DORDT DISCOVERY DAYS
Classes
Morning Classes
| Class | Instructor | |
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Cooking with Karen | Karen Christians$25 |
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Even if you’ve never advanced beyond making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or licking the spoon, this class will show you how to rustle up some grub sure to impress your friends…and your mom. Learn how to make healthy snacks, main course dishes, even drinks and desserts. A trip to the grocery store will make ingredient shopping less of a mystery, and if it all pans out, you’ll take home a DDD cookbook! Both guys and girls are welcome to learn basic cooking skills that will put you somewhere between Chef Boyardee and Rachel Ray. No repeaters, please. Activity fee: $25 Instructor: Dordt alum Karen Christians, Hull Western Christian High and mom |
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Crazy Olympics | Josh Bowar$6 |
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There’s no limit to the action in this team building class! A new twist this year: we’ll have new teams every day, so you’ll get to work with lots of different people. What else? Bronze, silver, and gold awards will also be handed out every day! You’ll get tons of mental and physical challenges with events like the flip flop fly, ridiculous relays, minute to win it games, toilet paper tantrum, walk the plank, mini games, flashlight tag, scissor shenanigans, and twisted bowling. The opening and closing ceremonies promise awards and surprises, so start practicing your donut high jump, fanciest dive, drinking straw shuttle, and marshmallow mambo so you can bring home the “gold.” Events will take place on Dordt’s campus, at the Sioux Center pool (bring your suit!), on the track, at the sand volleyball courts, and other crazy locations. No repeaters, please. Activity fee: $6 Instructor: Dordt alum Josh Bowar, Sioux Center Christian |
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DDD Food Net Challenge | Erica VonkNEW |
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Attention foodies and future entrepreneurs. Can you make a healthy snack that your friends will LOVE? Can you make a snack so good that your friends will PAY to eat it? This class is all about setting up your food business and finding out how to make money in it. You’ll set up a mini snack business, sell your product, and create a business plan. Instructor: Erica Vonk, Dordt College Business Department & Center for Economic Education |
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DDD Worship Band | Matt De JongNEW |
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Be part of our first ever DDD worship team! We’re looking for drummers, bassists, guitarists, pianists, vocalists, and even a violin and sax player or two. You will work with Dordt’s worship coordinator and student worship team to learn ensemble principles, how to lead worship effectively by execution of songs and creating your own orders of worship. By the end of the week, you will be able to lead praise and worship for all DDD students. Prerequisite: you must be able to read music and have more than beginning experience with your instrument. Note: We will contact you regarding what position (vocalist, guitarist, etc.) you wish to fill on the team, so final e-mail confirmation for this class will come much later than the other courses. There will not be try outs, but first come, first served. Example: we’ll take the first two drummers who register, etc. Instructor: Matt De Jong, Dordt College Worship Team |
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Design on a Dime | Sue Blom$5 |
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Ever want to try some of those thrifty HGTV ideas, but get stopped dead in your tracks when you have to sew something? This class will broaden your creative options by teaching you how to create things that involve stitching. Learn sewing machine basics to create pillows, table runners, throws, or whatever else will jazz up your decorating project. All materials (including sewing machines) will be provided, but come with ideas or color swatches to add a special touch to your HGDV-(Dordt Version) Design on a Dime project! Activity Fee: $5. Instructor: Sue Blom, Dordt College Costumer |
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Digital Scrapbooking | Pam Van Roekel$45 |
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Create your own printable digital picture/storybook! Scrapbooking takes on the look of a professionally published book when you use your computer instead of a scissors. With tons of layouts, backgrounds, colors, and fonts available, your photo story will come alive as never before. This year we’re adding a fun desktop calendar to your projects. No repeaters, please. Activity fee: $45 Instructor: Pam Van Roekel, Creative Memories Consultant |
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Down on the Farm | John Olthoff and Mike Schouten |
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Feed the calves! Vaccinate the steers! There are farm chores to do at Dordt’s Agriculture Stewardship Center! Learn about caring for farm animals and about growing food for them in a real farm setting. Because farm safety is important, you’ll learn firsthand how to properly use equipment like a skid loader. You might even get to harvest from the garden and process the food into tasty treats. (Think strawberry jam and homemade ice cream.) Don’t pass up this chance to be a farm kid for a week! No repeaters, please. Instructors: Dr. John Olthoff and Mike Schouten, Dordt College Agriculture Department |
