Highland Elementary School Presents Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 8, 2009
Highland Elementary School Presents Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™
Minneapolis, MN—Highland Elementary will host an Elder Wisdom, Children’s Song™ community celebration honoring three Columbia Heights elders at the Columbia Heights High School (Performing Arts Center Auditorium) on Thursday, December 17, 2009 from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM. The address is 1400 49th Ave. N in Columbia Heights. The community celebration will be hosted by Larry Long, Executive Director of Community Celebration of Place, and is free and open to the public.
Long has been working in partnership with the West Metro Education Program (WMEP) to bring the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™ process to schools that are members of the WMEP consortium. Recently, he has been working with the students at Highland Elementary to collectively write songs and gather recitations that honor the life stories of the following elders:
- Manuela “Nely” Gutierrez grew up in Mexico and came to the United States for greater opportunity. She is actively involved in her community.
- Connie Morgan spent 16 years in Africa helping others before coming to Minnesota. She is currently a teacher and an active volunteer.
- Jai Ramnarine was born and raised in Guyana, and came to the United States to continue his education and find opportunities not available to him in his home country.
Contact Information:
Larry Long, Executive Director
Community Celebration of Place
3357 – 36th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-722-9775
larryl@communitycelebration.org
Michele DeWitt, Principal
Highland Elementary
1500 – 49th Ave NE
Columbia Heights, MN 55421
763-528-4400
dewittm@colheights.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.
Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Larry Long has made his life’s work the celebration of American stories and heroes. Through Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song,™ he has brought these heroes into classrooms to share their oral history with younger generations. A prolific a singer, songwriter and storyteller, Long has sung at major festivals, concerts and events throughout the U.S. and internationally. Long has been the 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. For more information: 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. For more information: wmep.k12.mn.us.