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Podium of Life combines school and skiing

The Podium of Life school on Mount Washington combines school with skiing.
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PODIUM OF LIFE students sit around guest speaker Mark Campbell

Education is changing.

Parents are constantly looking for the best education for their children. In an attempt to find the best  solution, some people keep their kids at home and others choose to send their kids away to school.

In an attempt to facilitate optimal development, parents hire tutors, send their kids away to camps, and purchase educational software. What they are looking for is a way to encourage their children to become motivated learners.

There are so many opportunities for kids nowadays ranging from public education to homeschooling to private education. The concept of standard school is being challenged in a many ways. And many students are finding these alternatives to regular school, very stimulating.

One exciting educational opportunity is a program on a ski hill, the Podium of Life school on Mount Washington. This unique educational opportunity combines school with skiing.

Podium of Life is dedicated to providing a program where focus on self-discipline and hard work pushes youth to reach a superior level in academics, athletics, and leadership.

"We expect our students to be successful in meeting the standards of our curriculum," says Shane Harle, a teacher at the academy.

"Superior behavior and work habits; academically, socially and athletically, will be taught and continually assessed. Our goal is to build extraordinary people and it is our commitment to each student in the school to hold them to this standard of excellence on a daily basis."

Podium of Life runs through the winter, providing schooling and mountain sports for a small group of students. Students attend classes at the main lodge on Mount Washington in the morning and hit the slopes in the afternoon.

Last year a number of families took advantage of this opportunity to have their kids, from Grade 4 to 12, go to school on a ski hill. Instead of taking a bus, students rode a chair lift. Instead of sitting in a class of 30, students worked among 11 friends. Instead of recess on the playground, students skied the terrain park. Instead of building clay pots, students built snow caves.

The daily exposure to natural consequences on the hill provided valuable learning as did the presentations from guest speakers. The students gained valuable insight from a number of guest speaker including a: world champion rower, professional skier, military amputee, orthopedic surgeon and world champion swimmer, ski judge, extreme snow boarder, pioneer of ice climbing, adventure video creator, and students from Zambia.

So if your child is not excited about going to school, think outside the box and consider Podium of Life school on Mount Washington, www.podiumoflife.com or contact podiumoflife@shaw.ca. The earlybird registration deadline is July 1.

— Podium of Life