By Rich Larson
Members of the Northfield Education Community will be at the State Fair tomorrow, to support an organization called MN Kids Rise.
MN Kids Rise is an initiative launched by the Minnesota School Boards Association with the goal of strengthening trust and pride in Minnesota’s public schools. Northfield School Board member Amy Goerwitz serves on the organization’s steering committee, while Minnesota Association of School Administrators Executive Director Dr. Matt Hillmann represents one of several statewide education groups supporting the effort.
Goerwitz said the organization wants to tell stories about the impact public schools have had on students, families and communities across Minnesota. The effort will officially launch Wednesday during Minnesota Kids Day at the State Fair, where visitors will be invited to share their own experiences with public education.
Hillmann said the campaign grew out of concern that positive stories about public schools frequently go untold. While people often express strong confidence in their own local schools, he said that confidence tends to decline when people are asked about public education at the state or national level.
MN Kids Rise hopes to address that disconnect by collecting and sharing stories from graduates about teachers, schools and experiences that helped shape their lives.
But Goerwitz said the effort is also intended to highlight the role schools play beyond academics. Public schools serve as gathering places, help create a sense of belonging for students and can be major economic engines in their communities.
The campaign will feature stories from prominent Minnesotans, including astronaut Karen Nyberg, but Hillmann said its focus extends well beyond famous graduates. Organizers want Minnesotans from every community to tell their own stories about the educators and experiences that made a difference in their lives.
Goerwitz said the goal is for local school communities throughout the state to participate, gathering stories from their own graduates and sharing the successes that have come from their districts.
Goerwitz and Hillmann will both be at the MN Kids Rise tent at the State Fair Wednesday, encouraging visitors of all ages to share what being a “Minnesota kid” has meant to them.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
