Giving Away Hula Hoops at the Habitat Closing Ceremony

Post, photos, and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

First off, I have to admit a bit of irony here on NXNS.  I set out to blog about the North High Polars football games basically to tell a feel-good story about the youth in our community, and to give myself something to blog about on a regular basis that wasn't controversial.  I specifically said that I did NOT want to get steeped in school/education politics.  And yet, if I had not started down that road, then when the proposal to close North High came about, I certainly would have approached that issue with less vigor.

And now my last seven posts in a row have focused on North High in one way or another.  Their final football game is tonight, and I may or may not get to that depending on how an evening meeting goes.  I still have a write-up of Monday's community forum to finish as well.

So here's a break from the North High posts.  At the closing ceremony for Habitat week in the Hawthorne EcoVillage, I gave away ten hula hoops to kids in the neighborhood.  I'm looking for ways to make more hoops and get them donated to schools or parks in the area.  Thing is, the supplies, especially the tape, are not cheap.  And making them can be fairly labor-intensive.  If anyone has ideas or wants to help, please contact me.

MPS Reasons for Closing North High

Post by the Hawthorne Hawkman, image from Minnesota Public Radio.

At Monday evening's community forum about the future of North High, the Minneapolis Public School board passed out a sheet that outlined their reasoning (or lack thereof) for proposing the closure of North High School.  That document can be found here.  However, in the interest of placing this document in a forum where people can comment openly or anonymously on the validity of the proposal and how it will impact our children and our community, I am re-posting it on North by Northside.

I do encourage everyone who comments here to forward their comments to Ms. Johnson and all school board members (and before the election, also to the candidates).

Here, without any further editorial commentary on my part, is the document in question:

Frequently Asked Questions | North High School

Updated October 18, 2010
Why is North being recommended to phase out?
Many factors led to the recommendation, but the bottom line is this:

Congressman Keith Ellison on North High School

Post by the Hawthorne Hawkman, image from the Keith Ellison Wikipedia page.

Over 250 people gathered at the North High School auditorium tonight to voice their support for keeping the high school open.  Minneapolis superintendent Bernadeia Johnson and six school board members were on hand to (hopefully) listen.  More posts are sure to follow, but here are Congressman Ellison's words regarding North High:

October 18, 2010

Dear Students, Community Members and Supporters of North High School,

As a long time resident of North Minneapolis, and someone deply concerned about the viability and growth of this neighborhood and all neighborhoods that make up North Minneapolis, my position is that North High School should remain open until we have had a true community wide dialogue regarding education, housing and public investment with a clear commitment to the near north section of Minneapolis.

When I reflect over the last half decade, I do not recall forthright conversations about the future of North High School.  What has taken place though is...

Save North High, PEJAM Plan Next Steps with Community

 

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman. Quick editorial note:  I apologize for the lack of photos indicating the broad community support.  I got into participation and note-taking and completely forgot about my camera.


On Saturday, October 16, Mel Reeves, Pastor Brian Herron, and representatives of PEJAM, Friends of North High, and the North High Alumni Association led a community forum on what can be done to keep this community asset open.  Herron opened with a stirring invocation, and Reeves spoke about how school board members removed everything that made North High attractive.  The removal of the "home zone" and feeder schools was especially damning.

Reeves and Herron rightly pointed out that this is not just about current or future students, but the community as a whole.  Nobody is going to make a significant investment in a community without a school - not potential homeowners, nor businesses or employers.  But the level of commitment goes both ways.  "It's asinine to save a school if you're not going to support it," Reeves said.  This means that the community has to work together on solutions, AND parents have to be committed to sending their children to the school.

Marcus Owens, a '99 graduate and member of the Friends of North High said that the school board's only plan was to close North High, and that they were not prepared for the 100-150 people that filled the last board meeting beyond capacity.  We need to build on that momentum by bringing even more community support.  But such support alone won't be sufficient without a plan, which is why PEJAM proposed...

North vs. South (Part 2 of catching up on Polars' Football)

Honoring the Polars' seniors and those close to them.

Ballard was running like a man possessed.

David Hall (#11) is about to teach South some manners

The Tigers' QB, Soly Senaphanh, had moves of his own.

Ballard's intensity increased as the game wore on.

The Polars were swiping at the ball all game long, causing fumble after fumble.

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman

The Minneapolis South Tigers opened the game with a call rarely seen to start things off - a successful onsides kick.  Several plays after a long run by South's nimble quarterback, the Polars forced a fumble and recovered - the first of five times they would do so in the contest.

Running back Morocco Ballard was a man on a mission, twice running for gains of over ten yards on North's opening possession.  He finished off the drive with a dazzling 20-yard sprint into the end zone, putting the Polars on the scoreboard first, 6-0.

Following that drive...

Catching Up on Polars' Football (Part 1 of 2)

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.  Editorial note:  this game took place on Saturday, October 9.  I apologize for the delay in writing the summary.

With recent events surrounding the possibility of North High closing, my posts of the Polars' football season took a backseat.  And admittedly, their game from two weeks ago was a tough one to watch, much less chronicle.  Prior to the game, I took a look at the St. Paul Johnson Governors' schedule.  They'd lost their first two games, but then won the next three in a rather convincing fashion by a combined score of 106-20.  Which team would the Polars face, the dominant one or the team that lost their opening games?

If you've seen the scores at all, you know we were fairly well steamrolled, 48-14.  If it's any consolation, the Governors won their next game 38-16, meaning that they have won five in a row by a combined score of 192-50, or an average of 37-10.  What isn't comforting, though, is that we were dominated by a team that was wearing these:

Image from photobucket.com

No, wait, this is what they were actually wearing, which is not too far off:

The only consolation in losing to a team that is dressed like the Cat in the Hat during breast cancer awareness month is that pretty much everyone else they've played has been creamed too.  And quite honestly, the only criticism one can make against the Governors is their odd choice of legwear.  Beyond that, the game pretty much went their way, beginning with...

Scores of Supporters Rally for North High

I couldn't help but notice the juxtaposition here:  We're rallying to save North High underneath the Minneapolis Public Schools banner:  "Expect Great Things."

Where will this child go to high school?

This young woman was very well-spoken.  Her story will be told later in the post.

Due to a prior commitment, I could not stay for the meeting itself.  But there was an overflow crowd.

Post, photos, and videos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

The Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools announced her recommendation to close down North High School due to its low enrollment numbers, and that recommendation was brought before the school board today.  As expected, scores of north Minneapolis residents, North High students and alumni, and other supporters rallied in front of the school board to call for the school to be saved.

Earlier in the day, North High was the focus of an hour-long discussion on Minnesota Public Radio.  In that session, a north Minneapolis resident called up and said he looked at North High's average test scores and decided that there was no way he would send his child to this school.  The sad part is that he lives only a few blocks from the school itself.  This scenario was exactly what I had pondered when I wondered if North can be saved.  And the comment would lead one to believe that the school has little to offer to honors or other exceptional students, and that children who attend there may be unprepared for a job or continuing education.

Let me tell you right now, from speaking with children and parents at the rally, this is not the case.  Kids are graduating prepared for a university education.  Kids are taking honors courses and they don't have to be bused elsewhere for that.  It's happening right here in our community and we need to keep it that way.

The rally got started with the chant...