Wednesday, May 16, 2012
School board member's blog post stirs debate.
With something approaching a one-party system in Minneapolis, is this fall's school board election in Southwest Minneapolis going to be truly democratic? That's the question school board member Rebecca Gagnon asked in a short blog post uploaded to Patch over the weekend, and it's been drawing a range of sympathetic an skeptical replies ever since. Looking back at her own school board race in 2010—the DFL did not endorse two candidates for the at-large seats up for grabs that year, letting all challengers run in a primary for the party's support—Gagnon wondered how Minneapolis voters are able to wield influence if an endorsement from the DFL carries enough weight to carry a candidate to victory. "We have a strong and diverse group of …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The school is moving across town this summer, and parents want to preserve a voluminous artistic legacy.
When Ramsey International Fine Arts Center students leave their building for good at the end of this school year, they'll be forced to leave behind part of the school's soul on the walls. Thanks to the efforts of a tenacious group of parents, teachers, and staff, though, some of that soul will be able to come with them. The most striking example hides from visitors in plain sight, above their heads as they enter the school. "This mural is lovingly dedicated to all the brave souls who lost their lives in the pursuit of human rights, justice, and peace. May 8, 1998," reads a small block of text next to the front door. Its red letters each no more than an inch high, it's easy to breeze by on your way to the rest of the school. But stop for a …
Friday, May 11, 2012
David Weisser's students decided to say thank you with an autographed tie.
Ramsey International Fine Arts Center teacher David Weisser is getting a year-end present from his eight grade students—an autographed tie. Pretty good for a math teacher!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Southwest, South, Henry take top honors. Why not others?
In a triumphant press release issued Tuesday evening, Minneapolis Public Schools crowed that Southwest High School yet again beat out every other school in the state in the US News and World Report rankings of best public high schools in Minnesota. Also among the top 30 were South and Patrick Henry high schools. Washburn High School was not among the 145 the report listed as "best in the state." But do these rankings tell us anything new? In one sense, not really. As the US News & World Report staff make clear, the ranking is essentially a test of how well a school encourages its students to take either International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) tests, and what the passing rate is for those tests. Schools were not …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
School gets $5,000 reward for parent-launched composting and recycling program.
Whatever you think of some of Minneapolis Public Schools' ideas, this is one that everyone can agree is riddled with ROT. That's ROT, as in Reuse Our Trash, a campaign the school district rolled out a few years ago to increase recycling, composting, and energy conservation across its schools. Four years ago—around the same time the district started its ROT program—five Barton Open School parents decided they wanted to start a composting system for school lunches. Luckily, they had the time to put it together, and on Friday, their work was rewarded with a $5,000 prize from the Jeffers Foundation at an early-morning all-school meeting. While about half of Minneapolis' public schools have an organized composting and recycling program, Barton'…
Monday, May 7, 2012
Kingfield resident and Lyndale school parent David Weingartner is seeking the DFL endorsement.
Following leading roles in bringing Kingfield to embrace Lyndale Elementary and laying the groundwork for the new Ramsey Middle School, Kingfield parent David Weingartner said running for school board was the "logical next step" for him. Those experiences, he said, positioned him well to help Minneapolis Public Schools serve all students, and keep families who've recently flooded Southwest Minneapolis schools. "Every family wants similar things," he told Patch in an interview. "A safe experience for their child, they want to know their child is getting a quality education, and I think a lot of what we have to do is answer the fears and concerns that families encounter, and be responsive to them." When leading parents back to Lyndale school…
Friday, May 4, 2012
Students are testing out food served at high schools next year.
Move over, Chairman Kaga. There's a new judge in town. Or rather, judges. Every Thursday for the last several weeks, hundreds of Washburn High School students have filed down to the cafeteria for what they've reportedly begun dubbing "Real Food Thursday." They're there to test out different recipes Minneapolis will be rolling out at every high school next year, along with revamped kitchens that will let schools cook most of their own meals on-site. "We did a test about a month ago on a homemade pizza," Minneapolis Public Schools nutrition head Bertrand Webber told Patch. "We served it with a Caesar salad, and the kids absolutely fell in love with it." With urging from principal Carol Markham-Cousins, Webber turned that one-time test into a…
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Program coordinator hiring commits district to program.
Updated 5:29 p.m. 5/1/12: Is it possible we may have spoken too soon? School board member Rebecca Gagon confirmed that Washburn High School had decided Monday night to hire a coordinator for a Middle Years International Baccaulaureate program, covering ninth and tenth graders. However, Minneapolis Public Schools communications officials have not returned repeated requests for comment on the hiring decision. Washburn parents who spoke to Patch on Tuesday said the hiring decision took them by surprise. An International Baccaulaureate (IB) coordinator is essential to any school trying to start such a program. The hiring would clear the way for the school to apply to start an IB program covering its ninth and tenth grade students. Eleventh and…
Candidates are vying to represent Southwest Minneapolis.
Lake Harriet students joined other Minneapolitans at state contest.
Anisa Carlson and Alexis Ihrig, two students at Lake Harriet Community School in Southwest Minneapolis, have won top honors in a state competition testing students' ability to investigate and present a historical issue or event. Carlson and Ihrig chose to tackle the US-backed overthrow of democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. Their presentation of this thick and thorny issue in a website, and their skill in arguing their conclusion that the CIA-led coup helped popularize strains of contemporary radical Islam, won them first place in the "Junior Group Website" category." Minnesota History Day is a competition organized by the Minnesota Historical Society as part of the larger National History Day …
Mike O'Brien
4:57 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I would love to see all four candidates in the sixth district race be able to make their case to the voters. To a first-time delegate like me, it seems the DFL endorsement is, if not a foregone conclusion, a possibility for only a couple of pre-ordained candidates. Those without political experience or connections are at a massive disadvantage before the race even begins, regardless of how well … more ›