Author: Juliana Allen

Eden Prairie Schools will hit the century mark during the upcoming 2023-24 school year. To celebrate this landmark, the district will host a series of community activities and events with the City of Eden Prairie and the Eden Prairie Historical Society. “This is really a celebration of community,” said Josh Swanson, EP Schools’ superintendent. “I’ve been a part of this district since 2012, and to see the continuous partnership between our schools and our community over those 11 years has been beyond inspiring. “For our 100th anniversary, we want to recognize and honor the legacy of our growth, achievement, and…

The converted school bus is stocked with educational materials and provides flexible learning spaces.

The sale, open to the community, is one of the Eden Prairie Band Parent Organization’s biggest fundraisers.

Classes for EP residents and those with students in Eden Prairie Schools will be offered at the Community Education Building and the Eden Prairie Library.

Most people have seen the northern lights in movies — gloriously vibrant hues of purple, red, and green, undulating gently like magical, breezy curtains across the sky. However, fewer people — including many longtime Eden Prairie residents — have actually seen them in real life. The northern lights — a natural phenomenon also known as the aurora borealis — are polar auroras caused when solar flares release clouds of gas that then collide with Earth’s magnetic pole. There are also southern lights in the southern hemisphere, known as aurora australis. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these…

From now until the end of July, Eden Prairie Schools (EP Schools) is seeking community input about how artificial intelligence (AI) should be incorporated into student learning. Earlier this month, Robb Virgin, EP Schools’ executive director of personalized learning, emailed families, staff, and students in grades 6-12 to let them know that the district is working on plans to address AI in the upcoming school year. “You have likely seen advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing AI over the past few months,” he wrote. “Because these tools were built to be interactive and generative…

Staff, students, and families from multiple generations of Forest Hills Elementary came together earlier this month to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary. The doors to the school were thrown open on June 1 for a party to which the entire Forest Hills community, past and present, was invited. Visitors were met by festive balloons, decorations, photographs, and other memorabilia spanning the past 50 years since the school was built. Hugs, smiles, and happy conversation abounded as former and current staff, students, and friends reunited, in some cases after many years. Forest Hills fourth graders were on hand to give school…

Intermittent bursts of rain couldn’t keep the crowds away from four adorable llamas visiting the Eden Prairie Library on Sunday, June 18. Mocha, Bob Marley, Sophia, and Journey each received their fair share of walks, pats, and hugs from visitors ranging from mere infants to senior citizens, as they milled about the Reading Garden behind the library. Eden Prairie resident Ken Fricke said he wouldn’t have missed the event for the world. “I’ve had it on my calendar for months,” he said, as he strolled with an extremely agreeable llama named Bob Marley. “When I saw this event in the…

At 2:30 p.m. on a warm Tuesday in late May, Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) students streamed into the school’s main gym to the music of global artists, including K-Pop band Seventeen, Somali musician Kiin Jamac, Senegalese-American singer Akon, and Indian singer Hamsika Iyer. Many headed up into the bleachers while others, dressed in colorful clothing from different countries, mingled and chatted. Everyone was there to enjoy Passport 2 Pop Culture, a vibrant celebration of EPHS’ diversity through dance, music, fashion, and sharing of cultural traditions. Hosted by Dare 2 B Real, an intercultural student leadership group that focuses on…

It’s official — Eden Prairie High School’s (EPHS) and EP Online’s classes of 2023 graduated on June 8 at Target Center in Minneapolis. The EPHS wind ensemble, directed by Mike Whipkey, played the processional as students entered the stadium in their black caps and flowing robes, smiling and waving to their families and friends. Many students were also bedecked in colorful silk cords and stoles, representing various honors, leadership roles, and club memberships. Once students took their seats, the EPHS chamber choir, directed by Jill Boyd, played the National Anthem. Emceed by seniors Shreya Saini and Taslim Olad, the commencement…