Newsletters (NWSISD) NWSISD newsletter - February 2015 | Page 2

Lessons Learned A monthly blog from Ron Hustvedt, Jr., Salk Middle School Social Studies Teacher and 2014 National Magnet School Teacher of the Year. ! Behold the power of magnet schools! ! I am a student of a magnet school. I am proud of that fact but I didn't truly appreciate the significance of it until I became a magnet school teacher. Oh, I knew that I was part of something special when I was in high school, but only with the passage of time have I been able to see just how influential my magnet school experience was as a young man. Working hard each day to provide an even more enriching experience for my own students, has given me ample opportunities to reflect. ! February is National Magnet School Month and Magnet Schools of America is showcasing those powerful and impactful stories at www.nationalmagnetschool month.org. Add your voice to that story or just visit the website and join in the celebration of a rich tradition of high quality public school choice, innovation and equity. ! Read Ron's entire blog here. Step-Up Mentorship Class of 2015 A Real Life Conversation “Understand what we are saying, today is real life!” ! And so it began! On a snowy morning in November, twelve young men from the AnokaHennepin School District gathered at North Hennepin Community College for Conversation Circles. Conversation Circles brought Step-Up students together with mentors from the education community in free-flowing conversation to discuss career goals, post high school education options, or anything else they wanted to talk about. ! ! “Failures are what you learn from. You will always fail but how you bounce back will be what determines who you are.” The young men heard stories from seasoned mentors who had been around the block and back. They listened to personal, raw accounts of being in jail, of having to drop out of college, and of having to start over and over again. But they also heard the successes. They heard the success of knocking down barriers; of how to push forward; of how not to become complacent from their successes. ! ! “Education is a key to a door. Behind that door are unlimited opportunities!” The mentors, secondary and high education professionals, talked about their secrets to success. Going to school kept opening doors. The more they continued on their path, albeit many detours and outside influences, the more they could see the finish line. Two-year junior college led to four-year college, which led to jobs, Graduate school, and master degrees. The many detours – incarceration, flunking out of school, marriage, and family – only helped them to become better disciplined, create work ethics, stay on the track of good influences, and to succeed. ! ! “Be selfish with your time, think about your goal; make sacrifices.” As the morning wrapped up, the young men were encouraged to shout out a “take-away” from the session. The list was filled with positive words: hopefulness, obedience, ambition, determination, self-confidence, love, respect, will, authentic, encouraged! And future plans? These Step-Up men want to be educators, a barber, musician, macro-biologist, athletic trainer, graphic designer, and psychologist. This incredible group of young men is the first graduating class from the StepUp Mentorship Program. The program helps promote student achievement by encouraging students to focus on four educational concepts: Aspirations, Expectations, Opportunities, and Achievement. These students began the four-year program with a weeklong Summer Summit the summer before their 9th grade year. Through their involvement with the Step-Up program, participants received additional guidance and have been involved in mentorship activities with young men from across the Northwest Suburban Integration School District consortium.