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Penticton womanturns love forcoaching intosuccessful business

By ANDREA ANTHONYSpecial to the Herald

Dedicated to helping stu-dents learn and grow asindividuals in the com-munity, Martina

Zamecnik’s dream came truewhen she opened 360 LearningAcademy in 2012.

“I’ve always loved to coach,”said Zamecnik, 30, adding thatshe did a lot of swim coachingand tutoring at university.

Both her parents were teachers,but Zamecnik has more of an en-trepreneurial spirit.

“I’ve never had a desire toteach in a school, but I’ve alwaysloved business,” she said.

Zamecnik graduated fromPenticton Secondary in 2001, andthen went on to the University ofNebraska at Omaha on a full-rideswimming scholarship to studybiology and chemistry.

The lifestyle of the Okanaganand the mountains drew her backright after university.

“Down there (in Nebraska), it’sprairies, and that just doesn’t doit for me,” said Zamecnik. “I hon-estly love this community.”

She has been tutoring on herown since coming back toPenticton.

“I started getting more andmore calls, and I kept turningstudents away, so I thoughtthere’s obviously a need for this,”said Zamecnik.

She mentioned it to her now-fi-ancé, Lee, who immediately sug-gested they expand and look for aplace to rent for the business.Then the current Penticton loca-tion of 360 Learning Academy,right across from Pen-Hi, cameup for sale.

“We bought it, and within amonth we had it, we had renovat-ed it and we were openingdoors,” said Zamecnik.

This is Zamecnik’s first timerunning a business, and it wasalso her first purchase of real estate.

“Definitely, I was scared. I wasso nervous,” she said.

However, the business hasproven to be a success, with a sec-ond location already opened in

Summerland, across fromSummerland Secondary School.

“For me, a big thing (is) theconvenience factor,” saidZamecnik.

Zamecnik’s favourite part of tu-toring is the connections shebuilds with the students and thatmoment when a student has abreakthrough.

“It’s very rewarding, for bothparties — the students as well asthe tutors,” she said.

In the beginning, the biggestchallenge for Zamecnik wasbuilding the confidence withinherself to realize that she couldrun her own business, but nowit has made her much more confident.

Zamecnik said for the next cou-ple of years she is going to focuson growing the current 360Learning Academy locations inPenticton and Summerland, andmaking them strong and solid be-fore possibly expanding acrossthe South Okanagan.

As for franchising her busi-ness, Zamecnik does not thinkshe would be interested in that —

at least not right now.“We really cater to whatever

the students are struggling within school, in pretty much everysubject,” said Zamecnik.“Sometimes if you franchise it . . .they have their little book of thisis what you have to do.”

The tutors at 360 LearningAcademy are contracted byZamecnik and include a varietyof people, from retired teachersto current teachers on call.

“That way, we can help morestudents, and help the tutors bygiving them some work.”

Another way Zamecnik givesback to the community and helpsstudents is by offering a scholar-ship to Grade 12 students, calledthe Gratitude Award. For thepast three years, the award hasbeen given to a student at Pen-Hi,but Zamecnik hopes to expand toPrincess Margaret andSummerland Secondary.

“There are lots of scholarshipsavailable for academics and forsports, and I believe obviously inboth of those very strongly, but Ithought what if there is one for

something outside of those twothings,” said Zamecnik.

“It’s available to a Grade 12 stu-dent that shows gratitude and ap-preciation towards their fellowclassmates and teachers andtheir community.”

The other requirement is thatthe student must attend 360Learning Academy, because thenit is someone Zamecnik has metand gotten to know.

360 Learning Academy is locat-ed at 103-95 Eckhardt Ave. E. inPenticton and at 102-9523 MainSt. in Summerland. Both loca-tions have flexible hours depend-ing on when students and tutorsare available.

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ANDREA ANTHONY/Special to the Herald

Martina Zamecnik, owner of 360 Learning Academy, reviews some textbooks at the Penticton location at 103-95 Eckhardt Ave. E.

CANADAPENTICTON HERALD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2013

A5

By The Canadian Press

LAC-MEGANTIC, Que. —Heading into 2013, Lac-Meganticwas known as a quiet holiday townin a Quebec region recognizedabroad for its mountaintop obser-vatory and its inky, starry skies.

The community finishes the yearremembered for a deadly traincrash that horrified people aroundthe world and ignited a fire so bigits rage could be seen from space.

Last summer’s Lac-Megantic de-railment, which killed 47 peopleand pushed the issue of rail safetyinto the spotlight, has been votedCanada’s 2013 News Story of theYear in the annual survey of thecountry’s newsrooms by TheCanadian Press.

Editors and news directorsacross Canada selected a story thatcircled the world after a runawaytrain hauling crude oil careenedoff the tracks and exploded, level-ling dozens of buildings in theheart of town.

The multiple layers to the July 6catastrophe attracted interest withits gripping stories of survival and

loss, the vast environmental con-sequences and the stunning imagesof the devastation. It also launchednew debates about the continent’sboom in oil-by-rail traffic.

In the News Story of the Yearpoll, the Lac-Megantic tragedy re-ceived nearly 31 per cent of the bal-lots cast. Voters were asked to ei-ther choose a story from a list ofcandidates or to nominate theirown selection.

