WPS November 2014 Communicator

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November 2014

Excellence. For each and every student.

Communicator PRELIMINARY 2015 PROPERTY TAX LEVY APPROVED HOMEOWNERS MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR REFUNDS

Blanket Donations Warm Hearts

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Wayzata High School Girls Tennis Captains Hallie Koehn and Kelly Yang, along with head coach Marci Weiner, delivered 70 fleece blankets created by ninth grade, junior varsity and varsity girls tennis team students, to kids fighting life threatening illnesses at the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital on October 16. A special blanket was made and delivered to West Middle School eighth grade student Ben Puzzo, who is recovering from a bone marrow transplant at the hospital.

he Wayzata School Board unanimously approved the district’s preliminary 2015 property tax levy at its September 29 meeting. The Board will hear public comments and take final action at its December 8 meeting. The Wayzata School District 2015 preliminary levy for taxes payable in fiscal year 2016 is $56,395,370. This total levy amount represents an overall increase of $6.4 million, or 12.8 percent, from 2014. These changes will be reflected in property tax statements arriving in November. According to Jim Westrum, executive director of finance and business, “The majority of the 12.8 percent increase is from the voter-approved bonds passed in the February 2014 referendum. Voters approved $109 million in building bonds

for an expansion to Wayzata High School, building of the district’s eighth elementary and district-wide safety, security and technology upgrades. Without taking the voter-approved bonds into consideration, the levy increase would have been 3.5 percent.” Westrum said the 3.5 percent increase is due to the addition of all-day kindergarten programming, and also the result of a growing student population and families moving into the district. Some district homeowners may be eligible for a Homestead Credit Refund or special one-time property tax refund based upon their income and the amount of change in their local property taxes. For more information, visit www.revenue. state.mn.us.

Excellence for Our Growing School Community

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ur teachers and staff are doing a great job of focusing on the learning needs of each and every student in the Wayzata Public Schools, and construction plans to address the needs of our growing resident student population are moving along nicely. Since the last issue of the Communicator, additional input has been gathered on the schematic designs for the addition to Wayzata High School (WHS), as well as for the new eighth elementary school. This input came from user groups, made up of staff, parents, students and district residents who shared insights on specific aspects of the construction projects.

Design Development Phase in Full Swing The WHS project consists of a 4-story classroom and lab addition, a music/performing arts addition, a physical education addition/ locker room expansion, cafeteria expansion and the creation of new upper and lower commons areas. The new elementary school is a proposed 2-story, 83,000 square foot building designed for flexibility and collaboration to meet the diverse learning needs of students. Schematic designs continue to evolve incorporating feedback from the user groups, as well as analyzing the designs for structural, mechanical and financial considerations to stay within the $109 million budget approved 1

by voters in February 2014. The design development phase for the high school is anticipated to be final by mid-November and the design development of the elementary school will be complete by late November or early December. Formal ground breaking for both the WHS addition and new elementary school will happen in the spring of 2015. The new elementary and key portions of the WHS additions are scheduled to be open in the fall of 2016. School Boundary Adjustment Process to Begin in January The process to reconfigure school attendance areas in advance of the opening of the new eighth elementary school will begin after the first of the year and completed by June 30, 2015. There will an opportunity for public input into the process that is anticipated to impact many families across the district. In addition to elementary attendance boundaries, it is likely that middle school boundaries will also be reconfigured. Updates about the boundary adjustment and construction processes will continue to be shared with all district parents and in future issues of the Communicator. For more information, visit our website at www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/construction, call and leave your questions on the Construction Hotline at 763-745-5050, or send an email to

From

THE SUPERINTENDENT

construction@wayzata.k12.mn.us We are fortunate to be a growing school district with new families moving in every day and to have community residents so supportive of our schools. We take your trust very seriously and never take it for granted. And we are committed to continuously improving all that we do to better serve our students and their families. Enjoy the winter season and time with family and friends. I remain hopeful for a more moderate winter than last year. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments on any educational topic. Please send me an email to chace.anderson@ wayzata.k12.mn.us or call me at 763-745-5000. – Chace B. Anderson, Ph.D. is Superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools


