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B.C. teachersa国际传媒檚 Amazing Race takes students on Canada-wide adventure

Agassiz high school students say they had the experience of a life time
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A Lower Mainland teacher has set a new standard in field trips after he took 36 Agassiz Elementary Secondary School students on a Canada-wide Amazing Race adventure.

Science teacher Leonard Naimi spent 10 months organizing, coordinating and fundraising for a trip that had grade 11 and 12 students racing across 5,000 kilometres, three provinces and 12 cities in only 10 days. Teams of three to four students (and an adult guide) followed a series of clues across the country, taking on new feats sa国际传媒 big and small sa国际传媒 as they went.

The race started Oct. 31 at the school, where teams received their first clue. That day Amazing Race-ers faced six challenges including Halloween costume shopping at Value Village, a sa国际传媒榮moked oysters challengesa国际传媒 and navigating the Chilliwack Corn Maze, before heading to the Abbotsford International Airport to catch a 5:30 p.m. flight to Hamilton, Ont.

Upon arrival, the students took on a sa国际传媒渕assive pancake eating challengesa国际传媒 at Dennysa国际传媒檚.

And that was just day one.

In Laval, Que., students got to try indoor skydiving at Skyventure Montreal. (Submitted)

Over the next nine days, teams faced everything from a poutine challenge in La Banquise and indoor skydiving in Montreal to a surprise scavenger hunt around the Parliament Building in Ottawa and rides in military tanks at the Ontario Regiment Museum.

A series of checkpoints throughout the trip not only helped guides keep track of kids, but allowed Naimi to track their time. Points were also added or taken away from teams for their completion of smaller, detail-oriented challenges like taking 40 pictures with different strangers in the Toronto Eaton Centre Mall, finding and photographing a series of monuments or locating the same book in three different libraries.

Along the way, teams had to find their own transportation and used trains, buses and rental cars to get to each checkpoint or challenge.

Inspired by the CBS TV show, Naimi has been taking students on sa国际传媒楢mazing Racesa国际传媒檚sa国际传媒 for a few years sa国际传媒 his first was smaller, with teams racing across Agassiz. The second race covered more ground, taking students across seven B.C. cities. This year was Naimisa国际传媒檚 biggest yet, and planning was no easy feat.

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sa国际传媒淚 usually come up with a final destination, and then itsa国际传媒檚 all about, sa国际传媒榟ow do I get them there?sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒 he said. sa国际传媒淭his year, it was the CN Towersa国际传媒verything was planned around getting to that pointsa国际传媒sa国际传媒檓 a big fan of the TV show and I wanted to make this feel like the real thing.sa国际传媒

And the race didnsa国际传媒檛 just take students sightseeing sa国际传媒 it had them exploring every nook and cranny of Canadian cities, taking on thrilling new challenges like indoor surfing in Quebec City and zip-lining in Niagara Falls.

The final challenge was as big a hurdle for Naimi sa国际传媒 who took part in challenges alongside students sa国际传媒 as it was for participants.

Two members from each team had to complete the Edge Walk on the CN Tower. Strapped into harnesses, participants walked the circumference of the tower, the tallest building in Toronto, a cool 356 metres (1,168 feet) above the ground.

sa国际传媒淪ome people were terrified to do some of the [challenges] but they still did them and they loved it afterwards,sa国际传媒 said Grade 12 student Maykayla Morissette. sa国际传媒淵ousa国际传媒檙e like, sa国际传媒榳ow, Isa国际传媒檝e done this before, what if I do this next?sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒

Sciences teacher Leonard Naimi and AESS Amazing Race co-host Jaydin Lees pose during the CN Tower Edge Walk - one of the final challenges of the race. (Submitted)

Some challenges were less exciting, like navigating public transit and learning to work with team members in a stress-filled, high-pressure, competition. But Naimi is proud of his students and confident they now have memories and skills that will last a lifetime.

sa国际传媒淢ost of the kids wonsa国际传媒檛 go into chemistry after they leave my class sa国际传媒 I get that. So I thought, what can I actually teach them that they can take away with them once they graduate?sa国际传媒 he recalled. sa国际传媒淭he Amazing Race gives them those lifelong lessons but it also gives them lifelong memoriessa国际传媒nd thatsa国际传媒檚 something I think is more valuable than what I can teach them in class.sa国际传媒

Students returned Saturday and Naimi is still calculating the results of the race. He expects to determine a winning team soon. Winners or not, participating students feel they already won the jackpot by having Naimi as their teacher.

sa国际传媒淚t was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and when we look back at our high school experience, wesa国际传媒檒l say, this was it,sa国际传媒 Grade 12 student Rionna Vander Wyk said. sa国际传媒淜nowing our teacher planned all this for us sa国际传媒 to benefit ussa国际传媒o push us out of our comfort zones. He did it all with the class in mind, itsa国际传媒檚 just super cool.sa国际传媒

Vander Wyksa国际传媒檚 peer, Annalise Wilkinson, agreed.

sa国际传媒淚n chemistry I learned how to balance equations, but with the Amazing Race, now I know how I can push myself to do stuff,sa国际传媒 she said.

Morissette said the trip sa国际传媒渨as the peak moment of her high school life.sa国际传媒

sa国际传媒淣aimi is the most dedicated teacher you will ever meet and we are blessed to have him at this school.sa国际传媒

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nina.grossman@ahobserver.com

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