Minneapolis, MN

One click to help Minneapolis STEM school win Esports classroom

Published

1 month ago

November 16, 2024

One click to help Minneapolis STEM school win Esports classroom

Mpls teacher a finalist for classroom makeover

Minneapolis teacher a finalist for classroom makeover competition, as Hall STEM Academy is hoping to win a Wisconsin company’s contest to earn $40,000 in new furniture.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Esports craze could soon reach a budget-constrained Minneapolis elementary school, with the help of a click of your finger.

“So this is where the magic happens,” said Hall STEM Academy physical education teacher Rachel Stewart.

Magic in sports

Hula-hoops and tennis rackets are magicians’ tools in Stewart’s gym class.

Dig deeper into her class closet, and you’ll find pickleball equipment — the first sign that this isn’t the same P.E. class from a generation ago.

“My goal for our kids is to expose them to the things that they normally wouldn’t be exposed to,” Stewart said.

Most students, 92%, at Hall come from low-income families, but they have cross-country skis ready for winter, and bikes to ride all year.

Pedaling towards success

Stewart is getting elementary school students ready to push for brighter futures.

“She’s always been about the kids, always been about how do we provide amazing opportunities for our students,” said Jesse Ross, a community partner to the school.

Her next innovation could move P.E. to a computer lab, but only if she wins a Wisconsin furniture company’s giveaway.

If you take the school’s old, unused computer lab, and you add $40,000 worth of new furniture, what you get is a state-of-the-art Esports classroom.

Why Esports?

Esports is a billion-dollar-a-year industry with a high barrier to entry because it often requires fairly expensive equipment.

“That’s the benefit of the Esports classroom because it evens the playing ground, and it gives all kids a chance to be leaders and to be successful,” Stewart said.

And not just in gaming.

Stewart is hoping to connect the P.E. class with some of the STEM lessons, so kids can see the connection between coding and game design.

Creative finances

But with Minneapolis public school budgets shrinking this year, the school had to get creative to find funding.

“If we have challenges, and we have barriers, whether it’s financial or otherwise, we still believe in the purpose of providing the best education for our students,” said Hall STEM Academy principal Sherrill Lindsey. “And so we are constantly trying to find other resources.”

Stewart’s design was picked as one of 12 finalists out of more than 500 from teachers across the country.

How to help

You can help Hall make this dream a reality by casting your vote in the contest here.

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Minneapolis, MN

North Minneapolis community mourns women killed in crash

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

North Minneapolis community mourns women killed in crash – CBS Minnesota

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As family and community members come to grips with the loss of the two women,they’re also remembering the impact they had on those around them.

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Minneapolis, MN

‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims

Published

14 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims

Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.

The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.

Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”

“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”

Emmary Thomas places a candle at a bus stop during a balloon release Saturday for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece at 26th and Emerson avenues in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and pictures on Saturday mark the spot near the site of the crash that killed Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Drakarr Lobley hugs a supporter during Saturday’s balloon release for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. Lobley is Reece’s son. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.

“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”

At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.

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Minneapolis, MN

Celebrating the winter solstice with a puppet procession in Minneapolis

Published

22 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Celebrating the winter solstice with a puppet procession in Minneapolis

On Friday night, community members and artists with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre gathered atop a snow-covered hill in Powderhorn Park in south Minneapolis to celebrate the winter solstice together.

In the center of the crowd, Minneapolis-based musician Sarina Partridge led a series of call-and-responses:

Musician Sarina Partridge leads a call-and-response song during a winter solstice celebration in Powderhorn Park.

Ben Hovland | MPR News

“Welcome in, wild hearts,” she sang. “We will sing our way to wholeness.”

The solstice at 3:21 a.m. Saturday marks the beginning of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with it longer days. Saturday will be the shortest day of the year, at 8 hours, 46 minutes and 10 seconds in Minneapolis.

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A large heron puppet leads people through a snowy park — A 25-foot tall heron puppet leads hundreds of community members through the snow in Powderhorn Park.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

About 300 people had assembled at Avalon Theatre on Lake Street and walked a few blocks down 15th Avenue to the park. Many procession participants held up paper lanterns, while others carried larger-than-life handmade puppets, recognizable from events like the MayDay Parade and Puppet Lab as well as the theatre’s puppet library, which lets people check out puppets for free.

In the Heart of the Beast’s vibrant puppetry has been a staple of Minneapolis’ Powderhorn and Phillips communities for nearly 50 years, and the organization has called the Avalon Theatre home since 1988. But in November, theatre leadership announced it was starting the process to sell the Avalon and look for a new home for its programming.

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A group of people gather in a snowy park — Hundreds of community members gather in Powderhorn Park for a winter solstice celebration.

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People hold puppets and lanterns outside a theatre — Community members hold handmade puppets and paper lanterns as they walk from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre on Lake Street to Powderhorn Park.

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People hold lanterns and puppets as they walk down a street — Community members hold handmade puppets and paper lanterns as they walk from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre on Lake Street to Powderhorn Park.

In the Heart of the Beast’s interim executive director Elina Kotlyar said she hopes to continue to expand on the theatre’s current programming — and make it more accessible.

She said her dream is that the new space “can be reached by as many people as want to come.”

Windchill temperatures hovered in the single digits as the procession wound its way back to the Avalon, but the lanterns cast a warm glow on participants’ faces as they plodded along the quiet neighborhood street.

A child lets out a howl on his father's shoulders — Three-year-old Finn Miller lets out a howl while perched on the shoulders of his father, Josh Miller, during a winter solstice celebration.
Ben Hovland | MPR News

Back inside the theatre, community members shared homemade soup and watched musical performances. For Kotlyar, events like the solstice celebration are integral to bringing the community together.

“Tonight is simply an opportunity to be in the moment with other people,” she said. “And the warm soup is a bonus.”