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Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
ITA clinic continues to help Winona-area grade school students improve their reading skills
The stories of gratitude are plentiful when it comes to the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) program on the Winona Campus at Saint Mary’s University. They come from program alumni who appreciate how much the program has done for them. They, in turn, serve as ambassadors for future generations of participants.
Sue Bergler hears about them all the time. She started to run the day-to-day operations two years ago for the clinic, which was founded in 1988. By the estimation of program founder Jane Anderson, Ph.D., the ITA clinic has helped approximately 450 students, ranging from second- to eighth-graders, improve their reading skills.
A bulletin board showing current students and their tutors at the ITA clinic in Saint Mary’s Hall greets those who enter.
Bergler said the clinic currently serves a fifth-grader whose father was in the program 30 years ago when he was facing similar obstacles as his son.
“I think they had tried different avenues, and then he remembered that he had had the same type of issues as a child and how much it helped him,” Bergler said.
In late September, the clinic received a grant of $24,880 from the ITA Foundation, a New York-based organization that has been providing funding to the clinic since it was founded by Dr. Anderson, who currently works as a consultant for the foundation.
“Without the foundation’s funding, the ITA clinic wouldn’t exist here,” said Katie Hubbard, director of the K-12 Reading program, who takes care of the behind-the-scenes operations for the clinic. “It takes a lot of resources and manpower on a daily basis to keep it going, on top of the tutors and all of those things and materials and supplies. It adds up pretty quickly.”
Hubbard added the program has also benefited greatly from in-kind contributions the university has made from the program’s start, especially classroom space in Saint Mary’s Hall.
The instruction, which can last two to three years, begins with the introduction of a phonetic alphabet that contains a sound symbol for each of the 44 spoken sounds in the English language. Students develop phonemic awareness through the specialized alphabet.
The program currently has approximately 20 students from Winona and surrounding communities in the bi-state area. Coming largely via word-of-mouth referrals, the program enrollees meet one-on-one twice a week with tutors from the Saint Mary’s community. A majority of the tutors are undergraduate teaching students, but honor students and seminarians also contribute their time as well, Bergler said.
Featured image: ITA clinic tutor Will O’Donnell works with local student Noah Gustafson on Nov. 19 in Saint Mary’s Hall. The clinic has served approximately 450 students since its founding in 1988.
MCA offers free Holiday Tap Jam for area youth Dec. 10
WINONA, Minn. — Local tap dancers ages 5 and older are invited to participate a fun-filled Holiday Tap Jam Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the Valéncia Arts Center. The workshop will include technique warm-ups, choreography, and improvisation — all to some favorite holiday tunes! New this year, instead of collecting a fee, MCA is collecting donations of warm clothing or food to be donated locally.
The Tap Jam will run:
Ages 5–7 — 5:15–6 p.m.
Tap I & II — 5–6 p.m.
Tap III, IV, & V — 4:30–6 p.m.
(Tappers who are not currently MCA students are also invited to join; please contact the office at 507-453-5500 or email mca@smumn.edu if you need assistance determining the level you should be in.)
The instructors will be Jennifer Beachle, Nathan Graff, Christine Martin, and Justine Meinke.
About MCA
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA), an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, is a nonprofit community arts school offering programming in dance, music, visual art, and theater. Classes, lessons, workshops, and camps are offered for students of all ages from birth through older adults at the Valéncia Arts Center. For more information about MCA or Galleria Valéncia, visit mca.smumn.edu, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
Burke’s winning essay reflects on a Lasallian education
The following essay, written by junior education major Kristin Burke was awarded first place in the Lasallian Essay Contest, as part of Saint Mary’s #300 celebration — honoring Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the patron saint of educators, who died 300 years ago.
Empowered in Lasallian Tradition
Home. This is the first word that I thought of when I toured Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota four years ago. When I first chose to visit this campus in my junior year of high school, the Lasallian Catholic heritage present at this university was not something on my mind. I came here because I had heard Saint Mary’s had a “great” education program, but the minute I stepped foot on campus, it felt like home. At the time, I would not be able to explain why, but I knew I had to come here.
Coming to college, my focus was on the academics, specifically the grades. Throughout high school, I worked at least 30 hours a week to save for college while also taking both college classes and high school classes. While this was a tremendous opportunity to prepare me for college, this also left me with little time for developing relationships with the people around me. As a result, I came to college with the mentality that I should put in the work, get the grade, and walk away having “succeeded” at college. However, it did not take me long here at Saint Mary’s to realize how wrong I had been.
