarders and nordic skiers, like playing volleyball after dinner at the old school, playing bump after working out at the old gym, and SMS soccer. There literally was never a dull moment during any of these activities. I also will never forget our summer trips to Saas-Fee and tearing up the dance floor at Popcorn!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  This is not something that I learned at SMS, but I learned something because of it. During my three years at SMS, there were times when I was just ready to grow up and move on to the next phase of my life. I would get homesick, burned out from Pavel’s crazy Lance Armstrong-inspired cycling workouts, have bad days on the hill, and/or be plain mentally exhausted from the never-ending grind of trying to keep up with school while traveling around the U.S. and Europe skiing. Then 10 years after I graduated from SMS, in 2010, I was diagnosed with cancer. I spent three months in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. During this time, I was physically weak and extremely sick from the treatment, but I had all the time in the world to reflect and think about things. I would find myself thinking about how awesome it was at SMS. We literally got to play every day and travel the world with a bunch of friends. I realized that I was always so caught up and focused on the future that I wasn’t taking the time to enjoy the present. It’s probably something that I would have never taken the time to think about without getting sick. It’s crazy how time seems to move faster and faster the older I get, so I make a huge point now to really live in the present, do things I have never done before and enjoy life because the future is never guaranteed and can be taken away so quickly.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  It’s funny, I can’t really think of a staff, coach, or teacher at SMS that I didn’t like. I just interacted with some more days than others. I will always remember my first year at SMS when I lived with David Vaughan, Nao Seki, and Rob Bruggeman. We also lived with our dorm parent, Don Sawyer, aka The Shredder. He would occasionally stop by just before lights out and tell us bedtime stories. In reality, it was us pestering him with a bunch of questions, but he always played along and never let us down with a boring answer. It may have been unofficial, but it was my most informative class at SMS!

• Erin Davis Williams ‘01

  Alpine alum Erin Davis Williams ‘01 is a Protocol Officer for United States Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.  Erin plans and executes events, ceremonies, and high-level U.S. and foreign military and government visitors for General Richard Clarke, their commander.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  I have so many great memories. It’s hard to choose just one. Almost every single one has Jenny (Williams) Bitter and Jason Epstein in it. One of the best, though, was our senior class orientation trip. We went to Margaret Schlachter’s cabin on Lake George, I think, and our class spent 2 glorious days bonding.  We were such a tight-knit group, and I still look back on that trip and the scars on my shin from where I fell and cut my leg open on the dock and laugh. That trip set the tone for one of the best years with my best friends!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  

  While I’ve found that I’ve carried many lessons from SMS with me in my almost 18 years since graduating from SMS (what the heck?!), the biggest one has been training like you race. The Army preaches train as you fight, and it is something that has come naturally to me. You need to know your target, get there, overcome the obstacles, and come out on top. Training is everything in ski racing and the military. SMS also taught me how to be mentally strong and how to deal with hardships.  In addition to working for the military, I’m also an Army wife. This has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. I’ve moved every two years since I married my husband.  Picking up your life and starting over every other year is hard. Finding a career that you can move with is even harder. Having a full-time job, children, and a husband deployed to a location you may or may not know is the hardest. Losing someone close to you (either in combat or from the effects of combat) is unimaginable. Learning to be mentally strong and owning and overcoming the hardships was ingrained into me at SMS, and I am forever grateful for that. Who knew ski racing would prepare me for a career and life with the military.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  One of my favorite staff members was Vance Schug, the athletic trainer who kicked my butt after I tore my ACL. I spent so much time with him, and he became a family friend.  The other one was Todd Ormiston. He was like my dad away from my dad! I just loved him and his wife Elizabeth and ended up babysitting for their kids (who are now in High School and College, eek). We still keep in touch today.  My favorite coach was Dave Coombs because he taught me how to enjoy life and find the good in any situation you find yourself in. That has really helped me as an adult. My favorite teacher…..probably Alex Lehmann.  He was a brand new dorm parent my first year, and I definitely tortured him as a dorm parent. As a teacher, he pushed me….hard!  He would assign books that I was NEVER interested in, but his enthusiasm for books and teaching was always so inspiring. To this day, I follow him and his family on Facebook.

