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Innovative Thinker and Creator

Elementary students in music class.

 


An innovative thinker and creator is proficient in multiple literacies. They think and produce creatively - applying original solutions to problems or challenges. Analyzing and evaluating information sources allows them to make informed choices.


 

Student standing in front of project about clownfish

Future Ready Competencies in Action 

Innovative thinkers and creators throughout the district

Cara Rieckenberg

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Cara Rieckenberg as the next principal at Highlands Elementary School. Rieckenberg brings 14 years of leadership experience in programs focused on STEAM and environmental education. She was selected as the Edina Teacher of the Year this spring by the Edina Chamber of Commerce. She will begin her new role at Highlands on July 1.

Mert Woodard

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce the hiring of Mert Woodard, SFO as the next Director of Business Services. He brings eight years of experience in areas of school finance. He has provided leadership for the full range of financial responsibilities including, financial reporting, budget planning, debt management, audit coordination, accounting and payroll. Woodard will begin his tenure with Edina Public Schools on July 1.

SSEP

Edina Public Schools will have a “classroom” in space in the 2022-23 school year! The district’s implementation plan for participation in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) has been accepted by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE).

EHS Robotics Team Green Machine poses with their state trophy.

The EHS robotics team, The Green Machine, won the MSHSL State Championship May 7 in competition at the University of Minnesota. Edina was part of three-team Third Alliance that included the Gators of Greenbush-Middle River and CIS of Becker that battled their way to an amazing win.

Headshot of Sean Beaverson.

Sean Beaverson, personalized and digital learning specialist at Edina Public Schools, has been named one of ten emerging leaders by the Minnesota Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). The Emerging Leaders program is designed to promote collaborative learning and sharing, create opportunities for leadership, and build a connection to national ASCD authors.

EHS junior wins national speech championship

Ananth Veluvali, junior at Edina High School, took first place at the National Catholic Forensic League championship in extemporaneous speaking. Ananth became the first Minnesota student to win the NCFL tournament in ten years, and the first Edina student to win a national title as a junior.

Husky Hammock Forest

With the help of the Highlands PTO and volunteers, Highlands Elementary has introduced a new outdoor learning space: The Husky Hammock Forest. This space allows students to continue their learning outside the classroom in hammocks, and has been a popular attraction for students and staff alike.

DECA students, Vishal Dasani, Elodie Jones, and Robbie Smith with the DECA advisor

Three EHS DECA students, Vishal Dasani, Elodie Jones, and Robbie Smith, had an opportunity to enter the shark tank and impress the sharks with their pitches. Edina Shark Tank provides DECA students the opportunity to pitch their classroom prepared entrepreneurship project to a group of local “sharks” to compete for cash prizes and the title of Edina Shark Tank Champion.

Jim Hawthorne directing the students during an outdoor rehearsal

Students in South View’s production of High School Musical have been hard at work creating their show. Students submitted audition videos using Flipgrid to the directors, Erica Gardner and Jim Hawthorne. After the show had been cast, students began meeting virtually to learn the vocals, choreography, and blocking.

Devarsh Borah

Devarsh Borah, an eighth grader at Valley View Middle School (VVMS), took first place in the middle school division with his video submission for the Minnesota Urban Debate League and Star Tribune-sponsored essay/video competition on criminal justice reform.

Minnesota High School Press Association

Four Edina High School students received recognition from the Minnesota High School Press Association for their stories featured in the Zephyrus student news publication. In addition to individual awards, the EHS yearbook Whigrean received the MHSPA Gold Medallion Award, the highest award given to a Minnesota high school publication.

Snow days go virtual

If extreme weather causes the district to close school buildings, learning would continue uninterrupted as all students and staff would shift to an e-Learning Day.

EHS Solar Panels

Edina Public Schools has 1,684 more reasons to smile on sunny days. That’s the number of solar panels installed at three District sites over the past two months. The District expects to dramatically increase its savings in electricity costs -- savings that will continue to increase over time.

Highlands Elementary fourth grader Yamato Takahashi

Highlands Elementary fourth grader, Yamato Takahashi is celebrating his recent success on Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search PSAT 8/9 test. Among fourth grade test-takers in the Midwest, Yamato scored number two in math and number three in composition.

