Spring 2005 Page 1Snelling Connection

Volume Eight Issue Three Spring 2005

A newsletter highlighting the Hancock/Hamline Collaboration

Snelling Connection

In This Issue:

1 EducationLegislation

2 HomelessnessProject Update

3 Kids’ Corner

4 CollaborativeMini-Grants

By Samantha Henningson

Hancock sent two busloads of staff,parents, mentors and students to joinover 5,000 people in front of the StateCapitol to call for accountability inthe funding of education in the stateof Minnesota.

After losing $50 million overthe past five years, St. Paul Schoolsalone face an additional potential$24.3 million cut. This is a statewideissue that calls for statewide action.

Speaker Tom Keating,Teacher of the Year from Monticello,aimed his words at the children andstudents in the crowd, asking them tonote all of the adults present.

“We’re taking action becauseof your importance,” he said.

Another speaker remindedthose gathered of their obligation toinvest in the promise in every child.

The messages expressed byspeakers at the rally reflected thethoughts of Hancock staff members-educators who are invested in thewell being of youth. Many Hancockstaff have attended meetings toeducate themselves about the fundingprocess, potential losses, and how to

EducationLegislation

approach legislators with Hancock’sstory.

Proposed budge cuts putmany of Hancock’s “extra” programsat risk. These programs includeHOSTS (Helping One Student toSucceed), the gifted and talentedprogram, English Language LearnerSupport, and others. Necessarypositions like a school nurse andsocial worker are also at risk.

“Hancock has a budget deficitbecause our funding is not adequateto maintain our current programs andservices,” explained HancockPrincipal Marjorie Warrington. “Weneed $250 per student each year tomake up for the decreases in fundingand increasing costs.”

Warrington urges concernedcitizens to contact their legislators totell them that inadequate funding iseroding the quality of Minnesota’sschools.

“If this continues,” warnsWarrington, “opportunities forstudents will be lost.”

Joanne Shepard and Mary Hedenstrom atthe state capitol

Snelling Connection Spring 2005 Page 2

By Lindsey Anderson

Students, staff and faculty from Hancock andHamline have been busy focusing onhomelessness for their first-ever service-learningproject. Participants are well on their way to meetingtheir goal of teaching the Hancock / Hamlinecommunity about homelessness and servicelearning through classroom lessons, hands-onservice, and advocacy. “Things have been running really smoothly,”said Coordinator Samantha Henningson.“Everyone is learning a lot, and [Hancockstudents] are learning that they can reallyinfluence change.” Hancock students attended a school-wideassembly to launch the homelessness project inFebruary. They had the opportunity to hear fromSenator Ellen Anderson and formerly homelesspoet Pam Wynn, who spoke about current socialand political issues surrounding homelessness. Since the launch, Hamline students andfaculty have been working with those at Hancockon several exciting projects. Hamline students and Professor Jean Straitcreated weekly lessons on homelessness toprepare Hancock students for activities. Some ofthe lessons included “What is Homelessness?”,“Who is Homeless?”, “Civic Engagement”, and“Stereotypes”. Kim Proefrock, a parent on the Hancock/Hamline Collaborative Advisory Committee, saidthat her fourth grade daughter has come homefilled with information about homelessness and astrong desire to help the homeless. Herknowledge of and dedication to the homelessnesscause has spread to her family, friends, and

neighbors, from whom she collects money todonate to shelters. Representatives from both Hancock andHamline organized a Hygiene Product Drive tosupport homeless area youth. Toothpaste, soapand other products were collected at locationsaround the Hamline-Midway area and weredonated to The Bridge, a local shelter for youthages 10-21. The Hancock Student Council askedstudents to create posters of what they learnedthroughout the course of their service-learningexperience. The posters are displayed in the hallsof Hancock and in Hamline’s Learning Centerlobby. “The posters really blew me away,” saidHenningson. “It’s undeniable that the studentshave learned so much.” To learn more about homelessness and howyou can help the homeless, visit The Bridgewebsite at www.bridgeforyouth.com, or theMinnesota Coalition for the Homeless website atwww.mnhomelesscoalition.org.

