South school briefs: Scott County Historical Society offers talks

The Scott County Historical Society is offering educational programs to classes from kindergarten through eighth grade.

The programs "meet Minnesota Standards for Teaching benchmarks — include pre- and post-materials," the society said.

Programs include:

A day in the life of a pioneer child, with maps, photos and artifacts, a pioneer child's chores, lessons and games.

Lessons on farms, general stores and kitchens of the past. Photos, artifacts, hands-on sensory activities: churning and tasting butter, shopping in a general store and learning about historic kitchen gadgets.

Scott County towns 125 years ago: what did people do for a living and how did they get from place to place? Maps, photos and artifacts, and participating in discussions, games and skits.

Thinking like historians by analyzing primary sources from the society's collections: maps, artifacts, photographs and letters. Students work in teams to uncover and present stories.

The new www.npaschools.org, is simpler, and the site has a cleaner look with quick links to pages students and parents use most.

Even the high school's Trojan mascot, used throughout the district for activities and athletics, got a makeover to appear more youthful, with stronger facial features.

The new website went live in July. The district will add information and features to the site as the school year draws closer.