Happy Retirement text on green background

This year, 19 employees are retiring from positions all across the district. Collectively, they have contributed 358 years of service to EPS students, families and colleagues. Unfortunately, in light of the current social distancing guidelines, the district is not able to honor them with the in-person retirement celebration that has traditionally been held.

26 EPS students are being recognized for their achievements in the National Latin Exam

Twenty-six Edina Public Schools students are being recognized for their achievements in the National Latin Exam. The 40-question multiple-choice test, sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, promotes the study of Latin and encourages individual students.

History Day Competition graphic

Four South View eighth graders have qualified for the state History Day Competition. Ben Sanderson will present his research titled Apollo 11: One Giant Leap. Lila Emerson, Sonja Holtey and Kate Hagen will present their research titled Elizabeth Blackwell: Mending Justice.

EHS senior Ikraan Hassan received a $20,000 Dell Scholarship through the Dell Scholars Program

Edina High School senior Ikraan Hassan is one of 500 students nationwide to receive a $20,000 Dell Scholarship through the Dell Scholars Program.

Aspiration in Computing Award presented by the National Center for Women and Information Technology

Six Edina High School students are being recognized for their achievements in computing. These students have received Aspiration in Computing awards presented by the National Center for Women and Information Technology.

Astro Bots earned multiple trophies in the 2019-2020 FLL Astro Bots Team Minnesota Regional & Sectional Tournaments

FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Rookie Team #24946 - Astro Bots - earned multiple trophies in the 2019-2020 FLL Minnesota Regional and Sectional Tournaments. FLL is a robotics program that engages students in research, coding, engineering, and problem solving to complete theme-based challenges.

The Rising Stars Youth Steel Orchestra is composed of 150 musicians, ranging in age from 10 to 18

Thirty members of the Rising Stars group will visit Minnesota exclusively, on a rare tour to the U.S., because of Edina’s unique relationship with them. On Monday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., the steel drum instrumentalists will perform in a joint concert that will feature more than 25 steel drums. The Rising Stars will share the stage with the Edina Concert Band and Concert Orchestra at Fick Auditorium.

Concord fifth grader Alex Wyatt’s piece “School of Fish"

Across the district, hundreds of elementary student participants entered the “Better Together” student sculpture competition, hosted by the Edina Arts and Culture Commission and the Edina Community Foundation. This competition involved student creating 3-D model of a sculpture, known as a “maquette,” to represent what “Better Together” means to them.

May Heinecke

May Heinecke, a junior at Edina High School, was among 52 distinguished Minnesota high school students honored at the Scholars of Distinction award program in areas of science, STEM, social studies, leadership and theater arts.

EHS Thespians production wins honors

The EHS Thespians received numerous ensemble and individual honors for their spring production of “Chicago” from Spotlight Education, a program of the Hennepin Theatre Trust.

Ryan Zhu

Edina High School sophomore Ryan Zhu won the 2019 Federal Reserve Student Essay Contest. For the past 31 years, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has hosted an annual Student Essay Contest open to all high school students that live within the Ninth Federal Reserve District. This year’s prompt was: “Use economics to describe and defend an effective immigration policy.”

Meadow Roberts

Meadow Roberts, 5th grader at Countryside Elementary, has found a way to turn an after school hobby into a treat national audiences can enjoy. Meadow, who started baking when she was two, is among the final three contestants competing on the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship.

Brandon Carlson-Clarke

Edina High School (EHS) 2016 graduate Brandon Carlson-Clarke has been selected as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Carlson-Clarke, a student at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, Washington, was chosen from a pool of nearly 1,500 applicants.

Marshall Tsai

What started with an after school activity has grown into a passion for a Cornelia fifth grader, and a successful one at that. Marshall Tsai recently earned a very large trophy at a national chess tournament.

Aarathi Garimella

Aarathi Garimella, a senior at Edina High School (EHS), is one of 13 young women in the state to receive a Minnesota Aspirations for Women in Computing Award from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) and their local partner, the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence.

Craft Bazaar

Fifth grade entrepreneurs turned the Cornelia gym into a holiday market for the school's 37th annual Craft Bazaar on Dec. 20. The students made and sold items as a fundraiser. They voted to send their profits to the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation in support of their classmate who has the disease.

Football

The 2017 edition of the Edina High School yearbook has been awarded a Gold Medal ranking by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA).