Class Act
Mpls. South High community pushes for fixes to athletic field
By: Beena Raghavendran
Star Tribune
January 12, 2017 - 4:43 PM
The track at South High School in Minneapolis. Photo by Steve Brandt, Star Tribune.
Nearly 100 people stood in bone-chilling temperatures last week on snow- and ice-covered Barnard Field adjacent to South High School, rallying for fixes to the deteriorating field.
They were "tired of waiting for a plan" from the Minneapolis Public Schools district, and stood outside for half an hour of the frigid Friday afternoon to prove it, said Anita Newhouse, event organizer and South High parent.
The South High community has gathered around what it says is a needed plan for fixes to its athletic field that for years has been what South High parent Scott Schluter called "outdated, unsafe, undersized and inequitable" in an email. A group including parents and students has been lobbying the district and Superintendent Ed Graff in recent months.
The Minneapolis district is working with South High Principal Ray Aponte and staff, families and the community "to determine the best way to address South's needs," according to an emailed statement from Stephen Flisk, the district's deputy chief of schools. The first meeting for planning and design was Wednesday, he said.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis district also wants to give a couple services a building adjacent to South High: Adult Basic Education and Transition Plus, the district's program for 18- to 21-year-old students with disabilities. The district is in schematic design/design development for the project abbreviated as ABE/T+, he said.
The separate South High and ABE/T+ projects will move forward "in parallel," Flisk said.
He added: "We understand that for some families the ABE/T+ location presents some challenges to the long-term visioning of the South High athletic facilities, and we are working to address those concerns."
Schluter isn't upset about the programs going into the building, but rather that the district was proceeding with adjacent plans without creating a plan for South's fixes.
Field problems include an unworkable track, an uneven and too-small playing field and undersized bleachers that were passed down from Roosevelt High School's athletic field upgrades, Schluter said.
About 40 adults and 60 students — many of whom were athletes — came to the rally on Barnard Field last week, Newhouse said. A Finer Meats & Eats food truck parked on the field, selling snacks like hot dogs and cocoa.
The field needs work, said Schluter's daughter Emma Schluter, a South High junior and student athlete.
Barnard Field is "not something we're proud of," she said after the rally on the field.
They were "tired of waiting for a plan" from the Minneapolis Public Schools district, and stood outside for half an hour of the frigid Friday afternoon to prove it, said Anita Newhouse, event organizer and South High parent.
The South High community has gathered around what it says is a needed plan for fixes to its athletic field that for years has been what South High parent Scott Schluter called "outdated, unsafe, undersized and inequitable" in an email. A group including parents and students has been lobbying the district and Superintendent Ed Graff in recent months.
The Minneapolis district is working with South High Principal Ray Aponte and staff, families and the community "to determine the best way to address South's needs," according to an emailed statement from Stephen Flisk, the district's deputy chief of schools. The first meeting for planning and design was Wednesday, he said.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis district also wants to give a couple services a building adjacent to South High: Adult Basic Education and Transition Plus, the district's program for 18- to 21-year-old students with disabilities. The district is in schematic design/design development for the project abbreviated as ABE/T+, he said.
The separate South High and ABE/T+ projects will move forward "in parallel," Flisk said.
He added: "We understand that for some families the ABE/T+ location presents some challenges to the long-term visioning of the South High athletic facilities, and we are working to address those concerns."
Schluter isn't upset about the programs going into the building, but rather that the district was proceeding with adjacent plans without creating a plan for South's fixes.
Field problems include an unworkable track, an uneven and too-small playing field and undersized bleachers that were passed down from Roosevelt High School's athletic field upgrades, Schluter said.
About 40 adults and 60 students — many of whom were athletes — came to the rally on Barnard Field last week, Newhouse said. A Finer Meats & Eats food truck parked on the field, selling snacks like hot dogs and cocoa.
The field needs work, said Schluter's daughter Emma Schluter, a South High junior and student athlete.
Barnard Field is "not something we're proud of," she said after the rally on the field.
Barnard Field occupation in cold temps
shows community dedication
by Izzy Willette, Sports Editor,
South High Southerner
January 7, 2017
It may have been below zero, but these South High students, coaches, parents, staff, and alumni braved the cold to show not only their want, but need for a new athletic field. Bundling up, Hot Chocolate, and a sense of school pride kept everyone on the field nice and toasty. Photo: Izzy Willette
Friday, January 6th — A large amount of people crowded South High’s Barnard field after school to raise attention to the school’s new for a new athletic field and track. The site, in possession of the Minneapolis school district, has had controversy regarding its ability to fit not only a new athletic field for South, but also a new building for ABE and Transition Plus.
“Occupy Barnard field” was organized by South High community members who had strong feelings about the plans for the reconstruction of South’s Barnard field, or, as track star and soccer captain Emma Schluter put it, “unusable” field. Both the track and field’s size and condition make it hard for South sports to hold athletic events on their own home turf, and the South High community is fed up.
“We’ve been promised a new track, and we’ve watched everyone else get tracks and we keep not getting them. My kids run Cross country and track, and we need a track,” South High parent Kathleen Devore explained.
South currently has one field, Barnard field, that is used for football, but track and field athletes have to practice elsewhere because of the field’s inadequacy.
While MPS – the Minneapolis school district – has for several years been developing plans for a new field, the district also has to incorporate a new ABE (Adult Basic Education) and Transition Plus building on the land North of Barnard field. This has caused confusion on what the plan will now be for the new field, but those who gathered at “Occupy Barnard field” wanted to make it clear that the field is in “desperate need of change,” according to Mark Gross South High cross country and track coach.
The occupation was organized by Anita Newhouse, a parent at South, who mentioned: “We need them to build the new building for the Transition Plus and the ABE program because that would be good for us, but we have to have a field too. We don’t want to be the only metro high school field that isn’t a regulation field.”
Newhouse continued: “We want to turn people out so they start talking about it so we start a community discussion, and so the district sees it and knows that we’re willing to show up in negative degree weather because we’re that serious about acquiring our field.”
Newhouse wasn’t the only member of the South High community out on the field to show their support, there were teachers, students, athletes, coaches, South staff, and alumni outside on a day with a high of one degree fahrenheit showing their dedication to the new field.
DeVore continued by saying the occupation was meant to“bring attention…I won’t lie, this is my opinion, [but] shame to the district leaders a little bit because we need to get more support for South.”
The gathering out on Barnard field provided a clear message that the South High community wants a new field and wants to know what the plans for it are. As Gross put it: “We do need a new field, and we do matter.”
“Occupy Barnard field” was organized by South High community members who had strong feelings about the plans for the reconstruction of South’s Barnard field, or, as track star and soccer captain Emma Schluter put it, “unusable” field. Both the track and field’s size and condition make it hard for South sports to hold athletic events on their own home turf, and the South High community is fed up.
“We’ve been promised a new track, and we’ve watched everyone else get tracks and we keep not getting them. My kids run Cross country and track, and we need a track,” South High parent Kathleen Devore explained.
South currently has one field, Barnard field, that is used for football, but track and field athletes have to practice elsewhere because of the field’s inadequacy.