“The Lac-Megantic disaster wasone which caused everyone wholives in a small Canadian city, ortown that has freight trains rum-bling through it, (to) stop and pon-der, ‘That could happen to mesomeday,’” said Murray Guy, as-sistant managing editor for theTimes & Transcript in Moncton,N.B.

“From the sheer enormity of thedeath, destruction and upheavalfor a small community’s way oflife, to the shaken trust we all havein our rail safety laws, Lac-Megantic will likely become a red-letter day in the world of railwaysafety.”

The Lac-Megantic story edged the

Senate expenses scandal, which re-ceived 24 per cent of the votes.

Voters who chose the Senate con-troversy argued it’s an issue thatcould bring long-lasting change toCanada.

“The Senate expense story strikesa deep core visceral nerve withreaders,” Jim Poling, the HamiltonSpectator’s managing editor, saidof a scandal that has swamped thePrime Minister’s Office.

“It’s about the money, but it’smostly about the entitlement. It’sa story that has the potential tochange the structure of govern-ment in Canada and who its lead-ers are.”

Rob Ford, Toronto’s notoriousmayor who admitted to smokingcrack cocaine, finished third afteramassing nearly 23 per cent of thevote.

The results of the News Story ofthe Year survey suggest that geog-raphy played a role in the voting.The train disaster was selected by55 per cent of newsrooms polled inQuebec, but was the top choice ofonly 26 per cent of the voters basedoutside the province.

VOTETOTALSMONTREAL — Editors andnews directors across thecountry have selected theLac-Megantic train derail-ment as Canada’s NewsStory of the Year. Vote totals:— Lac-Megantic: 30.6 per cent— Senate expenses: 24.2 percent— Rob Ford scandal: 22.6 percent— Alberta floods: 12.9 per cent— Charbonneau Commission:2.4 per cent— Fall of BlackBerry: 1.6 percent— Rehtaeh Parsons and cyber-bullying: 1.6 per cent— Children smothered bypython: 0.8 per cent— Idle No More: 0.8 per cent— Trudeau leads Liberals: 0.8per cent— Quebec charter controversy:0.8 per cent— Edward Snowden: 0.8 percent

— The Canadian Press

Hydro crews workaround clock torestore power in wake of ice storm

TORONTO, Ontario — Tens ofthousands of people in Ontario,Quebec and New Brunswick hadno power in their homes thisChristmas as communities recov-ered from an ice storm that wal-loped much of Eastern Canada.

The weather system that hit onthe weekend downed power lines,splintered trees and caused wide-spread travel delays.

Hydro crews have been workingaround the clock to restore powerto homes which have now been inthe dark for three full days, bututility companies said some mighthave to wait until the weekend toget their lights back on.

In Toronto — where some 300,000customers were without power atthe height of the storm — about69,000 customers remained with-out electricity on Christmas Day.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said it“has been a very challenging fourdays,” but the city is doing its bestthrough the holidays to restore pow-er to all homes as soon as possible.

Authorities have been urgingthose in homes with no power tomake alternative arrangements forthe holidays and to take advantageof warming centres being offeredin many communities.

Ford said some 1,000 peoplesought refuge at the warming spotsin Toronto on Tuesday night.

“That’s the highest numberwe’ve had. It’s gone from 500 to 750,to 1,000,” Ford said. “Hopefully thatnumber will go down as the hydrois restored, but we’re expectingmore people tonight.”

Toronto Hydro CEO AnthonyHaines said the “best guess” for re-connecting remaining customersis Friday, but he cautioned thatcould easily change depending onavailable resources and theamount of felled tree branches andlines to repair.

Without power since earlySaturday, east-end Toronto resi-dent Deborah Coombs along withher husband and seven-year-old sonfinally left their freezing home onTuesday for the comfort of a hotelroom. They managed to bring alonga small Christmas tree, which theytucked their gifts under.

“We’re making the most of it.We’re family and we’re togetherand now we have a warm roof overour heads,” she said, adding she in-tends to cook the turkey left behindin her fridge if it’s still edible whenpower returns.

However, she said the dozen orso fish in their large tank perishedas temperatures at their house inthe part of the city with the mostoutages dipped to 5 C.

Officials have also warned peo-ple about the deadly risk of carbonmonoxide poisoning as some resi-dents are reported to have usedequipment designed for outdooruse — like gas-powered generators,charcoal stoves and barbecues —inside their homes.

Toronto fire Chief Jim Sales saidauthorities received 302 suspectedcarbon monoxide calls since thestorm hit. The fire department typ-ically gets about 20 such calls a day.

Two children and two adults ineast-end Toronto were taken tohospital to be treated for carbonmonoxide poisoning Wednesdaymorning after using a charcoalbarbecue indoors.

And two people died of carbonmonoxide poisoning in Newcastle,Ont., east of Toronto, on Mondayafter trying to keep warm with agas generator in a garage.

—— TThhee CCaannaaddiiaann PPrreessss

TOP 40 UNDER 40

Tutoring takes off

MEDIA

Train disaster named news story of year

DISASTER

Thousandswithoutpower atChristmas