Ryan Hollins = Great Man, Great Player

Last Friday, Ryan Hollins from the Minnesota Timberwolves visited Sojourner Truth Academy. The day was magical! Our students had been looking forward to Ryan's visit the entire week. After I showed them the video announcing that Ryan was coming, the responses I got were priceless: "Ms. G, I saw you on that commercial!" "Ms. G, were you really talking to Ryan on the phone?" "Ms. G, you were on TV." "Ms. G, when is Ryan coming?" Most of these responses were from our kindergartners, since that is where I spend most of my time. However, I did get a lot of positive feedback on the video from our 5th graders. They want to help me make another video about our program.

Ryan was scheduled to come at the very end of our day. So, on Friday, I think around 2 p.m., 2 camera crews showed up in advance, along with the PR team for the Timberwolves. The students who were waiting in our lobby area were wide-eyed with huge smiles. FSN sports actually filmed some of their show on our campus! And some of our students got to be part of the broadcast. When I have a link to the video, I will post it.

The students in my after school group did a great job making welcome signs for Ryan, as well as a special reserved parking sign. And a couple days before Ryan's visit, I asked our students to submit questions they might have for Ryan. Many of our students submitted thoughtful questions and I chose 5 of them to read them to Ryan at the assembly. These 5 questions showed both heart and smarts, and were representative of all the questions that came in.

1. What inspires you to play basketball?

2. Who is your idol or hero?

3. What was school like for you? Were you a class clown or a geek?

4. If you were not a basketball player, what other career would you choose?

5. What three things can we do as kids to be successful in the future like you?

So, while our students and teachers finished up the last parts of their day, Ryan finished up practice with the Timberwolves. Our whole school is so grateful to Ryan for making time for our students. He came right after practice, spoke to our students, and then played 35 minutes in Saturday's game and finished with 14 pts, 7 reb. Way to Go Ryan!

When Ryan entered our gym, the students gawked with excitement. Had they ever seen someone 7 feet tall? Had they ever met an NBA player?

I passed the microphone to Ryan and he took over the assembly like a pro. He was charming, captivating, and inspiring. He told his story, how he made it to the NBA. And the true story that he told was not one with an easy path, but one full of hardships, disappointments and Ryan's refusal to give up on his dreams.

He said (paraphrased):

Do you think that I made my high school basketball team my freshman year? No.

Did I believe in myself and my dreams to play in the NBA? Yes

Do you think that I was heavily recruited out of high school by all the big name schools? No.

Did I believe in myself and in my dream to play at UCLA? Yes

Now, when I got to UCLA, do you think I was the best player? (Our students finally caught on, and answered No.)

Ryan continued his story of how he met his challenges with a positive attitude and a steadfast belief in himself. He talked about his father being his hero, and feeling grateful for having his dad in his life. Ryan told our students that if he was not a basketball player, he would probably be a history teacher! (I think all our teachers were thrilled to hear that!) Ryan graduated in 4 years from UCLA with a degree in History. (made the Athletic Director's honor roll in Spring , 2005)

As the school buses began lining up outside, Ryan wrapped up his talk and wished our students well. I then announced to our school that Ryan and the Timberwolves brought us a special gift... 1,000 tickets for the Timberwolves vs. Spurs game on Friday, March 12th at the Target Center, 7 p.m. The entire gym erupted with excitement! We then showed Ryan our "Whose House / Our House!" Cheer and said good-bye.

The day was magical!

It only takes one person to make a lasting impression and make a difference in a child's life. Ryan Hollins was that person for many of our students on Friday. We are so grateful to Ryan and the entire Minnesota Timberwolves organization for the generosity and kindness shown to our school. Ryan is an outstanding role model, athlete, and person. Thank you!

Love, Ms. G

P.S. We were just notified yesterday (Monday), that Ryan Hollins was so touched by our students and their good behavior, that he is going to buy our school brand new basketball hoops! Thank You Ryan! The timing is perfect . . . one of the rims broke yesterday :-)

If you would like to make a donation to our program and help us send students to The White House, please visit GiveMN.

NBA Player Ryan Hollins to Visit on Friday

Ryan Hollins, center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, is visiting Sojourner Truth Academy on Friday! Ryan is coming to talk to our students about his background, following your dreams, and the importance of education and to inspire our students to continue their quest to "Bring the White House to Our House!"


Watch the Timberwolves play the Mavericks tonight and cheer Ryan on!

Timberwolves @ Mavericks: 7:30 tonight, American Airlines Center

TV: FSSW Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, KFLC/1270 AM (Spanish)

Video: Hear Ms. G read the letter from President Obama

Happy Valentine's Day President Obama

I have an after school group called "Manners and Government Club." As boring or lame as it might sound, it is actually a lot of fun, and students are frequently requesting to join! I try and remember to smile about that on the more difficult days.

At the beginning of February, I brought supplies in for making Valentine's Day Cards with the M&G Club. The students were so excited when I showed them the GLITTER! Students made Valentine's Cards for their parents and families, and also lots of cards for President Obama. I hung the the ones for President Obama up in the Banquet Hall. (see below)

I do a lot of planning and activities for the program and I find the work very rewarding. However, sometimes I am rewarded by things that I do not plan, which is the MOST rewarding. Does that make sense? Let me explain...