During my first semester here, I took my first education class with Dr. Sorvaag. At the end of every class, he would always say, “Remember, you are loved.” I did not understand what he meant by this at the time, but something about this made me feel recognized. That is when I began to notice this in more of my classes. In the classes here at Saint Mary’s it was not just about getting a grade and boosting your GPA, these classes focused on human dignity, serving others, and making connections with the people around you. Then, as I began to learn more about the mission of Saint Mary’s rooted in Lasallian Catholic tradition, this sense of community and connection began to make sense to me.
The next semester, I had a class with Brother Patrick Conway. He would always start class with the Lasallian prayer, “Live Jesus in our hearts forever.” Every day as I heard this prayer, I began to reflect on what this meant for me as a future educator, and I began to see how much this Lasallian Catholic heritage could impact my own future classroom. In a world where life has become a blur of rushing from one commitment to another and time has become a long lost commodity, it is so very important to take a moment to recognize the people around you, give them a sense of dignity and love, and remind yourself of why you are there in the first place. For me, I needed this wake-up call to remind me that I was here to serve my future students, be an advocate for those who had none, and help students reach their full potential. However, serving others, being an advocate, and lifting others up would never be possible if I just “got the grades.” In order to fulfill this mission, I needed to also establish sincere and meaningful connections with the people around me, just as Dr. Sorvaag and Brother Patrick Conway had done with me.
Realizing what the Lasallian mission is really about has certainly inspired me in my own future as an educator. Coming here to Saint Mary’s, I was struggling to understand how I could make a difference in the lives of my students and best meet their needs. However, after realizing the importance of building relationships and preserving the dignity of those around me, I have the answer to this question that I have been asking myself for so long. Being the perfect educator, graduating with a 4.0 GPA, and coming out on top are not the aspects of my education that are going to have an impact on my future students. How I form connections with those in my classroom will make the world of difference. However, this wasn’t all I learned through the Lasallian mission.
Taking this university’s Lasallian Catholic mission to heart, I was inspired to become more involved in leadership on campus as well, so as to continue to build on the relationships and connections here on campus. I came to this university because it felt like home to me, and while it took me a while to discover that the reason for this was the Lasallian heritage, I wanted to create this feeling of home for others. Academics are still important to me since my education is certainly a gift from God, but this is now balanced with involvement in the community on campus and serving those around me. Sometimes these connections are merely smiling and acknowledging those around me just as the professors here always do for me. Maybe it is stopping to talk to campus visitors and help give them that same feeling of home. Sometimes it means leading events, clubs, and people in the same mission of serving others. But each time that I form a connection with those around me, I always think about the people here at this university such as Dr. Sorvaag and Brother Patrick Conway who did this for me. It would be an understatement to say that they changed my life, but what I can certainly say is that this campus and its Lasallian Catholic heritage have no doubt “awakened, nurtured, and empowered me to an ethical life of service and leadership.”
First-year students compose, perform original protest song
How do 20 students write a song together? Finding inspiration in the impact of modern protest songs is a good place to start.
Dr. Janet Heukeshoven’s first-year anchor class, Music that Changed the World, spends much of the semester learning about music that had significant impact on the world, from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to the Hong Kong protesters’ song that has become the national anthem of their revolution in recent months.
Students in Dr. Janet Heukeshoven’s first-year anchor class, Music that Changed the World composed, performed, and recorded a song titled “For the Life of Us” about the issues of discrimination and equality.
Using a constructivist approach, class members started by making lists of what they believed were the major issues in society. After a process of elimination and voting, the class selected issues of discrimination and equality as the unifying theme of the song. Song lyrics were composed by all in the form of poetry written on Post-it notes.
The notes were placed around the room, and phrases were created, re-arranged, and edited. Students shared a Google document in which the song lyrics from the Post-it notes were revised into the refrain and verses for the song. Then the structure and form of the music to match the lyrics evolved, boosted by a chord progression, and melodic ideas were created, sung, and combined.
The class then moved into Studio S (the recording studio in Yon’s Hall) for two song formation rehearsals and added an additional verse and coda to bring the song to a close. All students played a role in the composition and performance: piano, two violins, flute, sousaphone, two guitars, drum set, bongo and congas, and voices all came together.
Their final trip to Studio S was on Oct. 25 to record the song — For the Life of Us — with the assistance of professor Eric Heukeshoven, Music Industry program director. The song is best described as an alternative rock song, expressing hopeful and heartfelt hope that, starting with each of us, society will move in the right direction for the life of us.
