
The Cortes Island Academy’s third semester is wrapping up and in this year’s end showcase the students are taking the audience on an imaginative visit to the year 2040. It starts at 7:00 this Thursday, January 13, 2025 at Mansons Hall.
“A really important part of the Cortes Island Academy is our year end showcase where the students are given the task of finding a way to share some of the learning that they’ve gone through in the semester in a form that is digestible for the community at large. So they put on this big event which is supposed to be fun and compelling and also spark the imagination of the citizenry of Cortes and the surrounding islands. We are really hoping that a lot of people will come out. I’m quite proud of the way the students have really taken things a different way this year,” explained Executive Director Manda Aufochs Gillespie.


“ One of the big things that the students were examining this year is the concept of climate and art. By climate, we don’t necessarily mean climate change. They did a lot of deep diving into citizen science and current ecology, but we also wanted them to examine this time that they were living in.This time is often referred to as the Anthropocene which is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘ánthrōpos’ meaning human and ‘cene’ meaning new. People are using it to refer to this geological era that we’re in now, where human activity has been the dominant influence on the world and the environment. The students have spent the semester examining what it means to grow up and live in this time with radical change, with societal pressure, and ecological pressure, ect. So they did a bunch of different things.”

“They had Tianna Hope come in and lead them through art. Rex Weyler led them through science. Kai Harvey and her brother Tosh Harvey led them through citizen relationships, science, and also field studies of different kinds and outdoor education. Michael Datura led them in social justice and in English. I helped them through two big things. One is what we call the Apocalyptic Book Club, which was not as doom and gloom as it sounds. It was a series of very interesting books that examined the idea of different apocalypses through time, from now and into the future.”

“They also put together an anthology of their works called ‘Growing Up in the Anthropocene,’ where through art and through writing, they look specifically at what it means to be alive in this time and what it means to try to remain hopeful in this time. They are basically creating a time portal into the future and they’re saying, what if we really choose and fight for the most imaginative and hopeful future possible? They are taking all the guests that come Thursday through this imagining of what it might look like in the future on Cortes in 2040.”
“It’s going to be an interactive experience that showcases some of what they’ve done in the semester, but also creates a whole other world that’s a glimpse into this more hopeful future. People are welcome to come just a little bit early because the event starts right at the door. It’ll be from seven to nine. It’s free. There’ll be some food and an opportunity to really participate in this experience and see a bunch of what the kids have been musing over this year.”
“A lot of it has been very profound and really gives me hope for the future.”



“This year for the first time we also are having guests from the district. The superintendent and members of the school board are coming to see this Cortes Island Academy, that they’ve been supporting and hearing more and more about. What these students are getting from this unusual experience? Every semester, the Cortes Island Academy really depends on a ton of community members and nonprofits really showing up in different ways. Every year the radio station, the museum, different environmental groups, forest groups, individuals, et cetera, all come out and give a little bit of their learning, their knowledge, their experience, and share it with the students.”
“This year, we also had this cool week-long Leadership Institute that the students got to do at Hollyhock. Students came from other schools and other communities, including some from Klahoose and their sister nations, were part of this experience. We were extra fortunate to have some young environmental Indigenous activists, as well as some Elders to share language, learning, and just experiences with the youth. So there’s a lot for them to try to bring into this final showcase.”
“So we hope that people, whether they were involved or not, will come out, experience this and feel that sense of gratitude that we all feel for the community.”
“At the final showcase, the students’ 84 page anthology with all their own writing and art will also be on display and be available.”



“If you want to see a little bit more of what the students have been up to. You can go online to Cortes Island Academy.ca, and pretty soon their anthology will also be up there.”

“We will be opening applications for next year quite soon. So spread the word to others that you know and come out Thursday to celebrate with us.”



Links of Interest:
- The Cortes Academy website
- Cortes Island Academy Facebook page
- Articles about, or mentioning, the Cortes Island Academy
All photos and artwork were taken from Growing Up in the Anthropocene
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