On Friday, February 12, many classes at our school, including the kindergarten class that I work in, had Valentine's Day parties in the afternoon. I was passing out cards to our kindergartners, when two 5th grade boys entered the room and showed me a HUGE Valentine that they had made for President Obama! I was so thrilled by their creativity and so proud of them. At the bottom of their poster, they thanked President Obama for sending us the letters and pictures. It was the best (and only) Valentine's Day I've day I've ever an in Minnesota!

P.S. I sent the Valentine's and the poster to President Obama at the White House on February 15th. A little late, but full of love! Love, Ms. G

Letters to the President

The students at Sojourner Truth Academy have reached another letter writing milestone: 2,500 letters to President Obama. We've been writing letters to President Obama since Dec. 1, 2009. Our students are writing between 40-160 letters a day to President Obama about issues that are important to them such as life in the White House, school bullying, dreams for the future, and Haiti disaster relief. Our students are exercising their power as young citizens of this country by asking the President to help a “grandma without health insurance”, give “every family a home,” and to “keep school cool.” The letters are unique and heartfelt, and ultimately end with the same desire: “President Obama, will you please come to lunch at our school?”

On Feb. 9, 2010, we received mail from President Obama. To read more about it, click here!

We've been sending all these letters and you may wonder what happens to the letters once they reach 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Well, here's a video from the White House detailing the whole process.

Here's a hint: President Obama reads 10 letters from the public every day!

Letters FROM the White House!

After sending 2000+ letters to President Obama, STA students finally get to hear from him!

This morning, 5 manila envelopes addressed FROM the White House appeared in our mailbox! I was so excited that I could hardly keep my fingers from tearing them open. My heart began to beat a million miles an hour at the sight of those magical words, THE WHITE HOUSE, peaking out from under the usual stack of curriculum catalogs and utility bills. It was like Christmas! It was was like waking up to a letter from Santa Claus -the real Santa Claus, not some scary mall Santa.

For months, STA students have been filling page after page with their dreams, their affections, their fears and concerns. Through their letter writing, the students have developed a relationship with President Obama. They have gotten to know him. They have gotten to know his family, the people he works with, what he cares about, and what he stands for. They have confided in him and invited him into their world to see, first hand, how, inspired by his leadership, they are working together to bring about change in their own lives. This program has become about so much more than just writing letters...our students are finding their voices as young leaders. It's a beautiful thing.

Since December 1st, STA students have dutifully and lovingly decorated, addressed and mailed hundreds of letters every week to this mythical place called "The White House." Was it possible that THE WHITE HOUSE had actually written them back? The official White House envelopes looked so understated, so matter of fact, so...real. It was very encouraging.

When Ms. G and I opened up the first envelope, we found the best present ever...confirmation that our students' letters had been read by the Commander in Chief!

I have no idea if his was a hand crafted response or a boiler plate letter the White House sends to all school children that write in, but it sure seems to speak to the heart and determination of our kids. "America needs young people like you who are studying hard in school, serving your community, and dreaming big dreams. Our country faces great challenges, but we will overcome them if we work together." Thank you Mr. President, I agree.

Way to go STA! You rock!!

We also got an autographed pic of Mr. President Obama himself and a dashing portrait of the First Dog, Bo. :)

Handwriting Award & SMART HEART Award

At last Friday's Assembly (2-5-2010), I introduced two new awards in the "Bring the White House to our House!" lunch program.

1. The Handwriting Award

2. SMART HEART Award

Our students have been writing letters to President Obama inviting him to come have lunch at our school, Sojourner Truth Academy, since December 1st. In the beginning, our students were writing between 30-50 letters a day. After a couple weeks, the number of letters grew to 40-80 letters a day. In the last week of January, our students were averaging OVER 100 letters a day as a school!

Each night, I take the letters home and read them. No doubt, it makes for long days. However, no matter how tired or crabby I am, reading and counting the letters re-energizes me and reminds me why I am doing this. The letters are humorous, heartfelt, compelling and profound, and I can see the growth in the letters the students wrote in December to the letters they wrote in February.

After reading over 2,000 LETTERS, a couple things have caught my eye. One, is handwriting; and two, is thoughtfulness. The Handwriting Award is quite self-explanatory. Students who are consistently mindful of their handwriting and letter layout are up for this award.

I created the SMART HEART Award to acknowledge students whose letters show both depth of thought and heart. Our students write about important issues of our times: homelessness, joblessness, poverty, and Haiti Disaster Relief. Some of these letters move me to tears, while others leave me in utter awe.

I wanted to post one letter in particular that inspired me to create this award. This letter is written by a 5th grader:

"Dear President Obama,

"I am writing this letter to tell you about a concern and issue of America.

"As you know their was an earthquake in Haiti, and America is sending funds to Haiti. Well, on January 30, 2010 I watched the Miss America pageant and the question selection , and one question was 'America is in a hard spot already, why should we send our money to Haiti?'

"Then it dawned on me that people are thinking about themselves and not of others meaning if more people do that little money will be sent and that will make you look bad.

"We the people to form a more perfect nation ask you our President to help us."