mrpa minnesota magazine, winter 2011-12

MINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTARecreation and ParksRecreation and ParksRecreation and ParksRecreation and ParksVolume 6, Issue 4

Winter 2012Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012

Official Publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park AssociationOfficial Publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park AssociationOfficial Publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park Association

www.mnrpa.orgwww.mnrpa.orgwww.mnrpa.org

Concussions: The Latest Buzz Word

in Sports


in Sports


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in Sports

MRPAStrategic

Vision Plan

MRPAStrategic

Vision Plan

MRPAStrategic

Vision Plan

MRPAStrategic

Vision Plan

MRPAStrategic

Vision Plan

Solar Energy Projects





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PublisherMinnesota Recreation and Park Association200 Charles Street NE, Fridley, MN 55432www.mnrpa.org Tel: 763.571.1305

Editorial StaffMichelle J. Snider

Bethani Gerhard

Editorial BoardPatty Anderson, Maple Grove

Jan Ficken, Brooklyn Park

Jennifer Fink, Anoka County

Chad Ubl, Winona

Heidi Sedlacek, New Brighton

Advertising & DesignPernsteiner Creative Group, Inc.

MRPA Board of Directors

President: Jack Kirk, Fridley

President-Elect: Cindy Walsh, St. Louis Park

Past President: Cris Gears, Three Rivers Park District

Secretary: Diane Evans, Plymouth

Treasurer: Dale McCamish, Rochester

RSC Chair: Lyndell Frey, Eden Prairie

East Metro: Barry Bernstein, Hastings

East Metro: Dan Schultz, Rosemount

East Metro: Jason T. West, New Brighton

Northwest Region: Brad Bonk, Willmar

Northeast Region: Marc Mattice, Wright County

Southern Region: Rick Schaber, Saint Charles

West Metro: Aimee Peterson, Chaska

West Metro: Andy Soltvedt, Golden Valley

West Metro: Donna Tilsner, Edina

This magazine is the official quarterly publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park Association and is provided complimentary to members as part of their MRPA membership. The editorial board encourages the submission of articles and photos for publication. Articles of approximately 500-700 words or less may be submitted, but may be edited for length and clarity. Contact Michelle Snider, MRPA, at 763.571.1305 x100 if

interested in submitting an article for a future issue.

Deadlines for Articles and AdvertisingWinter 2011 issue ........................ November 4Spring 2012 issue ......................... February 28Summer 2012 issue ..............................April 13Fall 2012 issue ........................................July 30

MRPA reserves the right to approve all submitted advertising in MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks magazine. All requests for advertising should be made to Todd Pernsteiner, Account Manager, at 952.841.1111 or [email protected].

An affiliate of National Recreation and Park Association

WHAT’s INsIDEBy MRPA Magazine Editorial Board

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The Editorial Board recently discussed the lat-est legislation regarding children’s safety. Min-nesota enacted a new concussion law last fall for youth. Renewed discussions regarding bullying have swept the nation, including conversations at Minnesota’s local and state levels. Articles in this issue share with read-ers this latest information.

Also, please take time to study the new MRPA Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan Task Force recommended, and the Board of Di-rectors approved, the five top action items to pursue this year. MRPA needs your help in making these action items a reality, which benefit all members and the profession. Both the strategic plan and action items are shown within this issue.

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Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012





Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012


Offi cial Publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park Association





Offi cial Publication of Minnesota Recreation and Park AssociationMINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTAMINNESOTARecreation and Parks






























Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Volume 6, Issue 4Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012Winter 2012

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MRPAStrategic Vision Plan




MRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAMRPAStrategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Strategic Vision Plan

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4 MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks • www.mnrpa.org

ADVERTIsER INDEX

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Thank you to our advertisers for your help in supporting

MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks magazine. We kindly ask

members to please support our advertisers.

Interested in advertising? Contact Todd Pernsteiner at

952.841.1111 or [email protected].

