South St. Paul
Youth sports return Page 2
Adventure Quest Page 7
Volume 17 | Number 8
Your Community News & Information Source
August 2020
School district faces many challenges in preparing for opening day Primary election is Aug. 11 Tim Spitzack Editor
The 2020 election officially gets underway with the primary election on Aug. 11. Voters in the South St. Paul Voice distribution area will cast votes for a representative in both the Minnesota Senate and U.S. Senate, as well as U.S. House of Representatives District 4. In the U.S. Senate, incumbent Tina Smith (DFL) has 11 challengers, including fellow DFLers Steve Carlson, Ahmad Hassan, Paula Overby and Christopher Lovell Seymore. Republican candidates include John L. Berman, Bob Carney Jr., Cynthia Gale, Jason Lewis and James Reibestein. Kevin O’Connor of the Legal Marijuana Now party and Oliver Steinberg of the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis party are also on the ballot. In U.S. House District 4, incumbent Betty McCollum (DFL) will face off against DFLers Reid Rossell, David Sandbeck, Tiffini Forslund and Alberder Gillespie, Republican challengers Sia Lo and Gene Rechtzigel, and Susan Sindt of the GrassrootsLegalize Cannabis party. Primary election / Page 3
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Parents should be prepared to support in-home learning this year. Tim Spitzack Editor
It’s been a challenging summer for the South St. Paul School Board and administrators as they wrestled with a projected $4.1 million budget shortfall and the uncertainty of opening schools this fall in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March and
through summer school sessions, Special District 6, like most school districts across the nation, has employed distance learning techniques in which students receive online instruction at home. The District is now preparing to make do with less. At its June 22 meeting, the Back to school / Page 4
A season without swimming Tim Spitzack Editor
There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has sucked much of the fun out of this summer, along with the water of the city’s outdoor pools. It’s strange to drive by the Northview Pool and not see it teeming with activity. No toddlers are timidly dipping their toes in the water for the first time. No teens producing splashes and rolling waves from a cannonball leap off the diving board. No stoic lifeguards chirping their whistles under the hot summer sun. No nuthin’. Attendance peaks in July at the city’s two outdoor pools—Northview Pool at Northview Park and the Splash Pool at Lorraine Park—but that’s a moot point this year. The city has closed them to help stop the spread of the pandemic, and sadly that means a temporary end to a cherished summertime tradition. To stay cool during the dog days of August, kids this year will have to find a backyard pool or dash through a sprinkler. The closure also means that children must wait one more season to take lessons to learn the skills they need to explore the deep end. For the past 10 years, the South St. Paul Mayor’s Youth Task Force has hosted Swimming Under the Stars parties on Wednesday evenings at Northview Pool. That tradition is on hold as well. The events featured music, games and food, and Outdoor pools / Page 3
Introducing the Wonderful Women of South St. Paul Lois Glewwe Contributor
M
any events had been planned for this summer to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote in America but the COVID-19 pandemic brought all of those plans to a halt. Deb Griffith, South St. Paul community affairs liaison, and Matt Carter,
executive director of the Dakota County Historical Society, had poured their efforts into a memorable commemoration that was to include an entourage of 90 women dressed in white in the Kaposia Days Parade, representing the 90 South St. Paul women who were the first women in the entire country to vote after the passage of the 19th Amendment, on Aug. 27, 1920.
