In a celebration of community, Richfield Middle School hosted a song-filled event Wednesday, March 12, honoring three elders from different walks of life.

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 between communities of difference. "I've taken this folk process of listening and honoring people in song into school curriculum."

A Minnesota resident, Long created the program along with a non-profit organization that brings together children and elders of different backgrounds to celebrate commonalities and differences.

Long works with the West Metro Education Program (WMEP) to organize "Elders Wisdom, Children's Song" events like this one for local schools. Schools select to honor elders who represent old and new immigrants of the community and honor them together, Long explained.

Richfield Middle School sudents created recitations and songs to honor the life stories of the following Richfield community members:

* Juan Perona recently emigrated from Madrid, Spain after meeting his wife, Elizabeth, who was there as a student. Perona now lives in Richfield with his wife and their two children.

* Angela Wedgeworth was born in Richfield, but moved throughout the country before returning to her birthplace. Wedgeworth is a single mother working in medicine.

* Mohammed Barkhale is a Somalian refugee who lived in a Kenyan refugee camp for 14 years before moving to the U.S. just over a year ago. Barkhale lives in Richfield with 10 of his 17 children, and is waiting for his wife and other children to join him.

The WMEP School District was formed in 1989 to cooperatively address integration issues in the west-metro area. The mission of WMEP is to promote student success and community acceptance of differences by providing opportunities for students, families, and staff from diverse backgrounds to learn from each other.

WMEP districts are: Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, Minneapolis, Richfield, Robbinsdale, St. Anthony/New Brighton, St, Louis Park, and Wayzata.

Information: www.communitycelebration.org.

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