Seventeen Sails

By: Meghan Kort, Communications Coordinator

Last month, Cindy Smith, a teacher at College Heights Secondary School in Prince George, BC climbed aboard for her seventeenth and final SALTS sail. She announced her retirement from teaching last June. Thanks to Cindy, the annual SALTS trip has continued to be a core component of the CHSS school culture.  She claims that the sailing adventure is “the best way to start the school year” because it gets kids out of the classroom and teaches them life skills like cooperation, hard work, and courage. These community-oriented leadership skills set a positive tone for the rest of the school year.

Cindy has vivid memories of her first ever SALTS sail. She had been nervous about climbing the rigging to the top of the Pacific Grace’s main mast, but after watching many of her students take on the challenge, she knew she had to give it a try. “I pushed myself beyond my boundaries and I was able to accomplish it!” recalls Cindy, “I said ‘carpe diem’ and from then on it’s always been seize the day.”

Every year Cindy walks this journey with her more apprehensive students. “We take one step at a time,” Cindy explains, “you stand by them, you encourage, inspire, motivate.” After all these years, Cindy has become an expert in working with the SALTS crew members to create the learning environment each student needs to succeed. “We push them to their limits…I mean sleeping in the same space as thirty people you don’t know is a challenging experience, learning to use the head (marine toilet) is a challenging experience…but we also work within a comfort zone so that they can learn in a warm, generous, giving environment.” Cindy notices that the confidence her students gain through their SALTS experience translates into leadership at home. For the past nine years, Cindy’s students have earned the City of Prince George’s Youth of the Year Award for their outstanding volunteerism.

Before disembarking, Cindy passed her leadership legacy on to the next CHSS teacher in charge, JP Martin, since she announced her retirement last June. We are thankful for the long-term partnerships we have with teachers like Cindy who have made community-building, adventure, and mentorship a key component of their classes. Most of all, we are thrilled to see our relationship with CHSS and dozens of other schools in BC and Alberta continue to thrive and grow. If you are a teacher or youth worker interested in witnessing the transformation that Cindy Smith and other teachers see in their students every year, please visit our Group Sails web page.