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Free Friday-night concerts return to Apple Valley’s Kelley Park this summer. See Thisweekend Page 16A.
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Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville
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JUNE 10, 2011
VOLUME 32, NO. 15
www.thisweeklive.com
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Two high school seniors aim to teach big lessons Nelson, Slinger elected to give commencement speeches for Lakeville North, South by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Seniors at Lakeville North and Lakeville South have elected two inspirational commencement speakers this year. Zack Nelson and Dylan Slinger are veterans of their respective schools’ speech teams. Nelson has also had success in the theatrical and musical arts, while Slinger has dominated state and national debate and speech tournaments. Both will stand at the podium at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul tonight at their reserved times having overcome starkly different obstacles. Both will anticipate different futures for themselves after enduring very different high school experiences. Even their speeches are a bit different, but the basic idea remains: Never give up in the face of obstacles, for the best is yet to come.
Zack Nelson Looking back, Nelson was
Photo by Aaron Vehling
Photo submitted
Zack Nelson (left) and Dylan Slinger (right) are the commencement speakers for Lakeville North and South high schools, respectively. Though their speeches will take on different themes, there is a commonality present in both: Never give up in the face of obstacles, for the best is yet to come. not certain he’d be where he is today: heavily involved with speech and drama, looking toward college and elected to give Lakeville North High School’s commence-
ment speech. “It feels like I’ve come a long way,� he said. At the beginning of ninth grade in the Burnsville school
district, Nelson did not have a lot of friends. But on top of that was a family situation that would change his life beyond recognition: Both his mother and father died within six months of each other, each from a different form of cancer. Without any parents, Nelson and his sister moved to Lakeville to live with friends of the family. So not only did Nelson have to adapt to a new school, but he had to do it without the support of his parents. He said at first he did not do much of anything. “I would go to sleep when I got home from school,� Nelson said. This left him with little to no room for any extracurricular activities. But the following year, Nelson said, the pendulum swung too far the other way. “I got so involved, maybe too involved, in theater, speech and singing,� he said. Drawing off his life experience, Nelson will speak to his
classmates tonight about overcoming obstacles. “It’s really a call to action,� he said. “Keep a balance, and if you fall down, you need to get back up again.� Friends and family (and family friends) certainly helped him “get back up again.� But Nelson also credits Joe Stodola and LJ Johnson, his speech coaches and directors of some of the high school’s plays, with giving him some impetus to do his best and achieve. “I’ve really grown a lot through them,� he said. Nelson said he will likely attend Minnesota State University, Moorhead, where he will study music education with an emphasis on chorale studies. As a regular performer and speech-team member, Nelson is not afraid to give his commencement speech. But that does not mean it will be easy. “I feel like I know everyone,� See Lessons, 9A
District 192 moving toward comprehensive e-learning Farmington School Board approves technology upgrades by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
At a 7 a.m. June 3 special meeting, the Farmington School Board approved $1.1 million in technology upgrades. The equipment is intended to create an electronic environment that will eventually help transform the way Farmington students learn. The board tabled a decision on whether to spend
$352,087 to saturate the district with wireless capabilities until its June 13 meeting. To pay for the technology upgrade, the district will tap into its 2005 $111.5 million bond issue. The money will help fund classroom audio visual equipment including 226 mounted projectors, 128 SMART boards, speakers and other related equipment.
SMART boards, interactive white boards with projectors that work with computer programs, are already in use in some district classrooms. With the technology, teachers are able to engage students and teach curriculum at a much more interactive level. Currently, not all Farmington classrooms have those capabilities. See Students, 4A Photo by Aaron Vehling
Lori Bode (wearing the pink shirt) and Bob Ostlund of SchoolExecConnects (in the sport coat) discuss Lakeville’s superintendent search process at a community forum on June 2.
Farmington agrees to pay outgoing leader his severance Superintendent search Herlofsky’s legal threat instigated the city’s action by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Weeks after submitting his surprise resignation in March, former Farmington City Administrator Peter Herlofsky threatened to sue the city for severance pay equal to six months of salary, according to City Attorney Joel Jamnik. Without public comment, the Farmington City Council settled the
matter out of court by approving a resolution for a severance agreement at its June Herlofsky 6 meeting. Through the agreement, the city will pay Herlofsky about $67,000 beyond his paycheck earned until his last day, May 31. Approximately $32,500
of the money is for severance pay, equal to three months of his $130,000 annual salary, and about $34,500 of it is in accrued benefits. In a council memo, Jamnik recommended the city accept the severance agreement terms with Herlofsky, who had led the city for five years. Jamnik noted that Herlofsky’s employment conSee Herlofsky, 4A
Farmington’s Pilot Knob liquor store to reduce retail space City agrees to five-year lease by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Farmington’s Pilot Knob liquor store will be in a smaller space in the same Gateway Shopping Center location for the next five years. On June 6, the Farmington City Council approved a resolution for a cheaper lease that eliminates the “Wine Cellar� area of the store that showcased vari-
ous wines. Under the new agreement, the space will be reduced from 6,820 square feet to 4,758 square feet, an annual per-square-foot price reduction from $19 to $16 for the entire five years. Under the new terms, the city will save about $72,000 annually, said Farmington Parks and Recreation Director Ran-
dy Distad. Council Member Julie May raised concerns about the city’s municipal liquor business, questioning if the city should allow private businesses to operate liquor sales instead of the city. Noting that the city’s downtown liquor store lease expires next year, May suggested matching See Liquor, 14A
forum yields few takers Loud voices make up for low turnout in Lakeville by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
What traits would you want in a new Lakeville public schools superintendent? In an effort to get a better picture of the community’s needs and wants, SchoolExecConnects, the district’s search consultant, held a community forum at Kenwood Trail Middle School June 2. The firm would then use the data to help it recruit talent that best fits the district. Despite a dismal turnout – only 10 people attended – the search firm’s Bob Ostlund walked away with a portrait of a variety of desires those parents who did attend would want to see in their district’s leader. Transparency, an ability to connect with community members, a sense of vision and a keen financial sense were among the main topics discussed. Dan Nelson is a parent who has long been vocal about the direction in which he believes District 194 should go.
Board votes on new school start times The Lakeville school board voted at a special meeting Tuesday night, June 7, to alter some start times that had been changed as part of the budget adjustment process for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013. The two high schools were originally to start at different times but now both will start at 8:05 p.m. As part of the move, Orchard Lake Elementary will start at a later time that matches what the soon-to-beclosed Crystal Lake starts at currently, which is 9:22. The changes will cost $33,000. The savings of $253,000 from overall route changes, as indicated at the May 24 board meeting, now will be $220,000, according to the school district. -Aaron Vehling, Thisweek Newspapers “It’s about spending money wisely,� Nelson said. “(A candidate for superintendent) should be accountable for demonstrating to the community what (he or she) intends to do with the district’s money.� Another of the attendees was Lori Bode, who home-schooled her children and enrolled them in private schools before they eventually came to the pub-
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lic schools. “There is a lack of clear vision for this district,� Bode said. “There are goals and missions, but nothing measureable.� Bode wants a leader who will define clear boundaries, she said. If there are programs or courses that simply cannot be cut, Bode said, then “they should be able to See Search, 14A
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