| Dayton's
Bluff District
Forum August
2009
Volume 22, No. 6 IN THIS ISSUE
1. It's time for National Night Out in Dayton's Bluff 2. Make a difference in Dayton's Bluff 3. They stopped to smell and look at the roses 4. Swede Hollow history book underway 5. Community Meeting 6. Dayton's Bluff business class 7. Meet the police 8. Take a Hike 9. Block club meetings 10. Ghost park transformed into gardens 11. Size Matters: A good fit in Dayton's Bluff neighborhood 12. Take your own Women of the Bluff Walking Tour - Part 1 13. Rebuilding the Lafayette Bridge 14. Swede Hollow Plain Air Art Fest - Call for artists 15. Watch the Glow of the Setting Sun 16. Bethlehem Lutheran Church takes "A Leap of Faith" with new school 17. Twin Cities Academy and High School move to Dayton's Bluff 18. "Champtown" visits Dayton's Bluff 19. Find your "village" at ECFE - Register now for Fall 2009 classes 20. A 21st Century Education - Part 2 21. Chemists in the Library 22. Fun Family Activities 23. Invest Saint Paul Alley Sweep 24. Set of 12 Dayton's Bluff postcards available 25. Church Directory 26. Miscellaneous Stuff 27. August Ads Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |
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It's
time for National Night Out in Dayton's Bluff
Celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday August 4, 2009 with your neighbors and friends. Some neighborhood groups and block clubs are planning to have a neighborhood barbecue, a potluck, an ice cream social, a band playing music, face painting, a volleyball game and many other activities that a group of neighbors can do together. National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals, letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. Join 30 million other people in more than 9,000 communities nation-wide in a variety of events and activities. Let’s make this year even bigger! Here is a list of some of the Dayton’s Bluff National Night Out events: * Mounds Park near Mounds Blvd and Earl * Reaney Avenue between Forest and Cypress * 5th Street East between Mounds Blvd and Maria * Margaret Street between Johnson Parkway and Atlantic * Fremont Avenue between Johnson Parkway and Atlantic * Lower Bluff Block Club Maria and Euclid * Beech/Margaret 654 Block Club - Bethlehem Lutheran Church at Margaret and Forest * Wilson Avenue Block Club - Mounds Park United Methodist Church at Earl and Euclid * Swede Hollow Park at Greenbrier and Margaret * Margaret Rec Center Block Club - Margaret Recreation Center 1109 Margaret - Hot dog dinner with pre-registration—call 298-5719. Starts at 6:30 p.m. Film at dusk. Children must be accompanied by an adult. * Saint Paul Federal Credit Union 1330 Conway * Parkway Gardens at Hudson Road and Johnson Parkway * Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at Margaret and Johnson Parkway * 4th and Bates Street Block Club – 4th and Bates * Frank Street Block Club – Frank and Ross Most events go on rain or shine. For more information about these events call Karin at 651-772-2075 or email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org. Make a difference in Dayton's Bluff By Ed Lambert, Executive Director, Dayton’s Bluff Community Council The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council is one of 17 such Councils in Saint Paul, and is the place to be if you want to have your voice heard on land-use, zoning, parks, housing, crime prevention, and overall community development and improvement in this community. The Council will hold its annual elections for Board members October 19, 2009. Half the seats (9) are up for election/reelection, and one seat is presently vacant. The Board is organized into 4 sub districts, each with 4 representatives, and 2 at-large seats. We are actively seeking candidates for board positions. Interested residents and business owners (18 years and older) should file for these positions, at the District Council office 798 E. 7th St., between August 17 and September 21. Dayton’s Bluff has become a much more diverse community than it was even just 10 years ago. The Council welcomes all newcomers and strongly encourages everyone to contact the office (651-772-2075), or the Council web site www.daytonsbluff.org, to learn more about how they can make a difference in Dayton’s Bluff. All are welcome as we seek board and organizational participants who fully reflect the people who live and/or operate businesses in Dayton’s Bluff. The Council is the organization in Dayton’s Bluff, open to all residents and business owners in the community, which focuses on the whole community and seeks to develop and/or support improvement efforts for the whole community. It is the place where you will be heard, and where you can make a difference, about what is happening (or needs to happen) in Dayton’s Bluff. The Council is most effective when its elections get the attention of a large segment of the community, and its board is made up of concerned citizens from all segments of our diverse and dynamic community. Get involved, make a difference, call and ask how you can get involved in improving your community. You are needed. They stopped to smell and look at the roses
Swede Hollow history book underway Local historians Karin and Angela DuPaul are currently working on a book that tells the story of Swede Hollow. The book is to be part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. The series presents the history of a neighborhood, town or institution through a collection of captioned photographs. Karin has been immersed in Swede Hollow history for the past few decades, starting with the effort to have the neglected ravine (and adjacent site formerly occupied by the Theodore Hamm mansion) designated as a city park. Karin’s impetus was her move to a home across the street from the future park. Karin and Angela (mother and daughter) have literally watched the park grow and develop out their front window. Along the way they have collected bits and pieces of Swede Hollow’s long and colorful history. One thing they noticed is that this history is scattered around various memories and archives. They were happy to be given the opportunity to bring it all together in one place. To be thorough in this effort, they need those with stories and artifacts of Swede Hollow to come forward and share the knowledge. One of the great things about Swede Hollow is its long-standing role as a cultural crossroads. The large cave that once opened near the creek illustrates this. It was used for aging beer, a largely German enterprise. Then it was used to pioneer new techniques in mushroom cultivation, an endeavor that came to us from France. Each group of people came to Swede Hollow with the same basic needs: shelter, food, and community. But each immigrant culture, born far away, also made the place uniquely their own. Can you help us tell the story of this wonderful place and its people? Email SwedeHollow@gmail.com or call 651-776-0550. Community Meeting The next Community Meeting is Thursday, September 3rd (NO COMMUNITY MEETING IN AUGUST) from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the