March K-Flash

Winter Term has concluded and it is time to recharge over this spring break before we return, refreshed and ready to tackle the remainder of the school year. Check out some KMS highlights from this past month below:

KMS Maple Syrup

KMS Middle School students worked with faculty member Richard Morse to produce a few batches of homemade maple syrup. Students tapped trees around campus and boiled in our outdoor classrooms. They shared their finished product with the school community at our end of winter term bonfire. Maple syrup on vanilla ice cream is not as good as sugar snow, but it comes close! Check out some of the process:

Greek Mythology and the Super Bowl

The Freshman and Junior classes have been taking a hard look at rhetoric this quarter. In our attempt to better understand the art of persuasion and the difficult task of discerning truth, we have been looking at some of our favorite advertisements from the Super Bowl. Pairing these with two plays (Medea and Othello) students practiced and applied two different methods of analyzing rhetoric. From the Greeks: students used the age-old lenses of Ethos (credibility), Pathos (emotional appeal) and Logos (logic) to break apart media and text. Then applying our modern day lenses they divided these categories even deeper into Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Style and Tone.

Academic Standout- Wyatt Hoffman

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to recognize Wyatt Hoffman as this week’s Academic Standout! Wyatt is a 12th grade U19/U21 Men’s Alpine athlete, who comes to KMS from Old Lyme, Connecticut. Wyatt was enthusiastically nominated by many of his teachers, who recognize the growth and maturity this young academic has had throughout his senior year. Each notes Wyatt’s eagerness to learn, his increased focus and drive within the classroom, and his overall dedication towards becoming the best student possible.

Full-Term Math and Science teacher Allison Resnick was the first to put forward a nomination for Wyatt this week as well as present for him this past Monday at our all-school meeting. Allison writes, “Right from the start of this school year Wyatt has constantly pushed himself academically. Eager to learn, Wyatt got a head start on physics concepts over the summer and transitioned into the honors level physics class within the first month of school. Wyatt is an active participant in the classroom for both Physics and Pre-Calculus, but his efforts go beyond our scheduled class times. He never hesitates to meet individually to solidify his understanding of the material, which has clearly paid off as he has been crushing his tests in both Physics and Pre-Calculus all year. These past two weeks, Wyatt has gone above and beyond. To catch up on work missed while out sick, Wyatt and I did a video session on a Sunday in order to be ready for class on Monday. Well done Wyatt for willingly sacrificing your day off for academics! Congratulations!!”

Social Studies Department Co-Chair Courtney O’Keefe also supported Wyatt’s nomination. Courtney reflects, “It is my pleasure to put forth a nomination for Wyatt Hoffman for Academic Standout this week! Throughout this year, I have had the pleasure of watching Wyatt become a true student of Cultural Anthropology. As a subject dedicated to the exploration of world cultures and diversity, Cultural Anthropology focuses on not only introducing students to unique cultural practices and beliefs found throughout the world, but it also focuses on educating students in the rich, and sometimes complex, reasonings behind such diversity as well. Although this might sound easy to do, to truly understand the why behind certain cultural practices and beliefs can be challenging, especially when the cultural practice and belief in question is something not accepted within Western Culture or can easily be dismissed as nothing more than strange or unusual. Along with his classmates, Wyatt has worked hard to genuinely understand the reasonings behind such cultural practices and beliefs as child marriage and compassionate cannibalism. Working through his initial reactions and feelings with regards to these subjects and more, I have found Wyatt to have a genuine and natural curiosity as to the whys behind such cultural diversity. He also has consistently exhibited a genuine openness to learning more about the different peoples throughout the world, finding their unique lifestyles, practices, belief systems, and general worldviews to be worthy of study and reflection. Wyatt has also worked hard at reflecting upon his own cultural values and beliefs, why he may or may not agree with specific belief systems or practices, and how he still can be respectful of them even if he does not share the same views. This has led to a deeper understanding and respect of the world around him as well as the people within it. This year I have also seen Wyatt progress into a more driven and focused academic. He seeks to improve upon every assignment and assessment he completes, looking to grow his academic skills even further. He often reaches out for extra help, and does not shy away from using extra time with me to work on these improvements and more. I have found myself having many one-on-one in-person as well as virtual conversations with Wyatt about the topics we are studying in class. I have enjoyed these conversations, and have found Wyatt to be a very mindful and thoughtful young man when chatting. Wyatt is also a great participant in class as well. This past week, for instance, Wyatt participated strongly in our virtual discussions on love and marriage, which aided in adding to the richness of our exploration on this subject. Overall, Wyatt has done wonders in our class this year. I am truly proud of the young academic that he has become, and I continue to look forward to what he contributes next within the classroom. Nice work, Wyatt! Congratulations!”

