Former Vancouver Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit will be in Surrey to talk about his Rise & Shine Program at a new private school.
As Glarea Elevated Learning’s head soccer instructor, DeMerit will discuss his development philosophy at an open house there Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The event will be held at the Panorama Ridge-area Excellent Ice facility, to be renovated and expanded to accommodate the private school for its planned opening this coming September.
“As part of the Rise & Shine Program with Glarea, we want to focus on youth development, inclusion, and strong mentorship opportunities,” DeMerit said in an event advisory. “It’s incorporating all the lessons from the sport into the overall philosophy of the school; making it more fulfilling for children as they learn in this reimagined environment.”
• RELATED STORY, from Oct. 2019: Private school plans at expanded Surrey ice arena emphasize student ‘grit’
One “stream” of the Glarea curriculum is built around “creating a balance of elite soccer training on the field and all-encompassing life-skills training, with a strong emphasis on leadership.”
Wednesday’s forum with DeMerit will be followed by an open house to showcase “the Glarean experience while providing insight into the innovative approach of the new school.”
To start, the school will welcome students from Kindergarten to Grade 5, as part of plans to grow the number of grade levels annually from there, up to Grade 12.
“Glarea utilizes Challenge Based Learning within an all-inclusive Arts and Sports environment,” according to school administrators. “The K to 4 Sport Stream focuses on physical literacy, basics of movement, and the opportunity for children to experience multiple athletic programs.”
Other Glarea streams include ice hockey, skating, aquatics, volleyball, martial arts, music, dance and art.
Additional “Meet the Experts” talks at the school are planned in February, March and April, with details posted to glareaschool.com/open-houses.
At Excellent Ice, plans call for building’s second floor to become classrooms for the new school.
“The whole face of the building will change, and it looks amazing,” Nadia Hasan, founding partner of the school and a South Surrey resident, told the Now-Leader last October.
“All of the upstairs area will turn into classrooms, and the pub will become a cafeteria,” she added. “We have five classrooms upstairs planned for now, plus the cafeteria area. During school hours the pub will not be running, but after school hours the facility will continue to run as it has, for 3-on-3 hockey and those things, and the pub will go back into business – that kind of a cycle.”
The three-sheet ice arena, built and owned by Surrey-based Lark Group, has been in operation since 1999. Kirk Fisher, senior vice-president of the development company, is a founding partner of Glarea Elevated Learning.
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