Also in the works were a tea party and commemorative program, and a special production of the South St. Paul Community Theater highlighting leading women suffragists from history. Planners are now looking to 2021 for the commemoration. To lead up to it, my history articles in the South St. Paul Voice will introduce readers to 90 amazing women from South St. Paul,
past and present. One or two will be featured each month, while others will be cited on a new Facebook page, where more details can be found. We kick off the Wonderful Women series with artist, musician, performer and designer Joan Lindusky, who was born and raised in South St. Paul by William and Agnes Lindusky. She was the oldest of four daughters in the family home at 208 Sec-
ond Ave. S. All attended St. Augustine’s Catholic School until ninth grade then transferred to St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Paul. From a young age, Joan was identified as a talented musician with a beautiful voice. Ann Thomasine, glee club director at St. Joseph’s, launched Joan’s singing career by casting her as lead in all the academy’s musicals. She also helped her hone her conducting skills
by having her direct the Glee Club at the St. Paul Christmas Choral Pageant. Lindusky graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor of arts in music and became a member of The Kids from Home, an entertainment troupe sponsored by the U.S. Defense Department to entertain troops in Europe and North Back in Time / Page 5
S ports
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Youth sports return but not without challenges, precautions John E. Ahlstrom Staff Wrtier
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the middle of March there has been almost no activity in the world of sports for your cantankerous sportswriter to expound upon on the pages of the South St. Paul Voice. The only exception was the June issue in which we gave the well-deserving Class of 2020 some visibility following their Activities Banquet, which was celebrated on YouTube in living rooms across the village. And so where are we now? On July 12, the Minnesota Loons were the first pro team to resume play. The Minnesota Twins debuted on July 24 and the Lynx followed suit two days later. The Wild— presumably with South St. Paul native Alex Stalock in goal—will open a win-orgo-home five game series with Vancouver on Aug. 2. All of that is great news for sports-starved curmudgeons like me. But what about the school-age kids who crave to play the games? What is their fate? Will the schools open up? Will there be high school sports this fall? Those are the questions that sports enthusiasts are asking, and
the sad reality is that there is no one on the planet who can provide definitive answers. It’s all gobbledygook! Ben Nelson, president of the South St. Paul Youth Soccer Association (SSPYSA), wishes he had the answers, but he, too, is not a soothsayer. “Our number one priority moving forward will always be the safety of the kids,” he said. “We will continue to adhere to the recommendations of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the guidelines outlined by the Minnesota Department of Health.” In April, the SSPYSA’s summer season—which typically runs from May to the third weekend in July for kids aged 4-13—was cancelled. In its place, Phase I of a proposed 5-phase program was implemented. It permitted at-home virtual and zoom practices. On May 18, in Phase II, kids returned to the field in groups of 10 or less with social distancing. A few weeks later, Phase III allowed teams to practice together and scrimmage among themselves. Phase IV would permit traveling and league play and the elusive Phase V would be “back to normal.”
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“We are at Phase III ½ at this point,” said Nelson. “We have scrimmaged against other teams, but we have not yet resumed league play.” The SSPYSA is sponsoring a six-week fall season Aug. 24Oct. 10. Registration forms and information are available at www.SSPYSA.org. Matt Jasper, president of the South St. Paul Youth Baseball Association (SSPYBA), has encountered many of the same frustrations as his soccer counterpart. “It was early in March that we held tryouts for our traveling teams,” he recalled. “We had put the rosters together and were looking forward to the coming season, and then out of nowhere schools were closed and all athletic activities were suspended.” Like all administrators, coaches, officials and athletes associated with youth sports statewide, the SSPYBA was suddenly left to play the “waiting game.” The first hint of a breakthrough occurred on May 18, when teams were allowed to gather on the playing fields. “We so desperately wanted to get the kids out on the field,” said Jasper. “They showed up wide-eyed and enthusiastic, but after ten weeks of confinement at
