Snelling Connection. A newsletter highlighting the Hancock/Hamline Collaboration. Rita Johnson Shannon McParland

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1 Volume 9, Issue 2 Winter 2005 Snelling Connection A newsletter highlighting the Hancock/Hamline Collaboration Winter 2005 In This Issue: 1 *Mini Grants 2 *Winter Holidays 3 *Holiday Poems *Speak Out 4 *From the Desk of: *Crossword Puzzle 5 *Collaboration News Briefs 6 *Advice Column Mini-Grants Encourage Students to Excel Rita Johnson Shannon McParland On December 15, Hancock families celebrated the first Family Art Fair. Hamline students led lessons in watercolors, sketiching and crafts, using donated materials to help Hancock students and their families create artwork. Hancock students families were encouraged to make and take or complete unfinished projects at home by taking the necessary art materials with them. Shannon McParland, Hancock s Liaison to the Collaboration and Curriculum Coordinator, said We appreciate the generous donations of art materials from our vendors and aid from the Wolfe funded mini-grants. Contributions from John and Dorothy Wolfe have provided mini-grants for thirty unique and exciting collaborative projects between Hancock and Hamline over the past three years. Each project typically brings together faculty and students from both campuses to learn and work together. The projects help elementary students meet the State of Minnesota curriculum standards. Hamline students benefit as well, gaining experience in grant writing, formulating budgets and exploring ways of learning with the elementary students in areas of common interest. According to Rita Johnson, Hamline s Liaison to the Collaboration, This year s ten approved mini-grant projects cover a wide range of topics, from supplementing the donations for the Family Art Fair to studying the relationships among body image, the media and health issues. A few new mini-grants this year include creating a safer Snelling Avenue through the use of public art, writing letters to students in South Africa, and celebrating Hmong culture through mentoring and studying Hmong history. Mini-grant work will be done from December through June. Johnson and McParland emphasized that the Hancock and Hamline collaboration is unique in the nation and hope the generosity of the Wolfe family will inspire others to keep this dream alive. Samantha Henningson Pa Nah Vang welcoming President Hanson and Hamline Inauguration Ceremony. Winter2005 Page 1

2 Winter Holidays Around the World Lauren Vikander Hanukkah Hanukkah is an eight day long celebration observed by Jewish people. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for dedication and is also known as the Festival of Lights. It is a joyous celebration about the miracle of oil that burned for eight days when there was only enough oil left in the temple for one day. The first evening of Hanukkah starts after the sunset of the 24th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev. Each night of the celebration a candle of the menorah is lit from left to right and special blessings are recited. OLittle known fact: Hanukkah has at least twelve other spellings in English. Snelling Connection OTraditional Foods: Latke OTraditional Symbols: Dreidel, Menorah Chinese New Year The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, is one of the most important traditional Chinese holiday. Like all the Chinese festivals this holiday is based on the Chinese calendar; thus the date of the holiday ranges from January to February. The festival celebrates the earth coming back to life and the start of plowing and sowing. On New Year s Eve, houses are brightly lit and a large family dinner is served. In the southern part of China sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding called nian gao is served, while in the north the steamed dumpling jiaozi is popular. Most celebrating the festival stay up until midnight, when fireworks are lit, to drive away evil spirits. New Years Day is often spent visiting neighbors, family and friends. Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration honoring African-American heritage mainly in the United States. It is celebrated through singing, speaking, dancing and reciting traditional stories. The name Kwanzaa, sometimes spelled Kwanza, comes from a phrase which means first fruits in Swahili, an East African language. One of the most important symbols of the holiday is the candelabra called a kinara. It holds seven candles, and each day one candle is lit that represents a principle of Kwanzaa. Day 1 Middle candle-black-umoja-unity Day 2 Innermost red candle-kujichagulia-selfdetermination Day 3 Innermost green candle - Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility Day 4 Middle red candle - Ujamaa-Cooperative Economics Day 5 Middle green candle-nia-purpose Day 6 Outermost red candle-kuumba-creativity Day 7 Outermost green candle-imani Faith Christmas in Mexico Christmas in Mexico is a religious holiday. It is a celebration of the Nativity, or the birthday of the Lord Jesus. In order to prepare for the day of symbolic commemoration, people observe the Posadas. These celebrations begin nine days before the 24th of December, which is the Noche Buena or Holy Night. After the main celebration children take turns breaking open the piñata. Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which all Muslims fast during the daylight hours. Excess of any sort is forbidden during the fast. There are only a few who are exempt, e.g., soldiers, the sick, and the young. Because of the purely lunar calendar, Ramadan falls in different seasons. The final day of Ramadan, Id al-fitr, is celebrated by a day of feasting. The first revelation of the Qur an is commemorated in this month. Winter 2005 Page 2

