Back to School at Hamline Elementary

Hamline Elementary School by JESSICA KOPP

• School is back in session in St. Paul Public Schools and good vibes are filling the hallways and classrooms of 1599 Englewood. Students, with smiles and boundless energy, are busy building community and mapping out a fantastic voyage of discovery alongside a talented and spirited staff. And as we say hello to the new school year, we say goodbye to a summer that included two awesome Hamline Elementary family nights at Hancock Recreation Center where familiar faces met new faces and excitement about the upcoming school year was born.

• On the first day of school, Hamline staff and families returned to finer, less unruly gardens, thanks to the summertime efforts of Hamline University’s Office of Sustainability. This is the same team who worked with last year’s fifth graders to breathe new life into an under-utilized space. They also worked with Hamline University’s LEAP into St. Paul project on the first day of school to continue the work of transforming the sunny, south-facing entrance on Englewood into a beautiful and engaging inquiry garden. This garden partnership is the latest and only one of many nurtured by the Hamline to Hamline Collaboration as these two campuses begin their 25th year of formal collaboration.

• We’re closer to welcoming fall the way we have the last two years with the 3rd Annual Hamline Elementary Fall Festival on Sat., Oct. 1. Working again with the best neighbor ever, Hancock Recreation Center, and for the first time with the Hamline Midway Coalition, our school community is thrilled to welcome neighbors to join us for an afternoon of free, family-friendly neighborhood fun. Check out http://hamlinemidway.org/fallfestival for more details.

• On the first day of school, the building at 1599 Englewood began its fourth year as Hamline Elementary—a change from the inexplicably long-named Hancock-Hamline University Collaborative Magnet. As a new generation of families come to know this space as Hamline Elementary, we invite you to learn more about the people and programming that make this place unlike any other. Good things are happening at Hamline Elementary; you can follow our journey at the Discover Hamline Elementary Facebook page or call 651-293-8715 to arrange a visit; we have a lot of awesome to share.