TABLE OF CONTENTs

What’s Inside ................................3From the Board President ...........5Meet Anthony Bates ....................7Solar Energy Projects ...................9Three Rivers Park District Completes New Solar Projects ...10MRPA Strategic Vision Plan ... 11-14

Top 5 Action Items .....................15The Risk of Bullying ............ 16-18Concussions: The Latest Buzz Word in Sports ............... 20MRPF New Initiative Grants ... 22


In my first column as MRPA President last March, I described our challenge of surviving a tough cold winter while simultaneously fending off some nasty political rhetoric aimed at discrediting the good work of public professionals.

Well, it’s now 2012, the winter has been much milder, and hope springs eternal - MRPA has a plan! An Action Plan! A Strategic Vision Plan! Like many good Plans (with a Capital P), it is concise and contains a bunch of good ideas that we can start working on!

Our Strategic Vision Plan deviates a bit from the standard strategic-busi-ness-plan-for-associations model. Our Plan is really about promoting the recreation and parks profession in Minnesota, using MRPA as a catalyst. The Plan was developed with input from dozens of our members, and its 26 actions in the plan reflect the ideas and suggestions generated by you and your colleagues. Your help will be instrumental in turning these ideas into realities.

Jack Kirk, the new MRPA President, will be leading the charge on plan implementation. After reviewing a recommendation from the Strategic Plan Task Force that spent more than a year on this effort, the MRPA Board identified the following actions to be pursued in 2012:

1. Create and maintain a web-based resource center for members, focusing ontrends, benefits of parks, best practices, standards and examples.

2. Create and/or restructure sections and committees to align with plan priorities, with input from all sections and committees.

3. Expand successful revenue programs; and explore addi-tional revenue models.

4. Lead the development of local and state legislation that proactively promotes the profession’s vision.

5. Develop a grassroots-advo-cacy methodology for use by agencies to cultivate and support citizen leaders and supporters of the profession.

Your energy and enthusiasm are needed to make this plan work! I encourage you to read about the plan in this issue and to contact Jack or Michelle Snider if you can lend a hand or take a leadership role. And I’d like to offer a big shout-out to Jonathan Vlaming (from Three Rivers Park District) for collecting, process-ing, synthesizing and editing our input; and to Andy Soltvedt (from Golden Valley) for the use of great graphics to display our Plan’s vision, goals, and actions.

What a great Annual Conference at Mystic Lake! I’d like to offer a big thank you to Mark Themig and Jamie Polley for hosting the confer-ence two years in a row. It was won-derful seeing old friends and making new ones. We were blessed with an abundance of great speakers, and I really enjoyed David Horsager’s talk on trust. Now if I can just figure out how to turn that $20 into a $100... I’m really looking forward to this year’s celebration of our 75th Anniversary, which will be “capstoned” by our Annual Conference in Brainerd.

I’ve really enjoyed serving as Presi-dent of this great organization, but all good things must come to an end. So as I ride off into the sunset, I’d like share a few Cowboy-ruminations:

• Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

• Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

• Never miss a good chance to shut up.

• Speak your mind, but ride a fast horse.

Cheers!

FROM THE BOARD PREsIDENT

By Cris Gears, MRPA President

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< Meet Anthony Bates

Anthony Bates became in-terested in the parks and recreation profession while working at Folwell Park, part of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. “There were three things that im-pacted me while working at

Folwell Park,” says Bates. “The first was that I was able to build meaningful relationships with youth and teens. Secondly, I had a very meaningful conversation with the center director Jamie Neldner, on how potentially re-warding this profession could be. Lastly, I wanted an op-portunity to teach youth and teens how to make wise decisions in order to minimize negative consequences later down the road. Once I realized the impact that I could make on youth and teens, I pursued parks and recre-ation as a full-time profession.”

When Bates graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008, Brooklyn Park Recreation and Parks had a sea-sonal job opening for a teen specialist. Bates worked in that position for nearly three years. In July 2011, an op-portunity for full-time employment became available. He interviewed, was selected for the position and is cur-rently their full-time teen specialist.

Bates’ involvement with Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA) began with attending the Annual Conference. Bates believes the State Conference is a great way to find out about all of the wonderful projects that other communities are implementing. “I look forward to attending the State Conference each and every year,” says Bates. “The MRPA section meetings are also very beneficial because I have the opportunity to share ideas, discuss programs, and hear about any community engage-ment projects throughout the state.”

