The Scoop on Adventure Elementary

WHAT DO STUDENTS THINK ABOUT THE NEW ADVENTURE ELEMENTARY?

Adventure Elementary students. Ana Burns, Emma Kuper, Raegyn Fox, Andy Meyer, Tristan Koutsarath, Christian Miller. Photos by Jon Klemme.

Adventure Elementary School is the newest K-5 school in the Harrisburg School District. It’s located at 27220 472nd Ave. in Sioux Falls.

A half dozen fourth and fifth grade students from the classrooms of Mr. Vanderbeek and Mrs. Dalton were invited to write essays about what they liked about their new school. Thanks to Adventure Principal Angela Nelson for coordinating with the writers and their teachers.

ADVENTURE HAS STUDIOS AND PODS

By Christian Miller

The new thing in school is doing PL (Personalized Learning) and we have lockers. In a big room – and we don’t call it a classroom – is the studios. Plus a lot of new kids and new friends have come here. We have furniture in our pod. Our pod is a big space where the studios and furniture and bathroom are at. This new school looks modern.

Christian Miller

ADVENTURE IS AN AWESOME SCHOOL

By Christian Miller

Adventure is a school where you can learn and have fun. That’s why Adventure is an awesome school. There are glass rooms near all the classrooms which is actually called the pod. The glass rooms are there so students can work quietly and focus. The glass rooms are a privilege to have. The playground is a big place where you can run around. There is a lot of new equipment and it is so much fun. There is a giant field of grass to just run around. There are all kinds of different kids at Adventure. Some are from Freedom, Liberty, Explorer and some are from Sioux Falls schools too. It is so good to see other kids from different schools. And that is my awesome story about Adventure!

Emma Kuper

By Raegyn Fox

Raegyn Fox

School at Adventure is amazing. There is a new smell. The desks are new. I have never been in PL, so it’s new. PL is fun. I love switching studios. The teachers are nice and the classes are smaller. The thing I don’t like is that it was hard leaving friends. Lots of teachers are new, which is great, because I can meet new teachers. It’s just new. I am finally getting the hang of it. There’s nothing the same as Explorer. Still, I think it is amazing.

By Tristan Koutsarath

Today you will read about how amazing the teachers and workers are, stuff connected to the glass study rooms, and what the new playground can lead to in Adventure. BRACE YOURSELF!

The employees – aka teachers and workers – are pretty cool, especially my teacher, Mrs. Dalton. But what I, me, myself think is cool is that the food is delicious (thanks to the cooks), how well the teachers teach, the janitors who clean our school, and the games. I haven’t told you my thoughts on the new playgrounds, like how new playgrounds equal new game ideas, how I think newer is better (in my opinion), and more stuff to explore. The blessing of the glass study rooms is a big one if you need somewhat quiet and focused study. If you are focusing on the fun, flexible seating, and somewhere to go where there aren’t like 26 other kids speaking over each other. That’s a lot of facts, right? Maybe that’s why Adventure is called Adventure! Because it’s full of adventures. I hope you learned something. Bye! Adventure is brand spanking new so you better know about it! The school layout is so nice. The playground is behind the school; when you walk in it, if you look to your left, you will see Tiger Reserve, and to your right is PL. If you’re wondering what PL or Tiger Reserve is, I’ll tell you. PL stands for Personalized Learning. PL is where you can work at your own pace. Tiger Reserve is an advanced program. In Adventure, there’s pod rooms where there’s comfy furniture and tables where you can sit at. We also do morning meeting in the pod. Adventure is an awesome school and you should go there.

Tristan Koutsarath

Andy Meyer

ADVENTURE YOU SAY? IT’S BRAND SPANKING NEW!

By Andy Meyer

LET’S FLY INTO ADVENTURE!

By Ana Burns

Let’s fly into adventure! I like to play on the playground because it has really fun monkey bars and those spinning things. Now I am going to talk about flexible seating. I like the wobbly chairs and the small chairs. There are a mix of kids. You should come to our school because we have nice activities and nice teachers and I hope you can come to my school because I will show you around – and I want a new friend to spend time with. So please come to Adventure Elementary. Thanks for flying into adventure with me. Have a good day!

A SHARED PURPOSE & HELPING OTHERS GIVES LIFE MORE MEANING

Superintendent Tim Graf

As the calendar turned to November, I found myself reflecting upon the past two years and our country’s military veterans. We are hearing vaccinations for children between the ages of 5 and 12 are expected to receive FDA approval very soon. While the number of active cases in our school community have been very low in recent weeks, I cannot help but wonder what lies ahead. Will Covid become like the flu, in that it is a moving target? Will booster shots be offered annually? Schools and educators have responded to this pandemic to serve our families and communities. School staff became a community of people with a purpose, similar in ways to how our veterans have responded over and over to conflicts throughout the history of our great country. They have done so with great honor and always with a sense of sacrificing for others. I have great appreciation and gratitude for the unparalleled level of sacrifice that our veterans have made, which allows us to pursue our sense of purpose.

I distinctly recall when my son returned from Iraq during the height of the Iraq War conflict. As he was adjusting to civilian life, he shared how when he was ‘over there’ everything had purpose. Our lives have more meaning when we feel we have a sense of purpose and can help others. The freedoms we have in America exist because of our veterans. We truly are the land of the free because of the brave.

The Harrisburg School District returned to an in-person Veterans Day program this year to honor the service and sacrifice of our Veterans. Although the number of students who attended in person was limited to allow our veterans and members of the community to attend while still offering some social distancing, we are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate these brave members of our community as they inspire the work we do in our schools and with our families. We expect to return to our traditional program in future years.

Tim M. Graf Superintendent, Harrisburg School District

HARRISBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT

For all schools, call 605-743-2567 www.harrisburgdistrict41-2.org 200 E. Willow St., Harrisburg SD 57032

High School...................... 1300 W. Willow, Harrisburg North Middle School............ 2201 W. 95th St., Sioux Falls South Middle School............ 600 S. Cliff Ave., Harrisburg Adventure Elementary ....... 27220 472nd Ave., Sioux Falls Endeavor Elementary .......... 2401 W. 95th St., Sioux Falls Explorer Elementary ............4010 W 82nd St, Sioux Falls Freedom Elementary .... 1101 Tom Sawyer Trail, Harrisburg Horizon Elementary ......5800 S. Bahnson Ave., Sioux Falls Journey Elementary ........ 6801 S. Grange Ave., Sioux Falls Liberty Elementary ........... 200 E. Willow St., Harrisburg

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