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A trip back in time is about to begin again for area children and Dorothy Berntson couldn’t be more excited.

Berntson, a retired school teacher now in her mid-80s, hasn’t slowed down since leaving her full-time teaching position many years ago. In fact, Berntson exhibits an energy and enthusiasm of people half her age when it comes to teaching.

Berntson returns to lead three sessions of Pioneer School at the old one-room schoolhouse in downtown Taylors Falls, across the street from the old depot.

During the three-day class, students learn about what life was like for early pioneer settlers who reached the areas now known as Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Students learn about about what life was like on the St.Croix, the harshness of the wilderness and the beauty of the St. Croix and Sunrise river valleys.

Berntson will share her experiences with the students at the schoolhouse much like she has for the past several years, despite not being able to see as well this year.

In the three days of school, Berntson teaches the students about pioneer life through field trips, guest speakers, videos and the most popular activity at the school – arts and crafts projects.

This year’s school, which runs for the last three weeks of July, Tuesday through Thursday, will have the addition of Donna Keocher as a co-teacher along with Berntson.

“I’m hoping that she likes it so much she comes back to teach again next year,” Berntson said.

Keocher, of Stacy, has experience teaching preschool so Berntson is confident she will be a nice addition to the Pioneer School experience.

Every year, Berntson works to develop a curriculum for the week of classes based on a different theme.

This year’s theme, she said, is centered on what the pioneers would have seen when they came onshore while traveling on the St. Croix River near Taylors Falls.

Berntson will teach the students about what the landscape looked like and focus on the natural surroundings of the area – what types of trees, birds, insects and animals would have been in the area.

She came up for the idea for this year’s Pioneer School back in February.

“I had the idea in the middle of the night, so at 3 a.m. I got up and wrote the whole thing down,” Berntson said.

Berntson has been busy collecting pods and cones off trees that would have grown in the area during the days of the pioneers.

“I’d love to have more pods donated for craft projects,” Berntson said. “But I have collected a lot of cones.”

Of course parents are welcomed and encouraged to spend all or part of the day at the school, Berntson said.

The parents can help out with field trips or volunteer to share their own expertise about the history of the area with the class.

Each day of the school, after the large school bell rings outside, the doors remain open for visitors to stop in during the day to catch a glimpse of what life was like for students in a one-room schoolhouse.

Visitors will also be able to see some of the students dressing the part of pioneers, as the girls are encouraged to wear dresses and bonnets and the boys don hats and suspenders.

Pioneer School is open to children who have completed kindergarten through eighth grades. Participants do not have to be from the Chisago Lakes School District or Chisago County. In past years, students enrolled in the school have come from cities all around Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The school is sponsored by the Taylors falls Historical Society. Cost for the three-day session is $25 for the first family member and $15 for each additional sibling. Students are responsible for bringing their own bag lunch each day.

For information on enrolling in the final two sessions of Pioneer School (July 20-22 or July 27-29) call Bill Scott, Taylors Falls Historical Society, (651) 465-5535.

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