OM FREEDS Y A D issue
Get your art on at the Eagan Art Festival. See Thisweekend Page 7A.
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Thisweek Apple Valley-Rosemount JUNE 17, 2011
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VOLUME 32, NO. 16
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
www.thisweeklive.com
Legal Notices/3A
Opinion/4A
Announcements/5A
Thisweekend/7A
Classifieds/8A
Sports/12A
Tenured teachers now on chopping block in District 196 Fourteen teachers to be cut, 11 more get partial layoffs by Jessica Harper THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Nontenured teachers are not the only ones seeing pink slips this year in the Rosemount-Apple ValleyEagan School District. The District 196 School Board unanimously approved June 13 laying off 14 tenured teachers and giving partial leaves of absence to 11 more.
Those who are partially laid off may teach one or two classes during the year or for only one trimester, said Tom Pederstuen, director of human resources in District 196. This comes just months after the board approved laying off 93 nontenured teachers. The nontenured layoffs came after the School Board unanimously approved in March slashing $3.5
million from the district’s 20112012 budget, which included job cuts. Officials said they were able to avoid laying off more teachers thanks to a recent retirement incentive, which resulted in a higher than average number of retirements. The district’s decision to lay off tenured teachers had more to do with changes at the middle school
than its budget constraints, Pederstuen said. On Jan. 10, the School Board unanimously approved shortening its middle school schedule to six periods to boost student achievement, particularly in math, and save money. Eliminating two class periods is expected to save an estimated $1.76 million a year.
While this change will save money and provide more time for core studies such as English, math, and social studies, it will cut time dedicated to extra curricular classes. As a result, the district’s middle schools will need fewer teachers in these areas, Pederstuen said. Pederstuen added that he expects this will be the last of the layoffs for this year. E-mail Jessica Harper at: jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com
woman helps in Haiti Graduates look to the future Rosemount Stephanie Lamoreaux is coordinating activities in two rural schools by Tad Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Apple Valley High School graduates watch their fellow classmates receive their diplomas during commencement exercises Friday, June 10 in the school’s gymnasium. The ceremony included a graduation message by student Kirby Hermansen. For more photos, go online to www.ThisweekLive.com. More photos on page 11A.
11 days of summer celebration Freedom Days festival features fireworks, car show and more by Andrew Miller THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Apple Valley’s summer Freedom Days festival marks its 45th year with 11 days of entertainment, food and family-oriented activities at locations across the city. The festival kicks off Friday, June 24, with the Dancin’ & Cruisin’ classic car show and rock concert at Bogart’s Place nightclub and concludes with a spectacular fireworks display at dusk July 4 in Johnny Cake Ridge Park. In between these two marquee events there will be plenty to do for people of all ages and interests, including the Cub Foods Family Fun Night, Kids Fishing Derby and Freedom Days Fun Run. Dancin’ & Cruisin’, now in its 12th year, will feature a classic car show, food con-
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Local rocker GB Leighton is the headlining act at this year’s Dancin’ & Cruisin’ classic car show and concert on Friday, June 24 at Bogart’s Place. cessions and a business vendor fair starting at 5 p.m. in the parking lot outside Bogart’s Place. Music will be provided throughout the evening by DJ Sounds, along with a concert by local rock-
er GB Leighton and opening act Swag, a Twin Cities modern rock band. New to Dancin’ & Cruisin’ this year is the Spectators’ Choice Award. See Freedom Days, 3A
Stephanie Lamoreaux, a 2008 graduate of Rosemount High School, started a two-month internship with World Wide Village this month near Port au Prince, Haiti, an area still suffering after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in January 2010. She is facilitating the coordination of daily activities of students in the Luly and Williamson schools in rural Haiti. Lamoreaux is fluent in French, which will help her with the Creole and French speaking Haitian children. She will also be bringing her love of music and proficiency in piano and clarinet as tools to help build connections to the students. A student at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, Lamoreaux is majoring in elementary education with a minor in early childhood education. Lamoreaux’s family has lived in Rosemount for 16 years. She is the daughter of Wayne and Robin and sister to Aaron, Jason and Colin. She took time out recently during her work to answer a few questions from Thisweek. Following are her responses. What interested you about the internship? I knew I would be working with children, in schools, and with a community of people. I was excited to use what I have been learning in school about education and applying it. I was also drawn to the organization, which treated me well and were organized and interested in helping Haiti grow as a community, not just supplying it aid. What are your expectations of the project? We are planning on focusing on one city,
Family fights cancer together Cunningham family is testament to early detection, need for continued research by Tad Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
The Cunningham family is familiar with cancer battles. With five members of the immediate family having fought the disease, the Cunninghams will be honored as Rosemount Relay For Life honorary chairpeople during the June 24-25 event. Debbie Cunningham, a Relay For Life participant and volun-
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she had the same form of the disease. A few weeks later, she underwent surgery in an attempt to remove the cancerous cells. That was followed by six months of chemotherapy. She needed a round of maintenance chemotherapy later in the year, but it wasn’t stifling the growth. See Relay, 2A
Luly. In that city we will work to try and to create a “model community� or establish quality community. Such as, a new school, a medical center, an Internet cafe, a community garden, etc. We are not sure how this will all work but our hope is to begin something that can be continued for years to come. What have you discovered since arriving in Haiti? I discovered this country to be a place in great need, but also a place with great hope. They are going to rebuild Haiti back and better, but it is going to take years. I have also discovered fun culture, new foods (goat, mango, plantains, sugar cane, coconut and more), new ways of driving (the “roads� have giant pot holes and are
IN BRIEF For more information about World Wide Village, go online to www.WorldWideVillage.org. uneven and full of gravel and garbage, there are maybe six stop lights in the capital city, but they don’t always work), and beautiful people. What kinds of effects of the earthquake/tsunami are still being felt? I am living in the major city (Port au Prince), most of the people here were affected greatly by the earthquake. Thousands of houses have collapsed and still sit as rubble. (All of the houses are made out of concrete because drywall would See Haiti, 11A
IN BRIEF Volunteers are needed for set up in the hours prior to the start at 6 p.m. June 24 and cleanup after it ends at 5 a.m. June 25 at Rosemount High School’s Irish Stadium. Donations of silent auction or breakfast items are needed. Examples of silent auction items are gift cards, prize baskets, electronics and weekend hotel stays. The breakfast will include coffee, juice and rolls. A Bank Night and T-Shirt
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Distribution drop-by event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 23 at Rosemount Middle School. For more infor mation about the relay, go online to www.relayforlife. org/rosemountmn or e-mail rflrosemount@yahoo.com.
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teer in the past 10 years, will speak during the event. For her, prior to 2008 participation was in memory or honor of immediate family members who were battling or had lost their fight to cancer. Now she’s walking for herself, too. After her brother was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2008, that prompted Cunningham to have a colonoscopy, which found
Photo submitted by Alex Herbig
Longtime Rosemount resident Stephanie Lamoreaux said one of the rewarding parts of her work in Haiti is the smiles and love of the children.