• Andy Newell ‘02

  Nordic alum Andy Newell ‘02 is currently retired from the US Ski team after 16 years with the organization but still competes professionally. Andy runs a ski training consulting business called Nordic Team Solutions, enabling him to work with coaches and developing athletes around the US. https://nordicteamsolutions.com/
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  My favorite SMS memory is winning the Junior Olympic relay for New England with a team entirely made up of SMS teammates. I remember Sverre being really pumped! We always had a lot of team pride when it came to the biggest races of the season.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  The biggest lesson I learned at SMS was the power of a driven team. The nordic coaching staff did an incredible job teaching us how to be professional in our approach to training, respecting our teammates, pushing each other to be better while at the same time keeping it fun. XC skiing is a unique type of 'team' sport. We valued positive team culture at SMS, and it’s cool to see how that approach has spread throughout the entire USA nordic community.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  My favorite teachers for sure were Mary Beth Bailey and Alex Lehmann. Both ran a pretty tough classroom, so it wasn't always easy, but both did an amazing job staying fluid with their curriculum through all the travel we were doing during the winter. Mary Beth and Alex were great at connecting with the students and making sure we were retaining the information, not just lecturing. In the moment, these student-teacher relationships aren't always easy, I'm sure I drove them crazy, but looking back, I really appreciate them.

• Kelly O’Hear ‘03

  After teaching math and science for two years at SMS following undergrad, Alpine alum Kelly O’Hear ‘03, went to medical school and completed her residency and fellowship in Anesthesiology and Pediatric Anesthesiology, respectively, at Stanford University. Kelly now lives in Portola Valley, CA, and works as both a pediatric and adult anesthesiologist at Lucille Salter Packard Children's Hospital At Stanford.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  I have many positive memories from my time at SMS. I’ll never forget my freshman year's morning sports sessions with John Casella and Dave “Hawk” Ferraro. We’d be up before dawn, running over to the Stratton Sun Bowl or Sports Center to do hill sprints and other drills with John yelling, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”  While doing push-ups, he would make us pause halfway down and say, “let’s talk about your car,” while we groaned, “John, we don't have cars!” At that time in my life, I’d never been pushed that hard and, at times, didn’t think I’d make it, but John had a knack for making dryland training fun.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  SMS is a community of many inspiring, hardworking and diverse people. The biggest lessons that I took away from SMS, aside from the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, are to dig deep, challenge yourself and never be complacent.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  It is impossible to pick a favorite teacher at SMS because I was influenced by so many, namely Alex Lehmann, Len Bugel, Marybeth Bailey, and Andy Hoge. My experience at SMS wouldn’t have been the same without athletic trainer Vance Schug. I didn’t race at SMS for two years because of knee and leg injuries, but rehab sessions with Vance made me feel like I was still an important part of the community. He would host dinners for the injured athletes left behind while the rest of our peers were off competing. Vance’s job was to drive me to orthopedic appointments and help me recover from surgery, but he was also my main support system away from home and kept my love for ski racing intact. He's also a large reason why I decided to pursue a career in medicine!

• Courtney Culnane MacPherson ‘03

  Alpine alum Courtney Culnane MacPherson ‘03 graduated Boston College undergrad in 2007 and Boston University School of Medicine in 2009. She has a degree/license in mental health counseling with a concentration in Sports Psychology. Courtney now owns and operates two counseling clinics on the South Shore of Boston called Leeward Counseling. She and her husband also volunteer in schools and hospitals with their therapy dog, Coozie.

   

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  My favorite memory at SMS was living with Meghan Barnes my senior year, from our fall trip to Vail, races in Canada, playing soccer and lacrosse, or just drinking 42oz Slurpees every day. She is still my best friend and was the maid of honor in my recent wedding!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  The biggest lesson I’ve learned at SMS was the value of hard work and commitment if you want to accomplish your goals. When you are ski racing, the clock doesn’t lie, and you get to see your dedication pay off in race results. Not just the physical work such as morning sport and lifting but developing mental toughness. I am so grateful that SMS taught me to be accountable for not just success but for disappointments, too, and to always keep learning and bettering myself.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  My favorite teacher was Alex Lehmann, and my favorite coach was Dave Coombs. I’m pretty sure I drove them both insane (I was voted teachers’ torment for senior superlatives), but they respected my individuality and worked with me to help me grow in my own way. They were instrumental in helping me own who I am and build on my strengths instead of feeling pressured to meet a standard or fit in a box.

