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Seven Summits students got skillz

Grade 12 students at the Seven Summits Centre for Learning learned some life skills during Career Week.
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Grads at the Seven Summits Centre for Learning learned how to check the oil during Career Week.

Grade 12 students at the Seven Summits Centre for Learning learned some life skills during Career Week.

Students spent last week hearing from speakers about their careers — why they got into their profession and the education they needed — but the students who are preparing to graduate also got the added value of a Grad Life Skills Day.

“At the beginning of the school year, the grads compiled a list of all the things that they felt that the schools didn’t teach kids, yet they felt that they should know before they go out into the world,” said Sue McBride, administrator and special education mentor at Seven Summits.

Items on the list were sorted into three categories: automotive, stuff around the house, financials and banking, and getting an apartment.

Louis McBride of McBride Construction taught the kids how to do thing like check their cars’ oil, change a tire, jump start a car and do repairs around the home, Teresa Stewart from CIBC Bank taught them about stuff like credit cards, interest and taxes, and Cristina Baldini from Mountain Town Properties talked to them about things like signing a lease, damage deposits and roommates.

“I think all the banking part was really useful,” said Alvise Scarabosio, an international grad student. “Knowing the difference between a credit card and a debit card, how savings work and how to get a loan from the government or the bank, and how that can help us get on with our studies in university.”

For the career portion of the week, students heard from Tim Moore, an engineer for Teck, Jackie O’Reilly, a physiotherapist at Infinity Physio Centre, Dr. Elaine Klemmensen, a veterinarian at West Kootenay Animal Clinic, and Cindy Hall, who works in environmental science with SNC-Lavalin.