Imagine being in the 3rd Grade. Your bus drops you off at the base of a mountain at an elevation of 815ft. That probably doesn’t matter much because your eyes are already glued to the two MASSIVE ski slopes that have a top elevation of 1,435 ft., but your heart is consumed by the nearly 620ft vertical. Sweat beaded forehead, sweaty palms, maybe even a few palpitations. 

After three weeks, it’s just another day at the office, for 30 students in grades 3-8 at Avon Avenue School. For their 8th year, these students had an opportunity to visit the Winter 4 Kids Complex in Vernon, NJ, the only winter activity center in the country. 

Winter 4 Kids, for the last 10 years, has provided its participants with the capacity to make healthy lifestyle choices, including what they eat & the decisions they make, but it starts with teaching participants the fundamentals of Alpine & Cross Country Skiing, & Snowboarding.  

At the end of this year’s session, 8th Grader Justin Paulino, was asked to reflect on his final visit to Winter 4 Kids. “Ummmmm…The FOOD!”, he exclaimed. Recalling the week 2 breakfast and lunch menu of, “Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Yogurt, & Apple Juice.” He also shared the overall impact as “ an experience I will never forget. At first, I was nervous and a little scared, but with the help of my coach, I learned quickly.” 

3rd grader Sa’Nyla Faulkner made her first ever trip to Winter 4 Kids the year, she recalled her first impression of the facility as, “ I Like it!  Because there was snow everywhere and the coaches were really good.” When asked what she will remember the most about her 3 weeks at Winter 4 Kids, she shared, “Going up the mountain on the chairlift, but skiing down the mountain, was a lot more fun!”  

Avon Avenue School will forever be grateful for those community based partnerships that not only gives our students first time experiences, but also provides them with memories that will last a lifetime.