NEIGHBORHOOD NOTE | Winter Warm Up Scheduled for January 25

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The fifth annual Winter Warm Up, the primary source of funding for the Northeast Middle School after-school theater program, is set for Friday, January 25 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Grace Center (1500 6th St NE). All are invited to attend.The event will feature music by Buster Phelan (a local band that performs a mix of rock, pop and R & B music, food from local restaurants, beer, wine and a silent auction.All proceeds from ticket sales and the auction directly benefit the Northeast Middle School theater program, which puts on two shows each year: a winter play and a spring musical.  For this year’s fall play the Middle School students combined with the Edison theater group and performed a Shakespearean double feature.  The middle school students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Edison group performed Romeo and Juliet. Usually 10-15 students participate in the fall play but this year more than 40 students worked on the performance.For their spring musical, Northeast Middle School is staging the full two act version of Peter Pan on April 18 and 19.“Although this is an ambitious undertaking the middle school program has grown to the point where they are ready to tackle this classical musical,” Chris Pratt, chair of the Winter Warm-up committee said.“In keeping with the spirit of Peter Pan, we would really like to be able to “fly” a group of students above the middle school stage,” he said. Continue Reading

NEIGHBORHOOD NOTE | Meet Barb Kapala: Northeast Middle School Community Education Beacons Coordinator

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“It’s all about the kids,” Barb Kapala sums up her work as the Community Education Beacons Coordinator at Northeast Middle School.  She’s been at the job since 2003 and still loves working with the middle school students. It was 2001 when a  good friend encouraged Barb to teach a class in the Minneapolis Public Schools, entitled, “I Believe I Can Fly.”  At that time, she worked fulltime at an HR job but was able to take some time off to teach the class. Barb spent 12 weeks with kids in 3rd – 7th grade, teaching a class not only academic but also in goal setting and confidence building skills.  The class was a success and Barb felt that she had made an impact on the students. That same friend encouraged her to do it full time.  She agreed.  She came into the district in 2002 and later accepting the Community Education Beacons Coordinator position in 2003.The Beacons after school program has been at Northeast Middle School since 1998 and is one of the original Beacons sites in Minneapolis. Continue Reading

Minnesota Karen community celebrates warm St. Paul welcome

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“Minnesota may be cold, but the hearts are warm,” said Priscilla Aung, one of the first Karen refugees to arrive in Minnesota more than ten years ago. Now, approximately 6,500 Karen live in the state, making St. Paul home to the fastest growing Karen population in the United States.The Karen are an ethnic group from the mountainous border region of Burma and Thailand, where they are the second largest ethnic group in each country. The community has suffered a tragic history of being persecuted by the Burmese military junta for over 60 years. Several hundred refugees from other ethnic groups in Burma, including the Kachin, Mon, and Shan, have also made Minnesota their home. Continue Reading

Exciting year to share other cultures

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Have you ever wanted to visit another country but don’t have the time or money to travel?

Have you ever thought about hosting a foreign exchange student? 

This is a great way to learn about another country, their culture, traditions, and values while showing them about your way of life, customs,  and family.

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FREE SPEECH ZONE | Securing Your Child’s Identity: Advice Every Parent Needs to Know

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Online scammers are finding inactive Social Security numbers online – most of which are assigned to children under the age of 18 who have not started using them yet – and selling them under different names to help people establish fake credit. The scheme may lead to significant debts for children that might be almost impossible to pay off.  The Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is warning parents to be on the lookout for the signs that point to their child’s identity being compromised or stolen. According to a 2011 report from Javelin Strategy and Research, 8.1 million American adults became victims of ID theft last year alone, resulting in the loss of $37 billion. While this number is shockingly high, NBC TODAY reports that it’s harder to know how many children are actually affected by identity theft because of the fact most cases go undiscovered for years. However, one study by Debix, an identity theft monitoring company, found that out of 40,000 children, 4,000 identities had been compromised.  “This is a newer problem, and it’s frightening for any parent to think that their child’s identity is at risk of being stolen,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | Avalon School Students and Staff Reach Out to GLBT Youth Community

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We, the students and staff at Avalon School in St. Paul, have been deeply disturbed by the recent rash of student suicides in neighboring districts and around the country. The Star Tribune’s recent article, “Schools Struggle with Gay Policies,” brought to light how local schools are dealing with this crisis. Anoka-Hennepin School Board Chairman Tom Heidemann’s words that “these are issues that can be dealt with outside the classroom” miss the point that queer youth need a supportive school environment if they cannot find that it at home or at neighborhood institutions. When none of these environments serve as spaces of refuge and affirmation, it can be suffocating and sometimes deadly.  Anoka-Hennepin School District’s “neutrality” policy fails to serve its students and staff. Continue Reading