Hi my name is Miranda. I’m going to tell about how much fun Spud Days were. To thank the people that helped make Spud Days fun. It was fun because it started with a parade to kick it off then inflatables and games. the Kickball games were fun to watch and they had a dunk tank for fun. It ended with a car show and a great band.
Greetings from Montrose School. This year 5th graders are excited to share with you some thoughts and ideas about our community. This blog is about Spud Days 2008. They all had a great time. Please feel free to comment anytime. Thanks.
Mrs. Jandl
The title Grassroots and Groundwork was extremely appropriate for a conference Charla and I attended in Minneapolis May 28-30. The three-day conference, put on by the Northwest Area Foundation, focused on how we, as individuals and working together in our communities and organizations, can lay the groundwork for reducing poverty. Making a difference in poverty starts with the grassroots, at our level.
Charla and I were part of a large South Dakota delegation. You can see all of us in the photo, thanks to Martha, who wanted our picture taken. South Dakotans came from Horizons communities and those in South Dakota Extension working with the Horizons program. We interacted with people from North Dakota, Iowa, Montana, Oregon, Minnesota, Idaho and Washington–states covered by the Northwest Area Foundation.
Keynote speakers were excellent and inspiring. Donna Beegle put a different face to poverty. The daughter of migrant farmers, this woman was immersed in poverty most of her life. Finally, at age 25, as a high-school dropout and single mother with no job skills, she bravely took the first step toward breaking her cycle of generational poverty. Today she has her doctorate in educational leadership and works to improve communciation and relationships across race, class, gender and generational barriers. She is also founder and CEO of PovertyBridge, a nonprofit dedicated to changing lives for people in poverty. I was so inspired, I purchased her book “See Poverty. Be the Difference”. If anyone would like to read it, you can certainly borrow it.
Chip Heath from Stanford University is well known for his “How to Make Ideas Stick”course and book that explain why certain ideas survive and prosper–or ’stick’–in society. For all of us at the conference, it makes us think about how we can get people to think differently about poverty. What will it take to make society realize we must be willing to take care of the least among us. What will get these ideas to ’stick’. Charla and I both got a copy of his book at registration–and it looks very interesting. Again, if someone would like to borrow it, please let me know.
We heard a panel of experts discuss what difficult steps we must take to make a real dent in poverty. And our final speaker was Thomas Vilsack. Former governor of Iowa, Vilsack ranas a candidate for the U.S. Presidency until announcing his withdrawal from the race in February 2007. His was a very inspirational message–telling us we must make people really see, taste, feel and smell what poverty is like.
In between speakers, we participated in numerous break-out sessions–hearing specific examples of what people are doing in different states to make a positive difference in reducing poverty–and getting ideas that we can hopefully bring back to Montrose or utilize someway in our lives. These break-out sessions included how to utilize our community’s social capital, tapping into our community’s strengths, advocacy strategies for financial justice, realizing human rights, acting to end hunger: 40 ways to make a difference..
I walked away from the conference with a better understanding of how we often misunderstand poverty and those who live it, and how as a great nation we must take care of the least among us. Perhaps most important, a lot of people left the conference inspired to come home and make a difference. If anyone would like to find out more, please comment and let’s start a conversation!!
Thanks to the Northwest Area Foundation for covering our expenses to the conference. As I got ready to leave for Minneapolis, all I could think about was the time it would take and what I wasn’t going to get done in terms of my job or at home. But once I got there, I realized this is where the important work is being done–and the rest would wait until I got home! It was well worth the time.
1)what do you like best about Montrose?
The school, being save, and knowing everyone. After school I can ride my scooter and know I am safe!!
2) What one thing would you change aboutMontrose to make it better?
I would like to reopen the gas station. I also would like to make our school bigger.
3) If money weren’t an issue what one thing would you like to see happen in Montrose?
I would like to open a last stop cd shop and a Best Buy and mabe a Spa for those hard days at work.
Jon
1) When do you like best about Montrose?
What I like best is being safe day and night.
2) What one thing would you change about Mountrose to make better?
I would change the park on the other side ofthe river. My teacher told us this was a cool park when she first moved to Montrose.
3) If money weren’t an issue what one thing would you like to see happen in Montrose?
I would put a ShopKo so my mom could just walk to work.
Josie
1. What do you like best about Montrose?
I like Montrose because all the people are nice.
2. What one thing would you change about Montrose to make it better?
Make everyone pick up there trash.
3. If money weren’t an issue what one thing would you like to see happen in Montrose?
I would put in a Last Stop CD Shop.
Your friend,
Andrew
1) What do you like best about Montrose?
My favorite thing about Montrose is that you can just roam around town with your friends and people smile and greet you. As a small town we have a wonderful public school and other facilities. We are a very lucky town! Montrose is a free and safe place.
2) What one thing would you change about Montrose to make it better?
One thing to make the town better would be to improve some of the older buildings on Main St. Such as, we could make the buildings more welcoming to the town and the visitors. Not only that but keeping other parts of town clean. This would be a great improvement!
3) If money weren’t an issue what one thing would you like to see happen in Montrose?
I would love to see a small clothing store so, people wouldn’t have to drive all the way to other towns just to maybe pick up a t-shirt. This wouldn’t only benefit our town but if someone was visiting or camping they could just go into town and get what they need. I have many other ideas!
What a great time this year it was blogging about our town!
Annie
1. What do you like best about Montrose?
I like the friendly people in Montrose. I like it how everyone knows everyone.
2. What one thing would you change about Montrose to make it better?
I would give everyone a lot of money to inprove the city in any way that they think in nessary.
3. If money weren’t an issue what one thing would you like to see happen in Montrose?
I’d let everyone join an organization from sports to a gardening club.
Your friend,
Tyler
1) What do you like best about Montrose?
What I like about Montrose is that you can walk around town and feel safe.
2) What one thing would you change about Montrose to make it better?
I would help Montrose get new buissnesses.
3) If money weren’t an issue what would you like to see happen in Montrose?
A re-building of the park across the creek after it was destroyed by the flood.
-Ted
(1) What do you like most about Montrose?
What I like most about Montrose it is a small town and you Don’t have to worry about any problems.
(2) What one thing would you change about Montrose to make it better?
I would change the size of the school and make more classes and sports available.
(3) If money wasn’t an issue, what is one thing you would like to see happen in Montrose?
I would like to see a Skate Park built in Montrose.
Just me,
Mason