The Student Perspective

Ely

2010-04-27T08:51:00.001-07:00

Many believe that the journey ends when you run out of road,
but here in Ely, we think that your journey can’t really start
until nature pulls your senses off the road.

After shutting off my lights on one particular night I found myself stepping out into an absolutely glorious atmosphere. It was warm and comfortable. As I moved towards the door of my house, I felt a tug to turn around and just enjoy the evening for awhile, and with that I made my way to the shoreline of Garden Lake.

On the way I could fell the presence of something that I had not felt for a long time: humidity. Finally, after several weeks of bone-dry weather conditions, rain had made a graceful entry into the northeastern Minnesota where it was accepted with open arms by both people and plants alike. And so the grass thanked the rain in a special way by giving off its summer fragrance that it had withheld until the arrival of water.

Reaching the lake, I took in a deep breath; everything was peaceful as the animal kingdom laid down for the coming of dark, or at least I thought.

Thump!

I looked up, my senses revved into fifth gear. Glancing around I tried to distinguish who, what, or even where that noise had come from. It had sounded like a flat rock making a belly flop into the water, but knowing that rocks can only do cannonballs, I ventured that it was probably something more nature-like.

Peering towards the lake, I began to differentiate between the dusky lake and a little blob and the quiet wake it was producing. Then it came to me: I had heard a beaver swatting its tail on the water, and sure enough as I moved onto the dock, I could make out two beavers swimming wide semicircles in front of me. In a way it kind of looked as if they were guarding the lake from a foreign species, warding me off with an intimidating thump.

I smiled. It was fine with me if they controlled the lake that night. I was happy just observing tonight.

Behind these two security guards was an impressive yet fading orchestra of birds playing the last refrain of a day long songacross the narrow, motionless bay.

With the silhouettes growing darker and the stars beginning to shine through the sky's canopy, God himself was surely smiling down on me that night. I could not help but wonder: What I would have missed if I had turned in that night rather than stepping out into the wonderful theater of life?

No Regrets

2010-04-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

I have been attending VCC for two years now and will be graduating with a degree in Water Quality Science. The reasons I chose to come here are the small class sizes and the teacher-to-student ratio. All the teachers are extremely good at what they do. They make time for students, not only giving additional help but also speaking to them individually. This is a rare thing to find at college, so I am glad I chose to come here.
It was a combination of the academic programs and fishing and hunting that made me want to come here, and I have no regrets about my decision.
David Pufall, sophomore Water Quality student

Five Weeks Left

2010-04-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

As the ice recedes from the lakes and the dull browns and grays are turning to greens and colors of spring, there are changes about. Obviously, spring is here. You can see it in the students here. We are getting anxious, antsy, excited for our final weeks of the ’09-‘10 school year. The days are longer, and the weather is warming as well. We are spending time outside enjoying the season.
Five weeks left.
We need to enjoy ourselves for our own sanity, but at the same time, we need to keep at the books and not let our studies down.
What a great time of year!
Jake Otto, freshman Fish Wildlife student

New expirience

2010-04-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

This year at Vermilion, I have seen things that I would have never seen in Vermont. I was able to see wolves for the first time. They are magnificent animals. They definitely strike fear into me knowing how big they actually are. I have also seen five eagles since being in Minnesota. Before this, I had only seen one wild eagle and one domesticated eagle. The wildlife up here is completely new to me. It’s an experience I’m glad to have.
Jared Hodgin, freshman Wild LE student

Bone Hunting

2010-04-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes fun times are hard to come by over a long weekend.
There’s smelting. Smelting is fun to do with a bunch of guys because of running the nets through the water and catching all the little fish. Cleaning is the worst, but they taste good when cooked in a fry pan.
And there’s hiking. A hike can turn into a lot of fun. My roommates and I got into a truck this weekend and drove. We came to the end of a road and leapt out of the vehicle. We started to hike through the woods, looking for sheds.
We ended up finding nothing but a road. We followed that road for about half a mile.
The road led to a lake. It was beautiful.
We rounded back and found some moose bones. Nothing better than finding what you’re looking for!
Overall, we hiked for four hours. We got good exercise and found some moose bones. It was a fun hike and another memory to add to our college years.
--Timothy Robert Winter, Tyler Bortle and Calab Svenby, freshmen students

A memory

2010-04-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

As Easter weekend was winding down, I found myself sitting at my grandparents', overlooking Lake Vermilion and wishing upon no hope that school would disappear.
The sun was glistening off the gentle waves rolling in from the east. To make matters better, the temperature was sitting at a perfect 55 degrees. Earlier that day, my grandma documented this year as the earliest on record the ice had ever gone out of Frezer Bay. But none of these facts allowed school to come to a halt, and, like all good memories, this one had to come to an end to become just that... a memory.
This past weekend was just a small taste of that yet to come. In just six weeks, summer will be upon us, although I must not be too hasty, for I do like Minnesota, and weather here has a mind of its own . . .

