Wilshire Park Elementary third-graders walked in the shoes of four community elders-to places like the North Pole, Lebanon, China and the Mariana Islands.

Twenty-five years ago, Larry Long began "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song," an intergenerational and interdisciplinary approach to building community through the arts.

"The music I've written my whole life has been rooted in the stories of the people," said Long, a recording artist who helps build bridges among communities of difference. "I've taken this folk process of listening and honoring people in song into school curriculum."

Long has been working with the West Metro Education Program, a group of 11 urban and suburban school districts in the Minneapolis metropolitan area that was formed in 1989 to address integration issues in the west metro area.

On March 6, Wilshire Park third-graders honored four St. Anthony community members, including Bill Sauer, Jed Hamoud, Betty Toy and Howard Hoganson.

"It was an amazing community celebration," said Dean of Students Wayne Terry. "The kids sang beautifully, and it was fun to see the elders' faces beaming when hearing their life story."

With the goal of holding a real community celebration, said Terry, both the Chamber Choir and Jazz Band from St. Anthony Village High School performed before the third-graders sang.

"It was the largest 'Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song' celebration we've done in the west metro community," said Long. "It was truly a community celebration."

Bill Sauer

Growing up, Bill Sauer, now 71, attended a school that was built on his farm. After graduating from the eighth grade, Sauer went to high school in Spooner, Wis., where he played sports and did well in math and science.

"I wanted to be my own boss and own my own business, so I made a deal with the owner and borrowed some money from an aunt," he said. "I was in the service station business."

He went to school during the day to learn how to run a station and at night to learn how to fix cars.

Sauer married a girl he knew from high school two years later. They now have two girls and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

After owning several businesses and working two days a week, he got the travel bug. By the time his daughters graduated from high school, they had been in about 43 different states.

"Then my wife, Duffy, and I got excited about doing some dog sledding," Sauer said. "I came across a fellow by the name of Paul Schurke, a North Pole explorer. We became good friends and now I've been in the Arctic seven times."

Sauer emphasized to the students the importance of responsibility.

"Be responsible for your life," he said. "Life is a matter of choices, and you make good ones and you make bad ones."

Of being part of the "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song" celebration, Sauer said: "To get the respect from the third-graders was very special. They did a good job, and a lot of work went into it."

Jed Hamoud

Jed Hamoud was born near the border of Lebanon and Syria.

"My family are Bedouins, or nomads," he said. "My father was blind, so I started taking care of our sheep, camels and goats when I was about four years old."

When Hamoud was about 5, he was chosen to be mentored by and to live with the tribal chief. Hamoud's parents had no choice in the matter.

"After living with the Chief for about two years, we had visitors that came to the tribe," said Hamoud. "These people were missionaries with light skin and blond hair. They had a boy and girl my age, and they took me to live at their orphanage in Lebanon."

At the orphanage, Hamoud said he had a lot of fun with the other boys his age. He went to school and learned how to read and write.

The first day at the orphanage, Hamoud was cleaned up and given some clothes. His hair was cut and he received his first pair of shoes.

When he graduated from high school, he was rewarded with a new suit-his first new clothes in his entire life.

He later enrolled in a college in Lebanon but was drafted into the Syrian army.

"Rich sponsors helped me to emigrate to the United States where I finished college and avoided the army," Hamoud said.

When he decided to find a wife, he thought only of the girl he had met at the orphanage in Lebanon, who was the daughter of the missionaries. Since she was living at her relatives' farm in Wisconsin, Hamoud was able to visit her, and eventually asked her to marry him.

Hamoud and his wife Becky have four children, who all attended Wilshire Park. Their oldest son, Brent, is working at the same orphanage where Hamoud grew up.

His words of advice: "The one who talks a lot, hears very little, and the one who listens a lot learns a lot."

Betty Toy

Betty Toy was born in Canton, China, in 1937. She grew up in a tiny village south of Hong Kong.

"When I was in China we grew everything," she said. "We lived in a big house, no electricity, no gas."

When Toy was born, her father came to the United States and ran a restaurant business in Duluth.

