MINNEAPOLIS — It's been a somber start to school for the staff of a local non-profit that has spent years educating - and uniting - generations of Latine immigrants in Minneapolis.
"It's been so hard," said Diana Álvarez Forero, director of Early Childhood Programs for Centro Tyrone Guzman.
For the last two weeks, Alvarez Forero and the rest of the staff of the non-profit have been mourning the loss of Roxana Linares Arrieta, who joined the social services non-profit twenty years ago and took it to new heights as executive director for the past 14 years.
"She was very humble and believed she was there to be the arms and the legs, to make our dreams come true," Alvarez Forero said.
Centro Tyrone Guzman, located near the corner of Chicago and Franklin Avenues in Minneapolis, has long served as a geographical and cultural center for the Latine community, but Linares Arrieta helped it gain national awards after transforming its childcare into Siembra Montessori, a Pre-K, Spanish Immersion school serving kids ages three to six.
"She brought Montessori methods to this classroom. This room was half the size. She made sure that it was bigger, brighter and full of art," Alvarez Forero said. "Kids feel proud to be here."
And since the pandemic, that feeling - and transformation - has gone far beyond the classroom walls.
"I would describe it as the heart of the community," said Yolima Chambers, director of Adult and Aging Programs. "After seeing the success with the school, we immediately knew that we wanted to expand that work in the whole organization."
Chambers said Linares Arrieta made that possible, by working to bring the Montessori concept to all age groups.
"We implemented Montessori activities and learned that it worked for seniors," Chambers said. "Especially for seniors that are experiencing memory loss."
"She helped both youth and elders come together to create handmade Montessori materials," said Natty Hels, Director of Youth Programs.
Youth director Natty Hels said intergenerational work not only turned into a school activity but a full-fledged social enterprise that now results in Montessori kits that their youngest families can take home and use to foster early learning.
"She had a vision and a way to put all the pieces together," Hels said. "She showed us, and truly believed, that children, youth, elders, everyone was an important piece of the community and they contribute."
"The Montessori intergenerational component is so magical because it carries that heartbeat through all the ages and all the processes within this place," said Mirdalys Herrera Tweeton, who took over as executive director shortly before Linares Arrieta died. "I just truly wish that I was doing it with her... and not for her. We will make sure that her legacy carries on, because it matters."
Centro Tyrone Guzman will host a celebration of life for Roxana Linares Arrieta at the center on September 23rd. They'll also pay special tribute to her during their Day of the Dead celebration on October 28th. For more information on those events, and all the services they offer, click here.
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