Carrabassett Valley Academy received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor. This is the largest single gift ever received by CVA.

The gift was given during the advanced gift stage of the New Campus Campaign, a major capital effort to build new residential, athletic and academic facilities.

Headmaster John Ritzo said, “The leadership gift of a million dollars is a huge first step in the construction of the new campus. As important as the dollar amount is, the statement of confidence that the donor has made with this gift speaks volumes as to the viability of the project.”

To date, in the advanced gift stage, the New Campus Campaign has succeeded in raising $1.8 million. These gifts have helped to acquire a site for the new campus, 22 acres of land at the foot of Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley, plus to build a new soccer field and running track. The Academy’s next priority is the construction of new dormitories and dining space, followed at a later date by new academic and administrative facilities. The effort to update the Academy’s facilities began in 2001 with the opening of the Anti-Gravity Center, a state-of-the-art athletic and recreational facility.

The New Campus Campaign is lead by Co-Chairs Peter Webber of Carrabassett Valley and John Witherspoon of Kingfield. Paul and Carol Fremont-Smith of Seal Harbor and Bill and Joni Alfond of Boston are honorary co-chairs of the Campaign.

Carrabassett Valley Academy, founded in 1982, began as the dream of a few pioneering founders. Their dream was that young student-athletes could train for top-level ski competitions and receive an outstanding college preparatory high school education. The Academy now has an enrollment of 100 students and boasts over 100 national, world and Olympic titles and hundreds of exceptional college and university acceptances. Among it’s most notable graduates are Bode Miller and Kirsten Clark.


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