Motivated Life-long Learner

Kate Hibbs, 3rd grader at Normandale Elementary, won first prize at the Little Mozart International Piano Competition 2022 at Carnegie Hall, in New York City. She played Mozart Sonata in C major, K. 330.

60 students from South View Middle School advanced to regionals in the National History Day competition, with 25 of those students qualifying for the state competition. Students Ainsley Hannermann, Anushka Narielwala, Elizabeth Tesky, Ishani Shah and Sydney Bethune placed in the top five in their categories.

Chris Griggs, an Edina High School social studies teacher, will travel to Washington, D.C. this June to attend the prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute. After a highly competitive application process, 60 teachers were selected to participate this year.

EHS senior Dedeepya Guthikonda is one of two Minnesota students recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Presidential Scholar. Scholars are recognized for their demonstration of leadership, scholarship, contribution to school and community, and outstanding accomplishments in the arts, sciences, humanities, and other fields of interest.

Dr. Cara Rieckenberg, a Continuous Progress teacher at Highlands Elementary, has been selected by the Edina Chamber of Commerce as the 2022 Teacher of the Year. The Chamber received many nominations for Rieckenberg from students and parents.

Edina Public Schools recognized staff members at an awards luncheon Thursday, Aug. 26 held at the Normandale small gym. Included in the luncheon were bus drivers who reached milestone years of safe bus driving, staff with 25 years of service to EPS, and staff achieving tenure.

Taylor Porthan, a ninth grader at Edina High School, will be a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, June 26-27. Porthan will represent Minnesota based on her skills in leadership, academic achievement, and her passion to join the field of medicine.

When Atman Jahagirdar, an 11th grader at Edina High School, noticed hesitancy in his community during a measles outbreak in Hennepin County, he felt inclined to dig deeper. After reading an article about vaccine hesitancy by Dr. Anita Shet, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, Jahagirdar reached out to her to learn more.

Four EHS students, Ellie Karthus, Norah Kennedy, Anika Rasmussen and Ananth Veluvali, placed third in the state Academic WorldQuest competition. The top three teams will represent Minnesota in the national Academic WorldQuest competition, presented virtually by the World Affairs Councils of America in April.

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce that all 25 National Merit Semifinalists announced in September 2020 have advanced to finalist standing.

Eight EPS educators have received National Board Certification, a major professional achievement and credential of excellence. This is the highest credential available to American educators.

Edina Public Schools is recognizing 25 students selected as National Merit Semifinalists and 22 students selected as Commended Students.

Twenty-two Edina High School students have been selected as Commended Students in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.

More than 86% of Edina students who took AP tests last spring scored 3 or higher, consistent with scores over the past four years despite the unique challenges presented by COVID-19. Of the 1,176 Edina students who took AP exams, 507 earned recognition as AP Scholars in four categories.

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce 25 EHS students have been selected as National Merit Semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. The program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

South View Middle School is pleased to announce the hiring of Tricia Pettis and Kaela Loo as Dean of Students. The two will share the Dean position and also an instructional coach position, a role they have each served in during the past three years.

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.

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.

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Randy Smasal as Assistant Superintendent. Smasal has been the district’s Director of Teaching and Learning for the past eight years, and has held leadership positions in several other districts.

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

Marshall Tsai, a seventh grader at South View Middle School, took first in his category at the School Chess Association Frozen Open tournament, January 18 at Plymouth Middle School. Kids from all over the Twin Cities participated in the Frozen Open tournament.

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce 20 students from Edina High School have been selected as commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Three Edina High School students have received College Board recognition in the Hispanic Recognition Program.

Edina Public Schools is pleased to announce 19 Edina High School students have been named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Earlier this year, two Edina High School teachers participated in a unique professional development opportunity. Claude Sigmund, social studies, and Sara Swenson, media specialist, attended the Marine Corps Educators Workshop at Camp Pendleton in California. They were invited by EHS alumni Sgt. Indiana Bloom.

When teachers began noticing that, over time, students were choosing to read outside of school less, they began to evaluate how to build a district and at-home partnership to encourage students to read. Out of their brainstorming, research, and collaboration, “Edina Grows Readers” was born.

The Edina High School (EHS) music listening team, consisting of members Soren Edman, Charlie Klukow, and Paul Gherghetta, secured first place at the Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest (MLC).

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.

Once a month a group of Edina High School (EHS) parents come together to learn more about each other. On the surface, they are a diverse group of cultures, religions and beliefs, but the parents have quickly discovered they have more in common than not.

Edina High School teachers Dan Baron and Jodi Ramirez were recently honored by former students at the Merrill Presidential Scholars Convocation at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, May 22-23.

Three Edina High School (EHS) juniors participated in a semester-long journey through places and beliefs that their ancestors knew well. Carson Ryan, Andrea Richardson and Clayton Carlson were part of the Dave Larsen American Indian Immersion Experience.

Edina High School students turned in all levels of “cum laude” scores on the recent Latin National Exam. Thirty-five students represented EHS in the competition; 24 of them received awards.

Edina High School senior Ben Gustafson has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious 2018 Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia. He is one of 36 recipients worldwide.