By Tim Hudak Board Chair – I have often expressed how impressed I was with the Academy when I first visited RLA as the local Member of Provincial Parliament.
One of the aspects of the program at the school that really impresses me is the opportunity our students have that most other schools do not offer.
RLA’s Adventure Training includes skydiving, scuba diving and, thanks to a successful fundraising campaign in 2021, rappelling.
With March Break approaching quickly, three staff and two students are preparing for one of those Adventure Training opportunities – The Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico. The march is a 26.2-mile march through White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in honour of US service members, many from the New Mexico National Guard (NMNG), who were POWs in the Philippine Islands during World War II.
In the school I went to, the closest equivalent was a jog around the school in gym class!
In recognition of our good friendship with the NMNG, RLA has taken part in the march annually for many years. Only a handful of students are selected to take part each year, and they proudly wear the Bataan medals they have earned.
As with our other Adventure Training activities, when they have completed the march our students will feel a sense of true accomplishment, recognize they can do anything if they work for it, and build their self-confidence.
The boys also learn the importance of teamwork, of supporting each other and leadership.
This is why our Adventure Training, and all other aspects of the RLA program, are so important. They provide our students with the skills necessary to conquer any challenge they may face and sets them up for success.
In addition to the trip to New Mexico, ten RLA students are taking part in a trip to France during the March Break to tour important battlefield sites. While this isn’t truly an Adventure Training exercise, it is still a valuable learning moment for our students.
The curriculum for Grade 10 History focuses on modern Canadian history, from World War I in 1914 to the present. This trip puts our students on the ground where Canadians soldiers fought, and died, giving them a personal connection to that history.
This trip is important not because our students will ace their next history test but because they will understand the sacrifices others have made, appreciate the character and values those young soldiers possessed, and develop a sense of how history impacts how they fit into the world today.
The board not only approves these types of activities but encourages them because they are part of what makes RLA so unique and why our students are successful at RLA and as leaders in the workforce and community.
I hope everyone has an enjoyable March Break, whether you are taking part in an exciting trip or staying closer to home.
