North American Hockey Academy

The North American Hockey Academy is located in Stowe, Vermont, half way between the scenic New England village and the Stowe Mountain Resort Ski area, right on the Mountain Road. We offer girls in grades 8-12 and PG's the opportunity to receive an excellent education while pursuing a competitive hockey program for elite and developmental level athletes.

This program is unique in the world of girls hockey, and is comparable in many ways to a Junior "A" Hockey for boys. It offers an intensive season of training and competition in preparation for playing at the college level. Girls gain experience and knowledge in many areas that will help in the transition to college; independent learning and study skills, time management, living away from home, the nutrition and healthy living habits required for athletes, travel and its effects on a player's schedule, fitness and training principles, and much more.

Our program runs from late September to early March. Students are educated in our own on campus school, fully recognized as an Independent Secondary School by the VT Board of Education and Accredited by the Committee on International and TransRegional Accredidation (CITA). All students participate in this tutorial program which allows students to remain at home and in their local schools in the Fall and Spring, then continue to follow their own school's curriculum during their winter at the Academy. Some girls actually withdraw from their home school and enroll in the NAHA school, a credit and diploma-granting institution. Because we work with so many different schools, we have to be flexible. Our Principal works with Guidance Personnel in each girl's school to coordinate communication, grading, and reporting at each school. Girls taking a post-graduate year have a variety of educational opportunities, including taking college level courses on line, with the support of our teachers.

The key to making our program unique is the tutorial educational format which affords the team freedom to travel and compete against the best competition and at the most prestigious tournaments in North America. This provides our student-athletes with the best opportunity to reach their goals of playing in college and at the national level, while remaining on top of their education.

Our goal is to provide an enriching and healthy environment where young athletes are challenged to seek their personal best. We define this challenge in terms of academics, athletics and personal growth.

Activities in past years have included an orientation, hike and overnight at the Trapp Family Lodge. The Trapp Family Lodge was the first cross country ski center in the US, and their family made famous in 'The Sound of Music.' Miles back in the woods on their cross country trails is a cabin they use to host skiers in the winter. We seek to challege the girls in many ways, far beyond the athletic experience.