Bates adds, “I have gained invaluable experience by being involved with the MRPA. The most important experience I have gained is listening and sharing stories with current professionals in the field. I believe you can’t get to where you’re going, unless you know where you came from. I’m just so thankful to be in the profession. I’m ecstatic to be working for one of the cutting-edge cities, Brooklyn Park. I love the way Brooklyn Park has engaged their residents, schools, churches, businesses and most of all how youth engagement has become a huge priority.”

MRPA members are the heart of our organization. They are involved and committed to advancing the parks and recreation programming. MRPA in Action is a new magazine feature which will highlight one section/committee and one professional per issue.


City of Falcon HeightsBeginning this summer, the City of Falcon Height’s City Hall building will be getting solar panels installed. “The panels will be made by tenKsolar® from Bloomington, MN,” says Michelle Tesser, assistant to the city adminis-trator for the City of Falcon Heights. “The panels will produce electricity throughout our building.”

The City of Falcon Heights is fund-ing the solar project through a lease/buyback arrangement with Energy Alternatives (EA). “We got State and Xcel rebates, which we assign to EA in order to buy down the installation costs,” says Tesser. “EA also qualifies for federal tax credits by owning the system for seven years. After year seven, we will buy the system.”The total out-of-pocket money for the City of Falcon Heights is about $50K and the total system is valued at $321K.

Washington County ParksThe campground at Lake Elmo Park Re-serve had five solar panels installed on their shower building. Each solar panel is about 40 square feet in size. They tie into the water heater, providing hot wa-ter for the campground shower build-ing. A preliminary energy consumption report suggests a 20% decline in the use of electricity at the shower building, due mainly from taking the water heater off the grid.

Minneapolis Park andRecreation BoardAn eight kW photovoltaic (PV or solar) project was installed on the Carl W. Kroening Interpretive Center located in North Mississippi Regional Park. The project was primarily funded by the (now-expired) Solar Energy Legacy grant program available from the Parks and Trails Fund cre-ated by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water, Land and Leg-acy Amendment passed by the vot-ers in 2008. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Xcel Energy Solar Rewards Program also helped to fund the project.

solar energy projects

Lake Elmo Park Reserve

had five solar panels installed

on their shower building that tie

into the water heater, providing

hot water for showers.

Project Title Campground Shower

Building Solar Water Heater

Total Project Cost $22,500

Amount Requested $18,000

Local Match $4,500

Source of Local Match Century College

Student Labor + Park Division Approved Operating Budget

By Bethani Gerhard, Minnesota Recreation and Park Association

A preliminary energy consumption report suggests

a 20% decline in the use of electricity...

Winter 2012 • MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks 1110 MINNESOTA Recreation and Parks • www.mnrpa.org

Three Rivers Park District Completes New Solar ProjectsThree Rivers Park District has recently completed three new solar energy projects:• Main campground shower building at Baker Park Reserve• Richardson Nature Center at Hyland Park Reserve • The Depot Coffee House

“Each location has an education kiosk display that can be ob-served by park patrons visiting the facilities,” says Eric Rehm, who worked for Three Rivers District on the solar panel project. He currently has a new position with the State of Minnesota - Office of Energy Security, working on the energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

The Depot Coffee House at the Cedar Lake LRT Regional Trail and Richardson Nature Center at Hyland Park Reserve installed a photovoltaic (PV) system to gather energy from the sun and convert it into electricity, directly offsetting the buildings’ need for electricity from the grid. The PV system at the nature center currently offsets approximately 40 to 50 percent of the total power consumed by the building. The Depot’s PV system currently offsets approximately 25 to 33 percent of consumed power.

“Jason Zemke was the architect and project manager responsible for the installation of two systems: a 30kW PV Array at the Richardson and an 11kW PV Array at The Depot,” adds Rehm.

At Baker Park Reserve’s campground, a solar thermal system gathers energy from the sun and transfers it to the building’s water supply at the main shower building, reducing the energy required by the electric water heaters. The solar panels are pro-jected to save approximately 50 percent of the electric energy used for heating water. More data will be ob-tained at the end of the camping season.

