Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy graduates Class of 2025 in joyful ceremony
Students commemorate years of hard work in athletics and academics as they poke fun at their classmates and teachers
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy graduated its 18th class Friday in a ceremony at 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott that featured speeches as creative, engaging and bright as the students themselves.
The 24 students brought a range of skills and talents to the school, from skiing to piano playing to swimming to speech writing. The unconventional school enables students to prioritize their athletic careers in addition to their academic pursuits, requiring that students compete in skiing, snowboarding, hockey or swimming.
Several members of the Class of 2025 stepped on stage to commemorate their time at the school, recognize the impressive accomplishments of each of their classmates and thank their teachers.
Walter Lurie played the piano as his fellow graduates promenaded at the start of the graduation ceremony. Lurie is well known for sneaking off during the school day to play the piano.
“When I catch him skipping class once or twice, he’s in the Minturn senior citizens room playing some Coldplay,” said Wade Hill, the school’s principal.
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Hill, who came to Vail Ski and Snowboard School when the graduating class was in the fifth grade, recalled visiting their classroom on their collective first day.
“There was Reinecker Schmidt: ‘Hi Mr. Hill, how are you this morning?'” he said. “You guys were so stinking cute. Maizy Douglas ran up with her folders: ‘Hey, look, Mr. Hill. I have a green one for science and a blue one for math.'”
Hill spoke about the opportunities and challenges he worked to provide for students to help them develop as thinkers. “The perseverance, the hard work, the grit that you’ve all displayed to get here is immense, and I know that you’ll carry it forward,” he said.
Hill will retire after this school year, and Kari Bangtson, the school’s current assistant principal, will take over.
Walter Lurie and River Schell delivered the welcome address, drawing loads of laughter from the audience as they spoke about the realities of being students with full schedules. “If you catch us yawning up there at the ceremony, it’s not because we’re bored, it’s because we started writing at midnight,” Lurie said.
“It is great to see everyone today. This is the first time our class has been together in the same place,” Lurie joked.
“Though between competitions and skipped classes, we may have never actually seen you in class, we want to start by recognizing our fellow VSSA seniors,” Schell said.
On a more serious note, the students emphasized that although their classmates are perhaps most often lauded for their athletic prowess, they emerge from Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy as well rounded learners and members of society ready to take on the world. “We’re not just looking at a class of athletes. We’re looking at a class of doctors, lawyers, engineers and entrepreneurs,” Lurie said.
Ingrid Gerdes, a freeride skier and figure skater who will compete for Montana State University, delivered a speech on the importance of sport. “This class is more equipped than most students because as athletes, we are forced to face the unknown, manage risks, work hard, commit ourselves and work toward success,” she said.
Fittingly, the school’s keynote speaker was retired big mountain skier Angel Collinson, who advised the students to always follow their intuition.
Collinson shared the story she said brings her the most pride out of all her accomplishments, of the time she opted out of skiing a groundbreaking line because she felt in her gut that it was not her day.
“When I look at you guys going into life, making all these decisions on your own — going to college, what do we major in, continuing on skiing, there are so many choices — and ultimately, the choices that you make for yourself, those are going to lead to the most fulfilling, most successful life,” Collinson said. “Use your sport, listen to your intuition and give yourself the final vote.”
Olivia Lisle and Elle Keenan reflected on years of school that included rafting together, racking up absences from class, fighting over spaces in the parking lot and visiting Rocky Mountain Taco for lunch.
“Whether you joined here in middle school or you came way later, we shaped this place together,” Lisle said.
“We’ve learned how to push ourselves, how to support each other and how to figure things out when everything felt just a little chaotic,” Keenan said.
They were among the multiple students who spoke to the benefits of Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy’s unconventional education style. “Where else can you be on the mountain all morning and roll into school with your ski boots still on and a serious goggle tan?” Lisle said.
“Where else can you have a teacher go from explaining calculus to giving you advice about FIS points or college apps, all in the same breath?” Keenan said.
Audrey Crowley flew back for graduation from Los Angeles, where she participated in a photoshoot for the U.S. Ski Team — she is set to compete in the 2026 Paralympics next spring. Crowley, who graduated from high school with 51 college credits, presented the senior class’ two faculty awards to Sam Bennett and Mike Muschello.
Emma Lindstrom, just the third swimmer to graduate from Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy, will compete as a Division I swimmer at Colorado State University in the fall. Lindstrom drew swimming into her scholar’s address, comparing the four years of high school to the four laps of a 200-meter individual medley race.
“In swimming, in sports, in high school and in life, there are going to be some laps that are smooth, some that burn, and every stroke builds strength,” she said. “Whether you skied down the mountain, skated across the rink, sent it off a jump or swam across the pool, we’ve all crossed the finish line. I hope you can look back on where you started, see how far you’ve come and be proud of yourself.”
As students approached the stage to receive their diplomas, they also received a second gift: Each student had a Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy teacher speak a few sentences about them, their time at the school and their future endeavors.
Maizy Douglas and Anika Jobson closed the graduation ceremony by performing a rhyming poem celebrating their classmates and commemorating the students’ time at the school, inviting each student to stand up when their name was called.
“We are grateful for the time we all got to spend, but after eight years this journey must end,” Douglas and Jobson said, passing off the microphone mid-sentence. “We are truly proud of you and it means so much to say: Congratulations, seniors, and happy graduation day!”
