FALL 2025 Recap
As the long days of summer transition into the darkness of the damp pacific northwest winter, we make a conscious effort to lean into the season and work with the gifts we are given. Throughout the course of the fall, our snow teams spent ample time focusing on progression on the landing bag and our mountain bike and skate teams took advantage of sunny days to utilize our campus features. Our athletic teams travelled to the Netherlands, San Francisco, Canada, France, and Finland and had the opportunity to meet and ride with industry innovators.
All of our students overcame the fear of failure by taking the SAT or PSAT. They set a good baseline for themselves that they will have the opportunity to surpass in the spring. Our seniors worked hard to get college applications in and this focus on academics has led to multiple acceptance letters and scholarships. Our students also had the opportunity to tour college campuses in Washington, volunteer with Special Olympics, attend a Sandy City Council meeting, and participate in several fun weekend activities.
It was fun to watch four Wy’East alumni compete against each other in the World Cup this December. Congratulations to Konnor Ralph for reaching the podium in Colorado! Congratulations to Temma Tamai for reaching the podium in the Freeride World Tour Qualifier as well!
With all of these amazing accomplishments, I am so excited to see what the winter semester will have in store for us.
- Mike Hanley, Head of School
Student life
This fall semester was busy from start to finish and gave students many opportunities to settle into campus life, build relationships, and learn how to thrive in our community through shared passion. The semester began with Week of Welcome activities focused on connection and practical preparation, including community-building events, roommate agreements, orientations, and mentor pairings. Early weekend activities included off-campus trips such as rafting the Deschutes River, bungee jumping in Washington, and attending a Portland Thorns match.
As the semester continued, students stayed engaged through a mix of service, outings, and leadership experiences. November was particularly full, with students volunteering with Oregon Special Olympics, attending a Sandy City Council meeting, and participating in a wide range of activities both on and off campus. A group of students also took part in a multi-day Thanksgiving trip, which allowed students—especially our international students—to celebrate and experience an American holiday together.
In addition to the highlights, students also navigated some real challenges this semester. Unseasonably warm weather meant adjusting expectations around snow and winter activities, and several students returned from a major trip to Finland with a very quick turnaround into the final stretch of the semester.
Despite these hurdles, students demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and growth as they finished the term. Our final activity of the semester was a trip to Nitro Circus, which energized students and sparked conversations about extreme sports, risk, and pushing limits. As we head into 2026, we want to thank you for your continued support and partnership, and we look forward to the semester ahead. Wishing you all a happy holidays, wherever you may be spending them!
Barbara Edwards and the Residential Team
Academics
As the fall term comes to a close, the Academic Team would like to recognize the dedication students demonstrated throughout their coursework and assessments. Completing the fall term successfully reflects strong effort, resilience, and engagement with learning. We thank students and families for their continued partnership and look forward to working with everyone next term. Have a wonderful winter break!
Athletics
We can’t believe that we are already at the end of the fall semester. Thank you to our parents for your amazing students who jumped into our campus culture and elevated it to the next level. This was definitely the best fall that I have ever been part of and I can’t wait to see what the kids set out and accomplish this upcoming Winter Season. We are wishing everyone an amazing holiday season filled with safe travels, health and abundance.
Take care and see you next year!
Elijah and the Athletic Team
Freeski
As the semester comes to a close, we’re proud of everything the Freeski team has accomplished both on and off the hill during these 4 short months! Whether it was early morning bag sessions in the freezing rain, or grinding out the last workout of the week late Friday morning. This group continuously brought energy, commitment, and a strong sense of camaraderie all semester long. The air bag was a huge new tool we were able to incorporate into training and after just one semester we are seeing a ton of progression across the board! The culmination of that being 20+ new doubles to snow and everyone walking away with at least 1 new learn during our trip to Ruka!
I know this team is just getting started and we are excited to keep the momentum rolling into the second semester as we start gearing up for the competition season. Hope everyone can enjoy the holidays with your student athletes at home, and they are able to take a well deserved break before jumping back in at the start of the new year!
Breeze, Topher, Leo, and Chris
Mountain Bike
Winter finally decided to come this December so, due to rain and cold, our days were spent in BOB working out and riding the indoor skatepark. Even with the number of days spent in BOB outnumbering the amount of days outside, we still were able to squeeze in a shuttle day to the Torta Trails in Pacific City, OR and a couple of days at the Sandy Skatepark riding the pumptrack, jumpline and skatepark. The students made the most of the time in BOB and we saw a lot of progression with their riding on dirt jumpers. There was also a lot of progress that was made in the gym with students seeing strength gains and also not having fatigue prior to riding. We are stoked on how this semester went and excited for the winter semester. We hope everyone enjoys the time with family over the holidays and we look forward to seeing you on the other side of the new year!
Kevin and Ezra
Skate
It feels like this last part of the semester went flying by. Coming back from Paris seems like it was only last week. While we have had a lot of rain in December, we also had a lot of really nice days. The skate crew took full advantage of the nice weather skating the Sandy Park a few times and making our way to Portland a couple times. As the month went on students slowly started heading home and leaving only DJ, Lila, and Kyler left. They saw a break in the rain and wanted to check out Burnside skatepark. It was a great day, sunny and warm with only a few of us skating in the park. Everyone was a bit nervous but got tricks and had fun.
We will be traveling on our first trip of the new year shortly after returning to campus. I hope everyone has a wonderful winter holiday break and we look forward to seeing you back on campus in the new year.
Brian Johnson
Snowboard
What an epic first semester it has been getting ready for our upcoming competition season! The team spent countless hours getting the reps on our new landing bag which is already proving to be such an instrumental tool. Mixed in with on campus training, the team snuck out to the coast for 2 beautiful days full of fun waves and smiles for everyone. Our surf adventures were definitely a highlight.
Another big highlight for some of the team was the early season FIS events in the Netherlands where a handful of athletes went over to compete and bring home some points early in the year.
To wrap things up, our big trip to Ruka park in Finland will most certainly be a trip we will never forget. To see the daily progression on some of the best jumps in the world was the perfect way to head into our holiday break and be ready for what’s to come. Everyone put in the work and saw results while in Finland, despite the cold and dark, it was truly one for the books!
Brando, Stew, and Emmett
CULINARY
The Culinary Department had a good Fall Term. We made all the students’ popular dishes they love. With some new items that we tried as well like Salmon Bowls, Lamb Kebobs, Chicken and Waffles, and Chicken Fried Steak. All the students were hyped to have great meals every day. It is so nice to have all the students come in and enjoy the food that the Culinary Team makes. It was also nice to have teams travel so that the Culinary Team can step back and breathe a little. We are always busy preparing cookies, pastries, and other snacks for the student body. We are looking forward to a great winter semester as well. Happy Holidays!
Travis and the Culinary Team
Alumni Spotlight
Konnor Ralph, a 2021 Wy’East Graduate, won second place in big air in the World Cup in Steamboat, Colorado for Team USA.
