Youth Enrichment

Top Banner Image Style

STAFF

Melanie Demulling
School District 197 Youth Enrichment Coordinator
Phone: 651-403-8313
Fax: 651-403-8310 |melanie.demulling@isd197.org

School District 197 Community Education

1897 Delaware Ave.
Mendota Heights, MN 55118
Phone: 651-403-8313
Fax: 651-403-8310

CLICK HERE
to Register for
Youth Enrichment Classes

CLICK HERE
for Staff Login

Find Your Spark! Get Inspired! Ignite Your Passion!

The goal of our Youth Enrichment program is to provide opportunities for our youth to explore interests while continuing to develop their academic and social skills. Our classes are offered after-school, non-school days, evenings and weekends. The school day may be over but the learning can still go on!

Enrichment classes inspire creative thinkers, spark the imagination and offer an opportunity to have new learning experiences. Classes take place at each of our schools. Click below to find a new experience for your student!

School-based Enrichment Classes

Garlough Youth Enrichment

Mendota Youth Enrichment

Moreland Youth Enrichment

Pilot Knob Youth Enrichment

Somerset Youth Enrichment

Friendly Hills Youth Enrichment

Heritage Youth Enrichment

ACT Prep

New Students

ACT Prep Classes are offered through Youth Enrichment with Advantage Educational Programs. Students in grades 10-12 can register for the ACT Prep classes.

The ACT Preparatory Courses are designed for those who wish to improve their test-taking skills and their overall scores on the college entrance exams. Focal points of this 12-hour program include diagnostic testing, vocabulary development, intensive mathematical review, reading comprehension improvement, science reasoning, concentration improvement, overcoming test anxiety and time management.
Tuition for the 12-hour ACT in-person course is $150, with students able to make-up missed classes or repeat the course online at any time, until they graduate - free of charge.

Tuition for the online course is $60 and will cover the same material. Online course materials are available July 22 - December 31, 2020. After that, youth can re-enroll to access the material again online, free of charge.

Repeating Students

Students were previously able to attend in-person classes for free to review/make-up after taking the in-person ACT Prep course, however, due to social distancing and smaller class sizes this year, Advantage Plus is asking all previous students to utilize the online version for review/make-ups.

If your student wants to repeat the course to review what was taught in a previous ACT Prep class please go to the website, www.AdvantagePrep.net and click on ‘REGISTRATIONS’ at the top of the Home Page. The first button you will see is the registration link for ‘Students Repeating the ACT Course’. You will not be charged and the registration will go directly to Advantage Plus. They will send you a code to access the online version of the ACT Prep class.

Please let us know if you have any questions!

Drivers' Ed

School District 197 Youth Enrichment Community Education works in cooperation with A+ Driving School. The fee for Driver’s Education covers both the 30-Hour Classroom Training and Behind-The-Wheel Lessons. The following are the steps each student will take to obtain their driver’s license.

Step 1: 30-Hour Classroom

Each student must complete 30 hours of classroom instruction as mandated by Minnesota State law. District 197 Youth Enrichment offers several sessions during the year, register HERE. Upon completion of the classroom instruction, if your student is 15 years of age at the end of the class they will receive a blue card. If they are not yet 15 years old the blue card will be mailed upon their 15th birthday. Once your student receives their blue card they can take the permit test.

Step 2: Permit Test

You can take your permit test at any DMV that offers the Permit/Knowledge testing. You must bring your blue card, signed by the student, to take the permit examination. A parent or guardian must be present.

Bring TWO of the following forms of identification, including: a certified copy of your birth certificate (no photocopies), a passport, or school ID with picture. You must also have your Social Security number or Social Security card along.

Minnesota permit tests are free for the first two attempts. After that, it costs $10 per test. Once you pass the test you must pay $15.50 for the Instructional Permit.

(My advice--put all the materials and money in an envelope for your student when they go in, as you will have to wait in the car or waiting room and if they pass the permit test they will get right in line to turn in the paperwork, money and have their picture taken.)

Click HERE for FAQs. If you have further questions about the permit test please contact the DMV.

Step 3: Behind-the-Wheel Instruction

Behind-the-Wheel (BTW) is a series of (3) 2 hour lessons. Lessons can be scheduled AFTER students have passed the written/knowledge test and received their driver's permit (paper copy is fine until the plastic card is mailed) and have at least 10 hours of supervised driving experience with an adult. These lessons are already included in your registration cost.

