This session's theme deals with the outdoors! Teachers brought in a variety of camping and fishing gear, leading sessions on how to enjoy the outdoors. Students rotated through three different "classes" ranging from outdoor gear, fishing and tackle, and packs and tents. The group will end the session by heading into the outdoors for a camping adventure at the end of May!
Our greenhouse is in full swing! The Grand Opening for the Plant Sale will be Friday, May 19th. The greenhouse will be open from 9:00am-3:00pm Monday through Friday until sold out! We have been cultivating various types of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans and flowers. Veggies are $3.00 for a large plant and $2.00 for a small plant, while flowers are 2 for $3.00. We hope to see you soon! Any questions, please feel free to call 218-746-3875.
During the week of March 13th-17th, eleven students had the wonderful opportunity to embark on a week long field study to Chicago where we stayed at a new hotel, Fieldhouse Jones. Pillager Area Charter School is an experiential and environmental school, and each session we have a focused theme for the students. The Session Four theme was Citizenship, and the students, along with two chaperones, spent time in the city of Chicago learning about citizenship and what it means. It was an incredible experience to accompany these students on the trip, as it was enlightening to see the big city with them and through their eyes. Below is a collection of articles written by the students about their adventures through the windy city.
-Tracee Colgrove On Tuesday, March 14th, we woke up in the morning and everyone met in the lobby of the Fieldhouse Jones hotel at 8:30 to leave for Shedd Aquarium. To get there, we had to get on the brown L-train and then onto the city bus. The ride to our stop was about 15 minutes long, but it didn't feel that way because we were focused on all the stuff going on around us. When we arrived at our stop, we walked across the street and up a big flight of stairs to get in. When we got inside there were a lot of people waiting. All of the students went into the gift shop while Mark and Tracee got our tickets. When all of us had them, the teachers told us when and where to meet for lunch and then turned us all loose to go look at all the sea life.
While I was walking around, some of the things I saw there were an octopus, seahorses, Beluga whales, and even penguins. We also went to a 4D movie about water dinosaurs, which was really cool. When the dinosaurs came out of the water, we got sprayed with a little water from the seat in front of us. We went with a few people to eat lunch, and then walked to the dolphin show and met up with everyone else there. During the dolphin show, we met the dolphins, their personal trainers, a loving rescue dog named Peach, and a few penguins. After that we all walked across the street to the Field Museum. -Jade Simons After leaving the Shedd Aquarium, we walked for a little bit and arrived at the Field Museum. It was quite big, and we could easily get lost. They had all types of different cultures to learn about and a bunch of visual learning opportunities; there were fake pyramids with mummies, and a lot of mounted animals like tigers, bears, and other animals for the African exhibit. We watched a movie while we were there about the Terracotta Warriors, and how in the 1800-1900s they were found. It was a revolutionary thing, because it told a lot about the Asian history, and it demonstrated how important the rulers of yesteryear felt their armies were to them. My favorite exhibit would have been the room filled with the gem Jade. There was even a suit made out of it. By far this was my favorite event.
-Brandon Johnson In the evening, we decided to go to the Navy Pier for food and souvenirs. The Navy Pier was on Lake Michigan, only a 10-minute bus ride from the Field House Jones, which is
where we were staying. The students, which included, Nick, Jade, Brandon, Jessie, Mitch, Joey, Chloe, Anton, Braden and I, all had found somewhere to eat. Everyone had either chosen Chinese food, pizza, or fast food. The patio area of the Navy Pier was very windy, but it was worth it! The water was so beautiful, and the color, wow! The color was unbelievable! It was clear and such a bright green/blue. Inside the building were a bunch of souvenir shops. There was a more sporty shop that sold stuff for the “Chicago Bulls”. Mark had gone into a funny shop called “Bubba Gump” with a ton of apparel with quotes and graphic tees from the movie “Forest Gump”. We met up at 5:30 in the main entrance and went back to Field House Jones to gather votes for dinner. It was a lot of fun! -Mars Armstrong The Museum of Science and Industry had its start in 1933. The collection of artifacts ranges from a full-sized airplane, to a coal mine from Southern Illinois, to a zephyr, and more. We spent hours wandering around the museum, checking out the different exhibits. There was even a room which contained a huge fairy castle, built for a silent movie actress Colleen Moore, bringing her love of fairytales to life. There was a hatchery in the museum as well, describing the process of incubation, fertilization, and hatching. We were able to witness two chicks hatching in the time we were there. There were flight simulators to take rides in, and the one we chose was a space chase. The time there was cool, learning about the various industries that formed the foundation for industry in our country.
On Wednesday, we went to Willis Tower. We went up to the 103rd floor, up into the clouds to see the city below. Most of the students went out onto the Skydeck, which is a group of glass bottom boxes that stick out 4.3 feet from Willis Tower. Willis Tower is 1,450 feet high, and it is the twelfth highest building in the world. The entire 103rd floor is made up of glass, making it possible to view every angle of the city for miles. It was exhilarating, terrifying, and exciting all at once!
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Staff:Kitra Barros Links
June 2020
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