Jindabyne Central School was the centre of attention on Friday with Channel 7 filming a segment at the school on the Winter Olympics.
The school has a proud track record of producing Games and World Cup winter talent – and this year was no different.
Adam Lambert and Josie Baff (snowboard cross) and Abi Harrigan (ski halfpipe, slopestyle, big air) were selected in the 43-person team for the event.
The trio were joined by world champion moguls skier Britt Cox, who also spent some time at the school as well as up-and-coming talent Cooper Woods who honed his skills in the area after being based on the south coast.
Manuela Berchtold, Nicole Parks and Scott Kneller are amongst the other Winter Olympians who have gone to the school.
Amongst the biggest Kindergarten to Year 12 public education facilities in the state, JCS also has the most former students of any school in Australia in the team.
But it’s not just the students who shine.
Ex-staff member Kristian Sandercoe won silver in Super G at the Special Olympics Winter Games in 2017 while current Geography/PE teacher and Snowsports Coordinator Paul Livissianos is a judge at the moguls and aerials events in Beijing.
JCS Principal Michael Kowalewski said the school had a proud history of academic, cultural and sporting success that inspired future generations.
“Over many years, the school has facilitated pathways for students to participate and achieve in snow sports, from our own snow sports programs which begin in Kindergarten and go through to Year 10, to participating in regional, state, and national Interschools,” he said.
“JCS produces national champions in both skiing and snowboarding disciplines and has been awarded SnowSports Champion School in both Primary Co-Ed and Secondary Co-Ed on multiple occasions.
“Other elite pathways also exist with many promising young athletes being included in NSW Institute of Sport development programs and Snowsports Australia Emerging Talent scholarships.”
He said the key was providing a flexible school attendance program with online, remote learning and individualised tutoring options.
“We recognise that a student's academic progress and aspirations must also be supported, and balancing this with training and competition commitments isn't always easy,” he said.
“But we make it work, not just for our full-time students, but for those elite athletes who come from other areas to train in the Snowy Mountains and enrol at JCS for the winter period.”
The opportunities for students at the school are only expected to increase with the planned move of both campuses to the Sport and Recreation site in 2023.
