Valley View Elementary School Presents Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Valley View Elementary School Presents Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™
Columbia Heights, MN – Valley View Elementary School will host a community celebration honoring three Valley View community elders at the Valley View Elementary School gymnasium on Thursday, March 17, 2011 6:00PM-7:00 PM. The Elders’ 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 Valley View Elementary School to collectively write songs and gather recitations that honor the life stories of the following community elders:
- Elizabeth Jappah: Valley View parent, and native of Liberia. Escaped a Liberian Civil War to come to the United States to start a new life, and raise a family.
- Colin R. Wesaw: Native American Storyteller, who shares his life story of courage and overcoming adversity.
- Rekha Patel: Columbia Heights Restaurant owner, and native of Gujarat, India. Left India to give her kids an education and a better life.
Contact Information:
Larry Long, Executive Director
Community Celebration of Place
3357 – 36th Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612-722-9775
larryl@communitycelebration.org
Principal Willie Fort
Valley View Elementary School
800 49th Ave NE
Columbia Heights, MN 55421
763-528-4200
Fortw@colheights.k12.mn.us
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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)
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.
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)