Co-Curricular Activities

Aquatic Research and Exploration
Students will deploy in the field ROVs (Remote Operated Vehicles) and AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) including the state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle ​Remus 100. ​Missions will include scientific research, recovery, underwater video, and other scientific and commercial opportunities. Daily field trips include trips to local ponds, rivers, and lakes. Visits to academic and commercial partners as well as relevant educational events will be included.

Nordic Skiing Development Program
The Nordic Skiing Development Program is designed for students interested in Nordic skiing, but who have no formal training. This program is intended to teach introductory techniques and set a foundation for later training with the Prep Nordic Team or the Gould Academy Competition Program’s Nordic Team.

Learn to Ski/Ride Program
The Gould Learn to Ski/Ride program is designed for those students who have little or no formal on-snow training. The goal is to learn the fundamental skills required to ski/ride independently. It is expected as students become proficient at skiing and riding they will be moved into the competitive Prep Alpine or Snowboard programs.  The head of the Learn to Ski/Ride Program will determine when students are prepared to move out of the program.

Farm & Forest
Housed in an on-campus barn built by students, the Farm offers experiential learning through a variety of projects, organic farming, forestry, and care of animals. The barn is home to sheep, chickens, pigs, and more depending on the year and season. Many classes frequent the barn as it fits with their curriculum and may participate in a range of activities. These activities include birthing animals, tapping trees, making maple syrup, visiting regional agricultural fairs, building projects, working on nearby farms, planting organic vegetables to harvest for the local pantry, and tending to the campus compost pile.

Drama and Technical Theater
Gould stages two productions each year. The fall session is intended to be a workshop oriented with students concentrating on an overview of lighting, scenic design, costuming, and makeup. Every spring features a musical, often the highlight of the year. Quality facilities and resources make these shows far superior to most high school productions. Students interested in Technical Theatre have the opportunity to learn about many behind-the-scenes aspects of putting on a theatrical performance, from designing light plots to stage managing.

Outing Club
Outing Club is offered during the Fall, Winter, and Spring trimesters. Students will become certified in Wilderness First Aid, learn their way around the woods, mountains, rocks, and rivers of Gould’s beautiful slice of western Maine and the White Mountains. Students learn seasonally appropriate outdoor skills, including hiking, camp craft (fire building, cooking, shelters, etc.), canoeing, rock climbing, backcountry skiing snowshoeing, ice climbing, and more. These programs include daily activities and weekend overnight trips. Students interested in the Winter Outing Club should be intermediate skiers, and they will need a season pass to Sunday River Ski Resort. This group is limited to 13 participants each trimester.

Ski Instruction (Rugrats and Maine Adaptive)
For students interested in helping others either learn to ski or snowboard or participate in an on-snow sport, Gould Academy offers two co-curricular instruction programs: Rugrats, where students help local elementary students learn how to ski/snowboard, and the Maine Adaptive Instruction Development Program, where students train to assist winter enthusiasts with physical disabilities.

Ski Patrol
The only program of its kind recognized by the National Ski Patrol, Gould’s Ski Patrol Program offers accomplished skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to train with Sunday River Resort’s Ski Patrol. Students complete 80+ hours of training in addition to a series of tests, before eventually becoming certified “jacketed” ski patrollers themselves.