All students grades 8-11 are invited to join us for our Shadow Day on Friday, May 10, to participate in classes and check out campus life. Meet our students and staff! Come for the day or stay for the weekend and enjoy our Spring Concerts. Please contact the school with any questions at 406.587.5178 . You can register online here: https://forms.gle/hTW53Deb8PBSSEG37. Registration deadline is Wednesday, May 8.
Author: Kebrina
Alumni Homecoming April 19-21
Mt. Ellis Academy. What do you think of when you hear that name? Do you think of mountains, Montana, and its great outdoor recreation, friends, teachers, or just another boarding school? Here are some of the ideas shared by the Seniors of ’84. They think of a friendly school with mountains and skiing. They think of a school with a good reputation for its great family atmosphere due to its small, but mighty size. They think of a place where they laughed, cried, felt depressed, felt joy, and all the other human emotions. A place where they grew up, changed, and matured. And as they look back to their years at Mt. Ellis, they will remember their jobs and classes. But even more, they will remember their friends. They will remember the fun times and the bad times they experienced together that strengthened their friendships. And some will remember their teachers as friends who really cared and helped them during this growing, changing, maturing period of their lives.
Mt. Ellis Academy is here to provide skiing, friends, scenery, and a family atmosphere. But the main reason for the existence of Mt. Ellis Academy is to guide each student in their awareness of Christ’s statement of each person’s duty: to love God, to love others, and to love one’s self….We are being changed into HIS likeness (II Chor 3:18). Mt. Ellis Academy is a place to make that kind of change.
Excerpted from the 1984 Ellisonian
Please join us for Alumni Homecoming, April 19-21. We can’t wait to welcome you back on campus. For details regarding the weekend and to register go here: https://mtellis.org/alumni/
Alumni Choir Performance
Attention Alumni! We are inviting all prior Choir and Dynamics members to join the alumni choir in singing “My Eternal King” during our worship service on Sabbath, April 20. If you would like to sing, rehearsal will be at 9:00 on Sabbath morning, April 20, in the choir room. Janelle Dixon will be accompanying!
In an era when marrying a rich man was the most a woman could hope for, Elizabeth Bennet was WAY ahead of her time. This March, the Class of 2024 presents the story of a modern woman who discovers that the one person she cannot stand might be the one person she may not be able to resist. Showtimes are on Saturday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. Reserve your seats now: https://mountellisacademy.factsmgtadmin.com/form/d3HundHpy?authToken=__token__
Adventure Awaits!
The Mount Ellis class of 2025 invites you to an enchanting evening in the Jungle! There will be food, fun, games, and maybe a little monkey business at the Junior Benefit! The adventure will begin on March 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Ellis Academy Gym! Don’t forget to mark your calendars and prepare to have a roaring time!
Save time and purchase your tickets on pre-sale here: https://mountellisacademy.factsmgtadmin.com/form/kikO4g7mH?authToken=__token__
The Jungle Adventure Junior Benefit
Adventure Awaits!
The Mount Ellis Class of 2025 invites you to an enchanting evening in the Jungle! There will be food, fun, games, and maybe a little monkey business at the Junior Benefit! The adventure will begin on March 2, at 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Ellis Academy gym! Don’t forget to mark your calendars and prepare to have a roaring time!
Save time and purchase your tickets on pre-sale here: https://mountellisacademy.factsmgtadmin.com/form/kikO4g7mH?authToken=__token__
Ski the Summit 2024
Join us for Ski the Summit! Ski the Summit is a unique spiritual retreat offered by MEA for 7th-11th grade students. Participants will spend three days skiing three different mountains – Bridger Bowl, Big Sky, and our own private slope, Bear Canyon Ski Area. You will have the opportunity to experience academy life, meet students and staff, learn more about the programs offered at MEA, and grow closer to your peers and to Christ through daily worship and activities. This is an unforgettable experience that you don’t want to miss! We will also be offering mini-courses on Monday and Tuesday for those students who want to participate in Ski the Summit but do not want to ski/snowboard. Previous mini-courses have included cooking/baking, photography, art, and rock climbing.
There are a few changes to Ski the Summit this year. Bridger Bowl is requiring all participants to have a Bridger Bowl account and parents/participants will need to sign separate waivers for Bridger Bowl. This year’s pricing does NOT include Bridger Bowl lift ticket or equipment rental fees.
Registration fees include: Big Sky lift ticket (pending confirmation from Big Sky), insurance, activities, room and board (up to 3 nights stay on MEA campus).
Here’s how to register: Download the application packet here and drop it off in the front office at MEA, or email the completed registration forms to alumni@mtellis.org.
