The staff members at Scotch Oak-burn College will both fill roles at the Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer from February 12 to 21.

Having already served as Australia’s chef de mission at five Winter Olympics and set for one more in South Korea in 2018, Chesterman will fill the same position at the Youth Olympics.

However, the international multi-sport extravaganza is a whole new ball game for Hassell, who will head up learning support for the Australian team.

‘‘My initial thought was what an awesome opportunity,’’ said Hassell, who has a background in adventure sports and outdoor education across Australia and the world.

‘‘I’m looking forward to working with an amazing group of athletes at the top level of their sport and hopefully providing opportunities for them to enrich their Olympic experience.’’

Supporting the Games’ key pillars of sport, education and culture, the 41-year-old father-of-two’s role is to help athletes and coaches become Olympic ambassadors when they return to their schools and communities.

‘‘The Olympic committee don’t just want to focus on sport for young athletes but also education and culture.

‘‘They have a program called learn and share which tries to expand on learning opportunities so a big focus for us is the concept of life-long learning. Every experience you have can teach you something and you are always a learner until you end up under the ground.

‘‘It’s about trying to draw out what they learn from their sport that they can use in other areas of their lives whether in their workplace or relationships or whatever. I want to get them thinking about life beyond sport.’’

Born and raised in Western Australia, Hassell went to university in Victoria and began teaching outdoor education at Scots College in NSW.

He spent eight years in the Canadian town of Canmore, home to the cross-country events at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, building technical skills in such pursuits as mountaineering, ice climbing, whitewater kayaking and cave guiding.

He took part in a 400km skiing expedition in the Arctic and ventured into previously unexplored caves in Peru.

After another four years at Scots he moved to Scotch Oakburn, spending two years running outdoor education programs at the Valley Campus at Fingal before becoming deputy head of senior school in 2014.

Chesterman, a 56-year-old father-of-three who co-ordinates community relations at Scotch Oakburn, said his colleague was the perfect fit for the role.

‘‘This is a huge opportunity for all the athletes, not just to achieve something on the field of play, but also to help shape them as people and as role models within their communities,’’ he said.

‘‘Mark brings to the team his great skills as an educator, and someone who is used to working with and motivating young people to get the most out of every opportunity.

‘‘I’ve got no doubt that each team member will benefit enormously from his involvement. Mark will help people see beyond the immediate sports performance to all the possibilities that an involvement in an international event like this offers.’’

The Australian team at the Youth Winter Olympics will consist of 17 athletes, aged 15-17, across eight sports.