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Engineering—Putting it all Together | Danielle Wyenberg |
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From cars to bridges, engineers design the things that make our lives work. We’ll tackle a few projects to understand how structures carry weight, what gears do, and the experience the fun and excitement of creative design. Girls and guys, if you like to put things together and invent things, this class is for you! Instructor: Danielle Wyenberg, Dordt College Engineering Department |
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Eyewitness News | Curt Van Dam |
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Learn video production basics including iMovie when you help produce a news show about the classes and activities of Dordt Discovery Days. You’ll track down stories, get the facts and write up your big story. The ratings will go up when you’re in front of the camera reporting and doing the interviewing! Be it news, sports, or weather, eyewitness news is there…with you at the anchor desk. Instructor: Dordt alum Curt Van Dam, Sioux Center Christian |
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Fantasy Sports | Tim Van SoelenNEW |
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You’re being recruited for the craze that is sweeping the nation—fantasy sports! This manager will teach you how fantasy sports games are played, and the secret to winning… math! You’ll play fantasy football, baseball, and basketball throughout the week, as well as create your own fantasy sports games with equations that will boggle the mind(s)—of your competitors. We’ll draft a team of winners that knows how to “crunch the numbers.” We want you on our roster! Instructor: Dr. Tim Van Soelen, Dordt College Education Department |
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Game On! | Nicki Kuiper |
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Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, or Blokus, anyone? Bring some strategy to the table by exploring the math behind popular board games to develop a higher probability of winning. Get your game face on! Your odds of beating your friends and family at your next game night just went up! No prior game playing experience is necessary to have a great time. Instructor: Dordt alum Nicki Kuiper, Orange City Christian School |
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Geek Squad | Dave MulderBack again! |
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Don’t call us “nerds”—we have better social skills! Don’t call us “dweebs”—someday we will own the company you work for. True geeks fit that unique space where smarts, curiosity, technology, and amazing friendships intersect. We’ll find unusual uses for household items (probably while talking about sci-fi and LotR). We’ll create our own electronic and digital media. We’ll create crazy science projects and maybe even play an elaborate board game. Say it loud, say it proud…“We’re Geeks!” Instructor:Dordt alum Dave Mulder, Dordt College Education Department |
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Health and Nursing | Debra Boersma and Rachel Westenbroek |
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Give shots, take blood pressure, do CPR, find out your blood type. There’s no end to the discoveries you’ll make about your body and how to care for it. From first aid procedures to how to maintain a healthy diet, this class will give you an idea if you’re cut out for the medical profession. Instructors: Dordt alumni Debra Boersma and Rachael Westenbroek |
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Junk Jam | Titus Landegent |
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Fired up about rhythm, percussion, and dance? Then this class is perfect for you! You’ll find and create instruments out of junk, trash cans, paint buckets, even the kitchen sink. To inspire creativity, you will watch fascinating performances of musicians and entertainers from around the world. Then we will write our own choreography, combine it with music, and perform a concert of sounds you won't forget. Find out what all the noise is about, and get a pair of free drum sticks! Instructor: Titus Landegent, percussion instructor, Sioux Center Community School |
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Outdoor Art Studio | Matt Drissell$15 |
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Grab your brush and paint palate and head outdoors! Our studio will be Dordt’s prairie located right on our campus. You’ll set up your canvas and learn how to paint a variety of prairie scenes in multiple ways. From traditional to contemporary styles, your understanding of landscape painting will bloom! Activity fee: $15 Instructor: Professor Matt Drissell, Dordt College Art Department |
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Photo Shop | April Van RysAlso in PM, Camera required, $25 |
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Shoot, anyone can learn to take good pictures! Learn how to “design” good photos, then manipulate or enhance them on the computer. You’ll crop, enlarge, and sharpen colors, change tones, and experiment with other special effects. Any digital camera will do, but a newer digital model will work best. Be sure to bring camera cords, batteries, chargers, and memory cards as well. Activity fee: $25 Instructor: April Van Rys, photographer |
