Gold Coast Offers An Innovative Surf High School For Teens
“It’s cruisier, but we still get lots of work done.”
The Elanora High School CooeeGC program started in 2017 and has given year 11 and 12 students a unique, community-based education. Students in the program earn a Queensland Certificate of Education by completing four core subjects. On top of normal education, they pursue flexible traineeships and trades on the Gold Coast.
Students in the program begin their school day with a two-hour surf session. The students still learn basic subjects like math and science, but their extracurricular activities are more hands-on. For example, one teen currently reaches for certificate 1 in construction through surfboard shaping.
According to ABC News:
CooeeGC teacher and founder Matt Barber has spent the past 13 years preparing senior students for their transition into the ‘real world’
The name means ‘come here‘ in Dharug language and reflects the notion of an echo, that students will get back the work they put in, Barber said.
Barber believes if that students consistently show up at 6am to surf, they will transition into the same routine for work when they grow up.
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