Developed by: Take the next step:

This phase introduces students to the education program and its three main themes.

It also establishes the telecollaborative groups which will share information on various activities throughout the course of the education program.

Telecollaborative Project: Getting to Know You

Part One of Getting to Know You is a three week Internet-based project for schools, community groups or families registered with Everest 2000. This introductory activity will provide children with an opportunity to "meet" children from other communities across Canada. Throughout the Everest 2000 Expedition, Getting to Know You will also be used as a template for activities and possible contact with students in Nepal. Not only can Getting to Know You be used for Everest 2000 projects, it may also be used to open lines of communication for additional teacher-developed online projects.

In this online project, schools from across Canada will be placed in teams of 10 schools. Schools will e-mail specific information to the other team members in the form of clues. The other schools will study the clues and eventually discover the locations of each of the schools in their team.

Theme 1: Goal Setting, Decision Making and Problem Solving

This theme was chosen by Byron Smith to carry his key message to students participating in the education program. He wants every child to hear his message promoting self-confidence, perseverance and the ability to solve problems through smart decision making. As a successful businessman, an avid climber, and a father and husband, he wants to tell students, "you can be and do anything you want in life if you believe in yourself and want it badly enough."

Project: Heroes - Goal Setting to Succeed!

Students will explore the characteristics of heroes, conventional and unconventional. Students will expand their definition of hero, recognize heroes in their community and neighborhood, and recognize their own heroic qualities. The objective is to motivate students to set goals and work towards them with drive and perseverance.

Theme 2: Energy and the Environment

This theme has been developed in conjunction with Dr. Dave Irvine-Halliday, an Electrical Engineer with the University of Calgary. Dr. Irvine-Halliday, along with students from his engineering classes, wants to include Canadian and Nepalese students in his project to study the feasibility of low-cost "picopower" for the citizens of Nepal.

Dr. Irvine-Halliday's Nepal Light Projects will provide the opportunity to study the culture of Nepal and the potential impact of his experiments for the Nepalese people. In relation to the theme of Energy and the Environment, classes will conduct experiments to investigate the production and conversion of electricity into various forms of useful energy. Dr. Irvine-Halliday will be travelling to Basecamp, testing devices developed by his engineering students and by students in classrooms across Canada.

Project: Nepal Light Project Challenge

Each division of students will be offered at least one challenge in Phase I regarding electricity, light and the environment. These challenges involve grade-appropriate investigations conducted in conjunction with Dr. Irvine-Halliday's Nepal Light Project. Grades Kindergarten to 12 are divided into four divisions: I= grades K to 3; II= grades 4 to 6; III= grades 7 to 9; and IV= grades 10 to 12.

Project: Light and Electricity activities

Each Nepal Light Project Challenge is met through a series of smaller Light and Electricity activities. These projects regarding light, electricity, and power provide students with the knowledge and skills to complete their Challenge. This core of information will be built upon and applied throughout each of the five phases of the education program. The only exception is for students in Division IV (grades 10 to 12). These students will work directly on their challenge through a telecollaborative effort with Dr. Irvine-Halliday and his students at the University of Calgary.

Theme 3: Energy and the Human Body

This theme was developed with the contributions of Byron Smith's personal trainer and the team doctor, both of whom will be accompanying the climbing team to Mount Everest.

Les Gramantik, personal trainer for Everest 2000 Expedition Leader Byron Smith, has contributed physical fitness challenges for the students. Canadian children of all ages will be invited to join the "Stairway to Everest Challenge", simulating the ascent of Mt. Everest by climbing the equivalent number of stairs in their school or home. Children will also improve their personal fitness levels by participating in the online training program.

Under the direction of Dr. Virginia Robinson (Everest 2000 team doctor), members of the expedition will conduct human physiology investigations on Mt. Everest while students participate in parallel activities. For example, students will calculate the concentration of oxygen in the air in their area, while the Basecamp team calculates the level of oxygen along various points of increased elevation on the trip. Students and climbers will post their results online, compare oxygen levels in Canada to those in Nepal, and relate varying oxygen levels to physical performance.

Project: Stairway to Everest Challenge

There is a strong connection between the Stairway to Everest and the Goal Setting projects. Stairway to Everest, including the Training Challenge, requires students to set goals, create a plan to meet them, monitor their progress, and make decisions as they continually adjust their plan to meet their goals.

There is also an opportunity (optional) through the Stairway to Everest Challenge for students to raise money for the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation. This money would be used for Nepalese schools and hospitals, desperately needed in this developing country.

Project: Training Challenge (First part of the Stairway to Everest Challenge)