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Raku Pottery | Jake Van Wyk |
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Turn a lump of clay into a personal masterpiece! Raku-yaki, or Raku ware, is a type of Japanese pottery which is molded by hand instead of turned on a potter’s wheel. It is created with a specific ceramic firing process that uses both fire and smoke to create unique patterns and designs. Get your hands dirty shaping the clay, learn important design elements, and take home a unique piece of art. Instructor: Professor Jake Van Wyk, Dordt College Art Department |
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Stained Glass Art Gallery | Lauren and Barb Oschner$50 |
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Work with a master artist and explore the art of working with stained glass. You’ll learn to do pattern work, choose the colors for your project, cut the glass, and fit it all together. The end product will be sure to dazzle! Activity fee: $50 Instructors: Dordt alumni Lauren and Barb Ochsner, Golden Prairie Art |
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War and Soldiering: Past and Present | Paul Fessler and Ross Van Der BillAlso in PM, $25 |
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From search and rescue missions in the woods to marching in formation, our "maneuvers" will help you better understand military strategy and discipline. We’ll use GPS to understand battle tactics and movement, plus practice strategy warfare indoors and outdoors. Don't wait to enlist—Dordt College Wants YOU! No repeaters, please. Activity fee $25 Instructors: Dr. Paul Fessler, Dordt College History Department, Dordt Alum Ross Van Der Bill, Timothy Christian School, Elmhurst, Illinois and Iraqi War veteran, Army National Guard |
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Who Needs the Drama? | Janie Van Dyke |
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Zip...thinking on your feet. Zap...creating conversations out of nowhere. Zog...switching roles in mid-sentence. Those are just a few of things offered in this class of improvisations and theater games. We’ll loosen you up, stretch your creativity, and along the way teach you some theater techniques useful for stage and life. So if you like to play, create, and just have a crazy time, join this group of people who need a little drama in their lives! Instructor: Dordt alum Janie Van Dyke, Unity Christian High School, Orange City, Iowa |
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Woodworking 101 | Paul Kroeze$40 |
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You’ll learn construction techniques from a master craftsman and build a small piece of furniture from start to finish! With supervision, you’ll learn how to use power tools, make design decisions and properly construct and finish your piece. Hit the nail on the head, and you’ll end up with a beautiful piece of furniture to take home! Open only to students going into 8th or 9th grade. No repeaters, please. Activity Fee: $40 Instructor: Paul Kroeze, Dordt College Maintenance and master cabinet builder |
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Afternoon Classes
| Class | Instructor | |
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Beginning Guitar | Dordt College Worship Team |
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This class will teach you guitar basics as well as appreciation for some of the greatest guitar players ever. Listen to both classical and rock musicians, then get the beat and learn to play a tune on your own. By the end of the week, you’ll be strummin’ everything from Kum Ba Yah to a simple version of the Top 40 Hits. Bring your own acoustical guitar, or we will provide one if you don’t have one. Instructors: Dordt College Worship Team |
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Costume Design | Susan Blom |
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Ever wonder what it would feel like to dress as a queen, a movie star, or maybe a gangster? You’ll have a lot of fun trying all kinds of outfits from our costume shop. Besides checking out how clothing styles have changed, you’ll try your hand at drawing and choosing fabrics for stage costumes. This class is a great choice for both theater and design enthusiasts! No repeaters, please. Instructor: Susan Blom, Dordt College costume designer |
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CSI: Sioux Center | Sioux Center Police Department |
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Interested in being a crime scene investigator? Here’s your chance! With the help of the Sioux Center Police Department, you’ll learn how to evaluate crime scenes and gather evidence. You’ll check out shoe impressions, blood stain patterns, crime scene photography, and fingerprinting. After you put together all the evidence, the big question will be “who dunnit?” Instructors: Sioux Center Police Department |
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Dance! Dance! Dance! | Melissa Knobloch |
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So you think you can dance? Chances are we've got some new moves to show you. Whether hip hop, jazz, swing, or country line dance, you’ll be groovin’ to the tunes in no time. We’ll also change the mood and contrast modern dance steps with liturgical dance. After this class, you'll know how to express yourself in lots of new ways. No dance experience necessary. Instructor: Dordt alum Melissa Knobloch, Robin’s School of Dance |
