The following is the latest instalment in a weekly feature written by students from the Seven Summits Centre for Learning.
By Cameo Gow, Grade 12
I moved to Rossland on Nov. 22 to attend the Snowboard Academy and Seven Summits Learning Centre to finish my graduate year.
My initial thoughts on the town were that everyone here were genuinely friendly and welcoming. Rossland definitely has a unique character and is very diverse, but it seems most are very like-minded when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle (and pow days, of course).
I’m glad that I am attending Seven Summits instead of a traditional high school as I was home schooled for the last two semesters after going to a public school for 10-and-a-half years.
I excelled in all of my classes when I switched to home schooling because I needed a more personalized approach. Here at Seven Summits they are very accommodating and the flexible schedule is awesome for athletes.
Being able to pursue my interests and dreams while also getting the academic skills that I will need in the future is a dream come true.
Alternative “schools” aren’t only beneficial because of the flexibility and accessibility (you can virtually do your courses anywhere that there is an Internet connection) but there are also a lot of other perks. Some of these include that the courses are totally tailored to each student’s needs, and you have a mix of online and face-to-face instruction which allows extra attention where you need it (and not so much when you don’t).
Also this approach has no disconnect, which may be the case with just regular online schooling, I noticed this type of disconnect to my classmates and teachers when I was in regular home schooling.
Students here are encouraged to start discussion and be creative with assignments; the staff don’t try to squish all of us into the same cookie cutter mold, which allows us all to excel and be the best possible students we can be.
Along with the academic benefits, the athletic side at Seven Summits is also extraordinary. They are all about promoting a happy healthy lifestyle to the students here by offering creative gym activities and the dry land program for the ski/snowboard athletes. They have all their bases covered. We even have balance boards and work out balls in the “classrooms.”
During dry land training the athletes work on many different areas of fitness: flexibility; agility; and strength. Not only are the students at Seven Summits given the chance to be best academically as they can be, but they also make sure we are in the best physical shape possible, which definitely projects onto our on snow riding ability.
All in all, I’m looking forward to the rest of my Grade 12 year with a group of great people and tons of awesome shredding.
Cameo Gow is a Grade 12 student at Seven Summits Centre for Learning.