District 197 Points of Pride: Community Engagement and Recognitions & Grants

The 2013-14 school year was full of accomplishments throughout the district. Let’s look back and celebrate the notable achievements of our school community. Thanks to the students, staff and community members who helped make 2013-14 great! 

Week 1 Points of Pride: Academics and Activities | Teachers and Staff 
Week 2 Points of Pride: Community Engagement | Recognitions and Grants
Coming in Week 3: Athletic | Arts


COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Students at Friendly Hills joined more than a million other students across the country by participating in Mix It Up at Lunch Day to help break down social and racial barriers.

With help from Henry Sibley ALMAS students, the West St. Paul City Council unanimously voted to update their retail tobacco licensing ordinance. Later, the ALMAS students were recognized for their work on this issue by the Dakota County Public Health Department for their “Outstanding Contributions in Promoting the Health of the Citizens of Dakota County.”

Henry Sibley High School students were recognized for their commitment to philanthropy by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Minnesota Chapter. The students were selected to receive the AFP's 2013 Outstanding Youth Award for the Sibley Student Council's annual fundraising initiative, Give Once for All (GOFA), which raised more than $30,000 in 2012-13 to benefit the organizations ImpactLives and I.EM.PHIT. 

Henry Sibley senior Jose Salazar was one of only 50 students selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) this summer. Besides learning about the Achievement Gap and potential ways to help narrow it, students at NYLT undergo training that builds trust, boosts confidence, encourages critical thinking about serious issues and more.

Heritage E-STEM Magnet School 8th grade students assembled meals for Harvest Pack, a nonprofit that partners with volunteers throughout the U.S. to provide nutritionally rich food to help stock local food shelves. Harvest Pack received a Cities 97 Sampler grant to fund this project and Heritage 8th graders packed more than 31,100 meals in two hours.

Moreland students and families donated 579 pounds of food to Neighbors Inc. through the Moreland Gives Back campaign. 

Students at Pilot Knob STEM Magnet School and Garlough Environmental Magnet School raised money last week for the American Heart Association during the schools’ Jump Rope for Heart events. Each school raised just over $3,000.

Henry Sibley's annual fundraising week Give Once For All (GOFA), raised $18,000 for three area charities: Neighborhood House, Neighbor's Inc., and the Ty Barberine Foundation. The events during GOFA are planned and managed by Henry Sibley’s Student Council. Henry Sibley has hosted GOFA week for more than 50 years. 


RECOGNITIONS AND GRANTS

Mendota received a grant from Verizon to bring the the Science Museum of Minnesota's Engineering in Elementary program to the school. Mendota 2nd and 4th graders studied engineering and science in-depth through the program. 

Magnet Schools of America named Garlough a Magnet School of Excellence and named Pilot Knob a Magnet School of Distinction. Schools are awarded for their innovative and engaging instruction and curriculum, community engagement, student achievement, and more. 

An independent auditing firm issued District 197 a “clean opinion” — the highest rating an auditor can give — on the district’s basic financial statements, citing good record keeping and financial accounting. The district has received the same rating for several years in a row. 

Garlough Environmental Magnet School was named a 'Celebration School' by the Minnesota Department of Education for the school's significant improvement in student growth and proficiency over the past year. 

Apple again named Heritage E-STEM Magnet a Distinguished School and recognized Moreland Arts and Health Sciences Magnet and Pilot Knob STEM Magnet initiatives as Distinguished Programs. Apple first recognized the schools in 2012-13; their recognitions for technology innovations will now extend through 2015.

Somerset Elementary’s Special Pals In Fun Friendships (SPIFF) program — a unique tradition that partners 2nd grade students with older adults from the community — celebrated its 25th anniversary. 

Moreland received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to continue their partnership with Z Puppets' Monkey Mind Pirates program to help support students in arts and health sciences learning. 

Garlough Environmental Magnet School was the Minnesota winner of the Recycle Bowl, a national competition sponsored by the nonprofit Keep America Beautiful. During the competition, the school recycled 75 percent of its total waste. 

Somerset Elementary won a $5,000 prize from General Mills’ Box Tops for Education initiative.

School District 197's Early Learning programs were selected to receive a "Pathway II" scholarship from the Minnesota Department of Education to help the district implement effective kindergarten transition strategies that prepare students to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. 

Garlough, Moreland and Heritage received Fuel Up to Play 60 grants to help jump-start and sustain healthy nutrition and physical activity improvements. Funding is provided by Midwest Dairy Council.

District 197 was chosen to participate in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Training, Education, Assistance, Mentorship and Support (TEAMS) project. The District's Health Coordinator will partner with a Dakota county health department representative and a local physician to complete the TEAMS initiative.