Knowlton Academy ski program still going strong after 46 years

Winter means one thing at Knowlton Academy: the return of their nearly 50-year-old ski program.

For five daysin January and February, students tradein books and pencils for skis and goggles.

"It gives the kids a chance to ski fivetimes out of the year,"says volunteer Tyler Murray."Some kids will [otherwise] never have the opportunity."

A well-oiled machine

Getting about 100 kids at a time to the ski hill is no easy task,but Knowlton's teachers and volunteers have it down to a science.

Murray is one of about 40 community members and parents who help chaperone the excursions. A former Knowlton Academy student, he started volunteering with the program as soon as he finished high school.

Principle Renalee Gore calls the program a "lean, clean skiing machine."

"It's an amazing program and it's quite unique.I know it's unique in Quebec and it might be unique in Canada because we have all of our own equipment," says Gore.

On early morning ski days,skis and boots are laid out in the school, ready for students to come collect them.

After a safety talk in the cafeteria, two school buses are loaded up by 9 a.m.

At the hill, volunteers sign out pairs of gogglesand teachers bring extra gloves and neck warmers in case someone isn't dressed warmly enough.

The school buys some new equipment every year, paid for thanks tofundraisers.

Humble origins

The program got its start in the late 1960s behind the school itself.

"Canadian hall of fame skier Lucille Wheeler had her kids go to Knowlton Academy, and she decided she was going to get skiing going at [the school],"saysphys-ed teacher Nick Lematre.

"Her first initiative was to take kids to the back of the school and get kids to slide and ski on the small hill."

From there, the program moved to nearby Glen Mountain. When that ski hill closedthe students moved to Owl's Head and,most recently,to Sutton.

Now, students begin their day at the ski hill with a lesson, followed by a few hours of free skiing.

Lematresays he sees major improvement over the course of the students' five weeks of lessons.

For Murray, it's a pleasure to see the skills of the students grow.

"You see the smile on their face when they finally get to ski on their own, it's amazing,"he says.

Headed to the hill for a day on the slopes, the students may have more immediate pleasures in mind.

'My favourite part is the chairlift, because when you start it goes zooming fast,`says Grade 3 student Alexis Elston. "That's fun."