home most of them were terribly out of shape. We followed all the rules, the kids put in the work, their conditioning has vastly improved and there are smiles on their faces.” By the middle of June, there were 61 South St. Paul kids between the ages of 11 and 15 engaged in team workouts and playing intrasquad scrimmages. On July 6, all six teams began playing league games against the likes of Inver Grove Heights, Eagan, Cottage Grove and West St. Paul. Per CDC guidelines, parents and spectators are not allowed to sit near the dugouts or the bleachers. The league schedule for each of the six teams runs through Aug. 14. The SSP 13AA team will participate in a sanctioned state tournament in Inver Grove Heights Aug. 7-9. Further details and game times are available at www. SSPYBA.org. “Obviously, it’s been a frustrating season for everyone involved,” said Jasper, “but once the kids and their friends got on the diamond all of that changed. I think playing baseball outdoors is almost as safe as staying home and playing video games.” Of course, as the cal-
endar moves into August, the status of school openings and team sports activities is paramount in the minds of students, parents, coaches, teachers and sports fans. Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) executive director, Erich Martens, was queried about the prospects of each. “Everyone is anxious for answers and there is a good deal of information that must be considered in our deliberations,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to provide opportunities within the scope of what is safe for all participants, including students, coaches and officials.” There are over 400 member schools in the MSHSL. The organization will not be involved in the decision about whether or how schools will open. That decision will be determined by the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Education and Governor Tim Walz. The MSHSL will play a heavy role in the decision regarding the fate of the fall school activities under its jurisdiction. On July 14, an MSHSL task force was assigned the duty to formulate recommendations based on three possible scenarios: a
return to full classroom use; the continuation of distance learning; or a hybrid of the two. It is expected that a decision on opening the schools will be made before the end of July. The MSHSL Board is scheduled to meet on Aug. 4 and it is likely that a final decision will emerge from those deliberations. It is estimated that the MSHSL will incur a deficit of $466,000 if there are no fall sports, but Martens insists that money will not be a factor in the decision. “It is a very fluid situation,” he said. “As of now, practices for all fall sports teams are scheduled to start on Monday, Aug. 17. It is safe to say that the safety of everyone involved will be the determining factor.” When school resumes on Sept. 8, it will be almost six months since the youth of America have been able to socially interact with their friends and peers in a school setting. But, as disappointing and frustrating as that might be, no one can prudently disagree with the notion that the first priority for all of those in authority is to make certain that these young people will safely move on to the next phase of their lives.
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searching Land Records & Maps” by Cathi Weber on July 29; “Finding Pre-Immigration Origins” by Jay Fonkert on Aug. 27; “I Got My DNA Results. Now What?” by Elizabeth Gomoll on Sept. 15 and “Finding Military Records and Fold3” by Cathi Weber on Sept. 22. For more
details, call 651-552-7548 or visit www.dakotahistory.org.
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The Dakota County Historical Society is hosting a series of virtual genealogy programs. They include “ReBranch and Bough Tree Service and Landscape Care
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Library events Cookbook Club, 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 3. Join this virtual meeting on Zoom geared toward South St. Paul foodies. It will feature recipes from “Indian-ish” by Priya Krishna, a regular contributor to The New York Times and Bon Appétit. To learn how to join the discussion, email Honora at hrodriguez@sspmn.org. Book Club discussion, 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 13. “Strange as This Weather Has Been” by Ann Pancake will be discussed during a virtual Zoom meeting. Email hrodriguez@sspmn.org for more information or visit tinyurl. com/SSPbookclub. Tech Tutoring - Tech tutoring services are available by STATE phone. FARM Call 651-5543243 or email Honora at Stremski Agency hrodriguez@sspmn.org 1560 Livingston Ave., to schedule an appointment. Suite 101, West St. Paul Book Match - Need a Hogar book recommendation? Try Automóvil the library’s free service, SSP Seguro de Vida Library Book Match. Complete the form at tinyurl. 651-457-6348
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Student notes College of St. Scholastica dean’s list: Kyla Ledger University of NebraskaLincoln dean’s list: Marcus Molumby, Patrick Schmidt and Callie Williams Hamline University dean’s list: Jasmin Espitia, Elizabeth Lowe and Rory Westerman Augustana University dean’s list: Beata Benson College of Saint Benedict: Kaitlyn Crowe earned a bachelor of arts in global business leadership. St. John’s University: Austin Brandecker earned a bachelor of arts in global business leadership. Nathan Evazich earned a bachelor of arts in accounting.
