Re-Introducing MELA: Spotlight on Local Education Leaders
”Reading hope on a page” - MELA proposals provide a glimpse of hope.
The Minneapolis Educator Leadership Awards (MELA) are a longstanding partnership between The Graves Foundation and Achieve Twin Cities that celebrates and awards the intersection of educators, leadership, and ideas in Minneapolis Public Schools Title 1 schools. In fact, MELA predates my presence at the Graves Foundation by quite some time – when these awards were founded in 2015 during the foundation’s earlier years (or chairs, per Bill’s first blog post), I was still teaching 1st grade.
Like many new educators, my first year as a 1st grade teacher was filled with endless energy and ideas that met dead ends when it came to funding. My classroom budget merely made ends meet, lacking access to what was needed for my students and ideas to thrive. That endless energy was then poured into procurement rather than execution as I scavenged garage sales, Goodwill, and DonorsChoose to fill gaps in my classroom, while always hoping a better and more sustainable way to fill these gaps would arise. I doubt this delicate balance between hustle and charity would surprise any educator who dedicates their career to creating meaningful student spaces and experiences; yet when I joined the Graves Foundation, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Minneapolis Educator Leadership Awards were a better way of school funding which I had hoped for.
MELA recognizes leaders within Minneapolis Public Schools Title 1 schools who have everything but the funding for an idea they want to enact. The awards process begins with a peer or community member nominating a leader, and that leader then puts forth a proposal that is reviewed by a committee of educators who were previously selected as winners. You may have noticed that each of those steps are run by Minneapolis Public Schools educators – not our foundation. And our foundation sees that as the best part: it’s not a gift nor charity; it is instead recognition of great things educators do in buildings every day from people around them who are most apt to recognize this greatness, and it is straightforward funding to make those things happen.
Grants range from $5,000-$10,000 in 2022, and educators are putting those funds to spectacular uses such as:
Bringing Nordic Skiing to an Elementary School
Utilizing karate and martial arts to teach students and families self-defense, self-esteem and self-empowerment
Reimaging the outdoor space at a High School so it better serves its entire school community – including ADA accessibility.
These snippets are only a small sample of what this award does in Minneapolis Public Schools Title 1 schools, and you can learn more about our winners and their projects on our Instagram (@jdgravesfoundation).
In the past month, I have had the joy of working with the committee who selected winners and also in delivering their physical awards. At the end of our selection meeting this year, one committee member said reading the proposals are like “reading hope on a page.” The best educational leaders in our community understand that learning is much more than simply acquiring knowledge. These leaders cultivate – experience, perseverance, stability, leadership, empathy, structure, motivation, wonder – the list is endless. Yet when we think of leaders developing leaders, “hope” floats to the top of this list. After what our students, families and educators have been through, especially in recent years – it’s time for a little more hope.
Having been a teacher and working with many more, one of the best parts of my job is supporting the educators involved in the Minneapolis Educator Leadership Awards - through facilitating a thoughtful and participatory grantmaking process. So on behalf of the entire MELA team: Congratulations and thank you to all our 2022 Minneapolis Educator Leadership Award Winners for your accomplishments and bringing that hope.