Valley High School students learn to ski at Boyce Park ahead of Seven Springs trip

Feeling free is what Patty Mallough has found she enjoys most about skiing.

“It’s like you have no problems,” said Mallough, 18, of Arnold.

A senior at Valley High School in New Kensington, Mallough has been among 30 to 40 students from the New Kensington- Arnold school who have been learning how to ski at Boyce Park in Plum. They are preparing for a student-initiated daytrip to Seven Springs Mountain Resort next week.

The group was at Boyce Park on Tuesday for their last practice and learning session before the big trip.

Mallough said she wanted to try something new.

“It was scary,” she said of her first time on the slopes. “After going down the small hill once or twice, I definitely got the hang of it. It’s a cool experience.”

The trip, set for Feb. 22, was the idea of senior class president Rachel Schrock and treasurer Ben Aftanas, said Rachael Link, an English teacher and student council adviser.

“In our school, a lot of people have never skied before,” Link said.

One reason is that skiing is an expensive activity. To help cover the costs, students have organized fundraisers, and teachers and staff have donated more than $800 so everyone who wants the experience can have it, Link said.

“The hard work of our students has made this happen,” Link said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our student body. They cheer each other on, teach each other and support each other.”

Schrock, a skier herself, said she brought the idea to Link because it’s an outdoor activity the students could do together. Link liked it, and Superintendent Chris Sefcheck got on board with what Schrock said became a group effort.

“I’m excited for Seven Springs,” Schrock said. “I think it’s going to go really good.”

Sefcheck was with the group Tuesday at Boyce Park. He said such student efforts are giving the district’s diverse population new experiences outside of their comfort zone.

“Our student leadership has done a phenomenal job organizing events such as this to bring the students of New Kensington and Arnold together to try new things,” Sefcheck said. “It was amazing to see students interacting with peers that they’ve never met by learning and growing together through this shared experience.”

At Boyce on Tuesday, Schrock helped first-time skier Aaliyah Grant, 15, a freshman from New Kensington, get her boots on before Link taught her the basics. Grant is among about 45 students expected to go to Seven Springs.

“I’m really excited. It’s something I want to do in the future,” Grant said. “I’m hoping it goes well. I love the snow.”

Dario Wolfe, 18, a senior from New Kensington, also had never been skiing before but said he always wanted to go. This gave him the opportunity.

“I fell a couple times. I didn’t know how to stop. But I got the hang of it,” he said. “Now that I got the hang of it, I like hitting jumps.”

Elisabeth Ervin, 16, of New Kensington is president of the junior class and new to skiing. This week was her second time practicing at Boyce.

“I found it hard to stop at first. After a few times on the small hill, I got the hang of it,” she said. “Everyone helped me. We’re all learning together.”

As a senior next school year, Ervin said she wants to carry on Schrock and Aftanas’ legacy by holding the ski trip again.

“We want to make it an annual thing,” she said.

Ervin has never been to Seven Springs and is looking forward to going just to see what it looks like.

“It’s been very exciting. We don’t get a lot of opportunities like this,” Ervin said. “Everyone is really excited. This is something great to look forward to.”