Hancock andHamline Hone in onHomelessness

Picture by Sheng Lee, grade 6

Spring 2005 Page 3Snelling Connection

Kids’ Corner: Fund Our Schools!

Fighting For My RightsBy Emily Hare

On Monday, February 28th there was a statewiderally at the St. Paul Capitol. People from all overthe state came to yell at the governor for Educa-tion budget cuts and for not keeping his promisesto fund our schools. Many speakers came to tell the governorwhat they think about his decisions. One speakersaid that his school actually ran out of paper. This is America, one of the wealthiest coun-

By Chong HerDo you want this to happen to our schools?Without enough money for teachers and books,this school hallway is dirty, full of cobwebs, dustballs and broken exits signs. The school is sopoor that it has to sell its lockers in order to payfor paper and pencils.

tries in the world, and our government choosesto cut our Education budget leaving teacherswithout jobs, children without proper education,and students without a teacher to help with theirspecial needs. I feel sad and scared, because what if thishappens to me at my school? What if one of theteachers that I like gets cut? This is no laughing matter at HancockElementary School, where most students speakother languages. If our language teachers getcut, how will we learn? This is from a concerned student who willfight for her rights. Okay Pawlenty!

A School WithoutBy Javon Jackson

Imagine a school without any writing utensilslike penspencilsand markers

Imagine a school without supporting teachersto help youwith your homeworkor your big troubles

Imagine a school without booksthat you could look deeply intoand go to another world

That’s just half of what our schools could be likeif we don’t shout outand get the funding we deserve

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“Our mission is to build andstrengthen the collaborative commu-nity through shared learning, rela-tionships, and cultural diversity.”

The Snelling Connection is publishedquarterly and distributed to H/HUCMS families, the HamlineUniversity community, and to othersinterested in the collaboration.

Coordinator: Rita Johnson, Hamline UniversityManagement/Economics Dept.rbjohnson@gw.hamline.edu(651) 523-2431

Editorial Advisor: David Hudson, HamlineUniversity English Dept.dhudson@gw.hamline.edu(651) 523-2893

Editor: Lindsey Anderson, Hamline Studentlanderson06@netmail.hamline.edu(651) 523-4438

Hancock Contact: Shannon McParland,Hancock/ Hamline University CollaborativeMagnet School

By Lindsey Anderson

If you walk onto the Hancock/Hamline campusthis spring, chances are you’ll see students andstaff playing and learning together in new ways. The Collaborative Advisory Committeeinvited the Hancock/Hamline community topropose projects (funded by a generous gift fromthe Wolfe family) that bring together creativeminds from both sides of Snelling Avenue. The Advisory Committee approved andfunded eight projects, which will take placethroughout this spring. Students with special needs from Hancockand Hamline will play and learn together whenthey pair up and explore questions abouteducation, college, and life with special needs. Another project will pair Hamline’s DanHaertl with Hancock’s first grade to learn andperform a musical number with the help of someunique instruments! Hancock kindergarten students will learnthat college really does begin in kindergartenwhen they tour the Hamline campus, visiting thelibrary, cafeteria, a dorm room and more!

Hancock students will do their own CSI-likeinvestigating when Hamline Forensic ScienceSociety’s Alana Schommer teaches them how todust for fingerprints and do other crime-scenework. Hancock’s Mary Hedenstrom and PeggyKnapp from the Center for Global EnvironmentalStudies will continue to teach students just howmuch patience and care creating and maintainingan organic garden requires when they tend toHancock’s garden together. Hancock students will have brain on thebrain when Hamline’s Mackenzie Hilfers Bilunasbrings in a real animal brain for them to work on.Don’t worry- gloves will be provided! Hancock’s Shannon McParland and Hamlinestudent Laura Paulsen created a new trainingvideo for America Reads and America Countsmentors. This video includes updated curriculumand provides mentors with new teachingstrategies. Look for updates on each of theseprojects in upcoming editions of the SnellingConnection!

Hancock and Hamline Spice Up the Spring