Photo by Joy Riggs. From left to right, Emily Schmitz, Joyce Schlossin and Beth Endert

Three local women who led an after-school sewing group at Northfield Middle School have received the Healthy Community Initiative “Making a Difference” Award for May 2013. The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Joyce Schlossin started the group and recruited Beth Endert and Emily Schmitz to assist her. Over a 12-week period, they taught a group of about a dozen girls to make items such as scarves, mittens, headbands, placemats, potholders, pillows and cell phone holders.

“They were pleased – they couldn’t believe they could do it,” Endert said. “We’re already getting ideas for next time.”

Susan Sanderson, coordinator of the middle school TORCH program, said the women also taught the girls about the economics of sewing, how to save money and make the most out of every scrap of fabric.

“Joyce and her partners have great energy, and we are so fortunate to have them sharing their skills and love of sewing,” Sanderson said.

- Written by Joy Riggs, HCI Board member and freelance journalist

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The Healthy Community Initiative and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate for this award, click HERE for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

Funded projects included:

Summer Slide Prevention Program
Designed by teachers at Sibley Elementary School, this is a summer reading program that will support parents in their efforts to keep their elementary children reading and to preserve effective reading skills through the non-school summer months.

English Language Learners Year-End Celebration
Students in the Northfield High School English Language Learner (ELL) program arranged a year-end celebration of academic success.  The aim of the project is to recognize academic accomplishments throughout the year and foster increased school connectedness.

Autism Awareness
April is Autism Awareness Month. Tonya Yarmakov, a student, is organizing a gathering of her autism class members and their families in order to formally thank the staff members that work with the group.  Tonya is also organizing two bowling events for students involved in the autism program.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration
TEAM UP teachers at the Northfield Middle School planned the 3rd annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration where students and their families could celebrate and learn about Latino culture.  There were dance groups performing for the entertainment of students and their families.  The Tattered Pages Bookstore was also be open for families.

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Arcadia Middle School Service Learning Projects

Service learning is a teaching method that enriches learning by engaging students in meaningful service to their schools and communities.  HCI approved small start-up grants for the following projects designed by Arcadia Charter School middle school students:

1. Campfire Night.  A campfire and night games event meant for school bonding and for raising awareness for the Save the Depot campaign.
2. Donating Books to Women in Prison.  This was a book drive with donated books and funds to be sent to the Women’s Prison Book Project.
3. Blanket Making and Donating.  Students made blankets for Ruth’s House of Hope.
4. Bake Sale for Children with Cancer.  A fundraiser for the Children’s Hospitals of Minnesota’s cancer facility.
5. Prairie’s Edge Humane Society Fundraiser.  A bake sale fundraiser for the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.
6. Soda Floats.  This was an event benefiting the Community Action Center’s Food Shelf.
7. Lollipop Sale.  This was a fundraiser for Ruth’s House of Hope.
8. Wreck-It Ralph Movie Night.  A fundraiser for Pennies for Peace, a non-profit organization that raises money to build schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
9. Helping Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.  Students made animal treats and toys for the animals of Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.
10. Bake Sale for Red Pandas.  A fundraiser dedicated to the preservation of Red Pandas.
11. Project Universal.  An event to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that helps wounded soldiers and veterans.

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HCI offers Investing in Youth grants to projects and activities that:

• provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/investinginyouthgrants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI Investing in Youth grants program comes from the Northfield Hospital & Clinics, Northfield Area United Way, MMIC Health IT, and Allina Medical Clinic-Northfield.

Strengthening Families is an evidence-based program recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.  In independent research, it has been shown to dramatically decrease substance use and abuse, reduce aggression, and strengthen academic success in teens.

Click HERE for the registration form.  CEUs are available.

The registration deadline is May 15, 2013.

The training is sponsored by the St. Olaf Social Work & Family Studies Department and the Rice County Chemical Health Coalition.

