SelfDesign High blog

Where did ISK go?

The International School of the Kootenays Society, a not for profit society and registered charity, was created in February 2005 to support the birth of a dream for Nelson – a peace centred, Waldorf Inspired International High School. The goal was to open in September of 2006 out of 711 Tenth St. – the old Sub Pub, that had been purchased by the board of ISK.

Over the next 2 years, with much support and good work, the school shifted its focus from being a school in a building in Nelson to a distributed learning community available to youth all over B.C. In June of 2007 ISK signed it’s first contract with The B.C. Ministry of Education as a Class One Distributed Learning High School.

The desire to connect deeply with young people manifested in the creation of local workshop courses, a blend of online and face to face seminars with learners and mentors. The first Peace Studies seminar was launched this way and culminated in a trip to L.A. for the September 2008 International PeaceJam. From this evolved PeaceCamp, launched the summer of 2008 at the Tipi Camp on the east shore of Kootenay Lake.

Throughout this time the board of ISK remained steadfastly supportive; the school building was sold and the proceeds provided the means to continue to continue developing the vision to bring peace centred education to the Kootenays. This vision included tuition free admission so that all who wished to participate, could.

In February of 2009 ISK merged with SelfDesign Learning Community- a vibrant k to 9 learning community, becoming their high school program. With this merger ISK shifted it’s name to SelfDesign ISK, and now to SelfDesign High.

The second floor of the Nelson Legion building is becoming the new home for our learning centre!

Right now we are renovating the two rooms to be ready for our move at the end of August.

We are planning a party and you are invited! More to come soon.

SelfDesign ISK is looking forward to a wonderful selection of summer intensive workshops, and many online and local workshop groups for the fall.

More exciting news to come soon

Need a course or two and don’t know what to do?

Talk with us.

Spring Newsletter

Summer Poster

SelfDesign-ISK Learning Community

ISK has merged with SelfDesign Learning Community, a K to 9 Independent DL School certified by the B.C. Ministry of Education. Check-out their websites at www.selfdesign.org & www.selfdesign.com.

What does this mean?

It is all good news!

As part of a larger K to 12 learning community we are able to offer more to learners. With 25 years history founded in the Wondertree Learning Centre in Vancouver, SelfDesign has been offering ground breaking DL experiences to B.C. learners since 2002. We are very excited to have become part of their inspiring organization.
The gifts that we bring to SelfDesign are passion for working with young adults and a peace focus in our high school graduation program.

Over the coming weeks our website will transform- tune in often to see what’s new.

Best to all.

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…

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.

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 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! 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

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