“All three systems were installed in 2011 and were beneficiaries of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources So-lar Legacy grants,” says Rehm. Grant funding for the program comes from the Parks and Trails Fund, created by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Wa-ter, Land and Legacy Amendment approved by voters in 2008.

A link soon will be placed on the Park District’s website at www.threeriversparks.org to allow people to monitor real-time performance of the two PV systems. The Park District is excited to monitor the success and the expected en-ergy savings of these projects.

Richardson Nature Center


THE STRATEGIC VISION Recreation and parks are universally recognized as cornerstones to the high quality of life enjoyed by Minnesotans.

ENGAGEMRPA is a volunteer-based organization of professional members. The ideas in this plan were developed by MRPA’s members, and the members will be instrumental in implementing the actions.

MRPA’S MISSIONTo improve the quality of life in Minnesota by enhancing the profession of parks, open space, recreation, and leisure services.

MRPA’S FOUR ACTIONABLE GOALS:

LEAD:MRPA serves as the credible voice for the recreation and parks profession in Minnesota.

INNOVATE:MRPA anticipates and proactively addresses change and opportunities.

EDUCATE:MRPA is the authoritative source for knowledge about the practice and profession of recreation and parks.

OPTIMIZE:MRPA is a vital professional organization that provides programs and services to effectively meet, anticipate, and exceed the needs of members and the profession.

MRPA STRATEGIC VISION PLAN2011 & Beyond

MINNESOTA RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION200CharlesStreetNE•Fridley,MN55432

www.mnrpa.org

763-571-1305

MRPA is a volunteer-based organization of professional members. The ideas in this plan were developed by you and your colleagues, and your help is instrumental in implementing these actions.

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?MRPA will coordinate implementation teams for each action. To join a team, or to volunteer to lead a team, call or email Michelle at 763.571.1305 x100 or [email protected]

CAN ACTIONS BE MODIFIED?Yes! Each implementation team will further define/develop the action concept, and will develop and implement the strategies for that action.

CAN I PROPOSE A NEW ACTION?Yes, if your action idea fits with one of the four actionable goals, and you are willing to champion your action. The Strategic Plan is designed to be fluid, recognizing that its success is entirely dependent on member volunteers. As part of coordinating implementation teams, Michelle at MRPA will accept new action ideas, and will alert members to the additional implementation team opportunities. So if you have a great idea, give MRPA a call!

ENGAGE!


1

MRPA Strategic PlanBy Jack Kirk, Minnesota Recreation and Park Association President

There was some great discus-sion on which action items should be recommended to the Board of Directors as priorities for this coming year at the Strategic Plan Task Force meeting in Novem-ber. The Task Force ultimately thought it important to listen to the membership that weighed in on the action items through the recent MRPA survey.

The following action item recom-mendations for the MRPA Board of Directors were approved by the Strategic Plan Task Force:

EducatE - action item #2Create and maintain a web-based resource center for members, focus-ing on trends, benefits of parks, best practices, standards, examples of plans and specs, etc.

Note: this was the highest vote getter

in MRPA member survey...38 votes.

a. Establish a task force to take the lead, create the resource center and get this project going.

b. This action item could in-volve most sections assisting with effort to get resources on line.

c. The new task force to recommend a section or committee for maintain-ing resource center into future.

2

3

4

5OptimizE - action item #1Create and/or restructure sections and committees to align with plan priorities.

a. Ask the Professional Development Committee to take the lead on this, soliciting input from all other sec-tions/committees.

b. Sections and committees should be geared to accomplishment of the Strategic Plan.

c. Ask all sections and committees to review Strategic Plan and identify ac-tion items to work on that fit with sec-tion/committee objectives. Identify a possible timeline for action items to be worked on by the sections/com-mittees in next five year span.

OptimizE – action item #4 Expand successful revenue pro-grams; reduce deficit programs; and explore additional revenue models.

Note: this was the second highest vote getter in the MRPA member sur-vey...26 votes.

a. Board of Directors to take the lead on this one with input from staff, RSC and sections.

