Tag Archives: Exchange students

A new semester begins at the Cortes Island Academy

The Cortes Island Academy kicked off its second year with a ‘meet and greet’ barbeque on Tuesday, September 5. Students and homestay parents met with some of the people working behind the scenes. School started the following day.

“Right now, the students are just going back into the classroom after being in Carrington for the last four days on a camping trip that started on the weekend and went into the week.  They are still in the  outdoor education fundamentals getting to know each other part of the semester,” explained Manda Aufochs Gillespie, the Academy’s principal Board member.

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Small B.C. island floats new model of rural education

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporters

A tiny B.C. island is charting a new course for rural education to keep families from abandoning the community to ensure their kids can attend high school. 

This fall, the Cortes Island community and School District 72 are piloting a half-year of public high-school programming shaped by students’ interests, community expertise and the surrounding environment, said Manda Aufochs Gillespie, one of the project’s organizers. 

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