Listen to the song here: https://soundcloud.com/user-33208543/for-the-life-of-us/s-OZf3C
Anchor class instructor Janet Heukeshoven is proud of this group of first-year students, many of whom have not previously studied music. They were willing to take a chance, to be creative, to work together in unique ways, to take risks, embrace the process and truly become a supportive community through music. Her hope is that they will continue to be open to taking risks and trying new things throughout life, and will listen to all types of music more deeply because of this experience.
Saint Mary’s holiday concerts will ring in the season
WINONA, Minn. — Whether you’re in the mood to hum along with familiar favorites, enjoy some cool jazz, or hear the Christmas story in song, Saint Mary’s Department of Music will surround you with merry music this Christmas season.
The Songbirds, performing in “Jingle Bell Swing” Dec. 6 include, from left: Olivia Beauchamp, Emme Jones, Erin Grams, and Frannie Mamer.
Jazz at Saint Mary’s with ‘Jingle Bell Swing’
Jazz at Saint Mary’s welcomes the holidays with “Jingle Bell Swing” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in Page Theatre. This year’s concert features holiday favorites from more recent years including: a swingin’ arrangement of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You;” hits from “A Charlie Brown Christmas;” “Feliz Navidad;” and even a contemporary take on “White Christmas” will help to make the season bright. Olivia Beauchamp, Emme Jones, Erin Grams, and Frannie Mamer — aka “The Songbirds” — will premiere a new arrangement of “Mister Santa” by Jazz at Saint Mary’s director Eric Heukeshoven.
Arrive early and enjoy even more holiday favorites! Jazz Combo 1 will perform in the Ben Miller Lobby from 6:45 to 7:15 p.m., prior to the performance.
For more information, contact Director of Jazz Studies, A. Eric Heukeshoven at 507-457-7292 or eheukesh@smumn.edu.
Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Mary’s Chamber Orchestra will present their annual winter concert at 3 p.m. Dec. 7 in Page Theatre.
“Lessons and Carols,” to be performed by the Saint Mary’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers on Dec. 7, is held in the beautiful Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels.
‘Lessons and Carols’
The joyous and uplifting Christmas service of “Lessons and Carols” will be presented by the Saint Mary’s University Department of Music at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7.
The beautiful service, held in the majestic Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels, features the Saint Mary’s Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Patrick O’Shea.
“Lessons and Carols” reflects on the Christmas story through several short readings, hymns, and Christmas carols sung by the choirs and audience. Music includes familiar carols and selections by composers from the Renaissance to the present.
The Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels is located at Wabasha and Vila streets in Winona.
Concert Band
Celebrate the season Sunday, Dec. 8, with a variety of selections including holiday favorites and band classics by the Saint Mary’s Concert Band and Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Janet Heukeshoven.
The program includes: “Gaudete,” “Holst Winter Suite,” “The Joy of Christmas,” “Holiday Favorites,” “So Wondrous Bright,” “Gloria,” and “Sleigh Ride.” The performance begins at 4 p.m. in Page Theatre.
After the main performance, music will continue in the Ben Miller Lobby of the Performance Center. Enjoy sweet treats provided by band members, punch, and coffee while listening to a variety of chamber ensembles including a flute choir, clarinet ensemble, tuba-euphonium quartet, mixed woodwind quartet, and more. This concert is a family-friendly event; come for the music, and stay for the festive lobby party. For additional information, contact Janet Heukeshoven at jheukesh@smumn.edu.
Tickets for all performances are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and are available by calling the Saint Mary’s Box Office, 507-457-1715, from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.pagetheatre.org. Tickets at the door are available by cash or check only.
Caption: The Saint Mary’s Concert Band is ready to perform holiday favorites Dec. 8.
MCA to present ‘Animals on Parade’ concert
WINONA, Minn. — Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) will present Dance Repertory Company II (DRC II) in a showcase “Animals on Parade” concert featuring dancers ages 5-13 performing tap, ballet, hip hop, modern, and musical theatre to animal themed songs. Performances will take place Saturday, Dec. 7, at 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8, at 3 p.m. in the Academy Theatre of the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 W. 10th St.
Audiences will be delighted as they see Inspector Clouseau’s tapping in search of that sneaky Pink Panther, ballet dancers personifying birds and fish to selections of Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals,” Jellicle cats pouncing on stage to a musical selection from the Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical “Cats,” and more.
