First-graders at University Avenue Elementary School in Blaine got a hat trick's worth of Olympic spirit last week when they had an Olympic-themed day at school, spent an afternoon with the U.S. Olympic Women's Hockey Team, and received a donation of technology equipment from the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Eight players from the team, which was wrapping up training at the Schwan Super Rink ahead of next month's Olympics, visited the school, where they found decorated doors and children decked out in red, white and blue.
After a ceremony in the gym where team member Caitlin Cahow presented the principal with 16 digital cameras and the promise of 25 laptop computers, the players divided up among four classrooms. There, they presented a two-hour Junior Achievement "JA in a Day" lesson on the difference between needs and wants.
The event came together when Sharon Severson, program director at Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest and a member of the team's fan club, approached Barclay Kruse of the National Sports Center about involving the team in a Junior Achievement project. JA Worldwide is dedicated to hands-on workforce readiness education, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
In addition to Cahow, of Branford, Conn., the players were Angela Ruggiero, Simi Valley, Calif.; Lisa Chesson, Plainfield, Ill.; Meghan Duggan, Danvers, Mass.; Erika Lawler, Fitchburg, Mass.; Kelli Stack, Brooklyn Heights, Ohio; Karen Thatcher, Blaine, Wash., and Kerry Weiland, Palmer, Alaska.
None of them has experience in education.
"I thought the players were stars," said Kruse, NSC's Associate Director, after the event. "I know the pressure they are under. I know the workout they had today, a really tough training session."
For her part, Thatcher, a left wing, said it was important to the team to give something back to its adopted city.
"We wanted to give the message to these kids that with dreams and hard work they can accomplish their dreams, as well," she said.
After finishing up its training in Blaine, the team moved on to the Olympic Training facility in Colorado Springs, Colo., preparing for a Feb. 6 arrival in Vancouver, British Columbia, site of this year's Winter Games.
The technology donation came together when Christy Jeffries of USA Hockey hooked the school up with the USOC's Team for Tomorrow program, which coordinates athlete visits and donations to local communities.
Kruse said he hopes the team will hold on to the partnership with JA in the future as players continue their residency in Blaine.
Teacher Bonnie Porter said she knows the good effects will linger.
"The event didn't end at the end of the school day," she said. "The children will follow their progress in February and every time they watch the Olympics into the future, they'll think about those athletes who work so hard to strive for their dreams, but continue to think of others and contribute back to their community."
Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409
BLAINE, Minn. - Nine members of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team visited University Avenue Elementary in Blaine, Minn., on Jan. 21as part of the Junior Achievement program. In addition, the players will be joined forces with the U.S. Olympic Committee's Team for Tomorrow humanitarian relief fund to donate digital cameras to the school, and will be contributing laptops on behalf of USA Hockey.
of the 'JA in a Day' program. The focus of the lesson was wants versus needs. JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literary through experiential, hands-on program.
various winter-sport athletes and teams. As part of the effort, after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter games conclude, athletes will donate service hours to Habitat for Humanity affiliates in their local communities.
