Schools

Birchview Elementary Event To Honor Elders

Birchview Elementary School will honor four elders in the school community Feb. 23.

Birchview Elementary School will host a community celebration honoring four elders in the schooll gymnasium 7-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23. The event is free and open to the public.

Larry Long has been working in partnership with the West Metro Education Program to provide the Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song™ process for schools that are members of the Program's consortium.

About Long:

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Larry Long was called "a true American Troubadour" by author Studs Terkel and has made his life work the celebration of American stories and heroes. In a curriculum called Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song™, he has brought these heroes to the classroom to share their oral history with our younger generation.

A Smithsonian Folkways recording artist, Long has sung at major festivals, concerts and events throughout the globe. Long is a recipient of the prestigious Bush Artists Fellowship, the Pope John XXIII Award and In The Spirit of Crazy Horse Award for his work in forgotten communities.

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Founded out of demand for Long’s work across the country, Community Celebration of Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses oral history, music and art to strengthen communities and foster reconciliation.

Recently, Long has been working with fourth grade students at Birchview to collectively write songs and gather recitations that honor the life stories of the following community elders:

• Colonel Jerry Driscoll: Retired Air Force pilot, who was a Prisoner of War (POW) for 2,485, 400 in North Vietnam from 1966-1973.

• Esther Kamara: Survivor of the civil war of Liberia. Her son is a student a Birchview. Kamara is presently completing her degree in nursing with hopes to  return to her village in Liberia to build a hospital clinic and school for children.

• Gary Rohweder: Grew up on a farm outside of Pine City, Minn. He owns a family construction business and builds homes with Habitat for Humanity.   he is the grandfather of Birchview student.

• Steven Narr: Poet, woodworker and beloved custodian for Birchview.

About the West Metro Education Program School District:

The District was formed in 1989 to cooperatively address integration issues in the west metro area. The mission of Program is to build the collective capacity of its members; to raise the achievement of all students; to eliminate the racial achievement gap; and to prepare all learners to thrive in a diverse world through regional leadership, integrated learning opportunities, shared resources, and mutual support.

(Information provided by a Wayzata School District/Birchview Elementary School press release.)


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