Procrastination Leads to Early Graduation
By Seven Summits Centre for Learning
“The world rewards those who take responsibility for their success”- Curt Gerrish.
Graduation from high school is celebrated as a milestone where young adults embark upon a variety of pathways that offer bright futures ripe with opportunity. Options for accomplishing future goals hinge upon individual abilities and personal responsibility. The cultivation of individual abilities and personal responsibility are the cornerstone of Seven Summits Centre for Learning.
“I learned to work hard by first procrastinating,” said Joshua Friesen, a Grade twelve student at 7S. “From homeschooling and using distributed learning until Grade ten, I found myself very far behind by the second semester. So, I joined 7S for the structure and teachers. I just put my mind to working hard, reducing distractions, and found motivation in completing courses. Actually, I would have graduated a full year early, but I didn’t do any homework. I just used the structure, motivation, and guidance provided by the Centre. I never set out to graduate early; it resulted from my commitment to the structure and showing up,” concluded Friesen.
Not surprisingly, Friesen is not the first student to enjoy early graduation’s freedom and accomplishment. Other alumni have also graduated early, like the success story of Hailey Revolone, the entrepreneurial graphic artist who opened her own business. Revolone completed grades 10 through 12 in just two years using the flexible learning platform at 7S. She then attended the Digital Arts & New Media program at Nelson’s Selkirk College campus. She recently opened her own company called Mystic Design.
“The ‘traditional’ school setting was not for me, but luckily I was granted the freedom to take control of my learning experience at 7S,” said Revolone. “For current 7S students, the biggest thing I can advocate is for them to create their structure. The open atmosphere of the learning center allows their learning experience to be entirely pliable and moulded to them as an individual. It is up to the student to create the future they would like to live, and the best time to build that skill base is with the support of their peers and mentors. Time management and organization will look different for every student. Still, suppose they take the time to learn about themselves. In that case, they will find the perfect formula for their future,” concluded Revolone.
Another early graduation story is Samara Kuhn. Kuhn attended 7S for three years, starting in 2016/17. Thriving in the blended learning environment, she worked on Grade 10, 11, and 12 classes in her last two years and graduated a year early in 2019. Living in Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia, she is working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology. “Seven Summits allowed me to thrive as a learner through the flexible environment offered. I gained skills in time management and organization in addition to understanding what type of learning environment works best for me. This has allowed me to adapt to the similar self-paced learning environment at university extremely well,” said Kuhn.
Friesen’s advice is to any students at home struggling and who could benefit from the structure, motivation, and accountability that a learning center could provide to “just go to 7S. The isolation and lack of social interaction will end. Join 7S and get the structure, programs, socialization, discipline, and communication to ready yourself before post-secondary education. You don’t have to struggle alone when a center like 7S is set up to support the needs of each individual student. That way, it is rewarding to stay in school, and you will graduate before you know it- I did!”
