Public Schools that accomodate Figures Skaters Schedules?

[pinky33]

Does anyone know of any public schools that allow for exceptions for students who are elite training athletes. Our high school is trying to develop a program and we are looking for ideas from coaches, skaters, parents... Thanks for any ideas!

[overedge]

I'm sure if you searched on Google you could find lots of examples.

The schools I know of that have been successful at this sort of thing - and they make exceptions for students with all kinds of outside commitments (e.g. music, theatre, art), not just athletes - are close to the training facilities that the students use, so the students aren't wasting a lot of time each day travelling from place to place.

They also limit the amount of credit that students can get for their external activity, so that students graduate with a legitimate high school credential that they can use for work or more education. Which becomes really important when you think that the majority of students in these programs are not going to end up with a professional career in whatever their activity is.

[fan]

there's a school in toronto called the seneca sports school (or something like that) - they specialize in skating and gymnastics.

[Jozet]

Is an elite school for ballet dancers in Carlisle, PA. They have some sort of program worked out through the high school. Not sure about middle school and below.

The Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts has a program for skaters: http://www.lvpa.org/

Our local high school has a cyber school option, but it's all or nothing. We'd like to mix cyber with "brick and mortar", if possible. At my daughter's current competitive level, if she could use skating as part of her Phys Ed/Health and do one other class at home, she could skate in the morning without having to get up before the cows, and have enough time after school to get another hour practice.

Of course, with homework, maybe three classes at home would be better...I haven't thought about the particulars. A language class with Rosetta Stone, perhaps. Our schools have such fantastic maths and sciences that I'd like her to be in school for those, plus to not miss out on social aspects.

[sk8er1964]

Samuelson and Bates both went to traditional public high schools while elite training during the day. You could contact them. I believe the schools were Novi High School and Ann Arbor Huron High School.

[2sk8]

Also, the high school Rachel Flatt attended & a Cleveland high school near Winterhurst - not sure which school, but they have accomodated skaters for years. You could probably find out from the club there.

[pinky33]

Great ideas, thanks! Keep them coming!

[minx]

Search Quebec "sport etude". An entire province is dedicated to high performance sport development. I believe it started in reponse to the drop out rate of hockey players, at age 14 as they were riding the team bus all the time.

[aliceanne]

[QUOTE=pinky33;3174799]Does anyone know of any public schools that allow for exceptions for students who are elite training athletes. Our high school is trying to develop a program and we are looking for ideas from coaches, skaters, parents... Thanks for any ideas![/QUOTE

Fairfax Ice Arena in Fairfax, VA has skaters with modified public school schedules. It's owned by Audrey Weisinger and her husband. Tim Goebel and Michael Weiss trained there (among other national competitors). I remember Tim Goebel mentioning specifically that Fairfax public schools allowed that. It was in some USFSA interview advocating staying in school (at least he was).

Anyway, if you contact the rink through their website they might be able to provide contacts or advice.

Some of the skaters I can think of that attended school around skating are: the Hughes sisters, Evan Lysacek, and Rachael Flatt. Maybe you could contact their school districts. The skaters might give you info. via facebook.

[Sylvia]

The Colorado Springs skaters attend Cheyenne Mountain High School: http://www.cmsd12.org/chey_mtn_hs/

[pinky33]

This is all great info. Thank you!

[Stormy]

Hudson High in Hudson, MA is one to contact, they've been very accomodating with skaters schedules for many years now.

[Sk8 Bug]

My public district has been more than accommodating to my daughter's training schedule and she is only an Intermediate level skater in middle school. Since "credits" per se are not necessary in middle school, she has been allowed to leave early every day each year ~ missing the last class period of the day.

Next year she is off to high school and we have her schedule worked out that her Phys Ed requirement for the year will be an independent study (she will have to submit training reports and do some videos to present to the teacher). She is also going to take 2 on-line classes during the year. This will allow her to leave the building at 12:45, get her training in, and still have plenty of time for homework.

I think it has helped us immensely that she is a straight A student, and has proven every year that she can meet all her academic requirements.

On-line classes are a great tool to use in this type of situation!

[Sk8 Bug]

Ohh, PS ~ we also got a note from my daughter's pediatrician requesting the PE requirement be waived or be done as an independent study. A school district would most likely honor a request from a physician.

[Aceon6]

Lexington, MA... they've been dealing with the Haydenettes for years. Mass exodus for shows and comps, including international travel.

[leafygreens]

Is an elite school for ballet dancers in Carlisle, PA. They have some sort of program worked out through the high school. Not sure about middle school and below.

The Lehigh Valley Charter School for the Performing Arts has a program for skaters: http://www.lvpa.org/

Wow... wish I could have gone to this school!

[luna_skater]

When I was skating at Calalta in Calgary, a lot of the elite skaters went to this high school: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_...ry,_Alberta%29. It allowed students to work at their own pace in order to balance school with other things like performing arts and sports. It was also located quite close to the club's home rink.

[viennese]

The Skating Club of Boston, MetroWest and Boston, ice arenas have a lot of young skaters. Public schools in nearby towns (Hudson, MA and Lexington, MA, as mentioned before) have host families and accomodating schedules - AM or PM classes - for athletes in many sports.

My HS had a deal with a neighboring town - same scheduling blocks, but our larger HS offered extra advanced classes, so kids from next town could start day at my HS, then go to their own school. The am hours - extra off site practice for athletes or on-site classes for AP, arts, independent study - was a cooperative idea with other towns.

Before the Boston Ballet became associated with a private school in Boston, aspiring dances students (12-18) could attend their own public school AM only, then travel to Newton or Boston for dance in the afternoon - so they could remain in free public HS.

Pretty sure these were ideas that came from parents & coaches.

Many schools arrange