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Mitt Romney has donated at least $4.3 million to the Mormon church. Is that a sign of the candidate’s religious conviction or does it indicate stronger ties to the church than Romney would have Americans believe?   As Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s voluminous tax returns sink into the American psyche, some line items stand out for sheer size, most notably his contributions to the Mormon church. According to his 2010 tax returns and 2011 estimate, the former Massachusetts governor donated a total of $4.13 million to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over those years. Tithing at a 10 percent level of income is required of observant Mormons. Church founder Joseph Smith wrote that members of the faith “shall observe this law, or they shall not be found worthy to abide among you.” A slew of poll results over the past year, from Gallup and the Pew Center to CNN and ABC, have all shown that Americans’ attitudes toward Mr. Romney’s Mormon faith may play a decisive role in his campaign. Now that the strength of his religious conviction has a dollar sign attached to it, the question arises: Will his tithing invigorate the uneasiness that many Americans, including evangelicals and some other Protestants, have toward the Mormon church and its adherents? Some evangelicals who question the legitimacy of the religion, doubting its Christian credentials, may warm to Romney’s generosity, says Michele Dillon, sociology professor at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. Others, she adds by e-mail, “especially some who are already highly skeptical of Mormonism, will probably use his generous tithing as further evidence that Mormons, in these voters’ minds, are too much in the clutches of their church, and who knows what he might do to advance some alleged ‘Mormon agenda’ if elected?” The eye-popping number may be just the push that the issue needs to move to center stage in Romney’s campaign, says presidential historian Charles Dunn. “Romney needs to tackle this issue head-on,” says the author of “The Presidency in the 21st Century.” He likens this moment for the candidate to the question that faced John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential race when Baptists and other Protestant groups questioned whether his Catholic faith would divide his loyalties. Kennedy opted to take the discussion directly to the Southern Baptists, speaking at their convention. “He addressed them directly and told them that he was [...]

by Tammy SakryStaff Writer As the seventh-graders are settling in for their enriched math class Jan. 12, a blinged out rapper made a surprise appearance. Hat turned back and bling flashing, St. Francis Middle School math teacher Mary Jo Deschene raps about fractions. Photo submitted With a glittery dollar sign flashing from the front of her baggy sweatshirt, Mary Jo Deschene, math teacher turned rapper for a day, begins to rap about fractions to the amusement of her St. Francis Middle School students. This was Deschene’s third year as a visiting rap artist. When her classes study order of operations and fractions, the rap is something fun and gets them more engaged, said Deschene, who is not a fan of rap music. “I feel a little silly (doing it),” she said. Bringing rap music into the classroom came out of taking a district Teacher Academy math class on getting students more involved, she said. Recalling a Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics workshop on how music engages other parts of the brain and helps kids become more involved, Deschene sought out ways to help her students understand math on a new level. Idea in hand, Deschene started searching for the right rap on the Internet. She selected and paid for the rights to “Fraction Rap” written by Gigi Shadid. The following year, Deschene penned her own rap on the orders of operation. As the music blared out of her computer, Deschene started to rap about the fractions and how to multiple them to the laughter of her students. But once the performance was done, it was up to her students to create their own rap songs for their math problems. Using the rap songs helps the students recall the process and some of them even remember the song as eighth-graders, Deschene said. This year Deschene had considered foregoing her annual performance. Her enrichment math students have caught on to fractions and are already involved so it was not necessary, Deschene said. “I was going to forget it this year, but one of my students asked, ‘We are studying fractions, aren’t you going to do the rap,’” she said. Deschene is also helping kids outside of her classroom. Some of her fellow teachers have used a YouTube video taken three year ago by Deschene’s students as part of their lessons. She also heard from an Elk River student, a child of [...]

by Tammy SakryStaff Writer As the seventh-graders are settling in for their enriched math class Jan. 12, a blinged out rapper made a surprise appearance. Hat turned back and bling flashing, St. Francis Middle School math teacher Mary Jo Deschene raps about fractions. Photo submitted With a glittery dollar sign flashing from the front of her baggy sweatshirt, Mary Jo Deschene, math teacher turned rapper for a day, begins to rap about fractions to the amusement of her St. Francis Middle School students. This was Deschene’s third year as a visiting rap artist. When her classes study order of operations and fractions, the rap is something fun and gets them more engaged, said Deschene, who is not a fan of rap music. “I feel a little silly (doing it),” she said. Bringing rap music into the classroom came out of taking a district Teacher Academy math class on getting students more involved, she said. Recalling a Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics workshop on how music engages other parts of the brain and helps kids become more involved, Deschene sought out ways to help her students understand math on a new level. Idea in hand, Deschene started searching for the right rap on the Internet. She selected and paid for the rights to “Fraction Rap” written by Gigi Shadid. The following year, Deschene penned her own rap on the orders of operation. As the music blared out of her computer, Deschene started to rap about the fractions and how to multiple them to the laughter of her students. But once the performance was done, it was up to her students to create their own rap songs for their math problems. Using the rap songs helps the students recall the process and some of them even remember the song as eighth-graders, Deschene said. This year Deschene had considered foregoing her annual performance. Her enrichment math students have caught on to fractions and are already involved so it was not necessary, Deschene said. “I was going to forget it this year, but one of my students asked, ‘We are studying fractions, aren’t you going to do the rap,’” she said. Deschene is also helping kids outside of her classroom. Some of her fellow teachers have used a YouTube video taken three year ago by Deschene’s students as part of their lessons. She also heard from an Elk River student, a child of [...]