From left to right, Isaiah Suárez, Frank Meyer, Shay Canning, Zach Jensen, Spencer Fredrickson and Dane Holzschuh. Photo by Joy Riggs

The Northfield Skateboard Coalition has received the Healthy Community Initiative’s “Making a Difference” Award for March/April 2013. The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Rob Hardy, an adult adviser to the group, and filmmaker Cecilia Cornejo nominated the coalition members for the award, citing the dedication and resolve the youth demonstrated throughout the lengthy civic process of working to bring a permanent skate park to Northfield.

“There have been times when the adults have gotten frustrated, angry, or rude, and the kids have never done that. They’ve been models of good behavior and civility,” Hardy said.

Northfield High School senior Frank Meyer, who spearheaded the youth-led effort, is not a skateboarder himself. He said he joined the coalition about a year ago because he respected the skateboarders’ perseverance. Through attending and speaking at city council and park board meetings, and discussing the issue with a range of people, Meyer said he learned to be patient, to be a good listener, and to be willing to expect good ideas from anyone.

“We’re really appreciative of the support that’s come from the city and the town as a whole; it’s been a long time in the making, and it’s really worth it now that we’re here,” he said.

- Article by Joy Riggs, freelance journalist and HCI Board member

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The Healthy Community Initiative and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate for this award, click HERE for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application — or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

More than 10 full-time AmeriCorps positions

CLICK HERE to see the descriptions and application processes for positions that are currently accepting applications.

Application review for many of the positions is underway so APPLY TODAY!

Positions are available with the Northfield Public Schools, Growing Up Healthy, the Northfield LINK Center, the Northfield Union of Youth/The Key, the Northfield Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes (TORCH) program, and Accelerate Northfield.

Questions?  Contact the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative.

Funded projects included:

Skate Park Research & Site Visit
Area youth skateboard enthusiasts and members of the Northfield Skateboard Coalition planned a visit to the Familia Skatepark in Minneapolis for a tour and discussion with that skate park manager about ideas for skate park design.  These youth have been in communication with several skate parks in the state about these issues and hope to bring informed ideas to the City of Northfield for the design of the Northfield skate park.

Dance Marathon
Youth on the Junior Board of Directors for Community Resource Bank plan to hold a 12-hour dance Marathon in June to raise money for the Community Action Center (CAC) to benefit the Food Shelf, Clothes Closet, and other CAC initiatives.

Family Math Game Night
Greenvale Park Elementary School staff planned to engage students and families in a math game night at conferences in March.  Students and their families were taught various math games.  Then each family was provided with playing cards and dice, so they can take these games home to play and practice math in a fun way.

Tattered Pages
The Tattered Pages Bookstore at the Northfield Middle School serves all students and their families.  The bookstore receives donated books from students and the community.  Students may redeem earned coupons to buy books for personal and home use.  Coupons are earned by students in a number of ways, including helping to do odd jobs around school, exhibiting good citizenship, donating books to the bookstore, or working in the bookstore.  Tattered Pages plans to increase the number of available Spanish books before its Mother’s Day sale, which takes place at the Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 3rd.  All middle school families are invited to the Cinco de Mayo event.

After Prom Party
The After Prom Party is an annual event that provides a safe, fun, and chemically-free place for all Northfield juniors and seniors (regardless of whether or not they went to Prom) to continue the celebration after Prom ends.  There will be many activities — bowling, casino games, prize drawings, and lots of food.  The event will take place after Prom on May 4th, with doors opening at midnight.  The event is held at the Jesse James Lanes in Northfield and runs from 12:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.

Earth Day Celebration
The youth of Transition Northfield are planning two projects for the annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 20.  The first project is a sewing workshop where community members can sew lunch bags, reusable grocery bags, and other items from the fabric of used T-shirts and other used clothing.  The second project is the building of raised garden beds that will be placed at centrally located First United Church of Christ in Northfield.  Produce grown in the raised beds will be available to the public, free of charge.

