Powell River Board of Education trustees have honoured a long-time volunteer who teaches Scottish country dancing.
Jack Vlug has put in countless volunteer hours over the past 12 years teaching the social folk dance. Scottish country dancing involves three or more couples, as opposed to highland dancing which is performed solo.
“It has been a while since I first started at Grief Point school,” said Vlug.
He said the popularity of his dance classes increased over the years as teachers saw how much students enjoyed the activity. “I started with three classes and got a little crazy one year and wanted to do it all day long every day.”
That year he said he taught 1,300 students, but decided he had taken on a bit too much. Last year he taught about 800 Powell River children in addition to his adult classes, he said.
Vlug is not a teacher by profession, and made a career of hobby farming and working in the Kraft mill before it closed.
He has taught students in all School District 47’s elementary schools including Texada Elementary School, said Jeanette Scott, trustee.
Some of his students from Westview Elementary, who have been learning the dancing style with Vlug throughout their seven years of elementary school, presented him with a thank-you card, for helping them learn dances such as the Virginia Reel and the Flying Scotsman, at the board’s October public meeting.
Scott said Vlug will be continuing his teaching this year.
“God willing, I’ll be doing this for another 12 years,” Vlug said. “I sure enjoy teaching it.”