While MPS – the Minneapolis school district – has for several years been developing plans for a new field, the district also has to incorporate a new ABE (Adult Basic Education) and Transition Plus building on the land North of Barnard field. This has caused confusion on what the plan will now be for the new field, but those who gathered at “Occupy Barnard field” wanted to make it clear that the field is in “desperate need of change,” according to Mark Gross South High cross country and track coach.
The occupation was organized by Anita Newhouse, a parent at South, who mentioned: “We need them to build the new building for the Transition Plus and the ABE program because that would be good for us, but we have to have a field too. We don’t want to be the only metro high school field that isn’t a regulation field.”
Newhouse continued: “We want to turn people out so they start talking about it so we start a community discussion, and so the district sees it and knows that we’re willing to show up in negative degree weather because we’re that serious about acquiring our field.”
Newhouse wasn’t the only member of the South High community out on the field to show their support, there were teachers, students, athletes, coaches, South staff, and alumni outside on a day with a high of one degree fahrenheit showing their dedication to the new field.
DeVore continued by saying the occupation was meant to“bring attention…I won’t lie, this is my opinion, [but] shame to the district leaders a little bit because we need to get more support for South.”
The gathering out on Barnard field provided a clear message that the South High community wants a new field and wants to know what the plans for it are. As Gross put it: “We do need a new field, and we do matter.”
Minneapolis' South High fields a long list of sports facility needs
By Steve Brandt , Star Tribune
November 19, 2016 - 5:45 PM
Emma Schluter, a captain next year on Minneapolis South High School’s soccer team, has to keep her mind on more than the match when she plays at home on Barnard Field.
There are water drains, long jump and pole vault runways that crowd near the pitch, and concrete pads that lie just 15 inches off the side line, threatening to send Schluter and her cleat-clad teammates skidding.
“When you’re playing, you have to be aware of all these outside safety issues,” she said recently.
Schluter joined parents and alumni who called a meeting with Superintendent Ed Graff, the school board and other district officials in October to call for fixes at the deteriorating facilities. She followed that up by giving Graff a personal tour of the field.
But Schluter, a junior who also runs track, may be out of high school and college by the time the athletic field, rated by a consultant as the worst among the seven Minneapolis high schools, gets all its recommended improvements.
The total cost of rehabbing South’s outdoor athletic facilities to a par with most other district high schools is estimated at $2.45 million.
The school board voted this week to seek a $300,000 Hennepin County youth sports grant for field improvements, and pledged a $500,000 match. But that still leaves the first step toward field improvement, installing artificial turf, $400,000 short with no outside funding secured.
The board also approved seeking an identical county grant for North, the next-worst field. South counts 887 field sport participants, 12 times that of smaller North.
Supporters have been trying for years to fix up South’s facilities.
South alumni helped put forward a revamped field plan years ago, only to see it stall after they helped finance and build a building for tickets, concession and storage. Some parents worry the poor facilities are costing South talented athletes who opt to enroll elsewhere.
Track coach Mark Gross has been fighting for a better oval since he started coaching there in 2005.
“Back then, that track needed to be resurfaced,” he said. Now it’s worse. “Whatever track’s there, it might as well be concrete.”
That’s bad news, given that teens are notoriously vulnerable to shin splints, which are exacerbated by hard surfaces.
“I’m a year-round athlete. I don’t really have time for injuries,” Schluter said.
South has no home track meets. In addition to the track’s poor condition, it lacks a timing system and it’s only six lanes wide compared to the eight lanes at most schools.
“My friends have never seen me run,” Schluter said.
Meanwhile, South has never had a night homecoming game at Barnard Field because it lacks lights. There’s no press box for shooting game video. One video cameraman for a visiting school accidentally got stranded and left behind on the school roof several years ago.
South activists also said they’ve been frustrated by communication with the school district.
A year ago, after the district bought a quarter-block site on nearby Lake Street, a district official said the purpose was to expand adjacent properties, including South and the district fieldhouse, and to consider building a new school for adult basic education programs and older special education students.
South fans said they were stunned to be told this fall that their facility needs wouldn’t be incorporated there.
The district told them it’s important for the adult and special education programs to be on good bus service, but parents ask why they didn’t have input on the decision — and when South’s needs will be addressed.
The school district declined to make its facilities officials available to respond to questions for this report.
Graff told parents at an Oct. 26 meeting that he’s planning to launch a new five-year capital planning process early next year. He apologized for a lack of communication and said that if there are safety issues, they should be addressed, but said parents need to wait for the new planning process to give input.
But Schluter will be long gone by the time any improvements happen. So she will play next season on a field with grassless patches and divots that make the game much different from playing on a field with even grass or artificial turf.
“We don’t feel safe playing on it,” she said. “We don’t feel proud of where we’re from.”
By Steve Brandt , Star Tribune
November 19, 2016 - 5:45 PM
Emma Schluter, a captain next year on Minneapolis South High School’s soccer team, has to keep her mind on more than the match when she plays at home on Barnard Field.
There are water drains, long jump and pole vault runways that crowd near the pitch, and concrete pads that lie just 15 inches off the side line, threatening to send Schluter and her cleat-clad teammates skidding.
“When you’re playing, you have to be aware of all these outside safety issues,” she said recently.
Schluter joined parents and alumni who called a meeting with Superintendent Ed Graff, the school board and other district officials in October to call for fixes at the deteriorating facilities. She followed that up by giving Graff a personal tour of the field.
But Schluter, a junior who also runs track, may be out of high school and college by the time the athletic field, rated by a consultant as the worst among the seven Minneapolis high schools, gets all its recommended improvements.
The total cost of rehabbing South’s outdoor athletic facilities to a par with most other district high schools is estimated at $2.45 million.
The school board voted this week to seek a $300,000 Hennepin County youth sports grant for field improvements, and pledged a $500,000 match. But that still leaves the first step toward field improvement, installing artificial turf, $400,000 short with no outside funding secured.
The board also approved seeking an identical county grant for North, the next-worst field. South counts 887 field sport participants, 12 times that of smaller North.
Supporters have been trying for years to fix up South’s facilities.
South alumni helped put forward a revamped field plan years ago, only to see it stall after they helped finance and build a building for tickets, concession and storage. Some parents worry the poor facilities are costing South talented athletes who opt to enroll elsewhere.
Track coach Mark Gross has been fighting for a better oval since he started coaching there in 2005.
“Back then, that track needed to be resurfaced,” he said. Now it’s worse. “Whatever track’s there, it might as well be concrete.”
That’s bad news, given that teens are notoriously vulnerable to shin splints, which are exacerbated by hard surfaces.
“I’m a year-round athlete. I don’t really have time for injuries,” Schluter said.
South has no home track meets. In addition to the track’s poor condition, it lacks a timing system and it’s only six lanes wide compared to the eight lanes at most schools.
“My friends have never seen me run,” Schluter said.
Meanwhile, South has never had a night homecoming game at Barnard Field because it lacks lights. There’s no press box for shooting game video. One video cameraman for a visiting school accidentally got stranded and left behind on the school roof several years ago.
South activists also said they’ve been frustrated by communication with the school district.