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Digital Media News Team | Sonya Jongsma KnaussCamera required |
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Blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, Google-plusing, Pinteresting? We’re not sure all of these words are verbs, but we’re looking for a small team to track down fun photos, videos, and stories to share. For one week, you’ll get to be an administrator of the DDD Facebook page, post regular updates there and on all of our social media accounts. Time will divided pretty evenly between working on the computer and gathering information by visiting other classes. Perfect for budding journalists who want to learn basic multimedia and social media skills. You must be 13 years old and have a Facebook account to join this class. Please also bring a digital camera or phone/iPod with camera/video capabilities, as well as all necessary power cords and USB cords. Instructor: Dordt alum Sonya Jongsma Knauss, Dordt College Director of Marketing and Public Relations |
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Disc Golf | Titus Landegent$5 |
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Frolf, frisbee golf, disc golf, no matter what you call it, it’s a fun, socially interactive disc game. We’ll be playing outside, rain or shine, learning techniques, rules, and etiquette. Great game for guys and gals, zero experience needed. Two new discs will be given to each student, but feel free to bring any discs you may already own. Activity Fee: $5 Instructor: Titus Landegent, Sioux Center Community School |
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Fan-Fiction Fun | Howard SchaapNEW |
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Love what you read? Then write like what you love! Fan-Fiction Fun gives you a chance to write your own characters for the books you love to read. Whether you adore Harry Potter or die for The Hunger Games, eat up Eragon, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, whether you love Lewis, Lowry, or Little House, want to visit Narnia, NIMH, or Neverland, this section is for you. You’ll craft your own new characters to fit with your favorite books, then put them in action in your own perfect plots. By week’s end you’ll have your own published story to add to the series—and will learn secrets to writing great stories along the way! Instructor: Dr. Howard Schaap, Dordt College English Department |
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Gamemaker.com | Kari Sandouka |
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Zotbot? Extreme XP? These could be the next big computer maze or breakout games…designed by YOU! This class will teach you programming skills so you can make your very own, personally designed games. You’ll plug in zany colors, funky fonts, and crazy sounds! In the end, you will get to take home games you designed and can continue game-making on your home computer. Start thinking up names for your computer game! Please bring a set of headphones if you have them. Instructor: Kari Sandouka, Dordt College Computer Science Department |
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Garage Band | Dave Mulder |
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Have you ever dreamed of making your own album? Always wanted to write your own songs? Curious how you can use the computer to create music? We’re doing it! We’ll listen to a variety of styles to examine the structure of music and use what we learn to craft our own songs using the software Garage Band. We’ll start by building songs from pre-recorded loops, but we’ll move on to finesse editing and even record ourselves. From cool jazz to bluegrass country, to funky techno to straight-up rock-and-roll, you’ll learn techniques to tweak your tunes to your auditory pleasure. By the end of the week, you’ll walk away with a CD containing at least six tracks laid down by none other than your own sweet self! Bring your own headphones please. Instructor: Dordt alum Dave Mulder, Dordt College Education Department |
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GPS/Geocaching | Danielle WyenbergNEW |
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Ever want to mark a path so you can return to it? Bury treasure and find it again? GPS can help you! This class will teach you how GPS and mapping work. We’ll head outdoors to follow trails and find treasures, maybe even planting some of our own along the way. It’s the ultimate outdoor treasure hunt! You do not need your own GPS to participate. Instructor: Dordt alum Danielle Wyenberg, Dordt College Engineering Department |
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Japanese Printmaking | Allison Wanaselja |
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Here’s a great chance to get creative with art mediums you may not have used before. Design multiple prints using the Hokusai style of Japanese master printers by using soft lino cut relief printing on Hosho paper. You’ll also get to try origami paper folding and top off your cultural art experience with a Japanese tea ceremony. These sessions will introduce you to new ways to be artistic! Instructor: Dordt alum, Allison Wanaselja |
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Movie Date | Josh BowarNEW |
