The Basketball Academy program at Smithers Secondary School replaces or supplements a student’s regular PE course and offers 90+ hours of instruction both on and off the court.  The program offers students from across the School District an opportunity to grow their game with elite-level instruction that takes place on the court, in the classroom and in the weight room.  There is no minimum skill requirement as skill development is the main objective of this program.

The academy is open to boys and girls in grades 8-10. To make the program available to all students, sessions are scheduled outside of the regular school timetable, including mornings and weekends outside of the official BC high school basketball season

Specialty academies are subject to a supplemental fee.

High school athletes typically struggle to manage the demands of being a student with the expectations of being a high-performance athlete. Long hours of training can lead to less time for homework, rest and recovery. Over time, this can cause a decline in health and performance in the classroom and on the playing field.

The Canadian Sport School, designed by the Canadian Sport Institute in partnership with local school district SD 54 in Smithers, ensures that athletes in Grades 10, 11 and 12 on the high-performance pathway have the time, support and resources to balance school and training.

Engage Sport North in partnership with School District 54 in Smithers, offer the Canadian Sport School – Bulkley Valley to student-athletes in Grades 10, 11 and 12 on the high-performance pathway to help ensure students have the time, support and resources to balance school and training.

A student-athlete on a high-performance pathway is one who is dedicated to their sport and who is committed to partaking in the daily demands and responsibilities of a high-performance athlete that involves the daily academic and training tasks that will lead to the achievement of long-term growth within the student athlete’s academic and athletic experiences.  Often this growth is in the physical, mental and emotional realm.  Athletes do not need to be local or provincially identified prior to application.

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