Student Life Coordinator and Studio Art/Graphic Design/Photography teacher Eric Kuntz support this nomination as well. Eric states, “Wyatt has been showing improvement every week in Digital Photography I. He has taken on each assignment with as much passion and drive as he does with his training on the hill. He likes the new challenges set for each week, and strives to turn in the best work he can produce. Congratulations, Wyatt.”

And rounding out this impressive list of nominations is English teacher Charlotte Gerstein. Charlotte comments, “I appreciated how proactive Wyatt was about communicating and making sure he was on the right track for various assignments. The piece of writing he did on his name-- that all the students in the three English classes of Shayna's I was subbing for were assigned--was creative and full of voice, personality, and humor. He also freely contributes his positive energy and relevant ideas in class discussions. Wyatt helped make my seven weeks at KMS enjoyable and rewarding!”

Way to go, Wyatt! Congratulations on all your hard work so far this year!

Academic Standout- Liam Claffey

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to present this week’s Academic Standout: Liam Claffey. Liam is a 7th grade Freestyle athlete, who comes to KMS from our own backyard of Killington VT. Liam was recognized by several of his teachers, as well as a few of our administration faculty, for his wonderful work both in the classroom as well as the greater KMS community. All agree that this young man’s dedication to his studies, along with his strong commitment to KMS, showcases the best within our school community.

Social Studies Department Chair, Middle School Humanities teacher, and Student Council Lead Advisor Ian Groezinger was the first to step forward with a nomination for his advisee Liam. Ian states, “I met Liam earlier this year and have had the pleasure of watching him ascend the ranks within the KMS Community. In Humanities class Liam constantly provides meaningful insight to class discussion as well as high quality written work. However, it is his endeavors in other aspects of the community that really stand out. Liam decided to sign up for my public speaking elective this year, a class typical reserved for Juniors and Seniors. At the start of the year I had my reservations due to his age. However, Liam has thrived in this environment of older peers to become one of the best public speakers in the school. In addition, Liam is the Middle School Representative in this year’s Student Council. In the seven years I have been running the program, we have never had a middle school representative who has been so enthused, engaged and willing to volunteer in making a positive change at KMS.”

Full-Term World Languages teacher and Global Citizen Program Coordinator Malena Agin seconded Liam’s nomination. Malena reflects, “Liam is inquisitive in Spanish class. He is present when he is in class and he is present when he is away competing. He is a constant collaborator and is never afraid to question “the why” behind what we are learning. Thank you, Liam, for always showing up to class, even when I haven't been able to. Congratulations.”

KMS Academic Director April Hayden also submitted a nomination for Liam for his outstanding work at the recent virtual admissions event. April writes, “Liam was one of the students who attended the recent Zoom admissions event with a large number of prospective students and families. Even though he was the youngest KMS student on the call, Liam was professional, articulate, and represented KMS well. We are very proud to have him as part of our community!”

Head of School Claire Kershko seconded the impressive work Liam did at this admissions event. Claire comments, “Liam recently joined us on a virtual admissions event for prospective students. I was so impressed by Liam's poise and public speaking skill as he shared his take on the KMS experience. His candor and insight was remarkable and surely resonated with those on the call. Great leadership, Liam!”

Rounding out these amazing write-ups is innovative, math, science, and engineering teacher Richard Morse. Richard states, “Liam is a reserved deep thinker, who is very consistent and is always engaged in class. He thoroughly enjoys school and participates with every project.”

