By CHRIS EPSKAMP

WHILE some might say spending a full season in the snow is education enough, have you ever wondered what happens to secondary school students’ formal learning when their parents come to Mt

Hotham to work for the winter?

From season 2021, a new option is evolving at Mt Hotham.

Called ‘Higher Education’, the program is run by local Mt Hotham winter resident, Nick Higginson.

Nick and I first crossed paths in of all places, Gulmarg, Kashmir.

Still in his teens, he was skiing huge descents on an exploratory tour of what is an amazing and confronting place.

Skinning up over 4500m peaks in a militarised zone, and skiing down through avalanche–prone terrain in all manner of snow type, one thing was for sure – Nick could ski!

It was also clear though that he had a community conscience well beyond his years.

A decade later and he is an accomplished level 3 ski instructor, resident manager at Karnulurra Ski Lodge and, most importantly, a qualified secondary school teacher.

Nick has decided to put his skills to good use, filling an educational gap facing many resident Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain families.

Up until five or so seasons ago, the Dinner Plain campus of Bright P–12 school ran a secondary program.

But with no program beyond grade six being run now, older students were faced with the grim prospect of a long return bus ride every day to Swifts Creek to continue formal ‘in–class’ education. Nick saw a problem that needed fixing and was in the perfect position to formulate a remedy for secondary school students spending the winter ‘on the hill’.

So on the Monday after July’s school holidays, the first session of the ‘Higher Education’ program was completed.

Nick said Higher Education aims to provide a structured classroom environment with qualified teachers to facilitate student learning in alpine communities.

"Starting out at Hotham this year, we have nine students enrolled for the winter full time," he said.

"Our hope is to provide an avenue for students and families to continue to live and work in the mountains during the Victorian winter without that coming at the expense of their education.

"Higher Education staff communicate with the home school of each student to deliver a curriculum which is connected to the environment while meeting their assessment, learning and skill goals."

With up to 18 students able to participate, formal sessions are held in a comfortable, quiet space at the Jack Frost Restaurant from Monday to Thursday, 12.30 to 3pm, with one–on–one time available after that.

The afternoon timeframe allowing students to continue their important ‘snow education’ during the mornings.

Recognising a clear need to further support young athletes and students at Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain, Nick says he wanted to serve the community which has given him so much over the course of his life.

"I feel I’ve learned so much from being a part of alpine communities during my life that I want to share that passion with young people and help them achieve their academic goals in this incredible environment," he said.

Anyone seeking to enrol a student into the Mt Hotham/Dinner Plain Higher Education Program can email Nick on nick@highereducationhotham.com