Sky Oaks Students Travel to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center

Seventy-five 6th-grade students from Sky Oaks Elementary School, Burnsville, make the annual trip to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center for three days this month.

“Our students look forward to this milestone educational experience,” says Principal Drew Goeldner. “It’s such an important part of the Sky Oaks tradition that I plan to join them for part of the program.”

Students engage in classes lasting three hours each, set in the beautiful hardwood forests and river bluffs of southeast Minnesota. Curriculum is written to Minnesota's Academic Standards with a focus on STEM concepts and life skills, utilizing hands-on, experiential teaching methods to engage students in their learning.

The annual trip is made possible by the 6th-grade fundraiser, Sky Oaks PTO, and private donations. Parents Peter and Monica Dorow’s sons graduated from Sky Oaks, but they continue to support the Eagle Bluff trip for current students. “Our sons learned so much from the positive outdoor experiences at Eagle Bluff. The way the professional staff emphasizes science literacy with a STEM focus in the context of the natural environment made a lasting impression on them,” Monica says.

This year’s group of students expects to come away from the trip with five key outcomes:

1) a sense of respect and community

2) positive outdoor experiences

3) teamwork and problem solving skills

4) environmental awareness & science literacy

5) interest in and appreciation for the natural world

Eagle Bluff is situated on 95 acres of restored prairie and mixed hardwood forest and is surrounded by nearly 1,000 acres of state forest land. The campus boasts modern facilities that provide a comfortable, educational, and inspirational setting.  

For more information, visit the Eagle Bluff website at http://www.eagle-bluff.org/

Sky Oaks Elementary School is one of ten elementary schools in ISD-One91, whose mission is Each Student Real-World-Ready.