Payments can be made with cash/check, or credit cards. Checks should be made out to Mt. Ellis Academy with Ski the Summit in the memo and either dropped off at MEA or mailed to Ski the Summit, Mount Ellis Academy 3641 Bozeman Trail Road, Bozeman, MT 59715.
You can also pay with a credit card here:
To sign up and purchase tickets with Bridger Bowl, please go to www.bridgerbowl.com and create an account. Tickets should be purchased online after January I8 and prior to January 26, 2024 so that Bridger Bowl has time to process our group’s request. We will be skiing at Bridger Bowl on Monday, February 5. If we have 20 or more adults (19-69) sign up, we will receive a discount code for adult tickets which we will send to you once we qualify so that you can apply it towards your ticket purchase.
If you would like to rent equipment for multiple days, we recommend that you check out Chalet Sports at https://chaletsportsmt.com/contact/ or Round House Sports in Bozeman. You can also rent equipment at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky, but we do not have equipment rentals at MEA available for Bear Canyon.
Questions? Please call 587.5178 ext 105 for more information.
Established in 1902, Mount Ellis Academy (MEA) was founded as a Christian boarding high school for the youth of Montana. We are still located on the land donated to the school by the Rouse brothers all those years ago. For over 120 years, God’s Hand has never been far from this school.
In 1952, God provided direction for MEA by allowing us to acquire the Bear Canyon Ski Hill beginning MEA’s foray into enriched outdoor experiences for our students. This has grown into our Outdoor School program, Lifetime Activities, as well as a variety of other opportunities to get out to learn and explore God’s amazing creation that surrounds our Bozeman campus. Many times throughout our history, God’s hand has opened the floodgates of heaven to keep our ministry going in reaching His youth.
We are striving to create a sustainable future for MEA as we prepare for our next 120+ years of ministry. Our next big step forward is a long-term goal over the next 3-5 years of $4.5 Million to augment our “only at Mt. Ellis” activities, further develop our Trade Program offerings as well as develop new programs that enhance the learning experience at MEA, and to create a vibrant indoor and outdoor environment conducive to creativity and learning.
View the full report here:
New Faculty House Underway!
We have progress on the new faculty house!! Bryce Rasmussen, Senior, has taken on the framing and general contracting of the house as his Senior Project. He has already had several students volunteer to help and they can be seen in the above photo beginning the framing process. It is not only heart-warming but also encouraging to see our students involved in this project as they give their own time and energy to build something that will last for future generations. If you would like to learn of ways that you can be involved in this project, please contact Kebrina Vinglas @ kvinglas@mtellis.org or 406-587-5178 or you can donate to the faculty house here: https://factsmgtadmin.com/give/appeal/UNrMcyWmQ.
Annual Agape Feast Closes Year on Spiritual High Note
At the top of Mount Ellis Academy’s legendary ski hill, the students of MEA gathered for the very last vespers of the year. Most years, the Agape Feast has been held at the base of the hill in the lodge, but a couple teachers decided to get creative this year. After being chauffeured in trucks by various staff members up the ski hill’s steep, grassy slope, we were met with a peaceful, pretty view. A cross was set up just before the big flat of ground at the top just before the ground dipped into its descent towards the base, and there were plenty of blankets laid on the ground and logs set up for people to sit on. The smell of burgers being grilled was tantalizing and we could hardly wait to eat as we fellowshipped before everything began.
After our meal, Mr. Ellis, Math teacher, led out in a song service. It was incredible to sing on top of our hill: everyone’s voices echoing back from the mountains surrounding us, the slowly sinking sun creating a wonderful golden hour, and we felt on top of our little world. Mrs. Vinglas, Development Director,, blessed our evening with a very touching talk about how there is always a door, always a path to take, and God is there for us no matter what door we go through. Mr. Stuart, Science, then took the front and we partook in communion, drinking grape juice in each other’s presence to help remind us of Jesus’ gift and that he chose the door that led to saving us. Then, as we do every year at the Agape Feast, we closed the evening with the rose ceremony. Every student and staff member was given four roses, and were instructed to gift them to people they appreciate, want to say “sorry” to, or just want to show a little extra love. The sounds of laughter filled the evening air as people exchanged roses, the flowers almost never settling in one’s hand before they were passed to another in overwhelming gratitude. After spending a good amount of time milling about, expressing our appreciation, it was announced that it was time to clean up and return to campus. Everyone lent a helping hand and we descended the hill in no time, feeling blessed and satisfied from an evening full of fellowship and reconnection with our friends and God.
~Ava Rogers, Junior
