September 5th kicked off the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year at GAP School. With 91 students currently enrolled, the first month of school has been off to a great start with the buzz of constant activity in the air. Read on to learn more about the start of another great school year at GAP.
Mental Toughness
The first two weeks of school are focused on mental toughness, which is filled with teamwork, leadership, and creating students' first goals of the year. We have so many great students with a strong will to accomplish their goals. Next, students will meet with employer partners and start thinking about what service and volunteering opportunities will work best for our healthcare students! Pre-YouthBuild students also spend time learning about the Construction and Healthcare career pathways that they will join further down the road. New Volunteer Opportunity with Open Arms of Minnesota This month, GAP School students started a new healthcare community service experience with Open Arms of Minnesota. Their newest location is right behind our school! Open Arms creates medically tailored meals for community members with life threatening illnesses. Our students made over 800 meals in less than two hours. We know these experiences can change our students’ lives and have an impact on the lives of Open Arms clients.
Construction Projects Around GAP School
The construction crew has been busy working on outdoor projects all month outside of the school. They poured new concrete into the back parking lot, took care of brush removal, and repaired the retaining wall at the front of the building. These students are learning valuable trade skills while improving GAP School for all.
Breaking Ground on the Second Page Street House With the sale of the first Page Street house complete, the construction crew is already making progress on breaking ground on the second lot right next door. Former GAP School Graduate Wins National YouthBuild USA Award Congratulations to the four YouthBuild leaders to receive the 2023 YouthBuild AmeriCorps Spirit of Service award, especially our own GAP School alumnus, Boe Boe. A 2012 graduate of GAP School, Boe received the Alumni of the Year award for his commitment to helping fellow GAP YouthBuild students and the St. Paul community at large. Read more here. Healthcare Pathway Students Advance in Volunteer Positions Two Healthcare Pathway students will move forward into larger and more advanced volunteer positions with Regions Hospital. These students, Maryan and Saido, will volunteer in the Birth Center and have a large list of responsibilities to ensure new moms and babies have what they need. Soon, they will begin their service and improve lives! There is always an incredible amount of learning and work happening over at GAP School. From classwork to healthcare instruction, to construction site work, one thing is for sure -- boredom is not a part of GAP School students’ curriculum.