Posted: 7/5/06
SEEK ... and you will find many wonderful things
 Students stand by an ultralight plane on the soccer fields behind North Branch Middle School June 28. Several different small planes were flown in as part of the learning experience for the ìFlying Gizmos and Rocketsî class at Project Seek. The class was taught by Tom Tengwall. |
By Steve Morris
On June 29 Project Seek finished its 14th year of providing in-depth and specialized classes to high-potential youths in grades 2-7. The word ìSeekî is an acronym for Summer Enrichment Experiences for Kids.
Program director and retired teacher, Katsy Hanson founded the program with the intent to help gifted students reach their full potential.
Project Seek, which is cosponsored by the St. Croix River Education District, went from June 13-29 and was held at the North Branch Middle School.
Project Seek participants must be nominated by a teacher and meet certain criteria to attend. Characteristics are, but not limited to, an enjoyment of intense study, a willingness to become involved and a desire to complete projects.
Students from six school districts attended Project Seek, with a majority of the students coming from the Chisago Lakes (100) and North Branch (70) districts. There were also 30 from Rush City. The other districts are: East Central, Hinckley-Finlayson and Pine City.
The three-week program costs $296, which includes transportation.
Students choose which class they want to take for the three weeks. There are 19 different classes from which to choose. Some of the classes offered this summer included: The Candy Factor, Festivals Around the World and Mysteries, Puzzles and Crime Scenes. Classes are separated into language, math, science and problem solving.
Dede Besch, a sixth-grade English teacher at North Branch Middle School, taught the Writers Guild course. It was her first experience teaching with Project Seek and she said she is able to challenge students more than in a traditional setting.
ìThere is a future author sitting in this room,î Besch said.
In fact, students in Beschís class each wrote a story or poem and then shipped it to a company who will bind the book and publish it (for keepsake purposes).
Part of what makes Project Seek different from traditional summer school is that it puts talented kids with other talented kids. Besch said the students really feed off each other.
Shannon OíBrien, a seventh grader at North Branch Middle School, attended Project Seek for the first time this summer. She was in the Writing Guild class and she enjoyed the class because it was different from regular writing classes. She said, ìI feel like I accomplished something.î
Another aspect that makes Project Seek different is the small class size. Hanson said class size is about a 15 to 1 student teacher ratio.
The learning experience children have can have an impact years after completing the program. Hanson said one past participant went on to graduate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Another former alumni of the program, Serena Pitala, now a senior at St. Maryís University, attended Program Seek two years while attending school in Chisago Lakes. Pitala took two classes titled ìShakespeare Kidsî and ìCaio Italia.î In college, she studied abroad and the Project Seek classes she took helped her communicate during her travels. Referring to the Caio Italia class, she said, ìIt paid off later when I studied abroad.î
ìItalia ended up being a big benefit,î she said.
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