|  | Partnership brings 'Monster' to Hancock-Hamline
5/11/2005 10:05 AM | | The Frankenstein Monster Patrol Monster Truck recently visited students at Hancock-Hamline Elementary School. |
Students at Hancock-Hamline Elementary Magnet School, 1599 Englewood, recently got a visit from a monster called Frankenstein. That is, the Monster Truck called Frankenstein.
The Frankenstein Monster Patrol Monster Truck is in town in with other trucks its size, for the Monsters of Destruction National Monster Truck Series at the Xcel Center. It is because of Xcel's relationship with Hancock Elementary that Frankenstein was able to make its way to the school.
The Xcel Energy Center is a sponsor of Hancock Elementary's HOSTS (Help One Student to Succeed) program. HOSTS is a tutoring program that helps struggling students with reading and writing. Amy Eide, HOSTS program coordinator at the school, said members of Xcel, Wild employees, and St. Paul Arena Company, a total of about 75 people, come to read to the children weekly.
About 25 percent of the mentors come from the Xcel Energy Center in one way or another, Eide said, but the other 75 percent come from local places like the St. Paul Saints, Hamline University and Wellington.
James Tigue, the truck's chief mechanic, put the truck's $3,000, 700-pound tires on the body of the truck in the school's parking lot while staff looked on. Even the Nutrition Services employees, clad in hair nets, giggled and took pictures of the car crushing truck.
When students were finally permitted to come up to the truck, the, "wows" and "look how bigs", were almost as loud as the engine of the truck itself.
Story written by Tareesa Von Eschen
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