Volunteer Opportunities
Garbage Run
There is a small load of clean garbage that needs to go to the dump. Cardboard boxes with our old blinds and a broken chair. The load would fit into a regular sized car. Everything is on the east side of the building on the covered wheelchair ramp, so can be picked up at your convenience. Please click here if you can help.
Building Workshop Helper Needed
Because of our busy workshop schedule we have moved the installation of our shed until September. It will be part of the workshops we offer in the 2019-20 year. We are in need of a parent helper to be part of this project. The shed is mostly prebuilt so basic building skills are enough for this project. You will be working with Centre staff and this will fulfill your volunteer component. We are still building the schedule for the fall so there isn’t a specified time and day yet but please click here if you are interested in helping and we will keep you informed.
News at the Centre
Grant from Community Initiatives from CBT
Thanks to Columbia Basin Trust, the City of Rossland and Regional District of Kootenay Boundary - Area B for granting the Centre $3,423.50 to replace our 20 year old blinds in the main room. We now have black out blinds that have a remote so we can fully darken the room for AV presentations and movies. We can also manage sun glare on computer screens more effectively. With the ability to program the blinds the Centre will also be more energy efficient.
Special Acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge and thank St. Andrew’s United Church (also known as Communities in Faith Pastoral Charge) for being such a great landlord over the past two years. They are wonderful to work with and have allowed us to expand into a space that is better suited to our needs, yet still stay within our means. They have been receptive to our renovations and are currently pursuing grants that would further our renovations to a whole new level and benefit the students tremendously. They have come in and fed the students and staff a luncheon both years now, which we all love! It is a great partnership and shows what a community working together can accomplish.
Rossland’s Grads leave their high school education with a little bit of Seven Summits Centre for Learning in their hearts
It was with such pride, and a touch of sadness, that staff at Rossland’s Seven Summits Centre for Learning (7S) officially launched their nine graduates out into the world armed with a record breaking $11,150 worth of bursaries and scholarships shared among the small, “awesome” class of 2019.
“Go make some memories but remember to drop in and visit us!” Joyce Oostindie, administrator, 7S told the departing students at its sixth annual celebration and graduation ceremony.
Benefiting from intimate, personalized learning groups, the graduates leave 7S equipped with the skill sets, self-confidence and independence to pursue their personal ambitions, sporting dreams, apprenticeships, work placements and post-secondary education. Following in the footsteps of 7S Alumni, who are currently excelling at Universities at home and abroad (including Huddersfield University in the UK, Harvard, UBC, and the Universities of Toronto, Alaska, Torino and Queens), their transition to the next stage will be a relatively seamless one due to the unique approach to learning 7S adopts.
This year’s graduation was particularly poignant with three of the 7S Grads – Natasha, Ben and Logan – completing the entirety of their high school years at 7S together and accessing Navigate’s innovative, award-winning learning resources, from right on their doorstep.
“7S can accommodate your schedule in a way other schools are not able to do” explains Samara who graduated a year early and will be attending the University of Victoria following a ten-month Rotary Exchange in France. She attributes the impressive accomplishment to “wonderful teachers” and the ability to “work at my own pace”; “Everyone who works and helps at Seven Summits Centre for Learning wants to see you succeed and will do everything it takes to make sure that happens.” Explaining what she will take from her three years at 7S, Samara says: “Learning how to properly manage my time and school work with the rest of my life has already and will continue to serve me well”.
Kai, who moved to Rossland from Vermont for Grade 12, will be studying Environmental Engineering at St Lawrence University in New York State and skiing NCAA for them, with a scholarship: For him, the best part of his final year was the “unique sense of community”, where everyone has a “special place and works together in a special way”. Explaining his positive experience at 7S, Kai says: “7S helped me take my learning into my own hands. As a serious athlete I could keep up with my studies at the times that worked best for me. The staff helped me become a more independent student, learner and person and if other students want to be surrounded by people and a situation that supports their dreams, they should consider it!”
