The Winter Sports School’s board of trustees has named Dave Kaufman, currently serving as Assistant Head of School, as Head of School. Mr. Kaufman will be taking over for Rob Clayton, who recently accepted the position of Executive Director at the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.
“The board members and the entire Winter Sports School community are grateful to Rob for his 11 years of leadership,” said Tim Gaylord, WSS Board Chair. “He has been very successful in growing the school, increasing its academic rigor, and refining its policies to best serve and educate young developing winter athletes. We now look to Dave to lead the school through the next phase of its evolution. He has the full support and commitment of the board.”
Part of that “next phase” is the completion of The Winter Sports School’s recent initiative to become a Charter School within the state of Utah. “We’ve cleared the first hurdle,” says Kaufman. “We’ve been recommended for approval by the Utah State Charter Board. We’re now working towards final approval by the Utah State Office of Education in early April, and then raising the funds necessary to build a new facility capable of meeting our anticipated growth as a tuition-free state school. If we, the state of Utah, and the Park City community come together to make those things happen, we’ll create an institution in the public interest the likes of which has never before been seen in The United States. I’m tremendously excited to be a part of that effort.”
Mr. Kaufman has been with the Winter Sports School for the past five years and brings to the role of Headmaster a wealth of knowledge and background in the school’s unique educational model, in business management, and in marketing. He was a marketing manager at Intel Corporation in Santa Clara, CA for ten years prior to moving to the Park City community in 2007. Dave and his wife Melinda have two children; Stephanie, age 11, and Tyler, age 8.
The Winter Sports School will begin its 20th year of classes on April 15th, 2013. “There are spots left for a few more students this year,” says Kaufman. “I’d encourage interested families with dedicated and driven high school winter athletes to apply or get in touch with me. They’ll have the opportunity to raise their athletic game, and we’ll prepare them very well for college. That’s our mission.”
The Winter Sports School in Park City first opened its doors in 1994, and provides a college preparatory academic program for grades 9 through 12. Classes are held mid-April through mid-November, giving its students time during the winter months to train and compete at the highest possible level in winter sports disciplines. Notable alums in athletics include Steven Holcomb ’97, Julia Mancuso ’00, Ted Ligety ’02, Andrew Weibrecht ’03, Bryan Fletcher ’04, Alex Schlopy ’09, and Sarah Hendrickson ’12. Recent graduates have matriculated at such institutions as Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Williams College, and Middlebury College, to name a few. More information about the school is available at www.wintersportsschool.org.
Dave with his two kids in February, 2013