meeting room at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council, 798 East 7th Street at the corner of 7th and Margaret The Dayton’s Bluff Community Council holds its Community Meeting on the 1st Thursday of most months. The purpose of the meeting is to work with block clubs and neighborhood residents on problem properties, criminal and nuisance behavior, code enforcement issues and any other neighborhood issues, concerns, and/or new ideas for improvement in Dayton’s Bluff If you can get me the addresses of problems ahead of time I can get them to the police and code enforcement. Then they can bring information about the problems to the meeting. All Dayton’s Bluff residents are welcome to attend. If you need more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call Karin at 651-772-2075. Dayton's Bluff business class The next Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood Microentrepreneur Class is starting in September 2009. This program helps start-up and young businesses on the East Side. All East Side entrepreneurs are welcome. Class training lasts 8 weeks and includes topics such as operations management, marketing, financial management, one to one assistance with creating a successful business, and preparing a business plan, plus 8 hours of one on one time with the instructor. Those who successfully complete the course and locate their businesses in target neighborhoods are eligible for ongoing business support services. Some examples of businesses started by people who have previously taken this course include graphics, landscaping, photography, food service, restoration of wood furniture and works of art, custom floral design for weddings and events, and exterior and interior painting. The course is sponsored by the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council and the Neighborhood Development Center. There is a small registration fee based on a sliding fee scale. The next session will start in September 2009 and class size is limited. Please call Karin at 651-772-2075 or email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org for an application. Meet the police The
Eastern District Police host their monthly meetings for community
members at 722 Payne on the corner of Payne and Minnehaha Avenues. One
is on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. and the other on
the third Friday of each month at 9:30 a.m. In August the meetings are on the 19th and
21st. Dayton’s Bluff Take a Hike occurs on the first
Saturday of most months. The next hike is on Saturday, Oct. 3rd. We meet at 10:30
a.m. in Indian Mounds Park at Earl St. and Mounds Blvd. Block
club meetings By Jennifer Herman Skidmore Park…? In his book The Street Where You Live, Donald Empson calls it a ghost park, neighbors call it vacant lots, but the Dayton’s Bluff Greenspace Committee calls it fertile ground for growing a connected community. This park property on Fourth Street has remained unmarked and undeveloped since its dedication to the public in 1886. But now Skidmore Park has more than a name – it has a purpose! Ask any gardener and you will learn that gardening can easily become an addiction and urban gardeners quickly reach the limitations of their tiny city lots. Two years ago the Greenspace Committee sought out some of these frustrated (I mean passionate!) gardeners to embark on a new community garden project in Dayton’s Bluff. The gardeners quickly caught the vision of creating a garden space not just about eradicating weeds for the sake of healthy produce, but also about eradicating crime by creating a connected community. Last year the City of St. Paul approved a Greenspace Committee proposal to create a community garden at Skidmore Park. A University of Minnesota Master Gardener volunteered to create a site design which is practical and beautiful. The sunny, front portion of the park will host a formal layout of raised-bed garden plots for use by avid Dayton’s Bluff growers. Large cottonwood trees shade the rear portion of the property which will be left as open space for tossing a ball, having a picnic, and relaxing. The Greenspace Committee knows that community gardening yields many fruits. Gardening together allows people to connect across barriers of age, race, and economic status and connected communities are stronger and safer. Skidmore Park Community Gardens is already creating connections. The Mayor’s office, the City Council, and the District council are partnering with the Greenspace Committee to help get water on the site and get materials for building the raised beds. These cooperative efforts pave the way for even more productive work together in the future. Also, two groups of teens from the community donated time and money to help committee members get the first plants in the ground on the site. These youth now have a peaceful claim on the park and some new adult connections in the community. Some of the plants in the Skidmore gardens have started to bloom but even more beautiful are the relationships which are starting to blossom as a result of the gardens. The Greenspace Committee invites Dayton’s Bluff residents passionate about growing gardens and community to join the Skidmore Park Community Garden project. Contact the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council for the next meeting date and time! For more information email Karin@DaytonsBluff.org or call 651-772-2075. Size Matters: A good fit in Dayton's Bluff neighborhood By June Bennett You might have seen the sign that reads Size Matters on E. 7th St. and wondered what kind of shop it was. Size Matters is a tailor shop which is run by husband and wife, Nao Lou and Mee Moua, along with their thirteen year old daughter, Jacqueline, who helps in the summertime. Nao and Mee, who immigrated to St. Paul from Laos, opened Size Matters in 1979. The store was originally located at Minnehaha and White Bear Avenue. In 2003 the shop moved to 851 E. 7th St. where they are currently located. Mee is very active in the business and does all the alterations herself. The shop sells some clothing, but Mee’s main focus is on her tailoring business. Mee is active in the community and loves to see progress in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. Neo and Mee enjoy living in St. Paul, although they admit that the winters take some getting used to. Nao and Mee are very busy since in addition to running their store, they also have six children who they hope will someday take over their family business. *Special: If you bring in the Size Matters ad in this issue and seven or more items to be tailored, you will receive $2.00 off your total and one item tailored for free. Size Matters is located at 851 E 7th St., St. Paul, MN 55106. Their phone number is 651-793-4922. Take your own Women of the Bluff Walking Tour - Part 1 By Steve TrimbleFor those few people who couldn’t make the July 14th Women of the Bluff Walking Tour, here is an abbreviated versions that you could take yourself. Or, if you would like to give the tour yourself in the future, please feel free to do so.
