Baltimore Design School was thrilled to be able to send 8 students to participate in the CHILL Mentorship Program this winter.  Each student was nominated by our Student Support Staff & Mrs. Frederick for having met a variety of criteria. Students joined the CHILL team on Tuesdays for 6 weeks in January and February. They connected with students from 3 other city schools and traveled to Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania by charter bus.  Liberty Resorts outfitted students and their team leaders with gear from head to toe to keep them warm and ready to learn how to board."I liked how they all made time for us every Tuesday and provided all of the gear for us to participate." - Charles S. '25

Over the course of the 6 weeks, students quickly picked up the basics and were able to take the ski lift to the top of the trails.  '24 Mecai T. said "I liked learning how making small changes in my body movement can make big changes on the board. Focusing was important."  Students were challenged in a variety of ways, including getting on the ski lift to travel up the mountain in a little chair connected to a tiny cable.  "The instructors taught me how to push myself more and try new things. I also learned that you can just fall and get back up. It's all good," said '24 Emmanuel J.

Students worked with their instructors to improve each week where several students were confident enough to compete in the CHILLympics on the last week.  Sereniti J. was one of the competitors. Not only was she learning to snowboard, but also took the pictures to share.  She described her experience as an effort to keep trying; "Perseverance! I never thought I'd be able to snowboard, but now I can cross it off my bucket list and have a story to tell my kids.  Even though it hurt,
it was fun!"