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THURSDAY, SDAY SEPTEMBER 15 15, 2011
EDEN PRAIRIE
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news Superintendent to leave district by end of month Eden Prairie School Board and Superintendent Krull reach early separation agreement BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
Tuesday night, one by one, Superintendent Melissa Krull hugged the principals lined up at the Administrative Services Center. This will be her last mont h as t he dis trict’s superi ntendent . The School Board anMelissa nounced Krull that the board and Krull had reached an early separation agreement. Krull will finish up her term as superintendent by Sept. 30. L ast mont h, K r u l l a nnounced her intention to step down by the end of the 2012 school year, when her contract expires. Krull has served with the district in various roles for 28 years. As part of her separation agreement, she will be paid $50,000 on or before Oct. 3 and receive another payment of $50,000 on Jan. 13, 2012. A committee of board mem-
PHOTOS BY LEAH SHAFFER
“Weight of the World,” was one out of 450 submissions the Eden Prairie Players received for its one act plays. The theater group will be performing seven one-acts starting Sept. 16. (Above) Atlas is played by Phil Skretvedt.
‘Fun-sized’ theater
One of the new directors this year is Jennifer Kaune (center) who moved to Eden Prairie this year from Texas. As a theater major in college, she decided to reach out to the local theater community. Kaune directed the one-act, “Missing,” which includes actors Margo Steffel and Paul Modderman.
EP Players’ Collection of One Acts provides a sweet, short taste of a variety of plays
F
or this year’s Collection of One Acts, the Eden Prairie Players received a “mind boggling” 450 submissions of unpublished short-plays. Members were only able to read about 200 of the submissions and of that, 30 made the cut for table readings, noted Producer Liz Michaelson. Ultimately, the group selected seven one-act plays, four of which are brand new works. Most of the thrust of this year’s plays is comedic, noted Michaelson, but there is one more dramatic piece. “It’s such a wonderful value,” she said about the advantage of viewing the one-acts. “It’s right in their own backyard.” This year’s shows start Sept. 16 and include an intermission with refreshments and desserts. It’s all about the number “7” this year, as it’s the seventh annual showing of the one-acts, which include seven plays and seven shows. Most of the participants in this year’s show are fi rst-time directors. “It’s gratifying that we have so much talent in our community,” said Michaelson. Leah Shaffer
If you go What: A Collection of One Acts – seven plays, seven performances of the seventh annual collection of one acts, starting Sept. 16.
Krull to page 12 ®
When: Sept. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. Info: Tickets available online, at the EP Community Center or EP Senior Center for $13.50, tickets at the door are $20.
BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
friend to so many people.” The couple has lived in Eden Prairie since 1961. According to Pastor Susan Weaver of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Bob was involved at the church ever since it was chartered. With Bob’s death, there’s a wave of grief passing through their congregation, said Weaver. “It’s a hard time for all of us,” she said. Bob is survived by Clare,
One would never guess that the clean, spare room in Eden Prairie High School’s media center contains $155,000 worth of technology. At the Melissa Krull Global Learning Center (named after Eden Prairie’s outgoing superintendent), state - ofthe-art video conferencing equipment allows students to connect to others around the world. The center was made possible because of a donation from the Stoebner Family Foundation; AVI Systems, the company founded by Joe Stoebner; and AVI’s vendors. Stoebner had connected to Sup er i ntendent K r u l l through Habitat For Technology, a group that, over
Kooiman to page 12 ®
Center to page 12 ®
Memorial Service for Bob Kooiman to be held at Immanuel Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. tonight BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
FILE PHOTO
bers including Carol Bomben, John Estall and Suzanne Kutina will select the interim leader or leadership team by Oct. 1. The only two staff at the district who hold superintendent licenses are Janet Pladson, director of teaching and learning, and EPHS Associate Principal Tim Quick, according to Nancy Kracke, the interim communication coordinator. In an interview Wednesday, Krull said she could not speak to details about the decision beyond what was issued in the separation agreement. When the board made an offer for her to consider an early separation, “after talking with them and thinking it through, I decided it was a good idea.” “I really feel like I’m leaving at a time when there’s so many good things in place,” she said. T e s t s c or e s a r e go o d , schools are integrated and the K-6 transition is in place, she said. “I feel very good and very hopeful about our schools right now.” With Krull’s departure, the upcoming year will be
New center allows students to reach beyond EPHS walls
Where: Riley-Jacques Barn, 9100 Riley Lake Road
Community mourns loss of a ‘dear, dear man’
Bob and Clare Kooiman are pictured here in a 2005 article from the Eden Prairie News. Bob died in a plane crash last week. He and Clare had been married for 56 years. They have lived in Eden Prairie since 1961.
SEE THE RESULTS OF EDEN PRAIRIE’S MCA TESTS ON PAGE 12.
Many in Eden Prairie are feeling the loss of Robert Kooiman, 80, who was killed in a plane crash Sept. 5. Bob’s son Randall, 54, who was the only passenger in the small plane Bob was piloting, is on the road to recovering from his injuries, according to his mother, Clare. “He was certainly a loving husband, father and grandfather,” said Clare about her husband of 56 years. “He was a
INSIDE OPINION/4 OBITUARIES/6 SPORTS/10-11 CALENDAR/16 CLASSIFIEDS/22-25 LIVING IN EP/26 TO REACH US SUBSCRIBE: (952) 345-6682 EDITOR: (952) 942-7885 OR EMAIL EDITOR@EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM.
PHOTOS BY LEAH SHAFFER
A view of the global learning center is beamed to a television above Eden Prairie High School Principal Conn McCartan. The new center offers students access to state-ofthe-art video conferencing technology.
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