A year ago, after the district bought a quarter-block site on nearby Lake Street, a district official said the purpose was to expand adjacent properties, including South and the district fieldhouse, and to consider building a new school for adult basic education programs and older special education students.
South fans said they were stunned to be told this fall that their facility needs wouldn’t be incorporated there.
The district told them it’s important for the adult and special education programs to be on good bus service, but parents ask why they didn’t have input on the decision — and when South’s needs will be addressed.
The school district declined to make its facilities officials available to respond to questions for this report.
Graff told parents at an Oct. 26 meeting that he’s planning to launch a new five-year capital planning process early next year. He apologized for a lack of communication and said that if there are safety issues, they should be addressed, but said parents need to wait for the new planning process to give input.
But Schluter will be long gone by the time any improvements happen. So she will play next season on a field with grassless patches and divots that make the game much different from playing on a field with even grass or artificial turf.
“We don’t feel safe playing on it,” she said. “We don’t feel proud of where we’re from.”
Comments to Star Tribune article on South High Fields - "Minneapolis' South High fields a long list of sports facility needs" 11/28/2016
0 Comments
leweyg 5 days agoThis Tiger alumni thinks maybe the students should protest and block Lake street until their demand are met - that is the way its done now....right?
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stike3 6 days agoLet's start out with an AUDIT! Past spent monies? Current? Future! Who, what, when, where... that is the beginning. Follow the money. "YES" for kids...where is the money going and where was it spent in the past? This info should not be hard to gather.
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squirrel2009 6 days agoHit up some of the more successful alumni to possibly fill the shortfall gap in funding. ie: Josh Hartnett, Rachael Leigh Cook, Michael Bland and the entire alumni for that matter. We all know the importance of teamwork, extra-curricular participation and how it matters after high school as part of college and career building blocks.
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jdlellis1 8 days ago
One of the challenges for adults is recognizing the potential problems when teenagers do not have co-curricular activities (broader than simply athletics). Idle time with teenagers will result in a plethora of mischievous activities. Parents need to be at the forefront with schools lending a helping hand.
Adults need to consider their parental responsibilities before engaging in activities resulting in a child. Despite the prevailing mantra, it is not others responsibility to provide for others children.
P.S. The last statement does not apply to those with physical/cognitive disabilities.
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cav1234 8 days ago
Graff is responsible for this, as is Board Chair Arneson, and each Board Director. Graff and the Board have made and are making decisions that have a huge impact on South, Washburn, and other K-12 learning communities. Transparency, engagement, accountability, integrity, and good judgment have been lacking, so far, around these decisions.
The South community has been working for over a decade to try to engage the District about the safety of and vision for its campus. The adult education building will set in stone South's footprint and thus extinguish the South campus' potential (bounded by the YWCA and then the adult ed building and its parking ramp). As this article ably touches on - but cannot capture the full depth of the situation - the adult ed decision by Graff and the Board blindsided South and everyone else.
The District has a lease in the current adult education space (with bus route nearby and all) until 2023.
Not a lease for adult ed expiring next year. Not five years from now. Seven more years on their lease. And yet they are putting K-12 education, their core mission, in line behind fast-tracking a $7 million adult ed parking ramp and new $22 million building.
This is really appalling.
That is all happening right now - this is the responsibility of Graff, Board Chair Arneson, and the rest of the Board. This is not about what kind of Superintendent he will be or whether he will turn things around. This is who he is.
There was zero community engagement or transparency around the adult ed decision. And the fact Graff won't make facilities staff available to discuss the decision is proof in the pudding. Classic Minneapolis Public Schools - and now Graff - don't tell anyone about decisions until after they are made - if then - and then say it's a done deal and go run and hide.
Worse, Graff and the Board are threatening to betray both South and Washburn.
The District has now twice delayed adding promised space at Washburn, the only high school over its capacity in the district and a place where kids and teachers literally - quite literally - don't fit in the space. It is also appalling. See the Southwest Journal article about it this week. Graff and the Board don't seem to want to keep the promises made to Washburn's kids, teachers, and parents either.
Graff likes to apologize for the bad process, but he never owns the actual decisions. He says he takes ownership of a total failure of engagement and transparency, but he'll do nothing about addressing the terrible result of the bad process. It does not do South and Washburn any good to be told the process was horrendous but they are stuck an unsafe campus at South and an inadequate learning environment at Washburn.
Graff, so far, gives us the worst of both worlds - tells us we're being abused, but, so sorry, he'll does nothing about preventing irreversible injuries.
Graff, Chair Arneson, and Board, it is not too late. Delay the adult ed building now and its parking ramp (!) right now. Use the $29 million in funds to meet past promises, and use the delay to engage the community.
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fishing50 8 days ago@cav1234 What a great artical on how the school board really runs. Disfunksion in its worst selfish form they are Very poor leaders ..I am not involved any in any way with education but every time I have talked to someone that is they talk about how in ineffective it is.
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Flash_Gordon 8 days agoBecause my college, Augsburg, didn't have track and field facilities, we trained at South High--first the dirt track at old South and then the state of the art track at "New" South. That was almost 50 years ago. As an MSHSL track official, I am required to inspect the facilities before each meet. Although I have strong feelings for this track, I would refuse to allow a meet to be held there based on the photo.
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raleighmama 8 days agoFar too much importance is placed on high school sports. Public schools are tasked with providing a free education. There is no obligation to provide extracurricular sports. Fees and participation fees should cover the costs along with booster clubs raising money.
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cav1234 8 days ago
@raleighmama Saying there is too much emphasis and saying there should be no place for athletics in a public school's mission are two very different things, and I agree with the former but not the latter. And I invite you to compare the emphasis on sports in MPS with suburban districts. There is not too much emphasis in MPS. We don't even have a middle school sports program anymore. And high school athletics are encouraged, but for Friday Night Lights you'll have to look elsewhere.
If one believes athletics have positive effects on binding kids to schools (and therefore education) and in healthy physical and emotional development, then completely privatizing public school sports is an idea that puts sports out of reach for all but the very richest schools (and even the very richest will be restricted and have very few opponents to play), and completely shuts out the many communities who cannot possible support sports programs through fees and booster clubs. Being familiar with MPS booster clubs, I can say we work very hard to raise funds that wouldn't scratch the surface in providing for an entire program in even one sport.
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fishing50 8 days ago@cav1234 @raleighmama We need to put even more effort in mpls schools sports and extra curriclur because so many have other struggles. I think they one of the most powerful developement tools at really a bargain by comparason
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ripclaw 8 days agoYet somehow the administration found money to build a brand new office building. I desperately hope Graff can turn this district around.
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cav1234 8 days ago@ripclaw Don't forget 800 West Broadway, a career center, that that District did and is pouring money into. Then they are leasing out the beautiful new space - to other organizations. And having nice Board retreats there when they need to retreat from the new Davis Center. Meanwhile K12 education is shoved back in line. This is happening right now. The South and Washburn decisions are being made right now. This is not future tense for Graff. This is about showing our communities what kind of Superintendent he is and what his values are.
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jdlellis1 8 days agoCo-Curricular programs (Speech/Debate, Athletics, Robotics, Fine Arts, Shooting, etc.) play a key contributing factor in social development of students. In addition the programs bind schools and/or districts together in supporting developing minds/bodies.
