The twenty-three students in grades 8-12, who attended the Lake Superior Youth Symposium could not say enough positive things about their experience! The 4-day symposium took place April 20-23 at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.

Students' reflections on their symposium experience included:

“I never knew how beautiful our area is until now! Thanks a million!”
—10th grade student, Houghton High School

“Coming to this symposium has been one of the most fun things I have ever done! I learned a lot about the lake we call home.”
—8th grade student, Houghton Middle School

“I have been able to talk and learn from people of other cultures that I would not have able to otherwise.”
—12th grade student, Dollar Bay-TC High School

“It was good learning about Lake Superior and meeting others who love it, too!”
—11th grade student, Houghton High School

“Everything was so fun here! I learned what a watershed is and that I really do have a place in it!”
—10th grade student, Houghton High School

“This trip made me realize the importance of protecting Lake Superior!”
—8th grade student, Ewen-Trout Creek School

“I was able to learn so much about looking at things from other perspectives and will be able to use that throughout my life.”
—12th grade student, Dollar Bay-TC High School

“This was such an eye-opening experience into my future and how much I love the place I live!”
—10th grade student, Houghton High School

“I loved learning about Ojibwe culture and how important it is to protect the lake’s fish to benefit the native culture.”
—10th grade student, Ewen-Trout Creek School

Students enjoyed field trips to the Red Cliff Fishery, Copper Falls State Park, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Sea Caves, Organic Food Production & Composting Tour, Ashland art & murals by bike, and workshops on slowing stormwater runoff, story-telling, plant foraging, plus a Friday evening lacrosse game with students from the nearby Bad River tribe. On Saturday evening, students danced to live music by Sean VanZeeland and wrapped up the night with a rowdy game of Lake Superior Trivial Pursuit!

Students attending the symposium came from Lake Linden-Hubbell, Dollar Bay-TC, Houghton-Portage, Ewen-Trout Creek and Ironwood School Districts, Community Alliance for Progressive Education (CAPE), and Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College (KBOCC).

The following donors made it possible for local students to attend: 

• Friends of the Land of Keweenaw (FOLK)

• The Nitrate Elimination Co, Inc

• Private Individuals and Community Organizations through the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative: Patricia Heiden, Sally Santeford, Sarah Green, 

• Copper Country Trout Unlimited

• MiSTEM Network grant through the Michigan Department of Education 

• Michigan Tech University Center for Science & Environmental Outreach

• National Science Foundation grant to MTU Award# 2136139 

• Keweenaw Area Community Foundation 

• Herman Gundlach Fund 

The following also helped to make this amazing opportunity available to western UP students: 

• Copper Country Intermediate School District 

• Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative

• Western UP MiSTEM Network

• Participating school districts: Houghton, Lake Linden-Hubbell, Ewen-Trout Creek, Dollar Bay -Tamarack City, and Ironwood Area Schools.

To learn more about the Lake Superior Youth Symposium, visit the website: https://learnsymposium.weebly.com/. The next Symposium will be in May 2025 at University of Minnesota Duluth.