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Kirkwood students getting out of the classroom and into the pool

"It's a way to engage our kids in a different way, than we typically do in the school day."

KIRKWOOD, Mo. – Students at North Kirkwood Middle School are spending the week immersing themselves in different occupations and areas of interest.

It’s part of the school’s Pursuit Week. Students were able to choose one of 25 options, including beekeeping and programming drones.

One of the most popular: a class on scuba diving. Students will spend almost the entire school day at Kirkwood High School’s swimming pool, learning from professional SCUBA instructors.

“I'm trying all sorts of different things to see what interests me,” said Maggie Klein, who is in eighth grade. “It's really cool to try something that will help me later in life.”

Along with the work in the water, students are also doing research about scuba. In the process, they’re learning about scuba equipment, marine biology and teamwork.

“It's a way to engage our kids in a different way, than we typically do in the school day,” said North Kirkwood Middle School Principal Tim Cochran.

The program is in its third year. Cochran said the goals is for students to find something they’re passionate about.

“While we're making sure our kids have a good foundation of being able to read, write and be good thinkers, giving them an opportunity to pursue something they care about is really important today,” Cochran said.

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