This particular tour is only a small sampling of the rich history of the women of Dayton’s Bluff, limited so it should only take a couple of hours to take. It begins at the Dayton’s Bluff Community Council Office at 798 E. 7th St. but since it is a loop you can start anywhere you want. [Go out the door and head left for a short distance to Sinnen. Take a left] 796 East Seventh: See Vang Thao Office See Vang Thao has her law office in the Chadang Building, which is named after her husband’s father. Both she and her husband, Xoua Thao are pioneer Hmong professionals from the growing Asian community in St. Paul. East Side resident See Vang was born in Laos and came to St. Paul via Amarillo, Texas, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island where she did most of her growing up. She graduated from Brown University and went on to attend Suffolk Law School in Boston. When she arrived in Minnesota she became one of the very first Hmong women to pass the state’s bar exam, being admitted into practice in 1995. See credits her father with the inspiration that led her to become an attorney. He had been an orphan in Laos and joined the CIA secret Army at the age of twelve. When they came to the United States, he always toiled at unskilled jobs but also worked hard to help others around him adjust to life in their new setting. He always stressed that getting the education he was denied was the way to get ahead in America. As a result all of his six children got a good education and four of them ended up being attorneys. See saw this profession as a way to make a living but also-following the trail blazed by her father—to help community people make a better life for themselves. 399 Sinnen: The Lieb House Site For 92 years Flossie Lieb lived across the street from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the house her parents homesteaded in 1904. The third of seven children, she was born and died at 399 Sinnen Street. She never married and never moved. Flossie made no secret out of the fact that she never graduated from the 8th grade; instead she went to work at the nearby Klinkerfuss Manufacturing making overalls and other work clothing. She where she made forty cents a week and gave thirty to her mother leaving her ten cents for spending money. She retired after thirty years of service at he age of forty-four. According to her great niece “she loved Walgreen’s and card shopping, make-up, costume jewelry, a good bargain, “Wheel of Fortune”, prune rolls, getting mail, listening to WCCO radio and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, visits from her nieces and nephews, cookies, onion rings from Rainbow Foods, getting her hair done, perfume, decorating for any holiday, getting her picture taken (‘now make sure you get my best side’) and going to the Dollar store.” She always wore a dress and nylons. Even on the hottest Minnesota day of the year you would never find her without her “hose.” Flossie never missed anyone’s birthday and had to call to make sure the mail really did arrive on time. [When you get to East Sixth Street take a look to your left.] 840 E. Sixth Street: Sacred Heart Church A great many women contributed to the progress of the local German-American Catholic Church. Among them was Sister M. Theonilla, a member of the order Sacred Heart sisters of Notre Dame. She came the Dayton’s Bluff on November 21, 1882 and started teaching at the new school the next day. At the start, there were eighty six students. She remained at the school for forty five years until she left for the mother house in August 1928. Another well-known nun who was at Sacred Heart for a time was Sister Giovanni, who pioneered alternative schooling by founding the Guadalupe Area Project on St. Paul’s West Side. [Take a right on East Sixth go down the hill.] 778 E. Sixth: The Siebold House The successful Siebold sisters lived at 778 East Sixth with their family starting in the 1880’s. Jennie became a registered nurse and during World War One enlisted in the Navy Nurse Corps. She was later employed at the Miller Hospital Clinic and eventually taught at the University of Minnesota where, for a time, she was head of the nursing team. A Jennie Siebold scholarship is still awarded at the U of M. Mata Siebold became a teacher and spent most of her career at Phalen Elementary School. She became well-known for her wrote two music books for youngsters—Happy Songs for Happy Children, and More Happy Songs for Happy Children that were published by a respected New York company. 770 E. Sixth: The Walter House Michael Walter was born in Germany and came to the U.S. in 1871. A year later married Rose Guthunz, an American-born woman. He had an upholstery shop on East Seventh in Lowertown. They initially lived above their shop, but with the birth of two children they purchased a lot from Maria Dayton in 1880. It was one of the last on the block and they to build it they borrowed money from a building association. He continued his upholstery and added painting and wallpapering. Their third child, a daughter, was born in 1887. She lived in the house until the late 1960’s and rented rooms to boarders, often people working at St. John’s Hospital. The current owner is Amy Handford. She and her husband came upon the house when it had become badly deteriorated and with a lot of sweat restored it to its former glory. Amy is a well-known local artist and community activist. She has a web site that displays her fine art and wearable art and some of her work can be seen gracing the walls of the Mounds Park Theater. 