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Uncover the Truth Campaign Celebrates Healthy Decision Making Among Our Youth

artners in Prevention, a community coalition working to prevent and reduce youth substance use, launched its first round of posters for the Uncover the Truth campaign this fall at Wayzata High School. After two years of preparation, research and hard work, the Uncover the Truth initiative has been designed to generate conversation to correct misperceptions of risky behaviors among high school students. Messages used in the campaign were derived from the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey and chosen after careful analysis and consideration. A variety of reactions and community conversations are expected to come from this campaign. It starts by questioning peoples’ perceptions of the normative behaviors within our community and that can be a powerful experience. Many people might say they do not believe the data. That is precisely why this campaign has been developed to address the common misperceptions. As the data suggests, the majority of our youth are making healthy choices and the Uncover the Truth campaign will highlight those behaviors. By bridging the gap between perception

and reality, the goal is to transform our culture by creating an environment that celebrates and supports healthy decision-making. Partners in Prevention (PIP) is committed to ensuring that each

and every child is supported to make healthy choices. The coalition’s vision is for the Wayzata Public Schools community to be a healthy, substancefree environment where every child is connected to a caring adult.

For more information about the Uncover the Truth campaign, contact Alison Wobschall at alison.wobschall@ wayzata.k12.mn.us or 763-745-5085.

Wayzata Public Schools Among Top Performing in the State

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arlier this fall, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) released the 2014 Multiple Measurement Rating, which is Minnesota’s measurement of school performance. All of the Wayzata Public Schools earned an above average MMR rating and all five of the District’s Title I schools were designated as either a Reward or Celebration Eligible School. Wayzata was one of only three districts statewide with four or more Reward schools. The MMR public school accountability system uses multiple measures of student achievement on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) that students take each spring. A Multiple Measurements Rating (MMR) is given to all schools in the state on an annual basis and measures school performance in the areas of proficiency, growth, achievement gap reduction and graduation rates. Notable Accomplishments • All seven elementary schools and three middle schools in the District had a 2014 MMR rating above the 70th percentile, placing them among the top tier of high performing schools statewide. • Wayzata High School’s overall MMR rate was above the 90th percentile,

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ranking it as one of the top performing high schools in the state. School Designations – While all schools receive a MMR rating, only schools that received Federal Title I funds are eligible for an additional designation. School designations are: • Reward Schools are the highest-performing 15 percent of Title I schools in the state. Birchview, Gleason Lake and Sunset Hill Elementary Schools, and Wayzata East Middle School were named Reward schools this year. • Celebration Eligible Schools are the highest-performing 15 to 25 percent of Title I schools in the state. Oakwood Elementary School was designated as Celebration Eligible. • Continuous Improvement Schools are in the lowest-performing 10 to 25 percent of Title I schools in the state. No Wayzata schools received this designation. • Focus Schools are the lowest-performing 5 to 10 percent of Title I schools in the state. No Wayzata schools received this designation. • Priority Schools are the lowest-performing 5 percent of Title I schools in the state. No Wayzata schools received this designation.


2014-15 WHS National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists Named

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wenty students from Wayzata High School’s class of 2015 have been named National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists. This year’s semi-finalists are Michael Ansusinha, Kaylyn Billmeyer, Alan Chiang, Jakob Cornell, Jason Dong, Katherine Gehling, Nicholas Lawrence, Henry Lee, Sruti Paladugu, Shravankumar Panneerselvam, Changyeon Park, Neha Potlapalli, Michelle Qia, Bella Roussanov, Luke Soucy, Orien Zeng, Mason Zhang, Thomas Zhang, Leighton Zhao and Jenica Zhong. Students qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program by taking the preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. These students will continue in the National Merit program and will be candidates to receive a scholarship from the program. The scholarships will be announced next spring. Wayzata High School has

Pictured from left to right and front to back are: Thomas Zhang, Keighton Zhao, Alan Chiang, Changyeon Park, Neha Potlapalli, Shravankumar Panneerselvam, Jenica Zhong, Bella Roussanov, Mason Zhang, Katherine Gehling, Kaylyn Billmeyer, Orien Zeng, WHS Principal Mike Trewick, Luke Soucy, Nicholas Lawrence, Henry Lee, Michael Ansusinha and Jason Dong. Not Pictured are Michelle Qia, Sruti Paladugu and Jakob Cornell.

consistently had a high number of National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists over the past several years: Class of 2013 = 22 National Merit

Scholarship Semi-finalists Class of 2012 = 26 National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists Class of 2011 = 35 National Merit

Scholarship Semi-finalists Class of 2010 = 23 National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists

