US EditionNorthlandia: How 17 Carlton Third Graders Made the Blueberry Muffin a State Symbol
Seventeen Minnesota third graders led a campaign culminating in a 1988 law establishing the blueberry muffin as the official state muffin, supported by Gov. Rudy Perpich.
- At Carlton's South Terrace Elementary, a class of 17 second graders led by Carolyn Schroeder campaigned by sending letters and drawings to lawmakers to make the blueberry muffin the state symbol.
- Because many students had eaten or picked blueberries locally, Carolyn Schroeder, second-grade teacher, guided the class in brainstorming and ultimately choosing the blueberry muffin as a state symbol.
- Students sent letters and drawings to State Representative Mary Murphy and Governor Rudy Perpich as part of their civic learning, and Murphy pledged to introduce the bill in the next session.
- Murphy faced criticism from those who called it silly and proponents of the bran muffin, but the Duluth News Tribune reported Feb. 29, 1988 that Mary Murphy, State Representative, publicly defended the students and later drafted a resolution commending their efforts.
- The classroom project taught students about government, and Schroeder said she learned as much as the class, while former students later called themselves the Blueberry Muffin Gang from Carlton.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Post Bulletin
How 17 Minnesota third graders made the blueberry muffin a state symbol
CARLTON, Minn. — Whenever Carolyn Schroeder eats a blueberry muffin, she thinks back to 1987. Back then, she was a teacher for a class of 17 second graders at South Terrace Elementary in Carlton, Minnesota. She taught the 7- and 8-year-olds about state symbols such as the bird (loon), gemstone (agate) and tree (Norway pine). Schroeder saw a news story about how a group of school children had campaigned to make the official state muffin of Massac…
Duluth News Tribune
Pine JournalNorthlandia: How 17 Carlton third graders made the blueberry muffin a state symbol
CARLTON — Whenever Carolyn Schroeder eats a blueberry muffin, she thinks back to 1987. Back then, she was a teacher for a class of 17 second graders at South Terrace Elementary in Carlton. She taught the 7- and 8-year-olds about state symbols such as the bird (loon), gemstone (agate) and tree (Norway pine). Schroeder saw a news story about how a group of school children had campaigned to make the official state muffin of Massachusetts the corn …
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