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After 43 years of teaching, Ms. Jean retires from Ascension Catholic School

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After 43 years of teaching, Ms. Jean retires from Ascension Catholic School


A school built on faith and pride in the heart of north Minneapolis is about to retire its heart and soul simply known Ms. Jean.

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Her actual name is Jean Cerisier.  But when she started teaching at Ascension Catholic School she quickly learned the students struggled to pronounce her last name of French heritage, so the kids simply settled on Ms. Jean.  That was 43 years ago.  She’s been Ms. Jean ever since.

“So many of our kids need to be here,” said Ms. Jean of Ascension Catholic School.  “It’s where it should be, where the kids need it.”

Ascension Catholic School has become a beacon of academic excellence in north Minneapolis. Its neighborhood along Dupont Avenue North has seen countless changes, but Ascension has been a stabilizing force for 125 years.  Most of its students now come from families of color — they’re intentionally called scholars.  And Ascension’s scholars consistently achieve high proficiency scores.

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“Our teachers are so dedicated,” said Ms. Jean who is now the assistant principal.  “I mean, they go further than they should. So you have to give a lot of credit to them.”

Ms. Jean is not just a lifelong teacher at Ascension, she is also one of its alumni.

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“I didn’t realize it until I looked at my kindergarten picture,” she recalled with a bit of a laugh. “I was like, wow, I’ve here for a little bit.”

Counting the nine years of grade school, she’s been walking the halls of Ascension for more than half a century.

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Ms. Jean’s first love has always been the gym. Her mother was a coach, and the basketball didn’t fall far from the hoop.  Ms. Jean started at Ascension as its gym teacher.  It did take long for her to leave her mark.

“I remember Ms. Jean was not to be trifled with when it came to walking in order and in a good line,” recalled Dennis Schildgren, who had Ms. Jean as his gym teacher in kindergarten and now serves as a 6th grade teacher at Ascension.  “She really believed in her students. She really expected a lot of her students.”

Ms. Jean took that discipline straight to the basketball court and broke several glass backboard barriers along the way.  She became the first woman in Minnesota to referee a boys’ high school basketball game.

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“And when I got home, my mom said, ‘Hey, a reporter called and they want to interview you because you did the first boys game as a woman,’” recalled Ms. Jean.  “And I said, oh, that’s good. And it went well.”

From there she also went on to referee the first girls’ state basketball tournament.

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Her list of accomplishments and achievements for the school and the community could fill one of those basketball courts.  She brought donkey basketball to the school as a fundraiser.  She also helped start a long tradition of cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinners the community.

“We would serve the food out there on Thanksgiving Day. Volunteers picked it up and delivered it to their homes,” she said with a lot of pride.  “It was so much fun.”

Ascension school and its scholars will hold a retirement party for Ms. Jean on Saturday, June 3rd from noon until 3 p.m. in the school parking lot.

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“I’ll miss the kids,” she said about finally wrapping up her time at Ascension.  “I’ll miss the people that I work with because faith, it’s amazing. They show up every day. So I’ll miss that. I’ll miss them.”



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Minneapolis, MN

Readers Write: Gaetz, letters, political division, Election Day, Minneapolis City Council

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Readers Write: Gaetz, letters, political division, Election Day, Minneapolis City Council


What about retail workers, you may ask? Well, Black Friday has rightly been criticized for its imposition on Thanksgiving given its early start for shoppers and especially for employees. With the Friday recast as Election Day, stores would be disinclined to maintain their emphasis on this one shopping day, given the competition for media and public attention. They could instead put the third day of the four-day holiday weekend to good use, perhaps designating it as “Super Sale Saturday.” It’s likely that those fond of the new election results will be in a good spending mood, and those in distress about them will love a distracting day at the mall.

Perhaps most importantly, having the election right after Thanksgiving may also help inspire some American cohesion on the eve of what has become an intensely polarizing event. Our sense of belonging provided by family and friends, and celebrated with a group feast that is unique to American culture in all of its diversity, may emphasize the good will that we should hold toward each other, no matter our perceived differences.

