Wednesday, 23 November was our Annual Thanksgiving Meal. Students planned the menu together earlier in the week. They spent some time cooking deserts the day before. On Wednesday, students broke into groups of either “cooks” or “set-up” where they either worked in the kitchen preparing the feast, or stayed back and worked on setting up the dinner table, prep line, and making decorations. At dinner, the feast was all laid out o the table. It was magnificent. We all shared one thing we are thankful for and then enjoyed our meal “family style” with everyone helping to serve each other. The afternoon was spent on “recovery” and gastrointestinal rest. On 22 November we were able to take a trip to Pine Technical and Community College for a tour of campus and to take the Accuplacer test, which is an untimed assessment tool used to determine skills in reading, writing, and math. It meets the assessment needs of community colleges, four-year colleges, technical schools, and high schools. After the test, the students were able to individually sit down with PTCC advisors to learn what their scored meant and how it might translate to classes they would take in a college setting. The test helps place students where they are most likely to thrive in their academic pursuits.
Our trip this year to the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post was as fun and interesting as we had hoped it would be. We were able to experience the 4-Seasons Room, where we were given a guided tour of the Ojibwe people's lives through the four seasons. We learned how they hunted, harvested, built houses, played games, migrated, and more. It is truly a work of art to behold. Next, we went around the museum exhibits on a scavenger hunt for trivia answers. We learned a lot through this activity about Ojibwe culture, traditions, history, and more. We then headed to a presentation on musical instruments and were able to play with the instruments and hear some of the music. After lunch, we attended a presentation on Sovereignty, what it means in a broad sense, and what it means for local Minnesota tribes. We were able to hear about hunting and fishing myths and truths and tribe rights. In the in-between times, a few of the students worked on "beading" patterns with blocks. Lastly, we had a few minutes to explore the Trading Post and all it had to offer. It was a worthwhile trip and we highly recommend checking it out if you haven't!
The AMPower Studio is well on its way! We were so fortunate to receive an Achievement and Integration grant to fund a recording studio for our school for students who are interested in learning about playing, recording, and/or producing music. We have some very talented students and look forward to what Empower Productions creates.
We spent some time today discussing Star Qualities: what they are, which ones we feel we possess, and which ones others see in us. Each student was provided with a list of Star Qualities and was charged with picking at least one that they feel exemplifies themselves. Then each student passed around their paper and had each of their peers comment with a Star Quality they felt represents that person. Many were surprised to find that their peers found Star Qualities in them, that they didn't realize they possessed or show. Each student created a canvas to display all of the Star Qualities their peers chose for them and one they picked for themselves. (*not all displayed in this pic)
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