Senior Class Lock-In
The Senior Class Lock-In will be held on May 29, the last day of classes for seniors at Northfield High School.  Seniors will be “locked-in” at the high school from 10:00 p.m. Friday night until 5:00 a.m. the next morning.  This is a safe, chemical-free event for the 300+ students expected to attend.

Nursing Assistant Training Program
The Northfield Retirement Community (NRC) and the Northfield High School are partnering to offer an educational outreach program to Northfield High School students interested in developing skills that will prepare them for employment as nursing assistants in care centers or as resident aides in retirement communities.

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HCI offers Investing in Youth grants to projects and activities that:

• provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/investinginyouthgrants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI Investing in Youth grants program comes from the Northfield Area United Way, Northfield Hospital, MMIC Health IT, and Allina Medical Clinic-Northfield.

Ed Buchwald (center) and Clark Webster (third from right) pose with members and leaders from Northfield Boy Scout Troop 337.

Two longtime volunteers with a Northfield Boy Scout Troop have received the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative’s “Making a Difference” Award for January/February 2013. The award celebrates those groups and individuals in the community who have a positive influence on Northfield youth.

Ed Buchwald and Clark Webster have each served as adult leaders of the Carleton-based Troop 337 for more than four decades. Buchwald, a retired Carleton College geology professor, stepped down as Scoutmaster last October but still helps out with the troop, which he started in 1968. Webster joined the troop as its committee chair in about 1970, a position he still holds.

Both men greatly enjoy camping and backpacking, which is one reason they continue to volunteer with the troop, long past the days when their own sons went through scouting. They also have found it rewarding to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the outdoors with the boys.

“I enjoy watching the kids mature. It’s fun to see them learning not only Scout skills, but leadership skills,” Webster said. “The Scouts are a great organization for training young boys to become young adults.”

Since Troop 337 was formed, 44 boys have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and more than 220 have earned badges and participated in troop camping trips, service projects and other activities.

Northfield High School freshman Sebastian Lawler has been in the troop for four years and said he’s learned valuable life lessons from both men.

“Mr. B. is an admirable presence; everyone respects him. He’s a very honest guy, and he has taught me to always find the bright side of every situation,” Lawler said. “Mr. Webster helps organize everything, and he’s very good at his job. I’ve personally learned from him that it’s better to be more organized than less.”

- Article by Joy Riggs, HCI Board member and freelance journalist

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The Healthy Community Initiative and the Northfield News present the Making a Difference Award cooperatively. If you know an individual or group that you would like to nominate for this award, click HERE for nomination guidelines and the easy-to-complete application or find HCI on Facebook.  Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and are selected by a review team of HCI board members and local youth.

Beyond Words
“Beyond Words: A Celebration of Art and Literacy” is an annual event for Sibley Elementary School with over 300 students and their family members participating in the event each year.  “Beyond Words” brings students and their families together to participate in art and writing activities.  This year, the “Beyond Words” event is scheduled for the evening of April 4th.

Pots for a Cause
Area high school students will make pottery to sell at the popular Arts a la Carte event, scheduled for the evening of April 26th at Northfield High School.  The pottery will be available for sale to the community.  All proceeds earned from the sale of the pottery will be donated to the local food shelf.

Owl Pellets (Exploring a Spark of Nature)
Fifth graders at Greenvale Park Elementary School will explore the aspect of nature by examining owl pellets and learning about owls and their habitat.  Students will also explore the nature center outside the school.  This project is designed to help expose students to a potential spark.  Click HERE for more information about the “Sparks” program.

Evening of the Arts
Evening of the Arts is an annual school-wide event where Greenvale Park Elementary School celebrates each student’s accomplishments in a variety of art forms (visual, musical and/or performing arts).  All students will have artwork on display, and the evening will include student performances and interactive activities for participants.  The Evening of the Arts event is scheduled for April 9th.

