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Friday, November 15, 2013
CK Ski School offered as extracurricular option BY SERAINE PAGE SPAGE@SOUNDPUBLISHING.COM
CK Ski School Director David Keller has had students call him from inside snow banks. Sometimes it happens during lessons, when the snow is light and fluffy. But somehow it doesn’t keep students away from participating. Last year, 215 students took part in the extracurricular ski school. Since 1969, Central Kitsap School District students have had the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard through the CK Ski School. “Stevens Pass is a very safe mountain,” he said, noting it is well patrolled. Students are also required to ski with a buddy. Starting in December, students in the school will head to Stevens Pass every Saturday for eight weeks to learn how to ski or snowboard. Levels vary from beginner to expert, and the school is open to students in fifth through twelfth grades. During an informational meeting on Tuesday evening, parents and students learned about the school and asked ques-
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been in the same center and passed weeks prior to Sanford’s father showing up. Sanford and Santos spoke of Norm frequently, and Sanford believes her father and Norm had a lot in common, even though they had never met. Even as Santos helped Sanford fold her father’s clothes, a sweater that looked identical to Norm’s popped up. “We both just felt like somebody brought Mona to me,” said Sanford. “There
tions. Despite some of the risk involved with the sport, Keller reassured parents that he and two other directors patrol the mountain, along with ski patrol, to keep an eye on the kids. He also gives everyone his cell number in case of an emergency, and staff are on hand to administer first aid, if needed. Heather Hudson’s son went through the school for the first time last year as a ninth grader. As a result, she has seen his confidence bloom. He picked up boarding, just like his father. “He was so excited to go. The instructors there are phenomenal” she said. “Within the first day he had the confidence.” Hudson said she was floored when she watched a video of her son flying down a mountainside after one of his lessons. She said she “couldn’t believe that was my son” when she saw the video because of how comfortable he looked on his board. This year, Hudson’s sixth grade daughter, Claire, will participate in the school. A few of her friends plan to
join her as well. She will pick boarding up, like her father and brother. “It sorta runs in my family,” she said. Except for her mother, who remarked, “ I don’t like the speed.” The two attended the Tuesday meeting at CK Junior High, excited to learn more about the gear, sport and school lessons provided. “The thing I’m completely looking forward to is having fun with everyone else and learning how to snowboard,” said the sixth grader. The school is open to students across the county—from South Kitsap to North Kitsap—but the CK School District rules and responsibilities apply to those students, too. Students travel in their respective age groups on the buses. Fifth through ninth graders leave from Central Kitsap Junior High School, and tenth through twelfth graders leave from the senior parking lot of Central Kitsap High School on the days of travel. Keller, who runs the program and is a CK Junior High counselor, offered the
“sticker shock” to parents to let them know it isn’t a cheap sport to participate in. “Skiing is an expensive sport,” he warned audience members. For the school, two costs are involved: transportation and mountain fees. Transportation costs $260 per student. Mountain fees cover the costs of lift access and lessons, and the pricing varies, depending on the student’s age. Students age 15 and younger will pay $471. Those 16 and older will pay $501. That doesn’t include the cost of food or the rental or purchase of gear. However, this year, Stevens Pass is offering a free season pass to all fifth grade students. Keller has been involved in the sport since seventh grade, and hopes parents see the value of their child participating in the sport. “I think it’s just an amazing environment to be in,” he said. “It’s an expensive sport, but it’s a fun sport.” The days are long, and students can expect to start boarding buses shortly after 5 a.m. and return to Silverdale at around 7:30 in the evening. Students
were just so many coincidences.” Despite Santos’ experience with pain in Hospice, everyone treated her so well and like family that she decided to stay and help others. It is people like Sanford she builds connections with because of her decision to volunteer. When she first started volunteering almost eight years ago, Santos would visit patients in their homes and nursing homes. “But I like it here better,” she said. “This is like my family; everybody is so nice to me.” Sometimes, patients ask
Santos hard questions. They’ll ask why they got cancer; they want to know why they are lying in their death bed, ridden with a horrible disease. Santos, ever poetic, responds in a way that would make even the most hardened person cry. She asks the patients if they pick a dying flower when they go out into a garden. She tells them that they wouldn’t do that; they would pick the most beautiful flower they could find. Santos reminds the patients that in God’s eyes, they are the most beautiful flower He could possibly pick.
“You belong to the garden of God,” she tells them. Along with a sensitive spirit, Santos also brings entertainment to the Fred Lowthian Care Center for patients. During visits, she brings her yellow canary, Julio, whom she affectionately calls “my buddy.” The patients often cannot leave their rooms, and Santos knows they get bored — looking at the same things every day. “It’s really hard for them to be in the one room with the same bed, same view,” she said. “When I bring Julio, it’s something new.”
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Rekindle your romance..
Seraine Pge/ Staff photo
David Keller, right, talks with those interested in skiing.
Ski Swap
are encouraged to bring snacks and entertainment, and most kids start the day in pajama bottoms and change once they get to the lodge, Keller said. Clearly labeling gear and decorating bags with ribbons is a good way to easily pick out personal gear after a long day on the slopes. To participate, the next mandatory meeting is Dec. 10 at Central Kitsap Junior High from 5 to 8 p.m. where students and parents can ask more questions and sign up for the school. Sign-ups for the school will also happen at that time.
Families interested in the school may join in on a yard sale-like ski swap to score a variety of gear. New and used gear will be available for purchase. All proceeds supports the CK Ski School scholarship program. Date: Sat., Nov. 16 Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: CK Junior High Cost: $1 to browse or $5 to sell
Sometimes patients don’t want to hear the radio or watch the television. That’s where “Julio the Therapist” comes in. “They look at Julio. It’s something that’s alive and moving,” she said. “It’s something to relax…I think he’s good for Hospice.” Julio price tag was $50, which was a bargain in Santos’ book. He loves to sing, she said, and she’s found he also loves broccoli. He happily sings to anyone who will listen. She believes that Julio misses Norm as much as she does. Santos wears his silver bracelet, which bears both her name and his, a reminder of the special person she misses. At the end, Santos said living a good life and being a
good person is what counts. She’s seen bitter family members ignore their loved ones, even until the end, which is hard for her. “When you die, you have to die in peace,” she said. “That’s why you’ve got to be good in life. That’s what people will remember about you.” In her heart, she knows she can go in peace because she has no remorse, she said. The fancy car and big house don’t matter when it comes to saying goodbye to this life, she said. Those things are easily replaceable, but if Hospice has taught her one thing, it is that people are not. “Everybody is special to me,” she said. “You treat everybody the same.”
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