MNCAPS
March 2022
Coordinator's Corner
While spring is absolutely not in the air, it very much IS, in regard to the end of the school year. Many educators across the country are battling "senioritis" with all of their glory. I'm not arrogant or oblivious enough to state that we don't observe symptoms of this issue with our current seniors. However, what we do see is that when you fully endorse what Mr. Dewey said in the quote above, students stay more engaged while in their final months of spending time in our community. If you were to walk into the program today, you'd see our healthcare students engaged in building their relationships with senior citizens from the area assisted living centers, education students spending time in the classroom with our youngest learners, future entrepreneurs developing companies, and other business students meeting with clients regarding their projects. We even have business students engaged with a personal finance simulation that has absolutely no impact on elements of the grade book! (Defying the myth that students only work on things that are worth points!) These activities are byproducts of the mission we have at MNCAPS and the experiences my staff delivers. They have fully endorsed Dewey's statement and have trusted the process that, "learning naturally results."
BIZ MIX PATHWAY NEWS
MNCAPS Student, Reese Anderson, to receive the Schulz Scholarship Award.
This month we received exciting news that our 5th MNCAPS student received the Schulze Innovation Scholarship from the University of St. Thomas. Current MNCAPS Marketing Analytics Pathway and class of 2022 Farmington High School student, Reese Anderson, will receive a scholarship that pays full tuition for four years at St. Thomas, but it also grants her access to the highly competitive Schulze Innovation Program, which only admits 10 freshmen each year. This 10 person cohort is able to supplement their education at St. Thomas through additional educational experiences such as individual mentors, hands-on projects, and access to networking and internship opportunities. Additionally, when students graduate they are given access to a network of business advisors and startup capital if they decide to launch a startup.
Reese has been at MNCAPS for 2 years. She was one of our Shark Tank Winners last year in the Foundations of Business Pathway. Reese is in the Marketing Analytics Pathway (part of the Biz Mix Group) this year. We are so excited to she what she will accomplish!
This is the 4th straight year MNCAPS students have applied and the 4th year that at least one of our Business Pathways students have received the award. Reese is following in the footsteps of four MNCAPS Alumni who are currently in the Schulze Program, Leah Schuerkamp (Class of 2021), Aviral Chauhan (class of 2020), Xander Smaby (class of 2019) and Cory Kaisersatt (class of 2019). All five are standout students who engaged in many of the opportunities MNCAPS offered to learn new skills, grow their network, and develop as professionals. We are extremely proud of their accomplishments and look forward to watching their future careers unfold!
Second Semester Corporate Projects are Off and Running!
FOUNDATIONS OF BUSINESS PATHWAY NEWS
Guest Instructors and Former MNCAPPERS - Cory Kaisersatt & Xander Smaby
On Thursday, March 17th, the Foundations of Business Pathway students were joined by two MNCAPS Alumni, Xander Smaby and Cory Kaissersatt, who are currently Juniors at St. Thomas and recipients of the Schulze Scholarship which allows them a full ride to study Entrepreneurship. They spent the entire morning teaching our students some of the business concepts that they have learned about as part of their education at St. Thomas. After introducing the concept of Blue Oceans, which is all about how companies can find markets that don't have any other competitors, they walked our students through a case study on a company called Drybar, who managed to succeed due to its ability to find its own Blue Market. After analyzing the case study with our students, Cory and Xander lead an activity where students brainstormed ideas to help hotels find their own Blue Oceans in an otherwise competitive industry. The students will be able to utilize the knowledge and vocabulary gained from this session when brainstorming innovative ideas for their own Shark Tank business plans. This is the first of what we hope will be many guest instruction sessions led by our own Alumni!
Guest Instuctor Jennifer Mary-Mackey
EDUCATION PATHWAY NEWS
Monthly ECFE Visit
Classroom Observations
MEDICINE & HEALTHCARE YEAR 1 PATHWAY NEWS
Guest Instructor - Jessica Steele
HCY1 infectious disease detectives
MEDICINE & HEALTHCARE YEAR 2 PATHWAY NEWS
Scott Fjelsted, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT)
Scott Fjelsted, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), talked to Year 2 students about his career path and passion for fitness that started at a young age. He gave examples of how he evaluates and motivates his clients, and shared success stories of some of the people who he has worked with. Scott’s focus on building relationships with his clients, and helping each individual meet personal wellness and fitness goals, is advice that is great for all future healthcare professionals.
