Youth
From waltzing to grinding: What's in a dance?
The waltz, which has its origins in the late 16th century, MORE »
Red means stop, even on a school bus
It was a quiet, clear, early morning. The sun was just starting to come up, and a boy was waiting patiently on a street corner, looking for the school bus. I approached slowly, in my bus, turning on my yellow lights to warn traffic I was going to stop. The boy, a kindergartner, fidgeted with his backpack as he waited for mMORE »
Student poverty on the rise in New London-Spicer
On a tour through the state's newspapers today, this paragraph at the bottom of a story in the West Central Tribune in Willmar jumped out at me.MORE »
REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK | Dirty dancing
The Issue: Some high schools have been cracking down on "freak dancing", where dancers grind against each other on the dance floor. As we work on this story, we welcome your stories and opinions: Where's the line between freedom of expression and inappropriate behavior? Is this an issue at your local high school? Does your school have a policy, and how is it working?MORE »
Social Host Ordinance passes in Saint Paul
Every Friday and Saturday night in the Twin Cities, police from Minneapolis and St. Paul respond to calls about noise complaints and disruptive behavior, and make arrests for underage drinking, often at house parties. Despite the police responses, underage drinking continues to be a constant problem. St.MORE »
Rainbow Rumpus launches new book project in Minneapolis
Rainbow Rumpus, a local online magazine for youth with LGBT parents, will be holding a book release launch party of their new Printable Picture Books project at True Colors Bookstore in Minneapolis on October 24. The event for preschool and early elementary children and their families will include storytelling, live music, face-painting, and a bake sale, and children who come to the store on that day will receive a downloaded pdf of the books in Rainbow Rumpus's current Printable Picture Book series. MORE »
Middle school conversations
Every year, every route, I overhear conversations on my bus. Last week, on my middle school route, I overheard a white boy talking to a black girl, first about his disapproval about President Obama, then about race. It was a calm, well considered conversation, where the boy commented on how he'd been called a racist for not supporting Obama. He argued that he had no problem with black peopleMORE »
When school spirit isn't enough: Activities fees increasing for students
When it comes to after school activity fees for sports and other extra-curricular clubs like debate or band, there is no across the board policy either in Minneapolis or St. Paul about how to make activities accessible for all students. Schools strapped for cash due to funding cuts rely heavily on participation fees to pay for coaches, uniforms, materials, and buses, but the economy has also driven up the numbers of students who simply can't afford rising costs for these activities. MORE »
Project Girl at Intermedia Arts
Project Girl is a day camp taking place over those two school days off in October that are not "MEA weekend" anymore (Oct 15-16, 2009). It's for girls age 10-18. MORE »
Moving marriage equality forward: Advice from Mandy Carter
This should be a really interesting event. I know marriage equality is not the be all and end all of civil rights issues for anyone, but I think this will be a really good discussion for three reasons.MORE »
_0.gif)