WHS Debate Team Ranked First in the Nation W

ayzata High School’s Debate Team is dominating competition and already has a number one ranked pair in the nation. The top team of Katherine Gehling and Tiffany Haas, made it to the finals of the Greenhill Tournament in Dallas, Texas in September. The team of Ishita Kamboj and Bob Dai finished as octafinalists and the team of Nisarg Ghandi and Aasim Ali finished as quarterfinalists. Both of these teams received a “ghost bid” to the Tournament of Champions, which is a prestigious national qualifying event. Gehling and Haas are currently the number one ranked team in the country and also won the Iowa Caucus Tournament the weekend of October 25-26 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Wayzata High School students Katherine Gehling and Tiffany Haas are the top ranked debate team in the nation this year. They are pictured with their trophy from their win at the Iowa Caucus Tournament held the weekend of October 25-26 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Two WHS Students Named Semifinalists in Siemens Foundation Competition

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lan Chiang and Mason Zhang were named semifinalists in the Siemens Foundation Competition in math, science and technology. Chaing submitted an individual project to Siemens called “Sensor Optimization by Adjusting Volume Fractions of Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles in Hydrogel.” The research was conducted under Professor Ronald Siegel at the University of Minnesota Department of Pharmaceutics. His project optimizes a water-based gel with embedded iron oxide nanoparticles, which forms a nonmechanical, non-electrical, wireless sensor. The embedded nanoparticles move as the gel swells or shrinks, altering the level of magnetic permeability, which is detected by an external magnetometer. Both components are

separately synthesized via extant procedures and combined at the penultimate stage. To ensure maximum accuracy and sensitivity, the concentration of iron is kept as low as possible. This sensor is responsive to all stimuli with a reactive hydrogel, but is most useful in detecting internal human conditions, like blood pH, drugs, blood glucose. This sensor has the potential to greatly simplify the collection of such medical data. Zhang submitted to Siemens as part of a team by combining his project with a student in Texas that did similar research. The two attended the same summer camp together. The project is called “Inducing Osteogenic Differentiation of Dental Pulp Stem Cells Using Static Magnetic Fields and Light Stimulated

Photovoltaics.” Zhang’s research involved the “light stimulated photovoltaics” part of the paper. For Zhang’s part of the paper, he cultured stem cells from a tooth, put them on a special photovoltaic polymer, and exposed them to light. Experimental data shows that light stimulation coupled with properties of the exciton-emitting polymer significantly increased stem cell differentiation, introducing a more efficient, non-chemical method for culturing cells that can be used in bone tissue engineering. The semifinalists represent an elite group of only 408 students nationwide selected from a larger pool of almost 4,500 candidates. 3


Wayzata Physical Education Teacher Named Teacher of the Year

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ike Brindise, a physical education teacher at West Middle School, was selected as the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AHPERD) Shape America’s Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Brindise was nominated by his former professor at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Jane Carlson, and was honored at the MN AHPERD State Conference on November 3. The Shape America Teacher of the Year Award is sponsored by Shape America and given to members of MN AHPERD who demonstrate exemplary teaching abilities of respective grade levels of disciplines.

West Middle School physical education teacher Mike Brindise sets up heart monitors for his students at the start of class. The monitors transmit to an app on the students’ iPads where they can track their heart rates during activity in class.

Wayzata High School Defends Class AAA Challenge Cup

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wo-time defending Class AAA Cup Champion, Wayzata High School won the 2013-14 Class AAA Challenge Cup by scoring 920 points through participating in 19 different postseason team and individual tournaments. The Trojans won championships in both girls’ and boys’ cross country running, girls’ golf, boys’ tennis, girls’ swimming and diving, girls’ Nordic ski racing, and boys’ swimming and diving. They also had first-place finishers in girls’ swimming and diving (200 yard individual medley), boys’ tennis (singles), boys’ track and field (4x200-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay), and boys’ swimming (100-yard freestyle). Other points came from the school’s adapted sports teams, dance team and the girls’ gymnastics, boys’ Nordic ski racing, wrestling, boys’ golf, girls’ track and field and boys’ lacrosse teams. Members of the debate and speech teams also contributed to the school’s overall success. Now in its 11th year, the Challenge Cup is a statewide, yearlong competition among Minnesota high schools. Points are awarded to schools based on their success in section and state fine arts and athletic tournaments. The school earning the most points at the end of the year in each classification – Class A, Class AA and Class AAA – receives the traveling Challenge Cup. The award is sponsored by Wells Fargo, the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) premier corporate partner.