Watch Me Grow!  Partnering with Preschoolers
Senior citizens from Three Links Apartments will visit Longfellow Preschool to participate in a monthly activity with students (ages 3, 4, and 5).  The Three Links residents will partner with and engage the young students in activities focused on literacy and small motor development.

Water for Sudan
Inspired by the book, Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, middle school students plan to sell concessions at the February 2nd  Northfield Middle School Speech Tournament.  All proceeds from concession sales will benefit the Water for Sudan Organization.   This organization helps build wells for people in living in Sudan.

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HCI offers Investing in Youth grants to projects and activities that:

• provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/investinginyouthgrants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI Investing in Youth grants program comes from the Northfield Area United Way, MMIC Health IT, and Allina Medical Clinic-Northfield.

Hospital Blessings
Middle school student, Hannah Singh, will provide snacks for families visiting patients at the hospital over the holidays.  She hopes to bless visitors with allergen-free snacks to let each family know the community cares for them.

Healthy Cooking for Middle School Students
Students at the Northfield Middle School Youth Center are organizing weekly cooking sessions.  They hope to research, plan and share simple but healthy recipes that students can make during each cooking session.  Their goal is for participants to take the healthy recipes and cook them again at home.

Unusual Animals Club
Middle school student, Annie Ponder plans to start a club for owners of unusual animals.  She plans to hold monthly meetings and an annual unusual pet show to display and teach about animals.  She hopes this group might go on to take their pets to area retirement centers, preschools/daycares, and community events such as “Books & Stars.”

Celebrate Success!
The Northfield Middle School TORCH (Tackling Obstacles and Raising College Hopes) program will again facilitate a celebratory gathering for all middle school TORCH students who make the honor roll (earn a 2.6 GPA or greater) at the end of each of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.  Each event would be held at the Northfield Middle School, where qualifying TORCH students enjoy a pizza party.

Contra Dance Nights for Northfield Area High School Students
Arlo Cristofara-Hark, a high school student, would like to share his enthusiasm for contra dancing (a type of folk dance).  In February, Arlo and the Northfield Contra Dance Association plan to hold two contra dance nights for area high school youth.  These dances will include lessons and will be “called” by a professional caller (much like a square dance has a caller).  The hope is to encourage students to then attend the larger community Contra dances that take place in Northfield.

Young Northfield Chefs
Carleton College sophomore, Vayu Maini Rekdah and his Carleton cooking club, “Firebellies,” will design a five-step cooking workshop series. Through specific themes, such as seasonality or cuisines of the world, participants will be immersed in a productive learning environment that integrates all aspects of food – cultural, social, health, education, and sustainability – into a hands-on cooking class series.  This series of cooking workshops is geared toward middle school students and will take place during January, February, and March.  Workshops will likely be held at Carleton and/or an area school.

Service Learning

HCI agreed to fund two Investing in Youth grants to aid service projects developed by students at Northfield High School.  All students are enrolled in Sarah Swan-McDonald’s Service Learning Class, which concludes its semester with group service projects designed by the students.  These projects include:

Ornaments for Hope
This group of students sold candy canes, candy grams, and ornaments at the Northfield High School, with all proceeds going to the Community Action Center.  These students also worked with students and staff at Bridgewater Elementary School, where participating classes made holiday ornaments.  Each elementary student made two ornaments.  One ornament was made to take home; the second was intended for sale at Riverwalk Market Fair or at the Northfield High School, with all proceeds to benefit the CAC.

Teen Obesity Awareness
This group worked to increase awareness among Northfield youth about the problem and dangers of youth obesity.  This group provided high school students with information on a la carte items in the school cafeteria and surveyed students on their ideas of nutrition.  The goal of this group was to encourage other students to eat better and be healthier.

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HCI offers Investing in Youth grants to projects and activities that:

• provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/investinginyouthgrants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI Investing in Youth grants program comes from the Northfield Area United Way, MMIC Health IT, and Allina Medical Clinic-Northfield.