With the end of the school year coming around, many of the outside school activities are coming to an end. This is true with the Network New Ulm Youth program. Isabelle Miller, junior, arrived at the New Ulm Country Club and was ready to get on with the ceremony.

The students started the day with a team-building activity. They were given spaghetti noodles, tape, string, and one big marshmallow. The point of the activity was to make the tallest freestanding tower with the provided materials and with the big marshmallow on the top of it. Miller said, “It was my favorite part of the day because my group won, and it was really cool.”

After this, the journalist Mike Max came and presented a speech to them. Miller said, “He was really inspiring, and I thought it was cool that he worked with a bunch of mainstream people.”

Next, they worked on a project about what New Ulm could look like in the next 20 years. Millers’ group leader was Shannon Hillesheim, one of the volunteers for the Network New Ulm Youth program. Hillesheim said, “I help with the youth program because I did the adult program and I thought it was so great for young people to see what’s all in the community.” Hillesheim helped Miller and her group come up with the ideas that they put on their poster.

The last part of the day was the actual graduation part of the day. The students first had to present their graduation projects. Miller and her group did theirs on their favorite day of the program. Hers was history day. After all the projects were presented, the students came forward and got their certificates, signaling the end of the program.

Many of the students and the staff all agree that it is a great way to spend their time. “I thought it was an amazing time. We got to meet a bunch of new people. I feel like as the year went along, we all got along better and really networked. I have definitely made some lifelong buddies,” Miller said.