iskblog

Look Back! Look Ahead! November 19, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 12:01 pm

ISK has been humming with activity lately and even busier times are ahead. One of the highlights of the school year was the unforgettable trip that nine students took to the PeaceJam international youth peace conference in Los Angeles in September. Imagine getting to mix it up with 3,000 young people from all over the world who are passionate about peace plus seven Nobel Peace Laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu!

Our group of PeaceJammers presented their ideas for a local peace project to Laureate Betty Williams, renown for helping broker a peace accord in Ireland. While at the conference, ISK students help paint a mural on the wall of a school is East Los Angeles. They were impressed by the security wire around the school and the presence of armed guards on campus. Now back in the West Kootenay, the students are bringing their peace project to fruition through enrollment in PeaceJam II.

There’s an exciting and transformational development for ISK on the horizon. What if we were to join forces with a seasoned K-9 distributed learning school that holds our same values of student-centered learning and fostering the inherent curiosity of young people? What would that look like? Stay tuned…

Learning Never Stops July 8, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 9:56 am

ISK High School Workshops April 15, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 7:55 am

To support the many types of high school learners ISK is offering some of its DL classes in a workshop format.
This means students have the option to participate in a once a week, 2 12 hour classes lead by a teacher.

For example:
ISK is offering an English 12 Workshop this coming October to December.

Teacher Earl Hamilton will offer a series of 10 workshops on Wednesdays from 1 to 3:30 PM focused on the English 12 course.

These classes will be dynamic, interactive sessions that blend individual work with in-class activities.

ISK is planning a number of workshop courses for the coming year, and also welcomes student requests for particular workshops. Get a number of your friends together and create your own course, or tackle a course that you need with the support of a group and teacher/mentor.

Physics 11 is Waiting for You! March 8, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 4:34 pm

ISK is offering Physics 11 as a workshop class. With the enthusicastic guidance of ISK teachers, students can expect to enter into an interesting and enjoyable experience!

Starting the week of March 10, call the school for more information.

ISK Upcoming Workshop Classes February 25, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 3:44 pm

ISK has pioneered the Workshop Class, which is independent learning supported by a weekly teacher led seminar class. A perfect blend of efficient independent learning and the support of a small class and a teacher.

Biology 12 starting March 6 to June 5
Leadership Studies11/PeaceJam Seminar starting March 6 to May 29
Math 11 starting March 5 - June 9
Fine Arts 12 - the History of Architecture starting March 10 to May 5

We Did It! February 14, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 11:08 am

We did it! The International School of the Kootenays now a Class One Independent Distributed Learning High School. The BC Ministry of Education of Independent Schools has just granted us first class status and we are thrilled and so pleased with ourselves! We have worked hard. And loved it. And now we breathe.

We do have some administrative fine tuning to do but based on our outstanding curriculum, we were told, they have given us the official seal and their faith that we will cross all our ts in the next few months.

So, a HUGE thank you to you each and all for your help and support and enthusiasm and belief! Thank you.

And, yea!

Barbarah, Alison and Amy

A Quote from Robert Kennedy January 31, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 12:34 pm

Each time a person
stands for an ideal
or acts to improve
the lot of others
or strikes out against
injustice

her or she
sends forth
a ripple of hope

and crossing each other
those ripples build a current
of energy and daring
that can

sweep down the
mightiest wall of oppression
and resistance

few are willing to
brave the disapproval
of their fellows
the censor of their colleagues
the warmth of their society

Moral courage is
a rarer commodity
than bravery in a battle
or great intelligence

Yet it is
the one
essential, vital quality
for those who seek
to change the world
that yields most painfully to change

Happy New Year! January 10, 2008

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 2:20 pm

The International School of the Kootenays is happy to invite everyone to chat, visit and work with ISK during 2008.

One of our main objectives for the New Year is to reach out more to our local and global communities with activities focused on peace. These activities invite dialogue, offer instruction and provide the opportunity to artistically express personal and community responses to the question of how to build peace.

Beginning in February, ISK is offering the following peace oriented seminars, workshops and projects:

• PeaceJam Seminars for grades 10, 11 and 12
• Peace Tiles and Peace Flags workshops
• Practical and Fine Arts Courses, including: water colour painting, book binding, creative writing, making your own zine, improvisational drama
• One World Community Choir.

In the mean time, we always welcome new ideas and stories to share around the promotion of or actions to be taken towards living in peace. New projects in which you can become involved can be found online, in your local/national communities and in schools everyday! See the following link for an example of a world hunger project started online and feel free to add a comment with your thoughts, ideas and similar projects.

http://www.freerice.com/

http://mixedmedia.us/peacetiles/

http://www.peacejam.org/

http://www.razoo.com/

http://www.unicef.org/ (’Voices of Youth’)

To learn more about our school, available courses and important workshop dates you are welcome to visit our fresh new website, or call our office directly.

What’s New at ISK August 29, 2007

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 3:36 pm

Distributed Learning + Workshops = Best of Both Worlds

To support the many types of high school learners ISK is offering some of its DL classes in a workshop format.
This means that students have the option to participated in a once a week class lead by a teacher.

Our first workshop class is:

English 12 with teacher Earl Hamilton!
Earl will offer a series of 10 workshops, beginning on October 3 from 1 to 3:30.
Day and time doesn’t work? Call us and let us see what we can do.
The workshop classes will be dynamic interactive sessions that blend individual work with in-class activities.

Create Your Own Workshop Class
Gather a group of friends together and choose a course that you would like to workshop. Call or come in and talk to us- we are interested in supporting your learning!

Create Your Own Course
Passionate about an activity or subject?
Want to have your leisure time pursuit recognized for the learning it supports?
ISK has an Independent Study Elective Course for grade 10, 11 and 12 that provides the guidance and form for you to write your own course.

Community Courses
Song Writing with Jude Davison
One World Community Choir with Director Bo Conlan
Improvization with Barbarah Nicoll
and more to come …

ISK will be offering a diverse selection of Community Courses this fall.

Community Talks and Conversation Cafe’s
As part of our Peace Studies activities ISK will be hosting Community Talks and Cafe’s.
Have a topic you would like to explore? Talk to us.

ISK is ready for you! August 7, 2007

Filed under: What's New with ISK — info @ 10:43 am

We are settled into our new office at 420 Victoria Street, Nelson BC, Canada.
You can reach us at 250 354-1310 or 1 888 55-2951

ISK is an Independent Distributed Learning High School in B.C., Canada.
Are you wondering what a Distributed Learning High School is?
It is a high school that offers courses primarily through the mail or internet, and in our case assigns a teacher to each student to mentor and support that student’s learning experience.

For example: you wish to take Biology 10 with ISK.

You fill out the admission form and the course registration form, and send them in. We receive them, contact you and enroll you in the course. Once enrolled you will receive the course via the mail or the internet, and the course teacher/mentor will contact you. This teacher/mentor will be a support for you through your learning experience in the course.

With over 25 high school courses for students to choose from, you can take one course or take your entire high school program with us.

If you are enrolled at another highschool, no problem!
You can take a course with us and receive credit for you graduation program.

You may also choose to take the majority, or all of your high school courses with us.
Which ever you choose, we are here ready to work with you.

As we are a Distributed Learning School, you are able to enroll with us at any point in the school year. You can also sign up for a course with a friend or two and create a learning group! We can arrange conference calls so that you can learn with your friends!

Stay tuned, our new website will be up and running soon!

iskblog

The virtual ISK playground and development journal.