Mann Village People
October 17, 2001
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM
Oak Hill Presbyterian Church
Within the span of a few seconds, Jan, note taker emeritus, folds up her Palm Pilot keyboard and tricks Brian M. into taking minutes for the first time in his life.
Attendees:
Amanda Doyle, Karen Fine, Maureen Burton, Chris Thacker, Kim Cole, Julia Engelhardt, Brian Beckmann, Heather Macarthur, George Wilcox, Jan O’Leary, Jewell Donald, Brian Marston
Ratio of females to males: 3 to 1
George and the Brians are studs! (This minute taking thing is kind of fun.)
New faces:
Jewell Donald: Site coordinator for Caring Communities
Chris Thacker: She’s not just the mother of a Mann student; she’s also an alumnus!
Reasons given for being involved with this project include the possibility that future children yet to be conceived by the participants will attend the school, a desire to strengthen the neighborhood and find out whether city schools are as bad as some people say they are, and an interest in education.
It is decided that Brian M. will home school everyone’s children. (A scary, yet intriguing thought, yes?)
The ante has been upped. Amanda and Jan were out-cuted by Kim and Julia.
Kim and Julia spent about $35 for candy out of their own pockets.
George suggested Presbyterian woman could make baked goods for Wonderful Wednesdays.
November 7 – Julia and Maureen
December 5 – Amanda and Jan get a second shot
About $33 was raised at the last TGHNA meeting.
Blue Bunny donated ice cream and Schnuck’s on the Hill donated the cones.
Amanda sent out thank you cards to Blue Bunny and Schnuck’s.
Jewell said that it was the largest number of people Mann has had for an open house, and the kids who didn’t come wish they had.
Brian M. is obsessed with hoarding small bits of cardboard. He volunteers to make a collection box for the school.
Heather will write an article for the Grand-Oak Hill newsletter.
Jan is writing an article for the TGH Gazette.
Jan was contacted by a reporter for the South Post.
Heather gives an update on the Healthy Kids at Play Program sponsored by Children’s Hospital. Her voice is enchanting.
The program will offer grants to provide safe places for children to play in 15 communities. Five communities will be selected for the first year.
They are looking for a community partnership that will promote the health and well-being of children.
Amanda and Heather met to discuss the grant application.
Linda Riekes recommended going through the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation to handle donations.
The SLPSF will set up an account for us. They’ll take 8% to cover the administrative overhead, which is a very low cut for a charitable foundation.
The grant is for a wider package than just a playground. It also includes a mobile health van for screenings.
George points out that the parish nurse at Oak Hill is charged with working with the community.
The three criteria for awarding grant are need, capacity and fit.
The deadline for applications is October 31. The goal is to implement the winning grant proposals within six months.
We all agree that this seems like a perfect fit for our group.
Jan gives a history of how the Mann Village People came together.
Discussion ensues about the need for remedial parking education for parents dropping off children at school. They’re stopping in the middle of the street instead of using the parking lot.
We need to talk to the Third District police and ask if they can change their shift change time so that it doesn’t coincide with school getting out.
Jewell would like for a representative from the Village People to serve on the School Council.
Kim knows some law students who are interested in sponsoring a pom-pom program at the school.
Our overall goal is to foster the participation of neighborhood residents and organizations in the school and to get the community working together.
Since we were running out of time, we postponed the discussion about our mission statement until our next meeting.
Chris’ daughter currently attends Mann. Since her 19-year-old went to Mann, the school has been renovated.
Jewell has seen a lot of changes since she came on board four years ago. The school is safer, they’re building a stable base of teachers, it’s one of the cleanest schools in the city, and the curriculum has blossomed.
One thing Chris would like to see is a Mother’s Club and a Father’s Club. The parents used to get together to do bake sales and fish fries.
George suggests making this a priority.
Jewell says that Mann lost a lot of the most involved parents to the charter schools.
George suggests acquiring a list of parents and their phone numbers as starting point.
Tuesday, November 6 at 6:15 PM at Oak Hill Presbyterian
Jan is over-committed!
On November 8 at 7 PM at Pilgrim Congregational (Delmar and Union) there will be an MCU meeting attended by various politicos to discuss transportation, an insurance program for children, and tax credits for rehabbing homes.
Brian M. silently curses his poor minute taking ability and vows never to do it again.