EP students celebrate 100th day of the 100th year of school

Celebrating the 100th day of school is a long-standing tradition at Eden Prairie Schools, but this year was made extra special since it’s also the district’s 100th anniversary.

On Feb. 13, students and teachers across EP Schools’ campuses centered the day’s learning on themed activities such as finding 100 unique words, making colorful crafts, and engaging in historical research to create connections from the past to the present.

At Prairie View Elementary, several “100-year-old” students hobbled through the hallways, dressed up as their future selves in white and gray wigs, old-timey clothes, and even walkers and canes.

Students working with Stacy Natal, a reading interventionist at the school, looked at books, posters, and signs around their room to find and write down 100 different words. Natal said the fun activity helped her first grade students build confidence in their reading skills while collaborating with each other.

“It helps them realize they already know how to read many words, and it also allows them to practice their sight words,” she said, adding that her older students would be doing a vocabulary-building activity.

CMS students’ science word hunt competition, heritage site research

At Central Middle School, Doug Welch’s seventh grade science students also had a “100 words” based competition. Their task was to see who could find the most science-related words using letters from the term “deoxyribonucleic acid.”

After racking their brains and scribbling down words, students took turns saying one of the words they found. Anyone who couldn’t offer a word that hadn’t already been said was challenged to do 10 jumping jacks or five pushups.

Students found over 25 words, from “carbon” to “X-ray,” before the first student laughingly agreed to do jumping jacks.

Down the hallway, social studies teacher Rachel Spessard guided eighth grade students in her World Geography class as they researched heritage sites in Eden Prairie.

“You’ll be using your critical thinking skills to make connections between past and present,” Spessard told her class.

Using Google Earth on their iPads, students dropped a pin on their location and a pin on the heritage site they chose, and drew or measured a path between the two. They then compared the area’s current state with its past.

Students then researched and described the history of their chosen site, recording information such as when it was built, its purpose, and who lived or worked there.

They then examined and described what is currently located at that heritage site and what that land and space are used for today. Students also recorded their predictions of what they thought might exist there in 100 years.

Spessard encouraged the students to interpret their findings and share them in a creative way with classmates. One student was working on a rap about “then and now,” while other students were considering options, including making an iMovie, a slideshow, a dance, a poem, or a diorama.

“I really want these students to know where their community is and how they are connected to it,” Spessard said. “I thought if they could know more about the history of it, that would build connection.”

For instance, Spessard said that some of her students like to go to Smith Coffee & Cafe, located in the historic Smith-Douglas-More House. “I thought if they could see the old pictures of it and learn more about what it used to be, they would feel more connected to it,” she said.

Spessard said she felt creating this connection was especially important for her students who may have moved here recently from other cities or countries, and who had no idea about the history of Eden Prairie.

She said the 100th-day lesson also dovetailed nicely with the course curriculum.

“In this class, we study human geography, physical geography, economics, and government, so in addition to the historical aspects, we pulled in those things too with questions like, how has the economy and culture changed in that area, how have the physical features of the area changed, and so on,” she said.

Cedar Ridge students explored EP and world history

At Cedar Ridge Elementary, Kadee Ruhland’s fifth graders presented their findings from recent research that connected and compared moments in Eden Prairie’s history to what was happening elsewhere in the world at that time.

Topics shared included Eden Prairie Schools’ founding in a one-room building in 1924, improvements to the town cemetery in 1934, the dedication of the new city hall in 1964, and musician Prince’s studio sessions at the Flying Cloud Drive Warehouse in 1984.

Students compared these with world events such as the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, the 1944 D-Day Allied invasion of France, the 1964 Freedom Summer civil rights and voter registration project in Mississippi, and the 1994 Northridge Quake in Los Angeles.

To do their research and create their projects, Ruhland said, “They had to look at what was important to them and filter through information online. It was also important that they presented in front of the class. Standing up and speaking in front of your peers is kind of a big deal, and they did a really good job.”

When asked about his favorite part of the project, one student said, “The history.” He added that he loved learning and reading about “stuff that happened a long time ago,” including religion, wars, mythology, and sporting events.

Another student agreed, saying, “I really liked the research. I liked finding out what was going on and finding out more details about it.”

Students said the project made them want to learn more about Eden Prairie history, as well as world history. “It was super fun learning about what happened 100 years ago,” another student said, adding that it was interesting to see how both Eden Prairie and the world have changed.

Students said they liked learning about what Eden Prairie students did at school 100 years ago.

When asked if they had any predictions about what EP Schools might look like in another 100 years, some suggested new technologies like automated desks with embedded keyboards and chargers and, overall, a more “futuristic” experience.

“Like the Jetsons,” Ruhland joked, prompting one student to ask, “Who are the Jetsons?”