BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Smiles and sunshine beamed simultaneously.
Tucked off to one side of Brooklyn Boulevard, next to a sprawling park with a bustling shop and food plaza just a stone's heave away across the strip of road, sits Northport Elementary, an education hub for children in PreK-5th Grade that is affectionately referred to as "The 'Port" by principal Bridget Dooley.
"Often, when you think of schools that have a higher poverty level, you usually see such a high, high transient turnover. But you wouldn't necessarily see that here," Dooley shared. "There are so many students I meet who are like, 'Principal Dooley, I've been here since this grade!' and it's pretty amazing.
"And the parents I've met are like, 'This is our school. This is where we [want our kids]. If we move, we make sure we stay within the boundaries,' " Dooley said with pride. "There's a really high commitment."
This past Thursday, Northport was treated to an unforgettable "field day."
But instead of running races and playing games common at recess, the almost 500 youth were surprised by Vikings Legend Scott Studwell and enjoyed a Back-to-School event organized by the Minnesota Vikings Foundation. An active morning featured football drills, tailgate activities such as cornhole, as well as healthy snacks for students and meals for teachers courtesy of the Vikings Table food truck, powered by Xcel Energy.
Additionally, the students received supplies, including folders, notebooks and pencils, and the Vikings Foundation awarded The 'Port a $5,000 hometown grant provided by the NFL PLAY 60 initiative. After ample time outdoors, the children, many decked out in purple, headed inside for a Scholastic Book Fair brought by the Vikings, and were given two free books; 100 more were donated to the school's library.
"All week, the kids were like, 'Do you know who the Legend is?' I said, 'It's going to be a surprise!'" Dooley recalled. "It's so cool having [Scott] here today. We appreciate everyone and the organization.
"That whole idea of what can happen when you have people come [is special]," Dooley added, remembering the profound effect another Vikings Legend, Randall McDaniel, had on her own son when the Pro Football Hall of Fame guard helped tutor him in reading at Lakeville Elementary years ago.
Studwell, outfitted with a ball cap to block out the sun on a clear-skyed day and athletic sneakers to maintain his footing in slick grass, tossed balls to the young people as they rotated through four stations.
At one, the kids ran, walked or skipped through step-over bags used for agility drills. At another, they gained a head of steam and pummeled into a tackling wheel. Studwell posted up at a box drill regularly utilized by linebackers that required participants to move around a set of four cones then break toward Studwell to catch a pass and complete the drill. The most popular station had kids attempting passes into an accuracy net with five targets similar to the one Vikings quarterbacks use to warm up in practices.
"I think the pointers go in one ear and out the other," Studwell said with a laugh. "But they're nice kids – and they're kids – and they don't really understand the concept of what these drills are, but it's just a way to get them outside and get them muddy — and just spend some time with them.
"It's just always nice to give back," Studwell continued. "The foundation allows the alumni to stay involved and give back to the community and give back to the team. And they do such a great job keeping in touch with the alumni and making them feel welcome. … It's a credit to Mark and Zygi and Lenny [Wilf] and the upper management. We've got a place to go and feel like we belong."
The Ring of Honor member added, "The roots that we've developed here are lifelong."
According to Dooley, roughly 70 percent of Northport's student population depends on educational benefits, the term used for "free and reduced." Students of color make up nearly 90 percent of the classes, she said, and the largest language spoken is Spanish (followed by English, Somali and Hmong).
An "incredible tapestry of cultures and uniqueness" forms a dynamic learning environment, Dooley said.
So does Northport's range of educators.
"We have staff that is either very new, like brand new, in their first one, two, three years of teaching, or we have staff that have been teaching here in this building – in this very building – 20 years or more," Dooley noted. "They work together. They collaborate. They really know how to team up and strategize and lift each other up and support each other – because work is hard and there's a lot of great needs."
Dooley detailed, "With this event, everyone kind of just jumped in: 'I got this! I'll do this! I can help!'"
Ultimately, the teamwork made the dream work on a sunny day of smiles at the start of fall.
