Dakota County
Tribune
Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas
www.dakotacountytribune.com
NEWS Ninja warrior training A Burnsville business is offering ninja warrior training to clients of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels. Page 16A
OPINION Great jobs are waiting Katherine Kersten of the Center for the American Experiment says great jobs are waiting for two-year college graduates. Page 4A
June 1, 2017 • Volume 132 • Number 14
RHS grad ensuring Blue Angels’ safety Squadron part of Duluth Airshow June 2-3 by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Petty Officer 1st Class Stephen Reardon still looks up in awe every time he sees a Blue Angels air show. He’s had a pretty good seat the last few shows. The 2008 graduate of Rosemount High School serves as aircraft survival equipmentman for the U.S. Navy’s demonstration squadron where he inspects, maintains and packs the parachutes and oversees other life-saving equipment. The Blue Angels pilots
will fly their McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets June 2-3 in the skies over Duluth for the Duluth Airshow. They’ve been performing crosses, breaks, rolls, loops, turns and formations since 1946. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be part of the show along with an F-35 Lightning, a USAF Heritage Flight, the B-25 Miss Mitchell and the Canadian Forces Skyhawks, along with other vintage planes and demonstrations. Reardon has been an aircraft survival equipmentman for the last eight years working on aircraft
carriers, and he’s been with the Blue Angels since last October. “It can be very technical maintaining (the equipment,)” Reardon said. “The job fell in my lap. I love it.” He said after taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, working with aircraft survival equipment was his best fit. “I just trusted my gut,” Reardon said. Working with the Blue Angels was something he had to apply and interview for. He’s traveled to air
shows in places such as Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee. He gets to go home maybe once a year, so coming back to Minnesota is exciting. “Rosemount was a great place to grow up,” Reardon said. “They have a real tight-knit community and they do a lot for their military veterans and people in the armed forces.” He didn’t know if he would have time to come back to Rosemount, but he said his friends and family are planning to come to the air show.
Stephen Reardon More information about the Duluth Airshow can be found at duluthairshow.com.
THISWEEKEND
Farmington animal shelter is in Top 20
Local student earns Triple Threat Award Ileri Okikiolu will perform in Minneapolis
Sawtooth Brothers return The Rosemountconnected Sawtooth Brothers will return to Dakota County at the Caponi Art Park this summer. Page 15A
SPORTS
Farmington High School junior Ileri Okikiolu has been chosen by Hennepin Theatre Trust as a Triple Threat Award finalist. Twenty-four finalists are being recognized for their accomplishments and community leadership while participating in the trust’s Spotlight Education program. More than 80 students submitted application Triple Threat portfolios, which was narrowed to a group of 40 Ileri Okikiolu, semifinalists who auditioned above and at for a panel of local artists and lower right in trust staff members to be- “The Wiz” come finalists. Okikiolu performed the role of Dorothy in Farmington High School’s recent production of “The Wiz.” Her past roles include Soupy Sue in “Urinetown,” and Celisee in “Godspell.” Okikiolu has received an Honorable Mention in a Leading and Featured Role, and an Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role award from Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Spotlight Education. The Triple Threat Award finalists will per-
Last Hope Inc. makes Catological’s list by Maren Bauer SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Science has shown that watching cat videos improves one’s mood and overall happiness. Cat ownership could be the next step up for some people and a local nonprofit can help people find the right pet. Last Hope Inc., which was recently named among the Top 20 Cat Shelters in the U.S. by the cat info blog Catological, was founded in 1985 by Bev and Leon Orr, who both remain involved in the organization as president and treasurer. Its longevity, trustworthiness, and extra care in
See THEATER, 2A
Playoffs in full swing Farmington and Rosemount softball, baseball teams are in the midst of section tournaments. Page 12A
Saying goodbye to a second family RHS to graduate first class of four-year AVID students by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper of the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.
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See SHELTER, 16A
One will never know how different Kiera Newson’s academic life would have been had it not been for the AVID program. The Rosemount High School senior who entered the program as a ninth-grader was a typical “academic middle” student taking the kinds of courses most students do. But when she found the support and high expectations of striving toward college that the school’s Advancement Via Individual Determination curriculum provides, a switch turned on.
If it wasn’t for AVID she said she probably would have went through high school only taking “on level” courses. Instead she took Advanced Placement English, which she admits isn’t her favorite subject, along with college level courses in Spanish, statistics, psychology and forensic science. The last one is an area in which she plans to pursue in college. To say that AVID changed Kiera’s future is not a stretch. Photo by Tad Johnson The same could be said of the other 428 stu- The Rosemount High School AVID program started in 2013 when (from left) Yaseein Abdelaal, Bridget McLaughlin, Kiera Lawson and Julianne Onayiga were ninthSee AVID, 7A graders.
Eighth-grader wins design contest Hailie Cebulla wins prize pack by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE
Even though Hailie Cebulla says she isn’t all that good at art, the Rosemount High School eighth-grader has won the Rosemount Leprechaun Days button design contest. Her artwork of a smiling leprechaun was selected as the top submission because of its whimsical nature and a format that was perfect for the buttons
that are sold each year as a fundraiser for the Rosemount Area Seniors. “I was pretty excited,” Hailie said after learning she had won the contest from her art teacher Bette Jo Poukey. “I really don’t draw that much. … Because it was a contest I tried really hard.” Cebulla has won a prize pack for her efforts. She received two wristbands for free ride admissions at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America
along with cash to purchase five buttons from Sun Thisweek and the Dakota County Tribune and a $25 gift card from the Rosemount Area Seniors. Art is not the only activity that Hailie is pretty good at. She had played trumpet since she was in the fifth grade. She plans to continue to play next year in the Concert Band when she attends Rosemount High See BUTTON, 16A
Photo by Tad Johnson
Hailie Cebulla stands outside Rosemount Middle School with her award-winning design.