HEART OF STEELE
In the two months since I moved to Owatonna, I’ve driven past a small, blue-roofed building on McKinley Street dozens of times, giving it barely a glance.
I suspected it was an elementary school, although I saw no children around. Not surprising, what kid wants to spend time at school during the summer?
On Thursday, I ventured inside the Roosevelt School to cover the Owatonna Public Schools Adult Education Open House and learned just how many programs live inside that space. It’s a home for educating literally everyone from birth to… well, death.
Adult Programs Coordinator Lydia Yahnke told me about a weekly program for new parents who can bring their babies in for a wellness check with a public health nurse. The sessions also provide them with needed support from a parent educator, who can help them navigate the challenges of caring for a newborn.
She spoke with great passion about career education and connecting Owatonna’s untapped workforce with local employers. About a driver’s permit preparation program that took off like a rocket. About an after-school program for K-5 kids that offers everything from homework help to arts and crafts but is currently under-staffed. About extended trips that show people the beauty and wonder of Minnesota.
And that’s just a fraction of what happens in that blue-roofed building every day of the year.
I have a real soft spot for adult education programs. One of my children has a traditional high school diploma; the other, a GED obtained through adult ed. Both are thriving, happy people who each followed their own path to success.
Over the years, I’ve written about many folks whose involvement in community education programs took their lives in unexpected directions. Most recently, Steele County Free Fair woodcarving superintendent and accomplished artist Stephanie Kolbe talked about how it sparked her interest in the craft.
The most recent Owatonna Public Schools Community Education brochure should be appearing in your mailbox soon. As you page through it, consider how lucky we are to have this great resource in the heart of our community.