Hiawatha Elementary Hosts Elder Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Community Celebration of Place and Hiawatha Elementary Present Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™
Minneapolis, MN – Hiawatha Elementary will host a community celebration at the Hiawatha Elementary gymnasium on Friday, March 12, 2010 at 4:00 pm. The 3rd and 4th grade students will honor three elders with strong ties to the Hiawatha Community. 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. Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™ is an educational process developed by Long, which honors history and celebrates diversity through writing and performing songs.
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. Each participating classroom interviewed one of the elders, and with Mr. Long’s assistance, wrote a song to celebrate their elder’s life story. The community elders who will be honored are:
- Betty Henry: A Hiawatha neighbor who has been a long time volunteer in the Hiawatha art classes.
- Raquel Medina: Moved to United State from Puerto Rico and is a former Educational Assistant at Hiawatha.
- Eddie Speers: Retired airline mechanic who is a long time volunteer at Hiawatha.
Contact Information:
Larry Long, Executive Director
Community Celebration of Place
3357 – 36th Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-722-9775
larryl@communitycelebration.org
Janice Bauer, Music Teacher
Hiawatha Elementary School
4201 – 42nd Ave S,
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-668-4610
Janice.Bauer@mpls.k12.mn.us
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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)
The West Metro Education Program (WMEP) School District was formed in 1989 to cooperatively address integration issues in the west metro area. The mission of WMEP is to build the collective capacity of its members; to raise the achievement of all students; to eliminate the racial achievement gap; and to prepare all learners to thrive in a diverse world through regional leadership, integrated learning opportunities, shared resources, and mutual support.
Member districts of WMEP are: Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minneapolis, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony/New Brighton, St, Louis Park, and Wayzata. (wmep.k12.mn.us)