Students and instructors are happy with the first semester of a pilot program for senior high school students on Cortes Island. The Cortes Island Academy is the brainchild of parents on the island, where teenagers in grades 10, 11 and 12 had to either be homeschooled or leave to complete their high school education prior to this school year.

The Academy launched this past September. The school year is based on a semester system consisting of four blocks, each lasting four to five weeks: Outdoor Adventure & Leadership; Marine Ecology; Creative Tools For Truth Telling; and Film Making.

Each course is sanctioned by BC School District 72 and counts for high school credits. District 72 teacher Jeff Lontayao is helping with the program on Cortes. He says it stretches the boundaries of traditional bricks and mortar education, adding that his biggest takeaway from what he's seen early in the school year is that "each student is thrilled to come to school each day."

Tosh and Kai Harvey from Cortes Kayaks are instructors in the Outdoor Adventure & Leadership module. Photo by Greg Osoba.

The first program is Outdoor Adventure & Leadership. Cortes Islanders Kai and Tosh Harvey are a sister and brother team who work for local company Cortes Kayaks. They are the primary instructors in the current module. They're happy with how it's going and say that having a four to five week in-depth course means more meaningful relationships are formed with the students.

Cortes Island Academy students Seren and Zella. Photo by Greg Osoba.

Cortes Island Academy students Seren and Zella, who hail from Cortes, are enthused with the program so far. They say they love spending time outdoors and the hands-on nature of the Outdoor Adventure & Leadership course.

In total, 20 students are enrolled in the program. Many are from Cortes Island, with others coming from elsewhere in School District 72, and an international student from Germany.

Hear more in the report below from CKTZ News: