Originally featured in The Summit Daily on June 3, 2023. Photo courtesy of Curtis Devore/Copper Mountain Ski Resort.
Graduates of The Peak School throw their caps into the air during the commencement ceremony at Copper Mountain Resort on Friday.
Originally written by Cody Jones for the Summit Daily on November 11, 2022
Read the full article here.
Nina Schamberger signs a letter of intent to attend the University of Utah on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at The Peak School in Frisco.
For the first time in the history of The Peak School, a student athlete has signed a national letter of intent to further pursue their education and athletic career.
Nina Schamberger signed her letter of intent to attend the University of Utah in Salt Lake City as a member of the university’s nationally acclaimed Nordic skiing team.
Over the last few years, the senior has risen to the top of the national Nordic skiing ranks.
Schamberger — who has been skiing with Olof Hedberg and the Summit Nordic Ski Club since she was about 8 years old — has progressed from a skier who barely knew anything about the sport to an elite-level high school athlete.
“I actually remember her first race for us,” Hedberg said at Schamberger’s official signing. “She did not win. She was not the best skier in the club, but I remember at that race that this one little girl showed a lot of fierceness, grit and the ability to push herself. I made a little mental note that day and wondered where this was going to lead.”
Schamberger has carved her way to several feats over the years, including several noteworthy finishes during the 2021-22 season.
In 2022, Schamberger competed at the 2022 FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Lygna, Norway, the Junior National Cross-Country Ski Championships and a recent competitive rollerski race in Utah.
At all three competitions, Schamberger elevated herself to the top of the competition. At the Junior World Ski Championships, Schamberger played a huge role in securing a fifth-place finish for the women’s U.S. relay team.
“She was the fastest 16-year-old last year,” Hedberg said. “She beat several people who went to the Olympics for their country, she represented the U.S. at the junior world championships and she is now signing with the most-competitive, highest-level ski program in NCAA history.”
The University of Utah ski program has won the national NCAA ski championship three years in a row. The team consistently produces elite-level athletes who go on to compete for their countries at the international level and in the Olympics.
Olof Hedberg speaks at Nina Schamberger’s signing day on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, at The Peak School in Frisco. After being coached by Hedberg at the Summit Nordic Ski Club, Schamberger decided to attend the University of Utah to pursue academics and Nordic skiing at the collegiate level.
Schamberger will look to add to the rich history of success at Utah when she steps foot on campus next fall.
She said she has been dreaming of signing with a university for the better part of the last six years.
“When I was 11 or 12, I decided I wanted to ski for a college, but I had no clue what college it would be,” Schamberger said. “Starting two or three years ago, I started thinking about Utah being a main option.”
With lots of hard work, dedication and sacrifice, Schamberger made her childhood dream a reality and put pen to paper in front of her classmates, teammates, mentors, coaches and family.
Minutes after signing the letter of intent, the moment still had not fully soaked in for the 17-year-old.
“I can’t believe it’s happening,” Schamberger said. “It is really exciting. For a long time, it felt like I had so much time before this decision. I am so grateful for everything my coaches and parents have done for me over the years to help me get here.”
With the pressures of finding a school now behind her, Schamberger said she plans on soaking up her final season with the Summit Nordic Ski Club, which will be starting shortly.
Originally posted in the Utah Utes News on November 9th, 2022
Read the full article here.
SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah head Nordic skiing coach Miles Havlick announced on Wednesday the signing of Nina Schamberger with the program. One of the top junior Nordic skiers in the United States, Schamberger is a native of Leadville, Colorado, and will join the Utes beginning in the 2024 collegiate season.
"Nina has been tearing up the junior racing scene for many years both domestically and internationally," said Havlick. "She will be an immediate asset on the women's team with her strong work ethic, desire for excellence and contagious energy. On and off the skis, she will be a great ambassador of the sport and the University of Utah. We couldn't be more excited to have her sign on as a Ute!"
Schamberger currently skis with Summit Nordic Ski Club in her home state of Colorado, most recently appearing on the international scene at the 2022 Junior World Championships in Lygna, Norway. She raced in three events during the championships, including as part of a fifth-place United States relay team that also included current Ute Sydney Palmer-Leger.
She qualified for the Junior World Championships during the 2022 U.S. National Championships which were held at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. Her U.S. Junior Nationals debut came in 2019, when Schamberger raced in Anchorage, Alaska.
"I chose the University of Utah because I have goals to be a professional skier in the future and to me, the U was the best stepping stone to this," Schamberger said. "I think this is a place where I can thrive, surrounded by dedicated, like-minded student-athletes all while enjoying the process. There is so much I can learn from this ski team!"
A rundown of Schamberger's racing history is available on her FIS profile.
Follow the Utes on social media (@utahskiteam).
Originally published on May 28th by the Summit Daily
Originally written by Luke Vidic
Peak School seniors ride on a Copper Mountain Resort ski lift to celebrate their graduation Friday, May 27. The school graduated seven seniors this year.
Tripp Fay/Summit Daily News
Gratitude, reciprocity and community were the tenants of the Peak School’s graduation. The seven seniors graduating Friday at the foot of Copper Mountain Resort heard these words at the end of an unprecedented time to learn.
“During your four years in high school, which were my years in college, we lived through a lot of personal and societal trouble,” keynote speaker and 2017 alumnus Grant Morgan said. “And I see that. Going to high school when you did was not easy.”
Despite the challenges, the students made the most of their high school experience.
“Our seniors really have tried to take advantage of the limited opportunities they have,” head of school Travis Aldrich said.