3 Lauren Vikander/SC They are the homeless John Phan 6th Grader at Hancock I am not homeless. But not everyone is like Me. Some people have no Home, And no family. Some people need help But don t ask. Even if They have to. Some people don t have Anything. Some people have Everything. They are the homeless And they need you. Holiday Poems by Hancock Elementary Editors Family On Christmas Eve Xai Yang 5th Grader at Hancock On Christmas Eve, It s all excited, Parties, games, It s all decided, I will not leave To go to bed. I m all grown up, It s in my head! It s not my fault, It s Christmas Eve s, It just won t let me! Let me Leave! Chong Yang 6th Grader at Hancock Hanukkah, Christmas, Ramadan, New Year and Thanksgiving. Holidays are the times you Come together with family. You talk about old times, How much you miss each other. Or just sit around and think, How wonderful it is to be with Family. That s what the Holidays are all about. Be Thankful Chong Yang 6th Grader at Hancock Speak OUT! Winter Holiday Edition Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall. But winter s the coldest of them All. While you re at home in a Safe warm place, Think of all the homeless People roaming here and there. No place to stay, no place To go. They shiver every time the Hard wind blows. So be thankful for what You have. And don t take anything For granted. Clover Eckert and Savonory Ho Ask: How do you celebrate Christmas? 6th graders at Hancock A. Emma Swank, a Hamline student: I have six brothers and sisters. Early on Christmas morning my little brothers always come and wake me up. And then all seven of us creep downstairs with a blanket. We all sit under the Christmas tree with our stockings, which are full of tiny gifts from Santa Claus. We sing Christmas carols together all day. We also decorate cookies. My sisters and I dance to the Supremes Christmas Record. I love Christmas time. Snelling Connection Page 3 Winter 2005

4 Lauren Vikander/SC Lauren Vikander/SC From the Desk of: Jesse Sanchez: Xai Yang: Hi! I m Jesse Sanchez. My hobbies are gym and playing cars-especially Lowriders. The winter holiday I celebrate is My favorite sport is football. Jesse Sanchez Hancock Student Christmas. I celebrate it in a lazy way. I open presents and go play. My favorite sport is football. I used to play for Frogtown. Something else I like to do is help homeless people. In class, we are writing poems about how hard it is to live in the winter for homeless people. Hi! My name is Xai Yang. I like to write, draw, swim, read, and I enjoy math. I love school. It s a fun I love school, it s a fun place to be. Xai Yang Hancock Student place to be. My favorite season is winter. I celebrate Christmas by giving presents, opening presents and singing some Christmas carols. I m very happy to be a part of the Snelling Connection because I like to write a lot. Hancock-Hamline Collaborative Word Find Clover Eckert Sovanary Ho Hancock Students Snelling Connection Winter 2005 Page 4

