Minnehaha freshman Izzy Peterson spends summer learning the culture and language of Sweden

At Minnehaha, students in grades 9-12 keep themselves occupied during summer break by going on different trips and enjoying educational opportunities. From June 3 to August 24, Minnehaha high schoolers have a wide variety of summer activities- from learning new languages at colleges  to traveling the world to compete in international soccer competitions.

Freshman Izzy Peterson spent her summer break at the Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minnesota. She spent a month in the Swedish Village, learning more about the language and the culture. “I’m really increasing my fluency,” Peterson said. “It’s my fourth year going. It’s really cool being able to speak another language.”

Along with speaking the language, Peterson was able to celebrate different Swedish holidays and festivals. “We do a lot of activities from Sweden. We do wood carving, traditional Swedish painting and play games. We celebrated Christmas and Midsommar. Midsommar is really big in Sweden. It’s a celebration in the middle of summer where families come together and have a party with a Maypole and you dance around it. You eat a big feast afterwards and learn new dances.”