Local public school trustees last week granted their approval in principle for the creation of hockey and cycling academies at Howe Sound Secondary School (HSSS) beginning this fall.
The initiative approved by the Sea to Sky School District board on Wednesday (March 12) includes a hockey academy for students in Grades 10 to 12 during the first (fall) semester and a cycling academy during the second (winter-spring) semester of the 2014-'15 school year.
For the hockey academy, on-ice instruction is to be provided by RPM Hockey Co., which runs 10 other school district-affiliated academies around the province. Peter Jory, District 48 director of instruction, said the company has been operating for 11 years.
"What I like is it is a school-oriented program," he said. "The head coach really stresses that the program has to fit within a school program."
A teacher-instructor will also be present at all times for both academies. Jory said the teacher needn't be a hockey player or cycling expert but is intended to "add value" through knowledge of fitness training, nutrition, organization and the like.
The academies are being designed for athletes with a wide range of abilities, Jory said.
"This is not an elite program. It's for all levels and it is for both genders," he said.
The cycling academy is to be the first of its kind in B.C. Biking instruction for the cycling academy will be led by Mike Charuk, a local resident and the head coach of Team B.C.
Instruction will be provided in a wide range of disciplines, including cross-country, BMX and road cycling, Joel Harwood, HSSS athletic director, told The Chief on Friday (March 14). It will also draw on the wide range of expertise available in the corridor, he said.
"We have amazing resources in the community, not only in terms of the trails but in terms of the people," he said.
Two local organizations - Whistler-based Gravity Logic and the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA) - have committed to providing scholarships to youngsters who want to participate in the cycling academy but might not otherwise be able to afford it, Harwood said.
Harwood voiced excitement about the possibilities that arise from the program's creation.
"I think the opportunity to run something unique and something cutting-edge is staring right at us," he told the board.
"It's not about creating elite cyclists. It's about creating elite people."
The per-participant cost of the hockey camp is $1,500, while the cost of the cycling camp is $1,300. Each of those includes a $300 refundable staffing offset fee.
Sea to Sky district officials believe 24 participants are needed for each program to fully cover staffing and administrative costs and not divert funding away from other HSS elective choices, Jory wrote in a staff report.
If it's determined that the program adds staffing costs at the school, the $300-per-student fee will be used to offset those costs. If not, participants' families will be granted full or partial refunds based on the final cost, he said.
The board also granted its approval in principle to a hockey academy for students in Grades 8 to 12 at Whistler and Pemberton secondary schools. The on-ice portion will take place at Whistler's Meadow Park Recreation Centre. RPM staff will provide hockey instruction at Meadow Park on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and at Brennan Park in the afternoons.
Jory said Sea to Sky district officials have seen the growth of academies at both public and private schools elsewhere, including the North Shore, adding that the local district's initiative "is an opportunity to show students what they can do with us."
He said the Sea to Sky District programs are less expensive than similar ones elsewhere. For example, the hockey academy at West Vancouver's Sentinel High School costs $525 per month for a program that runs from September to June.
Jory, who acknowledged that hockey and cycling are both "high-risk" activities, said district officials are still working out the details on insurance for participants in the two academies.
Board members said that while it's possible the creation of such academies will affect other elective programs at Sea to Sky schools, the move toward what they called "programs of choice" is being driven by parent and student demand.
Whistler trustee Chris Vernon-Jarvis said that while it's possible that the academy programs will affect other student elective choices, "The reality is, if our students leave our schools for academies all over B.C., we're going to be losing those electives anyway."
He added, "What we're saying is, 'We can do this and we can do it with excellence.'"
District staff is also looking at starting up a soccer academy for Grade 8 and 9 students at Don Ross Secondary School beginning next fall, Jory said, adding that he plans to present details of that program to the board at its April 9 meeting.
Principals on the move
A number of Sea to Sky School District principals are switching jobs for the start of the 2014-'15 school year.
In Squamish, Angela Uren is moving from Stawamus Elementry to Brackendale Elementary, while Paul Lorette is moving from Brackendale to Garibaldi Highlands Elementary, taking over for the retiring Gerri Galloway. Ji Ai Cho, the current vice-principal at Howe Sound Secondary School, will take over as principal at Valleycliffe Elementary. As well, Juanita Coltman, who currently serves as the district's principal for Aboriginal education, will take on the role of principal at Stawamus Elementary School this fall. The district is working to hire Coltman's replacement for the district-wide job.
As well, Pemberton Secondary School principal Nolan Cox will be principal at Whistler Secondary School, while current PSS vice-principal Krista Bowes will step into the principal's role there. Cox is taking over the job currently held by Bev Oakley, who is taking on a one-year contract position as human resources advisor with the district.
