“ The environment and the small class size allowed for more hands-on learning, which I enjoyed." -Alex Carpenter, Red Oaks alumna

Ice hockey has always been a part of Alex Carpenter’s life – one might even say it is in her DNA, as her father, Bobby Carpenter, played in the NHL. But Alex has made her own name in the hockey world, as a member of the US Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the team earned a silver medal. Of course, to get to that point, Alex’s list of accolades and superlatives was already quite long. Alex established herself as a superstar on the ice at an early age. After playing in high school at Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts, Alex went on to Boston College, where she was only the eighth player in NCAA history to score more than 250 goals. She also received the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award, which is presented each year to the top player in NCAA Division 1 women’s ice hockey. Alex again made history as the first player selected in the WNHL draft. On every team she has joined, Alex has been a top scorer and premier player, evidenced in part by her four gold medals from the women’s World Championships.

Currently, between Team USA camps to prepare to make the next Olympic team, Alex is living and playing in China as part of an effort to help the host of the next winter Olympics develop a competitive team in a place where women are relatively new to the sport. In the short term, Alex looks forward to preparing for the next Olympics and hopes to be part of Team USA once again. In the long term, her experience helping others learn the sport that is such a part of who she is has been a unique and rewarding experience, inspiring her to consider a career in coaching in the future. As for her days at Red Oaks, Alex believes her experience at the school set her up for success down the road. “The environment and the small class size allowed for more hands-on learning, which I enjoyed,” she recalled. “As a shy kid, my teachers really helped me open up and eased the transition from grade to grade, which helped me later as I changed schools, joined new teams and had new experiences.”