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Flicka1492 8 days agoMinneapolis spends more per student than any suburban district. How are their facilities so bad?
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cav1234 8 days ago@Flicka1492 Because Graff, the Board, and District Facilities staff insist on spending $22 million on a new adult education building and $7 million on a parking ramp - yes, $7 million on the adult ed parking ramp - rather than keep their promises and responsibilities to South for a safe campus and Washburn for enough space. They should honor their past promises and K-12 core mission by delaying the adult ed building and its no-doubt beautiful parking ramp and redirecting the $29 million.
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slammer 8 days agoThose would be wants, not needs.
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tuite002 8 days ago@slammer these are basic needs for a high school - a place where the community can also use to run as well when not in use. Even in far off Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands (Washington State) the track and associated facilities are better maintained for far fewer students.
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MPR News
Minneapolis schools plan new adult education building
Education Jon Collins · Apr 28, 2015
Minneapolis Public Schools is seeking to buy property south of Lake Street in Minneapolis to build a new adult education building.
The district has acquired a number of properties in the 2000 block of Lake Street in south Minneapolis, which is home to an auto shop, office building and some homes, said district deputy general counsel Amy Moore.
If the district is able to acquire the final two properties necessary for the new building, Moore said, the district plans to begin the permitting process to demolish existing properties early this summer.
Although plans for the new building are sketchy, it could be anywhere between 40,000 and 70,000 square feet in size and cost between $15 and $30 million, according to district executive director of facilities management and capital construction Mark Bollinger.
The new property is located between the YWCA and South High School's football field. A building there would host the district's adult education classes and the Transition Plus program, which is a special education offering that serves young adults. Other programs could eventually be moved to the new facility as well.
"We'll start in with a visioning process" including the neighborhood group, residents and officials at nearby South High School, Bollinger said. "That's when we'll take a harder look at some other opportunities and options."
The district's adult education program is currently located in a building a few blocks east at 2225 Lake St. that was purchased recently by the county for about $8 million, and which will eventually be displaced by county social services offices and a large residential and commercial development.
Corcoran Neighborhood Organization executive director Eric Gustafson said the neighborhood group is pleased the district is keeping adult education programs in the area, as well as developing the "blighted" properties on the lot.
Bollinger said selling the land at 2225 Lake St. gave the district more flexibility in finding a new facility.
"There was just a lot of land there that we probably weren't using, and could be better utilized by city, county, community desires and efforts," Bollinger said of 2225 Lake St.
A "leaseback" deal with the county allows Minneapolis Public Schools to keep the adult education program in its current space for up to eight years, although district executive director of Minneapolis Community Education Jack Tamble said they don't plan to remain in the old building that long.
"The first three years, we can stay on the property without any assessment against the district," Tamble said. "That will give us the time we need to prepare another facility."
Tamble said about 1,000 students attend adult education programs each day.
"The building we're in is old," Tamble said. "It's got deficiencies to it like a lot of buildings that are older, but this would be a real nice upgrade."
Minneapolis schools plan new adult education building
Education Jon Collins · Apr 28, 2015
Minneapolis Public Schools is seeking to buy property south of Lake Street in Minneapolis to build a new adult education building.
The district has acquired a number of properties in the 2000 block of Lake Street in south Minneapolis, which is home to an auto shop, office building and some homes, said district deputy general counsel Amy Moore.
If the district is able to acquire the final two properties necessary for the new building, Moore said, the district plans to begin the permitting process to demolish existing properties early this summer.
Although plans for the new building are sketchy, it could be anywhere between 40,000 and 70,000 square feet in size and cost between $15 and $30 million, according to district executive director of facilities management and capital construction Mark Bollinger.
The new property is located between the YWCA and South High School's football field. A building there would host the district's adult education classes and the Transition Plus program, which is a special education offering that serves young adults. Other programs could eventually be moved to the new facility as well.
"We'll start in with a visioning process" including the neighborhood group, residents and officials at nearby South High School, Bollinger said. "That's when we'll take a harder look at some other opportunities and options."
The district's adult education program is currently located in a building a few blocks east at 2225 Lake St. that was purchased recently by the county for about $8 million, and which will eventually be displaced by county social services offices and a large residential and commercial development.
Corcoran Neighborhood Organization executive director Eric Gustafson said the neighborhood group is pleased the district is keeping adult education programs in the area, as well as developing the "blighted" properties on the lot.
Bollinger said selling the land at 2225 Lake St. gave the district more flexibility in finding a new facility.
"There was just a lot of land there that we probably weren't using, and could be better utilized by city, county, community desires and efforts," Bollinger said of 2225 Lake St.
A "leaseback" deal with the county allows Minneapolis Public Schools to keep the adult education program in its current space for up to eight years, although district executive director of Minneapolis Community Education Jack Tamble said they don't plan to remain in the old building that long.
"The first three years, we can stay on the property without any assessment against the district," Tamble said. "That will give us the time we need to prepare another facility."
Tamble said about 1,000 students attend adult education programs each day.
"The building we're in is old," Tamble said. "It's got deficiencies to it like a lot of buildings that are older, but this would be a real nice upgrade."
Star Tribune
Minneapolis school district approves deal to sell Hi-Lake site
By S Brandt
May 27, 2014 — 9:33pm
School board members in Minneapolis Tuesday night authorized selling a key district-owned building at Hiawatha Avenue and East Lake Street to clear the way for redevelopment in exchange for assurance that key programs can remain there for up to eight more years.
The sale of 2225 E. Lake St. for about $8 million to Hennepin County would open the way to redevelop with housing, offices, a farmer market and a county social services hub at what is regarded as one of the most significant redevelopment opportunities along the Hiawatha Line. The building there is the former home of Brown Institute.
The school board also approved a resolution that sets a late August deadline for determining a future location for the building’s immigrant-focused adult basic education program serving South Side students, and for Transition Plus students who were slated to move to the building under the district’s enrollment plan. Transition Plus is a program that prepares older special education students for work and independent living. The approval also commits the district to securing a building for those programs by mid-2017.
The district said it is looking elsewhere in the Hiawatha-Lake area near South High School for space. Council Member Alondra Cano said that search will focus on purchasing and redeveloping the half-block between South’s athletic field and Lake Street. That’s the north half of the block directly west of the Midtown YWCA.
Although the county is named in the district resolution as the buyer of the district’s 2225 building, it likely would serve as a pass-through buyer. L&H Station Development has proposed 500 units of housing, 100,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail on the 6.4-acre site. Is proposal also includes space for the Midtown Farmers Market.
The school resolution authorized Chief Operating Officer Robert Doty to work out final details with the county on the sale. Doty said he’s hoping for a closing with the county in 90 to 120 days.
The school district previously tried to find affordable space for the 2225 programs in the area or even by leasing space in the redeveloped site, but decided that the costs were beyond its budget. Since then, more players, including Hennepin County, have gotten involved.
Mark Bollinger, Doty’s deputy, said in an interview that the districts wants Transition Plus and adult basic education to stay in the Hi-Lake area because of metro bus and rail connections. That also makes the Brown site attractive to developers.