761-783 East Sixth Street: “Keller Row” In 1889 Annice E. Keller had the eight homes, now known as Keller row, built on the East 6th street side of their property. There has been some speculation that they were meant to be dwellings for her eight children, but more likely a widow’s investment during a housing boom of large middle class homes being built in the area. The architect chosen to design the homes was Edwin S. Radcliffe. The land was part of the large early homestead that had been owned by her and husband John. Here is part of her obituary notice in a local paper: “SHE WAS A PIONEER… The ranks of St. Paul’s old settlers suffered another loss yesterday by the death of Mrs. Annice E. Keller, which occurred at 6 a.m. at her residence on Eichenwald Street, after a protracted illness of several months. Mrs. Keller was fifty-five years of age, and has made St. Paul her home since 1856…. Mrs. Keller leaves eight children, five sons and three daughters. Her death will be mourned by a wide circle of loving friends. The funeral, which will be private, will occur at 2 o’clock Friday afternoon.” [Take a right on Maple and go half way down the block.] 397 Maple Street: Catherine Piccolo House Catherine Filippi Piccolo was picked to participate in the Manhattan project, where she oversaw the handling of secret documents for several years. She attended OCS during the war and was in charge of the WAC detachment at Oak Ridge. Catherine Filippi Piccolo grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota, the daughter of an iron miner. She attended OCS school during World War Two and by the time she was in her 20s, she was heading up the team of WACS who handled the classified material for the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. The scientists and the crew of WACS were among the few that knew what was going on. “You’ve got to remember that this was the best kept secret of the war. We had to work very hard to keep that stuff out of the newspapers… Everybody attached to the project had to keep their mouth’s shut. That was hard to do for some of the women,” Piccolo once remarked. After leaving the service, Piccolo married, came to St. Paul and worked for 3M and other companies. She became the business manager at Hill-Murray High School for eight years, and was elected to the St. Paul School Board for two terms. She served on the St. Paul Civil Service Commission and the St. Paul Planning Commission. [Go back to 6th Street and continue going south on Maple] 331 Maple: The Emma Dieter House In July 1911 Emma Dieter, at the age of 56, was called upon to raise two of her very young grandchildren after their mother died. As one of them later wrote: “I can still see her on her hands and knees scrubbing the oak floors in the large kitchen, the two pantries and the hall,” he wrote. “She did the laundry in the cellar, literally by hand in those early days…. Long after I was in bed I remember her singing gospel hymns while running her Singer treadle sewing machine.” Though not wealthy or well educated, she successfully ran the home. “Her will was strong and she drove herself to accomplish what she had set to do, often to the point of exhaustion.” Her grandson thought that “the daily routine of house keeping and rearing children probably prevented her from being a crusader in causes she believed in… In family gatherings however, she was outspoken and uncompromising in her views on woman’s suffrage and prohibition.” [Stay on Maple and take a right at East Third Street. Go down to Bates and take a left] 262 Bates: Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School Scores of women were the force behind most elementary school education for many decades. When they are remembered, one of the names that always comes to mind is that of Miss Laura Hand. She was the principal of what was then called Van Buren from 1893 until 1917. Miss Hand was said to have been especially interested in art and bought many beautiful prints in Europe that she gave to the school. She bought the first Victrola to play music and an electric lantern that showed a collection of a thousand slides. She also introduced home economics and manual training classes. According to a short history of Van Buren, “Miss Hand felt that the girls should have fine Irish Linen and beautiful silver” when they entertained their mothers at the school luncheons given by the home economics classes. The silver “was engraved with the initials V. B. The boys from the Manual Training classes made the chest to hold this linen and silver which we have always treasured and used only on special occasions.” After Miss Hand’s death Justine Long became principal for a period that ranged from 1918 to 1930. “Holidays at the Van Buren will always be remembered by pupils and teachers who were associated with Miss Long,” the history stated. “At Thanksgiving, children brought their gifts of food. The fruits, vegetables and other foods were spread out on long tables in the spacious halls by some of the Mothers. Each of the classes came in turn to see this interesting Thanksgiving display and stood around the bountiful tables and on the stairway singing beautiful autumn songs. “At Christmas time, the children went to the markets and came back laden with branches of pine and spruce. The older pupils made wreaths and one was hung in every window. The railings of stairways were trimmed with garlands of evergreen. In each of the lower halls there was an enormous spruce tree where children would gather to sing the lovely Christmas carols and read stories. [Continue on Bates, take a right on Sinnen and another right when you reach Maria] 267 Maria Avenue: The Scheffer House The Scheffer family lived in this house in the early years of the Twentieth Century. Two of the daughters were cultural workers in the neighborhood. Ilma Scheffer and her sister were dancing teachers who gave lessons at their residence at various local sites, such as the Dayton’s Buff Commercial Club. Later on Ilma became well known for her downtown restaurant, appropriately dubbed “Café Ilma.” [Keep