Okemo Mountain School’s student-athletes are exceptionally prepared for the demands of college life.  The time management skills, independence, fortitude, and responsibility our student-athletes gain from attending Okemo Mountain School uniquely prepare them for success in college and beyond.

With the support of our faculty and staff, student-athletes transition into our program academically, athletically, and socially in the fall. This transition, along with the one home in the spring, provides a valuable life lesson in and of itself that directly translates into being able to transition successfully to college life. 

Due to our small student-teacher ratio, OMS student athletes have access to several mentors as they explore their higher education options, including Wendy Hayward, OMS's College Guidance Counselor. Each year OMS student-athletes gain acceptance into a wide selection of exceptional colleges and universities.  The OMS experience distinguishes our student-athletes from the myriad of other well-qualified applicants that flood a college admissions counselor’s desk each year. College admissions counselors recognize and value the aforementioned attributes in our student-athletes, and, as a result, grant them admission. OMS is proud of our student-athletes, their outstanding college acceptances, and their continued success beyond the college years!  

Past Okemo Mountain School students have been accepted at the following colleges and universities:

  • Bates College*

  • Boston College*

  • Bowdoin College

  • Brown University*

  • Bucknell University

  • Castleton University*

  • Champlain College*

  • Clarkson University*

  • Clemson

  • Colby College

  • Colby-Sawyer College*

  • Colgate University*

  • Colorado College

  • Colorado School of Mines*

  • Cornell University*

  • Dartmouth College*

  • Fordham University

  • Gettysburg College

  • Hamilton College

  • Hobart and William Smith Colleges*

  • Lehigh University*

  • Lynn University

  • Michigan State University

  • Middlebury College*

  • M.I.T*

  • Montana State University*

  • Newbury College

  • Nichols College

  • Northeastern University

  • Northwestern University

  • University of Notre Dame*

  • Penn State University

  • Plymouth State College*

  • Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute

  • Rochester Institute of Technology

  • Saint Anselm College

  • Skidmore College

  • Springfield College

  • St. Lawrence University*

  • St. Michael’s College*

  • Syracuse University

  • Union College

  • University of Colorado at Boulder*

  • University of Connecticut*

  • University of Massachusetts

  • University of Michigan*

  • University of New England

  • University of New Hampshire*

  • University of South Carolina

  • University of Tennessee*

  • University of Vermont*

  • Villanova University

  • Williams College*

*Denotes where OMS students have matriculated

Testimonials

"OMS has given me the opportunity to pursue both academics and athletics at an elite level. I have been able to take AP and honors level courses, and have received a quality, engaging education that has opened many doors in the process of college admissions and scholarship opportunities. All the while, being able to compete at a professional level in snowboarding. The skills I have gained from this experience are innumerable, reaching far beyond the classroom and athletic stage. However, more than I have become a student or athlete, OMS has taught me the importance of simply being a good person."

-- ANNA VALENTINE, CLASS OF 2018

"OMS will always hold a special place in my heart, for not only supporting me in my passion for ski racing, but also in becoming my second family. All of the people who worked at OMS did everything they could to accommodate my rigorous class schedule and racing calendar. The community that fills OMS everyday is something I don't think I could of found anywhere else. I started OMS as a shy 8th grader, barely able to hold conversation on the chairlift. But when I graduated five years later, I had confidence, ambition and life long friends."

-- KRISTINA BONNET, CLASS OF 2016

"I had just retired and received a call from OMS. I met with them and loved the concept, the staff and the schools' mission statement. I liked the idea of individual learning and working 5 months a year. I am going into my 3rd year and I love the school, students and staff. It is a supportive environment and the students are high energy and focused. The administration and coaches work together with the teaching staff to provide the best possible experience for students." 

--  WENDY HAYWARD, FACULTY, ENGLISH, SOCIAL STUDIES

"As a coach at Okemo Mountain School, I particularly love watching the physical and mental growth in our athletes. I started working at OMS in 2013 and have had the pleasure of seeing a number of athletes grow up in our program. It always amazes me to see the change athlete’s undertake from when they start at OMS to senior year. Athletes develop life long relationships with peers, coaches, and teachers; they also cultivate and develop essential skills like time management, communication, and the ability to be resilient in the face of disappointment. OMS is not only a Winter Snow Sports Academy, it is also a place for an athlete to grow and build a solid foundation for future success, no matter where life takes them."  

-- CHARLES (JET) ROBBINS, HEAD COACH U14, STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

wendy-hayward

Meet Wendy Hayward

College Guidance Coordinator

Wendy Hayward started at OMS in 2015 and is an English and Social Studies teacher, as well as our College Guidance Counselor. She has taught and worked with teenagers in the private sector for 50 years. She has taught at the Ecole International in Geneva Switzerland, Northern Illinois University and the Community College of Vermont. Wendy has been a teacher, Associate Director of Education, Head of School, and served on the admissions staff at Southern Vermont College. She holds MSEd. in Secondary Education, Special Education, and Administration. Wendy attended University of Denver, Northern Illinois University, University of Geneva Switzerland, and University of Idaho.   She has been an independent educational consultant with her own firm, Hayward Educational Consultants, since 1980 and serves parents and students seeking assistance in finding an appropriate independent school or college.  Wendy lives in Chester and is also a landscape artist, writer and traveler.

- University of Denver: BA Social Sciences
- Northern Illinois University: MS Ed Secondary Ed, Special Ed, Administration
- University of Geneva: Certificate in French
- Penobscot Language School: TESOL/TEFL certificates

Contact Wendy
whayward@okemomountainschool.org