Adult basic education students in south Minneapolis used to be schooled in the Lehman Center 2.6 miles west on Lake Street. When the district sold that building to a housing developer to help pay for the new district headquarters, they moved to 2225. North Side students were in the Broadway school building before it was torn down for the new district headquarters, then moved to North High School temporarily before moving into the new headquarters. Transition Plus is in the Wilder building at 3320 Elliot Av. S., but was scheduled to move to 2225 in 2015.
(Top photo: Existing former Brown building at 2225 E. Lake St.; right: proposal for redevelopment of the site. This article includes material from staff writer Eric Roper.)
Minneapolis school district approves deal to sell Hi-Lake site
By S Brandt
May 27, 2014 — 9:33pm
School board members in Minneapolis Tuesday night authorized selling a key district-owned building at Hiawatha Avenue and East Lake Street to clear the way for redevelopment in exchange for assurance that key programs can remain there for up to eight more years.
The sale of 2225 E. Lake St. for about $8 million to Hennepin County would open the way to redevelop with housing, offices, a farmer market and a county social services hub at what is regarded as one of the most significant redevelopment opportunities along the Hiawatha Line. The building there is the former home of Brown Institute.
The school board also approved a resolution that sets a late August deadline for determining a future location for the building’s immigrant-focused adult basic education program serving South Side students, and for Transition Plus students who were slated to move to the building under the district’s enrollment plan. Transition Plus is a program that prepares older special education students for work and independent living. The approval also commits the district to securing a building for those programs by mid-2017.
The district said it is looking elsewhere in the Hiawatha-Lake area near South High School for space. Council Member Alondra Cano said that search will focus on purchasing and redeveloping the half-block between South’s athletic field and Lake Street. That’s the north half of the block directly west of the Midtown YWCA.
Although the county is named in the district resolution as the buyer of the district’s 2225 building, it likely would serve as a pass-through buyer. L&H Station Development has proposed 500 units of housing, 100,000 square feet of office space and 10,000 square feet of retail on the 6.4-acre site. Is proposal also includes space for the Midtown Farmers Market.
The school resolution authorized Chief Operating Officer Robert Doty to work out final details with the county on the sale. Doty said he’s hoping for a closing with the county in 90 to 120 days.
The school district previously tried to find affordable space for the 2225 programs in the area or even by leasing space in the redeveloped site, but decided that the costs were beyond its budget. Since then, more players, including Hennepin County, have gotten involved.
Mark Bollinger, Doty’s deputy, said in an interview that the districts wants Transition Plus and adult basic education to stay in the Hi-Lake area because of metro bus and rail connections. That also makes the Brown site attractive to developers.
Adult basic education students in south Minneapolis used to be schooled in the Lehman Center 2.6 miles west on Lake Street. When the district sold that building to a housing developer to help pay for the new district headquarters, they moved to 2225. North Side students were in the Broadway school building before it was torn down for the new district headquarters, then moved to North High School temporarily before moving into the new headquarters. Transition Plus is in the Wilder building at 3320 Elliot Av. S., but was scheduled to move to 2225 in 2015.
(Top photo: Existing former Brown building at 2225 E. Lake St.; right: proposal for redevelopment of the site. This article includes material from staff writer Eric Roper.)
Please watch this video linked below. This is about the students. Their hopes, their dreams, their struggles, their failures, their successes. The athletic fields are about all of this and about our ability to be there to encourage them and to cheer them on and ourselves at the same time.
VIDEO: 'We will go up! Are you with me?'By McKenna Ewen, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 7:15am CDT
An undermanned team at a large city high school, the South Tigers were followed on the field and off by Star Tribune videographer McKenna Ewen.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186221?referrer_id=648058
VIDEO: 'We will go up! Are you with me?'By McKenna Ewen, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 7:15am CDT
An undermanned team at a large city high school, the South Tigers were followed on the field and off by Star Tribune videographer McKenna Ewen.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186221?referrer_id=648058
UNLOST CAUSE: Hope for football at South
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186211?referrer_id=648058
By Jason Gonzalez, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 8:15am CDT
After seasons of seeing the odds keep growing against his team's chance for success, the veteran football coach of the South Tigers is trying to create dramatic changes at the Minneapolis school
South High football's battle to survive
Lenny Sedlock's face shows the battle wounds of 13 years as football coach at Minneapolis South High School. Deep furrows under his prominent brow and lines under his blue eyes.
The 52-year-old's stubby, bitten fingernails and cracking voice hint of the daily struggles at the most populated city school, which sits near Lake Street and Cedar Avenue in the heart of one of the Twin Cities' most challenged neighborhoods.
South, one of the state's oldest high schools, boasts a 91 percent graduation rate and attracts students with its high academic standards. It has fielded top teams in boys' soccer and girls' basketball.
Football is a different story.
High on a brick wall in the school cafeteria hang six state championship banners, remnants of South's football pinnacle dating to the 19th century. The last one was won in 1923. These days even titles in the relatively weak seven-team conference of Minneapolis schools elude South's grasp. With the area's top football players best known for leaving South to play in more successful programs, such as rival Washburn or in the suburbs, and academic and off-field problems an ongoing issue, Sedlock's program isn't focused only on wins and loses. Against that backdrop, the coach dreams of restoring the glory that was once South football, replete with players who view the game as a priority and a privilege, a community that turns out for games, and a team that competes every Friday.
But for now, the biggest battles at South are ones of player survival, attracting and maintaining top talent, dealing with grade-challenged athletes and teaching hard life lessons to young adults.
On the first day of practice, Aug. 13, just 55 players showed up. Sedlock watched kids in jean shorts struggle to perform basic athletic fundamentals. Others in shoes unfit for athletics fell behind during conditioning drills. Some arrived late and left early. Among his better players, three were borderline academically ineligible.
Sedlock is tired of reliving this scene each season. Convinced the decline will continue if nothing is done, he set out this year to radically change South football against seemingly impossible odds. He raised the standards of accountability. He turned his focus to building a program around underclassmen. With the team now competing in the newly formed Class 6A of Minnesota's 32 largest high schools, he advocated for the team's jump to the Lake Conference. His bid, which was rejected, would have meant playing much better teams and learning, most likely through blowouts, what it would take to compete.
To make it work will mean instilling Sedlock's intense brand of South pride into players. He learned that appreciation when he was a standout player for South in the '70s, and it pulled him back to coach his alma mater after several successful stints elsewhere.
"A lot of who I am is from here. A lot of my values were instilled at South. People want to go back and give where they received,'' he said. "I knew it'd be hard but didn't know how hard it'd be. To change the culture ... is very difficult.
"They have so many different things going on in life. Football players have to work, babysit, or take care of their elders. Our trainers come over and tell us, 'Did you know that kid hasn't eaten all day?' It's not like a private school here, or the suburbs. Surviving is a tough task with all those things out of our control."
Sedlock granted the Star Tribune total access to his program. Here are scenes from a 4-4 season that will continue Friday night when South plays at suburban powerhouse Wayzata in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
A family of 55
Eager to unveil his expectations for a better South, Sedlock let loose on opening day.