Please join us in congratulating Liam as this week’s Academic Standout! A student well-deserving of this recognition! We are proud of you, Liam!

Academic Standout- Owen Ballard

The KMS teaching faculty are proud to present this week’s Academic Standout: Owen Ballard! Owen is a 10th grade cycling athlete, who comes to KMS from Cortlandt Manor, New York. Owen was recognized for his engagement, creativity, and overall dedication to his studies. Full-Term World Languages teacher Christy Harris was the first to enthusiastically step forward with a nomination for Owen, as well as present for him this past all-school meeting. Christy states, “Owen Ballard is this week’s academic standout. In Spanish class, Owen greets new material with genuine interest and curiosity and is consistently engaged and attentive. He has embraced writing in his second language and completes assignments with detail and creativity. Congrats Owen!” Math Department Chair Brad Ramsay seconded this nomination. Brad comments, “Owen Ballard consistently completes his homework and works hard in math. I support his nomination.” Social Studies Department Co-Chair Courtney O’Keefe also put forth a nomination for Owen. Courtney writes, “I would also like to put forth a nomination for Owen Ballard for Academic Standout this week! It has been a pleasure having Owen in my United States history course this year. Since our first day of class, Owen has impressed me with his dedication to his studies and his overall positive approach to the study of US history. He always comes to class ready to learn, and is always ready with a question or two as we explore major events and historical figures connected to our units of study. He takes every assignment and assessment in stride, focusing on not only doing his best, but also improving upon his skills as a growing academic. He also is one of the few who always sees the value in what we are studying, acknowledging as well as embracing the fact that past events impact and influence the present. This ability to make these bigger picture connections between our nation's past and present have definitely added a level of depth to many of our explorations of US history this year, and has greatly benefitted all in the class including myself. Owen has also consistently participated in every class, oftentimes beginning, as well as leading, whole classroom and small group discussions. He is not afraid to take charge on a project or group assignment, and is always game to help out his peers with regards to such matters as understanding HW instructions or how to overcome a tech obstacle. Overall, I am very thankful to have such a hard working and committed student such as Owen within my classroom this year. I would also like to take a moment to also say that it has been a pleasure being Owen's advisor this year as well. As his advisor, I have come to know Owen as an exceptionally kind and caring young man. He is thoughtful and reflective, and is someone who takes change and challenge in stride. He is both a leader and team player within our classrooms, is a great friend to those closest to him, and is a great addition to our overall school community. I am very proud of everything he has accomplished this year and hope that he is just as proud of himself as well. Congrats, Owen! “ Nice work, Owen! Great job! We are proud of you!

Academic Standout- Megan Ciaglo

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to present Megan Ciaglo as this week’s Academic Standout recognition. Megan is a Winter-Term Freestyle athlete, who comes to KMS from Glastonbury, Connecticut. Megan was enthusiastically nominated by several of her teachers this week, each of which noted this young woman’s grit, determination, and resilience.

Beginning the nomination process, as well as presenting for Megan during our all-school meeting this past Monday, was Winter-Term Math and Science teacher Donna Brewster. Donna writes, “Grit, determination and perseverance are the hallmarks of this particular athlete. After setbacks in her freestyle skiing, Megan has been able to successfully refocus her efforts and has done a tremendous job at her studies. She’s always prompt to class, even when it’s remote, her assignments are thoughtfully done, she always contributes in class and gets clarification when needed, and has improved significantly throughout her time in winter term.”

Winter-Term Humanities teacher Jessica Sardelli seconded Megan’s nomination. Jessica states, “Mental toughness is built through resilience and perseverance through challenging times.

Megan has endured her share of challenging circumstances and has since pushed herself back! Meg has been great at communicating and took no shortcuts returning to sport, curriculum, and injury recovery.” Jessica also offered a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. that she felt summarized the type of individual Megan is. The quote states, “The Ultimate measure of a man [or woman] is not where he stands in moments of convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Winter-Term Math and Science teacher Hurley Cavacas also put forth a nomination for Megan. Hurley reflects, “Megan showed true resilience after her injury while skiing. As soon after her surgery she could, she worked diligently to get her work caught up. She was not afraid to ask questions for information that she missed and excelled on the work she completed.”