The seven graduating seniors completed a range of senior projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, from making an animated movie to raising awareness for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Each one combined a personal interest with an area of study.
“These are kids that are trying to figure out how to operate under these new guidelines and create experiences for themselves that are truly unique,” Aldrich said.
Morgan tied each student’s project to two ideas — gratitude and reciprocity — and the Peak School annual guiding question, “What impacts community?”
“Good communities don’t make themselves … and we all have to do our part to keep it going,” Morgan said.
Graduate Maximillian Duffy raised awareness for traumatic brain injuries, making the world a little bit safer for those around him, Morgan said.
Graduate Jessica Canter made an animated movie and gave it to the world for others to enjoy.
Graduate Lucas Caniglia made a business plan for a guided fly fishing business.
Graduate Kamilla Stone traveled to Costa Rica and connected cultures.
Graduate Jacob Hood learned about the manufacturing of skis and making goods for others.
Graduate Chaney Walker became a certified yoga teacher and helped others feel calm and present in their bodies.
Graduate Alexander Elston learned foreign language, and, as Morgan said, reciting an Arabic proverb, “Learn a language and you avoid a war.”
Each student selected a representative to speak on their behalf. They could choose a friend, teacher, councilor or someone else with a personal connection. Speakers highlighted unique personal traits, hardships and quirks about each student.
Students also received tote bags intended to carry toiletries for the students headed off to college dorms. The students from this class are headed to Colorado State University, Westminster College, Colorado Mountain College, Utah State University and Full Sail University. Some will be taking a gap year.
Families could ride with graduates at the Peak School’s graduation Friday.
Tripp Fay/Summit Daily News
“Peak cultivates a special and unique human, and nothing defines that better than this class,” teacher Steven Craig said.
Following speeches, students and families hopped on Copper’s Super Bee lift to receive their diploma at the top of the mountain. The novel tradition began during the pandemic to keep the event outdoors and socially distanced. The tradition continued this year with the addition of in-person speeches and gatherings.
“One of the nice things about this format is that you graduate, get your diploma and then as you’re coming down everyone’s coming up and they can cheer for you on the way down,” Aldrich said.
Elli VanDeYacht
Courtesy of Elli VanDeYacht / Special to the Daily
Originally published in the Summit Daily on May 30, 2019. Read the original article here.
The Peak School in Frisco, Summit’s only private secondary school, will be seeing off the eight members of its 2019 graduating class Friday. The small class size is a hallmark of the prep school in the mountains, where curriculums are built around students who are given freedom to be themselves and pursue their dreams.
Students at Peak School come from a variety of backgrounds and tend to have unique circumstances requiring a different kind of education. Two of Peak’s graduates, Elli VanDeYacht and Cassidy Citron, benefited from Peak’s flexible approach to secondary education.
VanDeYacht has been figure skating for more than 14 years. The demands of her training schedule meant she had to find a school that could work around it while giving her a full education.
“I transitioned to a different coach in Vail, which meant I was driving over there five times a week in the mornings and afternoons,” VanDeYacht said. “School had to be flexible, both for me and Peak.”
While the flexible scheduling helped, VanDeYacht was responsible for being on top of the academic routine, which instilled a clockwork mentality and put her in more control of the direction of her education.
“Because of how demanding my schedule is, it meant I had to be thoroughly on top of my academics,” VanDeYacht said. “Peak allowed me to have more control over my schedule, but I was also talking to teachers and making sure I was getting my assignments and not missing important information. It made me a more proactive with academics.”
VanDeYacht is now a single U.S. Figure Skating gold medalist, which requires a grueling series of trials before passing the senior, or “gold” test, in one of several skating disciplines. She is one test away from becoming a double gold medalist, with an ambition to become a triple or quadruple gold medalist later on.
VanDeYacht also has played hockey with Summit Hockey as part of its under 19 women’s squad, although a history of concussions is making her reconsider whether it’s something she’d want to do competitively again.
Cassidy Citron
Courtesy of Cassidy Citron / Special to the Daily
As for her future, VanDeYacht will be attending and skating at the University of Denver, where she’s on the fence between pursuing psychology or business and accounting.
As for Citron, dancing has been her passion for 14 years. But for her, it wasn’t just Peak’s willingness to accommodate her dancing that made it the right fit.
“When I was in grade school, I was a little accelerated,” Citron said. “My parents decided to move me to Peak School in the sixth grade since it’s a school for people who were a little different, and I’ve been there ever since.”
After graduation, Citron will take a gap year before attending the University of Puget Sound in Washington state. She will spend the first half of the year working in Summit and the second half in a program doing service work and homestays in the Pacific Islands with Adventures Cross Country.
Citron is excited about the next chapter of her life and believes that Peak’s environment helped her get where she wants to go. She believes Peak is an ideal place for Summit kids like her, who have unique needs and need more room to thrive.
“Summit County has a lot of people who are just a little bit different; it’s the reason why they came up here,” Citron said. “Peak has a really nurturing environment that allows them to grow in any way they can.”
Grant Morgan, a senior student at The Peak School has been working hard creating an original sonata and taking 17 AP exams.
To read the full article, click here
Tye Brown-Wolf, Division IV student at The Peak School, was selected to be one of two Colorado students to represent our state in Washington D.C. for Senate Youth Program.
Senior at The Peak School, Selah Kreeger, produced, directed and casted her own play based on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe as one of her three plays for her Capstone Senior Project.
Tye Brown-Wolf, a senior at The Peak School, is one of only two recipients from Colorado to be accepted into the Youth Senate program.
Read the article by clicking here