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Admission applications are being accepted April 1 for Seven Summits Centre for Learning

Seven Summits is heading into its second year of operation and is now looking to fill the school with bright young minds for 2014/15.
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Admissions are now being accepted for the 2014–2015 school year at the Seven Summits Centre for Learning.

Seven Summits is heading into its second year of operation in partnership with SelfDesign Learning Community and offers a learner-centered, inquiry-based learning approach, including the entire B.C. Grade 8-12 high school graduation program, as well as a diverse suite of dynamic independent study choices and community initiatives.

The school’s mentors and learning consultants (B.C. certified teachers) Jonny Coleshill, Melanie Boothe and D’Arcy Ziprick inspired 35 full and part-time students in the first year in their core academic and elective studies, as well as to participate in many community-based programs and initiatives including camping, avalanche and backcountry training, first aid training, yoga, guitar lessons, biathlon, and more.

Red Mountain Academy athletes also attended Seven Summits, and worked with flexible hours so they could focus on their training and racing. Special education and ESL programs were offered, and there were many community volunteers who worked with the students at Seven Summits, offering their expertise.

The majority of the students were local, but Seven Summits also had 10 international and out-of-province students, many who did homestay.

Tuition will rise

The biggest challenge in the first year was the lack of an administrator. Instead, all of that work has been and is being done by the Visions for Small Schools (VSS) volunteer board so tuition fees could be kept as low as possible.

“But that is not sustainable, unfortunately,” read a release from VSS. “After much discussion, the board has made the difficult decision to raise tuition fees to $2,100 per student.”

VSS is doing this because the school needs professional staff to manage the school, as opposed to a band of dedicated but over-worked volunteers.

“The addition of an administrator will be a major improvement, with this staff person focusing on program development, more supervision and parental support, being a community liaison, grant writing, career counseling and much more,” read  the VSS release.

Second students in the family will pay $1,850, and there is a $100 deduction per student if fees are paid in full by Sept. 1. Subsidized tuition is available for families in need.

In addition to saving money by paying tuition fees by Sept. 1, it is important for families to apply to Seven Summits early because they can only accept a limited number of students in their small space.

There has been much interest for Fall 2014. People can email info@sevensummitslearning, go to www.sevensummitslearning or call 250-362-7772 for more information.

Registrations will be accepted starting April 1.

From the VSS board

“It is truly remarkable what has been created from scratch, on a shoestring, with almost no lead time. Seven Summits is a successfully functioning alternative for Rossland students and a way to keep K-12, the Red Mountain Academy and an International program in Rossland, all of which are economic engines for our community.

“With the addition of administrative staff, the board and mentors can focus on making Seven Summits an even better learning experience for our students.”

About Self Design and Seven Summits

SelfDesign Learning Community, an independent distributed learning school, is an internationally recognized and award-winning leader in the field of education including the “Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Education Innovation.”

All courses are certified by the B.C. Ministry of Education.

SelfDesign offers a low student/teacher ratio enabling personalized learning customized to each learner’s needs, using an effective combination of online interactive learning and face-to-face learning.

All mentors are certified teachers with the Ministry of Education, who work at the centre with learners.

Full and part-time options are available to fit each learner’s schedule, creating flexibility not only for Red Mountain Academy athletes who attend, but any learners who want to focus on other interests and activities in addition to their academic studies.

Seven Summits also welcomes Grade 10–12 students who wish to cross-enroll with other learning institutions. Special education support and ESL support are available as well.

The learner/SelfDesign High mentor/learning consultant ratio is low and SelfDesign High mentors/learning consultants are available to collaborate with parents on individual learner needs.

Learners will be challenged to think for themselves, to be accountable for their studies and deadlines, and to organize their thoughts in order to communicate clearly and well.

In short, learners will be given good foundations to help them meet the challenges of the future and succeed no matter their individual goals.

In addition to the core academic requirements of language arts, social studies, mathematics and the sciences, learners at the SelfDesign High level also have opportunities for study in the full range of electives.