Michael Friedman, Minneapolis

Andy Brehm’s lengthy Nov. 25 reconciliation piece, “Here’s one way we can help heal our divided country,” lacks the substance of the problem that is nine years old: no mention of the felon and alleged sexual predator who has laid out plans to bully the nation. Without this, Brehm, the aspiring peacemaker, remains a part of the national problem. No justice, no peace.

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Steve Watson, Minneapolis



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5 artists to keep an eye on from 2024’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design art sale

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5 artists to keep an eye on from 2024’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design art sale


The 27th annual Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale was like a mix between a thrift store hunt and a stroll through a gallery.

This year, organizers of the art sale made it easier to navigate by grouping artists together rather than sprinkling their work through the four-day show that ended Nov. 24. The event wasn’t just a chance for artists to sell work but also a place to discover new talent. It included works from current MCAD students and alumni, which precluded current professors or employees unless they attend the school. Here’s a list of artists whose works caught my eye and should catch yours as well.

J.M. Culver’s “That, There” is an oil and charcoal painting on canvas. (J.M. Culver)

J.M. Culver

In her paintings, Minneapolis-based artist J.M. Culver explores memory and the human condition. Her painting “That, There,” a 5-by-5-foot oil and charcoal painting on canvas, portrays a room devoid of people, with a bright blue chair placed in the center of hazy-looking furniture. The painting evokes a sense of memory, but fragmented and maybe even false. Culver got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from MCAD, and did her graduate studies at Syracuse University in New York. Check out her work on the art sale’s website or jmculver.com.

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The price tag for “Kit” by photographer Shun Yong was $2,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Shun Yong)

Shun Yong’s photograph of a woman dressed in white sitting on a red couch jumped out at me. This large-scale portrait, titled “Kit,” captures a subtle moment in time: she’s knitting something in a domestic setting. The photo left me wanting to know more, but also feeling cautious to ask. Yong graduated with a master’s degree in photography from MCAD in 2018. For more info, visit shunjyong.com or the art sale’s website.

Artist Troy McCall’s painting “Snow Angels” was listed for $1,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Troy McCall)

In each of artist Troy McCall’s paintings, there is something haunting, eerie or just plain unnerving. “Snow Angels” depicts an idyllic snow-covered sledding hill and a kid carving a snow angel with his body as a girl with a sled walks toward him. But look closer and you’ll see the fear on his face. Why is he scared, though? McCall’s painting lets viewers’ minds wander to various conclusions. The same sinister feeling lurks in paintings of classic American holidays such as Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July. McCall graduated with his bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from MCAD in 2008. See more of his work on the art sale’s website or at themccallcompany.com

Niky Motekallem’s illustration titled “A New Bed With Soil Softer than Cotton” was on display at Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale. (Niky Motekallem)

Illustrator and artist Niky Motekallem’s lush, hyper detail-oriented paintings mostly depict flowers, plants and animals in various moments of beautiful decay. In one illustration, a lavender-colored bunny is wrapped in pink and purple flowers; in another, a gathering of butterflies nestles on aqua-and-green-tinted flowers. At the art sale, Motekallem’s paintings were encased in frames as ornate as the works themselves. The Iranian-American received her master’s degree in illustration from MCAD in 2016. More at nikymotekallem.com or Instagram.com/royalghostmarch.

“Rebirth Cycle: Oak (green)”, a hand-carved relief print by Jamie Kubat, was priced at $40 at the MCAD Art Sale. (Jamie Kubat)

I uncovered two prints by Minneapolis-based artist Jamie Kubat hidden away on a shelf on the second-floor of the art sale. The hand-carved relief prints depict a crow holding a mushroom next to a sheep skull, and surrounded by plants. In the haunting print “Ghost,” a horse trots through a world of swirling smoke. Kubat graduated from MCAD in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting. A multidisciplinary artist, Kubat draws on their experiences as an autistic person with a rural upbringing, and displayed works recently at “The Art of Disability Justice Now” at the Mill City Museum. To see more on Kubat, visit the art sale’s website or jamiekubat.com.





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Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend

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Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend


Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend – CBS Minnesota

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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara talks about safety plans for the unofficial bar holiday, the night before Thanksgiving. WCCO’s Ubah Ali has the story.

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