Saint Mary's Newsroom

By Donny Nadeau
Saint Mary’s Sports Information Director

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota sophomore Tommy Stang (Mendota Heights, Minn.) had a break-out year for the Cardinal men’s hockey team in 2018-19 — highlighted by a spot on the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First-Team.

But Stang’s impact has proven to go far beyond his uncanny playmaking abilities on the ice — just ask the Thief River Falls NorsKids Foundation.

Alec Daman and Tommy Stang. Photo courtesy of Tim Benton of NorsKids Foundation.

The non-profit NorsKids Foundation — in conjunction with the Thief River Falls Noskie Junior A hockey team — announced the creation of the $1,500 NorsKids Foundation/Tommy Stang Community Service Scholarship, and, on March 16, named Noskie Alec Daman its first recipient.

“To have my name be remembered in that town and with that team is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Stang. “It was such a joy to work with the people in the community. The town and the people at NorsKids will always have a special place in my heart.”

Stang, who played for the TRF Norskie squad during its inaugural season in 2016-17, was instrumental in organizing and getting the TRF Norskie players involved in NorsKids Foundation events, including weekly Tuesday afternoon bowling with the adult Special Olympic athletes.

The NorsKids Foundation’s mission is to promote social interaction and activities, as well as mentoring programs in Thief River Falls, Minn., and surrounding communities for youth, veterans, senior citizens, economically disadvantaged families and disabled persons of all ages.

Part of what the NorsKids Foundation does is take their target groups of people to TRF Norskie Junior A hockey games to socialize, and get to know the players. In turn, the TRF Norskie players volunteer and participate in events such as the weekly bowling practice for Special Olympic adults, a day at the go-kart track and mini-golf course, an annual bowling tournament, a dance, and several other events.

“When I was at Thief River Falls, I was approached by my coach, Tim Benton,” explained Stang of his initial involvement with the NosKids Foundation. “He wanted to start a foundation for disabled kids and adults, and asked if I and a couple teammates would want to join a group over at the bowling alley. I instantly said yes, and within five minutes of walking in the door, I fell in love with each and every one of those people.

“It was so nice to give back to a community that had given me the opportunity to showcase my talents,” Stang added. “When I left to come to Saint Mary’s, I stayed in touch with Tim, and the group all came to our game at Concordia — that made me realize how special the bond is we have with each other.”

Saint Mary’s University students of Jazz Combo 1, led by their director, A. Eric Heukeshoven, “played it forward” for a packed Café Congo at First Congregational Church of Winona on March 13. According to event organizer, Steve Bachler, proceeds from the group’s performance totaled nearly $400 – an increase of 35 percent over previous similar fundraisers. Jazz Combo 1 presented an evening of selections from their recent international tour of Germany and Belgium for the appreciative and generous audience.

Jazz at Saint Mary’s next performance will take place Sunday, April 28, at 3 p.m. in the Page Theatre. One Small Step – Jazz in 1969 will present an exploration of this important turning point in jazz history. From the end of the bossa nova era to the intersection of jazz and pop music, listeners will be transported 50 years back in time on a musical journey. Featured student soloists will include Ben Albus on guitar with vocalists Erin McCoy and Liam Hahn.

Jazz at Saint Mary’s

Jazz has played an integral role at Saint Mary’s University since the mid-1950s when the locally famous big band known as the Marinotes (led by Brother Paul Turner, FSC ’46) was formed. Today, the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop Combo, and Jazz Combo 1 are staples of the curriculum.

In March 2015, Jazz Combo 1 was featured at numerous venues in Ireland, including the Castle Hotel in Dublin and Galway’s number one jazz club, Busker Brownes. In March 2012, the group toured and performed in Germany. A fundraiser for the Dreifaltigkeits-Krankenhaus (Trinity Hospital) in Köln (Cologne) drew a packed house of over 450 and raised in excess of $8,000.

Photo caption: Jazz at Saint Mary’s “playing it forward” at Café Congo. From left, A. Eric Heukeshoven, piano; Sam Price, guitar; David French, percussion; Cray Alvarez, drums; Jake French, trumpet; Sam French, alto sax; and Max Heukeshoven, bass.

Portia Mensah ’19 spent a semester working alongside teens in an urban school in the Twin Cities and literally walked in the footsteps of a homeless person.

Tyler Aliperto ’19 worked for a political organization which focuses on pending elections and educating others about the candidate’s stances on gender, economic justice, and social justice.

Mensah and Aliperto are two of a growing number of young people with a desire to leave the world a better place — a desire to make a difference. Their recent internships, both completed with the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) Study-USA program, fueled this passion.

Mensah, a human services-health major from Bloomington, Minn., dreams of being a social worker who works for a non-profit or after-school program with young adults and teens.

Aliperto, a senior journalism major from St. Paul, Minn., also wants to work with youth. By becoming an educator in the schools he grew up in, he hopes to be an advocate for his students as well as for teachers.

HECUA’s Study-USA program structure includes seminar-style discussions mixed with field visits and guest speakers. By participants’ second week, they are placed at internship sites where they begin working 20 hours per week. Each Study-USA program offers a different theme and experience.

Both Saint Mary’s seniors chose “Inequality in America,” through which students examined the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States as well as gained concrete change-making skills through internships and discussions with effective activists.

Mensah said her semester-long experience this past fall focused on a number of critical areas including racism, housing, education, labor force, economics, and politics. “We all had our stories, and we were able to voice our opinions and listen to one another,” she said. “I was able to connect with others in the program and build resources and networking opportunities for the future.”

During her internship at Avalon School in St. Paul, she worked closely with high school students. In addition to supervising about 45 students in the classroom, she tutored in algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, and statistics; shadowed the math teachers; and helped students with homework. She also taught students valuable skills like how to apply for jobs and write papers and other independent living skills. A major project of hers included introducing students to a library in St. Paul where they could find resources for an upcoming project.

“Besides working in the population I want to work with, I was able to learn how the students cope in different environments,” she said. “They trusted me and felt safe, so we were able to talk and build a connection. And I used my skills from a past internship in which I worked with youth in a court-ordered program. I saw students who could potentially go that path, and I could redirect them and shift their focus. I also learned to break out of my confidence zone, to ask questions, and seek out help when needed.”

In spring of 2018, Aliperto changed his career path largely because of his HECUA experience and a meaningful learning unit that focused on education. “Inequality is replicated and reproduced throughout generations,” he said. “The education system plays a big role in that. Now I’m applying to colleges because I want to get my master’s degree in teaching. I would also want to support teachers’ unions and grow politically.”

Aliperto started a “take action squad” and held a few meetings at Saint Mary’s that brought in between 25-35 students each. The group was focused on various governors’ races but also on social justice at the university and the surrounding community.

He recommends that college students become more active in elections and not just at the presidential level. “If people our age were playing more of a role, it would contribute to us getting our issues more in the forefront so we could find solutions,” he said.

He and Mensah know it’s important to question authority and do the research before taking a stance. “I’ve learned that sometimes kids make decisions based on how they were raised, which can negatively or positively affect them,” Mensah said. “It’s up to us to research and question. It’s about us and how we want to make the change.”