Forest Elementary School Presents Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CRYSTAL, MN – Forest Elementary School will host a community celebration honoring five Forest community elders at the Forest Elementary School gymnasium on Thursday, December 9, 2009, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. The Elder Wisdom, Children’s Song™ community celebration will be hosted by America’s Troubadour, Larry Long, and is free and open to the public.
Long has been working in partnership with the West Metro Education Program (WMEP) to provide the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™ process for schools that are members of the WMEP consortium. Recently, Long has been working with students at Forest Elementary School to collectively write songs and gather recitations that honor the life stories of the following community elders:
- Al Monus: "adopted grandfather", Canadian farmer of Hungarian heritage, world traveler, founder of an orphanage in Pakistan, speaker of 6 languages.
- Roseanne Boutain: Mother of adopted children, wife, singer, Sunday school teacher, clinical drug researcher, Mexican, student with dyslexia.
- Robert E. Willis: Father, United States Marine, motivational speaker, employment counselor, philosopher/student of psychology, African American, Native American, Athlete/Martial arts instructor/marathon runner.
- Valerie Tran: Mother, Vietnamese refugee "boat person", University of MN social psychology graduate, Program Director of Vietnamese social services program in St. Paul, MN.
- Faiza Jama: Mother, Somali refugee, speaker of three languages, head start teacher, Edison High school graduate, studied at the University of Minnesota.
Contact Information:
Larry Long, Executive Director
Community Celebration of Place
612-722-9775
larryl@communitycelebration.org
Mark Hornbeek, MSW, LISW
Forest Elementary School
763-504-7913
mark_hoornbeek@rdale.org
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Founded out of demand for Long’s work across the country, Community Celebration of Place is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses oral history, music and art to strengthen communities and foster reconciliation. For more information visit www.communitycelebration.org.
Larry Long, called "a true American Troubadour" by author Studs Terkel, has made his life work the celebration of American stories and heroes. In a curriculum called Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song™, he has brought these heroes to the classroom to share their oral history with our younger generation. A Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, Larry has sung at major festivals, concerts and events throughout the U.S. and internationally. Long is a recipient of the prestigious Bush Artists Fellowship, the Pope John XXIII Award and In The Spirit of Crazy Horse Award for his work in forgotten communities. (www.larrylong.org)