Author: Juliana Allen

Eden Prairie High School’s (EPHS) girls swim and dive team celebrated its six seniors at a home meet against Minnetonka High School on Thursday, Oct. 12. Although Minnetonka won the meet 114-42, head coach Bill Bloomberg said the significantly smaller EP team had strong swims and showed its competitive spirit. “We put up a great fight against Minnetonka — a team twice our size — on senior night,” Bloomberg said. “We had superb swims that included 16 swimmers with personal best times.” Bloomberg also highlighted the 200 free relay swim from the foursome of seniors Ella Drewes, Keira Fogarty, Elizabeth…

Eden Prairie High School student Shreshth Shrivastava has combined his affinity for technology and interest in elder wellness to develop an award-winning app. Shrivastava was named a finalist for the third year in a row at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for his project, called Wi-C.A.R.E. (Wifi Computer Assisted Remote Elder Care). EPLN spotlighted Shrivastava in July 2021 following this recognition. Over 10 million students from 70 countries competed to be one of 1,500 finalists at the high school competition in Dallas, Texas, on May 13-19. Categories range from biomedical engineering to robotics to health sciences. “It’s…

To celebrate 60 years since it was founded, Eden Prairie High School’s (EPHS) marching band is inviting the community to two musical events on Oct. 13 and 16. The band’s anniversary celebration coincides with the 100th anniversary of Eden Prairie Schools. “It’s a nice alignment of those two milestones,” said Renee Rushdy, president of EPHS’ Band Parent Organization. “We want to celebrate our current band kids and our past band kids,” she said. “We hope former band members and their families will come to see what the marching band looks like and sounds like now. “But the kids way back…

A message shared on Snapchat Wednesday threatening a shooting incident at Central Middle School (CMS) and Shakopee High School on Friday, Oct. 6, has been dismissed as non-credible by officials from the Eden Prairie and Shakopee school districts and police from both cities. The author of the message, which was laced with racial slurs and profanity, threatened to bring a gun to “Eden Prarie (sic) Middle” and Shakopee High School and said, “School shooting Friday October 6th.” Screenshots of the message have been circulating in the community via text and social media. CMS Principal Felicia Thames messaged families Thursday morning,…

Eden Prairie High School’s girls varsity swim and dive team outperformed the Hopkins High School Royals 106-78 in an away meet on Sept. 1. The EP girls came roaring off the blocks to start the meet with a 1-2-3 finish in the varsity 200 medley relay. The first-place slot was snagged by the speedy foursome of junior Payton Bui, freshman Tanya Singh, and seniors Al Amundsen and Elizabeth Barton. From there, the team went from strength to strength with a shuffled lineup. “We expected to win the meet handily so we had some fun swimming girls in events they would…

Eden Prairie High School’s (EPHS) Dance Team (EPDT) is making a big change this upcoming season: it’s opening tryouts to seventh and eighth graders. Seventh and eighth graders who make the team will be eligible to participate in the 2023-2024 season. “We’re a competitive sport and we support a JV, B squad, and varsity level team,” said Caitlin Rogotzke, EPDT’s head coach. “This year, we want to get involvement from younger athletes as well.” Student-athletes of all genders are welcome to try out for the team. Tryouts will take place at EPHS over three days: Rogotzke said that during the…

Hard work and long hours in the pool paid off for Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) girls swim and dive when they beat Buffalo High School 103-78 on Sept. 17. “The girls had a fantastic meet,” said Bill Bloomberg, the team’s head coach. “All the work they’ve been doing in practice has really paid off.” He added, “I put some swimmers in higher pressure situations and they really came through.” Notable swims at the Eagles’ home pool included: The Eagles went into exhibition after the 100 back, which meant that they did not earn any more points since they already…

Eden Prairie Schools’ buses have a new security feature — they are equipped with cameras to help keep students and drivers safe. The cameras are located just below driver windows on the sides of all 104 of the district’s buses. The cameras will record the car, face and license plate of any driver who disregards a stop arm meant to protect students as they cross the street. “We want the community to know that student safety is our No. 1 priority,” said Randy Haar, EP Schools’ director of transportation. “Even before the cameras, we had wonderful safety protocols in place.…

Unique, student-created entertainment awaits theatergoers who attend “Trajectories,” Eden Prairie High School’s (EPHS) Drama Club’s upcoming variety show. The annual show will feature three skits and three dances directed, choreographed, and performed entirely by students. Performances are at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, and Friday, Sept. 8, in the EPHS Auditorium. Tickets are $4 for students and $6 for adults, and can be purchased here. About the show “The skits consist of a sci-fi western, a date gone wrong, and a class project about the meaning of life,” said Jay Asfeld, EPHS’ Performing Arts Center manager. “There are dances…

For most Eden Prairie Schools students, Tuesday, Sept. 5, was their first day back for the 2023-24 school year. Students showed up bright and early to their bus stops, were dropped off in cars, or walked to school, many with their families. Riaan Bajaj is a newly minted second grader at Oak Point Elementary who was up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday. “The best part of the day was yesterday night when he brought his alarm clock and asked me to set an alarm for 6:15 in the morning so he can do everything and be ready on…