5 Students Share Sociology Melissa Embser-Herbert Samantha Henningson Susan McNamara Hamline and Hancock sixth graders are working together on solutions and ways to help the Homeless people of the Twin Cities. The Hancock Elementary/Hamline University joint service-learning project on homelessness grew out of the collaborative relationship that already exists between the two schools. This relationship, in conjunction with Branden Lussier They chose homelessness because it seemed like an immediate issue. Traveling Tales In November, fifth and sixth graders from Hancock Elementary met with Hamline University students who returned from studying abroad. These students spent last spring living and studying in other countries, including Costa Rica, Chile, Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, England, and Scotland. Each Hancock student learned about three different countries in small interactive groups that allowed them to ask questions and share their thoughts on the information presented by the college students. This fall marked the first time that students in Crossing Borders II, a Global Studies course for -News Briefs- Saint Paul Public Schools having placed service learning in its strategic plan, led to the development of a pilot project in the school year. In November 2004, Hancock students practiced the power of the vote during Kids Voting and got to choose which issue they wanted to work on together with Hamline University students. They chose homelessness because it seemed like an immediate issue, and they wanted to help. In the first year, most of the focus was on the Hancock side of the street, though Hamline students in the Winter Term class Shelter for All helped research and adjust the curriculum for Hancock teachers. The project had three components: students who studied abroad, had the chance to talk with students from Hancock. University students shared photos of significant places in their host countries, told stories about traditions and festivals; and some taught songs and dances that they learned. Jacob Feigal, who studied in Spain, saw value in sharing his experience because hearing about a country from someone who was really there makes the learning more attainable and real, rather than just looking at a map and imagining the funny-shaped country that s a different color education, civic skills, and service, with reflection being an integral piece throughout. The service component was a school-wide hygiene product drive for the Bridge for Runaway Youth in Minneapolis. After a positive response, the project continued this year, with Hamline University becoming more involved. Grades 4-6 are each paired with a class at Hamline University and are each taking their own approach to the problem of homelessness and discovering ways community members can help and even change systems. The authors of this article worked together to create a project that would involve the Hamline Homelessness continued on p. 6 than our own. Students at Hancock were enthusiastic about the experience they had as well. One fifth grader wrote in a card after the visit, Thank you for telling me about all the Travelers continued on p. 6 Kim Zielinski Susan Erickson talks with 6th graders from Hancock Elementary about her time living in Mexico. Snelling Connection Winter2005 Page 5

6 Lauren Vikander/SC Advice Column by Dominique Thompson: Dear Dominique, I am a college student and don t have a lot of money. But, I still want to do something kind for my friends and family. What can I do for them that would still be nice? Penny-less: I think kids have the same Dominique Thompson 5th grader at Hancock problem. A good place to shop that always has something fun are thrift stores. They have everything you want and they re always less expensive. Another idea is to make a nice homemade card for the people you love telling them why you care about them so much. Something that I m going to try this year is making a coupon book for my parents. I m going to have a coupon for me to wash the dishes for a week, another that says I will clean the kitchen or the bathroom, and some other chores around the house. Parents always like getting help. Travelers continued from p. 5 countries. Some day I may go to Scotland! His hope for travel resonates with a comment made by Laura Paulsen, a Hamline senior, who studied in Germany last year. She believes that it is important for elementary school students to learn about all the possibilities of a college experience, including study abroad. At Hancock they say that college begins in kindergarten. It is essential to present opportunities like study abroad at an early age. Molly MacDougal, a Germany returner, pointed Hancock/Hamline Collaboration Mission Statement: Our mission is to build and strengthen the collaborative community through shared learning, relationships and cultural diversity. The Snelling Connection is published quarterly and distributed to H/HUCMS families, the Hamline University community and to others interested in the collaboration. Homelessness continued from p. 5 students in the Sociology course, Social Problems, and Hancock sixth graders. Class members at Hamline and Hancock were introduced to the topic of homelessness through viewing a locally produced video on the issue and follow-up discussions. After students had a grasp of the issue they created interview questions to be used when talking with homeless and formerly homeless people. Hamline students conducted the interviews while sixth graders invited guest speakers to talk about their experiences with homelessness. To wrap up the project, Hamline and Hancock students discussed and reflected together on what they had learned about homelessness. Important outcomes of this project include the letters that Hancock students are writing to members of the state legislature. In Spring, 2006, the Hancock students will spend a day at the state capitol, sharing their knowledge with policy makers such as Ellen Anderson and Alice Hausman and learning about how to engage with the political system to advocate for social change. out that although many Hancock students have close ties to other countries, learning about college study abroad programs is still a good reminder of the fact that they will have many experiences open to them in the coming years and that they should aim high. She said the visit was a chance to encourage elementary school students to think of college and study abroad as options for them. Many of these kids repeatedly told me that they weren t thinking about going abroad because of the implication of money; now they see it as an option. Snelling Connection Contacts: Coordinator: Rita Johnson, Hamline University Management/Economics Dept. rbjohnson@gw.hamline.edu Editor: Lauren Vikander, Hamline University student lvikander@netmail.hamline.edu Hancock Contact: Shannon McParland, Hancock/Hamline University Collaboratice Magnet School Shannon.mcparland@spps.org (651) Snelling Connection Winter 2005 Page 6