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Pictured from left to right during the Challenge Cup Ceremony held on the football field during the 2014 Homecoming Game are: Addy Hallen (Assistant Coach Girls Cross Country) Mark Popp (Assistant Coach Boys Cross Country) Mike Schumacher (Head Coach Girls Golf & Basketball) Dave Droegemueller (Assistant Wrestling) Allan Christopherson (Head Coach Boys Golf) Jaime Sherwood (Director of Athletics and Activities) Megan Jolovich (Wells Fargo) Sam Miraglia (Wells Fargo) Lisa Lissimore (MSHSL) and Pat O’Leary (Head Boys Hockey Coach) and his daughter.

WHS Club YES Students Improve Local Parks

his fall Wayzata High School Club Y.E.S. students joined in with other community volunteers to make a difference by removing invasive buckthorn from local parks. Students volunteered on various Saturdays at Plymouth park locations. Club Y.E.S. is a youth service program for Wayzata High School students, sponsored by the Wayzata Community Education Department.

Club Y.E.S. students from Wayzata High School volunteered time to remove invasive buckthorn on October 18 at Maplecreek Park in Plymouth. 4


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WPS Students Excel in University Talent Search

eventeen students from Wayzata Public Schools placed well in the Northwestern University Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS), including two students that earned perfect scores in the math segments of the exam. As an seventh grade student last year at Central Middle School (CMS), Matthew Qu earned a perfect score on the SAT math segment of the exam and Stephen Chen, as a seventh grade student at WMS, earned a perfect score on the ACT math segment. In addition, East Middle School Vision 21 teacher Kathy Simson was named an Outstanding Educator by NUMATS for having 100-400 NUMATS registrants in 2013-14 with some scoring in the top 1-2 percent of the almost 20,000

students who participated in the program. NUMATS is a program of the Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University that offers above grade-level testing for academically talented students. NUMATS uses ACT and SAT testing to provide a more accurate picture of the mathematical and verbal reasoning abilities of talented sixth through ninth grade students. The CTD provides students with materials that aid them in understanding their test scores, locating appropriate educational opportunities, and planning their future education. Students that placed well on the exam include the following: • Hannah Bailey, as a seventh grade student • Geoffrey Chen, as a seventh grade student

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Stephen Chen, as a seventh grade student Ruhi Doshi, as a seventh grade student Sophia He, as a seventh grade student Ketan Kotla, as a seventh grade student Matthew Qu, as a seventh grade student Ayush Ram, as a seventh grade student Ruhi Shirodkar, as a seventh grade student Benjamin Walker, as a seventh grade student Cara Fragomeni, as an eighth grade student Piljoo Jeon, as an eighth grade student Michael Li, as an eighth grade student Brandon Lu, as an eighth grade student Raghunandan Nayak, as an eighth grade student Jason Weng, as an eighth grade student

Two WHS Students Earn Perfect ACT Scores

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ayzata High School senior Leighton Zhao and junior Michael Cai earned perfect scores of 36 on the 2014 ACT exam. Leighton Zhao said he took the Princeton Review Course in advance and then took several practice tests on his own the week prior to sitting the June 2014 exam. He said some of his courses at Wayzata High School helped prepare him for the exam by working on vocabulary and math. Currently Zhao is taking Advanced Placement (AP) Biology, AP Literature, AP Statistics and AP American Government. Upon graduation, he will have taken 17 AP courses at WHS. Outside of academics, Zhao is on the Science Olympiad Team, Math Team, Destination ImagiNation and plays the clarinet in the WHS Wind Ensemble. He also volunteers at the Chinese School on weekends at Central Middle School and is a tutor at Project For Pride and Living in New Hope. Zhao said he is currently applying to colleges but has not decided on his top choices. Although Zhao

is still undecided about a major, he is interested in math and science. Michael Cai said he prepared for the ACT by taking the Princeton Review Course. He said his normal course load at WHS also helped prepare him for the exam. He is current enrolled in AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP U.S. History, AP Statistics and AP Composition. Next semester he will be enrolled in Spanish 4, Organic Chemistry and Human Anatomy. Outside of academics, Cai is on the Quiz Bowl Team, the WHS Cross Country Team, and the WHS Track Team. He plays piano and volunteers at the Plymouth Library and Maple Grove Hospital. On a recent trip this summer, Cai said he had the opportunity to visit several east coast schools and is interested in attending college on either the east or west coast, but the University of Minnesota is also an option. He is interested in pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.