Toy and her mother came to the United States in 1951 when she was 14 years old and lived in Duluth.

"I started out in first grade, and the only thing I could say was, " 'Hello, how are you? I am fine.'"

After finishing first grade, Toy skipped to third grade and then to sixth grade. She attended middle school for two years, and then went to high school.

She was later married in Duluth where she and her husband had three children. In 1968, Toy and her family moved to St. Anthony. Toy worked for District 282 for 23 years.

Her words of wisdom to the students: "Study and do your homework first before you go and play."

Toy said she was very honored and delighted that she was selected as an elder.

"The children were wonderful," she said. "It was a great, great reflection on all the teachers, the music department and Larry Long."

Howard Hoganson

Howard Hoganson was born in 1922 in a small town up in the Red River Valley. He had four sisters and one brother, and his three older sisters were schoolteachers.

"When I got in trouble at school, I got disciplined not only from my teacher at school but my sisters and also my mother," he said.

He learned to drive a 1919 Dodge when he was about 12 years old.

"The first time I didn't do too well. I went into the ditch."

In the fall of 1941, he attended Moorhead State Teachers College and played basketball and football.

Then in October 1942, Hoganson enlisted in the Navy Air Corps. He wasn't called into active service until January 1943.

In 1945, he was shipped overseas to the Mariana Islands. "I lost a lot of friends in the service," he said.

Hoganson and his wife Lola were married in 1947 and had their first child in 1955. They now have three children and six grandchildren.

He and Lola are involved with Bridge Builders, an intergenerational program in the District 282 schools. Hoganson has volunteered by judging a speech contest and by talking about his WWII experiences.

"You get to know them," he said of the students. "They're almost like children of your own. It's a real good way to communicate with the youngsters."

"Make good use of your time that you are in school," Hoganson advised the students. "Do the best that you can because it will help you later on, no question about it."

A valuable program

Long said that "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song" goes really deep and fits into curriculum in different ways, involving history, reading and geography.

Principal Kari Page affirmed the program's emphasis on learning.

"The students have learned a great deal of history through the program because the stories all relate to different events in our history and the history of other countries," she said. "It brings a real-world approach to the classroom."

Page added, "I hope the community realizes how much we need them and how much we need our elders to be part of what we're doing here at Wilshire Park. I want to continue reaching out and giving back to the community in any way that we can."

Terry said: "It was a really neat process for the kids to get to know prominent elders in the community. I think they got a new appreciation for the elders they met that will help them for the rest of their lives."

Long said he is also deeply affected by the elders he meets.

"Every time I walk in I hear this incredible new life story from a person I've not met before," he said. "With each elder that comes in, it expands my world view."

For more information about Larry Long, visit www.larrylong.org. For more information about Community Celebration of Place, the nonprofit organization created for "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song," visit www.communitycelebration.org

Sauer married a girl he knew from high school two years later. They now have two girls and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

After owning several businesses and working two days a week, he got the travel bug. By the time his daughters graduated from high school, they had been in about 43 different states.

"Then my wife, Duffy, and I got excited about doing some dog sledding," Sauer said. "I came across a fellow by the name of Paul Schurke, a North Pole explorer. We became good friends and now I've been in the Arctic seven times."

Sauer emphasized to the students the importance of responsibility.

"Be responsible for your life," he said. "Life is a matter of choices, and you make good ones and you make bad ones."

Of being part of the "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song" celebration, Sauer said: "To get the respect from the third-graders was very special. They did a good job, and a lot of work went into it."

Jed Hamoud

Jed Hamoud was born near the border of Lebanon and Syria.

"My family are Bedouins, or nomads," he said. "My father was blind, so I started taking care of our sheep, camels and goats when I was about four years old."

When Hamoud was about 5, he was chosen to be mentored by and to live with the tribal chief. Hamoud's parents had no choice in the matter.

"After living with the Chief for about two years, we had visitors that came to the tribe," said Hamoud. "These people were missionaries with light skin and blond hair. They had a boy and girl my age, and they took me to live at their orphanage in Lebanon."

