RANGELEY — The School Committee voted Tuesday night to reinstate high school students in the Ski Tuesday program at Saddleback Resort.
Administrative Assistant Wendy Steward gave a detailed report on the program, which the Rangeley Lakes Region School runs in collaboration with the resort. She said that last year the program had 89 student participants, and this year, with the second grade trying the sport, there will be nearly 100.
The program begins Jan. 10 and runs for 10 weeks till March 20. The program used to have one bus ferrying students to Saddleback in two shifts, but this year two buses will save lots of slope time for the kids. She said the program was able to purchase 12 sets of walkie-talkies this year for better communication between the slopes and the lodge.
For two years the high school students have not taken part in the ski program, following a discipline problem on the slopes.
During the public comments section of the meeting, Chris Farmer of Saddleback strongly urged the board to allow high school students back into the program, at the beginning and mentor level. He said students who are mentoring could get community service points.
Steward said she also would like to see the high school students come back, and doubted there would be discipline issues.
“We have 42 volunteer instructors,” she said, “but they’re not all there all the time, and we need high school students to mentor and work with the adults.”
Farmer added that the Saddleback crews used many applications of math and geography on the slopes, and suggested a possible tie-in with academic classes.
Superintendent Brian Foster said the school can’t continue to penalize the high school students for behavior of others in the past.
Chairman Harold Schaetzle called for a motion to reinstate the high school students, opening the program to grades two through 12. The high school students would be required to travel to and from the mountain either on the buses or with parents, and to stay with the group on the slopes.
The motion passed with one dissenting vote.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
