Leaders in Exercise and Athletics Program
LEAP (Leaders in Exercise and Athletics Program ) at St. James CHS is a 4-year program which features sport specific courses, leadership opportunities in sport, industry certifications and potential paid co-op and in school co-operative education experience where students can lead elementary school physical education classes with support of a teacher.
The program is for students looking to improve athletic performance in their athletic activity of choice including sport, dance and fitness with focus on developing transferable skills such as speed, power, agility, coordination, strength and agility. LEAP also is a character development program that provides students valuable certifications including coaching qualifications, equity and leadership training, with a focus and on developing post-secondary pathways in fitness and athletics.
As a four year program, grade 9 and 10 students enter in our performance athletic development courses which also includes our athletes in action community program to develop leaders. In grade 11, students are then enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major Program with experiential learning credits, the Teaching and Coaching Physical Education Leadership course, as well as career planning. In grade 12, the students take the Sport Leadership and Mindset Development university course featuring connections of expectations from Business, Physical Education, Entrepreneurship, and Psychology courses to prepare for post-secondary.
To be a part of LEAP, applicants can be working towards a provincial championship, a high-performance athletic activity, or an elite individual or team activity at the high school or rep sport level, however there can be exceptions depending on the students interests. While COVID-19 has placed limitations on athletic activity in the community, LEAP provides students with the opportunity engage and accelerate in an area they are passionate about during the school day.
Program Structure
The LEAP program at St. James features:
- Year 1 - High Performance Training Course
- Year 2 - High Performance Training Course
- Year 3- Performance Training and Sport Mentorship Dual Credit * Paid Coop * Leadership Certifications
- Year 4- Sport Leadership Psychology Course * Post Secondary Portfolio Development * Leadership Certifications