Scott then walked us across the street to Mi5 where we toured the facility, and learned about the strong focus on community among Mi5 members. Everyone at Mi5, employees and members alike, commit to “Building the Best Version of You.”
Site Visit to the Training Haus
HC Y1 & Y2 Site Visit and Guest instruction
Guest Instructor - Matt Arends
Matt was also on our Entrepreneur Panel for our Biz Mix students last month!
Northwestern Health Sciences University Site Visit
Thank you to Northwestern Health Sciences University for hosting our students and for the staff that spent time with our Healthcare Year 1 and Year 2 Students. Students learned about opportunities in complementary and alternative medicines.
MNCAPS MENTOR MOMENT - Living Your Values
Sample Student Questions for April
- What role have your values played in the career choices you’ve made?
- What are the things you most proud of in your career and life?
- What compromises have you had to make with your values?
- If you had gone down another career path what would it have been and why?
- Beyond being a mentor, what kinds of community involvement activities have you been involved in?
MNCAPS STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Biz Mix Pathways - Isabella Thuras
Biz Mix is happy to announce Bella Thuras as the March Student of the Month! Bella is a senior at Farmington and part of the marketing and design pathway. Bella always strives to make the most of her MNCAPS experience for herself as well as her classmates. As a member of the student advisory board, Bella has helped plan and execute a successful bake sale, community cheer activities and helped represent MNCAPS at several marketing events. During fall semester, Bella and a team of other students worked closely with a local chiropractic office to develop a posting calendar to successfully enhance the small businesses social media presence. Her work is consistently creative, nuanced and demonstrates her strong point of view. Bella is enthusiastic, kind, and we can't wait to see how she rises to opportunities for her last semester at MNCAPS. Congrats, Bella!
Foundation of Business Pathway - Lauren Nygaard
Foundations of Business is pleased to honor Prior Lake junior Lauren Nygaard as the March Student of the Month. From the beginning of the school year, Lauren has shown maturity and professionalism through her positive attitude, communication, quality of work, and project follow-through. Lauren’s intelligence and strong attention to detail is evident in her client research, writing, and analysis. Her work ethic, organization, and time management allows her to fully utilize teacher feedback of drafts and project ideas. Setting high goals for herself, she always looks for new ways to grow and improve. In this same way, Lauren makes the most out of her professional mentor relationship by gathering project feedback, especially with her upcoming Shark Tank project, and reflecting after their conversations. In so many ways, Lauren is a valued leader in the MNCAPS FOB community. Congrats, Lauren, on your great work!
Medicine & Healthcare Year 1 Pathway - Nina Winter
The Healthcare Year 1 Pathway is excited to recognize Nina Winter as this month's student of the month. Nina is a hard-working and dedicated student who always enters MNCAPS with a positive attitude. Nina participates and contributes as a team member and often takes leadership roles when working on group projects. She also demonstrates a high level of curiosity in discussions through insightful questions and answers. Nina is highly respected for her commitment to her education and challenges herself to grow and learn. She asks for feedback on assignments and asks clarifying questions in order to become the best student she can be. Nina also has fostered an amazing relationship with her mentor and has truly embraced all the mentor experience has to offer. Nina's mission statement is to "Treat others with kindness and empathy while leading a dedicated and organized lifestyle. Hold myself accountable and never let anyone down." It has been exciting to watch Nina reflect this commitment to herself and to MNCAPS. Congratulations, Nina!
Medicine & Healthcare Year 2 Pathway - Paige Ostgaard
MNCAPS STAFF
Administrative Assistant - Ann Deane
- Education Instructors - Mike Dean, Jemma Killmer & Victoria Wright
- Biz Mix (Design + Marketing, Marketing Analytics & Professional Selling) Instructors - Jared Jacobs, Karina Nelsen, & Jemma Killmer
- Foundations of Business Instructors - Jared Jacobs, Karina Nelsen & Takuma Padilla
- Medicine & Healthcare Year 1 Instructors - Scot Jaenicke, Britney Scherber & Victoria Wright
- Medicine & Healthcare Year 2 Instructors - Scot Jaenicke & Takuma Padilla
MNCAPS
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MNCAPS Attendance Line - 952-226-0821
Email: esill@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us
Website: mncaps.org
Location: 17685 Juniper Path, #205, Lakeville, MN, USA
Phone: (952) 226-0820
Facebook: facebook.com/mncaps/
Twitter: @MN_CAPS