Extend Your Learning

Entrepreneurship

Polson High School just kicked off a new Entrepreneurship class taught by Sean Elser, and it’s all about helping students explore their business ideas. The year-long course has 11 seniors and one junior, focusing on creating startup business plans while learning about important topics like management, ethics, and communication. The class mixes textbook learning with hands-on activities. Each week, students go through lectures, read together, and participate in discussions. Thursdays are reserved for guest speakers from local businesses, who give students real-world insights. Fridays are all about working on their individual business plans. What makes this class immersive is that each student gets to pursue their own business ideas. For example, if one student is interested in real estate they could connect with a local agent, while another thinking about starting a coffee shop may reach out to local shop owners. It’s a great way to learn from the community. Sean Elser knows there are challenges with keeping the year-long course engaging, but he’s focused on making it dynamic and tailored to what students want to learn to help students gain skills for other career paths.

Education Occupations

In Education Occupations, Ms. Ellis and students worked together to create the curriculum, which covers a bunch of interactive and lively topics, like classroom management and the history of education. They use helpful resources from the Montana Office of Public Instruction and read four books that dive into different aspects of teaching. Right now, the class only has one student, which is a bit challenging compared to last year when there were eleven. Ms. Ellis is looking into ways to get more people interested, like possibly changing the class schedule. This class offers hands-on opportunities, like partnering with local colleges and job shadowing at places like daycare centers. Students are assessed through regular assignments and daily reflections using Google Forms, where they can share their thoughts on what they see in classrooms. This class is all about experiential learning and making teaching exciting, helping students discover their passion for education.

Psychology

At Polson High School, Mandy Ramesar teaches a psychology class that really gets students thinking about how people behave. They cover everything from how people develop as kids to what influences decisions, mixing classic theories with newer ideas. In Ramesar’s interactive class, students do group discussions, role-plays, and activities instead of just listening to lectures. This lets them have their own thoughts and learn from each other. Ramesar also pushes them to think critically. They analyze case studies and talk about different research, which helps them understand real-world issues better. These skills are not just helpful for school; they’re useful in everyday life.

Leadership

Polson High School is excited to announce the new Leadership class, taught by Carson Oakland, Rich Sawyer and Annie Mauland during fifth and sixth periods. Helping students become leaders and make a positive impact in our school and community is what this class is all about. In Leadership, students get to brainstorm and work on projects that they believe will benefit the school. This gives everyone a chance to share their ideas and be part of important decisions that affect us. Grading focuses on creativity and effort, so it’s more about engaging with the material than just getting grades. Oakland believes that a strong school culture is crucial for student growth, and he wants students to feel proud to be Polson graduates. In addition, this class will connect high schoolers with younger students, helping to build relationships and mentorship within our district.