OCEANSIDE — A local surf school and a nonprofit organization serving people with developmental disabilities have continued a more than 20-year tradition of teaching students with special needs how to surf.
Volunteers and staff from Surfin Fire Oceanside recently taught students from TERI’s two private schools — The Learning Academy and The Country School — how to surf during a May 21 day camp.
The partnership began about two decades ago when Surfin Fire founder Jon Peterson co-owned GLS Soft Surf Boards near the TERI (Training, Education and Resource Institute) schools on Airport Road in Oceanside. Jon Peterson frequently saw students walking outside, which eventually inspired him to approach the schools and offer a free surf day for their students.
“It’s been a tradition ever since,” said Kyla Peterson, Jon’s daughter, who took over the Oceanside branch of Surfin Fire a few years ago. Jon Peterson continues to operate the surf school’s Encinitas location.
Kyla Peterson said she knew she needed to continue the tradition after taking over the Oceanside business.
For several students, it was their first time surfing, although Peterson recognized a few familiar faces from last year’s group. Many of the students had been looking forward to surf day throughout the school year.
“It’s literally the best day of the entire school year,” said Shane Hamilton, director of The Country School. “It gives our students an opportunity they may otherwise not have.”
Hamilton has worked with the Petersons — first Jon and now Kyla — since the beginning of the free surf day program. She said the day’s greatest benefit is giving students the freedom of being in the water.
According to Peterson, the students are not the only ones who enjoy free surf day.
“Surfing brings so much joy to so many people, so when you see the kids experiencing it, it spreads to everyone just experiencing joy and happiness,” Peterson said. “Our volunteers and parents love it too.”
One of those volunteers was Lauren Sweeten, an Oceanside resident and Marine Corps veteran who moved to the area in 2017 while stationed at Camp Pendleton. When she heard about the free surf day, she felt called to help.
“A program like this is especially impactful for children,” Sweeten said. “When you tell them you can do anything, they believe you, and they take that forward into adulthood and have this self-confidence that is internal.”
TERI provides more than 20 programs to approximately 900 individuals with special needs of all ages, including early intervention therapy, arts and enrichment programs, respite care, residential services and education at its two locations.
While The Country School and The Learning Academy are located in Oceanside, TERI’s main Campus of Life is on Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos. The campus has undergone several construction projects in recent years to expand its footprint, and once the next phase is completed, the two schools will eventually relocate there as well.