--Erick Ellison, freshman Wild Mgmt student

Snow Carving Fun

2010-03-01T07:17:00.001-08:00

The two of us decided to take on the challenge of snow carving for the first time. It was difficult to come up with a good design. We settled on our object to carve the day before we started. Since it was the first time to try snow carving for the both of us, we weren't sure what to expect. Some big challenges for us were; Visualizing something round coming out of a square block, communicating with each other, finding time to work on the sculpture, and keeping pieces attached to the sculpture. In the end we were quite satisfied with our sculpture. We cant wait for next year to come around when we can try our hand at carving again!

Derek and Kate
(Winners Adult Amateur Division)

Learning at VCC

2010-02-28T14:06:00.001-08:00

When I first began school this semester, I never thought that I could learn as much as I have. Being a non-traditional student, I thought it would be a lot harder for me to learn. How wrong I was!

Everyone at VCC is very friendly and helpful. I have experienced that going to class every day, participating as much as possible, taking notes and listening to my instructors have helped me a lot.

We students are all here for the same thing: to learn. Even though I am one of the oldest students in class, it hasn't mattered. Students treat me with kindness and have even helped me when I needed it.

The instructors are the greatest teachers that I have ever had. They are here for all students. They are kind, caring and understanding. If you don't understand, they are there to help you. If you need individual help, they and VCC's professional tutors will help you after class in the Academic Resource Center (ARC). (I advise that all students take advantage of the assistance in the ARC. It sure has helped me.)

I never in my life had a GPA as high as I do now. This is thanks to all opportunities that are here at VCC. What I have learned so far are these two things: I will accomplish my goals, and this is a place to get an education.

Learn------Learn-------Learn. This is the greatest thing you can do with your life.

I am so glad that I came back to school at VCC.

--By Connie Opdycke, freshman Liberal Arts student

A Shout Out to Anglers

2010-02-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

I heard of a lake just west of Ely from my uncle who has lived here for a very long time. A buddy of mine and I decided to try it out, so we loaded up the snowmobile and fishing equipment into the back of the truck and headed out for the day.

From about 1:00 – 4:30 PM, we caught about ten crappies and one Northern.

The name of the lake is Sourdough. It's a good crappie lake, and I would suggest it very much.

--Erik Sandler, freshman Fish-Wildlife student

More To Do Than Study . . .

2010-02-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

One sunny Saturday morning two friends and I took a one-mile hike out to a lake that was way out in the woods.

After we got there and started fishing. The fish weren’t biting so we decided that the fresh sticky snow would be fun to use to build a snowman.

All the balls were rolled up and just needed to be placed on top of each other. The middle one took all three of us to get on, and we barely got it on. The head was the same way.

It took all three of us, and in the end the snowman was taller than everyone of us out there. Logs for arms and bald head—we made it our Abominable Snowman.

--Caleb Svenby, freshman Fish-Wildlife student

Labs Classes and More

2010-02-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

VCC is the perfect location for hands-on experiences! The classes are amazing. Most labs involve going outside, depending on the major. The teachers know you by name and are willing to help you out. It’s a perfect place to make new friends and experience new things.
Sports are also fun, and after the season, there are always intramurals going on.
--Amber Honadel, freshman Fish-wldf

Transferring in to VCC!

2010-02-08T06:23:00.000-08:00

I’ve wanted to be a backcountry ranger for some time now. I was enrolled in an environmental science program at a different school, but I didn’t feel that I was receiving the training that I felt would be essential to finding a career. A high school science teacher of mine recommended that I look into Vermilion. After the tour, I was sold. Originally enrolling in the Wildland/Wildlife Law Enforcement Program, I switched to Wilderness Management. I could finally see I was on the right path. Experienced instructors and practical hands-on classes have made this a great experience.
--Neil Johannsen, sophomore Wild LE

Why do you attend Vermilion -

2010-02-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

This goes out to all those who are interested in the small school of Vermilion Community College. Among the reasons for attending up here in the North Country are the obvious and almost redundant facts: small class sizes, unique programs of study, and a connection with instructors. But what really separates us from the other institutes are the surroundings we are in!
If you are the outdoorsy-type person, this is home! If you can’t find things to entertain you outside, you’re a lost sheep. It seems to me that the people who sit in front of a television or computer just don’t make the cut up here or move home after a semester or year. But those who are at home in the natural world that surrounds us have endless opportunities!
Gotta run. There’s weather to enjoy and fish to catch!
-Jake Otto, freshman Fish-Wldf