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Primary election from page 1
Outdoor pools from page 1
have grown from about 100 people weekly to more than 300 last summer. They’ve been known to get a bit rambunctious at times but the neighbors have always welcomed them, according to Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison, who helped organize the events. “(Task force members) are disappointed that we are not able to host Swimming Under the Stars but understand
that social distancing would be impossible with the number of people that attend,” said Griffith. “On the bright side—plan B, we are running a program called Please Come to my Neighborhood.” Under that program, task force members will visit different neighborhoods throughout the summer to hand out treats and toys. According to Parks and Recreation Director Chris
Esser, this is the first time the outdoor pools have been closed for a summer. “There have been periodic extended closures due to emergency repairs or unanticipated mechanical problems, but not for an entire season,” he said. The closure will provide time to complete some maintenance. The City is considering painting the pool shell at Northview Pool, which opened in 1956, but has no plans for any projects at the Splash Pool, which opened in 1993.
Last year, Northview pool attracted 6,682 people, and the Splash pool 7,790. Those numbers are lower than the 10-year average of 7,611 and 9,129, respectively. The City hires nearly two dozen lifeguards, a manager and assistant managers, and seven concession workers to operate the pools. In 2020, it budgeted $99,654 for Northview and $76,854 for the Splash pool. Last year, combined revenue from daily admission at both pools and season passes topped $50,000.
In addition to the Senate seat and the Presidential election, races in the General Election on Nov. 3 include: Minnesota Senate District 52 (includes the northern part of South St. Paul) – Incumbent Matt Klein (DFL) will face Republican challenger Tomas Settell. Minnesota Senate District 54 (includes the southern part of South St. Paul) – Incumbent Karla Bigham (DFL) will face Republican candidate Leilani Holmstadt. Minnesota House of Representative District 52A (includes West St. Paul, Mendota and the northern portions of Mendota Heights and South St. Paul) – Incumbent Rick Hansen, (DFL) will face Republican challenger Mariah de la Paz. Minnesota House of Representative District 54A (includes southern part of South St. Paul) – Incumbent Anne Claflin (DFL) will square-off against Republican challenger Keith Franke. Mayoral race - South St. Paul Mayor Jimmy Francis is running unopposed South St. Paul City Council – Three seats are up for election. Candidates include incumbents Bill Flatley, Joe Forester and Lori Hansen, as well as Pam Bakken, Joseph Gullerud and former city councilman Todd Podgorski.
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The South St. Paul Voice is published monthly and distributed to 8,500 homes and high traffic businesses in South St. Paul. Publisher & Editor: Tim Spitzack Copy Editor: Leslie Martin Staff Writers: John E. Ahlstrom, John Molene, Amy Johnson
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South St. Paul Voice - August 2020 - Page 3
E ducation Back to school from page 1
school board unanimously approved its 2020-21 budget. It included a $976,000 deficit, which is significantly lower than the $4.1 million projected in January. To trim the budget, the District eliminated 18 teaching positions and dipped into reserve funds. The teacher cuts include six each at Kaposia Education Center, Lincoln Center and the secondary school. The largest portion of the budget (80 percent) goes to staff compensation
and benefits. The Board also approved reducing the required fund balance to 10 percent, which is 2 percent lower than District policy. According to Finance Director Aaron Bushberger, a 12 percent fund balance is on the high side of comparable school districts in Dakota County, and is equal to 1.5 months’ worth of operating expenses. Finally, the District is using money from a retirement benefits fund, which has a
Your community news and information source healthy cash reserve. The draw down will not impact benefits for retirees. Currently, the District receives 80 percent of its funding from the state. Superintendent Dave Webb continues to say the formula is unfair and does not keep pace with inflation, which is why the District has lobbied the Legislature for several years to change the referendum equalization formula that is based on property values. According to Bushberger, last year’s residential property values in South St. Paul increased by more than 13%
but that increase means the district will receive less aid from the State. “The amount of revenue coming into the district does not change, but how the revenue gets divided between local taxes and state aid does,” he said in December, when the Board approved a levy that will increase property taxes for homeowners by 5.83%. Half of that is due to annual cost increases and the purchase of the River Heights Professional Building for the District’s Community Learning Center and Community Education programs. The District’s an-
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nual levy has increased by an average of about 2% over the past 10 years. The budget battle is not going away anytime soon. At the June 22 meeting, Bushberger told the Board he predicts a $2.5-$4 million deficit for school year 2021-22. “We have financial challenges ahead that will need to be addressed,” he said.
