Freedom is what Tallisen Soong Smith appreciates most about her four years with Wondertree and SelfDesign. That, and the ability to mix learning and play. “It was only in my later years, in my 20s, that I realized I’d been able to play for longer than most kids in the learning setting,” the former learner and current university student says. [...]
We have awesome home learning activities to help make the jump back into the learning year super engaging! Perfect for young artists, scientists, readers, dreamers and more, our activities are interactive, educational, and designed by passionate certified educators! Get excited for September with some of our upcoming activities below! 📘 Reading Explorers with Alecyn: September 3 (6 sessions) Ages [...]
When SelfDesign® Learning Community merged with the International School of the Kootenays in 2009 and began offering grades 10 to 12 to young people across B.C., educator Diane Walters came to SelfDesign as part of the package. The well-known Nelson-based ceramicist had taught at and designed curriculum for the international school before the merger. Having that established collection of courses [...]
In March this year, Evelyn received a phone call from the Rotary Club of Ashcroft/Cache Creek telling her they were recognizing her as the Youth Citizen of the Year for all the volunteer work she’d done over the two previous years. “It made me happy,” the grade 9 SelfDesign learner says about hearing the news. Almost two years earlier, another [...]
“SelfDesign is a unique opportunity to pursue your interests in a different way,” says former SelfDesign learner Erik, a member of our Class of 2019. “It’s also a great opportunity to find like-minded people – which could be hard to do otherwise – but SelfDesign provides the perfect opportunities for these connections to be made.” At SelfDesign® Learning Community, learning [...]
More than two years ago, in September 2021, a learner in grade 9 approached SelfDesign® Learning Community’s Principals Team with an idea. She wanted to know if the school would be interested in supporting a learners’ newspaper, written for and by learners. Aerin, now in grade 11, says that the idea came from a conversation with her mom and sisters, [...]
Our Grade 6–7 Theme and Grade 8–9 Theme offerings allow learners to connect with their peers in safe, supportive online spaces, grow their comfort at communicating online and gain skills they’ll need in later grades.
When Cass starts the Bachelor of Arts program in Digital Media Studies at Vancouver Island University this month, he already will have one of the four-year program’s courses under his belt. Cass commenced from SelfDesign in June. During grade 12, he took one of the program’s first-year-level courses as part of the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care’s dual-credit [...]
Grade 8 learner Aria and her sister joined the SelfDesign® Learning Community this learning year. They live in Comox, on Vancouver Island, but this year, their family took a sabbatical to go sailing. Aria and Micah needed an alternative to brick-and-mortar schooling to keep up with their learning during their travels, and SelfDesign’s flexible, personalized approach to learning provided a [...]
Careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are becoming ever more important, and at SelfDesign, learners who finish grade 12 with a Dogwood Diploma have the same opportunities to pursue post-secondary studies and careers in STEM as any other learners who graduate from high school in B.C. At SelfDesign® Learning Community, we are applying cutting-edge educational research to our [...]
