Upper School
Upper School Philosophy
Our Upper School academic program ensures that our students seek knowledge and fulfill their curiosity. Upper School students work hard, embrace many challenges, and engage with both our local and the broader community. Our program ensures that students will not only be admitted to colleges that best suit them, but also that they have the skills and confidence to thrive once they get there. The path to their post-VMS destination varies for everyone; therefore, we offer myriad opportunities to delve deeply into subjects supported by a broad-based foundation in the liberal arts. Surrounded by a caring community of faculty and peers, students feel safe - socially, emotionally, and physically—and consequently, take the measured risks necessary to support high academic achievement, develop passion, and build character.
My student has been supported and embraced by the teachers, students, and administrative staff. Upper School Parent
Maggie Pavlik
Director of Upper School
Athletics and physical conditioning are considered essential components of a well-rounded VMS experience. Therefore, Upper School students must fulfill a physical fitness requirement by participating in a sport for one of the seasons.
Where our youngest students venture a few miles from campus and return in time for carpool, Upper School students travel thousands of miles from home on multi-day excursions designed to complement curriculum and expose them to cultures other than their own.
Every child participates in the Homebase program, which is a defining element of a VMS education. Homebase is a daily meeting between students and an advising teacher which serves as a time to reflect, plan, prioritize and support each other in a family environment.
VMS faculty willingly work with students, parents, and coaches to ensure that ski racers, athletes, musicians, and artists can compete, train, and perform without compromising academics.
Every child participates in the Homebase program, which is a defining element of a VMS education. Homebase is a daily meeting between students and an advising teacher which serves as a time to reflect, plan, prioritize and support each other in a family environment.
Upper School students have the opportunity to participate in international summer programs through Students Shoulder to Shoulder (SStS), which is housed on campus in the homesteader cabin and closely tied to VMS.
Intraterm is a week-long “term between terms” for Upper School students and faculty.
Take a drive through the VMS parking lot and it becomes readily apparent that our students are passionate about the outdoors. Mountain bikes, kayaks, skis, golf clubs and stickers from favorite companies adorn cars as badges of pride in their recreational pursuits
Senior Project during the second semester of senior year, is a special milestone in one’s academic experience. It is an extended period of time where students direct their own learning. Serving as a true capstone experience, students take learning into their own hands, both inside and outside the walls of Vail Mountain School. They explore topics, research questions, understand processes, and often experience the non-linear nature of product development over time. Students collaborate with experts in the field and local community members to gain perspective and clarity and experience real world challenges.
By Upper School, students are equally at ease expressing themselves with digital tools as they are with language and writing. Our task is to engage them as collaborators and help them develop nuanced, sophisticated creations that express their vision.
VMS is home to a world class theatre that, each summer, hosts internationally known artists and musicians to share their talents with our local community. During the school year, our theatre serves as the classroom where our students learn the art and craft of acting.