Every high-school senior in Woonsocket and Sanborn Central is required to complete a senior project in order to graduate, and they are encouraged to do a project on something they are interested in or they are passionate about. Some do projects in areas related to the career they plan to pursue after high school, and others do something that they believe will be helpful for their community.

Because she loves creativity and wants to inspire others to be creative, Woonsocket senior, Rain Swenson, decided to start an Art Club as her senior project this year. She plans to go into the advertising field after she graduates, so she thought her project idea would be related to her career choice, and it would be beneficial to others in an area she is passionate about.

To get the club started, Swenson hung up posters in her school, put information in the school announcements and made a Facebook page to get the word out about the club starting. Once she received interest from several students, they decided the best day to meet would be Wednesday after school until 5 p.m. Swenson admitted that once they get a project started, they often stay until 6 p.m. because they are enjoying what they are doing so much. She said her dad has helped with funding for the supplies they need, so it is even a more stress-free environment for people to express themselves through their artwork.

In choosing a topic or idea for his senior project, Sanborn Central senior, Keaton Fridley, decided on a topic that he thought would be pertinent to the South Dakota small town environment he and his fellow students live in. National Farm Safety and Health Week was observed this year during the week of Sept. 17-23. To coincide with that observance, Fridley decided to invite some guests into the school to cover topic areas related to farm safety. Audra Scheel, Sanborn County 4-H Youth Advisor and Extension Educator, spoke to the students about animal safety; Jason White, Agtegra Location Manager for Woonsocket, Wessington Springs and Stickney, spoke about general farm and chemical safety; and Mr. Todd Welch, Sanborn Central and Woonsocket Ag Instructor and FFA Advisor, spoke on the topics of machinery safety and ATV safety. One topic area was covered each day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The students were separated by class, including the students in grades one through 12, and each session lasted about 10 minutes. 

…Read more details and see pictures in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!