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Meet Our
Faculty: Joanne "Doc" Lasko
Joanne Lasko is our Academic Dean and she admits Shakespeare is nearly her favorite person. She has more than 26 years of teaching at the school to her credit.
LWS
Experience Video:
Johnny Spillane, Class of 1999 -- Olympic Triple Silver Medalist in a 2010 Olympic Moment. "Lowell Whiteman School made it possible for me to do what I've done. If you get an opportunity to go to a school like this, take it! I recognized what I had here and it really made it possible for me to get where I am."
Ski & Study Abroad
Lowell Whiteman School/SSWSC Austria Residency Program
Austria Program Fact Sheet
Austria Residency Application 2010
Austria Residency Program- Fall ‘09
Location: Patsch, Austria with training sites at Stubai, Solden, Pitztal, and Hintertux glaciers. See news from LWS teacher Gina Wither below.
This pilot program to get alpine skiers on snow earlier in the season is off to a great start, a recent Steamboat Pilot article reported; Lowell Whiteman students joined a group of racers and coaches to learn their craft in the “big European pond,” joked Gina Wither, teacher and LWS Ski Coordinator for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Ski Racing gave it a plug, too. It has attracted a lot of attention because school wasn’t left behind.
Alpine racers train on the big mountains of Austria with top-notch SSWSC coaches.
Check out the full article on our program in the Steamboat Pilot, By Jack Weinstein, “SSWSC Skiers Get Head Start In Austria” or see the condensed version below.
"The month-long program, which is in its first year, was designed to put the skiers on snow in the fall while allowing them to maintain their schoolwork, said club Alpine coach Rob Worrell, who organized the partnership with Lowell Whiteman.
“[LWS] can provide the component academically,” he said. “That’s what you need with elite-level ski racing. You can’t have conflicts with school. You need to ski and study. In a situation where you have the Whiteman school involved, you can accomplish both.”
Gina Wither teaches science at Lowell Whiteman and will accompany the students on the trip. She said it’s not uncommon for students to go on international trips during the summer but that it’s unique to go during the school year, with time dedicated for studying. “The idea is to mesh the schoolwork seamlessly so when they walk in (to class) Oct. 31, they’ll be good to go,” she said. “That’s the idea. That’s the goal.”
Wither said students would split time between training and studying. They arranged to get assignments from teachers, while some lessons will be taped for students to view online. Wither added that the students would even take tests and said the program meshed beautifully with the school’s mission to allow students to succeed academically and athletically.
Winter Sports Club Alpine coach Eric Cates and former Winter Sports Club coach and U.S. Ski Team member Scott Wither, Gina Wither’s husband, are along for the trip. They’ll be joined by two skiers, girls from Chicago and Minneapolis, whom Worrell has worked with in the past as a U.S. Ski Team development coach.Worrell said the opportunity for the students to ski on icy glaciers, which are more “rugged” and “ratty” than Colorado snow, should be a good training tool. And he said the chance to participate in an international training environment, with some of the best young skiers in the world, is “priceless.”
News from Austria
The skiers arrived in Austria, and Gina Wither reported that Patsch, Austria has received the most snow in 25 years, three feet! She is sharing news with us via email. Even before the group arrived, Lowell Whiteman students were doing their homework (on the plane) and that work has continued. Teachers prepared packets of work, and teacher John Marno is stateside recording classes which are being uploaded to a server. Students in Austria can watch classes and take notes as if they were there. Email and Google Docs are filling in as well. Some teachers have learned to use the scanner and are sending colorful handouts in pdf format eliminating the need for paper. Gina Wither, teacher and SSWSC coordinator for the school is supervising the study halls and the work flow. See her news below.
October 2nd,
Hi all,
Arrived safely with no logistical difficulties; have to love the German efficient way of running things! Relatively short and beautiful drive to Patsch, small mountain village about 5km outside of Innsbruck. Arrived around 2:30 pm. Unpacked. Ski racers have lots of gear. Kids did dry-land with Scott (Wither – coach) …jogged, stretched, sprinted up the hill next to the three dairy cows who happen to be our neighbors (yes, they have bells). Our other neighbor is unofficially Bode Miller (saw the Team America van in driveway)! From the balcony of our apartments, we can see the mountains and the bridge leading to Brenner Pass (Italy), the tallest mountain of Germany, and the glacier on which the kids will ski. It’s amazing.
We made a crazy trip to the store and cooked dinner for all. The kids are all crashing now. Tomorrow, we’ll get the kids up bright and early to ski. We’ll run a two hour study hall in the afternoon. No complaints even though it’s going to be Saturday! All going well. You would all have been proud of the LWS kids doing homework on the plane; I was amazed.
Gina
October 13
Hi all,
It’s snowing! 1 meter of “neuer schnee” in the last 2 days; when the wind dies down the skiing will be great. The vertical just doubled, more lifts and runs are opening. The kids are having a great time, and they are braving the tough weather conditions like pros.
Though, it was our first official day without a study hall, the kids took books to the mountain today in case there was a delayed opening. They spent about 2 hours studying before the lift opened. Kate Cooper turned 14 yesterday. She even had a homemade birthday strudel with a candle.
- Gina
October 18
Hi all,
Took Saturday and today off of skiing to prepare for slalom block starting tomorrow (at Stubai). Yesterday, we did a whole lot of studying. Today, we studied with a lunch break in Vitipeno, Italy. Everyone is doing well, studies are progressing, skiing is progressing.
Thanks,
Gina