First day of school Classes are scheduled to resume Sept. 8 and administrators have been scrambling to prepare for that day. They’ve spent the summer planning for three different scenarios—in-person learning for all students, a hybrid model that includes strict social distancing and capacity limits of 50 percent, and distance learning only—while knowing that whatever approach they use at the beginning of the year may not be the one in place by the end of the year. In mid-June, the Minnesota Department of Education issued guidelines for the coming school year that all public and charter school districts must meet. Each scenario includes having a COVID-19 program coordinator. The in-person and hybrid approaches include requirements for social distancing, cloth face coverings, protecting vulnerable populations of staff and students, hygiene practic-
es, monitoring for illness and handling suspected or confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, transportation and more. As of press time, a final recommendation had not been made. The pandemic presents families with many challenges, including childcare options, alternative transportation methods for the various scenarios, and ways to support distance learning if that is required. This spring provided a test-run in that realm, and now is the time for families to reflect upon the biggest challenges they faced and what they can do differently to address them in the coming school year. When in-person classes resume monitoring student health will become the primary concern, and this is where schools need parental support. A student should not come to school if they have symptoms of the coronavirus, which include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting and diarrhea. Reinforcement of proper hygiene is also needed, reminding children to cover their cough, wash their hands often and stay six feet apart from others. As of press time, the number of people age 19 and under in Minnesota with COVID-19 was 5,891.
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South St. Paul HRA Lindusky was a fashion designer for several major department stores in the Twin Cities, including Dayton’s, and went on to became art director of photography for Fingerhut’s New York fashion shoots.
Back in Time from page 8
Africa. She also received a scholarship to Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, to study choral music and conducting. After graduating from the U, Lindusky went to New York City to tour with The Mastersingers, a 16-member classical choir. Some of her most memorable times in New York happened while she was working at Saks Fifth Avenue and celebrities came in to shop, including Carol Channing, Ava Gardner, Joan Collins, Eartha Kitt, Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper, Jayne Mansfield and Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier. After three years, she returned to Minnesota and flourished with two simultaneous but exhausting careers. She was a soloist with the St. Paul Civic Opera, the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra, and performed in other venues around the Twin Cities. She directed the choir at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in South St. Paul, and was commissioned to sing at weddings and funerals over the years. At the same time, she worked as a fashion artist for Donaldson’s department store. She was also active in the South St. Paul Civic Arts Commission, the Environmental Commission and Christmas in South St. Paul, and coordinated musical events for the 1987 South St. Paul Centennial and other civic celebrations. One of the highlights of
her music career was as production coordinator of Paul Winter’s “Missa Gaia – Earth Mass” at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis in 1983. The Science Museum of Minnesota was planning a small concert for Earth Day, and Lindusky persuaded them to expand it by bringing in Winter and his 9-piece consort. Lindusky recruited 150 singers, including the Minnesota Boychoir, Roberta Davis’s Gospel Choir, and her own group, Groundswell. She conducted the choral parts for the performance, and the enchanting program met with rave reviews. Lindusky’s design skills were also in demand, with Dayton’s, Powers and other major department stores vying for her drawings. With the rise of computers, Lindusky became art director of photography for Fingerhut’s New York fashion shoots. After retiring, she recorded programs for Radio Talking Book for 15 years and taught English as a Second Language in South St. Paul. Today, Lindusky shares her love of literature by reviewing some of her favorite books for friends via social media. She also loves photographing hummingbirds and blue birds as they feed at her hanging baskets. The richness of Lindusky’s long and illustrious career in the arts earns her the spot as the first of 90 Wonderful Women of South St. Paul.
