Click here to view the 2020 Annual Report.
Click HERE to view the Fall 2019 Sanomat
Dear Salolampi Community,
Iida and I share the following news with great sadness in our hearts. 
This afternoon we learned that Larry Lauri Heinrich Saukko, past dean of Salolampi and former staff member of Waldsee, passed away last night in Duluth, Minn. He possessed immeasurable gifts of music, language, culture and culinary arts that he shared freely with all of us at Concordia Language Villages. His healthy dose of wit and humor always kept us on our toes. In essence, he was a Renaissance man…with a home-built sauna on a trailer for good measure. Larry was raised on the Iron Range, and joined Waldsee in 1970 as a member of the first-ever credit program staff. He co-led the German abroad program, was business manager of the Institute of German Studies, and later dean of the Waldsee academic year programs. He was dean of Salolampi for 26 summers from 1986 through 2011, so during the development of the Salolampi facility as it is today. Larry led the German and Finnish adult sessions for many years and finished his career with CLV as assistant food service manager, retiring four years ago. The outdoor dance pavilion at Salolampi bears his name, as this was the installation marking his 25 years on staff. The path between the tanssilava and Cabin 1, Karjala, is also called “Laurinpolku” in honor of his retirement and love of outdoor learning.
Lauri will forever remind us of the importance of keeping the language of one’s heritage alive in song, word and in spirit. Just this fall, in collaboration with Iida and others, Lauri completed the third volume of OPI (pronounced ohhpee), a compilation of definitions and explanations of Finnish words and phrases just off the press within the last week. These booklets are based on Lauri’s many articles on the same subject in the Finnish American Reporter.
Larry’s life will be celebrated this Saturday, November 17, in Eveleth, Minn., with visitation starting at Noon, a memorial service at 1 PM, followed by a luncheon.
https://rangefuneralhomes.com/
Peace,
Iida and Martin
I’m Izabella Seija Usitalo. I’m fourteen and starting ninth grade at Nova Classical Academy in Saint Paul. I was born in Montreal, Canada. My parents are Steven Usitalo (should be Uusitalo, he also goes by that) and Margarita Aroutiunian-Usitalo. My father was born in Helsinki but emigrated at a young age to Detroit, Michigan. Both of his parents are Finnish: his mother was born in Lahti and his father not far from Haparanda in Sweden. My mother is from Armenia. Her parents and all of her close relatives still live in Armenia.
After leaving Montreal, we lived for a while in Detroit before moving to South Dakota and then Saint Paul. My father teaches Russian history at a university (Northern State University) and
my mother works for Wells Fargo in Minneapolis.
I lived in Armenia for a year when I was a bit younger and attended a mainly Russian-language school there. I’ve been to Finland once, although I hope to return regularly in the future. I’ve even thought about attending university there.
Last summer was my first village experience at Salolampi. I hope to go every summer until I graduate. It was a wonderful experience. It wasn’t just learning Finnish that I enjoyed, I also loved learning song, about food, and being with others who were also interested in Finnish culture.
At Nova Classical Academy I’ll be on the track & field team and the fencing team. I also love to swim and in the past swam for Saint Paul Star Swim Team. My favorite subjects at Nova are Biology, Rhetoric, and Ancient Literature.
Role and Responsibilities
The Salolampi Internship Program is designed to provide a High School student the opportunity to work with a Foundation and develop a variety of skill sets. Examples of basic internship responsibilities are listed below. Further projects will be developed in collaboration with the intern.
• Assist with general Foundation operations
• Attend board meetings in person or virtually
• Collaborate with board members on areas of interest or as assigned by the Foundation
• Develop skills needed for fundraising, marketing, outreach and working with small business or foundations
• Assist with outreach events in person and/or virtually
Awarded applicants will attend a Salolampi program with the Foundation providing a scholarship of value of a 2-week program (dependent on program attended) for attendance in either a 2-week or 4-week program at Salolampi for summer of 2019. The awarded applicant will attend the session following the Internship program August 2018- September 2019. Attendance of a summer program is mandatory to completion of the internship program.
Fall Work Weekend is right around the corner mark your calendar for Sept 21-23 and RSVP below.
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Spring Work Weekend is right around the corner mark your calendar for May 18-20 and RSVP below.
To learn more about work weekends click here.