“These students have the strength to make the change that’s needed in the world,” said special guest speaker Jeff Taylor and principal from SD71 North Island Distance Education School (NIDES). Attending with vice principal Alison Kaviliunas, they celebrated the students’ accomplishments, borne from an innovative partnership with Seven Summits Centre for Learning and the delivery of its Navigate program.
“We really value the support from our local businesses, volunteers and the wider community who are integral to our continued success and make our Centre the vibrant and progressive place of learning which it has become. The graduation is always a really personalized event which showcases the kind, wonderful and gifted individuals we are raising together,” says Ann Quarterman, operations manager, Seven Summits Centre for Learning.
The celebrations, which included athlete recognition and undergrad awards for academic excellence, active participation, learner evolution and personal achievements were also 
used to say farewell to departing teacher extraordinaire Andrea Pierce who is moving to Sanikiluaq with her new husband. She was gifted a painting of the town, featuring the iconic red-roof heritage building 7S is housed in, created by student Faith Pappas. “Andrea is so loved by everyone here and will be really missed,” says Ann. “A great attempt was made at Grad to keep her in Rossland by encasing her in a large cardboard box but she managed to break out! However, there are plans to connect via Skype and arrange exchanges so that students can experience life in the North,” she adds.
Ropes - Rite of Passage Experience Night
Our traditional evening for ROPE presentation happened in May with wonderful projects explained by the grade 8&9 students. ROPE is an independent work experience with a community mentor related to a personal passion of the student which culminates in a Rite of Passage Experience presentation. Projects and mentors from this year are: Lily Holmes: Singing (Nadine Tremblay), Stephanie Budnik: painting (Stephanie Gauvin), Sophie Hargreaves: photography (Lesley Chisholm), Bella Mercer: interior design (Kathleen Dedemus), Claire Park: Photography (Richard Soltice), Raya Delaire: acting (Juliana Marko), James Laird: music production (Adian Poulter), Faith Pappas: sewing (Evelyn Coy), Aisha Goertzen: dog rescue (Ida Koric), Abbey McLean: photography (Richard Soltice), Dylan Cowan & Cooper Baley: clothing design (Romie Froese & Ben Gotts), Esther Lawe: writing and publishing (Darcee O’Hearn), Caleb Poulter: recycled art (Andy Holmes). It was a great evening with desserts provided from the students. A special thank you to all the community mentors who shared their knowledge and time with our learners. The mentors made this journey memorable and life changing for the students.
The Latest in our Community
Year End Show for Dance a Rousing Success
A moving and extraordinary evening of dance culminated our dance students’ year of training and performing. Sophie, Sammy and Esther performed with gusto and love of dance. There was also a performance in the adult group from graduating student, Natasha. As always, Renée Salsiccioli put on a great show for her Kootenay Danceworks students.
Thank you for your support!
As innovative, educational pioneers, this imaginative and flexible approach, which actually gives students more study hours than they had before, will provide a smarter way of studying, have a positive impact on student performance and boost academic achievement even further. They will be expected to complete their weeks’ work, labs and assignments in four days to the same, if not higher, standards than they currently do in five. However, the Free Friday will also give them the option to boost their future career prospects, to explore the world of work and volunteering, to provide more time to travel and train for athletes, to catch up on homework and extra study at home or to play, rest and pursue a healthy, active balanced lifestyle. Gaining traction in the corporate world, we hope the four day week will mean more quality time together as a family and become another significant differentiating factor that makes 7S even more competitive and attractive to new educators. However, should you have any concerns please raise them with 
year on that Monday, with staff returning on that date. On Tuesday August 27th, we will be registering all students for their classes and ensuring all forms, permission slips and paperwork is completed. This is a mandatory session for families. Each family needs to come in sometime between 9am and 6pm to ensure all is correct for the start of the academic year. Depending on each student’s scheduling needs, the meeting will take ½ to 1 ½ hour. Students will be attending the Centre for first assignments and camp planning on Thursday August 29th starting at 9am. More details for the schedule on August 29th will be forthcoming in mid-August.
