School Of Environmental Studies - Apple Valley, Minnesota/MN

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School Of Environmental Studies

12155 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN, 55124-8151 -

tel: (952)431-8750
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Definition of Terms

School Of Environmental Studies

Grades Offered

Grades N - N

County

Dakota County, MN

Students & Faculty

Total Students

n/a

% Male / % Female

n/a

Total Classroom Teachers

18 teachers

Students by Grade

n/a

This School

( MN ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

n/a

1:17

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( MN ) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	3%
% Asian	n/a	5%
% Hispanic	n/a	7%
% Black	n/a	11%
% White	n/a	73%

Additional Student Information

This School

( MN ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

n/a

26%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

n/a

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

( MN ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Rosemount-apple Valley-eagan School District

This School's Agency

( MN ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	37	2
Number of Students Managed	28,261 students	559 students
District Total Revenue	$267,339,000	$5,409,000
District Expenditure	$275,710,000	$5,362,000
District Revenue / Student	$9,460	$11,540
District Expenditure / Student	$9,756	$10,367

The School of Environmental Studies is an optional two-year high school in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Also known as the "Zoo School" because of its active partnership with the Minnesota Zoo and its 12 acre (48,000 m²) site on zoo property, the school embraces project-based learning with an environmental theme.
Eco-History: The School of Environmental Studies opened during 1995 in the Twin Cities suburb of Apple Valley as a public, 400-student, 11th and 12th grade "high school of choice". Students from Independent School District 196's high schools, Eastview High School, Apple Valley High School, Rosemount High School and Eagan High School, can all elect to attend SES. In addition, under Minnesota's open-enrollment option students from the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area are able to fill available slots on a year-by-year basis.
The school is the product of a collaboration between the state (Minnesota Zoo), the community (City of Apple Valley) and a public school district (ISD 196). Originally named the "Zoo Environmental Learning Center (ZELC)" the design and implementation reflects the work of a diverse group of educators. Teachers, administrators, environmental educators, architects and researchers all contributed to the initial discussions and final design of the school.
Since it is located on the grounds of the Minnesota Zoo, a number of students work with zookeepers and scientific staff in studying animal behavior, keeping animals active and challenged, and promoting public transit to the zoo. Other partners who work actively with students to bring real-world experiences to the academic content include the Minnesota DNR, Dakota County GIS and Parks departments, Eagan Parks, and the City of Apple Valley.
The school's two-year program culminates with a series of senior capstone activities. As a rite of passage this program requires the students to initiate sustainable service experiences, proclaim their evolving environmental ethic, and present an environment issue of choice at a forum attended by the general public, family, and significant individuals in the student's life. Another innovation championed by this program includes their annual "adventure learning activity "Eco-Challenge" conducted at nearby Lebanon Hills Regional Park located in Dakota County, Minnesota. It was conceived by earth science teacher as the focus of his University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Master's Thesis on team-based mentoring from University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.
Design: The School of Environmental Studies was designed in a manner very different from most schools. The committee charged with planning SES conducted almost two years of research before commissioning an architect. What emerged was a clear vision of the kinds of learning experiences they hoped to provide: interdisciplinary, project-based, and real-world.
Architect Bruce Jilk was commissioned to design the school and given strict budgetary parameters: the per-pupil costs to build and operate the school could not exceed those of other high schools in the district. The result: a 68,000 square foot (6,300 m²) building, completed for $5,420,000, or $80 per square foot ($860/m²).
The central building block of Jilk’s design is the student workstation (desk with bulletin board and storage area). This feature simultaneously meets two objectives: that students take on the role of workers (the workstation resembles an office cubicle) and that the learning environment promote a sense of identity (students can decorate workstations to reflect personal tastes).
Individual workstations are clustered in groups of 10, forming a “pod.” Ten pods form a “house.”
Architecturally, the “heart” of SES is a forum spanning two floors at the center of the building. Each of the school’s four houses faces it and/or the adjacent library. Another example of flexible-use space, the forum serves as cafeteria, display center, gathering place, and auditorium, depending on how tables, chairs, and partitions are configured.
Much of the building’s architecture is transparent and serves as a teaching tool. As an example, the exposed ductwork and air distribution systems allows students to construct a better understanding of issues of indoor air quality. Seniors examine the building's airflow with the lead custodian during their investigations related to environmental health.
Field Studies: At the end of each trimester the school offers a chance for the students to particpate in field studies. Field studies are student funded teacher led trips to locations around the world. They usually last between 6 to 12 days and have traveled to Alaska, New Zealand, Iceland, Glacier National Park, Scotland, the American southwest, Costa Rica, Curacao, Australia, South Africa, Belize, and others.
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (55124)

School Zip (55124)

(MN) State Average

Population (Approximate)

46,454 people

4,662,816 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

51%

25%

Population Average Age

35 years old

35.4 years old

Average Household size

2.8 persons

2.5 persons

Median Household Income

$70,253

$49,155

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

7 rooms

5.7 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

23 years old

43 years old

View current housing listings in this area

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (55124)

What's a Zindex?
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% Owning / % Renting

88% / 12%

71% / 29%

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Weather: 10-day forecast or monthly climate averages.

Nearby Schools:


1. Dakota Ridge School - 83 students - view location
2. Youth Transition Program (ytp) - 75 students - view location
3. Learners Center - n/a - view location
4. Behavior Learning Center - 65 students - view location
5. Burnsville Extended Day - n/a - view location
View all schools in: Apple Valley Town, Dakota County, Zip 55124

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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