Since I last posted about Lake Leadership, we have had 2 classes: November was education day, and December was Health and Recreation day. Education Day in November:

We spent the morning at Clear Creek Elementary school, starting with a roundtable discussion with administrators from the elementary, middle, and high school. I don't have a connection to the schools, as I don't have any children, so it was interesting to hear about the programs and curriculum happening in the schools. We then took a tour of Clear Creek elementary school. It is organized in pods for each grade, which I thought organized the school in an interesting way.

We spent the afternoon at NIACC, listening to presentations about the NIACC foundation, Performing Arts Series, Lifelong Learning, and the Pappajohn Center. NIACC's president Steve Schulz, also presented about the college. It was very informative, and I learned things about NIACC I never would have known. If you haven't heard of the lifelong learning program you should definitely check it out!

We finished the day off with a tour of the new simulation lab for the nursing program and the industrial sciences: engineering, automotive, electric and heating. I'm sure I'm leaving some out but it was a lot to take in. NIACC has a lot to offer and we are lucky to have a college in our area.

Health and Recreation Day in December: We packed a lot into last Wednesday. We started at the new pediatric dental clinic in Clear Lake. I think it's safe to say everyone was very impressed with the home-like feeling of the clinic and I'm sure it's going to be a success.

Our next stop was Opportunity Village, where we heard about their greenhouses, the Village store, the variety of services they offer, the swimming pool, and their disc golf course. I have a soft spot in my heart for Opportunity Village as I work there as an OT 1-2 times per month. Its a great place that offers so many things to our community.

From Opp Village, we went to Oakwood Care Center. Here we had lunch and I won a mug (first one to finish my word find!). Oakwood is huge! I've been there a few times, but didn't realize how big it was.

Next we went to the Fire Station, where we took a tour and also learned about the EMS service and how they work with the DNR for the rescue and recovery on the lake.

We ended the day at the Chamber, learning about the Parks and Recreation crew in Clear Lake.

Both days were packed with a lot of tours and information. I could have gone into a lot more detail about each location, but I think this post has gotten long enough! Lake Leadership has been a great way to learn about businesses and organizations in our community.