LEad – action item #6 Lead the development of local and state legislation that proactively pro-motes the profession’s vision.

a. Ask the Legislative Committee to take the lead on this.

LEad – action item #2 Develop a grassroots-advocacy methodology for use by agencies to cultivate and support citizens as community leaders and supporters of the profession.

a. Ask the Administrative Section to take the lead on this.

In addition to focusing on the five ac-tion items above as priorities for the coming year, the Strategic Plan Task Force made two additional sugges-tions for the Board:

1. That action item 5 from the Strate-gic Plan (Effectively meet the needs of members through actions outlined in Educate, Innovate, and Lead goals) be incorporated into the duties of the President Elect, President and Past President positions of our Association.

2. That letters be sent to all those who responded to the survey that they were willing to help on the action items...inviting them to as-sist with the items designated as a priority for 2012 by the Board.

tOp

Permission to be reprinted from Praesidium, Inc.

Safety Bulletin Volume 18, 2011

Incidents similar to our In the News stories occur daily in youth-serving programs. What’s the common denominator? BULLyING.

Experts define bullying as the intentional, repeated, unpleasant or negative behavior by one or more persons directed against a person who has difficulty defending himself or herself.

Unfortunately, bullying can occur in any youth-serving program, including schools, camps, athletics, and child care. Already familiar to many in the world of education, the following bullying statistics are now garnering attention at a national level:

• EVERy 7 MINUTES a child is bullied at school.

• 160,000 children miss school each day due to a FEAR OF BULLyING.

• 70% of educational research is now DEVOTED TOWARDS BULLyING.

• 45 STATES currently have laws addressing bullying.

As these statistics become better known and horrendous incidents of bullying continue to make headlines, orga-nizations often ask us how to systematically prevent and respond to bullying. Praesidium has analyzed hundreds of bullying incidents and reviewed state statutes, case studies, and bullying literature to provide guidance on this hot topic.



Read on for four steps your organization should take when managing the risk of bullying...

Identify High-Risk Youths, Activities, and Locations

Bullying does not occur as an isolated incident. Instead, experts agree that bullying results as a complex interac-tion between many factors - types of youths, activities, and physi-cal characteristics of a program. Organizations should evaluate their programs and review past incidents of bullying behaviors to determine those youths, activities, and locations that should be designated as “high-risk.” Praesidium encourages organizations to survey youths, employees, volun-teers, and parents to discover how bullying occurs in your programs. This can be a useful tool to learn about the more subtle incidents of bullying.

Educate Employees, Volunteers, Youths, and Parents

The next step is proactively educating all employees, volunteers, youths, and parents about bullying. Specifically, the organization should provide all employees with the definition of bully-ing, the various types of behaviors that fall within that definition, and most im-portantly, specific steps they can take to prevent and respond to bullying. youths should receive age-appropriate information pertaining to bullying and their role in bullying prevention. Finally, organizations should provide parents with information about bully-ing and the organization’s efforts to prevent bullying in its programs.

However, organizations should not limit bullying prevention discussions to a one-time employee workshop or

youth discussion. Instead, organiza-tions must strategically implement an ongoing education program that continually addresses specific bullying concerns within programs.

Supervise Youths and Monitor High-Risk Activities and Locations

Most bullying-related lawsuits brought against youth-serving organizations claim that the organization was negli-gent in supervising youths. Step 1 will help you highlight which youths, activi-ties, and locations present challenges to your bullying prevention efforts. This information can guide you to cre-ate monitoring plans to mitigate those risks. For example, if youths reported that bullying behaviors occur most often during outdoor free time, then the organization should re-evaluate the current monitoring plan during this time. The organization might consider the following:

• Are there too many youths in this physical location at the same time?

• Are we mixing age groups that should be separated during this time?

• Do we have enough adults supervis-ing during this time?

• Are these adults actively and stra-tegically supervising the youths and their surroundings?

The organization should develop a monitoring plan for the high-risk activi-ties and locations. Employees, volun-teers, and youths should be educated regarding this new plan.

Respond to Bullying

Responding to bullying behaviors can be a challenge. We’ve heard that youth workers often think:

• “Is this really bullying or is it kids being kids?”