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South St. Paul Voice - August 2020 - Page 5
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Neighbors, Inc. Charlie Thompson President & CEO
As we enter the final month of summer, our attention turns to a new academic year. Like the end of the previous year, this school year will undoubtedly be unprecedented due to the pandemic, as well as the reckoning with institutionalized racism. The social unrest created by these crises has affected our sense of community. As a father of students, I witnessed the challenges our schools, teachers, students and administrators have faced
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during this crisis. For each child and family, the experience is undoubtedly as unique as they are. The one commonality is they are all missing the connection that comes from being in a classroom together. Learning lessons from teachers is essential and so are the life lessons learned by interacting with others. Sharing the common experience of growing and learning together helps to form the whole student. Similar to the education system, Neighbors does not solely distribute food, much like the schools do not just teach reading. We serve people in a holistic way. During the pandemic, the biggest challenge before us is not the ability to feed people. It is maintaining the sense of community that binds us together. Neighbors exists to support a connected community where people in need can receive many forms of assistance from their neighbors, and thrive together. While food is necessary for life, connection is what makes life more meaningful. As we grapple with the pandemic, economic fallout and the ongoing need to address diversity, equity and inclusion, food support will continue to be a major focus of our work. However, our mission—stating we will provide opportunities for our neighbors to thrive by connecting
volunteers to people in need—tells a more nuanced story of why we exist. For food shelves and schools to be most successful, they need to be able to provide a sense of connectedness with those they serve. Their participants need to commune together to be fully nourished. The lack of nourishment we are all experiencing (both figuratively and literally) is challenging our communities. I look forward to the day when we can safely discontinue the practice of social distancing and embrace one another as fellow travelers bound together by a common desire to thrive. In the meantime, we must adhere to the latest best practices to keep one another healthy. In so doing, we show respect toward each other and we create the best opportunity to regain connectedness as neighbors and to thrive as a community. All of us at Neighbors wish to thank everyone who works for our local schools. As you prepare for a new and unprecedented academic year, know that you are more essential than ever. May the coming year bring good health and many opportunities for you and your students to thrive.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. and includes a breakfast-to-go for all golfers. The driving range will be open for practice. This year the registration price includes one mulligan, one gimmie string and entry into both the putting and the chipping contests. A shotgun start begins at 10 a.m. We will have many fun contests on the course, and a ball drop and boxed lunch following play. Due to health considerations and course guidelines, all golfers must adhere to safety and social distancing guidelines. Two golfers may ride in a cart, which has a plastic barrier between passenger seats. We will not have an awards banquet dinner; results will be emailed to golfers the day after the event. Team photos will be taken on the course and shared in Chamber communications and social media following the event.
“Seeing people face-to-face is exactly the kind of change of pace I think many people are craving right now, and participating in the golf tournament is the chance to do that in a place that is safe, outside, and supports an area business and supports the Chamber of Commerce,” said Board Chairman Adam Bengtson. We are offering an early bird rate of $175/golfer for individuals or foursomes who register before Aug. 3. Cost is $200 after that date. Special thanks to our major sponsors: Ameritek International, MidWestOne Bank, Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures and Sanimax USA LLC. For more details, visit www.riverheights.com/golf2020 or call the Chamber at 651-451-2266. The tournament will be held rain or shine.
