Point of Discovery School taking applications for 2019-20

By Brandi Makuski

The city’s largest charter school is now taking applications for the next school year.

The Point of Discovery School, known affectionately in the district as PoDS, is now entering its fifth year of offering experiential learning for students entering grade 6-9.

About 50 slots are available, according to Connie Negaard, the district’s director of secondary education. In the event more than 50 students apply, the school will hold a lottery.

PoDS is known for its Learning Expeditions: study periods of 10-12 weeks one topic or theme. One theme used in 2018 was “conflict”, with students in history classes learning about war by digging foxholes and trying out rations given to soldiers in the field, while students in music classes studied the advancements in classical and other music genres as a result of those conflicts.

The school won a $450,000 grant in 2018 from the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction, which Negaard said will be used to enhance the school’s art and music equipment, as well as “a 21st century learning commons with makerspaces and video production areas, adventure and outdoor education equipment, professional development opportunities and consulting services to assist us in creating these spaces for the students.”

Interested parents with students entering grades 6-9 can apply online here, or call the school with questions at (715) 345-5566.