Come to Life Homeschool Co-Op Ski P.E.

Nestled in the Eastern Sierra, the Come to Life Homeschool Group is a vibrant, parent-led cooperative providing essential supplemental education, enrichment, and community support for homeschooling families throughout the Owens Valley. Operating as a true co-op, the non-profit relies entirely on shared parent volunteerism to bring group-focused subjects—like hands-on science experiments, art, and seasonal festivals—to life. We recently caught up with parent and grant writer Adam Otten to discuss how support from MMCF is impacting their Ski PE program and shaping the lives of local youth.

1. Tell us about your community and the youth that Come To Life Homeschool - Co-Op serves?

Come To Life Homeschool Co-Op is a fairly new school that has been serving the Bishop area and surrounding communities since 2022. Our Homeschool Co-Op came about from an overwhelming need to provide an alternative school setting for students outside of the public school system, as we have learned school is not a "one size fits all" approach. Since we've opened our doors, we've grown from just an idea to a school that provides a values-driven, comprehensive education for students from Transitional Kindergarten through High School. Many students at our Co-Op are already homeschooled at home, but our Co-Op offers these students an opportunity to interact with their peers and support families beyond the homeschool setting.

2. Tell us about your Ski PE program, how it works, how many youth it serves.

We offer the Ski P.E. program to all ages, from Transitional-Kindergarten through High School. This has proven to be a challenge having students as young as four years old participate in the program, but we've learned it's important to include everyone as they begin learning from a very young age. Students were given the choice to learn to ski or snowboard for the season. Many rental shops throughout the Mammoth Lakes area provided ski and snowboard gear for students. This year we had a total of 72 students participate, which was a big increase from years past. Our Co-Op group met weekly to ski/board on Thursdays for 10 weeks, between January and March. We relied on parents and volunteers to transport students from Bishop to Mammoth Mountain each week.

3. What is a typical Ski PE day?

Each week we grouped students by age, skill level, and ski/snowboard preference. We rotated the students between Mammoth Mountain instructors and our parent chaperone volunteers. Each student was able to receive formal instruction to improve their technical skills and practice the importance of safety and visual awareness while on the mountain. At times our parents were able to shadow the instructors to reinforce what the students learned.

4. What do your youth learn and what is the positive impact of the program?

The Ski PE program gave our students the opportunity to improve coordination, balance, agility, follow established rules, learn how to be respectful to others on the mountain, and most importantly build character. Over the season the students were taught life skills such as perseverance, confidence, responsibility and independence. The students learned the importance of being prepared with all of their required gear and equipment to safely participate at each session. Students were also tasked with using the buddy system to stay together in groups and time management to ensure they were on-time or risk sitting out during the afternoon session. We strongly believe the mental health of our students is important. Skiing and snowboarding enables us to get our students into the outdoors. Personal social interactions between the students were encouraged by grouping students with other students they normally would not hang around with, to make new friendships and work toward a common goal of learning a new skill.

With support from MMCF, our students are getting the best of both worlds; parents and mentors who can speak into our students' lives and at the same time receive formal instruction from professionals. Our students thrive with opportunities to be challenged with learning a new skill level and provide an organized activity to improve working together as a group and not just as an individual. This grant has allowed us to offer these students a safe environment where they feel comfortable to try something new and be included without judgement or embarrassment.

5. You mentioned being able to accommodate students with diverse learning needs. Could you expand on how you were able to tailor the program to support these students with unique needs?

This year we were able to include two students that had developmental and physical disabilities. One was an eight year old who's diagnosed with Autism. Her parents never even considered the possibility of skiing for their daughter. With some encouragement, the parents enrolled her with the Ski PE program. Staff from Access Mammoth came alongside the student and within two weeks she wasn't just learning to ski, but loving to ski! Her parents have been in awe throughout the ski season and have repeatedly thanked us for making this opportunity possible.

Our second disabled student is six years old and is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. He is wheelchair-bound, partially blind, and unable to speak. He and his twin brother are both enrolled in the Kindergarten class at the Co-Op. The parents also did not think skiing was a possibility for their son, due to the severity of his disability. Access Mammoth was able to adapt to his needs and was able to ski with the use of a bi-ski. He took to skiing in a big way, and now has a passion for it. Being able to watch him ski alongside his twin brother and kindergarten classmates has been encouraging for many of us. For these students, being included in such a program has given them hope, love, and inspiration. This not only goes for these students, but for their classmates, their families, and their communities. Proving to everyone that having a disability doesn't limit you, it opens new doors that you never thought were possible. This has been made possible by MMCF support!

6. What did your grant from MMCF support?

With MMCF support, our program has been a success this season! We've learned that hosting a Ski PE Program for so many students has proven to be a financial challenge, as costs are continuing to rise in every aspect. Financial support directly contributed to us being able to provide each student with ski passes, formal ski and snowboard instruction provided by Mammoth Mountain certified instructors, and gear rentals. Additionally, our chaperone volunteers were able to receive training provided by Mammoth Mountain. MMCF financial support also directly helped our students with disabilities receive adaptive ski instruction from Access Mammoth.

7. What is one thing you'd love our donors to know about the impact of their support?

Because of your support, these students have the opportunity to experience skiing and snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain - an adventure that sparks confidence, joy, and a lifelong passion for the outdoors. Your generosity is shaping who they become for years to come!