• Christine Schozer ’08

  Alpine alum Christine Schozer ’08 is an Associate Producer in the News division of NBC.  She is an associate producer at NBC News. Her latest project was Phelps vs. Shark for the Discovery Channel. She is currently producing a series for MSNBC. While working full time, she is also a part-time student at Columbia Journalism School. She lives in New York but definitely finds time to make her way to Vermont to ski during the season.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  My favorite SMS memory - that's tough. There were many... Sophie Caldwell recently reminded me that she took me nor-pining (alpine on nordic skis) during a snow day with Parker Tyler. It was an epic disaster on my part, but a great time. Also, moving all of the furniture from inside the classrooms and setting it up outside on the soccer field for our senior prank was pretty great. Mrs. de Santis proceeded to find us all staying at Ian Schuman's house -- hearing her knock on the door downstairs to tell us to open up will never leave my memory.

   

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  I've learned always to be persistent. There are many times when things in life don't go as planned, whether it is a blown knee or not making the team or high-level race because you make a small mistake that costs you three-tenths. You have to keep trying. And I have definitely been told at work how persistent I am. I even got myself in a room with the head of NBC Olympics to pitch a show on the U.S. Men's alpine team and the U.S. Women's nordic team. Alas, he said no...but I got in the room - that counts.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  John Casella and T.D. McCormick are gems of the SMS community. The two of them stick out in my mind as the most friendly and good-hearted people I have the pleasure to have learned from.

• Amanda Chase ’08

  Alpine alum Amanda Chase ’08  is the Director of Business Operations for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge.  The DCC is a series of events put on by the Miami Dolphins Foundation, which has raised over $22.5 million since 2010 and over $6 million just last year.  It is the largest charity event in the NFL. 
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  I have tons of great memories from SMS, but I guess I would say our training camp in Chile since I often find myself telling people about how awesome it was skiing there!  Another one was our Senior Prank when Mrs. DeSantis showed up at the Schuman's house in a Sprinter Van and told us we had an hour to get back to campus and put the school back together.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  Unfortunately, I would say tuning skis, but I don't really use that lesson in South Florida.  I believe SMS taught me the importance of working out regularly and eating right, and that's something I have certainly tried to carry with me! Oh, also, how to pack efficiently when you're traveling!
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  Well, without hurting anyone's feelings because they were all great...Bruce Johnson and Chris Thiele tie for the favorite coach.  I really enjoyed my Spanish class with Meriel Pavlik (now Bowman) when it was just Catherine Stewart '08, David Guttman '08, and myself in Spanish 5.  But I can't forget to mention TD McCormick's History class and Len Bugel's Science class because they were also great, and I don't think I would be where I am today without Mrs. DeSantis's grammar lessons!  Do I have to pick one?

• Paige Chardavoyne ‘10

  Alpine alum Paige Chardavoyne ‘10 graduated Cum Laude from Williams College. She is currently in her third year of medical school at Penn State College of Medicine and will graduate with her M.D. in May of 2021.

   

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  My favorite SMS memory is from the fall of my junior year. We had just finished dryland training for the evening. Right after dryland ended, it started raining really hard. Because soccer season was over and snow was about to fall, the state of the grass on Luckenbill Field was not a concern to the coaches anymore. The next thing I knew, all the alpine girls were out on the field in the pouring rain treating the field like a slip ‘n slide. We were all wet and covered in grass. It was such a fun night!

  
  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  SMS was my first time living, training, and traveling with the same group of teammates and coaches day in and day out. From this experience, I learned how to work with people of all different personalities. This skill has proven valuable, and I currently use it as I work on teams to take care of patients.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  My favorite teacher at SMS was Mrs. DeSantis, who taught 12th grade English. As someone in medical school and more math/science-minded, it’s probably not a stretch to imagine that English did not come naturally. In Mrs. DeSantis's class, we talked about fallacies (these were super tough for me, but to this day, I’m on the lookout for them in the real world!) and wrote a lot. Her class was hard, and she never turned down an opportunity to refer to my writing as the “redundant department of redundancy.” What I didn’t realize senior year of high school was how well her class would prepare me for both the required English classes I had to take at Williams College and life outside the classroom.

