Education

Woodbury Senior Spotlight 2022: Academic All-Stars. Give a nod to these stellar soon-to-be graduates. Read more about Woodbury Senior Spotlight 2022: Academic All-Stars

Four SoWashCo Teachers Nominated for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award. Read more about Four SoWashCo Teachers Nominated for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award

The idea for Purple Playground sparked among Prince fans at a backyard barbecue. It was 2016, shortly after the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s death. Sadness and a yearning to keep Prince’s philanthropic legacy alive permeated the yard. Read more about Revolutionary Music Education

Woodbury Leadership Academy, a K–8 nonprofit charter school, is extending its perimeter by adding a second building that bridges with the original. The expansion will be home to a two-story gymnasium, a theater and stage, communal gathering areas and multiple science labs, to name just a few of its additions. Read more about Bigger and Better

“In this moment in the world, where we try to understand people, it’s really nice to try to bridge this world by learning someone else’s language,” Cynthia Maldonado, principal of Nuevas Fronteras Spanish Immersion Elementary School, says. By learning another language, it helps people to try and understand another person’s perspectives and experiences; it also might change someone’s worldview. Read more about A Language of Opportunities

“Mental health has really become a basic need. It’s a foundation for kids being able to learn,” says Cheryl Jogger, South Washington County Schools community engagement coordinator and founder and chair of the South Washington County Community Action Reaching Every Student, or SoWashCo CARES, board. Read more about Mental Health Matters

The Annual Community Awards Gala, first held by the Woodbury Area Chamber of Commerce in 2012, recognizes the individuals and nonprofits in the community that make Woodbury a great place to live, work and play.

“You can’t be an outstanding community without outstanding people,” says chamber president Laurie Staiger. “We really wanted to have a platform where we could recognize an educator of the year, a nonprofit of the year, a volunteer of the year and a business of the year.” Read more about Lightbulb Moment

Focused on relatable art education for kids, Kidcreate Studio offers weekly classes, along with camps, workshops and birthday parties, and many types of different art mediums from clay classes to drawing, canvas art and even snow globe making. Read more about Art Exploration

The Minnesota Council on Economic Education and South Washington County Schools make educational deposit in students’ personal finances. Read more about Money Matters: Local Resources for Teens to Learn Financial Literacy

East Ridge High School senior Anita Chetty hopes to major in biochemistry or neuroscience after high school. Read more about Standout Scholars: A Career in Medicine Awaits ERHS Senior Anita Chetty