Newsletters 2014-15 Focus newsletter, [3] spring | Page 6

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE

PAGE 6

Indian Education: Dakota and
Anishinaabe Learning Trunk to visit
all Anoka-Hennepin second graders
Building on a long-standing program, AnokaHennepin’s second graders have had a new opportunity this year to learn about American Indian
culture and history.
Three new Dakota and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe)
Learning Trunks have made their way around the
district’s 24 elementary schools this year. They are
filled with artifacts, resources, and lessons to provide children with opportunities to explore the culture and history of the two groups of people.

“My favorite part of this trunk is that it provides
children with opportunities to immerse themselves
in the culture and daily life of the people who are
native to Minnesota,” said Teresa Ponessa, a teaching and learning specialist with Anoka-Hennepin.
The trunks rotate from school to school throughout the school year, Ponessa said. “Each classroom
has the trunk for four days,” she said. “During that
time, teachers facilitate experiences for the children
to investigate the artifacts, make observations, ask
questions and learn about these
cultures.”
Learning trunks aren’t new to
Anoka-Hennepin. The district’s
Indian Education Department
employs a number of trunks at
other grade levels to help in educating students about the history
and culture of this country’s native
peoples.
Ponessa said the second grade
trunks were specifically designed to
meet new state academic standards for second graders in English
language arts and social studies.

McKinley Elementary School second grade teacher Wendi Delmore examines with a
group of her students an animal skull as part of a lesson found in the Dakota and
Anishinaabe Learning Trunks.

Top magnet programs
cont. from page 1

areas into our regular curriculum. It gives our students great opportunities to see how everything fits together and to learn problem-solving
skills and how to work outside the box.”
Watson said everyone at University Avenue should be proud of the
recognition. “Our school earning and being recognized with this
award is just one more way that I hope our school intrinsically feels,
while also having some tangible evidence, that what we are doing
each day is being noticed and celebrated.” Watson said.
So what do all of the award-winning schools have in common?
According to staff at each, all four benefit from strong community
connections, dedicated teachers and staff who are leaders in public
education, and a fun and fully integrated curriculum — each of
which is looked at by MSA as a category for the award.
“As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child; I would say
that it takes a village to run a successful arts program and it also
takes a lot of support from the district and the community,” said
AMSA curriculum integration coordinator Jolanda Dranchak. This is
the third straight year AMSA has been a distinction school.

“Many of the artifacts were
already in the Indian Education
trunks and repurposed into this
grade two trunk to better align with
the new academic standards,”
Ponessa said. Those standards
include a requirement for second
graders to compare and contrast

Second graders in Wendi Delmore's McKinley Elementary School
classroom use some of the props and tools found in the Dakota
and Anishinaabe learning trunks to learn more about Dakota
and Ojibwe culture.

daily life for the Minnesota Anishinaabe and Dakota
peoples, as well as compare and contrast two or
more versions of the same story by authors from
different cultures.
The district also hired consultants Priscilla
Buffalohead and Robin Nelson, to ensure authenticity and accuracy in both the artifacts, content and
lessons, Ponessa said.
“It’s a fantastic program and the students have
really responded with enthusiasm,” Ponessa said. ■

AMSA sixth-grader earns national recognition
for volunteer service
cont. from page 2

“I am really looking forward to going
because I hope I can inspire others to do
something similar for the community they
live in,” she said.
Karalynn Tyler, Worrall’s American history
teacher at AMSA, said she’s not surprised
she won. “She’s an incredibly bright and
mature young lady,” Tyler said. “Her maturity extends beyond her academic smarts
— she is sensitive and responsive to the
needs of those around her. She's one of
those unforgettable kids with a big heart
and a personality that shines.”

On top of what’s already a tough application and selection
process, MSA announced that this year’s awards put more emphasis
on academic rigor at the schools, which resulted in fewer awards
being given than in previous years.

On tap for this year, Worrall said, is the
potential for her and a group of cosplay
(costume play) friends to help deliver the
baskets to the Child and Family Services
department at Gillette dressed as
princesses.

“To be recognized in the top quarter of magnet schools in the
country that applied, and one of eight in MN that were given this
top honor, is a very rewarding experience,” Schnabel said.

“We recently went to a another hospital
and we entertained kids with terminal
diseases,” she said. “It was really great.”

MSA's professional organization represents approximately 4,000
magnet and theme-based schools nationwide. ■

But she ultimately doesn’t get to see
the faces of the children the baskets go

to. “I don’t get to see patients in the
child and family services area — I’m too
young,” she said. “But I still like delivering
the baskets because I see the excitement
on the faces of the specialists, and I can
imagine how happy the kids are when
they get the baskets.”
The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards, now in its 20th year, is the United
States’ largest youth recognition program
based solely on volunteer service. All
public and private middle level and high
schools in the country, as well as all Girl
Scout councils, county 4-H organiz ][ۜ