• Christie Choma '11

  Alpine alum Christie Choma '11 is currently a research assistant at the Portland VA. She also coaches group fitness at PDXstrength and is a volunteer firefighter/EMT. Next year Christie heads to school for paramedics!
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  Tuckerman ravine at the end of the season.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  I learned how to be brave at trying things. I'm really shy, and my instinct is to hide away from attention. Saying yes to scary opportunities has served me well because I’d so much rather get up and try (even if I royally screw up) than shy away. It makes for more laughs anyways!
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  I could come up with so many!  Right now, I’m thinking of bio/chem with Holly Wendell. She has a way of letting you know that you’re important no matter what. I love how we’d try to get her off-topic during class and how she goes by ‘Wendy’ on race day. Also, I still tell people about her parrot that would say ‘red rum’ at night, in the dark. I remember smiling so much around her, and I admire her kindness and patience. It cracks me up that I was originally so scared of her before she was my teacher. I think everyone needs a Holly.

• Claire Hamnet ‘12

  Alpine alum Claire Hamnet ‘12 After graduating from UMass Amherst in 2016, I immediately started at Columbia University Medical Center’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. I am finishing my second of three years and will graduate next year with my DPT on the advanced orthopedics specialty track.

   

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  My favorite SMS memory is from my senior trip to Rye, NH, just before graduation. All 23 of us were sitting around a bonfire on the beach, reflecting on how amazing our experiences had been over the last 4+ years. We laughed until we cried, and suddenly we had this collective realization of how unique our high school education had been and just how fortunate we were. We also used the bonfire to burn a wooden giraffe we found on the street during our senior skip weekend trip to Montreal. RIP Tanya.

   

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  My favorite class at SMS was Mr. Taylor’s advanced physics class that I took my senior year. Mr. Taylor entrusted us as 17-year-olds to be more proactive and responsible with schoolwork than most college students ever are. In fact, Mr. Taylor expected more from me than any professor did until I started graduate school. Moreover, when I retook physics in college, I still relied on what I learned in his class and did not need to relearn the material.

   

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  Mr. Taylor’s advanced physics class was also largely responsible for the best life lesson I took away from my time at SMS – always be proactive and accountable. In physics, Mr. Taylor assigned the entire quarter’s worth of work at one time. I realized that I could do most of the assigned work at the beginning of the quarter, and therefore have time to learn the material more thoroughly. My athletic experiences at SMS reinforced this lesson. Staying proactive and taking responsibility for my own actions led to my best possible results. I strive to apply this lesson in my life to this day.

• Kate Kerin ‘13

  SMS Nordic alumna Kate Kerin ‘13 is an Officer Candidate in the Vermont Army National Guard attending OCS (Officer Candidate School) to commission as an officer. She works in nonprofit communications and marketing in New Hampshire. Kate also teaches a learn-to-ski nordic program!
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  At SMS, I was able to go places I would have never gone before. In my junior year, we had an early-season trip to Colorado that was an amazing experience. The skiing was awe-inspiring, and it was a great bonding experience for the Nordic team.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  An important lesson that SMS taught me was to set goals and visualize the smaller things I needed to accomplish to achieve these goals. I learned that the work put in on a day-to-day basis pays off in the long run. Remaining motivated and detail-oriented has helped me to continue striving for the larger goals I’ve set for myself.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Every teacher, coach, and the staff member I had at SMS influenced me to become a better student, athlete, and person. In particular, Sverre Caldwell made a huge impact on my time at SMS. The coaching I received from Sverre made me a much better athlete, but more importantly, his support was unwavering and unparalleled. Sverre was there to pick me up after the tough races just as much as he was there to celebrate the victories.

• Chip Linton '13

  Snowboard alum Chip Linton '13 is currently the proud co-founder of a startup business called CocoChew. They manufacture and sell 100% all-natural dog chew toys made from coconut husk (fibers). As dogs chew and play with the material, the fibers clean off plaque buildup on dogs' teeth. Chip went to the University of New Hampshire, where he really fell in love with business (mainly private equity). It was there that he joined the Mel Rines Angel Investment Fund. The Rines fund was and remains the only undergraduate student-run Angel Investment Fund in the country. The fund manages over $300K of investible capital used to invest in real startup ventures around New Hampshire and New England.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  My favorite SMS memory would have to be when we had a snow day my sophomore year (I hate to say it, but my favorite memory did not happen in the classroom), and a bunch of the guys and I from our dorm spent the whole day riding the fresh snow. The cool part was that I spent that day with many people I normally did not hang out with that often. The one common bond was the snow, and we all had a blast sharing it together.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  A lesson I learned from SMS that I’ve taken with me would have to be tenacity and work ethic. At SMS, I learned that my success was based on how hard I was willing to work. Whether in class or on the mountain, I learned that being successful at anything ultimately fell on me and my choices.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  Really putting me on the spot here!! I have so many great memories with amazing coaches and teachers from my time at SMS. I would have to say my favorite class/teacher would have to be Kim Tait’s English class. She was very good at allowing us to create our own thoughts about a piece of literature or music. The various exercises have helped me keep an open and creative mind long after SMS.

