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Mount Carmel School offers mini-courses
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- Kloney Virrey sautés up an omelette for Cooking 2. (Contributed Photo)
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- Seniors Keona Camacho, left, and Karleen Reyes, right, cook up tasty dishes in Cooking 1. (Contributed Photo)
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- William Chen, right, learns basic woodwork under the guidance of Bill Joseph. (Contributed Photo)
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- Jennifer Villagomez, second from left, learns how to till the soil with help from NMC CREES’ Solly Takai-Nakamura, far left. (Contributed Photo)
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- Karen Sato, right, and Joannie Paraiso learn how to assemble skirts in Weaving. (Contributed Photo)
Cooking. Woodwork. Dying T-shirts. These are just a few of the dozens of alternative courses that were taught this past week at Mount Carmel School as part of Mini-Course Week. In its 21st year at the school, Mini-Course Week gives junior high and high school teachers and students a chance to take a break from traditional academic instruction and dabble in hobbies and interests that engage students in hands-on learning.
This year’s Mini-Courses is the fourth year for sophomore Dayna Macaranas, who signed up for Workout 101, Zen Tangle, and the Art of Beading. She said, “It’s a great experience for students to really learn some cool topics.” She added, “I’ve really enjoyed Workout 101 with Ms. Petty; it’s been active and fun.”
While it was the fourth time for Macaranas to enjoy the courses, it was a first for 7th grade student, Christopher Mafnas, who took Zen Tangle and Finding Your Way with Algebra. He was pleasantly surprised by what he learned. As he puts it, “It’s great because I got to learn new art styles, new patterns in Zen Tangle, and it was cool to learn how Algebra helps us in our lives.” Looking ahead to next year, Mafnas hopes to take basketball and cooking.
Mini-Course Week featured a wide array of unique courses, including Weaving, The Art of Beading, Latin, Barbecuing, and Bible Study. The school expresses its appreciation to the following community volunteers for helping teach this year’s courses: Mark Flores, Bill Joseph, Jude Lizama, Michael Ogo, Lucy Sablan, and Solly Takai-Nakamura. The school also thanks Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Service for lending the support of its talented staff. (MCS)
