‘Path to success’: Olympic speedskater to speak at local information events for parents and families

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Olympic speedskater Denny Morrison will be speaking at events for parents and families in the Peace region this week. 

Using a grant from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Northern Lights College (NLC) is hosting two Future Ready! Dual Credit Information Nights with Morrison as a special guest. 

Duel credit programs allow students in grades 11 and 12 to gain credits towards secondary school graduation while also earning credits in a post-secondary academic course, vocational program, trade or apprenticeship.

Denny Morrison won four Olympic medals and 68 World Cup medals – including 21 gold, 29 silver and 18 bronze – before he retired in 2020.

Fifteen of those World Cup medals were in the team pursuit.

“We wanted to highlight a local person instead of bringing in a keynote speaker from outside of the Peace region,” said Scott Clerk, associate vice president of educational services at NLC. 

“We thought we would be able to highlight somebody who has had this incredible, successful career coming out of the Peace and he is also going to be speaking to how support systems and structures in place…put him on that path to success.” 

There will be food and door prizes at the events. 

“We want to just get the word out about all the opportunities that are available to kids, and to be able to take advantage of dual credit, you often have to start thinking about it in grade eight and grade nine and planning your path,” Clerk added. 

Morrison, who hails from Fort St. John, is now a third-year medical student at the University of Alberta.

He recently gave one of his Olympic medals to Gilmore Junio, the teammate who sacrificed his spot in the race so Morrison could compete.

A Facebook post from NLC says the free events will “provide you with all the details about what dual credit is and how it sets your teen up for the future.”

They will take place on May 21st at NLC’s Dawson Creek campus and May 22nd at its Fort St. John campus, both from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Registration is not required, but to confirm attendance, email info@nlc.bc.ca.