News

9th graders enjoyed an exciting day of activities at Camp Kawanhee. Students worked in groups to complete challenges on a ropes course with an emphasis on communication, teamwork, and fun.  

“The student leaders have given us a great opening of school this fall. They introduced the new notch program with so much energy and enthusiasm. They really set the tone for the whole community. It's going to be a great year.”
- Dr. Brad Clarke P'12, '15, '16, '19, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning

The Camden Conference has announced this year's Bill Taylor Essay Contest Winners. Representing Gould, Chris Pyle '23 earned second place for his essay, “Assessing Internet Inequality in the US.”

World Languages Department Chair Adam Leff P'15, '17 has been selected as one of 25 esteemed educators for the United States Institute of Peace 2023 Peace Teachers Program.

Gould Academy wishes to express our concern regarding the recent Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action in college admissions. While this ruling does not directly impact our own admissions policies, it reflects a concerning trend that challenges access to higher education for marginalized communities. Here at Gould, we firmly believe that building a diverse community is crucial for a respectful and inclusive community where we can thrive as individuals and grow to our greatest collective potential.

Gould’s best asset is its people. People build meaningful, enduring relationships here. It’s true for students but equally so for faculty and staff. Gould faculty are connected by a shared purpose and bound by decades of time-honored traditions. Experienced, innovative, and creative teachers mentor newcomers and pass on the lessons and methods they learned when they arrived. They eat meals together daily, encourage each other in the classroom and on the sports fields, have helped raise each other’s children, traveled the globe together, and ventured into the Maine woods and mountains for orientation and Four Point trips. A life at Gould is a life well lived, and seeing the familiar faces of former Gould educators on campus for former art teacher Jim Owen’s memorial service earlier this summer served as a reminder of just how much legacies live on at Gould today.

Art teacher Lauren Head P’01, ’05, ’07, ’09, ’21, and former art teacher Jan Baker P’05 took the opportunity to contemplate these deep connections and recognized his mentorship’s profound impact on generations of Gould students and faculty.

Kristen Kaschub joins Gould as Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management. Welcome to Bethel!

In mid-June, the Strategic Design Team presented to the Gould Board of Trustees a final version of the Mission, Vision, and Values. We are proud to share this, as it will become formative in realizing our vision for Gould and decision-making going forward. 

“The combination of academics and sports is the most important thing for me. There are a lot of schools that are good academically or good at sports, but nowhere has both like Gould. I started my boardercross career at Gould. Coach Gandee and Yamada have been super helpful and supportive.
It’s that combination and just how supportive the teachers are here. They make sure that I get my work done and have enough time if I'm super busy with snowboarding and traveling. They support my snowboarding by ensuring it’s not overly stressful, which is so helpful.” - Dali Gao, Chinese Snowboard Team

Dali’s journey at Gould was unique. He took a gap year after being named to the Chinese National Snowboard team between eleventh and twelfth grade. Next fall, he will continue his snowboardcross career while pursuing his studies at Dartmouth. We are so proud of Dali’s accomplishments and privileged to say he’s a Gould Husky! Congrats, Dali! 🏂 🎓 🥳

What an inspiring day! Gould was fortunate to play the part of host yesterday for a live episode of Maine Calling featuring Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco and Maine State Poet Laureate Julia Bouwsma! Thank you, Maine Public, come back soon!

Read more on Maine Public's website

Catie Caggiano knew she wanted her senior four point project to center on the healthcare industry but didn’t know which field or where to start. She didn’t know any doctors or health care providers but knew she wanted to focus on patient care and giving back.

