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Are you looking to learn more about the National Ski Academy? Are you a high-performance athlete looking to take your skiing to the next level and become #RacerReadyForLife?
The Academy has put together a shared folder of documents that are helpful in terms of learning more about the athletic and academic programming that we offer. Of particular value are the updated Program Guide, as well as our Student Athlete Application. NSA Info for Prospective Families
The National Ski Academy is a Ministry of Education inspected independent school that offers a rigorous university-preparatory academic program, coupled with a high-performance U16 and FIS ski program, all under one roof. Our student athletes spend 120+ days on snow in a variety of locations across the escarpment, throughout Quebec, the Eastern United States, Western Canada, and abroad. Our experienced coaching staff allow for a differentiated athletic programming with additional South American/European training and racing opportunities. All of these racing and training opportunities are without the stress of missed classes as our academic program is scheduled around the racing and training schedule.
We work hard to ensure that our course offerings will help to meet our student athletes’ postsecondary pathway goals. In grades 9 and 10, we focus on the completion of compulsory courses that are required for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The entire grade 9 year is prescribed, with some courses offered in alternating years (i.e. Grade 9 Canadian Geography alternates with Grade 10 Canadian History). In the senior years, grades 11 and 12, student athletes have a variety of university-preparatory courses to choose from – including all of the maths and sciences, as well as a variety of business, social science and humanities courses.
Thinking ahead to postsecondary, once our student athletes graduate from the Academy, they engage successfully in university programming, in some highly competitive faculties, all across Canada, as well as the US and UK. Our graduating class in 2022 saw one student offered admission to Queen’s University’s highly competitive Health Sciences program. Another student is at UBC’s Sauder School of Business and another gained entry to the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill. The class of 2023 also saw several student athletes receive acceptances to: McGill, Queen’s, Dalhousie, Huron @ Western with Advanced Ivy Entry, UBC, and others. Not only are our grads accepted into these highly competitive programs, but they are thriving and are well-prepared for postsecondary studies.
Our academic support and postsecondary planning is provided by Director of Guidance and Counselling, Heather Grant. Ms. Grant has over 25 years of experience as a guidance counsellor, teacher, house director and coach at Appleby College, Neuchâtel Junior College (Switzerland) and most recently, Havergal College. She is well-versed in providing information to our graduates throughout the application process, including scholarship information and supplementary applications for highly competitive programs.
The tuition structure at the Academy is inclusive of the vast majority of costs as identified in our Program Summary for 2024-25 (i.e all camps, race starts, local and away training, uniform, 5×7, school, physical conditioning in our gym etc.), and we take care of the logistical planning (i.e. transportation to training and races, communication between coaches/teachers, equipment set-up, meals/nutrition, etc.). The tuition structure excludes only a very few costs (i.e. airfare, lunches on race days, meals on travel days, and AOA registration costs).
We offer strength and conditioning training in our spacious on-site gym, a brand-new dedicated tuning facility, sessions on skier IQ, delicious and nutritious meals, the option to be a day student or to board in our student residence, significant postsecondary planning/support, scheduling/transportation logistics, and much more. Our small class sizes allow a very personalized approach to learning – and our teachers work collaboratively on executive functioning skill development. Our day students make up about a third of our student population. They are included in all aspects of what happens at the Academy and are welcome to join us for all meals, stay in the evening for study hall or open gym, participate in social activities, etc.
We are hosting several Open Houses at the NSA over the coming months. All of the details can be found at: NSA Open Houses 2024.
Another great step for your child to learn more about the NSA would be to participate in an NSA For A Day experience. They would be welcome to train up with our student athletes in the morning, jump in the van and come back to the Academy for a delicious Chef Zak lunch, video review, and a strength and conditioning session in our gym. This NSA For A Day opportunity allows prospective athletes to get a sense of what being a student athlete at the NSA feels like. We do encourage prospective student athletes to join us with a pal or two if coming alone was a barrier to participation.
If your family is not able to attend one of our scheduled Open Houses, or would prefer a private tour, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to Head of School, Tobin Walsh at twalsh@nsa.on.ca You are also most welcome to reach out to Tobin directly with any questions, or to inquire further about participating in an NSA For A Day.