going on Maria] 281 Maria Avenue: Children’s Safety Center Advocates for women and children who have experienced domestic violence were behind the transformation of the old Mounds Park State Bank into a Children’s Safety Center. It is intended as a safe place for children whose abusive parent have a court-ordered right to visitation can meet them in a supervised setting. [Midway down the block, just beyond the Eagle’s Club, take a left into what appears to be an alley. It was actually platted out as Dayton Place and leads to the site of the Maria Dayton house] Dayton Place and Mounds Blvd: Site of Maria Dayton Home When you get to the empty lot at the edge of the bluff, you will be standing on the site of Maria Dayton’s Home. Maria Bates married Lyman Dayton back East and they arrived in Minnesota in 1849. Maria is first mentioned in the records as taking care of people ill with cholera who arrived with them on their steamship. The Daytons built their “suburban residence” above today’s Mounds Boulevard between Conway and Third in 1854. When the land was platted, Maria and Bates streets were named after her. Maria was a major figure in the fledgling First Baptist Church. Lyman died in the early 1860’s and she soon married their gardener, a man around two decades younger, and moved to Dayton, Minnesota and lived, presumably happy, at least into her late eighties. Next time you walk or drive down Maria or Bates Avenues, remember they are named after this pioneer woman. [Return to Maria, cross Third Street. You will go to East Fourth] 308-310 Maria Avenue: Dayton’s Bluff Children’s Garden Under the leadership of Ruth Murphy, then director of the Community Design Center launched a program to teach community children about food,. This small lot is one of several vegetable gardens spread throughout the area that show girls and boys how to grow their own food. They also learn about cooking, nutrition and marketing their produce. The tour is far from over but that’s all the room we have this month. The Women of Dayton’s Bluff Walking Tour will conclude next month. Rebuilding the Lafayette Bridge
The Lafayette Bridge (State Highway 52) is at the western edge of Dayton’s Bluff and reconstruction of the bridge will start in 2011. The project is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDot) and the City of Saint Paul. A Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) has been working very hard over the last year advising on bridge design, railings, lighting, etc. The CAC membership includes representatives from the nearby District Councils, as well as from city departments, MNDot, Ramsey County, and other agencies like Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation, National Park Service, and SRF Consulting Group. The northbound exit from the bridge onto East 7th Street has a large impact on our community — but was not studied as deeply as other aspects of the bridge. The route that is currently proposed does not include a direct connection between Lafayette and East 7th Street. Instead, traffic is directed under I94, under East 7th Street, then up and around to the north side East 7th Street at Kittson. People heading to Dayton’s Bluff and many other parts of East Saint Paul would take a left off of Kittson and people heading downtown would take a right. Entering East 7th Street from the bridge should be a convenient, pleasant gateway into our community. This is a 185 million dollar project that should be an amenity. Some people have voiced the concern that this is like coming in the back door to our neighborhood. Our hope is that the public can be involved in more discussion of the route. For more information, contact Karin DuPaul at 651-772-2075 or Karin@DaytonsBluff.org Swede
Hollow Plain Air Art Fest - Call for artists This event will give park visitors an opportunity to see artists at work in the open-air setting of Swede Hollow, which is especially lovely in autumn. Children are welcome and chalk will be provided for them to draw Swede Hollow scenes of their own along the paved paths. Artists are encouraged to donate their work to FOSH to help raise support for their efforts to improve the park. FOSH is a nonprofit organization that works on Swede Hollow issues, plantings, cleanups, education, history tours, and events. For more information call 651-776-0550 or email SwedeHollow@gmail.com. Watch the Glow of the Setting Sun Hear stories and songs from former Swede Hollow residents and Hamm’s Brewery employees at the annual “Watch the Glow of the Setting Sun on the Red Brick Brewery” event hosted by Friends of Swede Hollow (FOSH). The event will start at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 25 and everyone is welcome to attend. Meet at the Henge in Swede Hollow Park near the Drewry Lane and Beaumont entrance to watch the setting sun. After the sun sets, the evening cookout and socializing begins. Former Swede Hollow residents and Hamm’s employees share memories of the good old days living in the Hollow and working in the brewery. Last year Joe Sanchelli and his daughter Nancy entertained everyone with Italian songs and stories about life in the Hollow. FOSH is a nonprofit organization that works on Swede Hollow issues, plantings, cleanups, education, history tours, and events. For more information email SwedeHollow@gmail.com or call 651-776-0550.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church takes "A
Leap of Faith" with new school The doors of East St. Paul
Lutheran School closed on
Friday, June 5th, but Lutheran education on the East Side has an
exciting new and unique opportunity. One of the three current
association churches, Bethlehem Lutheran Church voted on Sunday, May
17th to expand JOY Preschool & Child Care to JOY Academy. One
church member termed the voters’ decision, “a leap of faith.”
