Academic News IB Students ‘Hit the Road’ De La Salle Collegiate’s twelve Class of 2017 International Baccalaureate (IB) students, along with four IB teachers, traveled to Montana in May 2016 for a week of service and science. A component of the IB program is Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS). Brad Cusumano, the IB CAS Coordinator for DLS, organized the trip into two components: a service piece with the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, MT., followed by a science project at Glacier National Park. During the stay in Blackfeet Nation, the IB students lived in a small bunkhouse while serving at De La Salle Blackfeet Indian Reservation. They prepared their own meals, along with IB Coordinator Stephanie Howay, Biology teacher Jackie VanThomme, Chemistry teacher Rob Black, and Brad Cusumano. DLS students spent two and a half days at De La Salle Blackfeet, a Lasallian school (dlsb.org) established in 2001 by the Midwest
District of the Christian Brothers. Blackfeet is co-ed, and has about 70 students in grades 4-8. It is one of 11 “San Miguel” schools, which serve IB students regularly engage in service. In June 2016, students predominantly at-risk spent the day at Clark Park, in southwest Detroit, helping to populations. These facilitate a field day for Maybury Elementary School. schools are not tuitionsimultaneously assisting the National driven, depending on service and philanthropy, have extended school Park service in their tracking of loons. The students also took part in days, and have small class sizes. Blackfeet serves a remote region on the National Park Services “BioBlitz” during which they examined specific an Indian reservation bordered by types of insects in Lake Bowman, Canada to the north, and Glacier assisting the Park service in its National Park to the west. comparisons of nutrient-rich lakes vs. Brad said, “This was an unbelievnutrient-poor lakes. able and emotional experience for Principal Steve Stewart said, “Our our young men. Our students IB program continues to grow each tutored, and assisted the teachers year thanks in large part to the in facilitating homework assignments and quizzes. Most important- fantastic job our teachers, counselors, admissions, and coordinators do ly, they were able to build lasting relationships with these students.” every day! We will continue to offer IB instructional professional developThe DLS group then headed to ment to all of our teachers because Glacier National Park to complete it improves student learning and the IB science project. The boys surveyed loons and connected data, critical thinking.”
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