Southwest Connector

I had the opportunity to join a fencing club in Rennes and I participated in two tournaments in the semester. My fencing coach took a photo of me before my first tournament, which was a national tournament in Dax. I placed 25th out of 204 fencers in the two-day competition, and I had a wonderful experience receiving advice and support from my French teammates.

A study abroad

Traveling around the world always requires a sense of curiosity and adventure. More often than not, travel demands a willingness to be uncertain, confused, and bewildered. Studying abroad holds … more

By Evan Vezmar | 4/19/23

Inspired

Nine months before Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on the bus to a White passenger. She was 15. Youth Performance Company (YPC)’s “Inspired by Claudette & … more

By Jill Boogren | 2/17/23

Out and about in the neighborhood: Minneapolis college of art and design

Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s (MCAD) bustling campus in the Whittier neighborhood is home to student housing, outdoor art displays, indoor galleries, art classes, continuing … more

2/17/23

The benefits of bilingualism are significant. Parents can try various strategies to ensure foreign language lessons learned in the classroom are reinforced at home. (Photo submitted)

Tips to help kids learn a foreign language

Bilingualism benefits children in myriad ways. For example, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology found that bilingual children have a higher vocabulary range than … more

1/19/23

Tips to help kids struggling with social media

Social media is a big part of young people’s lives. It has its benefits, and being able to keep in touch with friends and family remotely was one of the saving graces in the early stages of the … more

1/19/23

NEW CAREER AND TECH ED CENTER COMING FOR MPS STUDENTS

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and community leaders will officially break ground at North High School on Friday, Sept. 16 for a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center and significant … more

10/11/22

Talking back-to-school reading habits with the U of M

Fall schedules are filling up fast for families as students head back to school. They will begin new activities like joining sports teams, auditioning for plays, participating in study groups and … more

9/9/22

"Wallin saw every scholar as a whole person, and now that I am on the alumni board, I hear that over and over again. It makes such a big difference," said Minette Saulog.

Wallin helps students rise

“A Minnesota story” is the description president and CEO Susan Basil King uses when she tells about the beginnings of Wallin Education Partners, an organization that makes college … more

By Jan Willms | 5/24/22

WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE ARTS TO CHANGE LIVES

Raise your hand if you know a high school kid who suffered through COVID-19... (If your hand isn’t up, then apparently you don’t know any high school kids. Right?) We can probably agree … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 5/5/22

JEFFERSON SCHOOL RENAMED

After receiving approval from the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education, Jefferson Global Studies & Humanities at 1200 W. 26th St. will be renamed Ella Baker Global Studies & … more

4/20/22

Southwest High School students Vanessa Hanson (left) and Brynn Sexton learn to play the guitar in Ruth LeMay’s class. “Students deserve a guitar education,” said LeMay. “It is a lifelong instrument.”

It takes a village to save a guitar program

NEWSFLASH! It was touch and go for a few days, but the one-of-a-kind Southwest High School guitar program is NOT being eliminated. Yay!! Chalk this one up to “Parental Involvement” meets … more

By Larry LaVercombe | 4/5/22

MFT59 Dance Party at Davis Center [Photo gallery]

Educators and supporters gathered at the Davis Center on Thursday, March 24 for a dance party. It was day two of the student occupation. Early the next day, MFT59 and the school district announced … more

Aurora Pass | 3/29/22

MFT59 @ The Davis Center [Photo gallery]

In the last 18 months, over 640 teachers and support professionals have left the Minneapolis Public School district, according to MFT59. In that same time frame, 120 teachers of color have left … more

by Tesha M. Christensen | 3/23/22

Are you considering pulling your children from Minneapolis Public Schools as the strike drags on?

3/23/22

Educators rally in downtown Minneapolis on March 16, 2022. They have also been at the Governor's Mansion and the Davis Center.

Minneapolis educators strike for ‘safe, stable schools’

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN “Our community deserves safe, fully-funded, stable schools,” said Roosevelt High School bilingual science teacher Ana Vasquez, an Indigenous woman.She found it … more

By TESHA M. CHRISTENSEN | 3/23/22

MFT59 @ Governor's Mansion [Photo gallery]

The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and ESPs Local 59 "hold the line" front of the Governor's Mansion on the 9th day of the strike. View photos and videos. more

Amy Pass | 3/18/22

View of Katherine Kierland Herberger Gallery / Community Commons / Gallery 110 with objects installed for the exhibition "Racism as a Public Health Crisis: Youth and Professional Artists Respond" at Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Exploring ‘Racism as a Public Health Crisis’

As an art teacher at St. Paul’s Como Park High School, Sydney Willcox seeks to connect student creations with their own lived experiences. A recent collaboration with local artists allowed that … more

By Eric Erickson | 3/17/22

Players saw resurgence coming

As a Minneapolis Storm youth hockey player, Zander Zoia realized he and his teammates had a chance to compete with the state’s best someday. Zoia said his last youth team gained a lot from … more

By Matthew Davis | 3/17/22

Nadvia Davis, author of Grant Practices Math with Manners

AUTHORS IN STEM

On Feb. 25, 2022, Stonebridge World School (4530 Lyndale Ave. S.) hosted its first-ever Authors in STEM event. The event connected Twin Cities Black authors and illustrators with hundreds of … more

3/17/22

Crystal Spring (theater teacher at Washburn and South High), at left, and Melissa Favero (fourth grade teacher at Barton School) picket at Nicollet and 46th St. on March 11. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

ON STRIKE IN MINNEAPOLIS

Minneapolis Public Schools has taken the position that the Minnesota Federation of Teachers and Educational Support Specialists Local 59 is asking for more than the district can afford.The staff on … more

By Tesha M. Christensen | 3/15/22