Storm Lake High Launches Eight-Day May Term for Project Learning

Eight days at Storm Lake High School now belong to cats, gardens, cooking and other hands-on work instead of a normal bell schedule. The new May Term lets students earn credit while finishing the year with project-based classes at 621 Tornado Drive in Storm Lake.

The format gives students two ways to earn credit. They can take two shorter classes for a half credit each, or spend the full day in one course and earn a full credit. School leaders designed the schedule so seniors could finish their regular classes on the final day of the third trimester, then use the rest of the window for learning that looks very different from a standard classroom week.

The lineup reaches across interests. Some classes focus on service and community involvement, including Paws with a Purpose and Building a Community Garden. Others lean into creativity and play, such as Color Your World and Analog Gaming. Practical options include Tornado of Life Skills and Outdoor Cooking. Students can also choose internships or independent study, giving the district more ways to keep the last days of school productive.

Cooper Dierking chose the kitty corner class, where he said he was excited to work with cats and help them find homes. That kind of project ties the school calendar more closely to local needs, especially with Caring Paws Rescue working toward the area’s first permanent animal shelter in Storm Lake.

Principal Matt Doebel said the idea had been discussed before COVID-19 but never fully launched because school closures got in the way. The current calendar finally made room for it. A previous plan for a weeklong May term called for around 30 classes from May 13 to 21 and described the goal as “project-based, innovative learning outside of the traditional classroom setting,” while also trying to curb the drop in enrollment that often comes late in the school year.

Doebel, who was named principal in 2021 after starting with Storm Lake schools as an elementary art teacher in 2006, has now put the concept into practice. The district’s 2025-26 academic calendar, posted online in August 2025, helped create the opening for the eight-day schedule. At a school that already highlights National Honor Society, Key Club, International Club, DECA, Student Council, Speech and Music Department programs, plus a Seal of Biliteracy wall, May Term fits into a broader push toward student-centered learning.