2009 College Research and Writing Project

In the Spring of 2009, the third and fourth grade students at Valley Springs Elementary learned about college athletics. They used the links on this blog to research conferences and colleges. They each selected a college and used the college website to answer questions. They composed a letter on Word and I emailed it to the athletic director.

Upon returning from summer break, several students had letters and packages waiting for them! We now have several pennants and posters to hang in the gym, as well as a map to locate the schools. Hopefully the students will continue to follow college athletics and nurture the "seeds" planted in the Spring of 2009!

Austin Hansen Visits VSE

On Monday, May 4, 2009, former SDSU and Brandon Valley basketball standout,as well as former Valley Springs Elementary student Austin Hansen visited Valley Springs Elementary. Austin spoke to the VSE 3-5th grade students about college.

Austin is now an assistant basketball coach for the SDSU Jackrabbits. His duties off the court include recruiting future players for the Jacks. Austin explained some of the responsibilities he has in this role with the students. He also spoke about the difference in divisions in college athletics and what the move to Division 1 has meant for the Jackrabbits and South Dakota State University.

As an elementary student, Austin didn't know very much about college. Because of his talents on the basketball court, he was recruited by several colleges to play basketball. His love of the game and his dedication to both basketball and academics earned him the opportunity to attend college. To learn more about Austin Hansen, go to the link "Austin Hansen Bio" in the upper right corner of this blog.

2009 Writing Project

This year we are going to learn about the NCAA, conferences and divisions. This can be a very confusing subject, to say the least! Hopefully, by exploring the NCAA and learning about athletic conferences, students will have a better understanding of how colleges classified.