Dakota County
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Farmington | Rosemount www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Kindness is key at local school Shannon Park Elementary School in Rosemount has a new Kindness Council that is working to spread cheer among students. Page 9A
OPINION Resolve to end drug overdoses Columnist Peggy Bakken hopes that solving the drug overdose crisis will be one issue that will get universal support, commitment and resolve from all. Page 4A
and the surrounding areas Feb. 22, 2018 • Volume 132 • Number 51
Stein Air to leave Farmington It chooses Faribault Airport, starts ‘complicated’ development process by Gunnar Olson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
A Farmington-based avionics equipment company announced its intention to grow its business at the Faribault airport, kicking off a process that could end up with a $1.5 million investment in Faribault. Stein Air, founded by president Stein Bruch, currently operates out of a
Farmington location, but as Faribault Economic and Community Development Director Deanna Kuennen put it: “They are bursting at the seams” at its 59,801-square-foot location at 21170 Eaton Ave. With growth on their mind, Stein Air has chosen to move its operation to the Faribault Municipal Airport from a list of four finalists that included Lakeville and announced
its intention to develop a facility in Faribault. For its business to grow, Stein Air said it needs to be on an airfield to serve its local and international customer base. Stein Air makes dash panels for airplanes incorporating electronics and autopilot technology. The business’ focus is on retrofitting electronics for rare or older airplanes, routinely exporting products
across the globe. “They are very familiar with our airport already,” said Kuennen at the Faribault Economic Development Authority meeting Thursday, Feb. 15. “They will be wonderful for the city of Faribault and our airport.” Bruch said on Wednesday, Feb. 14, that Faribault’s location, their previous knowledge of the airport and some pro-
New chief sworn in
posed financial incentives helped sway his company to make the choice. While Bruch has made his company’s intentions known to Faribault, there are still hurdles to overcome. “There are lots and lots of complicated variables,” he said. “It’s the sum of all the parts. There isn’t one specific thing. There See STEIN AIR, 5A
Bond and levy still improving classrooms
THISWEEKEND
Update on District 196 classroom technology implementations by Amy Mihelich SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon The Apple Valley Beyond the Yellow Ribbon had more than 100 people attend its last Military Appreciation Dinner. Page 15A
NEWS Photo by Jody Peters
Justin Elvestad, Farmington’s new fire chief, was sworn in during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Elvestad has over 14 years of experience with the Farmington Fire Department and was the sole finalist during the city’s hiring process.
When students in the RosemountApple Valley-Eagan School District take out an iPad in class, it’s usually not to take a selfie or check social media. District 196 students are learning how to use technology, not as a toy, but as an educational tool. With a few swipes, these students can create graphs, charts, videos and collaborative projects. Voters trusted the School Board with funds to bring updated technology into the classroom, and to make technological devices more accessible to District 196 students. How has the money been spent? At the District 196 School Board meeting Monday, Feb. 12, district staff See 196 UPDATE, 5A
Farmington cheer team in seventh heaven Game Day squad earns a spot in national finals
Rosemount man wins boat Rosemount resident Paul Shadle won a $75,000 pontoon boat and $25,000 after sinking a 120-foot golf putt. Page 8A
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.
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SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Photo by Jody Peters
Gateway Academy students Alex Treakle and Andrew Keeney are preparing for the school’s upcoming project showcase. Treakle, left, is constructing a mini robot, while Keeney is building his own laser.
Robots, lasers and jellyfish at Gateway Students research topics, build their own technology for showcase
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by Jody Peters SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Have you ever wondered how to build a robot or make a laser? At Gateway Academy, students are working on answers to these questions and more during their project showcase. On March 1, students in fifth through eighth grade will present projects they’ve worked on during their second trimester. Each project has a driving question behind it that students attempt to answer. Then they share that knowledge with a wider audience, similar to a science fair. Topics range from history to technology. Eighthgrader Victor Nord wanted to know how to care for a goldfish properly, while Eddie Yang, also in eighth grade, wanted to learn how movies are created.
Of course, the idea is that students learn something while they’re researching, and several of them had fun facts to share. Victor learned how to tell male and female goldfish apart (female goldfish tend to have a rounder, thicker body shape). Eighth-grader Danielle Franxman, who wanted to learn about the history of art from the 1700s-1900s, discovered how paint was made. “I didn’t know that they used animal fat and spit to make paint. That kind of grossed me out a little bit,” she said. That discovery is part of the reason that Gateway Academy focuses on project-based learning, learning advisor Timothy Schlatter said. “I think it’s a good way See PROJECTS, 2A
Twenty-three teams from across the nation wanted what the Farmington High School varsity cheerleading team wanted during the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship on Feb. 10 and 11 at the Wide World of Sports complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. They all wanted a chance to earn the national title in the Medium Non-Tumbling Game Day Division. During the semifinal round, the Farmington team accomplished one of the goals it had set for itself at the beginning of the season in June 2017 when it earned a spot in the finals. There was a lot of jumping, screaming and hugging when the announcement was made that Farmington was among the 12 teams that earned scores placing in the finals. About a half-hour later the squad had to regroup and pull together another energetic and precise routine in the finals. Coaches Jen Kroshus and Greg Kroshus said the crowd was very supportive of the team, which led to a transfer of energy that allowed the team to top its semifinal score with an 81.8 in the finals, which put it in seventh place, one point behind
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The Farmington High School varsity cheerleading team placed seventh in the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship on Feb. 10 and 11 at the Wide World of Sports complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. first place Clearview Regional. “The girls were ecstatic,” Jen Kroshus said. This is the first year that Farmington has competed in the Game Day Division, which takes the elements that one would see from a cheer team performing on the sidelines at football games — a band dance, a situational sideline cheer on the spot to an announced game situation, a crowd leading cheer and the school fight song. Jen Kroshus said the cheer portion of the
routine is Farmington’s strong suit, as it scored nearly perfect in all of the categories. “The girls really focused on cleaning up and perfecting their band dance and school song over the course of the weekend,” Jen Kroshus said. “Their drive to ‘leave it all on the floor’ is what helped them secure a spot in finals and move up in their ranking.” The team earned its spot in the national tournament after placing first See CHEER, 5A