JISP Concludes Its Most Impactful Year Yet

By Cherise Forbes, Manchester Journal Mar 28, 2024

​MANCHESTER – The Junior Instructional Snowsports Program (JISP) recently concluded its biggest season yet thanks to collaborations with schools and organizations throughout southern Vermont. Nearly 900 students participated in the program this year, joining a legacy that spans from the 1940s to now.

“It’s such a great identifier for the Vermont spirit that old guys like me are teaching little kids to ski,” said Ben Benedict, who has volunteered with the program since his children participated approximately 30 years ago. “We’re all out there together having a nice time in the sunshine. It’s just a great thing.”

“We have parents who participated in JISP when they were kids,” said Randi Lowe, Superintendent for the Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union. “It’s always been a valued experience for our families, for our kids. It’s been around for a long time.”

When Mike Healy, executive director of the Bromley Outing Club (BOC), was hired in 2021, approximately 400 students participated in JISP. In the 2023 season, enrollment grew by 30 percent according to Healy. This year, that number grew by another 27 percent.

One reason for that is successful fundraising, which allowed the BOC to grant twice as many scholarships this year compared to last. In partnership with Bromley Mountain Resort, the program also facilitates rental equipment for those who cannot afford it

“Our role is not just to recruit volunteers or run the program operationally, but to break down those hurdles,” Healy said. “Every student who wants to participate, we will do everything we can to make it happen.”

“It’s so fulfilling to see them go from zero to getting to the top of the mountain and being able to ski all the way down,” said Benedict, who volunteers with beginners. “It was a whole new world for most of them.”

With participating schools as far north as Wells and as far south as Pownal, however, not every student has transportation to facilitate their inclusion. Many communities organize ride shares, Healy said, but enhanced collaboration with the Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union (BRSU) has enabled many students to take the bus. Changes to the program’s start time – now an hour earlier – ensures that students who need to take the bus home are able to do so.

“It was a major coordination with the schools,” Healy said. “The end result has been absolutely incredible.”

Alongside a spike in student participation, Healy said that JISP saw a three-fold increase in volunteers thanks to an influx of teachers, assistants, and paraprofessionals joining the program.

Also contributing to JISP’s growth is a new stance from the BRSU, requiring participation in at least one of the many programs offered through JISP. Students who don’t thrive on the thrill of downhill skiing can also pursue cross country skiing through West River Sports, or participate through skating at Riley Rink.

“Our data really indicated that we have a lot of students going home who were missing out on the JISP experience,” Lowe said. “We adjusted how we operated this year, and now all of our kids are participating.”

The program’s moniker doesn’t necessarily fit anymore, joked Lowe, as organizations including Merck Forest, Greater Northshire Access Television (GNAT), the Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC) now offer a wider range of ways to participate.

“It’s really expanded to have a wide range of activities and for the first time we have students and staff also going, so it’s really a relationship building experience,” Lowe said. “Everyone gets to go out and apply learning to a new space and develop skills in a different way.”

“We opened the door for a large amount of students to be able to participate that hadn’t previously,” Healy said. “I thought we had seen our biggest growth the year prior but, lo and behold, we found out that we could get more students outdoors.”

The Bart Adaptive Sports Center, which has enabled those with physical and cognitive disabilities to ski at Bromley and Stratton for more than 20 years, has also contributed to JISP’s recent growth.

“Our mission is to get more people with disabilities out enjoying the mountain and nature,” said Bart’s Executive Director Robbin Gibson.

“[Bart] sends professionals that have trained with the adaptive team on how to best facilitate and work with those students,” Healy said. “This has created a wonderful opportunity to help knock down barriers for students who had not been able to participate previously.”

This year, even the number of students participating through Bart doubled, rising from approximately 15 in 2023 to 31 in 2024. The addition of busing for BRSU students, plus the increased participation of aides and paraprofessionals, was transformative, according to Gibson.

“Because they came with their students, it enabled us to communicate with them better,” Gibson said. “That made it really more effective for us to actually make progress with the students, which was really exciting.”

“It is awesome to see kids with complex physical and developmental disabilities out there having the time of their lives,” Lowe said. “You just see a side of them that we don’t always see at school.”

For students at any ability level, the program provides a platform for personal and community growth.

“It allows students to showcase strengths and talents that we wouldn't necessarily see in school,” Lowe said. “That creates an opportunity for teachers and staff and students to see each other in a different light.”

“Even on frigid days, they’re delighted to be out there discovering how to ski,” Benedict observed. “They’re not inside at their computer or their phone, they’re outside doing the same things that kids have loved doing forever."

Thanks to the rapid increase in participants, JISP has become more diverse in all regards, Healy said. With a legacy spanning generations, that impact is significant.

“If you ask anyone who lived in the area during their developing years, it’s quite likely that they participated,” Healy said. “It’s a badge of honor when you run into these folks. They’re quite proud of it.”

“I used to do JISP when I was in elementary and high school,” said Heather LaPan. “My family couldn’t afford to pay for myself and my two sisters to go on the mountain, and JISP made it possible. I will never forget it.”

In response to a prompt from the Manchester Journal online, a number of past participants shared their memories from the program.

“We moved from New York to Manchester 1978 when I was in seventh grade,” wrote Roberta Brown White. “Thanks to JISP, I learned to ski and [now] ski every winter.”

“It's an amazing program for kids,” commented David Lewis. “It's honestly why I'm a Stratton snowboard coach now.”

With a historic year in the books, JISP’s community looks ahead to a future that promises to be as impactful as its past.

“There are many people who believe this is one of the important highlights of what our schools offer to students,” Lowe said. “It showcases what it means to be living in Vermont and what Vermont offers.”