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| Hmong Academy moves to Como Park neighborhood |
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| Written by Lisa Steinmann |
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This is a wake-up time in the community, says Christianna Hang,
director and co-founder of Hmong Academy, a charter school that
relocated this fall from Minneapolis to the Como Park neighborhood. Hmong Academy has been tailored to offer an alternative for students who may not fit what Hang calls the one-size-fits-all public school. Hmong Academy celebrated the grand opening of its new building on October 13, an event attended by St. Paul City Council Member Jay Benanav, State Representative Alice Hausman and members of the public. Located in a large building at 1515 Brewster formerly Energy Park Studios, a film production facility Hmong Academy has 72,000 square feet, twice the size of its former site. Inside, the building has been outfitted with new lockers, carpets, classroom furniture and two state-of-the-art computer labs. Nearly 500 students, in grades 6 through 12, dressed in white and navy-blue uniforms, move through the halls and stand in greeting when visitors enter a classroom. Currently the student body is 95 percent Hmong, but the school hopes to attract more than just Hmong students with its focus on college preparation and a disciplined atmosphere.  Christianna Hang is the director of Como Parks Hmong Academy. Hang says the school plans to expand by adding two grade levels each year until they offer preschool through grade 12 by 2010. Hang, a graduate of the Minneapolis Public Schools, tells a story familiar to many Hmong immigrants. But she doesnt emphasize the stress of war and losing a familiar home and family life. Instead, Hang talks about the hardship, after her arrival in the United States, of feeling different. I think about that a lot, she says, remembering her days as a student in elementary school in Hawaii. I experienced racism and ignorance; I got beat up after school. It wasnt until she arrived in Minnesota a few years later and became part of the burgeoning Hmong community that Hangs life took a more positive turn. She graduated from South High Schools popular magnet program and went to St. Pauls Concordia University, where she studied education. Along the way, she served the Hmong community through volunteer work that encouraged and enriched Hmong youth in their traditional culture. Today she has degrees in education and organizational management, and is working on her Ph.D. She is the founder and director of Hmong Academy and parent to four children. After graduating from college, Hang worked in the Minneapolis Public Schools and became increasingly concerned about low educational achievement among Hmong students. She believed that true public education should deliver on the promise of opportunity. Taking stock of the assets the Hmong community had to offer its youth, Hang determined that a great part of her own success was due to a strong sense of where she comes from. She observed that many Hmong students were losing their sense of being Hmong and didnt really understand what it meant to be American. She describes it as living between two worlds. Hmong Academy works to bridge the two worlds of Hmong and American culture. In history class, besides the regular curriculum, students study the Vietnam War and why the Hmong emigrated from Laos. Language learning opportunities include Hmong, Chinese and Spanish. Advanced placement and honors classes are offered as part of a curriculum geared to individual learning, with an average class size of 1825.  Students show off their work in an art class at Hmong Academy, which relocated this fall from Minneapolis to Como Park. The school is building an athletics and arts program that will eventually put its offerings on a par with other high schools. The counseling office and career center invite colleges and universities to recruitment and informational meetings for students twice a year. The school helps students plan and pay for college testing, arranges college tours and works to find scholarships. The involvement of family and community is important in this college prep school, where 98 percent of students qualify for free and reduced lunch. As a charter school, there is no tuition to pay. However, students must wear a uniform and follow a strict code of discipline. Families are required to volunteer 40 hours per year. The attendance rate this year is 98 percent. More than 70 percent of the students pass their Minnesota Basic Standards Tests. The school has a structure that holds students accountable to a high degree, says Hang. Our ability to bridge the language and culture barrier is a big key to our success. Hmong Academy is located at 1515 Brewster, just south of Como and east of Snelling. For more information, call the school (209-8002) or visit their Web site: www.hmongacademy.org. |
