Active Warrior

Requirement: Students must have a bicycle and helmet that they can transport to school.

Driving Question: How can you live your best life?

Description: To be a real Warrior you need to be healthy, happy, and active. In this course, we will focus on strengthening our inner warrior through activities which enlighten our body and mind. This may include, but is not limited to, bicycling, yoga, self-defense, archery, kayaking/canoeing, meditation and service to others.

Grilling for Dummies

Driving Questions:

1) How can Americans turn the outdoor entertainment world into a functional fun time?

2) If EATING... consumes the largest majority of time in our daily activity, what do we need to learn to prepare it?

3) How can we choose our meat products to make the best tasting and most enjoyed food sources?

How Do I Start Adulting: Broke, Young and Scraping By

Driving Question: What are the real-world skills and experiences students should be taught before leaving high school?

Description: Are you sick and tired of not learning about basic human skills needed in order to be on your own? This J-Term class will focus on: budgeting money, basic car maintenance such as changing a tire, meal planning and cooking, self-defense, healthy lifestyles, job skills, and many other topics will be covered in this course.

Area Park Life

Driving Question: What do our area parks have to offer to study/enjoy nature?

Course Description:  Students will travel to an area park each day to mainly see what they have to offer.  Tentative plan: 1st day - Union Slough; 2nd day - AA Call State Park and Smith Lake in Algona; 3rd day - Fort Defiance in Estherville; and 4th day Tuttle Lake to go fishing.  Will also visit Iowa Lake, Ingham Lake, and Burt Lake.  Students would need a fishing license and supplies to fish the 4th day.  Plan each day is to eat in closest town, so will need money for lunch.  Each place will meet with DNR and get an idea of what they do.  Don’t take a skinny in the morning because we will be gone each day in the morning.

Who Dunnit?

Driving Question:  What investigation skills and critical thinking does it take to solve a crime and create an “Escape Room”?

Description: Students will learn different elements of solving crimes.  They will cover elements of crime scene investigation and the events involved in putting together a case.  The class will learn things such as fingerprinting, blood splattering, powder studies, DNA sampling, gathering evidence, and other basics of crime scene investigation.  Then students will put together a case using the evidence, interrogation, and other tactics to understand how to follow clues and use critical thinking to solve a case.  

Our Life Stories

Driving Question: How do the personal experiences of yourself and others shape who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going?  What’s your story?

Course Description: Make a connection to your personal history and create a SMASHING heirloom that can be appreciated throughout the years.  This course will help you to gain an understanding of how your personal story has been impacted by your experiences and provide you with a way of cataloging your journey and telling your own personal story.  We will explore and connect genealogy to our lives and who we have become. We will learn how to use graphic design tools, explore scrapbooking techniques, incorporate basic design components, implement various artistic mediums, and tell your own story through journaling. Your final project will be a personal multimodality diary that will be treasured for many years to come.

Pura Vida Costa Rica

Driving Question: What will you discover preparing for and on your trip to beautiful Costa Rica about traveling, the people and their customs, the plants and animals, and the landscape of this Caribbean country?

Description: From gallo pinto to arroz con leche, from Spanish to “tiquismos” we will excite your taste buds, twist your tongue and get your creative juices flowing!

Plan to refine your taste palate by preparing delicious food, and create artistic pieces from the country of Costa Rica in a group like atmosphere.  So grab your fellow “tico,” your creative caps, and culinary skills.   Let's go exploring on this amazing adventure!

Let's Go on an AGventure!

Driving Question: Why is agriculture important to you? 

Description: Let's take a tour of the agriculture industry around our area and learn about how it impacts our lives. Touring will consist of multiple parts of the agricultural industry including the poultry industry, agronomy, farming, and so much more. 

Warrior Helping Hands

Driving Question: How can I make a difference in the world around me?

Description: Students will get real-world experiences through volunteer opportunities.