The Sled Ed program is alive and well at Porter Creek Secondary School according to principal Peter Giangrande.

Questions of the future of Sled Ed arose after a Go Fund Me fundraising page was set up by students who wanted to raise funds for the program.

The Yukon Party even called on the governing Liberals to clarify if the program had been cut – and to re-instate it if it had been.

Giangrande told the Star Sled Ed is a course that focuses on snowmobile mechanics and safety. The students go on trips and learn about the subject hands-on. A key component is avalanche safety along side general sled safety.

This year, the students have gone on three trips, with the third just finishing recently.

Students who participate become safety advocates in the broader sledding community, Giangrande said.

“Sled Ed is clearly a program that we’re proud of.”

Giangrande said the program was not cancelled and is not at risk of being cancelled.

It will be offered every second school year instead of every year. This means Sled Ed will not be offered in the 2018-2019 school year but will be available in 2019-2020.

This news was passed on to staff and the school council.

The principal said the decision had nothing to do with budgeting.

The change was made because of the 36-year-old school’s ever changing enrolment numbers.

Porter Creek has seen it’s enrolment fall over the years. When he first started at the school in 2004, Giangrande said, the school had around 800 students, compared to approximately 450 today.

Because of the drop, administration had to reconsider some of their offerings.

“So we’ve gone from a being a very large school, the largest in the Yukon, to being a medium-sized school,” Giangrande said.

The principal assures that the change should not prevent any students from taking the course.

When staff went over the decision, special care was given to ensure students would have a chance to enroll in Sled Ed before they graduated.

“The decision to move to every second year will not preclude any students from having an opportunity at our school,” Giangrande said.

Porter Creek has been running the course with between six to eight students. Normally, the school runs a similar course with up to 16 students, Giangrande said.

Outdoor programs are usually kept to just 16 students for several reasons that include safety.

As for interest in the program, Giangrande feels that it has been consistent over the past five years, but the decline of overall school enrolment impacted the program.

“We just don’t have the student demand anymore because we are a smaller school,” he said.

Giangrande hopes that offering the program to every second year will increase participation.

He said it could mean eight more students enrolling in Sled Ed in 2019-2020.

As stated, students had set up a Go Fund Me page to raise funds for the program.

Giangrande said he assumes the intent of the students’ Go Fund Me page was positive, and recognizes their enthusiasm in opening it.

He wants to have a conversation with them, noting the program does not need additional funding.

“Any money coming through that page, we believe should be put towards another use,” the principal said. As for what that could be, he said he did not know.