• “The Facebook message wasn’t sent from one of our program’s comput-ers, so it’s not our problem.”

• “I heard about it from another child, but I didn’t see the behavior myself. Can I really do anything about it?”

Responding procedures should em-phasize that it is not the employee or volunteer’s responsibility to determine whether these are normal peer-to-peer conflicts or bullying behaviors. Prob-lematic behaviors should be reported to a supervisor who will help them make this determination.

Response procedures should include: • How employees and volunteers

should intervene in bullying behaviors.

• When to notify a supervisor.

• How supervisors should investigate bullying incidents, including outlining when an investigation is appropriate.

• How supervisors should utilize collected information pertaining to the incident and previous related incidents to address possible systemic problems; and documentation requirements.

As you evaluate your current bullying prevention plans, call Praesidium for assistance on how to best manage your risks. From online training and training workshops to comprehensive bul-lying plans, Praesidium can help you keep the youths in your programs safe.

– Continued on page 18


To address the serious problem of bullying in our schools, Governor Mark Dayton issued an executive order on Novem-ber 29, 2011, creating a 15-member task force to recommend legislation to prevent intimidation and harassment of students.

According to the website bullypolice.org, Minnesota has one of the nation’s briefest laws on bullying and has been given a grade of C minus.

In a press release on the Office of the Governor Newsroom, Governor Dayton was quoted saying, “Bullying causes severe suffering and harm to the children, who are its victims; and we must do more to stop it. Children and parents in Minnesota should have confidence that their schools are safe places for learning and are free of harm or intimidation. The work of this task force is critical to ensuring that a healthy and nurturing school environment exists for every child in our state.”

At the announcement, Governor Dayton was joined by Tammy Aaberg, whose son was a bullying victim in the Anoka-Henne-pin school district. Aaberg was quoted in the press release say-ing, “Bullying is a serious issue that should be given immediate attention. Bullying and harassment happens daily in our schools and is very harmful to students, even sometimes deadly as in my son Justin’s case. I want to thank Governor Dayton for taking the initiative in providing this executive order so that many can come together to form a plan to make our schools safer for our children. Our children deserve a safe learning environment.”

The task force will examine bullying in state schools. The task force will advise Governor Dayton and the Legislature on poli-cies to keep students safe. The panel’s recommendations are due August 1, 2012 and would then be submitted to lawmakers in 2013.

To signal it’s a high priority, the governor appointed three Cabinet members to the task force: Brenda Cassellius (Educa-tion Commissioner), Mona Doman (Public Safety Commissioner) and Kevin Lindsey (Human Rights Commissioner).

To assure bipartisan representation, the two Republican and two Democratic leaders of the House and Senate each will be authorized to appoint one member. The remaining eight members of the task force would be citizens selected through an open appointment, including people with experience in psychology, education, pediatrics and combating bullying.

Senator Scott Dibble was quoted in the press release saying, “The continuing problem of bullying in our schools is unaccept-able. Adults in every community must accept responsibility for ad-dressing it so that every child can go to a school where they are safe, nurtured and can learn. This task force will be an opportunity to get involved and help develop a solution for Minnesota.”

By Bethani Gerhard, Minnesota Recreation and Park Association

How can I respond to offsite cyberbullying incidents involving our youths?

We’ve had a few organizations express their hesitancy to respond to cyberbullying for fear of infringing upon a youth’s freedom of speech

rights. This issue has been brought to federal courts a number of times recently, and unfortunately there is not a clear precedent established.

However, that doesn’t mean your organization cannot do anything about cyberbullying.

• First, specifically address cyberbullying in your general bullying education program and policies.

• Second, develop procedures for responding to cyberbullying. When your staff learns about offsite cyberbullying, they should document the incident and notify parents of the youths involved. Often parents are less informed of their child’s online activities than we think.

• Finally, evaluate your current monitoring and supervision plans for youths involved in reported cyberbullying incidents. Be prepared for those who cyberbully to also engage in other forms of bullying within your programs.

Looking for onsite or online bullying prevention training for your organization? Email Praesidium at PraesidiumInc.com for more information and pricing.