Hovering over his new crop of Tigers on the school's grass field, Sedlock immediately addressed the obvious: The team needs more players.
"We're a 6A school. We have 55 guys here today!" he screamed. "I will tell you, almost every 6A school in the state of Minnesota has five times that amount."
His players, sitting on the ground or hunched on one knee, listened quietly. He told them freshmen and sophomores would have a real shot at a varsity job. He warned upperclassmen that there were no longer guarantees.
"This year is a year of firsts," he said, revealing part of his strategy for reversing the trends that defined the program for most of his time as coach. "We're going to ask you to do things that are pretty tough. We're not going to ask you to do things that are impossible."
Talent in trouble
Plopping down the front steps of his home, Jaylin Bynum knew he'd be late for school.
If he timed it right, his trek from his home near Roosevelt High School to South would take about 20 minutes: a nearly mile-long walk to the 38th Street light-rail station, ride to Lake Street, then walk to school.
He needed to be out the door at 7:50 a.m. But on this chilly September morning, the returning football starter -- blessed with uncommon speed and the ability to play any position -- was 12 minutes late.
He needed to be more punctual, he knew, pointing out how his tardiness cost him a chance to eat breakfast served at the school.
Bynum walked past old mills and industrial buildings on the south side before squeezing into a train full of mostly adults. Along the way the 16-year-old discussed "The Great Gatsby'' and its author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. He added that creative writing had begun to interest him.
The discussion was unusual for someone who avoided the topic of schoolwork whenever possible as a sophomore. So much so that as his junior year approached, his name was at the top of a list of athletes who Sedlock believed to be academically ineligible.
Going through the motions the first day of practice, Bynum couldn't help but wonder if it would also be his last. Whether it was nerves or poor conditioning, he threw up halfway through the morning workout.
Later in the day, standing in front of Sedlock to learn his fate, Bynum's dripping sweat couldn't hide the hopeless look on his face. He remained silent as long as possible.
"Am I going to be OK?" he finally asked.
Sedlock paused before looking him in the eye.
"We'll see. ... We'll see."
The future, age 14
Payton Bowdry is the type of student-athlete South can't afford to lose.
His 6-foot-1, lean frame is defined by already-chiseled muscles with plenty of room to grow. Even at 14, the freshman shows leadership, barking at upperclassmen despite dirty looks he sometimes gets in return. He's engaged in class and sits near the front of the room. In the halls, he shows a confident personality and makes time to talk to anyone he meets.
On the field, Bowdry attracts attention when he hurdles a defender or runs him over. He has made a mark already as both a running back and a safety. Those qualities, and his athletic abilities, could make him a Division I prospect, a rarity at South, Sedlock believes.
Keeping him enrolled is important to the future success of the program.
In the moments after an impressive homecoming victory over Minneapolis North, Sedlock was told a parent wanted to talk with him. While normally agreeable, Sedlock groaned and preferred to bask in the victory a bit longer.
"It's Payton's mom," assistant coach Byron Carter told him.
This was Sedlock's chance to make his case. Racing in their direction, he greeted Payton, his mother, Belinda, and his stepdad, Oscar Robinson.
The four stood quietly for a moment, the usually boisterous Sedlock at a loss for words. The coach had wondered if the meeting would ever happen and, if it did, how'd he handle it. Whatever he said could determine whether the freshman and his family would commit to South beyond this year.
"So, yeah," Sedlock finally began, breaking an awkward silence.
Carter, chimed in: "We want to keep him here. Keep him with the same team, good friends."
Belinda told the coaches the family was considering a move to north Minneapolis and she was concerned about how Payton would get to school each day.
Robinson suggested that it was time for Payton to learn to use the city bus system.
"I'm glad he's got a support system in sports," Belinda said while Sedlock embraced her son.
The moment was bigger than Sedlock could have anticipated.
More titles than players
Bouncing down the freeway, the yellow bus full of Tigers remained silent. An 18-mile drive to Eden Prairie provided a chance to reflect before meeting the defending Prep Bowl champion.
It was the only Class 6A team they would face until this week's playoffs.
Underneath his bulky headphones, Bynum maintained a look of determination. One row back, captain T.J. Mattson's head fell on the shoulder of quarterback Anthony Hockett as the pair welcomed a quick nap. Near the front of the bus, the coaching staff reviewed the game plan.
What was the point of this trip, some wondered, given Eden Prairie's lopsided advantage in players and talent? But Sedlock had sought out the Eagles. They had first played last season. He knew the result likely would be a rout again. But if his players could be on the same field as the state's best and get a glimpse of what it takes to reach that level, it was worth it.
Any comfort players had worked up disappeared as the bus pulled up to the stadium. Hanging at the entrance was a list of Eden Prairie's 41 conference, section and state championships, more than the number of South players on the bus.
And players couldn't help but notice the massive marching band warming up nearby.
The Eagles' overwhelming crowd had some Tigers thinking it must be the school's homecoming. South's veterans explained to the newbies that sold-out crowds in Eden Prairie are normal.
The bleachers on the South side were mostly empty.
By halftime, huddled underneath the stadium in a makeshift locker room, the team was shell-shocked. It hadn't scored. Eden Prairie was already playing reserves, on its way to a 42-0 victory.
After the game, back on the bus, any sense of glumness appeared to vanish in a hurry, as players hollered at a group of girls walking by.
One player yelled to his teammates in protest, "I want to know why ya'll so happy after losing to Eden Prairie?" It did little to change the mood.
Alone at the front of the bus, Sedlock lay back and let out a sigh. He was disappointed the offense didn't score. But he took solace in the words of Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant, who addressed the Tigers with an unusual postgame message of hope.
"I can't tell you how much we appreciate you guys coming out to play us. You guys play hard every play, right to the end. We have all the respect in the world for you," Grant had said. "Great, classy group. We're really proud of the opportunity to be on the field with you."
Poised to keep battling
For the first time in South history, night lights flooded the Les Barnard Field, marking the Tigers' final home game of the 2012 season.
Sedlock peeked beyond the portable lights at the crowd. He had dreamed of this moment for years.
He saw bleachers full of students and alumni. Community leaders, including the Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent and the Augsburg football coaching staff. Most important of all, he saw parents of players who had never seen their sons play.
Senior captain Brandon Strong scored three touchdowns as his mother, Barbara, smiled from the stands. Her tattooed name on his chest never meant more. Boisterous cheers, rarely heard at day games, drowned out the hum of the portable lights.
Team captain Mattson heard those cheers, but he wasn't on the field. Staying warm in his letter jacket, he stood behind a chain-link fence separating the team from the spectators and held a sign: "Yay South."
In August, Mattson drew strength from Vice President Joe Biden, who dropped in on a South practice during a Twin Cities visit. Mattson aspired to be the kind of person who stood by his teammates, as Biden urged, and a team leader, as Sedlock preached during six weeks of special summer classes he put his team through to help them make better choices with their lives.
For two months Mattson exemplified those standards. He got to practice on time, helped coaches maintain structure and fulfilled his academic responsibilities.
Then came two overwhelming shutout losses, to Eden Prairie and Southwest.
