SCHOOL’S NEW-WAVE APPROACH
Cooee, an innovative new school at Ashmore, blends traditional academic learning with trades and fields connected with the surfing industry FOR those of us who watched ABC’s Blue Water High growing up, spending school days in the surf seemed like a dream.
Now, it’s a reality for Coast kids in Years 11 and 12 at a new Ashmore school called Cooee.
Founded by teacher Matt Barber, students spend six
hours a week in surf training programs.
“I bumped into Kelly Slater and Josh Kerr and that’s how this school came about, because I realised the importance of doing these things that kids love,” Mr Barber said.
“They have so many pressures with social media and things like that, they need an escape ... at Cooee they’re still getting the same outcomes.”
Students gain their Queensland Certificate of Education by completing English, maths and tourism studies and then select certificate-based qualifications at TAFE or Gold Coast Trades College to provide real-world learning opportunities.
And you don’t have to be a surfer to attend.
Students such as Sunni Rowe, 16, are studying surfrelated disciplines including swimwear design.
“The curriculum is personalised for everyone,” she said. “I want to be experimental with my patterns and designs, I feel like every brand on the market now looks really similar.
“Eventually I want to open a boutique with a cafe inside so people can shop and get good coffee ... I work as a barista so I can train everyone up.”
All students are involved in “hands on” opportunities like boat building, a day in a shaping warehouse and hospitality work and community events such as Clean Up Australia Day and the Quiksilver Pro.