Students showcase skateboard creations

Students showcase skateboard creations. From left: Oasis Secondary School students Tanya Kocur, 18, Adam Rushton, 19, and Brittany McCaffrey, a.k.a. Wolf, 18, display their artwork at a charity event held at Manic Coffee, located at 426 College St., Jan. 26. The alternative school students design and create their own skateboards as part of their learning curriculum. (Jan. 26, 2010) Staff photo/BRAD PRITCHARD

There's an alternative secondary school in the heart of the city that will make you rethink the term 'boarding school'.

Established in November 2006, The Oasis Skateboard Factory is a re-engagement program where students get to design and create their own skateboards as part of their education curriculum.

Students from Oasis Secondary School recently had the chance to show off the fruits of their labour at a charity auction held January 26 at Manic Coffee, at 426 College St. An eclectic mix of students, as well as parents, staff, local artists and community supporters, came out Tuesday evening to check out an array of colourful and eye-popping skateboard decks perched on the walls of the coffee house.

Craig Morrison is a teacher at the heart of Oasis. He works alongside students every step of the way, from the workshop to the skate park. An artist himself, Morrison is a firm believer in utilizing different ways of reaching out to students who are academically unsuccessful in the "rigid" school system. He said schools like Oasis let at-risk students find their true potential.

"The students here (at Oasis) are so freakin' talented," he said. "I'm very proud of what they've accomplished."

Morrison thinks most of the kids who come to Oasis have given up on the school system and suffer from being labelled as failures.

"I'm super encouraging," he said. "I'm constantly on them to just hand their work in because most of them have never really experienced success. Once they do, they find it to be quite infectious."

Oasis students receive compulsory and elective high school credits over two semesters. While art is the main focus of the program, they also learn business and social justice skills by working with local organizations, entrepreneurs and the arts community. They even get the chance to flex their writing skills via the production of a semester-end skateboard magazine.

Oasis Secondary School principal Gabi Kurzydlowski said the program offers a well-rounded education for the students, but more importantly, a second chance.

"The program is a very innovative way of helping students achieve (high school) credits and make the transition to other schools," she said. "Students who are unhappy or feel marginalized by the typical school structure are very successful here."

Morrison describes the learning environment at Oasis as inclusive.

The students seem to agree.

"We're basically one big family," said Adam Rushton, 19, who hopes one day to own and operate his own skateboard design company.

Tanya Kocur, 18, agreed.

"There's 18 students in the program, but there aren't any cliques like you'd find in a regular high school," said Kocur, whose board design features a shimmering air-brushed butterfly. "I guess you could say we are one big clique."

By the end of the night, one of the four charity boards, which were up for sale, managed to bring in $100 for Kids Help Phone. Morrison said the other boards are likely to be sold by the end of the week. Students were the ones who decided which charities to raise money for, and Morrison said this emphasizes the hands-on approach of the program.

"The reason students are successful here is because they can see the light at the end of the tunnel...through a highly engaging project," he said. "They realize that this isn't just for fun but that they will get credits for it, too.

"Because of this, I hope these students walk away with really good memories of high school."

Visit http://oasisskateboardfactory.blogspot.com to learn more about The Oasis Skateboard Factory.