To schedule your BTW lessons, you will need to create an account with A+ Driving School on their website by selecting "took class with A+" then selecting Henry Sibley from the drop down menu. Account confirmation can take up to 24 hours to verify student information and classroom completion of all 10 days, and to verify the enrollment is paid in full. Do not try to create an account multiple times. You will be locked out of their system.

Once your account is verified, and you are ready to schedule lessons, select "Woodbury/IGH/SSP/WSP" as your pickup location. Instructors will pick up and drop off from your home, school or a location convenient to you. Include the pick-up address in the notes section.

Note: Due to Covid closures there is a backlog for BTW appointments. It could take a while to get these scheduled. You will need to check back often to see when appointments open up.

Step 4: Road Test

Once Behind the Wheel lessons are completed you can schedule your road test, as long as your student is 16 years or older on the date of their road test, has had their learner’s permit for six months and has completed 50 hours of supervised driving and logged it either on paper or using an app for recording driving hours.

The road test is scheduled through the Department of Motor Vehicles, not Community Education or A+ Driving School.

Note: Due to DMV Covid closures there is a backlog for driver’s license testing appointments.

Weeknight & Weekend Classes

New Panel

New Panel

Warrior Ski Club

Registration & Cancellation

New this year: Afton Alps has a new policy for groups. Community Education will need to prepay for all tickets and rentals four days prior to the scheduled trip. Previous years we were able to pay after the scheduled trip.

What does this mean for you? Participants must be registered by Tuesday at 12pm the week of the Friday night trip. No late registrations will be accepted due to the new policy at Afton. Once we have paid for our tickets and rentals on Tuesday we will not be able to add additional registrations.
My participant has an injury/illness and can longer go, what can we do? Please call us at 651-403-8313, we can work to find another date and move your registration or issue a refund minus a $10 processing fee. Please call as soon as possible as we are planning for buses and paying for lift tickets/rental equipment in advance.

My participant has a season pass to Afton Alps, do I need to pay? Yes, please sign up for the $20 registration fee only, to cover the cost of transportation and supervision, and rentals if needed.
Can I get a scholarship for Ski Club? We can waive the $20 registration fee if your family is on free/reduced lunch. Please call us at 651-403-8313. We are not able to discount the lift ticket or rental fees.
Why do I have to answer so many questions to register my participant & why doesn’t Eleyo save the info? Every Ski Club Advisor is sent a PDF roster that lists all their students who are attending the trip. This roster has names, rental equipment, emergency phone numbers, allergies/special needs and information needed if your participant is injured or becomes ill while at Afton.
The questions you answer are a customized question template created just for ski club, the information entered isn’t saved on your Eleyo account, since it isn’t part of the main information required to create an account. Even if I could choose to save the information you enter from week to week--I would most likely not elect to save this type of health information in your account.

At Afton Alps

What happens when the kids arrive?
When kids arrive they receive tickets/rental equipment as needed. A spot will be selected in the Chalet for 197 kiddos to store their stuff. Kids will store all bags, etc. under the tables so other guests can use the tables while they are not in the chalet. Kids are then free to ski and have fun with their friends!

How much money should I give my child for dinner at Afton?
It is recommended to provide $10-15 for dinner or you can pack a bag lunch for dinner.

I need to get a hold of my child, what do I do?
Cell service is sketchy on the hills and in the chalet. If you need to get a hold of your child, the main office at Afton is 651-436-5245. Afton has all the Ski Club Advisors cell phone numbers and will call them in case of emergency. Afton does not have a PA system to page your child to the chalet, they will call the advisor.

Equipment & Rentals

Where does my participant store their equipment at school?
Sibley | Mr. Skov’s Room A117
Heritage | Storage Room by Lower Blue House Lockers
Friendly Hills | NEW LOCATION! Room 121--Lower Green House (old FACS room)
We prefer student’s equipment to be dropped off in the morning.
What is included in the rental packages? If you register for the $75.00 rental package, this includes, Ski/Snowboard, boots, poles (ski), helmet, registration fee and lift ticket.

Are goggles included in the rental package?
No goggles are not included but are recommended.

