August 2012

Prep Elite 2012 | Education

There’s no month quite like August when it comes to feasting on salads. By now, the novelty of barbecuing has begun to wear off and the hottest days of summer are upon us. The time is just right to dig into something cool and crunchy like a bed of greens tossed with seasonal vegetables.

 

Today, Weber Park at 42nd and Grimes offers everything for summer fun, from playground equipment and picnic grounds to tennis courts and baseball fields.

 

J.J. Ries still vividly recalls the day that 23 veteran Hornettes drove down her street, blaring their horns and singing the Edina fight song to announce that Ries was one of the lucky ones chosen to join the storied dance line.

 

It was the story of her own uncle, John Relf, that became the inspiration for Edina resident Mary Lilja to help others find a way to pass along their own precious family stories.

 

For close to 40 years, elementary students in Edina Public Schools have been on an adventure–make that an Art Adventure—that has introduced them to works of art both classic and contemporary, without ever having to leave their classrooms.

 

Can a place where athletes, bookworms, musicians and students from different social circles converge and collaborate truly exist in a high school?

 

In June, the Edina Art Fair once again set up shop along the streets of 50th and France to showcase the talents of local artists. But this year, one piece of art stood out among the rest, by the Edina Art Fair Featured Artist.

 

There’s never a typical day in Jackie Roehl’s 10th-grade English class. One day might involve analyzing a poem through drawings, while another could include a student-led poetry slam. In fact, the 55-minute class often includes up to four activities in one period.

 

Building robots is only part of the reason the Edina High School’s Robotics Team is the hot topic of conversation. Known as the “The Green Machine,” the 36-member team recently traveled to St.

 

Solid left-handed pitchers are a commodity in baseball these days. That’s good news for Cole Nelson, the tall, hard-throwing southpaw and Edina native who currently plays for the Twins’ minor league affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla.

 

This fall, when more than 900 Edina kids don football jerseys, helmets, cleats and pads, and hit the numerous fields around town to play touch, flag or tackle football as part of the array of Edina Football Association (EFA) teams, they’ll join a rich history that began a half-century ago.

 

Ann Carroll was tapping keys on a typewriter in the KARE-TV newsroom. In her head, the elementary schoolgirl was writing her personal story. She was going to be a sports reporter.

 

Conventional wisdom says that resumes be a single page, but given the diverse list of accomplishments, clubs, sports, volunteer groups and top GPAs, an exception should be made for these four elite Edina preps.