At the orphanage, Hamoud said he had a lot of fun with the other boys his age. He went to school and learned how to read and write.

The first day at the orphanage, Hamoud was cleaned up and given some clothes. His hair was cut and he received his first pair of shoes.

When he graduated from high school, he was rewarded with a new suit-his first new clothes in his entire life.

He later enrolled in a college in Lebanon but was drafted into the Syrian army.

"Rich sponsors helped me to emigrate to the United States where I finished college and avoided the army," Hamoud said.

When he decided to find a wife, he thought only of the girl he had met at the orphanage in Lebanon, who was the daughter of the missionaries. Since she was living at her relatives' farm in Wisconsin, Hamoud was able to visit her, and eventually asked her to marry him.

Hamoud and his wife Becky have four children, who all attended Wilshire Park. Their oldest son, Brent, is working at the same orphanage where Hamoud grew up.

His words of advice: "The one who talks a lot, hears very little, and the one who listens a lot learns a lot."

Betty Toy

Betty Toy was born in Canton, China, in 1937. She grew up in a tiny village south of Hong Kong.

"When I was in China we grew everything," she said. "We lived in a big house, no electricity, no gas."

When Toy was born, her father came to the United States and ran a restaurant business in Duluth.

Toy and her mother came to the United States in 1951 when she was 14 years old and lived in Duluth.

"I started out in first grade, and the only thing I could say was, " 'Hello, how are you? I am fine.'"

After finishing first grade, Toy skipped to third grade and then to sixth grade. She attended middle school for two years, and then went to high school.

She was later married in Duluth where she and her husband had three children. In 1968, Toy and her family moved to St. Anthony. Toy worked for District 282 for 23 years.

Her words of wisdom to the students: "Study and do your homework first before you go and play."

Toy said she was very honored and delighted that she was selected as an elder.

"The children were wonderful," she said. "It was a great, great reflection on all the teachers, the music department and Larry Long."

Howard Hoganson

Howard Hoganson was born in 1922 in a small town up in the Red River Valley. He had four sisters and one brother, and his three older sisters were schoolteachers.

"When I got in trouble at school, I got disciplined not only from my teacher at school but my sisters and also my mother," he said.

He learned to drive a 1919 Dodge when he was about 12 years old.

"The first time I didn't do too well. I went into the ditch."

In the fall of 1941, he attended Moorhead State Teachers College and played basketball and football.

Then in October 1942, Hoganson enlisted in the Navy Air Corps. He wasn't called into active service until January 1943.

In 1945, he was shipped overseas to the Mariana Islands. "I lost a lot of friends in the service," he said.

Hoganson and his wife Lola were married in 1947 and had their first child in 1955. They now have three children and six grandchildren.

He and Lola are involved with Bridge Builders, an intergenerational program in the District 282 schools. Hoganson has volunteered by judging a speech contest and by talking about his WWII experiences.

"You get to know them," he said of the students. "They're almost like children of your own. It's a real good way to communicate with the youngsters."

"Make good use of your time that you are in school," Hoganson advised the students. "Do the best that you can because it will help you later on, no question about it."

A valuable program

Long said that "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song" goes really deep and fits into curriculum in different ways, involving history, reading and geography.

Principal Kari Page affirmed the program's emphasis on learning.

"The students have learned a great deal of history through the program because the stories all relate to different events in our history and the history of other countries," she said. "It brings a real-world approach to the classroom."

Page added, "I hope the community realizes how much we need them and how much we need our elders to be part of what we're doing here at Wilshire Park. I want to continue reaching out and giving back to the community in any way that we can."

Terry said: "It was a really neat process for the kids to get to know prominent elders in the community. I think they got a new appreciation for the elders they met that will help them for the rest of their lives."

Long said he is also deeply affected by the elders he meets.

"Every time I walk in I hear this incredible new life story from a person I've not met before," he said. "With each elder that comes in, it expands my world view."

For more information about Larry Long, visit www.larrylong.org. For more information about Community Celebration of Place, the nonprofit organization created for "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song," visit www.communitycelebration.org