THUNDER BAY – EDUCATION – Students from Dennis Franklin Cromarty (DFC) High School had a unique opportunity to turn the fun of participating in recreation and leisure activities into both a high school and college credit this semester. Secondary school students were able to enroll in a dual-credit Recreation and Leisure Options course, offered in a partnership between DFC and Confederation College. This year’s class was the second to complete the course.
Students participated in a plethora of activities including curling, parachute games, goalball, sledge hockey, dog sledding, yoga and wall climbing throughout the course. Other highlights included visits to Confederation College, the Canada Games Complex and to wrap up the course, an overnight adventure to Kingfisher Outdoor Education Centre.
The course is designed to introduce students to recreation resources in the community, help them to develop leadership qualities, and teach them the principles of activity modification and adaptation to ensure inclusive approaches are taken in recreation and leisure planning.
“Our goal is to expose students to the possibilities of post-secondary education,” said Stephen Holloway, Recreation Therapy Professor at Confederation College. “We give them an inside look at college life, teach them some important life skills and increase their self-confidence. We also work to establish their understanding of and appreciation for people of varying abilities, and teach them how they can support and include everyone in recreation environments.”
Aaron Guthrie, a teacher at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School who assisted with the course delivery, added “This course has inspired many students to continue pursuing education after high school. It has shown them that learning can be, and should be, fun.”
Student Janelle Kakegamic couldn’t agree more. “It was really fun and it opened my eyes. I learned how to be more organized and I learned how difficult it can be for people with disabilities to participate in activities by getting to put myself in their shoes. I also learned how many opportunities people have created for them to still participate and how to change activities so they can be included.”
Fellow student Gloria Mamakeesic saw the benefit of having a window into college life. “This class has given me a credit for high school and college so I will have a head start. It also gave me different ideas to think about when deciding what I want to do for a career.”
In addition to participating in the activities, students had assignments which saw them reflect on their experiences, establish plans for designing and executing various activities and learn how to assess activity participants. Their final culminating activity took place at Kingfisher, where they put an activity they had previously planned into action, facilitating and leading the activity for their fellow students.