Fill the Backpack campaign
them to the elementary and secondary schools. The schools distribute the backpacks to families in need. Extra supplies are available for those who need only some items but not a filled backpack. For a list of school supplies, visit www.southstpaul. org and click on August 4 on the Events Calendar. This year’s list is a little different because of COVID-19. For example, plastic shoe boxes are needed instead of pencil boxes, and individual packages of tissues will be used
The South St. Paul Mayor’s Youth Task Force will kick off the 20th Annual Fill the Backpack campaign on Aug. 4. The campaign collects school supplies for students attending school in South St. Paul. While as of press time we don’t know what the school year will look like, we do know that school will be taking place and that supplies are needed. Residents are invited to bring school supplies to their
Night to Unite celebration on Aug. 4. The task force will collect the supplies, fill the backpacks and deliver them to each school. Hundreds of notebooks, pencils, markers and crayons are donated annually through these neighborhood block parties, and other supplies and monetary donations are received from participating churches, businesses, organizations, families and individuals. On average, the task force fills about 200 backpacks each year and distributes
rather than large boxes that are typically shared by students. The task force would like to thank everyone in advance for donating to the campaign. Every donation helps ensure all South St. Paul students get the supplies they need to start the school year right. For more information about the campaign, contact Deb Griffith, community affairs liaison, at deb.griffith@southstpaul.org or 651-554-3230.
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The Urban Explorer Exploring our regional amenities Ginny Contreras Sawyer Contributor
Adventure Quest St. Paul I grew up in West Central Minnesota in a very small town, and when I was a kid, coming to the Twin Cities was a pretty big deal. One of my favorite field trips was in the sixth grade when we visited the State Capitol. I was awed by the sheer size of the building and its ornate interior, and the name Cass Gilbert became forever ingrained in my brain. Although I now live a mere 12 minutes from 75 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. I never think to go there. With COVID-19 keeping us closer to home this summer, I’ve been reminded that we St. Paulites have so many amenities nearby. Initially, my family and I found solace in places like Crosby Farm Regional Park and Hidden Falls Regional Park, but eventually my daughter started to complain about all our nature-focused outings. It was time to spice things up a little. “How about a walk but with things to find, like a scavenger hunt?” I suggested one day, filling in details of Urban Adventure Quest-St. Paul. She seemed on board with that. Urban Adventure Quest is a family-run company that has been around since 2011. Inspired by the TV show “The Amazing Race” and a love for travel, the Walker family decided to create their own “amazing race” in cities across the U.S. They began with 12
locations and have since expanded to 72 different cities, including St. Paul. I used my smartphone to create an account, paid the $49 fee and received a code to gain immediate access to our 16-question adventure scavenger hunt. I was curious to see what kind of questions they would come up with for our city. The first one featured the two statues at the base of the stairs to the Capitol building: one of Knute Nelson and the other of John Nelson Johnson. I was embarrassed to admit that I had no idea who these two guys were, although I knew they must have been important to have earned such a prominent position. Luckily, the question didn’t require prior knowledge. Instead, it guided us to learn about the men by reading the plaques. We also needed to do some keen visual observation and counting, and learned a bit of Minnesota history in the process. We were off to a great start. The rest of the questions were just as cleverly designed. They were challenging without being impossible, and required us to interact with our surroundings. One of our favorites was at the “story stones” monument, a 2015 addition to the Capitol grounds. We wandered among 87 different sized rocks—all etched with excerpts from personal letters between Minnesota soldiers and their families
spanning from the Civil War to modern times—looking for information needed to answer the question. In the end, the thrill wasn’t in answering the question but rather in the emotional stories we discovered. We also found that none of the questions was simple trivia. Almost all required multiple steps of intelligence-gathering. For example, one question had us examine a map of Minnesota that was engraved into the ground. With the provided hints, we located names of counties that fit into a crossword puzzle template. Afterward, we took certain letters from our answers and rearranged them to spell a word. At the Gold Star Table, we matched constellations to pictures provided in the quiz, then added up the total number of stars. At the Monument to the Living, we solved riddles by looking at the larger than life soldier statue and finding letters, which we rearranged to form another word. Many of the questions required us to use a kind of cipher, almost like cracking a secret code. Unless my memory fails me, there seem to be many more monuments and memorials than when I visited the grounds as a child. I noticed a Special Forces in Laos Memorial, honoring the Hmong soldiers who had fought in the secret war in Laos from 1961 to 1975; the Roy Wilkins Memorial, representing his 46 years of leadership with the NAACP; and a stone and porcelain mural dedicated to Minnesota workers who lost their lives in the workplace. There was also one missing: the statue of Christopher Columbus facing the Supreme Court building. That monument was toppled by protesters this summer.
