Posted on

CAAEL’s Academic Bowl

Four of our brave high school students to the annual “CAAEL Academic Bowl”, hosted by New Hope School. The Academic Bowl is a yearly competition of other alternative and therapeutic schools in the area divided into small groups for each school’s chosen students to represent the team. Each team has one student as a spokesperson to share the team’s answers and gain points.

At the academic bowl, there are four rounds of competition, which included thirty questions about Geography, Science, History, English and Math. Felicity took home a second place trophy for sportsmanship as well as the second highest scoring school among the group! All schools were rewarded with a celebratory pizza.

Posted on

Richardson's Farm: An Annual Felicity Fall Tradition

Felicity students eagerly attended the yearly tradition of going to Richardson’s Farm during the peak of the fall season. Students and staff received a tour of the farm on a private hayride, provided by one of the owners of Richardson’s farm, enjoyed delicious s’mores after lunch and explore the farm’s attractions throughout the day in small groups.

Some of the Richard’s Farm activities included: the famous corn maze, petting zoos, the giant “jumping pillows” and pick out a pumpkin to take back and paint at school for Halloween fun. All painted pumpkins will be placed in a friendly competition to get the chance to win, “Most Creative Pumpkin”.

Posted on

Soul Harbour Ranch Therapeutic Horse Farm

In October, a group of Felicity students were able to check out Soul Harbour Ranch in Barrington, Illinois. In previous years, Felicity staff has been working on continuing to provide activities for students to interact with animals on field trips and special events. Felicity staff has found that interacting with animals can reduce anxiety overall, especially in students who have patterns of impulsive behavior.

The ranch included a variety of animals trained to be emotional support animals including: miniature therapeutic donkeys, miniature therapeutic horses and therapy dogs. Students pet the animals, learn how to walk with them around the farm and helped with grooming.

This was Felicity’s first time visiting and based on the student feedback, won’t be the last. Thank you to CAAEL for inviting Felicity to join in! Featured above is one of our Felicity clinicians, Ms. Swillum, enjoying some quality time with one of the miniature therapeutic donkeys.

Posted on

Bears Fit

Mid school year, a small group of Felicity students received the opportunity to participate in a sample workout that the Chicago Bears complete as a part of their pre-season training at the program called Bears Fit. The intense session demonstrated the skill, strength and dedication necessary to be an elite athlete. One of the requirements of our Felicity students going was to confirm they would be willing to participate in a sample workout for P.E. credit.

As much as Felicity loves to capture memories at our field trips throughout the year, due to the privacy of the facility, students were unable to bring their phones. However, this was a great opportunity to be mindful of the present moment and be comfortable sharing experiences without needing phones to make it memorable.

Posted on

The Historical Holocaust Museum

Ten students were selected to attend the Holocaust Museum in Skokie, Illinois to view a number of the exhibits as well as attend a discussion with a Holocaust survivor and ask questions. Some of our students were able to ask engaging and thought-provoking questions regarding a personalized experience of the Holocaust in a way that may not always be accessible to learn about.

Additionally, a number of these students have not been able to attend this museum and it was a great opportunity to see some of the underlying information about the Holocaust to apply to one of our online history classes or inspire individual projects for credit. This field trip proved to be insightful for students to learn and understand one of the darkest events in human history.

Posted on

Camping at Devil’s Lake State Park

Camping with students has been a Felicity tradition that many of our students look forward to each year. Camping gives students a mututally exclusive opportunity to introduce important life skills of outdoor survival as well as providing a short getaway experience in nature to reset and reduce stress of daily life.

At the start of our school year, Felicity students accompanied Ms. Greenawalt and Mr. Watson on a camping trip to Devil’s Lake in Baraboo, Wisconsin. During the trip, students cooked their own food over a campfire, helped each other build tents, spent a considerable amount of time hiking and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Posted on

Growth Mindset

Felicity School has taken an active approach to letting students know that they can achieve more than they already know. Through a Growth Mindset self- assessment rubric, students and staff have been able to establish a dialogue about progress. “In a Growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work- brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment,” writes Dr. Carol Dweck.

Often, students have been conditioned to feel they have a Fixed Mindset, one that limits them to knowing what they know and perceiving they will not be able to move past their own status quo. Through the Growth Mindset Rubric, students rate themselves based on the following four categories: being true to self and abilities, asking for help, taking notes and using resources, and overall work ethic. Ratings are based on a 1-4 scale (4: Exceeds Expectations, 3: Satisfactory, 2: Progressing, 1: Unsatisfactory). After students rate themselves, the staff provide a rating for the same categories. Further, this leads to a discussion about individual perceptions and what the classroom teacher observes. Ultimately, this tool encourages self-reflection and gaining control over each student’s educational path.

Posted on

Short Story Class

Students have been examining short stories by authors from various cultures and time periods (including contemporary short stories from current publications), focusing on author’s craft and style and on the use of structure and literary devices. We have read stories and watched their adapted films, Sleepy Hollow and Minority Report, to compare and contrast material. We also want to provide fun and unique experiences for the students. Recently, we read the short story, “With a Twist”, written by J.A. Konrath. The plot details detectives that were tasked with solving a murder mystery in a “locked room” format.

To further reinforce the story and to provide the students with a fun, new experience, the short story class took a field trip to Mastermind Escape Rooms in Schaumburg, Illinois. Students were tasked with having to foil an evil Sorcerer’s plot against their uncle and escape his magic lair before time ran out. With teamwork and creative problem solving, the Felicity students were able to accomplish their goal and escape the room with 31.47 seconds remaining!