WHS Homecoming 2014 Royalty

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ayzata High School’s 2014 Homecoming King and Queen were crowned at a coronation ceremony October 8 in the high school auditorium. Senior Camryn Wentzel was crowned the queen and senior Anthony Clarke was crowned king. The entire court included seniors: Allie Dugan, Ellie Erickson, Allison Fries, Shelnby Kurr, Ellie McKee, Jenna Nelson,

Hannah Olson, Laura Palasek, Megan Ruhland, Sophia Shaver, Camille Smith, Camryn Wentzel, Tahir Adatia, Trevor Bedard, Donnie Brooks, Charlie Chermak, Anthony Clarke, Hayden Farmer, Alex Felea, Adam Grooms, John Pupkes, Austin Rush, Luke Soucy and Andrew Stern. The royal attendant is Ruby Jo Kirk. The masters of ceremony for the coronation were Hannah Ahrendt, Tiffany Haas and Andrew Quirk. 5


A DANCE FOR ALL GENERATIONS Staff at Wayzata High School entertained the students during the annual Homecoming Pep Assembly this year by dancing the steps popular during the year of their graduation. Each decade from the 1950s to the 2000s was represented, complete with period appropriate apparel.

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A New Name for a 20-Year-Old Community Partnership

artners for Healthy Kids is the new name of the Wayzata School District’s Family Service Collaborative that has been serving kids and families throughout the District for over 20 years. Formerly the Communities in Collaboration (CICC), the community partnership recently updated its name and look to shine a spotlight on its partners and our kids. The school district is one of the partners and serves as the fiscal agent for the collaborative. “We are lighting a spark that we hope will attract new collaborators, fuel new ideas and advance the well-being of our kids and their families,” said Margy Herbert, coordinator of Partners for Healthy Kids.

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Here is the story behind the new name, tagline and logo. A New Name PARTNERS: We are a broad-based community partnership of education, healthcare, business, nonprofit, religious, civic, and community leaders who care about the kids in the Wayzata School District. HEALTHY KIDS: We work collaboratively to support the physical, mental, emotional, social, and economic health and well-being of our kids and their families.

A New Tagline FOCUSED ON WELL-BEING: We support a culture of well-being in which our kids feel safe, valued, positive about their lives today, and optimistic about their futures. COMMITTED TO COLLABORATION: We work together, building on each other’s strengths

and avoiding duplication. A New Logo The radiating lines are bright pathways for the exchange of ideas and information. Their varied lengths represent diverse voices. Together, they produce a collaborative burst of energy, information, and optimism for improving the health and wellbeing of our kids. Visit the newly-updated Partners for Healthy Kids website at www.partnersforhealthykids.org to see a full list of partners, learn more and get involved, or contact Margy Herbert at margy@ partnersforhealthykids.org or 763-745-5037.

Parenting With Vision Events Planned

he Parenting with Vision series for the 2014-15 school year features evening programs that focus on important issues and milestones in a child’s school life. This year’s series is a combination of presentations, panel discussions and a workshop designed to provide parents with tools to support their children. Each session will provide an opportunity for questions and answers. All programs are free. Upcoming events include the following: Demystifying Kindergarten Tuesday, November 18, Central Middle School Auditorium 6:30 p.m. Resource Fair 7-8:30 p.m. Presentation/Discussion Discover what life is like in a day of kindergarten during this panel presentation. Geared for parents of incoming kindergarten students. Demystifying the High School Thursday, January 8, Wayzata High School Auditorium 6:30 p.m. Resource Fair 7-8:30 p.m. Presentation/Discussion The panel discussion will feature staff and students speaking on topics of interest of soon-to-be-high school students, helping to alleviate the “fear of the unknown.” Parents will have an opportunity to hear from the panel with time allowed for questions and answers. Designed

for parents of 8th grade students. Demystifying Middle School Tuesday, January 27, Central Middle School Media Center 6:30 p.m. Resource Fair 7-8:30 p.m. Presentation/Discussion The middle school years are a time of immense change and growth for students. If you would like information on what to expect in middle school and how to help your student through these exciting changes, we invite you to attend. The evening will feature a panel of district specialists speaking on common areas of concern for parents. Leaving the Nest Tuesday, April 21, Wayzata High School Auditorium 7-8:30 p.m. Presentation/Discussion Preparing for your child to spread his or her wings and head off to college or move out of the house can be a time of mixed emotions – excitement, anxiety, hope and fear, all rolled into one. Join educators from myHealth to talk about issues pertinent to newly independent young people, such as sexuality, stress, sleep, safety, and drugs and alcohol. You can’t go with them, but you can ensure they are prepared when they leave. Designed for parents of high school juniors and seniors. For more information, call Charlene Barghini, volunteer coordinator, at 763-745-5045.