Praesidium wants to help kick start your bullying prevention program. Email your existing bullying policies to [email protected] for feedback. Don’t have policies yet? Ask Angelique for more information on Praesidium’s bullying prevention program for your organization.

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You wear a lot of hats in your job, graphic designer shouldn’t have to be one of them. We can help.Quality, effective graphic design isn’t a luxury only big recreation

departments or companies can afford. Give us a call to discuss

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GetUp&GoBROOKLYN PARK RECREATION & PARKS SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2008

SUNDAY MAY 6 9 AM

EvENt StAgiNg At WolfE PArk PAvilioNSt. loUiS PArk

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Experience EVENTS in the Park.Please join us for these one-day events. Activities are listed in order by date.

Online registration is available for activities requiring advance registration.

Tennis Block PartyAges 6 and upExperience the benefits of tennis. Rotate through a variety of fun lessons run by a professional from the U.S. Tennis Association. Bring your own racquet or use one of ours. Door prizes will be awarded.Saturday, May 17, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Aquila tennis courts, 3110 Xylon Ave. S.Free Activity # ____ Registration deadline: May 12

Park & Run Fun RunsAll ages

Come join us for a 5K family-friendly run or try the youth “Almost-a-Mile.” Both courses travel along paved city trails and around lakes before finishing at the Veterans’ Memorial Amphitheater in Wolfe Park. All proceeds support the St. Louis Park Youth Scholarship Fund. Registrants receive a T-shirt and goodie bag. Park & Run is generously sponsored by Park Nicollet Heart and Vascular Center, Excelsior & Grand, Sam’s Club and Citizens Independent Bank.Sunday, May 18 Registration begins at 8 a.m.$5 per person

Almost-a-Mile Activity # ____ Starts at 9 a.m. $15 in advance / $18 on day of race 5K Activity # ____ 5K run starts at 9:15 a.m.

Wolfe Park, 3700 Monterey Drive Registration deadline: 8:45 a.m. on race day

Special Events

20th Annual Kiwanis Kite FlyAll ages

Pack a picnic lunch, bring your lawn chairs and watch the kites take flight. Or, bring your kite and fly it with members of the Minnesota Kite Society.Saturday, April 19, Noon - 4 p.m. Louisiana Oaks Park, 3400 Louisiana Ave. S.Free no registration required

Earth Day and Arbor Day Open HouseAll ages

Get face to face with a live raptor as you celebrate the Earth. Visit with local organizations to learn simple ways to make a big impact on our planet. Make a difference by planting trees or picking up litter. The interactive musical group “Kidtime with Rachael” will be performing. Refreshments provided. Bring a lunch and stick around for a showing of “An Inconvenient Truth” at 12:30 p.m. See movie description on page __. This event is co-sponsored by Waste Management.Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. - noon Westwood Hills Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin Ave.Free no registration required

Mother’s Day Open HouseAll ages (children must be accompanied by a paid adult)Celebrate Mom! Bring her to the nature center and plant a pot of flowers to take home. Lead her on a spring plants scavenger hunt in search of beautiful spring wildflowers. Treat her to a sundae that is out of this world. Come and enjoy Mom’s special day. Program is open-house style.Sunday, May 11, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Westwood Nature Center, 8300 W. Franklin Ave.$4 per person (resident) / $5 (non-resident) Activity #____

Registration deadline: when program is filled

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MINNESOTARecreation and Parks

he Minnesota State Legislature passed a new law effective September 1, 2011 which is aimed at preventing and identify-

ing concussions in youth sports. Since then, it seems that every day there are some ar-ticles or news story covering concussions at all levels of sports - professional, collegiate, and youth sports.

Under the new law, sports and athletic event organizers must make information accessible to all participating coaches, of-ficials, youth athletes and their parents/guardians about the nature and risks of concussions. In addition, all participat-ing coaches and officials must receive ini-tial online training on the nature and risks of concussions. This training must be re-peated every three years.

The simplest approach most cities are ad-dressing for the new law has been to di-rect youth sports organizations to the free online course found on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website (www.cdc.gov/concussion). The CDC program is titled Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports. Cities need to document compliance with the law by preserving copies of coaches and officials’ certificates of completion and copies of materials provided to parents and participants. Any program a city uses or de-signs themselves, must be consistent with the CDC program.

