CFHS students present senior projects
Seventh graders Hudson McDaniel and Sarah Bopp gave a presentation about learning to cook at the recent Clark Fork Experiential Learning Showcase while parent volunteer Mekenzie McDaniel looks on.
(Courtesy photo)
Clark Fork High School seniors pose for a photo. Pictured in the back row, from left, are Isaac Steele, Leslie Montgomery, Denzel Kailing, Rebekah Thompson, Mark Bouse, Chuck Henderson, Eli Englehart, Dillon Robinson, Paul Bopp, and Rebecca Nielsen. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Abbie Anderson, Madison Hewitt, Madeline Reuter, Josh Constantin, Charlie Abbott, Sara Hathaway, Jacqueline Sweeney, and Lucas Decker. Not pictured is Aleehia Valliere.
(Courtesy photo)
The community got a chance to see what Clark Fork Junior-Senior High School seniors have been doing when they presented their senior projects to a panel of judges on Jan. 17.
Seniors are required to participate in the Independent Track as part of the school’s Experiential Learning program, a track that provides students with job shadow experiences, said CFHS teacher Rebecca Palmer.
“Students spend two Fridays a month shadowing a mentor in a field of their choice,” she said in an email to The Daily Bee. “They then present a reflective speech of their impressions of the job and a short demonstration of a skill learned on the job.”
This semester, student experiences ranged from working in an attorney’s office to working on a construction crew. Judges also represented a wide variety of professional backgrounds from Sandpoint and Spokane.
The senior class had the highest average scores of any since the Independent Track began, with one student, Becca Nielsen, achieving the first 100% on a senior project.
“Judges praised students’ preparation and professionalism as well as the practicality of the program preparing kids for life after graduation,” Palmer said. “Clark Fork Staff is incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication.”
Clark Fork Junior-Senior High School is a pretty special place to learn with one of the reasons being the school’s Experiential Learning program that allows students to pursue passions two Fridays a month, Palmer said.
The tracks include outdoors, which focuses on outdoor activities and stewardship; fishing, which focuses on all types of fishing in the area; healthy living, which focuses on having healthy bodies and minds; arts, which focuses on visual arts and culinary arts; auto tech, which focuses on car repair; and Seventh Grade Track, which does a little bit of everything.
All CFHS students spent time Jan. 17 giving an open showcase to community members on what they’ve learned this semester.
“From tying flies to water testing, creating hiking trails to cooking Thanksgiving dinner, students learned a wide variety of skills,” Palmer said. “Some favorite track days included rock climbing at the Kroc Center, volunteering at the food bank, fishing at Antelope Lake, and learning photography from a professional photographer.
Students were required to create a professional tri-fold poster and to speak professionally to visitors, she added.
