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Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School is continuing to grow and expand to fulfill the needs of its student population in the Chisago Lakes area.

There are currently 110 students enrolled in classes at Wolf Creek. Most of those students are high school-aged students who found that distance learning was a better fit than regular high school, for a variety of reasons.

Students typically complete the majority of their classwork from their home computer. They also utilize computers in the school’s computer lab and are required to complete in-school class and lab time for each class, ranging from a couple of times a week to once or twice a month.

Director and Learning Manager Tracy Quarnstrom and Dean of Students and Learning Manager Brenda Swanson are encouraged that their enrollment has been growing, giving more students a chance to succeed in their educational goals.

Swanson said most students enrolled at Wolf Creek are considered full-time students, while others are part-time and still take some classes at Chisago Lakes High School or even Forest Lake High School.

“They need that flexibility to work, take care of kids or because of medical needs,” she said.

The charter school is sponsored by the Chisago Lakes School District and is an accredited school.

During a recent Introduction to Studio Art class, Wolf Creek students were learning about shadows and different shades that can be made using charcoal from teacher Laura Pereira.

It was a nice day, so Pereira decided to take the group of eight students outdoors to the school’s small deck. Armed with paper and various artist palates, the students looked at how natural light affects shadows and made shading graphs.

Pereira said the unique atmosphere created at Wolf Creek works very well for art classes.

The class includes lab time, where they meet with Pereira in a class setting like they did last Tuesday, but also time on interactive programs through the school’s Class Server curriculum.

The distance learning time includes research in art history, architecture and viewing photos of various forms of art. Pereira said that type of access is typically not feasible in a regular high school art class setting.

“In regular art classes, students can view certain information at school, but they don’t have access to that same information when they go home. Here, they do,” Pereira said.

This summer, Wolf Creek will offer a summer program for the first time.

Starting June 2, students will be able to take up to three of the eight to 10 classes offered at the school and approved by the Minnesota Dept. of Education. When complete, the summer offerings could add 1.5 credits to a student’s transcript.

Wolf Creek will be open five days during the summer session so students can complete their required lab work. Students can download an application for the summer session at Wolf Creek’s web site, www.wolfcreek.chisagolakes.k12.mn.us. Course offerings include topics such as math, environmental studies, art fundamentals and creative writing.

Quarnstrom and Swanson are particularly excited about the summer program, because it will be offered to students who are behind in their credits and need to catch up, but also to those who are not and simply want to take extra courses during the summer.

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