Holly Halverson-Vue, a 2024 scholarship recipient. Photos: Leigh Anderson
Service-oriented scholarship sets Willow Lane Elementary 5th graders up for success.
The Minnow Tank is a well-known local program for Willow Lane Elementary students. Lessons on teamwork, perseverance, gratitude and service encourage 3rd and 4th grade students to develop thoughtful value systems and empower them to advocate for charities of their choice. Through a process inspired by the entrepreneurial show Shark Tank and with mentorship from community members, the top three student groups receive $3,000 to be split between their chosen causes.
“The goal is to create empowering learning and leadership opportunities. I want every student to realize that their presence on this earth matters—realize their gifts matter and to use them to make the world a better place,” says Leigh Anderson, an educator who also serves as student and community outreach coordinator.
Anderson piloted the program in 2021, and it’s grown in popularity and impact in the years since. The Rotary Club of White Bear Lake helps coach and fund the program each year. And now, thanks to generous donors, standout 5th graders will be nominated by teachers each year to receive the Minnow Tank Effect Scholarship.
The scholarship looks to support postsecondary education opportunities for Minnow Tank participants and will award at least $15,000 to up to four students annually for the next five years. This spring, the first three recipients were chosen to receive $5,000 scholarships based on their demonstration of the four principles of the program: teamwork, perseverance, gratitude and service to others. The funds will be held (and grown) by the White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation until the students graduate high school.
Mark Kraemer and Marty Rathmanner have served as Minnow Tank coaches for three years and were the ones to approach Anderson with an offer of financial support for students’ postsecondary education, which inspired a third donor to get on board. The group has committed to contribute more than $75,000.
Marty Rathmanner, a donor and coach, with students at Willow Lane Elementary.
“What’s happening at that school is just magic,” Kraemer says. The Minnow Tank Effect Scholarship involves more than financial support. It prioritizes mentorship for the awardees at regular intervals with people in their community over their next seven years of schooling.
“I think when kids learn the power of serving others at a young age, and there are intentional opportunities to learn how to do it, it becomes part of their identity,” Anderson says. “This is going to change the trajectory of these kids’ lives.”
The Minnow Tank has made a big splash in the White Bear Lake area—creating a powerful synergy among adults and students that Anderson is quick to credit for the program’s growing impact. Kraemer says, “I’ve never seen an environment like Willow [Lane Elementary], where everybody—from the front desk to the principal to the teachers—just surrounds these kids, I mean, it’s just amazing.”
The hope of Anderson and the donors is that more people are inspired to give to this worthy cause, either in the form of time spent coaching or mentoring, or on a financial level.
“It’s not about what you get, it’s about what you give,” Anderson says. “I feel so connected to these community members, how wonderful the community is, how willing they are to love and wrap their arms around our students.”
Contributions to The Minnow Tank Effect Scholarship Fund can be sent to:
White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation
Attn: Minnow Tank Effect Scholarship
4855 Bloom Ave., White Bear Lake, MN 55110