A year ago, after a similar letdown on the heels of defeats, 14 players were suspended for violating team rules.
After the Southwest loss, Sedlock asked players to keep their poise. But three days before the Edison night game, a number of players skipped practice and violated other team rules. Sedlock suspended seven of them -- five were seniors, including Mattson -- for the big game.
The decisions weren't easy, especially the one involving Mattson. Tuesday afternoon before the historic night game, Sedlock sat with the crestfallen player, skipping practice himself rather than leave his side. Three hours passed as they talked about mistakes and finding a path to mending them.
"I felt like I needed to," Sedlock said about sacrificing his afternoon. "Spending time with him ... I wouldn't second-guess that for nothing. To me, he's more important than winning football games."
The suspensions gave 13 freshmen a chance to dress and play in the 41-20 victory. In responding to adversity, Sedlock seized a chance to build for the future.
Sprinting along the sideline and jolting his fist in the air throughout the night, the rejuvenated coach celebrated his team's weeklong triumph and thought maybe his dream of rebuilding tradition could still be done.
"I've never had a feeling like anything tonight. I think it's a step forward," Sedlock said. "The last [13] years have been like this," jerking his hands in a roller-coaster motion. "This year we were on the way down. But, today, this week, we started on our way back up."
Jason Gonzalez • 612-673-673-4494 Twitter: @JGonStrib
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186211?referrer_id=648058
By Jason Gonzalez, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 8:15am CDT
After seasons of seeing the odds keep growing against his team's chance for success, the veteran football coach of the South Tigers is trying to create dramatic changes at the Minneapolis school
South High football's battle to survive
Lenny Sedlock's face shows the battle wounds of 13 years as football coach at Minneapolis South High School. Deep furrows under his prominent brow and lines under his blue eyes.
The 52-year-old's stubby, bitten fingernails and cracking voice hint of the daily struggles at the most populated city school, which sits near Lake Street and Cedar Avenue in the heart of one of the Twin Cities' most challenged neighborhoods.
South, one of the state's oldest high schools, boasts a 91 percent graduation rate and attracts students with its high academic standards. It has fielded top teams in boys' soccer and girls' basketball.
Football is a different story.
High on a brick wall in the school cafeteria hang six state championship banners, remnants of South's football pinnacle dating to the 19th century. The last one was won in 1923. These days even titles in the relatively weak seven-team conference of Minneapolis schools elude South's grasp. With the area's top football players best known for leaving South to play in more successful programs, such as rival Washburn or in the suburbs, and academic and off-field problems an ongoing issue, Sedlock's program isn't focused only on wins and loses. Against that backdrop, the coach dreams of restoring the glory that was once South football, replete with players who view the game as a priority and a privilege, a community that turns out for games, and a team that competes every Friday.
But for now, the biggest battles at South are ones of player survival, attracting and maintaining top talent, dealing with grade-challenged athletes and teaching hard life lessons to young adults.
On the first day of practice, Aug. 13, just 55 players showed up. Sedlock watched kids in jean shorts struggle to perform basic athletic fundamentals. Others in shoes unfit for athletics fell behind during conditioning drills. Some arrived late and left early. Among his better players, three were borderline academically ineligible.
Sedlock is tired of reliving this scene each season. Convinced the decline will continue if nothing is done, he set out this year to radically change South football against seemingly impossible odds. He raised the standards of accountability. He turned his focus to building a program around underclassmen. With the team now competing in the newly formed Class 6A of Minnesota's 32 largest high schools, he advocated for the team's jump to the Lake Conference. His bid, which was rejected, would have meant playing much better teams and learning, most likely through blowouts, what it would take to compete.
To make it work will mean instilling Sedlock's intense brand of South pride into players. He learned that appreciation when he was a standout player for South in the '70s, and it pulled him back to coach his alma mater after several successful stints elsewhere.
"A lot of who I am is from here. A lot of my values were instilled at South. People want to go back and give where they received,'' he said. "I knew it'd be hard but didn't know how hard it'd be. To change the culture ... is very difficult.
"They have so many different things going on in life. Football players have to work, babysit, or take care of their elders. Our trainers come over and tell us, 'Did you know that kid hasn't eaten all day?' It's not like a private school here, or the suburbs. Surviving is a tough task with all those things out of our control."
Sedlock granted the Star Tribune total access to his program. Here are scenes from a 4-4 season that will continue Friday night when South plays at suburban powerhouse Wayzata in the first round of the 6A playoffs.
A family of 55
Eager to unveil his expectations for a better South, Sedlock let loose on opening day.
Hovering over his new crop of Tigers on the school's grass field, Sedlock immediately addressed the obvious: The team needs more players.
"We're a 6A school. We have 55 guys here today!" he screamed. "I will tell you, almost every 6A school in the state of Minnesota has five times that amount."
His players, sitting on the ground or hunched on one knee, listened quietly. He told them freshmen and sophomores would have a real shot at a varsity job. He warned upperclassmen that there were no longer guarantees.
"This year is a year of firsts," he said, revealing part of his strategy for reversing the trends that defined the program for most of his time as coach. "We're going to ask you to do things that are pretty tough. We're not going to ask you to do things that are impossible."
Talent in trouble
Plopping down the front steps of his home, Jaylin Bynum knew he'd be late for school.
If he timed it right, his trek from his home near Roosevelt High School to South would take about 20 minutes: a nearly mile-long walk to the 38th Street light-rail station, ride to Lake Street, then walk to school.
He needed to be out the door at 7:50 a.m. But on this chilly September morning, the returning football starter -- blessed with uncommon speed and the ability to play any position -- was 12 minutes late.
He needed to be more punctual, he knew, pointing out how his tardiness cost him a chance to eat breakfast served at the school.
Bynum walked past old mills and industrial buildings on the south side before squeezing into a train full of mostly adults. Along the way the 16-year-old discussed "The Great Gatsby'' and its author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. He added that creative writing had begun to interest him.
The discussion was unusual for someone who avoided the topic of schoolwork whenever possible as a sophomore. So much so that as his junior year approached, his name was at the top of a list of athletes who Sedlock believed to be academically ineligible.
Going through the motions the first day of practice, Bynum couldn't help but wonder if it would also be his last. Whether it was nerves or poor conditioning, he threw up halfway through the morning workout.
Later in the day, standing in front of Sedlock to learn his fate, Bynum's dripping sweat couldn't hide the hopeless look on his face. He remained silent as long as possible.
"Am I going to be OK?" he finally asked.
Sedlock paused before looking him in the eye.
"We'll see. ... We'll see."
The future, age 14
Payton Bowdry is the type of student-athlete South can't afford to lose.
His 6-foot-1, lean frame is defined by already-chiseled muscles with plenty of room to grow. Even at 14, the freshman shows leadership, barking at upperclassmen despite dirty looks he sometimes gets in return. He's engaged in class and sits near the front of the room. In the halls, he shows a confident personality and makes time to talk to anyone he meets.
On the field, Bowdry attracts attention when he hurdles a defender or runs him over. He has made a mark already as both a running back and a safety. Those qualities, and his athletic abilities, could make him a Division I prospect, a rarity at South, Sedlock believes.