The dancers featured in the concert include: Layton Barnard, Liia Civettini, Emmie Dammen, Macy Donnenwerth, Fiona Dunbar, Abigail Ellenburg, Eva Elson, Layla Gozdal, Jolie Hill, Elizabeth Hinz, Dawn Kemp, Mollie Kieffer, Rose Knutson, Mattie Kreisel, Elliott Lallaman, Isaac Meinke, Preston Meinke, Keeli Meyer, Isabel Miller, Quinn Nelton, Markarah Olcott, Molly Schneider, Seamus Schwaba, Jenna See, Elina Skranka, Arianna Springer, Makayla Steinke, Natalie Steinke, Evelyn Swenson, Lucy Tipton, and Salome Tolvaisas.
The creative forces behind the concert include Tammy Schmidt, artistic director, and the following choreographers: Jessica Dienger, Christine Martin, Rachael Nehring, and Rachael Ryan-Dahlgren.
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets may be purchased beginning Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Valéncia Arts Center or one hour prior to the performance. Cash or check only. Handicapped seating is available. For more information call 507-453-5500 or email mca@smumn.edu.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
About MCA
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA), an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, is a nonprofit community arts school offering programming in dance, music, visual art, and theater. Classes, lessons, workshops, and camps are offered for students of all ages from birth through older adults at the Valéncia Arts Center. For more information about MCA or Galleria Valéncia, visit mca.smumn.edu, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
Photo caption: Mollie Kieffer, one of the dancers featured in ‘Animals on Parade’ during last year’s production of “The Nutcracker.”
Saint Mary’s University receives $1.7 million grant to develop character and virtue programs for educational administrators
MINNEAPOLIS/WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has been awarded a $1,732,643 grant from the Kern Family Foundation for the university’s School of Education Character and Virtue Initiative.
Using grant funding, Saint Mary’s will develop an enhanced curriculum for current and future educational leaders that places a strong emphasis on moral character, virtue, and ethics. The course content will be enhanced using the University of Birmingham’s (UK) Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtue framework. It will be customized to align with the Lasallian Virtues of a Teacher and the Cardinal Virtues matrix already informing the university’s mission and practices.
“Saint Mary’s is a Lasallian Catholic university with a strong reputation for preparing the majority of our state’s educators and educational administrators, and — thanks to this generous grant from the Kern Family — we will strengthen the licensing programs for principals and superintendents, as well as directors of special education by placing character and virtue education philosophies and practices into current programming,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., president of Saint Mary’s. “This initiative aims to change the face of education today by equipping educational administrators with the framework for virtue that needs to be at the forefront in our schools, and in the hearts and minds of those leading our schools.”
Other components of the initiative include establishing an annual retreat on character and virtue in leadership, developing a Character and Virtue School Leadership Academy, designing a character and virtue professional development series for partner schools, and creating online modules. In addition, Saint Mary’s will explore other program pathways and credentials related to this theme that includes microcredentials, certificates, and additional degrees.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Kern Family Foundation for partnering with us on this important initiative,” said Audrey Kintzi, vice president for Advancement and Communication at Saint Mary’s. “School administrators have an arduous but extremely important job and, as they face the many challenges that exist in today’s education systems, our goal is to arm them to lead with integrity and to set an example for their faculties and staff and the students in their care.”
“Our School of Education prides itself in being one of the state’s largest providers of principal, superintendent, and director of special education candidates,” said Lynn Albee, Ed.D., interim dean of Education. “Through our collaborative relationship with eduCATE, we are able to positively impact the educational experiences of students in Wisconsin as well. This is an exciting opportunity for Saint Mary’s Educational Administration program to really make a difference in the lives of Midwest school leaders, as well as children in schools.”
Saint Mary’s to celebrate beatification of alumnus Blessed Brother James Miller Dec. 7
University to present Signum Fidei Awards in honor of Brother James
WINONA, Minn. — On Saturday, Dec. 7, Saint Mary’s University is inviting the public to join in celebrating the beatification of Blessed Brother James Miller, FSC, an alumnus of Saint Mary’s, who earned his undergraduate degree in 1966 and his graduate degree in 1974.
A group of Saint Mary’s administration and De La Salle Christian Brothers will travel to Huehuetenango, Guatemala, for his official beatification ceremony. Simultaneously, the celebration will also be celebrated on the Winona Campus.
At 10:30 a.m., a celebration Mass is planned in Saint Thomas More Chapel, followed by an 11:30 a.m. reception in the Science and Learning Center. RSVP online at smumn.edu/bbjm by Wednesday, Nov. 27, if you are able to attend.
