Excursion: Health & Nutrition Summits

Students in AVA are exploring a variety of personal health and wellness topics this semester to fulfill their Health requirement. These topics include reproductive health, comprehensive health for student athletes, growing and using microgreens and sprouts, as well as brain development in adolescence.

Drone Project

Teagan and Hunter are doing a project about drones. They are learning about flying as well as the heights and the conditions the drones can achieve. Hunter and Teagan are conducting experiments to improve the speed and agility of their drones. 

Hunter, a sophomore, is inspired to learn about aviation because he always wanted to go into the Air Force. Right now Hunter is working on writing his interview questions to interview someone from the EAA museum. 

Teagan, a seventh grader, is really into remote control (RC) cars and thought it would be interesting to learn about drones. He wants to learn about how to fly and the different tricks the drones can do.

 Mural Project

Rachel, Lillian, Jasmine, and Leo are partnering with Yonder to work on a new mural in the school. They have redone the Algoma Wolves painting in the boardroom. The team is  planning a mural in one of the stairways at the high school. They have been working on gathering inspiration for the mural to get a better idea of what they want to see on the wall. Jasmine, Leo, Rachel, and Lillian have also been gathering sketches and measurements of the wall to properly know the shape of the wall and how to lay out their plan. They expect to start painting this month. Jasmine, a freshman, says her favorite part about the mural group is that they all have their own voice and get to add to one big idea. She also really enjoys how hands-on the entire class is.

Tiny Home Project

Nolan and Isaac, are doing a project about tiny homes to help their community. This is a multiple-year project, this year they’re focusing on the model, and next year they are looking into scaling up. 

Nolan, a seventh grader, is inspired to improve his community with a project where he and Isaac will build a tiny home on wheels. The project started because Nolan wanted to learn about architecture and design. He is currently working on a model of his tiny home. Nolan’s future plans are to be able to let Algoma citizens rent out the finished tiny home to go out and spend time outdoors. The goal is for it to be fully independent with solar panels and a disposable toilet.

Isaac, a seventh-grader, is passionate about building projects out in his garage with his dad. He enjoys doing the project, especially creating the model on paper with small wood pieces.

Upcoming Events 

• After School Movie @ the Algoma Public Library Mar 8, 2024
• Meat Raffle @ HOMESTEAD Mar 10, 2024 1:00 PM
• Band-O-Rama Mar 12, 2024 1:00 PM
• Spring Break Mar 25 – 29, 2024

Student Spot

This volume’s featured student is… Kiryn Bosse

Kiryn is a new student this year in AVA. She is passionate about animals and will be pursuing a career in veterinary medicine after high school. She is hoping to do some job shadowing and get an internship next year as a junior. She has been a great addition to our school community!

Rising Phoenix 

By: Hannah Reseburg

I first heard about the Rising Phoenix Program in the second semester of my sophomore year. The Rising Phoenix Program is a dual enrollment program set up for students to earn an Arts and Sciences Associate degree while getting their high school diploma. To become a part of Rising Phoenix, you can apply by going to UW-Green Bay’s website and searching for Rising Phoenix. There is a simple application process that involves filling out student and guardian expectations and information forms and writing an essay about yourself and why Rising Phoenix would be a good fit for you. There is also a two-teacher recommendation form and your transcript is required. 

One thing I enjoy most about the Rising Phoenix Program is being able to challenge myself in ways I have never done before. I am pushed to strive for my best and achieve all that I am capable of within the program. You are a high school student entering college two years earlier than your peers. Another thing I enjoy about the program is expanding my opportunities and connections. Within the Rising Phoenix Program, there’s an opportunity to join a Buddy Program. The Buddy Program is a way to be connected with one of your peers, either from your school or another school, to be able to have someone to talk to who knows what you’re going through. You’re not only making a connection with this person, but you are also meeting with them every month to talk about and through the things you have experienced in the program. 

For classes in the Rising Phoenix Program, you can take classes through Algoma and UWGB. The classes taken at Algoma are usually NWTC dual-credit classes that will transfer over to the degree. Any other classes that you want to take or need to take for the degree can be taken through UWGB. These classes can be on campus or online; typically, first-year students stick to online to get adjusted to the different classes before being put into in-person classes. Some classes that I am taking through Algoma are Psychology, Sociology, History 205, Oral Interpersonal Communications, and English Composition. Classes I am taking through UWGB online are Business and Its Environment, Intro to Lifespan Development, First Nation Studies, and Anthropology. Classes can be individualized for each person and the career they want to pursue. 

As of right now, I am still deciding what I want to do after high school. I have many interests in different fields I would like to pursue. I have been interested in becoming a labor and delivery nurse, radio talk show host, marketing specialist, veterinarian, lawyer, dentist, EMT, and event planner. At this point, I am looking into business management and administration, and possibly event planning and management.

World News

Hyena shocks Kenyan after sneaking into his Nakuru shop

Written by: BBC on Tuesday, March 7th, 2024

A businessman in Kenya’s Rift Valley city of Nakuru was “shocked” when he turned up for work early on Wednesday to find a “strange animal” in his small shop.

Fredrick Omungu did not know what it was at first, but said he was scared.

“It clearly wasn’t a dog – I thought it was a leopard or something else,” he told the BBC.

Some neighbours came and identified the animal as a hyena, which under certain conditions can attack humans.

“I was shocked and stayed far away. I’ve heard hyenas are dangerous and can kill people,” Mr Omungu said.

In less than 30 minutes, dozens of residents had gathered around his stall to see the stranded animal hiding under the makeshift counter.

It is unclear how the animal ended up in his stall in a populated area.

Mr Omungu, who sells the leafy stimulant khat, which is known locally as miraa, as well as soft drinks, sweets and groundnuts, said he had closed his business at around 20:00 local time (17:00GMT) the previous night and had arrived at around 07:00 the following morning.

The area is not far from the Lake Nakuru National Park, where the hyena is suspected to have strayed from at night.

Wardens from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) later came and captured the animal.

Conflicts between animals and humans are becoming increasingly common in Kenya and in recent times there have been reports of hyenas attacking people in different places across the country.

In Nakuru, some residents have blamed the KWS for not taking enough measures to stop the animals from crossing the park into public areas.

But Mark Cheruiyot, a senior KWS warden from the county, told the BBC the fence, which at times has been vandalised, was being upgraded and it was unfortunate that the animal had got out of the park.

Mr Omungu said he was worried for the safety of children at a nearby primary school that is even closer to the park than his shop.

“Some of these children get to school around 5am… I thank God that the hyena did not harm anyone,” he said.

Another Nakuru resident, Jacinta Njeri, told local media that it was not the first time that a hyena had been spotted in the area, saying people were afraid especially for their children.

Last month, Kenya’s Tourism Minister Alfred Mutua said the high number of hyena attacks on people and livestock in recent times was the result of the overpopulation of the mammals.

Animal health authorities confirmed three weeks ago that three hyenas that attacked and mauled people in different locations had been infected with rabies.

KWS said this would explain the unusual aggressive behaviour towards people.

It had earlier shared an alert advising people on how to behave when they encounter a hyena.

The advisory to “stand your ground” and “try not to show your fear, keep yourself calm by talking to it” sparked ridicule, with some asking what language people should use to talk to the creatures.

The criticism has persisted, especially as some of the recent attacks have resulted in deaths or injuries.

Last month KWS officers discovered the body parts of a victim of a hyena attack near the capital, Nairobi, close to an area where a university student had been attacked and bitten on the thumb.

In January, a 10-year-old boy was mauled to death on the outskirts of the capital.