MINNETONKA, Minn. — Most of us remember school as a time spent at a desk, in a classroom, learning from a teacher. But for some students in Minnetonka, that's certainly not the case.
Kids are getting hands-on experience through the Minnetonka Public School District's Vantage Program. It allows students to study the needs of Minnesota companies, and work on 'real-world' projects for a number of business partners.
"One of the strands we're launching this year is a user experience design course," said Jeff Erickson, Principal of Minnetonka High School. "So students are taking an art class and an AP computer science course to really look at the world of coding and how it intersects with design. These students will be working with actual companies to help with that learning and that experience."
Students can also take advantage of the Minnetonka Research Center. It allows them to do scientific research in real labs with industry experts. That experience is typically only available at the college level.