Edina High School leadership group honored with grant

Edina High School (EHS) student leadership group, Edina 212, has been awarded a grant of $3,050 as part its new partnership with the Walser Foundation. The grant will be used to establish the presence of the club, increase participation, and help offset the cost of supplies for service projects. “This is the first time a grant has been given for funding,” said Julie Bascom, district service-learning coordinator.

Students were initially introduced to the Walser Foundation through recent graduate and former Edina 212 cabinet member Landon Tselepis. He had a pre-existing relationship with the Walser Foundation from an initiative he started during his junior year. The application process was extensive and cabinet members invested significant amounts of time to complete it. “We received tons of help from our mentors Ellen Cokinos and Julie Bascom…each member of the 212 cabinet spent hours writing and rewriting our answers to the grant’s application questions,” Tselepis explained. 

Edina 212 connects student leaders with volunteer opportunities in the school and community. They teach advocacy, responsibility, and accountability, while maintaining a connection between the student body and administration. Some notable school and community events the group has participated in include: cooking and serving meals for families at the Ronald McDonald House, teaming up with Edina elementary schools to form an after school study program, and serving as student ambassadors for prospective students. In addition to service events, the group has four representatives, one from each class, who serve on the EHS Student Senate as a link between the student body and school administration.

Edina 212, which started in 2008, derives its name from the boiling temperature of water. Josie Shuster, recent graduate and former Edina 212 member said, “Water boils at exactly 212 degrees, but at 211 degrees it does not. One degree can make all the difference.”