Lone Peak High Dummy Wins Valedictorian Award
LPHS students joined Ophir students for Ski Fridays this year at Big Sky Resort, though their Fridays had a different educational bent.
“Most of our LPHS students have grown up skiing, so ski lessons weren’t a priority for our ski days,” says LPHS Principal Lucas Larson. Instead, the school focused on different learning experiences including snow science, forestry and geology, ski area operations and even film: The LPHS students are featured in a film on the Big Sky Powder Network on the Big Sky Resort website.
So when this year’s Dummy Jump came around it was only natural that LPHS students would have their own entry, appropriately themed “Lone Peak Scholar”. Built by Freshman Dan Bartzick with assistance from Sophomore Nick McTaggart and LPHS staff Larson and Hattan Littman, the dummy was sitting at a desk in front of a computer writing a paper on the educational aspect of Ski Fridays. Aptly named “Lone Peak Scholar” the dummy flew high and landed hard; the only salvageable part were his skis which are now available for next year’s dummy.
The entry took the Valedictorian award, and was launched to Pink Floyd, with many Ophir and LPHS students cheering him on. Bartzick listed the dummy’s only potential downfall as “falling grades” and his trick as “Survival.”
LPHS students and faculty all received lift tickets for Ski Fridays and went to the mountain with the rest of the students in the Ophir District. The few LPHS students who did not know how to ski were given lessons. The school is grateful to Big Sky Resort for extending the Friday program to the entire school, K-12.
