Echo
ECHO 100TH ANNIVERSARY
Current and past Echo staffers connect at gathering PAGE 4
TEAM USES VIKINGS TURF Boys’ baseball competes against Richfield PAGE 8
Friday, April 28, 2017 Volume 90 Issue 10 St. Louis Park High School 6425 W. 33rd Street St. Louis Park, MN 55426
BEST LOCAL ICE CREAM
Top ice cream shops to melt your summer PAGE 12
SLPECHO.COM
Photo Emma Kempf
Bee curious: High school science teacher Patrick Hartman demonstrates to Park Spanish Immersion first graders how to build “Hand Pollinators,” a project that simulates what pollinators do to plants, April 13. The ParkSci program brings high school science teachers to middle and elementary schools.
Elementary STEM program faces cuts
District, GSA clash over inclusion policy
ParkSci part of $1.2 million budget tightening
Tensions on display at School Board meeting
requirements, increasing risk of defunding during budget cutbacks. “(ParkSci) doesn’t provide prep time, it doesn’t lower class sizes — it’s an extra,” Ethan Brown, Mimi Fhima & Annabella Strathman Metz said. “It’s an easy target ethanbrown@slpecho.com when you’re looking to cut mimifhima@slpecho.com annabellastrathman@slpecho.com back because you don’t have to do it.” Senior Ryan Gemilere said cience department he believes ParkSci plays a chair Mark Miller said critical role in building educahe fears for students’ tional interest at a young age. future science education after “I understand (the district recommendations that the needs) to be pragmatic in their ParkSci program be cut. budgeting and that funding According to science and for (ParkSci) in previous years ParkSci teacher Patrick Hartcame from grant programs man, the program aims to imthat are no longer available,” prove science education at St. Louis Park elementary schools Gemilere said. “But as a comby sending high school science munity we need to prioritize introducing kids to science at teachers to teach lessons to a young age.” elementary students. According to Gemilere, Miller said he fears the although students will enter a cutbacks are currently only variety of professions, science affecting students. skills are still necessary. “If you look at the dollars, “I fully recognize that not all of the dollars that are being every kid will grow up to cut are directly impacting the become a scientist,” Gemilere students,” Miller said. “It’s not going to be impacting any- said. “However, the critical thinking and the curiosity, one downstairs (in the District which such exposure instills, Office). To me, that’s where is vital to anyone looking you gotta draw the line.” to go into any professional Superintendent Rob Metz field.” said the ParkSci program is not mandated under state
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ParkSci, Continued on page 2
Sam Orloff & Nicole Sanford samorloff@slpecho.com nicolesanford@slpecho.com
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hile attempting to push the passage of a new Gender Inclusion Policy, the Gender Sexuality Alliance’s petition garnered over 600 signatures, including that of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison. Senior Elise Bargman, Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) president, said the petition preceded the April 24 School Board meeting where supporters of the policy spoke. According to Superintendent Rob Metz, the policy requires further input. “This (policy) is unique because there are parts of it that the students who were at the School Board meeting would really approve of, but a lot of other students wouldn’t,” Metz said. “It would mean hearing from them too, and we haven’t done that yet.” Bargman said she was troubled by Metz’s response. “It didn’t sound like (Metz) was really listening and if he was, he wasn’t acknowledging
the points that we had made,” Bargman said. “It felt like excuses.” Kyle Sweeney, French teacher and GSA adviser said she also found Metz’s response to be unsatisfactory when he compared gender equity to the memorial policy. “I think he was minimizing the issue because the memorial policy is a procedure, it’s a procedural policy on what the school’s response should be in that sort of situation, but this is not a procedure this is student protection and it was frankly a little insulting,” Sweeney said. Metz said he started writing the Gender Inclusion Policy, but paused to wait for impending Court rulings. “Our attorney is recommending that we don’t (introduce it) yet. She’s recommending waiting for the Supreme Court to make a decision,” Metz said. Sweeney said she disagrees. “We feel like none of (the District’s) excuses are good and that they should take a stand, because other districts have taken a stand,” Sweeney said. Bargman said the GSA will continue to work to pass the policy despite the lack of action thus far.
Take local action
Photo Kailey Delozier
His voice in action: Freshman Mathew Loftus receives high fives after his speech advocating for the Gender Sexuality Alliance’s gender inclusion policy at the School Board meeting April 24.
School Board message line: Any questions or concerns can be articulated at (952) 928-6040. Open forum: The second School Board meeting of each month is an open forum where anyone who attends is welcomed to voice any comments they have. Contact by mail or email: Contact the School Board by mail: School Board St. Louis Park Public Schools 6425 West 33rd St. St. Louis Park, MN 55426-3498 School Board members’ emails can be found on slpschools.org Watch meetings online: Watch School Board and City Council meetings online at youtube.com/user/slpcable Upcoming Meetings: May 8, May 22, June 12 and June 26 Infographic Yonit Krebs Source slpschools.org