Sitka Adventist School Holds 'Life Skills Day'

“When will we ever use this in real life?” is a question that students often ask their teachers. Although the information and skills they learn in school are applicable to life in one form or another, sometimes it can be difficult to recognize in exactly what ways.  

To address this common question from students more directly, Sitka Adventist School has begun a monthly Life Skills Day. During one day every month, students practice skills that are undoubtedly practical to life. Students' excitement for Life Skills Day is obvious well in advance.          

September’s Life Skills Day began with a lesson on how to write checks. As students practiced this skill, they realized why math books gave them questions about writing numbers in word form. Therefore, students were able to confirm and understand that this skill was indeed applicable to life. They also developed a personal signature during this activity. Big smiles and giggles were observed as students ran to give a check addressed to their parents at the end of the day.  

Another favorite skill students learned was how to check tire pressure and add air to the tires. Each student used the tire pressure gauge to check the tire they were working on and determine how much air was needed. Then, the students filled up their assigned tire while checking the pressure consistently to reach the designated amount.  

Last, students practiced kitchen skills as they baked snickerdoodle cookies. They began by making a grocery list and picking up the necessary ingredients at the grocery store, paying close attention to price and quality. Then, students practiced setting the oven temperature, using kitchen utensils, following a recipe and cleaning the dishes afterwards in the cookie making process.  

Life Skills Days in future months will include skills pertinent to our fishing community such as water safety, compass directions, knot tying and more.