#collegevisits

It's a little late to post about this, but I've been looking at colleges recently! I really want to be an American Sign Language(ASL) interpreter. I went to St. Catherine University a while ago, and more recently, I went to Augustana University! I'm looking for colleges with CCIE(Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education) accredited programs. Sadly, that means only three colleges in the Midwest (where I'm from) have these programs, as only thirteen colleges have them.

St. Kate (Catherines) in St. Paul, MN, is my top choice and the closest to me. It has a fantastic program, and I'm really looking forward to the application process. The school also helps its students find internships after college. It's also such a lovely campus, and I hope they accept me when I submit my application.

So far, Augustana is my second choice in Sioux Falls, SD. It has the interpreting program I want, but it also opened me up to double majoring in interpreting and Communication Disorders, allowing me to enter Audiology or Speech-Language pathology. The campus is also reasonably small, which would be great for me as walking long distances can be difficult. They also have lots of local ducks!

A Future in Healthcare

By Abby Coudeyras

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha

On Thursday, March 30, Mrs. Lisa Blecha takes a group of students to SCC in Lincoln to learn more about the healthcare field. She commented, “The students did a lot of hands-on learning with activities such as packing and dressing wounds, working with IVs, creating dental molds, packaging mock medication, etc.” 

Visit to Midland

By Logan Maloley

Photos provided by Lisa Blecha

On Tuesday, March 14, students from the sophomore and junior classes visit Midland University. There, they got to see the dorms, training facilities, and the cafeteria. Some of the staff members from the college gave a presentation on what to look for in your future college and career. They also got to talk to a few of the students about what their favorite part of Midland was and what made them decide to go there. 

When asked about the college, Jesse McLaughlin said, “My favorite part of the college was the dining hall. Being able to have a bunch of choices and eating all you can is great.”

Midland is a smaller college, which varies with preference of people. Isaac Sietz said the size and community is exactly what he is looking for, but Jesse said the small class size was his least favorite part. 

Jesse and Isaac were also intrigued by the wide variety of activities offered there: from the common sports at Pawnee to bowling, trapshooting, esports, etc. 

New Opportunities for the Eighth Graders

By Langden Tozer

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha

On March 8, Pawnee City eighth graders take a trip to visit SCC in Milford. When Jaydon Johnson was asked if he could see himself going there, he responded, “I'm planning on going to SCC Milford once I graduate high school.” 

Ericca Gyhra was asked if she enjoyed the trip. She replied, “I for sure enjoyed it. We had so much fun, and we definitely want to visit more of the things there that we didn't get to.” 

The First of Many

By Claire Kaster

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha, Mrs. Terra Blecha, and Mrs. Whitney Sisco.

Visit to Concordia

By Logan Maloley

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha

On Tuesday, February 7, students from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes visit Concordia University. There, they got to see the campus, some dorms, and even talk to a few of the teachers and students.

Cameron Ottersberg said that she really enjoyed talking to the students and teachers because it showed how connected they all are there. She also said that she enjoyed the facilities and the size of the campus.

Isaac Thompson said that the size of the campus was something that stood out to him. “I liked the smaller campus and classes. Everyone knows each other and are all really nice people.” One of the downsides for Isaac was the size of the dorms.

Jesse McLaughlin agreed that the living situation could be better, although there is an air conditioner in the dorms. He also included that the layout of the campus was a little too complex and the dining hall was average. Jesse said they have really nice teaching programs and sports, the campus was clean, and he found it nice that they have an esports team. Jesse said, “My favorite part of campus was the fact that they had a facility named ‘Jesse Hall’.”

UNO and Doane Visits

By Langden Tozer

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha

On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, Pawnee City students take a college visit at Doane and the University of Nebraska in Omaha (UNO). According to Mrs. Blecha, that was the last college visit for this semester. The other college visits will be starting up during the 2023 spring semester.

After every college visit, the Pawnee students take a survey handed to them and they fill out all the questions. Here are some of the responses some students have given back:

Jesse McLaughlin commented on what he liked about UNO, "It's in the big city, their programs seem to be advanced, and from what they said it sounded like you can have a dorm room to yourself.”

Cara Pierce also liked UNO, saying, "I like the dorms and the class sizes. They were all so hospitable, it was nice."

Anna Meints replied, "I liked the small classes, the scenery, and the dorm bedrooms," when talking about Doane. 

UNL College Visit

By Isaac Seitz

Photos provided by Mrs. Lisa Blecha

On Tuesday, November 1, students from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes go on a college visit to UNL. During the trip, we saw and learned many neat things about UNL and what kinds of opportunities students had when going there. At the start of our tour, we were brought to the main library of the college and were shown all of the ways people could quietly study and work on homework or projects. They even showed us the “study rooms” that they had available to reserve. We were also shown what the dorms would be like; we were shown a dorm that was considered a suite rather than a dorm because of all the space that was in it.

When asked about the trip, Cara Pierce said that it was a fun trip but she wishes they could have seen more, like the classrooms. Kaitlyn Svoboda stated, “It was a good experience, and it helped me have a better perspective on what the campus was like.”