On Friday, April 27th, Miss Cassidy Sloot visited our Adolescent classroom to share her knowledge and experience. She graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor's in Nutrition and now she is getting a Master's in dietetics from the University of Minnesota. She shared how she wanted to become a dietician, her relationship with food, and helpful tidbits for the adolescents at this time in their lives.
Fun facts:
BREAD IS NOT BAD. Our bodies need fiber and grains in order to for the bacteria in our bodies to metabolize the food in our stomachs.

THERE IS MORE VITAMIN C IN 8 STRAWBERRIES THAN IN A ORANGE.

SOME YOGURTS DO NOT ACTUALLY HAVE LIVE BACTERIA. 

OUR FOOD GROUPS DO NOT NEED TO BE SEPARATED ON OUR PLATES: PIZZA HAS GRAIN (CRUST), FRUIT (TOMATO), DAIRY (CHEESE), AND VEGETABLES (TOPPINGS), AND PROTEIN (MEAT). 

OUR BODIES ALL METABOLIZE FOOD DIFFERENTLY. We could have to people eat the same food every day, exercise the same amount, and their body types would be different because they are made differently and have different genetic makeup. 

It was a wonderful opportunity to really learn about what we need to put in our bodies and how to actually take care of our bodies with what we eat. I am so grateful she came to our class and hope that those practices can be followed at home! 

Last Friday and this Wednesday we had the opportunity to celebrate both Sam and Ava's birthdays. We do this in a special way by allowing each adolescent to choose a restaurant to go to for a special lunch. Their families are invited and asked to bring photos and key stories to share! What a gift to celebrate and hear about the early years of when each adolescent was growing up and how the way they were when they were little so affected and develops the way they are now! 

It was such a blessing for me to go out with each adolescent and their family for their birthday. It has been a way to celebrate each individual, to reflect on the past year, and to celebrate God's care and particular love for each of the students in our Adolescent community! 

Thursday, April 12th the Adolescent community traveled to Park Square theater once more to see the play, The Diary of Anne Frank. This study aligned with our focus on nonfiction and memoir in literature and writing. The play explained (almost word for word) the events that occurred to Anne while she was hiding away with her family. This opportunity was beautiful in that it got the adolescents outside the community, exposed them to the beauty of the arts and culture, and provided a good discussion piece and reference as to why pieces of nonfiction are so important to the literary world and to history.