“The Gould faculty really care about you. They taught me it’s okay not to be perfect. When I got my first paid role in a movie, I messaged my advisor, Mr. Alford. Acting allows me to escape the real world by stepping into an imaginary one and gives me space to express my true self.” - Chelsea Duclos ’23

Chelsea will take her passion for acting to the next level in the Theatre Arts program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, next fall! In addition to being honored at Commencement for high honors, she also received the performing arts department book award. We have enjoyed watching her grow and perform on the stage at Gould. Her creativity, dedication, and love for her craft are inspiring. 🎓🎉 Congratulations, Chelsea! We will be at the front of the line to buy a ticket for your first feature! 🎭✨

“From your years as Gehring dorm head to your vision for developing the blacksmithing program to your accomplishments as a soccer, ski, and tennis coach, to your inspiring work with teenagers in the art cottage, whatever you do, you bring joy and spontaneity—and some predictable corny jokes!”
Three cheers for the legendary Lauren Head P’21!

Yesterday Sara Whalen Shifrin ’88, P’19,’23 presented Lauren with the Stowell Award for professional development. As Sara said during her presentation, “Dexter Stowell would certainly give you a big hug and high five for all your work in service of Gould.”
Two other faculty awards were given out as well, Head Enduro Coach and art teacher Ava Jackson received the Rau Award for professional development and Athletic Trainer Bonnie Jo Blevins received the Kronowitz Award for personal restoration.
Congrats to all for this well-deserved recognition!

“It feels safe, and it’s a wonderful community. The student body at Mount Holyoke was really welcoming. It's not about competition there. Everyone there is an accomplished individual. It's all about supporting your peers, and I think that's great.” – Reid Johnston ’23 (they/them)

Reid will be attending Mount Holyoke College next fall studying psychology and education. Their journey at Gould has been filled with resilience, passion, and a commitment to embracing their true identity. As a nonbinary student, Reid has fearlessly navigated their path and is an inspiration to the Gould community.
Congratulations, Reid! We cannot wait to see all the incredible things you will accomplish as you embark on this new chapter. Remember, Gould Academy will always be here for you. #GouldPride 🏳️‍🌈

The Polar Bear tradition continues! Three seniors were honored with a big block of ice for making every trip over their four years, and 40 other students and faculty went every time this year! That's a lot of cold water dips! 🧊🧊🧊 🥶 🎲 🐻‍❄️ (Sidenote: Eli actually started going in third grade!)
Left to right: Seniors Molly Grocki, Eli Shifrin, and Sammy Ellis

During his tenth-grade year, Eli Shifrin ’23 was fly fishing in the Webb River in Weld, Maine, and witnessed a lot of pollution. It got him thinking about native brook trout and how this pollution might affect their habitat and water quality. He was taking Research Methods in Science with Peter Southam then and made water quality the focus of his research. He discovered how the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) monitors rivers, and he learned about Edmund Muskie, the Clean Water Act of 1972, and the restoration of the Androscoggin River during his research. This planted the seed for his Senior Four Point project, three years in the making.

The senior tradition that began as a stress-relieving rejection letter bonfire has evolved into an opportunity to celebrate outcomes and a chance to hang out around a campfire one more time as Gould students. 🔥🍫

View photos online

Gould Academy is excited to announce that Mark Godomsky will return to Gould as Director of Athletics effective August 1, 2023. As Director of Athletics, Godomsky will oversee all athletic offerings at Gould, from the school’s premiere on-snow competition program, based primarily out of Sunday River Resort as a winter satellite campus, to the top-tier mountain biking and cycling program, as well as all of Gould’s traditional field, court team sports, and co-curricular activities.

With great pleasure and excitement, we announce the promotion of Anna Yoshie Yamada to become Gould's first female Snowboard Program Director! Anna's hard work, extensive snowboard resume, ability to develop athletes and all-in attitude, when it comes to the holistic development of our boarders, will continue to drive our program to new heights. 
Anna is the right person for the job as KC Gandee transitions over to become Gould's Head SBX Coach. This move allows KC to focus even more on the day-to-day development of our athletes while allowing Anna to further develop our snowboard pipeline. As KC says, "After mentoring Anna for the last few years, I'm so stoked for Anna to take the lead on the program – this will allow me to focus a lot more of my time on athlete training, which is the part I really love about this sport." 
KC's steadfast commitment to excellence and devotion to Gould has helped us create a world-class snowboard program. Now, all of KC's focus will be on long term athlete development, comp season planning for FIS BX athletes, and daily coaching. Anna will continue to focus on coaching, but spend more time on whole-program planning and administration, long term strategic planning, weekend program management, and staff development.
Anna and KC have worked together on a comprehensive transition plan that will be implemented over the Spring and early Summer. This power-house duo, along with Coach Dustin Holzweiss, will take our snowboarding to the next level.