Congratulations, Megan! We are very proud of you!

Academic Standout- Jaedon Beardsley

The KMS teaching faculty is proud to recognize Jaedon Beardsley as this week’s Academic Standout! Jaedon is a Winter-Term U16 Men’s Alpine athlete, who comes to KMS from Barnard Vermont. Jaedon was nominated by several of his teachers, each recognizing this young man’s strong work ethic, high level of engagement, and his overall positive attitude within the classroom.

Full-Term Math and Science teacher Adam Boshart was the first to put forth a nomination for Jaedon, and enthusiastically volunteered to present for Jaedon at this week’s all-school meeting. Adam states, “Calm, cool, collected, and much more! In fact, because of his relaxed disposition, it almost was not obvious that he was absolutely crushing Earth Science! Not much has seemed to challenge Jaedon in my class. His assignments are always turned in before they are due, not to mention that they are completed with great detail. He has scored 100% or above on nearly every assessment we have taken this winter-term. But more importantly to me, he is always interested and engaged in class discussion, often leading himself and his classmates to discover more than what the curriculum asked for. Well deserved, to say the least!”

Winter-Term Math and Science teacher Donna Brewster seconded this nomination. Donna reflects, “Always with a positive disposition, Jaedon always has a “can do” attitude. I thoroughly enjoy working with him as he always puts in 100% effort. It’s great having his enthusiastic attitude in class.”

English Department Co-Chair Nate Clifford also added his nomination for Jaedon to the fold. Nate creatively writes, “Consistent. Hard-working. Talented. Direct. But quiet? That wasn't an association I had with Jaedon. So I was doubly stymied when he repeated across the room, "You want me to yell this?!!" Jaedon asked. "Yes." I replied. "Please." "These words? Out Loud?" He continued. A pregnant silence filled the air. We were at the final climactic scene in Othello in which the titular hero was turning on his new bride, convinced of her betrayal by the two-faced frenemy Iago. Jaedon was reading for Othello, full of rage and anger, preparing to murder his new wife. I could understand his hesitancy. The weight of those accusations, the fire in those words, was enough to get a stern reprimand on any other occasion. And this was a long week, full of races and travel, and a thousand distractions from Shakespeare. The silence grew almost unbearable in the classroom. "YES!" urged Maddie vehemently. And then Jaedon brought the room to life.”

A job well done, Jaedon! We are very proud of you!

College Acceptances Continue to Grow

Alfred University

Bates College

Boston University

Castleton University

Clarkson University

Colby College

Colby-Sawyer College

College of the Holy Cross

Emmanuel College

George Washington University

Marist College

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Middlebury College

Montana State University

Mount Saint Mary College

Norwich University

Plymouth State University

Providence College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Saint Lawrence University

Sierra Nevada University

Syracuse University

Temple University

Trinity College

University of British Columbia

University of Calgary

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Colorado, Boulder

University of Connecticut (Honors)

University of Denver

University of Hartford

University of Maine, Farmington

University of Massachusetts, Amherst (Honors)

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth

University of New Hampshire

University of Southern California

University of Utah

University of Vermont (Honors)

University of Victoria

Villanova University

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Westminister College

U16 Women Attack the End of the Season

The U16 Women competed in Vermont State Championships hosted by Stratton Resort March 9th-11th. Rhi Lubaszewski had a smoking SG result in 5th place, Chanah Katz placed in the top 20. Chanah continued to show speed in the GS event finishing in 13th place, Megan Bianchi putting two solid runs together for a 24th place finish. In the SL the following day, Eva Young had a career best with very impressive skiing to finish in the top 10. Chanah earned herself another top 20 finish in 17th place.