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Lights...camera...ACTION! Get in the director's seat as you learn more about your favorite movies. We'll watch a wide variety of clips from movies like The Hunger Games, Hugo, and The Hobbit. We’ll explore how levels of violence have changed in past decades, how to recognize a film’s message or theme, and how special effects promote the plot. Of course, we’re having snacks and popcorn the whole time! As a group, we'll become film critics, learning how to view films through our biblical glasses and figure out what movies are “good” and why. You'll definitely give this class two thumbs up! Instructor: Dordt alum Josh Bowar, Sioux Center Christian |
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Ooey-Gooey Science | Dan Van Ruler$15 |
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This lab class is for girls and guys who want to get their hands into biology and chemistry! You’ll do dissections, create slimes, neutralize stomach acid, and find out what’s in your food. Microscopes, Petri dishes, scalpels, and beakers—we’ll do real science in this class. Ready to get messy? No repeaters, please. Activity fee: $15 Instructor: Dan Van Ruler, Orange City Christian School |
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Photo Shop | April Van RysAlso in AM, Camera required, $25 |
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Shoot, anyone can learn to take good pictures! Learn how to “design” good photos, then manipulate or enhance them on the computer. You’ll crop, enlarge, and sharpen colors, change tones, and experiment with other special effects. Any digital camera will do, but a newer digital model will work best. Be sure to bring camera cords, batteries, chargers, and memory cards as well. Activity fee: $25 Instructor: April Van Rys, photographer |
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Sewing for Beginners | Katie Bleeker$10 |
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Learn and practice the basic techniques and skills of using a sewing machine while creating your own personal project! From simple shorts, boxers, hats, or stuffed toys, you’ll take home something you can be proud you made. Start shopping now at Haan’s Crafts website (www.haancrafts.com) and choose what you’d like to make. Your instructor will contact you for your order and have it ready for you when you arrive. Both guys and girls welcome! Activity fee: $10 Instructor: Dordt alum Katie Bleeker, Hull Western Christian High School |
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String Studio | Gary Vander Hart$60 |
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Build and learn to play a stringed instrument worth $300. You read correctly; a $300 instrument will be yours to take home! In five days, you’ll build a four stringed, Appalachian mountain dulcimer. Lying on the lap, they are easier to play than the guitar and are the perfect first instrument for novice musicians. You will carve decorations, install frets, French polish, plus learn how to play and tune. No previous lessons required. A DVD on how to do the work will be mailed to you a few weeks before the session. Activity fee: $60 Instructor: Gary Vander Hart, musician and instrument builder |
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Survivor! | Curt Van Dam |
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Spend afternoons at Oak Grove State Park learning wilderness survival skills and having lots of outdoor fun! Learn to build a teepee, make a campfire, and how to conduct search and rescue missions. There will be scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, and canoeing. This class is jam packed with skills you can use on your next camping trip! Instructor: Dordt alum Curt Van Dam, Sioux Center Christian |
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Theater Make-up Studio | Dordt College Theater Department$15 |
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Do you want to look like an old man or like you’ve been on the wrong end of a back street brawl? Want to make your friend look like a vampire? Or a clown? This class will supply you with your own basic theater make-up kit so you can learn how to transform faces. You’ll experiment with crepe hair, spirit gum, and learn what to do with a stipple sponge. You’ll get to straighten some noses and make others crooked. But watch out; you could end up with a black eye yourself! No repeaters, please. Activity fee: $15 Instructor: Dordt College Theater Department |
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Total Art | Matt DrissellNEW, $10 |
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Ready to push your creativity to a new level? Paint, draw, sculpt, and even perform, while sharpening your artistic eye. If you love all things art, you’ll enjoy dabbling in a bit of everything! Activity fee: $10 Instructor: Prof. Matt Drissell, Dordt College Art Department |
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War and Soldiering: Past and Present | Paul Fessler and Ross Van Der BillAlso in AM, $25 |
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From search and rescue missions in the woods to marching in formation, our "maneuvers" will help you better understand military strategy and discipline. We’ll use GPS to understand battle tactics and movement, plus practice strategy warfare indoors and outdoors. Don't wait to enlist—Dordt College Wants YOU! No repeaters, please. Activity fee $25 Instructors: Dr. Paul Fessler, Dordt College History Department, Dordt Alum Ross Van Der Bill, Timothy Christian School, Elmhurst, Illinois and Iraqi War veteran, Army National Guard |
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