Today we had the opportunity to go to the Sea Life Aquarium at the Mall of America. We attended a seminar where we learned general information about Sharks as well as specific information about the sharks that live at Sea Life. Afterwards we took the walking tour of the touch tanks and the underwater Aquarium. It was pretty cool to see the specific animals that we had learned about in our seminar.
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"On December 3rd Empower Learning Center student Cody Kendall is interviewed by judges, discussing the Empower VEX robotics program, the robot Cody and fellow students built, and his participation in the St Cloud Regional VEX Robotics Tournament. This competition was Cody’s first robotics tournament and Empower's first competition of the year and his record for the day was 3 wins and 4 loses. The team name is Alternative Minds. With the generosity and guidance of Pine Tech Community College, the Alternative Minds VEX Robotic Team is in its 2nd year. Although Cody was the only student available for this competition, there is a total of five Empower students involved with the robotics program. Students involved with VEX are developing skills in computer programing, robotic engineering, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. The Empower robotics program is made possible through the generous donations by Pine Tech Community College, Lakes Gas, and the Finlayson-Giese Lions." - Source: Hinckley News 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!
Today we embarked on our annual kick-off canoe trip. We had a small crew, but we had big adventures! By Bianca Roseland:
MAAP STARS is a broad based vocational organization for students in secondary alternative programs in Minnesota. This last week, three ALP students were elected for leadership by their own peers to go to Camp Ripley (military training camp) for the MAAP STARS overnight leadership conference. I don't think any of us knew exactly what to expect on this overnight trip, though I know that all of us thought the experience was amazing. Through the help of one another and the inspiring speakers, our employment, social, and motivational skills were strengthened. We met and had fun with so many others who share the love we experience in our Alternative Learning Program. What was so cool, was how freely this was given to us. Stay tuned to read about how we plan to keep what we have by giving it away!! Wow, did we have a fun day today! With perfect attendance, we headed out in the early (and quite chilly) morning to Audubon Center of the North Woods for a day of survival skills and wolf ecology. We spent the morning discussing survival statistics and skills in the Audubon Center's authentic yurt (which the students actually worked on weatherproofing last spring). We then learned about fire-building techniques, after which all of the students broke into groups to gather the 4 different kinds of fire-building materials and worked together to build and start their own fires and to boil water, for which they were rewarded with hot cocoa. After fire-building, the students worked with their groups to find a suitable place for shelter and to build a survival shelter in the woods. The second half of the day was spent on wolf ecology where we learned about tracking wolves (and actually practiced with a tracking device) and learning about the wolf's place in the ecosystem and more about their species in general. Unfortunately, the camera's battery's died before the wolf session so our pictures end at the survival class. But ask a student about their experience and they can tell you all about it! Everyone agreed it was a fun and worthwhile field trip and is excited to go back.
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