Hospitality & Tourism Academy
Okoboji Glacier Hospitality & Tourism Academy
A grades 7–12 hospitality and tourism pathway where students explore careers, build practical skills, gain supervised exposure, and connect to future college, credential, employment, and leadership opportunities.
The Journey
Academy Journey
A structured pathway from exploration to launch, building awareness, skills, and real-world experience at every stage.
Grades 7–8
Explore
Career exposure, service awareness, teamwork, communication, tourism basics, and guest experience.
Grades 9–10
Prepare
Foundational hospitality skills, professionalism, customer service, safety, leadership, and pathway selection.
Grades 11–12
Specialize
Dual-credit alignment where available, learning labs, supervised work-based learning, credentials, and capstone projects.
Post-Graduation
Launch
College, certificates, employment, entrepreneurship, management training, or continued education.
Pathways
Learning Pathways
Six specialized pathways aligned with the operating zones of the Okoboji Glacier.
Hotel & Resort Operations
Front desk, guest recovery, room operations, service standards, revenue basics.
Food, Beverage & Culinary
Culinary execution, service, food safety, purchasing, catering, menu economics.
Events & Conferences
Planning, sales support, setup, guest flow, banquet operations, event delivery.
Sports Tourism
Tournament operations, crowd flow, hospitality logistics, admissions, scheduling, team support.
Entertainment Operations
Guest experience, attraction programming, safety, family-focused operations, birthday/group experiences.
Retail & Destination Guest Experience
Merchandising, upselling, service culture, local tourism storytelling, destination presentation.
Safety & Compliance
Designed for Real Experience With Real Guardrails
Student participation will be age-appropriate, supervised, compliant, and structured around education first. The Academy is designed with comprehensive safeguards for students, families, and partner organizations.
Education First