Over the last fifty years, Bethlehem has invested millions of dollars
in private
education. Twin Cities Academy and High School
move to Dayton's Bluff The new location is twice the size of their previous building and gives the schools room to continue their growth. The added space allows them to add science and language labs and increase enrollment. Between the middle school and the high school, targeted enrollment is 525 students. Twin Cities Academy, which is celebrating their 10-year anniversary this year, opened with grades 6-8 in the former St. James School building southwest of downtown St. Paul and is experiencing its third move due to success and growth. The Academy added the high school (TCAHS) in 2006, beginning with grades 9-10, and just graduated their first class in 2009. The tuition-free charter schools are sponsored by St. Paul Public schools. Twin Cities Academy is committed to developing productive citizens through academic rigor and building character in partnership with families and the community. Student achievement typically surpasses the state and district averages year after year. TCA was proud to make AYP in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 and is recognized as a Five Star School by the State of Minnesota. The average class size at Twin Cities Academy is 24 students in the middle school and 22 students in the high school. Liz Wynne, principal, says the Academy enrollment will top out at 225 students for the middle school and 300 for the high school. “We believe that in order to grow your student you have to know your student,” she said. “No one falls through the cracks here.” Wynne says “We like to think we’re delivering a quality product that includes discipline in academics and discipline in behavior. It’s a great choice for students who want to learn, work hard and be challenged. We hold all our stakeholders accountable.” Accountability at Twin Cities Academy includes parent and student contracts, volunteer requirements for students and families, high expectations and a high work ethic. All students are expected to make a contribution to the community. Twin Cities Academy and Twin Cities Academy High School are uniform schools; middle school students wear khaki or navy pants or skirts and navy or white polo shirts, high school students wear black or khaki pants or skirts and maroon, green, or white polo shirts. Twin Cities Academy is enrolling students for August 2009. Middle school open house dates are Saturday July 18 at 10:00 a.m. and Thursday July 23 at 7:00 p.m. High school open house dates are Saturday July 18 at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday July 28 at 7:00 p.m. and Thursday August 20 at 7:00 pm. For more information please call 651-205-4797 or visit their website at www.tca.k12.mn.us. Twin Cities Academy looks forward to playing an active role in the Dayton’s Bluff community. By Chelsea Starr In June, the kids at the Dayton’s Bluff and Margaret Recreation Centers had a surprise guest speaker. Brian “Champtown” Harmon joined the kids at the recreation centers to discuss his history with gangs, his experiences in the music industry, and his childhood (in which he spent a lot of time at recreation centers himself). Champ, a veteran Detroit musician, runs his own independent record label, Straight Jacket Records. Champ has worked with several of hip hop’s biggest names, including rap icon Eminem, Ice T, Public Enemy, Kid Rock and Uncle Cracker (all who’ve earned gold and platinum records for their work). Champ has also written songs on Rev Run’s solo album Distortion and is currently hosting Kid Rock’s Rock and Roll Revival Tour and he is the official Cabo Wabo Radio DJ, owned by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar. Champ is currently on board at the Institute of Production and Recording in Artist and Industry Relations. Champ’s Detroit gangland history and his success in the music industry through better judgment, are a wonderful example for the children in these programs. He has recently taken his ability to step in and guide children with similar backgrounds to his own very seriously. The recent visits discussed opportunities in the music industry, the importance of education, and what it really means to be a man. I talked with Champ regarding his visits and he said not only was he grateful to be hosted by the recreation centers, the children were wonderful and he hopes to visit again in the future. Find your "village" at ECFE - Register now for Fall 2009 classes
By Meg Gronau It takes a village to raise a child — but are you in search of your village? Maybe you wish your young children had more opportunities to play with other kids. Maybe you need some other parents to talk to — about the peculiar feeding-sleeping-growing issues of babies and toddlers; about education and development of youngsters; about simply being a parent in this crazy world. Maybe you’ve heard about the long-term benefits of a high-quality preschool, but you’ve found that regular preschools don’t fit into your lifestyle... or your budget. Enter ECFE: Early Childhood Family Education, a Minnesota program run by the public schools, designed for all families with at least one child age 5 or under. ECFE has sites all over the city of Saint Paul. Your nearest neighborhood site is likely inside Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School at 262 Bates Ave, (651) 293-5343. Participation in a high-quality preschool program (such as ECFE) is one of the biggest indicators of future school success. Minnesota’s schools have a wonderful reputation, but in truth there is a large achievement disparity between white students and students of color. In Minnesota in 2002, about 88% of white students graduated from high school with a regular diploma, compared to 54% of African-American students. Studies have shown that kids from impoverished families are already at a disadvantage before they enter kindergarten. Before kindergarten!! This means these kids are not necessarily falling behind in the middle-school minefield, or getting pulled astray in high school, but long, long before that. Disadvantaged children are missing many of the enriching experiences that many people assume go hand-in-hand with childhood. According to a 2002 report by the Economic Policy Institute, the average kindergartner in the lowest fifth of socioeconomic status: · Owned, on average, only 38 books, compared to the 108 books owned by the top fifth, and was read to much less often (63% versus 94% were read to 3 or more times a week). · Watched much more television (18 versus 11 hours per week) · Was much less likely to have been taken to a museum, a public library, a play, or to have participated in dance, art, music, or crafts classes. Do any of these stats hit a little too close to home for a child in your life or in the