Peace River High School is excited to introduce the Peace River High School Sports Academy during the 2024-2025 school year, spearheaded by Teacher Taylor Hulme.

The school will offer the newly created Sports Academy to Grade 9 students and adopt a multidisciplinary approach, making the course applicable to a broad range of student athletes.

"If you are a dancer, if you are a football player or a hockey player, what it's focused on is the background in training for sport. There's a focus on mental training, nutrition, strength. It's multi-disciplinary," explained Principal Wade Johnson. 

Johnson went on to say that Hulme has partnered with one of the top sports psychologists in northern Alberta, who has agreed to develop the sports psychology component of the academy. For this first year, the psychologist will teach this portion of the class, while Hulme observes. Moving forward, Peace High will own the content developed by the psychologist and be able to continue to provide this professionally developed module in house. 

Hulme has also partnered with the North Peace Gymnastics Club to provide students with core training.

"Gymnastics is one of the best activities for all sports in terms of just training, body control, and working from that angle," Johnson said.

The one-semester Academy will also have enrolled students train at the Peace Regional Swimming Pool and with a hired strength trainer at the school. 

While the Sports Academy remains in its infancy, Johnson said he was encouraged by the number of students who have already expressed interest. Right now, the school has 25 students, or 40 per cent of the Grade 9 class, registered for the Sports Academy during the 2024-2025 school year.

Registered students will need to pay a $50 course fee, however, that fee is being supplemented by the school, Johnson confirmed. 

"This program should be about $200 to $250 course. But we want to have it where it is accessible to our students," he said.

For more information about the Sports Academy, reach out to Principal Wade Johnson or Teacher Taylor Hulme.