My participant took someone else’s equipment by mistake, what should I do? Please call us at 651-403-8313 and let us know what you have and we can send an email out to all families who attended the last trip. What if my child lost an item on the bus or at Afton--please call us we will contact transportation or Afton for you.

Injury

What if my participant is injured?
In the event of an injury, the injured participant will be taken to the First Aid Room at Afton and met by an ISD 197 Chaperone or Ski Club Advisor and Afton Alps first aid staff. Parents will be called and notified of the injury. Depending on the nature of the injury and the parent’s preference, the participant may:

Ride the bus back at the regular time, where he or she will be met by parents
Be picked up at the resort by the parent.
Be taken by ambulance to the nearest emergency room. ISD 197 Chaperone or Ski Club Advisor will go with the participant.
Parents must meet their participant at the hospital.

Ski Club Advisors will check in with First Aid throughout the night. Ski Club Advisors phone numbers are left with the main office/first aid office at Afton.

Bus/Transportation

Where should my participant go when the bell rings the day of the trip?
Heritage | Students should meet Ms. Danner/Mr. Kenefick in the cafeteria by 3:30pm for attendance and to start getting ready for the trip. School backpacks will be left in the cafeteria while at Afton. Students will not be able to go to their lockers when they return.
Friendly Hills | Students should meet Mrs. Lynch by the main bus doors by 3:30pm for attendance and to start getting ready for the trip. School backpacks should be left in the FACS room while at Afton. Students will not be able to go to their lockers when they return.
Sibley | Students will meet Mr. Skov in the cafeteria by 3:30pm.
When does the bus leave the school and arrive at Afton? The bus will leave the schools around 3:50-4pm and should arrive to Afton around 4:30-45pm. Upon arrival students will get their rental equipment if needed. Ski Club advisors will pass out lift tickets.

What can my participant bring to Ski Club?
They can bring one small bag on the bus, it must fit under their seat or on their person. Please encourage your participant to refrain from bringing valuables to Afton. Ski Club is not responsible for lost or stolen items on the bus or at Afton.

Does my child have to ride the bus both ways? YES! Kids MUST ride the bus both ways to and from Afton, the ski club advisor needs the same kids going out to Afton as leaving. Kids can't be dropped off later or leave early with friends, this is too much for the advisors to keep track of and how kids are left behind. Thank you for following this safety procedure.
What time does the bus leave Afton Alps? The bus will leave Afton Alps at 9pm. Kids who have rental equipment are asked to return to the Chalet by 8:30pm to return their equipment, everyone else by 8:45pm.\

Where do I pick-up my participant once they’ve returned?
You will pick your student up at their school.
Friendly Hills | Main Parking Lot--Bus will pull up by the gym doors
Heritage | Main parking lot by gym doors
Sibley | Kids will be dropped off in the first parking lot by the curb--please wait for your child in the second parking lot area.
If you have a sibling group--a student at Heritage/Friendly and one at Sibley and you’d like to do one pick-up at one school--please call us. We can arrange that--we need to let the advisors know ahead of time so they know not to look for that student at Afton and are aware they are on another bus.
To ensure prompt pick-up of participants at the school please sign up for the remind app to get texts on when the buses are leaving Afton and again when they are close to arrival at the schools.

Ski Rules

Ski/snowboard in control and safely. You must be in control at all times. Know the code—the people in front of you have the right of way. Helmets are required by Afton. You must have a helmet on at all times.
Ski with a buddy—always have someone with you from your group. Have a meeting place with your friends if you get split up—example, upstairs in the Chalet on the hour.
Please be kind and respectful to all employees at Afton and to other people you see/meet at Afton, you are representing your school and family.

Chaperones

Can I chaperone?
We love to have chaperones! You are welcome to come with your participant to Afton and receive a complimentary lift ticket/rental. We get a limited number of complimentary chaperone tickets from Afton based on how many kids are going, so please let the advisors know if you are planning to chaperone and if you will be skiing and need a ticket or if you will be hanging out in the chalet.

What is required to chaperone?
We do require a background check completed through ISD 197 in order to chaperone. This will cost $25.00 and is good for 1 full year for any 197 volunteer/chaperone opportunities. It is all done through email--we will need a valid email address. It takes 24-48 hours to be approved once the form is submitted. If you’d like to chaperone please call us or email me at least 4 days before the scheduled trip.

