Date: January 2024
Amount: $2,600

Kwantlen Park School is a Secondary school in the Surrey school district of British Columbia, Canada. They are offering a new summer school course – RF Communications, focusing on Amateur Radio. With support from ARDC, a teacher specializing in electronics and robotics will recruit interested high-school students from across the district’s 21 secondary schools. During the 80 hours course, they will learn basic RF and Amateur Radio theory, coupled with a significant amount of practical electronics, and prepare the students for successfully taking their Canadian Amateur Radio qualification.

The instructor’s goal is to inspire high-school students to want to understand and be involved with telecommunications and amateur radio. The program is open access to all – there will be no charge to students to attend the summer school, and those that want to attend but cannot afford the transportation will be funded by the district.

Update

The RF Communications summer school program at Kwantlen Park Secondary was a tremendous success. Over four weeks, 21 students immersed themselves in RF and amateur radio theory, gaining hands-on experience with radio equipment and real-world communication scenarios. The program not only prepared students for their Canadian Amateur Radio Certification, with 18 successfully passing, but also opened their eyes to career opportunities in telecommunications, emergency response, and electronics. Through practical demonstrations, guest lectures from industry professionals, and interactive projects, students overcame initial hesitations and developed confidence in their technical abilities. By the end of the course, many students had earned their callsigns and participated in a “Get On The Air” (GOTA) net, which lasted an incredible 3.5 hours, setting a new record for the local repeater.

Beyond certification, the impact of the program was evident in the students’ enthusiasm and engagement. Many overcame mic shyness, actively participated in radio operations, and explored new aspects of RF technology through hands-on projects, including a high-altitude balloon launch. The course proved to be not just an introduction to radio but a gateway to lifelong learning and career exploration.

Learn more at https://www.surreyschools.ca/kwantlenpark.