In October of 2011, the Recreational Sports Commission conducted a well-attended

roundtable in Roseville on concussions and how the law affects municipalities and their facilities. At this roundtable, MRPA Legislative Representative, Doug Carnival informed registrants about the legal implications.

His presentation was followed by Pete Klinkhammer, associate director of the Brain Injury Association of Minnesota, who shared information specifically regard-ing concussion symptoms and prevention. Both presenters’ Power-Point presentations have been posted on the home page of the MRPA website (www.mnrpa.org).

The new law does not create any additional liability for legal action against a city pro-viding youth sports activities. It simply pro-vides that these protections remain in place for coaches and others involved with youth sports. Recognizing and treating head in-juries promptly is the best way to reduce long-term effects.

By Deb Weinreis, Minnesota Recreation and Park Association

Under the new law, sports and

athletic event organizers must

make information accessible to

all participating coaches,

officials, youth athletes and

their parents/guardians about

the nature and risks of

concussions.

For more information on concussion prevention, visit www.cdc.gov/concussion/sports/



Ski, Sled & Skate Safely: Prevent Winter Sports Injuries Allina’s Healthy Communities MagazineReprinted with permission. (c) 2011 Krames StayWell

When the thermometer drops, winter sports beckon. With these new activities come opportunities for injury. Take steps to keep safe on the slopes, ice or anywhere else your cold-weather adventures take you.

• STRAP On A HELMET. More than 16,000 Americans sustained head injuries from winter sports in 2007. Choose a smooth, round helmet that fits snugly and doesn’t shift. Wear it when skiing, sledding, snowboarding or riding a snowmobile.

• PREPARE YOuR BODY. Get in shape to ski or skate. Condition muscles before the season starts. Warm up and stretch before each activity. Begin with a slow and easy session.

Go to allina.com/concussion to learn about concussion prevention and identification.

• GET THE RIGHT GEAR. Ensure boards, skates, binding that connects boots to skis, and other equipment are in working order. Get them checked at a certified shop. Don’t forget goggles, gloves, padding, wrist guards and other protective pieces.

• QuIT wHILE YOu’RE AHEAD. Many injuries occur at the end of the day when athletes get tired but attempt one last run or lap. If you’re fatigued or in pain, take a break or stop.

• GO TO cLASS. Take a lesson or two, especially for skiing or snowboarding. Instructors can teach you proper form and how to fall safely.


MRPF New Initiative Grants Coming Soon!

Do you have a program or event idea you want to try? Do you not have the financial re-sources to make it happen?

The Minnesota Recreation and Park Foundation has cre-ated the New Initiative Grant Program, which is intended to spur innovation in parks and recreation services at a local, re-gional, or state-wide level that ultimately could have state-wide impact.

MRPF invites you to submit an application for a program, event or service idea that you may have! Watch for infor-mation through email or visit the MRPA website for grant information and criteria be-ginning in January. Up to $2,000 is available per grant. Applications will be due February 10.

– Sumner Redstone

Opportunity Does Not Knock. You have to find it. For more information or specific questions,

please contact Tracy Petersen at 651.450.2588 or [email protected].

Their stories have been told and retold. Their adventures have filled storybook pages and movie screens. Now’s your chance to climb aboard and try your hand at pirate life. Discover the true tale of Real Pirates, only at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Free audio tour with exhibition admission.

smm.org or (651) 221-9444

Book Your Group TodaY!

MINNESOTA RECREATION AND PARK ASSOCIATION200 CHARLES STREET NEFRIDLEy, MN 55432

IllumInatIngGenerations

You’re not just buying lights. You’re buying an affordable system that reduces energy and maintenance costs year after year. That means while decreasing wasted energy, you’ll save money and help protect the environment for his future.

To learn more visit: www.musco.com/generations

For Your BudgetFor The Environment

©2012 Musco Sports Lighting, LLC · ADMN12-1

Local area representative:Craig Gallop763/533-2030 (office)800/825-6030 (toll free)[email protected]

mrpa minnesota magazine, winter 2011-12

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