Move indoors
Gold at Maroon and Gold
Community centers offer warmer options for walking, jogging
Eden Prairie swim team swam away with big-meet title
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www.edenprairienews.com
THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012
EDEN PRAIRIE
news
District tries out childcare program Board will hear evaluation of Kids EdVenture next month
Community weighs in on superintendent search BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
B
y the end of next mont h, Eden Prairie School Dist rict st a f f w i l l b e det er mining whether their foray into before and after-school childcare is a success they want to expand. Eden Prairie Schools have been testing a pilot program offering childcare this year at Oak Point Elementary and Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School. For years, that same service has been provided by the YMCA, which continues to handle childcare for students in other elementary schools in the district. By next month, the district will be evaluating whether this endeavor should be expanded, or nixed. To do that, they’ll be compiling data and surveying parents in the district. A parent feedback session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Oak Point. During its Tuesday meeting, the Eden Prairie School Board heard a brief update on the program, called ““Kids EdVenture.” Interim Superintendent Jon McBroom said Community Education Services Interim Director Terri Johnson will return to the Board in February with fur-
EdVenture to page 11 ®
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PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER / REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM
Ryley Gilbertson plays with a paper-folding activity book during the “Kids EdVenture” program at Oak Point Elementary.
Attention to detail BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO mfrancisco@swpub.com
The consultants charged with recruiting a new superintendent for the Eden Prairie School District heard from Eden Prairie residents Monday and Tuesday during meetings at Central Middle School and the high school. Mond ay ’s me et i n g f u nc tioned as a sounding board for parents to share their concerns about the direction the district is heading. Most of those concerns were connected to the backlash stemming from the district’s boundary changes. “ T his last yea r is not good,” noted Sonja Anderson, a retired teacher. “I’ve been very upset about what has happened in the community,” she said, referring to the upheaval about the district’s boundary changes and transition to K-6 schools. “An important goal is for people to get along,” she added. T he consu lt a nts, from School Exec Connect, have been meeting with teachers, district staff and community groups to pull together a profi le of what qualities the community seeks in a new superintendent. Eden Prairie’s former superintendent, Melissa Krull, stepped down in September and interim Superintendent Jon McBroom will fill in unti l a new candidate is selected. The feedback from the groups, along with the results of an online survey, will be compiled into a single document that will be pre-
What do you want in a new superintendent? The Eden Prairie School district is seeking feedback from the public on developing a leadership profile for a new superintendent. Visit edenpr.org to fill out the survey on qualities you want in a new candidate. The survey, which is confidential, will be available through Jan. 18. sented to the Eden Prairie School Board in a couple of weeks. The feedback will help guide the consultants in determining what type of candidate would fit in Eden Prairie. The plan is for the School Board to review semifinalists on March 12, interview candidates March 14 and narrow the field to fi nalists from there. Finalists will be interviewed March 20 and 22. The board plans to select a new superintendent at its March 22 meeting. Consultant Ken Dragseth, a retired Edina superintendent, explained that the hiring process remains private until candidates agree to interviews, which will be held during public meetings. Dragseth estimated that School Exec Connect will likely pull together about six candidates as semifi nalists. The superintendent search
Search to page 11 ®
Arb celebrates work of botanical illustrator
Ophelia Dowden
Pops of color have begun to appear at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Despite a warm winter, it is not signs of spring. It is the art of Anne Ophelia Dowden and it’s providing a sharp contrast to the browns and grays adorning the Arboretum grounds. “Eye candy for the winter months,” said curator and Arboretum volunteer Lucienne Taylor. The Arboretum will open its latest exhibit, “Wild Green Things: The Art of Anne Ophelia Dowden,” on Jan. 18. It runs through May 2 and encompasses the majority of the Arboretum’s buildings. The exhibit showcases the prolific work of the renowned botanical illustrator – work that quickly captured the heart of Taylor. “I’m blown away by her work,” she said. “I’m awed by her ability, her eye, and her commitment to art and science.”
EMBRACING ART Born Anne Ophelia Todd in 1907, Dowden grew up in Boulder, Colo., the daughter of a pathologist and a nurse. She spent much of her childhood exploring the natural treasures hid-
What: Wild Green Things: The Art of Anne Ophelia Dowden Dates: Jan. 18 – May 2 Location: Anderson Horticultural Library, University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, 3675 Arboretum Blvd., Chaska Cost: Free with Arboretum admission More info: www.arboretum.umn.edu
den in the neighboring foothills. “She became immersed in the natural world,” said Taylor. Dowden collected and drew any living thing she could fi nd, especially insects and flowers. She would continue to do so for most of her life, until her death in 2007, just months shy of her 100th birthday. “She knew early on art was going to be her career,” explained Taylor. Dowden had her first piece of work published in her father’s pathology textbook when she was
Dowden to page 11 ®
PHOTO BY MOLLEE FRANCISCO
Arboretum volunteer Lucienne Taylor curated the Anne Ophelia Dowden exhibit. She is standing in front of a selection from Dowden’s “The Clover and the Bee.”
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/5 SPORTS/8-9 CALENDAR/14 CLASSIFIEDS/19-21 LIVING IN EP/22 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 942-7885 OR EMAIL EDITOR@EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM.
© 2008 HUNT INSTITUTE FOR BOTANICAL DOCUMENTATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum will feature some of the original artwork from illustrator Ophelia Dowden’s “Wild Green Things.”
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