New WHS Wellness Tip Line Launched

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he new Wayzata High School (WHS) Wellness Tip Line was launched in an effort to increase reporting by students, parents and the community at large, of student wellness concerns such as mental health issues, chemical use, social isolation, bullying, harassment or other related concerns. Individuals are always encouraged to report concerns directly to an administrator, counselor or social worker. The new Wellness Tip Line is an online reporting form that can be accessed on the left side of the WHS website, located at wayzata.k12.mn.us/ whs. The WHS Wellness Tip Line is NOT a crisis or emergency line. If you have an immediate concern for a student, call 911. For more information about the WHS Wellness Tip Line, contact WHS Social Worker Becky Halvorson at becky.halvorson@ wayzata.k12.mn.us


Attend Informative Young Scientist Roundtable Events

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ark your calendar to attend the following upcoming Young Scientist Roundtable event. Following each presentation, a Teen Roundtable will be held from 8:10 -8:40 p.m. where students will have the opportunity to ask in-depth questions. The Young Scientist Roundtable is free for students in grades K-12 and their families and no registration is required. District residents are also welcome to attend. Monday, December 1, 2014 from 7 to 8 p.m. Dr. Deepak Kademani, North Memorial Medical Center Humphrey Cancer Center and Associate Professor, University of Minnesota, will present “Facial Surgery: Where Dentistry Meets Medicine.” Kademani earned his dental and medical degrees at the University of Pennsylvania where he also did surgical residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He was an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota. His clinical and research interests include head and neck cancer, salivary gland disease and obstructive sleep apnea. He will discuss the overlap between dentistry and medicine and highlight developments in dentistry and head and neck surgery. Monday, March 2, 2014 from 7 to 8 p.m. Dr. John Wagner, Professor of Pediatrics with the University of Minnesota; Director, Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation; and Co-Director, Center for Translational Medicine, University of Minnesota, will present “Leukemia: The Search for a Cure.” Wagner is a pediatric hematologist and oncologist and an expert in the field of stem cells and umbilical cord blood transplantation. He returns to Young Scientist Roundtable to discuss prospects for treating leukemia; A disease that 50 years ago, few survived. Today, expectations for a cure are dramatically better, but still too many die from the disease or its treatment. The presentation will focus on the process of finding a cure. It begins with a defiant attitude – and a systemic approach to science.

Wayzata High School seniors Lydia Boike, Isaac Foote and Trisha Morrison placed first at the 2014 Future Problem Solvers International Competition.

WHS Future Problem Solvers Take First at International Competition

The Wayzata High School Future Problem Solvers (FPS) team of seniors Lydia Boike, Isaac Foote and Trisha Morrison, placed first at the International Competition in the main team competition. Senior Emily Chen was a part of the team through the regional and state rounds, but could not join the team for the International Competition.

The International Competition comprises the best teams from most of the states and many other countries around the world. Only about three percent of students involved in FPS ever make it to the International Competition in their entire careers, much less place at the competition. This WHS team attended three of its four years in high school and this year, beat every other team for the win.

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Communicator We take your trust very seriously and never take it for granted. And we are committed to continuously improving all that we do to better serve our students and their families.

2014 Wayzata High School Homecoming King Anthony Clarke gives some high-fives to spectators of the annual Homecoming Parade as he and Homecoming Queen Camryn Wentzel wave to the crowd.

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Nonprofit Org. US Postage Wayzata, MN Permit 43

- Superintendent Chace B. Anderson

The Communicator is published for residents and staff of Wayzata Public Schools. Contact Amy Parnell, director of communications and community engagement, at 763-745-5068 or amy.parnell@wayzata.k12.mn.us with questions or comments.

Excellence. For each and every student.

Wayzata Public Schools 210 County Road 101 N. P.O. Box 660 Wayzata, MN 55391-0060

November 2014


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