This artwork of Minnesota counties provides clues in the game. Although the hunt spanned only a one-mile distance between the Capitol and the Cathedral of St. Paul, we spent a good twoand-a-half hours leisurely answering the questions. In the end, we achieved a total
of 460 points and received a message saying we had placed second on the leaderboard for recent St. Paul scavenger hunters. We were quite proud of ourselves until I went to the actual leader board on the website and
saw that we were second out of three teams. No matter. We still accomplished our overarching objective, and for one glorious morning we had forgotten all about the pandemic and felt like tourists in our own city.
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Serving Pre-K-12th graders in St. Paul Metro
St. Paul City School District
Looking for a small, supportive school community? We're enrolling! Call 651-225-9177 or visit www.stpaulcityschool.org to learn more and schedule a tour
St. Paul City Primary School 260 Edmund Ave., St. Paul St. Paul City Middle School 643 Virginia St., St. Paul River's Edge Academy High School 188 West Plato Blvd., St. Paul
• Free public charter school • Small class sizes (25 or fewer) • Full day pres-school and kindergarten • Emphasis on community • Environmental Ed / Experiential Learning programs • Free school busing in St. Paul for Pre-K-8th grade / Free Metro Transit passes for 9th-12th grade • Free breakfast & lunch available • Special education services • English language learning services • School culture that emphasizes relationships, community building, leadership and character growth.
St. Paul Voice • Downtown St. Paul Voice South St. Paul Voice • La Voz Latina South St. Paul Voice - August 2020 - Page 7
nd teens for ALL kids a 18 and under
Thi nk Before you toss Just show up and get food: no registration or identification required!
www.da kotacounty.us, Search recycli ng
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. This program is funded by the USDA.
¡Inscribete Hoy! PreK-8
Enroll Now! PreK-8 • Full day free Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Program • Dual Language Enrichment Program • Strong Literacy Program • String Program • Free After-School Programs & Before School Service • Mariachi Lessons and Folkloric Dance After-school Programs • Music, Art and Physical Ed Classes • Sports • Free Transportation • Strong Family Engagement • Free Summer School Program
Academia Cesar Chavez (ACC) is a tuition-free community-based elementary charter school
Call 651-778-2940 Academia Cesar Chavez School admits students of any race, color, creed, religion or national or ethnic origin. Authorizer: University of St. Thomas. Dana Peterson, Director of Charter School Authorizing, 651-962-4372
1801 Lacrosse Ave., St. Paul, MN 55119 • www.cesarchavezschool.com Page 8 - South St. Paul Voice - August 2020
• Programa Gratuito de Día Completo para Pre kinder y Kinder • Programa Inmersión Dual de Español e Inglés • Programa Fuerte de Lectura • Programa de Cuerdas • Programa Gratuito Después de la Escuela y Servicio Antes de la Escuela • Programas Después de la Escuela de Mariachi y Baile Folclórico • Clases de Música, Arte y Educación Física • Deportes • Transporte Gratuito • Fuerte Compromiso Familiar • Programa Gratuito de Verano
Academia Cesar Chavez (ACC) es una escuela basada en la comunidad con matricula gratuita
Llamar al 651-778-2940 La Academia Cesar Chávez acepta estudiantes de cualquier raza, color, credo, religión u origen étnico o nacional. Authorizer: University of St. Thomas. Dana Peterson Director of Charter School Authorizing, 651-962-4372
1801 Lacrosse Ave., St. Paul, MN 55119 • www.cesarchavezschool.com