We went to Legislative Day on Tuesday, February 18th and we got back on Wednesday the 19th. Three students--Marshall, Levy and Kitra--left Tuesday after school, and we made our way to Minneapolis. Since we didn’t have any plans for the first night, we went to the Mall of America and walked around.
We went to Jenkins Community School and stayed the night there. We talked for a little bit then went to bed because we had to get up early. When we woke up, we ate some breakfast and got ready for the day. We left the school at about 8-8:30 in the morning. We headed to the House of Representatives to have a small get together with other MAAP STARS. After the meeting, we had another meeting with Representative John Poston. We talked with him about ourselves and why we chose Pillager Area Charter School, then Greg talked about what he liked and offered a proposal to Representative Poston. We had a good fifteen minutes before our next meeting with Senator Gazelka. We had to speed walk through the tunnels into the Senate House. We shared the same things with him that we had with Represetnative Poston. The only thing I would change if we went back is to have more time with both of them. It was a lot of fun. I believe everyone who went on this trip would love to go again. It was a new experience, and we felt our voices were heard. I know I would go again if I had the chance. By: Levy Ktytor Greg's Project- They are doing welding. First they had to watch a safety video after learning the safety precautions. Then they made a poster of a safety precaution they learned.
They are currently making name plates. The next thing they are going to be working on is a cube, and the big project will be a snowmobile stand. At the end of this project they want to have a small shop to offer welding for the community. Chad’s Project Update- The students currently have the shape for the pizza oven. Now they have to place the cast over with a mixture of concrete and vermiculite. This will eventually be used to bake pizzas.
Czech‘s Project Update- The first assignment they did was pick ten places they wanted to visit. Now they are getting ready to start travel agent client scenarios. They are going to prepare a trip for “clients” who had certain requests. Please join us on Thursday, May 16th from 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm for Community Night! Look through projects our students have completed throughout the year, chat with students and staff, enjoy a meal, and get an early start on the greenhouse!
Over the week of April 15th-19th, seven Pillager Area Charter School students travelled to Washington, D.C. for their end-of-session field experience. With the capital as the hub of our country’s global relations, it was the perfect location to culminate our Global Perspectives session. Students took advantage of several opportunities to fundraise for this trip throughout the year. The students were also required to do research on local activities during the five weeks of the session leading up to the trip. They became experts on places such as the World War II Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, Ford’s Theatre, the Capital and more. Each student presented their researched information before heading to our nation’s capital.
The students and staff stayed at the Kellogg Conference Hotel located on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.. This campus is the premier private school geared specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students, so the students were immediately immersed in American Sign Language. The day of arrival, the group hit Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the National Archives and took a bus tour of the National Mall. Many in the group were intrigued by the documents contained in the National Archives, and it was quite an experience to view the Declaration of Independence in person. On the morning of the second day, we were able to go on a tour of the Capital with one of Representative Pete Stauber’s interns. We were able to see where the original United States Supreme Court was located, which was historically significant since Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney presided over the Dredd Scott case in 1857. Following the Capital tour, the group travelled to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Here they were able to view Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis, a follow up to a previous trip to his childhood home in Little Falls. In addition, they were able to learn about the Wright Brothers’ impact on aeronautical engineering and learn more about the space program. The final event for the day was a trip to Nationals Park for a baseball game. Students spent their third full day in Washington, D.C. by spending the morning learning about animals from all over the world at the Smithsonian Zoological Park. After lunch, they walked down to the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. They were shocked to see how elaborately decorative the executive building was, especially considering it neighbored the White House so closely. The next stop was to the National Portrait Gallery, where students were able to view presidential portraits. The Gallery currently has the exhibit of Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. Next, we had a tour and presentation at Ford’s Theatre, learning about the conspiracies against Abraham Lincoln and his murder. We ended our day with a tour through Chinatown and a family meal at the Chinatown Garden. Our final day in Washington began at Arlington National Cemetery. Everyone was able to watch the Changing of the Guard and a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The students and staff in attendance were in awe of the depth and solemnity of the ceremony. They even visited John F. Kennedy’s gravesite to see the Eternal Flame. The afternoon was spent visiting the various memorials on the National Mall, including the Vietnam Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and more. Students learned much about the significance of the wars and memorials by reading and walking through them. Overall, the trip was an incredible experience for all involved! The teachers are working together this week to prepare for the last session of the year: Do It Yourself!
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Staff:Kitra Barros Links
June 2020
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