life of a relative or neighbor? Consider ECFE as a step toward a solution. A typical ECFE class is 2 hours long, once a week, starting and ending with reading time. Books line the walls there, and children are encouraged to borrow at will, or peruse books during class if the spirit moves them. Paint, crayons, markers, stamps, and more are always available for play. Songs are sung... with enthusiasm! In the past 9 months alone, the Dayton’s Bluff ECFE site has taken field trips to the Children’s Museum, Dodge Nature Farm, and Orchestra Hall. And no one is ever turned away for an inability to pay. Another of the beautiful things about ECFE is the incredible diversity of the families: families with only-children, families with eight kids. Blended families; adoptive families. Indian, Hmong, African-American, Sri Lankan, Mexican, and Caucasian families… just to name a (very) few. Older parents; younger parents; single parents; working parents; unemployed parents; grandparents. This richness of the collective experience makes the ECFE experience wonderfully broadening and edifying. We can’t do much, personally, about the economic situation of our nation. We CAN make the difference in the lives of the children in our community. ECFE is bridging the achievement gap by helping all parents prepare their children for kindergarten. Did you catch the way I phrased that? “...helping all parents prepare their children...” That’s important. Because the teachers at ECFE believe it’s the parents’ job to prepare their children for school. School isn’t a place where you SEND kids to have their brains “filled up with knowledge.” School is merely a tool to help children develop and grow into socially-conscious, intellectually-curious citizens of our world. ECFE is based on the idea that parents are the first and best educators of children. Much of a child’s personality and temperament is set by the time a child is three years old. And who’s responsible for that child for that time frame? The family: the parents, grandparents, and other caregivers in a child’s life. And ECFE works to strengthen its families. ECFE’s goal is to enhance the ability of all parents to provide the best possible environment for their child’s learning and growth. Become a part of ECFE. The 2009-10 brochure will be in the mail after August 1, and copies will also be available in all local rec centers and libraries. The St. Paul ECFE website, ecfe.spps.org, will also have the new information posted after August 1. If you need more information before then, you may call the main St. Paul ECFE office at (651) 793-5410, or the Dayton’s Bluff ECFE site at (651) 293-5343. The deadline to apply for Fall 2009 classes is August 19, but after that date enrollment does continue throughout the school year as places become available in classes. All St. Paul sites’ registration day and open house will be Wednesday, September 9 from 10:00 AM-12:00 noon and from 4:00-7:30 PM. A 21st Century Education - Part 2
By Mary Ann Cogelow Every child is a miracle. Normally developing children are so smart that they tempt us to imagine that if we just start pouring information in sooner, we will create super students. We forget that the human brain has its own timetables which have developed over the whole length of human history. Our experience with bumping the first grade curriculum down into kindergarten and instituting other kinds of academic “acceleration” in our collective panic when the USSR beat us into space with Sputnik, should have taught us that earlier is not necessarily better. It may, in fact, be much worse. When the effects of the bump down and acceleration on other areas began to take effect, college aptitude scores took a tumble that took decades to reverse. Now, driven by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), some schools are trying to teach all four year olds and even younger children to read. In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Eric Jensen citing Hannaford says, “For some learners’ brains, the ‘normal’ time to learn to read is age 3 or 4. For others, the ‘normal’ time is age 8. There can be, in fact a spread in difference from a few months to 5 years in completely normal, developing brains. A 6-year-old who doesn’t read might not be ‘developmentally delayed.’ In many countries, including Sweden, Demark, Norway, and New Zealand (all with high literacy levels), formal reading instruction begins as late as age 7 or 8.” It’s high time we quit confusing “early” with “sound” and started respecting the basic facts about human brain development. The developing brain is not ready for some kinds of learning until it is ready. It is ready for some other kinds of learning much sooner than we normally offer them – think of second languages or music lessons, for example. We also need to be respectful of all of the individual differences among students. Finally, education for citizenship is much broader than the narrow focus implied by standardized tests. In her request for input regarding NCLB, Senator Klobuchar says that we need to “make sure every child gets a great education and can go as far as their hard work and dreams can take them.” A framework for offering this kind of education is pretty well described in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) which says that “Every child, without any exception whatsoever, is entitled to these rights” and goes on to say children shall be given “opportunities and facilities” to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity . . . . the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration.” The Declaration also lists adequate nutrition, housing, recreation and medical services and special treatment, education and care for physical, mental or social handicaps. NCLB, by emphasizing some of aspects which are measurable by testing, leads us to focus education narrowly on academics. I am absolutely persuaded that all children are entitled to education which helps them acquire sophisticated reading, writing, and math skills. I am equally persuaded that those skills alone do not comprise an adequate education of any kind, much less an adequate education for world citizenship. Adolph Hitler, after all, could read, write, and compute. His moral, social and spiritual failures were breathtakingly expensive in terms of human suffering and in economic costs. As the world shrinks, we need more than ever to insist that education include the kinds of development which will never be measurable on a standardized test but are tested in life. Moreover, irony of ironies, the best evidence argues that while we are teaching to the test, we are ignoring data that even those cognitive abilities which are of enormous, but not of paramount, importance, are more fully mastered when they are taught in broader contexts. The same list of media that brings