Look at them now: St. Paul high school students overcome obstac...

St. Paul high school students Ming Thao, 17, from left; Gao Thao, 18; Samuel Kollie, 17; and Kristal Vang, 17, are among the 15 winners of college scholarships awarded by the Optimist Club of St.

[Margie Gunderson]

Bravo to these wonderful children. What a gift they are. It makes an old lady feel better, knowing we have some real young heroes in our midst. Congratulations to the kids ... and my thanks to all their mentors.

[Clueless]

Cudos to Johnson High; they seem to bring out
the best in their kids.

And my alma mater (Highland) had a couple also.
Good to hear!

Good job kids!!!
:)

[Dave]

These kids never believed they couldn't make it in America, something that seems to be lost on much of our native born poor. Maybe they've achieved so much because they see the opportunity there is here and don't listen to those who'd poison their attitudes with talk about "white privilege", or "achievement gaps". Good luck kids, I hope some others will follow your example.

[Land of the Free]

Gets me all teary eyed....congrat's to these blessed children.

[Incredible70]

Great job kids! Just goes to show that generation after generation of poverty and apathy can be stopped if a person wants to get out.

[The Promise of America]

This is the beauty that is America.

[IrishMN]

This is the result of investing in our young people and their education.

All of the Republi-thugs need to stop their whining about how expensive it is to properly staff and teach our young people. Without investing properly in the future, these kids would not have succeeded.

I say spend more! Support our teachers. Support our children. Support our future.

[1500 hmm]

Thats better than nothing. Buts lets face it, $1500 will not get you far in colleges like St. Catherine, Macalester, Hamline, Augsburg and St. Thomas, and even THE U. Thats barely enough for books alone. Nice article though. Just felt bad, because at first I thought they were gonna get a full scholarship.

[Incredible70]

IrishMN wrote:

This is the result of investing in our young people and their education.
All of the Republi-thugs need to stop their whining about how expensive it is to properly staff and teach our young people. Without investing properly in the future, these kids would not have succeeded.
I say spend more! Support our teachers. Support our children. Support our future.

These kids would have succeeded with far LESS funding, because they wanted to get an education and get our of poverty. We are trying to spend our way to educating kids that DON'T WANT AN EDUCATION! Nice try, though...

[Clueless]

really wrote:

<quoted text>
Wow, glad my child will not be going to Highland Park then since you can't spell for crap.

Glad my child will not grow up to be a jerk like you.

[way to go]

Great article and thing the Optimist Club does for these kids. Bravo to the Club and to the kids for working their tail's off.

[Irreverent One]

IrishMN wrote:

This is the result of investing in our young people and their education.
All of the Republi-thugs need to stop their whining about how expensive it is to properly staff and teach our young people. Without investing properly in the future, these kids would not have succeeded.
I say spend more! Support our teachers. Support our children. Support our future.

And I say; if these young people, with their problematic backgrounds and difficult lives, can succeed in the school system we have, why can't kids without these disadvantages do it.
You and your constant use of the word Republi-thugs need to quit drinking the kool-ade supplied by the NEA and look at the facts. Young people who want to succeed will find a way to do it. Throwing more money at the system is not the answer. Demanding student and parent responsibility and insisting that teachers are also held responsibile for their results is the way to make the system better.

[Troll Alert]

Chev Chelios wrote:

Here is how to do it community organizer Obama. You had $50 million for the south Chicago school system, spent it and the grades and enrollment and crime went up. You said you needed more money. I am not surprised...congrats kids!

Shut up you are so full of YOURSELF and your political views

No one cares, this is about the kids and the future of America!!

Take it somewhere else buddy!!!

[jct]

keep up the good work!!

[IrishMN]

Irreverent One wrote:

<quoted text>
Throwing more money at the system is not the answer.

I guess that having children in substandard buildings, using outdated text books and study materials, requiring teachers to buy classroom materials out of their own pockets, and not providing proper support to nurture the emotional and educational growth of the children would be the anser then, right?

That is what happens when you cut budgets - as the Republi-thugs try to do every year - rather than increasing them or just holding them steady.

For crying out loud people, these are our children! This is our future.

[badgerone]

IrishMN wrote:

This is the result of investing in our young people and their education.
All of the Republi-thugs need to stop their whining about how expensive it is to properly staff and teach our young people. Without investing properly in the future, these kids would not have succeeded.
I say spend more! Support our teachers. Support our children. Support our future.

Why don't you quit trying to sell your dumbocrat bullchit to all of us.It's nice that you support the teachers and students.but nobody gives a rats a s s about your politics.

[badgerone]

P.S. Great job kids.

[Just_Wondering]

Did any white kids get scholarships?

[Al Bundy]

Just_Wondering wrote:

Did any white kids get scholarships?

My thoughts exactly. Seems like reverse discrimination to me.

[got bitter life]

Incredible70 wrote:

<quoted text>
These kids would have succeeded with far LESS funding, because they wanted to get an education and get our of poverty. We are trying to spend our way to educating kids that DON'T WANT AN EDUCATION! Nice try, though...

Wow! A little negativity, doom and gloom, gloominess, cynicism, fatalism; hopelessness, depression, despair, despondency, angst, in your life?
Nice going students! Wish you a successful future.