• Brendan O’Keefe ‘15

  Alpine alum Brendan O’Keefe ‘15 is an Education Volunteer in Mozambique in the Peace Corps. For those unfamiliar with the Peace Corps, it is a government organization that JFK started in 1961. The U.S. government sends volunteers to countries in need of skilled labor. Peace Corps volunteers serve in several fields like health, agriculture, economic development, and education. The length of service is 27 months (3 months of training, 2 years of service). Brendan is an English teacher at a secondary school in the Tete province. Brendan has picked up a new language (Portuguese) through his training and has learned about Mozambican history, politics, culture, etc. He is excited to explore more of Mozambique and other African countries throughout the coming years. He is grateful that his path through SMS and UVM has led him to the Peace Corps.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?
  One of my favorite SMS memories was one random spring day. A few friends and I went down to Pike's Falls on a whim and spent the afternoon there after classes. It was a perfect day, swimming and hanging out on the rocks. It reminded me of the year-round beauty we get to enjoy in Stratton and of the great friends I made during my time at SMS.
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?
  One of the many valuable lessons I learned at SMS is the importance of being flexible. Between travel, classes, racing, and training, students at SMS are asked to balance a busy lifestyle at a young age. You have to learn to adapt to whatever is thrown at you. Since my time at SMS, I've found that flexibility and creative problem-solving are important skills. I can't count the number of wrong turns, unexpected outcomes, or changed/canceled plans I've already dealt with in my short time with the Peace Corps. Being able to relax, go with the flow, and make the best of an unanticipated situation has been invaluable in these past months.
  
  

  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?
  My favorite class was Mrs. Smith's senior history class. It played out less like a standard history class and more like an intro-level political science class. We read about current trends like globalization and held analytic discussions about what we had read. We learned to think critically about economic, social, and geopolitical problems. That class cemented my desire to study political science at UVM and is at least part of the reason I'm in the Peace Corps today. Thanks, Mrs. Smith!

• Ana Witkowski ‘15

  Nordic alum Ana Witkowski ‘15 is currently a senior at Clarkson University studying Biomolecular Science. She is a freshman chemistry TA, the captain of the Nordic ski team, a member of the cross country running team and tri-beta biological honors society, and the treasurer of Clarkson University Phalanx, Clarkson’s highest leadership society. For the last year and a half, Ana has been conducting polymer research on shape memory polyanhydrides. This last summer, she researched at Syracuse University on biomimetic biomaterials for medical uses and has traveled to several conferences to present her research. Ana is currently applying to graduate school to get her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, to one day become the leader of a research lab studying tissue engineering at an undergraduate-focused research institution.
  
  

  What is a favorite SMS memory?

  My favorite SMS memory would probably be on the trip we took to Europe my senior year. The whole experience was amazing since it was the first time I had been to Europe, but the last night in Geneva before our flight in the morning was so fun. We got hot chocolate at a café after wandering around the city for several hours and then sat outside talking in blankets the café provided for another hour before we had to head back to the hotel. Getting to explore Geneva at night was such a cool last day in Europe!
  
  

  What is a lesson you learned at SMS that you've carried with you?

  I think the most important lesson I learned at SMS was how to manage my time. Juggling skiing and school in high school allowed me to make the transition to college smoother. I have found that I can be more involved in life outside of classes in college and still maintain the grades I need to get into a good graduate school! Because of the other activities, I have participated in college, I have become a more well-rounded student, able to apply concepts from class to real-life problems.
  
  Who is your favorite teacher or coach at SMS or your favorite class, and why?

  I think my favorite class at SMS was our senior Multicultural Studies class with Mrs. Smith. It made me think more critically about the world and where I wanted to be within it. She always encouraged us to speak our own opinions and be able to defend them. I took a medical ethics class last spring and found myself reflecting a lot on the class because it was the first time someone really asked for my opinion. The practice I got in high school helped me a lot throughout the class because I could think critically about each side instead of just my opinion.