Grantee: Kathryn Sloan – Teacher at Rochester Alternative Learning Center
Project Title: Empowerment Through Music
Grant Amount: $3,000.00
Throughout the 2017-18 school year, students in the Rochester Public Schools District who attend the Rochester Alternative Learning Center, a full-service community school, took part in an experiential learning experience that was funded by the Education Minnesota Foundation. The project was built on a teacher-led program within the district called the Green Thumb Initiative, which aims to educate students about healthy eating. Part of the program’s tactics include hands-on experiences that parallel concepts learned in the classroom. A result of the Green Thumb Initiative has been an urban farm two-years in the making which is cultivated and managed by students in what was once a barren lot.
The unique learning opportunity made possible by the Education Minnesota Foundation grant consisted of having students work with a musician to compose an original rap song about healthy food, record their song in a professional studio, and write a screenplay to produce a music video. Students then acted out the screenplay and had their performance recorded, which resulted in the incredible music video below.