a constant stream of information about the inadequacies of NCLB brings me a similarly constant stream of information that insists that broadening the scope of education not only helps children develop additional skills, but enhances their mastery of “the basics” – reading, writing, ‘rithmetic. In Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Jensen says, “Two rules come from the field of brain research and enrichment. One is to eliminate threat, and the other is to enrich like crazy.” His detailed list of enrichments comprises a reasonably comprehensive list of educational opportunities, whose broad categories include physical activity, field trips, music, art, games, and real world experience, many of which are currently under attack as “frills,” “too expensive, “ or “non-essential.” On her web site, Senator Klobuchar asserts that educators need to be accountable. I agree absolutely. But while we are thinking about educational accountability, let’s think of some other areas – in the USA and internationally – where greater accountability would surely have been useful: Detroit, Wall Street, housing lenders, banking, commerce and government come to mind. This list argues to me that education for citizenship demands much more than the ability to pass academic tests. In reality, all of us are engaged (or not) in a constant process of being accountable - hard, perplexing and confusing job that it often is. Sometimes we do the right thing for the wrong reason. Sometimes we do the wrong thing for the right reason. Often what was right or wrong is clearer in hindsight than it was before the fact. But while holding ourselves accountable, we need to bring the best of what we know and are – physically, intellectually, socially, emotionally and morally to the process. And we need to fully collaborate with our children in their educations so that they too bring the very best of what they are as developing people to their own lives and to the lives of others. NCLB does not rise to the challenge of addressing this kind of education.. Chemists in the Library Dayton’s Bluff Library at 645 East 7th Street is hosting Chemists-in-the-Library on Saturday, August 8 from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Chemists-in-the-Library is a volunteer group of chemists visiting libraries each month to share hands-on chemistry activities with kids of all ages. The group, sponsored by the Minnesota Section of the American Chemical Society, consists of chemists with academic or industrial careers and college/university students. This free two-hour program, held on Saturdays, consists of five to seven simple activities introducing visitors to the wonders and excitement of chemistry. The activities are geared for kids 7-12 years, but young children with their parents, teens and adults enjoy themselves also. Since October 2004, we have visited libraries monthly in St. Paul and Minneapolis, most locations more than once. Some of our activities include making play putty, finding vitamin C in beverages, writing magic messages, analyzing candy chemicals and making a UV light-detecting bracelet. During the hot days of August, wouldn’t a cool treat be satisfying? Come gather for an Ice Cream Social at the Mounds Park United Methodist Church on Saturday, August 8th from 7-8 p.m. Calling all kids preschool through grade 6: Join us for lots of fun, food, and activities at Vacation Bible School (VBS). The dates are Sunday, August 9 - Thursday, August 13. We will start with dinner at 5 p.m. for the whole family and then proceed from activity to activity until 8 p,m. This year’s theme is “Crocodile Dock” and Jacques Le Croc reminds us that “ God is Powerful.” Our monthly Neighborhood Family Movie Night will be Sunday, August 30. The church is open for family board games starting at 4:30 p.m., dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the movie will start at 6:10 p.m. Come for part or all of the evening. The movie will be “The Tale of Despereaux.” All of the above programs and activities are free. Mounds Park United Methodist Church is located at 1049 Euclid (corner of Earl & Euclid). Church office is 651-774-8736. Invest Saint Paul Alley Sweep
Set of
12 Dayton's Bluff postcards
available
Church Directory Amazing Grace Assembly of God 463 Maria St. Paul, MN 55106 651-776-7210 1 block North of Metropolitan State Sun 8:00 am - Free Community Breakfast Sun 9:30 am – Worship service Sun 10:45 am - Education for all ages Handicapped accessible ALL ARE WELCOME!
Mounds Park United
Methodist Miscellaneous Stuff Advertise in the Forum The Dayton’s Bluff District Forum is now mailed monthly to Dayton’s Bluff businesses and households FREE !! Your 5” x 4” display ad gets to over 7500 addresses for only 2 cents per address. Your ad is also placed in the online edition of the Forum at no extra cost. Other size ads are also available Include the Dayton’s Bluff District Forum in your advertising plans. Contact Karin@daytonsbluff.org Or call 651-772-2075 The Dayton’s Bluff District Forum Wants Your News, Photos and Articles About Organizations, People, Events, Opinions, Businesses, Neighborhood Issues Contact Karin for more info at 651-772-2075 Dayton's Bluff Recycling Pick Up Every Tuesday. Have your recycling on the curb by 7:00 a.m. If you need recycling bins call 651-772-2075. It’s the law! The curfew law, that is! City of St. Paul Curfew for Juveniles Age 15 or younger: Home by 10 p.m. Age 16 – 17: Home by 12 a.m. Midnight Saint Paul Police Department Juvenile Unit An EXTRA connection to Dayton's Bluff In addition to the District Forum, we now have a new e-newsletter, the EXTRA. The goal of the EXTRA is to keep you informed of happenings in Dayton’s Bluff between issues of the monthly newspaper. It’s free and easy to sign up. Just go here. You can unsubscribe at anytime. If you have previously subscribed but haven’t received your issues, be sure to check your “spam” settings and allow our address to come through to your inbox. Sign up today for your EXTRA connection to the Bluffs! Get rid of a junk car and help the Dayton's Bluff Community Council Budget Towing of Minnesota, Minnesota’s largest towing company, is owned by Roy Carlson, an active Dayton’s Bluff Community Council board member. Budget Towing will remove any junk car or truck—located anywhere in Saint Paul—and dispose of it at no charge to the vehicle owner or the property owner where it is located. The vehicle owner will receive paperwork for a tax donation, and Roy will also make a small donation to the Community Council for each car he tows. Just call Karin at 651-772-2075 to find out how you can get a junk car out of the way—and help clean up Dayton’s Bluff. |
Ads found in the August 2009 Dayton's Bluff District Forum
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| Past issues of the Dayton's Bluff District Forum |