Testimonials

Special Thanks

By Dale Norman

I wanted to take the time to personally thank you and the staff who make the effort every week to facilitate the Thor Ski and Snowboard program. We really appreciate Thor's dedication, and your choice to include students from such a young age. The transportation, supervision and overall camaraderie of it's participants is wonderful. It is the highlight of Lucas' week. He's developing an amazing sense of balance that I'm certain will benefit him athletically throughout his life, and I'm confident the Thor Ski program has a lot to do with this.

Grade 12 Valedictorian Speech

By Ashlynne Thomas

I came to Thor College after having poor grades and no desire to really do well in school. I also had no idea if I truly wanted to go to university or if I had the grades to go to university. However, now I’m getting into the university of my choice with outstanding marks.

Thor College has a motto; Diligence Creates Success. But what, in truth, does that mean. In my eyes for each person diligence has a different meaning. However, the dictionary states that diligence is constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken. To me it means an effort or persistence to obtain a better understanding or accomplishment.

I have learned throughout the years that size isn’t everything. That goes for accomplishments, effort, and anything else. It is also said that great things come in small packages. I believe this wholeheartedly; not just because I am a small person but because Thor is a small school and it has been my gateway to a new understanding and path in like.

In the beginning of the school year at Thor, not all the high school was too friendly with some of the others. However, as time went on the tension left and a bond started to form. I wouldn’t say that this has made us life long friends but it is a far cry from what was once at the beginning of the year.

Now each and every graduate has accomplished something in his or her own way. The grade eights have successfully completed elementary school. While the grade twelve graduates have all been accepted into university in the fall.

While I am sad to leave this school there are memories and emotions that I will take with me to my post secondary life. I hope that I have touched those within my life just as much as my peers and teachers at Thor have encouraged me to keep going.

Thor has taught me that diligence creates success. However, without friends and family, that diligence cannot be accomplished. In the words of Naomi Judd, “When we stand together it’s our finest hour. We can do anything if we keep believing in the power.”

Our son, Kurt, attended Thor College in grade 1. He was fortunate to be a part of a small grade 1-2 split classroom allowing him to receive a personalized education which benefited from the grade 2 teachings as well.

Due to circumstance, we moved out of province and enrolled Kurt in the BC public school system. After several weeks it became apparent that we needed to speak to his teacher about their curriculum. We brought a good sampling of his grade 1 work from Thor College with us.

Cursive writing, which Kurt learned at Thor College, is not taught until grade 3 in BC. The math fractions) on which he was working is not approached until grade 4. His science and social studies were beyond the BC curriculum standard and the teacher at that point requested to keep the work for a period of time, so she could show other teachers and the principal how advanced their new grade 2 student was.

It is evident that the education Kurt received at Thor College has greatly benefited him. His recent report card focuses on his leadership and cooperation skills. He excels in all subjects.

Alisch Family

Thor College helped re-launch my public school and high school education for an honors acceptance at Western University and successful athletics. The joy of activities, sports, and quality education with a small student-teacher ratio helped me become a successful academic and athlete (including Provincial Football title, Ontario Junior Body Building Champion).

Matt Roberts

Thor College gave me a bright future. I can today attribute my Masters in Business Administration, and a successful career in Investment Counseling to a turning point that started at Thor College. Today I live in California with my beautiful Physician wife and daughter.

Thank you Thor College.

Robin Allington

“Having attended Thor College for eleven years, I can honestly say that the quality of education and practical life experience that I received have helped me to achieve success in my educational endeavours. During my time at Thor College, I was privileged with the opportunity to work with animals, attend numerous field trips, and explore the nature of farm life in a fun and positive environment. The school’s emphasis on reading, writing, and phonics was the foundation of my continued success in English, and I am still writing accomplished papers at a university level as a result. My eleven years at Thor College were incredibly fulfilling, and I would not hesitate to recommend this school to parents and students alike.”

Emily Van Ness

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Madden:

I want to thank you for the wonderful experience you have provided for Emily over the past 11 years. She has received an education at Thor that has embraced academics, leadership, character, and many other facets of life.

My gratitude goes out to you for having been such a profound influence in her life. We see Emily as a well-rounded, confident young lady, with a sound work ethic, and a keen sense of responsibility. She has learned how to interact with people older and younger than herself at Thor, a skill not readily learned as an only child. The environment has always been positive, encouraging, and supportive. I always knew Emily was in a safe place, where respect and common sense were prevalent.

It is such a bittersweet time to see your child grow up and move on to another chapter in her life. Personally, I am sad to see her Thor years come to an end. I will miss Mrs. Madden’s gentle firmness with the little ones. She was truly an angel with her young wards. Mr. Madden’s leadership and strength, Mr. Mike’s patience and friendly demeanor, Miss Payne’s understanding and support, and Mme. Lynda’s smiling exuberance and enthusiasm. You all made a difference.

It was a thrill to be able to offer to Emily a farming experience, particularly time with “Bucky” the calf. Also, I was pleased she could participate in skating, field trips, hot dog days, track and field, science and animal projects, stream study, camping weekends, baseball, school plays, just to name a few.

Thank you for accommodating the life style of an airline family. I appreciate your patience with Emily’s comings and goings (and absences) as she traveled with us, or spent school time with us when she hadn’t seen her father for a while. Thank you also for being supportive of her time out of class to pursue her singing and acting. We never took these allowances for granted, and are grateful you recognized that these activities were another part of Emily’s overall education.

I particularly want to thank Mr. Mike, who gave Emily encouragement when she lacked confidence in herself. He also gave her direction and stability. He recognized her strengths, and rewarded them. He also recognized her weaknesses and challenged them. Emily has great respect for him, and his influence will last her a lifetime. Thank you.

And so it is with regret and anticipation that our family says goodbye to Thor College. We leave with enormous gratitude, and sadness at a time coming to an end.

With kindest regards,
Carol Chambers, June 2005