Gould eleventh-grader and astronomy student Mac Connor is staring down at a chunk of Mars in his hands the size of a sandwich. He’s visibly excited, as is his classmate Mary Eggert ’24. The students are at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum (MMGM) in downtown Bethel, Maine, a treasure trove of celestial artifacts.

What is Junior Four Point?

Gould Nordic teams swept the 2023 NEPSAC Championships hosted by Holderness School on Saturday, February 25, taking the top spot for both Boys’ and Girls’, capping off a phenomenal season that began with dryland training last summer.

The season also produced four Junior National Championships qualifiers. Lucas Barstow ’25, James Crowley ’25, Reese Furneaux ’25, and Ellis Slover ’24 will all compete in Fairbanks Alaska starting on March 13, 2023.

Gould’s snowboard cross team was in the Adirondacks in early February for a series of North American Cup (Nor-Am) races at Gore Mountain. So was U.S. Snowboard Cross team head coach, Rob Fagan. Prior to her first race of the week, Fagan approached Gould junior Brianna “Bri” Schnorrbusch with an exciting question: would she like to go to the FIS World Championships with the U.S. team? Her answer, “Yes!”

Lily Winch ’23  has always loved origami. For Lily, the Japanese practice of folding paper into tiny pristine sculptures is soothing and a perfect stress reliever. She likes that at the end of the process, you have also produced something beautiful. Her parents recognized her talent and encouraged her to sell her sculptures in the past, but she was reluctant. When it came time to choose a Senior Four Point Project, it only made sense that she would pick something she loved. The project, after all, would require a significant commitment.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AT GOULD

The heat and humidity were oppressive. It was the type of Maine summer Sunday where most vacationing high school students might head to the beach or lake to escape the relentless sun. Mark Brown ’23, a Gould senior from Bethel, Maine had instead opted to join Civic Engagement Coordinator Adam Leff P’15,’17 in a packed box truck bound for the inland Maine city of Lewiston.

Ethan Bouchard ’23 is currently competing in the 2023 Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. With Irish citizenship, Ethan is competing in alpine events for Team Ireland from January 21-28.

“This will allow me to see where I stack up on a world scale. Beyond that, it'll give me opportunities in college, and it gives me more exposure,” says Ethan. “It's a great opportunity to train against some of the best kids in the world and prepares me for representing Ireland at future events like World Juniors, or maybe in the Olympics, who knows.” 

Keep reading to hear from Gould Athletic director Ben Kamilewicz ’95

Naming of athletic space recognizes the Liebleins’ support of excellence at Gould Academy

“They can’t destroy us because we know who we are.”
-Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte

Mrs. Astvatsaturian Turcotte is an author, lecturer, lawyer, business woman and a human rights advocate.  She is an Armenian refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan. After fleeing Baku, Azerbaijan in the fall of 1989 due to a campaign of ethnic cleansing of Armenians, Mrs. Astvatsaturian Turcotte and her family spent three years in Armenia as refugees before coming to the United States in 1992.

Students will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday as a call to action, a day of service focused on making the communities with which we engage more equitable in order to facilitate the "Beloved Community" of Dr. King's dream.

“Bethel Living” magazine interviewed Gould's Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Stephanie Montgomery for its December/January issue. The article “Moving Beyond Status Quo with Gould Academy” represents an example of ongoing efforts and outreach between Gould and the Bethel community.
Gould's ski and snowboard building class is also featured in the article with contributions from Chris Hayward, P'16, '19. 🔗 Read it here (opens in a new window)