SCHOOL MINISTRY

Campus Life

Extracurricular Activities

Art Club

Art Club is an extension of our Art Curriculum and is offered to middle school students.   Art Club provides an extended opportunity for student to get caught up with class art projects and create some new ones.

Blue Zones Expedition

This program offers students an interactive learning environment in which to cultivate curiosity about the world within the minds of students. Students utilize curricula in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Science Health and Geography. The program will begin with on line work involving the Blue Zone Challenge, Legacy Zone, and Financial Challenge (specifics about each program are available on-line). Beginning January 29th through February 11th the students will participate daily in the program to monitor and provide feedback to the "Blue Zones Expedition Team."  Students meet two times per week in the computer room at OLP during advisory to participate in an interactive program called Blue Zones.

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D.A.R.E.

Fifth Grade students meet for 12 weeks on Wednesdays beginning the 3rd week of February. Deputy Sheriff Todd Lundgren works with the students. They meet during social studies time during these weeks. DARE is a program to help students recognize and resist the pressures that may influence you to experiment with tobacco, alcohol, inhalants, or other drugs. It also teaches that violence hurts everyone.

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Destination Imagination Program

This is the first year for DI at Our Lady of Peace. We are beginning the program with Grades K-2, which are called Rising Stars.

DI is the world's largest creative problem solving program for kindergarten through college-ages learners, going strong in 50 states and 40 countries. Teams of up to 7 members (grades K-2) solve one of six different Challenges, which they perform in from of appraisers at tournaments. DI participants develop life skills while solving challenges through their unique hands-on experience in the sciences, technology, mechanics, engineering, theater, improvisation, goal setting, time and budget management, team building, and leadership. Our ultimate goal is to teach participants that through their creativity, teamwork, and perseverance, they can develop creative solutions to complex problems completely on their own!

For more information on all DI's programs, see the DI, Inc. web site or email Mr. Young.

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Drama Club

The Drama Club was created to provide an opportunity for students attending OLP to have the experience of performing live theater. There is a production in the Fall of the year using actors from grades 1-4 and a production in the Spring of the year using actors from grades 5-8. Mrs. Kathleen Bloom, an experienced actor and director, oversees the coordination of the Drama Club.

Flag Raisers

Student volunteers from grades 5-8 take responsibility for raising the flag in the morning and taking it down and folding the flag in the afternoon.

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Junior Achievement

The purpose of Jr. Achievement is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. Since its founding in 1919, JA has contributed to the business and economics education of young people in the United States and throughout the world.

In 5th grade we offer a 6 week program in November and December. They met during social studies time. Joan Berglund from M&I Bank provided the lessons.

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Music on the Move Minnesota, Inc.

Keyboard and Piano lessons are offered to students, grades 1st-8th.

• Students learn during 15 minute or half-hour private lessons.
• Advanced and beginning instruction is available.
• Lessons are given once a week after the school day and follow the school calendar.
• Instructors are experienced professionals dedicated to giving the finest musical education.
• Students participate in a recital at no extra cost.
• Students do not need to own an instrument to participate.

Please email Colleen Lacey, if you have questions or are interested in the program for 2007-2008 school year.

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Quiz Bowl

Students recommended by Teachers in Grade 8 participate in a competition with other Catholics schools from around the metro area held at the University of St. Thomas.   Questions asked cover multiple subject areas.

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Safety Patrols

Grades 5-8 serve OLP by helping students cross busy intersections near school, both before and after school. There is a required training session. The schedule is rotated so students serve a total of six weeks.

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Student Service and Action Committee

Our Lady of Peace School is committed to providing its students with an authentic Catholic education. In keeping with the Christian atmosphere of the school, OLP offers its students an area where they can practice more seriously the beatitudes and Catholic social justice. In light of this, OLP has a Student Service and Action Committee.   This committee is comprised of one representative from each of the middle school grades. In addition, because the advisory program is central to the OLP middle school, the committee includes one representative from each of the advisories. Finally, two students are assigned by the SSAC staff leaders to join the elected students.

SSAC activities and duties run throughout the school year and may include:

• An awareness program - where middle school students are made aware of various issues of local and global concern. This year the SSAC is focusing on hunger issues - locally and globally.
• Various in-school fundraisers - proceeds of which will benefit causes researched and promoted by the SSAC.
• School spirit - students on the SSAC are expected to foster school spirit by example and by activities or campaigns that include the entire middle school body.

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Yearbook

Yearbook is open to 6th - 8th grade students. It is run by one or several parent volunteers with on supervising teacher. Yearbook meets in the late fall and runs until the beginning of March. To be considered for the yearbook staff, students are asked to do a 1 page layout and hand it in to the yearbook supervisor. Students are considered for the yearbook staff by how they create this one page layout. Students can be asked to do a wide variety of jobs from taking pictures, writing and sending our flyers, to laying out pages for the yearbook itself. Students are asked to be responsible for certain grades and pages of the yearbook under adult supervision.

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