Dear Members of the BMA Community,
I was excited to read through the drafts for this edition of News and Views and hope the enthusiasm conveyed will provide a sense of how well this year is progressing. It is truly an exciting time to be part of Burke Mountain Academy.
The success of BMA is based on people; our staff and students supported by parents, trustees, alumni, and dedicated supporters of our school. In 2001 our strategic initiative of sizing to quality was based on strengthening the core values of BMA by reducing our school size to where we could attract qualified student/athletes with passion for ski racing. Our most recent efforts have been the incremental steps to complete this strengthening of our program from a qualitative perspective in the classroom, on the hill, and in our community. The differentiation between BMA today and other ski academies is our strength in academics, skiing, and a trust-based community.
Virtually every school in the United States would love to limit class sizes to a maximum of fifteen students (9th through 12th grades) who are motivated and excited about learning; our average class size is less. Tom DeCarlo and David Iverson speak to the quality of the BMA academic experience in their News and Views pieces. We have an enthusiastic and experienced faculty teaching in their areas of expertise in all classes from the winter term 8th grade students through to our upper level electives. We have committed to limiting the maximum class size to fifteen (9th - 12th grades) and added another very experienced mathematics/science teacher.
In successful schools, students display a learned optimism where they perceive a clear connection between their efforts and results. This sense of optimism and student performance directly correlates to the sense of security students draw from their environment. Statistically the most important success factor of outstanding schools is a supportive environment. We are proud of the vibrancy of the BMA academic program and the degree to which it embodies these characteristics.
BMA’s athletic edge is based on an exceptional work ethic, a concentration of talented young athletes, a very strong coaching staff, and the best training environment in the United States. Our smaller school size and outstanding ski rights provide the very best in alpine and cross-country ski training.
The real difference at BMA, however, is our trust based community with the emphasis on character and values. Burke was founded by student/athletes who pleaded with Warren Witherell to first provide a winter term opportunity and then to expand to a full academic year. We have now come full circle with the degree of leadership demonstrated by our student body and their commitment to reciprocal trust which is supported by our Honor Code. It is this aspect of the school that distinguishes us from the competition.
We are proud of our school and imbued with optimism for the future. Your efforts on behalf of BMA are greatly appreciated and critical to our continued progress. Our goal remains to foster the passion of our students while striving for balance in the three areas of academics, athletics, and community.
Sincerely,
Kirk Dwyer