Killington hosted a GS on Highline on March 16th. The girls took advantage of the home hill with half the team finishing in the top 15. Eva led the charge in 5th place, followed by Megan in 6th, Chanah in 8th and Eileen Moon with her first top 15 finish of the season.

The Spring Super Series at Stowe was held March 22nd-24th. In the first SG, Shelby Graves 5th, Rhi 12th and Megan Bianchi in 19th. Shelby earned another 5th in the 2nd SG, with Rhi right behind her in 6th place. In the GS, Shelby won first run but had trouble 2nd, Rhi was 9th, Chanah 15th and Megan 16th. The SL course sets proved to be challenging with almost half the field going out. Megan finished 15th, Rhi 16th and Chanah in 17th. We have 2 SL races left before the start of spring break.

Duals Anyone?

Alpine wrapped up the season with a fun dual panel slalom on Highline. Caleb Brytowski took the win and school bragging rights. Shoutout to the freestyle squad for joining in on the fun!

Freestyle Wraps the Season at Championship Events

Eastern Championships: The team began their championship season with the Eastern Divisional Championships in Waterville Valley, NH. The Divisional Championships brings the divisions FIS skiers back into the region to compete with top skiers from the Eastern Circuit. This year’s Divisionals Championships included two days of Single Moguls as well as two Dual Mogul events.

On the men’s side, Spencer Belsky led the team winning three of the four events including a KMS Dual moguls sweep that included teammates Jack Petrone and Tyler Damore. Belsky, Damore, Petrone and Adam Stiefel put up strong performances throughout the event peppering performances throughout the top ten during the week's events.

Brinley Johnson and Zoey Young both found the podium in the Eastern Championships (Johnson in Singles and Young in Duals). Not far behind were teammates Manuela Passarretta and Jess Duda finding their way into the top ten overall. Liam Claffey, Evelyn Perkins and Jacob Spalter also performed well in their first ever Easterns.

Junior Nationals: The US Junior National Championships were held at the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. The event brings the top Juniors (80 men and 60 women) from all over the country together in head to head competition. Jack Petrone led the KMS men finishing 5th overall (2nd U17) in single moguls while Brinley Johnson took home 14th place overall in the women’s single events. The entire team enjoyed strong performances with Tyler Damore finishing 17th overall and Gabe Johnson taking home 3rd for U15s. Jess Duda was the top performer in Duals finishing 10th overall.

US Championships: The Freestyle season finale was the US Championships held in Snowbird, Utah. It was the first US Champs for nearly half of the team that qualified. Highlights include top 20 finishes from Brinley Johnson, Spencer Belsky and Adam Stiefel.

BOOST: We have concluded a great session of Freestyle Boost. We had such a strong and cohesive group of student/athletes. Throughout the five weeks they came to further support one other as training partners, friends and classmates. We look forward to a bright future at KMS with these gifted and driven athletes!

Snowboard and Freeski Went West

Our snowboard and freeski teams sought some training and competition out west at Mammoth Mountain, Winter Park and Mt. Hood. Freeski athletes Myles King and Aidan Herguth had top 10 and and top 15 results in the Men's Open Class at the Futures Tour events, representing KMS big time! The rest of the team had very productive training blocks, improving their skills and landing those late season tricks.

Cylcing Heads South

Our endurance cycling team just completed a successful training project in sunny Florida and our DH team is about to depart for a southern tour including both training and racing. Stay tuned for more as these seasons are just getting started.

Virtual Winter Awards

Congratulations to all who were recognized during the 2021 Winter Awards Ceremony and thank you for joining us virtually. Catch the replay below!

KSC/KMS Scholarship Auction was a Great Success!

The online auction was huge success surpassing our goal and reaching over $30,000 in auction sales and donations. KMS, KSC and the Auction Committee are floored by your contributions, outpacing online donations from both last year and the year before. We are incredibly thankful for your generosity and support of our athletes and programs.

US Freestyle Team Best in the World

Alumni Hannah Soar and Alex Lewis join former KMS coach Matt Gnoza on the best freestyle team in the world! For the first time since 2013, the US has won the Nations Cup. Read the article.