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LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
Mississippi Horizons, Brainerd, Minnesota
Teacher: Karen Ogdahl
The cities of Brainerd and Baxter have a combined population of approximately 18,000 residents. Winter climates vary from year to year. It may get as cold as -45 degrees Fahrenheit or, depending on the year, the coldest temperature might not drop below zero degrees. Sometimes the area gets one to two feet of snow at a time. The summers are generally hot, ranging from 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of the day. The area is expanding at a rapid pace. Retail business is slowly relocating from what we know as downtown Brainerd to the "371 Corridor"(the areas adjacent to the 371 highway). Business offices are filling the space left by the retailers. Brainerd and Baxter share an amusement park called Paul Bunyan Land, home of the worlds largest animated man. Dairy farming is the primary agricultural activity in the Brainerd/Baxter area. A small amount of cash crop farming also occurs on outlying farms. The logging industry continues to thrive; however, the availability of timber appears to be decreasing in the vicinities of the two cities. This is a result of the expansion of the cities. The two primary customers of the local loggers are the Potlatch Paper Company and Macmillan Bloedel. The forests in the area are primarily evergreens and various types of hardwoods. Hunting is generally good in the area.
The area is also surrounded by a large number of lakes. Furthermore, numerous resorts make it an attractive location for tourists and vacationers. The resorts and seasonal home owners are responsible for the population climbing to at least 200,000 throughout the summer months. Included among these lakes is the famous Gull Lake, famous for its unusually expensive lake shore property and its excellent fishing.Golfing is a big industry in the area. There are many different golf courses. Some courses cost as little as nine dollars for one person, while others cost as much as 90 dollars for a single round. There are upwards of 2,000 holes of golf in the Brainerd/Baxter area.
Our school, Mississippi Horizons School, is a one-story building that used to be the old Brainerd Technical College. The school has four grades: sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth. Students range in age from 11 to 15. There are approximately 145 students in each grade. The classes students take are English, science, math, physical education, social studies, technical education, and rotation classes. Rotation classes include art, multi-media, family/consumer science, music, and health. During study hour, some students sing in the choir or play in the band. Technology plays a big role in how the school operates. Each classroom has at least four personal computers. We have both IBM and Macintosh computers. There is almost always access to a computer when it is needed.
There are many sport that students can participate in. They include football, soccer, cross country running, swimming, and tennis in the fall. The winter sports are hockey, wrestling, basketball, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, and volley ball. Spring sports include track and field, baseball (which also continues throughout the summer), softball, and golf. Some students also participate on a debate team.
The eighth grade English class at M.H.S. is primarily 13 and 14 year olds and is taught by Ms. Karen Ogdahl. To write their essays, the students went to a spot special to them and took notes about their surroundings. When they were done taking notes, they turned their notes into an essay.
If you wish to visit our school website, the address is
http://virtualschool.net/mississippihorizons/
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