Club Cancellation/Weather

What happens if the ski trip is cancelled?
For our skiers and snowboarders there is no such thing as too much snow! But for our bus drivers, there may be.
If it is necessary to cancel a trip due to inclement weather (road conditions, severe cold, school cancellation, etc) announcements will be made at the schools and emails sent to the email on file when registering. If the trip is cancelled during school hours, students will be sent home per their usual means of transportation.

Do I get a refund?
If a trip is cancelled due to weather a full refund will be issued. We will try to cancel trips and make decisions as early as possible. Due to a multitude of different factors, there is not a specific temperature in which we will cancel a trip.
If ISD 197 schools are closed or have an early release due to weather all community education classes and activities are cancelled including Ski and Snowboard Club.

Dress your participants for the weather--layers are great!!
If you need lessons for your participant please call us at 651-403-8313. Beginner lessons are offered at a discounted rate through Afton. You need to call us for the link.
If you don’t see your questions answered here, please call us at 651-403-8313!
Let it snow!!

Program Overview

What is Ski & Snowboard Club?
The Ski & Snowboard Club is an after-school activity that meets on select Friday nights throughout the winter season to go to Afton Alps. Both Friendly Hills and Heritage Middle School students in grades 5-8 and Henry Sibley High School students in grades 9-12 are eligible to participate in the program.

Ski Club Advisors: Each school has a Ski Club Advisor who is a teacher at each of the schools, they will accompany the students to and from Afton Alps. All schools will be going together on the same dates this year--so all District 197 students and advisors will be out there on the same evenings.

Sibley Advisor: Glenn Skov | Friendly Hills: Katy Lynch | Heritage: Connor Kenefick & Leigh Danner

New this year: Kids will be getting a Neon Green Badge that will clip to a zipper on their coat that will have ISD 197 printed on it. This will help our advisors be able to recognize all students from ISD 197.

Communication: Weekly emails will be sent to families after registration closes, for updates on weather and other important club information for the upcoming ski club trip.

There is a Warriors Ski Club Remind Account for families to sign up for to get information on departure times and estimated arrival times at the schools through the Remind App. If you already have a Remind account, find us on remind: @2832h99. If you don't have a remind account, please create an account in the Remind App and add the Warrior Ski Club @2832h99.

Program Fees

Registration/Transportation Fee: $20--this fee covers coordination and administration fees, credit card processing fees, supervision, district bus transportation to and from Afton Alps. (If you have a pass to Afton and your own equipment you only need to pay this fee)

Lift Ticket & Registration Fee: $50--register for this option if you have your own equipment.

Ski/Snowboard Rental/Lift Ticket/Registration Fee: $75--this includes all equipment including helmet, in addition to the registration fee and a lift ticket.

Helmets are available as a stand-alone rental for $10

Registration & Program Information

Registration

Scholarships

Youth Enrichment Community Education is dedicated to providing learning opportunities to all youth in our district. We have a limited amount of scholarship money for families to use towards enrichment classes.

If your family is on Free/Reduced Lunch an option for a 25% discount is now available online for certain enrichment classes. If you need more than the 25% discount please call us at 651-403-8313. Not all classes are eligible for scholarships, if you don’t see an alternative price listed please call us.

To apply for a scholarship please print out, fill out and mail in this form.

Or simply click here and fill out the online google form and submit.

We can be reached at 651-403-8313 or stop by our offices.

Community Education
1897 Delaware Ave.
Mendota Heights, MN 55118
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Facility Locations

Course Proposals

Do you have a special skill, interest, knowledge or hobby you'd like to share with students? We are always looking for new ideas and enthusiastic teachers that help meet the needs of students in our district.

Our program isn't complete without you! You can fill out a course proposal form by clicking here and submitting the google form.

A submitted proposal is not an approval for a class. You will be contacted if we are able to offer the class. Please note classes are planned months ahead of time for publication. You will need to pay for and submit a background check with District 197 Human Resources prior to teaching any class. We will not accept background checks from other districts or companies.

You can fill out a course proposal form by clicking here and submitting the google form.

Or print, fill out and mail in this form.

Community Education District 197
1897 Delaware Ave
Mendota Heights, MN 55118

In This Section