Brother James
Brother James was only 37 when he was shot and killed as he was mending a wall outside a school where he worked in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, in 1982. It is suspected that Brother James was killed because he and the other Brothers fought to keep their young students from being forced into the military.
Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of Brother James in 2018. Brother James will be the first De La Salle Christian Brother from the United States to be beatified, which brings him one step closer to sainthood.
Signum Fidei Awards
De La Salle Christian Brothers Michael Ferhenbach, FSC, Visitor, Midwest District, and Alberto Mairena Floripe, FSC, Visitor, Central America-Panama District, will be presented with Saint Mary’s Signum Fidei Award on Dec. 7 in Huehuetenango. The award is being given to both districts in honor of Brother James’ beatification and in recognition of his ministry in both the Midwest and Central American provinces.
The Signum Fidei award was established by the university as a way to honor the life and work of Brother James. It is bestowed on an individual, group, or organization in recognition of extraordinary service to the vulnerable and marginalized members of society. It also recognizes and honors work that promotes human solidarity. Its name, signum fidei (or “sign of faith”), is taken from the great seal of our Lasallian family, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
The Signum Fidei Award is the university’s most prestigious award and has been presented only two previous times. It was first awarded in September 2014 to the Bishop (now Cardinal) of Huehuetenango (the place of Brothers James Miller’s death), Álvaro Leonel Ramazzini Imeri. The second was to Pope Francis, given at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City in April 2015.
The award itself is a miniature bronze bust of Brother James atop a piece of limestone that was quarried in Winona. The bust is a replica, prepared by Minnesota artist Alec M. Smith, of the life-sized memorial to Brother James that was installed at the entrance of Residencia Santiago Miller, a student residence hall on the Winona Campus, and was dedicated during the university’s centennial celebration in 2013.
The fact that the same casting of the life-size bust will now have a second permanent home at the center where Brother James gave his life connects and unites Saint Mary’s and Casa Indígena Santiago Miller in a special way.
Saint Mary’s scholar receives AAUW International Fellowship to tackle gender barriers in education
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) awarded a 2019-20 International Fellowship to Linet Makori, a student in the Saint Mary’s University M.S. in Data Intelligence and Geoanalytics program. Recipients of AAUW grants and fellowships pursue academic work and lead innovative community projects to empower women and girls.
“I have had direct interaction with women and girls from all walks of life. Girls and women are a vulnerable and disadvantaged group in most communities,” Makori said. “With access to the right training, mentorship, support, and resources, they can be empowered by their own abilities and developed to gain confidence and skills to fulfill their potential.”
Linet Makori
In addition to her studies, Makori is also a student intern at GeoSpatial Services. Her goal for this fellowship year is to complete her degree, expand her network of women in STEM, and continue supporting Tunapanda Institute, which she has done since 2015 through its Tech Dada program in mentoring girls living in Kibera, one of Africa’s largest slums next to downtown Nairobi, Kenya.
“I am passionate about the socio-economic empowerment of girls and women because it is an avenue to solving some of our society’s biggest challenges,” she said.
Over the last nine years, Makori has worked as a systems analyst in the education sector in Kenya, where she’s faced challenges like improper data designs, documentation policies and procedures, and evolving technology. She hopes pursing this master’s degree will help her address these challenges through learning new and improved ways of handling and analyzing large data and building relationships with her peers and instructors through real-life experiences. She also sees this as an opportunity to narrow the technological skills gap for women in Kenya.
“The support of AAUW is giving me a head start on my journey toward accomplishing my academic goals and career aspirations. I am grateful for this opportunity as it lessens my financial burden while pursuing my degree. I am honored to be a 2019-20 AAUW fellow,” said Makori.
AAUW is one of the world’s oldest, leading supporters of graduate women’s education. Since 1888, it has awarded more than $115 million in fellowships, grants, and awards to 13,000 recipients from more than 145 countries. For the 2019-20 academic year, AAUW awarded more than $4 million in fellowships and grants to roughly 260 scholars, research projects, and programs promoting education and equity for women and girls.
Educational funding is especially important given that women are disproportionately burdened by student debt. And their ability to pay off that debt is hampered by a lifelong pay gap that affects women in nearly every profession. The pay gap widens over time and has consequences on all aspects of a woman’s financial life, from paying for an education to saving for a comfortable retirement. AAUW’s awards help to alleviate the burden of student debt so women can focus on developing their skills and experience.
Learn more at aauw.org.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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