Keeping him enrolled is important to the future success of the program.
In the moments after an impressive homecoming victory over Minneapolis North, Sedlock was told a parent wanted to talk with him. While normally agreeable, Sedlock groaned and preferred to bask in the victory a bit longer.
"It's Payton's mom," assistant coach Byron Carter told him.
This was Sedlock's chance to make his case. Racing in their direction, he greeted Payton, his mother, Belinda, and his stepdad, Oscar Robinson.
The four stood quietly for a moment, the usually boisterous Sedlock at a loss for words. The coach had wondered if the meeting would ever happen and, if it did, how'd he handle it. Whatever he said could determine whether the freshman and his family would commit to South beyond this year.
"So, yeah," Sedlock finally began, breaking an awkward silence.
Carter, chimed in: "We want to keep him here. Keep him with the same team, good friends."
Belinda told the coaches the family was considering a move to north Minneapolis and she was concerned about how Payton would get to school each day.
Robinson suggested that it was time for Payton to learn to use the city bus system.
"I'm glad he's got a support system in sports," Belinda said while Sedlock embraced her son.
The moment was bigger than Sedlock could have anticipated.
More titles than players
Bouncing down the freeway, the yellow bus full of Tigers remained silent. An 18-mile drive to Eden Prairie provided a chance to reflect before meeting the defending Prep Bowl champion.
It was the only Class 6A team they would face until this week's playoffs.
Underneath his bulky headphones, Bynum maintained a look of determination. One row back, captain T.J. Mattson's head fell on the shoulder of quarterback Anthony Hockett as the pair welcomed a quick nap. Near the front of the bus, the coaching staff reviewed the game plan.
What was the point of this trip, some wondered, given Eden Prairie's lopsided advantage in players and talent? But Sedlock had sought out the Eagles. They had first played last season. He knew the result likely would be a rout again. But if his players could be on the same field as the state's best and get a glimpse of what it takes to reach that level, it was worth it.
Any comfort players had worked up disappeared as the bus pulled up to the stadium. Hanging at the entrance was a list of Eden Prairie's 41 conference, section and state championships, more than the number of South players on the bus.
And players couldn't help but notice the massive marching band warming up nearby.
The Eagles' overwhelming crowd had some Tigers thinking it must be the school's homecoming. South's veterans explained to the newbies that sold-out crowds in Eden Prairie are normal.
The bleachers on the South side were mostly empty.
By halftime, huddled underneath the stadium in a makeshift locker room, the team was shell-shocked. It hadn't scored. Eden Prairie was already playing reserves, on its way to a 42-0 victory.
After the game, back on the bus, any sense of glumness appeared to vanish in a hurry, as players hollered at a group of girls walking by.
One player yelled to his teammates in protest, "I want to know why ya'll so happy after losing to Eden Prairie?" It did little to change the mood.
Alone at the front of the bus, Sedlock lay back and let out a sigh. He was disappointed the offense didn't score. But he took solace in the words of Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant, who addressed the Tigers with an unusual postgame message of hope.
"I can't tell you how much we appreciate you guys coming out to play us. You guys play hard every play, right to the end. We have all the respect in the world for you," Grant had said. "Great, classy group. We're really proud of the opportunity to be on the field with you."
Poised to keep battling
For the first time in South history, night lights flooded the Les Barnard Field, marking the Tigers' final home game of the 2012 season.
Sedlock peeked beyond the portable lights at the crowd. He had dreamed of this moment for years.
He saw bleachers full of students and alumni. Community leaders, including the Minneapolis Public Schools superintendent and the Augsburg football coaching staff. Most important of all, he saw parents of players who had never seen their sons play.
Senior captain Brandon Strong scored three touchdowns as his mother, Barbara, smiled from the stands. Her tattooed name on his chest never meant more. Boisterous cheers, rarely heard at day games, drowned out the hum of the portable lights.
Team captain Mattson heard those cheers, but he wasn't on the field. Staying warm in his letter jacket, he stood behind a chain-link fence separating the team from the spectators and held a sign: "Yay South."
In August, Mattson drew strength from Vice President Joe Biden, who dropped in on a South practice during a Twin Cities visit. Mattson aspired to be the kind of person who stood by his teammates, as Biden urged, and a team leader, as Sedlock preached during six weeks of special summer classes he put his team through to help them make better choices with their lives.
For two months Mattson exemplified those standards. He got to practice on time, helped coaches maintain structure and fulfilled his academic responsibilities.
Then came two overwhelming shutout losses, to Eden Prairie and Southwest.
A year ago, after a similar letdown on the heels of defeats, 14 players were suspended for violating team rules.
After the Southwest loss, Sedlock asked players to keep their poise. But three days before the Edison night game, a number of players skipped practice and violated other team rules. Sedlock suspended seven of them -- five were seniors, including Mattson -- for the big game.
The decisions weren't easy, especially the one involving Mattson. Tuesday afternoon before the historic night game, Sedlock sat with the crestfallen player, skipping practice himself rather than leave his side. Three hours passed as they talked about mistakes and finding a path to mending them.
"I felt like I needed to," Sedlock said about sacrificing his afternoon. "Spending time with him ... I wouldn't second-guess that for nothing. To me, he's more important than winning football games."
The suspensions gave 13 freshmen a chance to dress and play in the 41-20 victory. In responding to adversity, Sedlock seized a chance to build for the future.
Sprinting along the sideline and jolting his fist in the air throughout the night, the rejuvenated coach celebrated his team's weeklong triumph and thought maybe his dream of rebuilding tradition could still be done.
"I've never had a feeling like anything tonight. I think it's a step forward," Sedlock said. "The last [13] years have been like this," jerking his hands in a roller-coaster motion. "This year we were on the way down. But, today, this week, we started on our way back up."
Jason Gonzalez • 612-673-673-4494 Twitter: @JGonStrib
This 2012 video speaks to the heart of our message. Please watch.
The real truth in this story is not any individual coach or player, but it is about the student, our students, now and future. What do we show them? How do we teach them? How do we help them create their foundation? How do we let them fall down and lift them back up again? How do we make them feel cared for and valued? How do we allow them to cheer each other on? How do we let them feel proud of who they are and where they come from? This is not about us. This is about them.
Please watch this video linked below. This is about the students. Their hopes, their dreams, their struggles, their failures, their successes. The athletic fields are about all of this and about our ability to be there to encourage them and to cheer them on and ourselves at the same time.
VIDEO: 'We will go up! Are you with me?'By McKenna Ewen, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 7:15am CDT
An undermanned team at a large city high school, the South Tigers were followed on the field and off by Star Tribune videographer McKenna Ewen.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186221?referrer_id=648058
Please watch this video linked below. This is about the students. Their hopes, their dreams, their struggles, their failures, their successes. The athletic fields are about all of this and about our ability to be there to encourage them and to cheer them on and ourselves at the same time.
VIDEO: 'We will go up! Are you with me?'By McKenna Ewen, Star Tribune
10/23/2012, 7:15am CDT
An undermanned team at a large city high school, the South Tigers were followed on the field and off by Star Tribune videographer McKenna Ewen.
http://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/186221?referrer_id=648058