Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig

School

On December 5th, we did a school assembly at Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school in Bena, Minnesota. Our presenter was Jesse Paul Smith, A Hip-Hop dancer and speaker extraordinaire. He was accompanied by Disk Jockey, bennyk.

Jesse and bennyk getting ready for the students

Jesse held the attention of the student body for nearly an hour and afterward there was a time of mixing with the students for over an hour.

Some of the student body getting together to take a selfie with Jesse

The impact on the students was best described by the response of several of the teachers. Our presentation was best summed up by History Teacher, Jerry Morgan when he said,

“You give the Students Hope!”

“The presentation with Jesse is high energy, positive and I believe a message of hope.”

Jerry Morgan, History Teacher

The following photos are of Jesse doing a flip over his DJ, bennyk, as part of his dance

The music Jesse sings he wrote himself

Students talking to bennyk at the DJ table

Students getting photos with Jesse

“I have noticed that there are a couple students here at our school that were really struggling with some of the issues that Jesse was mentioning in his talk. I noticed that they gravitated toward him and wanted to talk to him more, so that was awesome to see . . . that maybe now they’ll have the courage to seek out the help that they need.

A good message for our kids here. Most of these kids live in generational poverty and a lot of them come from a drug and alcohol culture in their home life, so it was a good message for them to hear. They need to hear it more, and if you touch one, that’s all that matters.”

Maggie Goodwin, Immersion Teacher, 4th – 6th grades

Jesse’s performance today was a very fun and uplifting experience, and the message he brought was unique. He talked about that everyone who has ever been on earth never has the same finger or thumb print as anyone else. That’s a powerful way of saying that you are unique.

Jay Malchow, School Counselor