Best Places list shows what Rosemount residents already know

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune
Aug. 15, 2015

Money magazine has determined what Rosemount residents say they already know.

The town is a great place to live and raise children.

Rosemount ranked 12th in the “Best Places to Live 2015” list among the 3,625 U.S. towns with populations of 10,000 to 50,000 that were judged using statistics, a site visit and interviews with residents.

It wasn’t the highest mark the magazine gave to the community. Rosemount ranked fourth on the “Best Places to be a Kid” list. Only five towns are noted on the Kid ranking.

The ratings might be best summed up by MaryJane Schneider, whose family moved to Rosemount when she was 4. She moved away after graduating from Rosemount High School, but now she’s back in town.

“I love Rosemount, it’s simply home,” she said. “The schools do an outstanding job finding the right teachers, I know my kids are getting a fabulous education. I also trust that my kids are safe and have plenty to do as there are a great variety of community activities and programs offered.”

Education and safety were two of the criteria that Money valued highly.

Rosemount Leprechaun Days’ Big Wheel races, which are organized by the Rosemount American Legion. (File photo)

Rosemount Mayor Bill Droste noted those criteria first when he was asked about the Money ranking.

“Two important elements of growing communities are schools and public safety,” Droste said. “We are fortunate to live in an area with great schools both public and private.”

He noted the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District’s numerous state and nationally recognized programs, such as the nine-time consecutive state championship Rosemount High School marching band.

“Outside of schools, we have engaged parents who volunteer thousands of hours organizing programs for our youth,” he said.

As for safety, the mayor has high praise for those who create that atmosphere.

“When considering communities to raise children, public safety is primary concern for young families,” he said. “Building connected neighborhoods with great parks and youth facilities are areas we have focused on for many years. We also have wonderful police, fire, parks and public works employees, who are engaged every day in providing a safe place to raise children.”

Data drove the majority of the whittling done to the list.

The first hoop was Rosemount being a strong retirement community, having a moderate median income (not too low or high), diversity and education scores.

The next step was affirming Rosemount was affordable for families, had strong job growth, ease of living, economic opportunity and was safe.

When Rosemount was among the final 280, Money factored in more data on health, taxes, real estate, culture, and the economy.

Money limited the results to three places per state, one per county, and aimed to represent all regions evenly.

Rosemount was among the 44 communities that were visited by Money staff to interview residents, assess traffic, parks, and gathering places and consider intangibles like community spirit.

A review of the numbers show Rosemount residents have a better tax value among the other cities. Only two that ranked ahead of Rosemount have a lower property tax rate. Rosemount’s $2,930 property tax was lower than that of No. 7 Chanhassen ($4,666) and No. 15 Edina ($4,880).

Rosemount’s job growth was projected at 6 percent, which was less than both of the other Minnesota cities on the list, but editors noted the arrival of Sweet Harvest Foods as a positive. Institutions like Flint Hills Resources refinery, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District and Dakota County Technical College continue to be mainstays of employment for Rosemount.

The short description about Rosemount noted its affordable homes and small-town vibe.

It also noted 10-day Rosemount Leprechaun Days festival, which more than 75 percent of residents in a city survey said they participate in each year.

It also gave credit to Rosemount for having a downtown with locally-owned businesses like Morning Glory’s Cafe & Bakery.

Steve Ball, the Leprechaun Days Committee president, said he liked that Rosemount still had a Main Street feel with small businesses downtown.

Money does seem to like Dakota County’s cities in recent years. Apple Valley was 17th in 2013. Eagan was 11th in 2014. Apple Valley did not appear to be rated in this survey and Eagan’s population of 65,311 was too high to participate in the analysis.

More about the Money list is at http://time.com/money/3996519/best-places-to-live-2015-map.

To contribute what you like about Rosemount use the Twitter hashtag #RSMTMNBestPlace.

Email Tad Johnson at tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com. Follow the Rosemount Twitter feed @editorTJ.

One Tile One Rosemount mosaic painting has thousands of stories to tell

The One Tile, One Rosemount project (Photo by Tad Johnson)

Published August 13, 2015 at 10:51 am

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune

Everyone in Rosemount has a story to tell.

For those who contributed to the One Tile One Rosemount project, they now have a starting point for their story.

Carly Schmitt at work on the One Tile, One Rosemount project. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

In a few days, the completed 8-by-8 foot mosaic painting “Journey” will be installed at the entrance of the Dakota County Branch Robert Trail Library and mark the end of one journey and the start of countless others.

After the painting is raised and dedicated Sept. 28, it will signify a close to the work the Rosemount Area Arts Council and artist Carly Schmitt have expended toward the project.

The workshop of Carly Schmitt for the One Tile, One Rosemount project. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

Over the course of the past three years, while Schmitt painted the original image and organized the mosaic tile-placement system, RAAC has reached out with scores of tile “signing” events when community members painted personalized images on the 1-by-1-inch pieces.

The collaborative effort will result in an iconic image that is expected to lead Rosemount residents on a journey for years to come.

“I can’t wait to see the faces of everyone, especially the children, when the mural is unveiled,” said Ann Loch, RAAC member. “They won’t be disappointed. The vibrant colors just pop out at you. The river certainly conveys the spirit of  ‘Journey.’ ”

“It is so exciting for me because people have such a strong emotional connection to it and a strong physical connection to it,” Schmitt said.

She said the mosaic is a perfect metaphor for the community. When people look at it up close, they can see an individual’s expression, and from a distance the viewer can see that person’s place in the larger community.

There are tiles depicting shamrocks, hearts, initials, aliens, stick people and many other icons bound only by the limit of one’s imagination.

“There is a lot of love and hope, which is good to see,” Schmitt said of some of the words on the tiles.

The way in which RAAC built its collection of signed tiles is another metaphor of community connection. RAAC held several open tile signing events, but it also involved a broad cross-section residents by holding group-specific events.

Among the groups were seniors, members at various churches, youth groups and students in art classes at Rosemount schools.

“It was great seeing an 80-year-old sitting next to a 10-year-old or a 15-year-old, all participating in the same project,” RAAC member John Loch said. “Art truly binds all people together, whether it is music, acting, painting, etc.”

AC president Jeanne Schwartz said in June 2014, council members thought it was going to be easy to get the tiles signed.

But she said it was stressful at the beginning of 2015 when there remained thousands of the 9,200 tiles to be signed.

Because of RAAC members’ dedication, the number of tiles signed got back on track to meet the end-of-summer target date.

John Loch said RAAC decided to have the dedication in late September when school was in session, since so many children had been asking near the end of the school year in May when the mosaic would be installed.

“They were all excited about being part of this,” Loch said.

Schmitt said one of the ways it was important for her to feel an artistic connection to the pieces was to hear the stories behind the tile images from RAAC members who also helped with data entry for the tile-identification software.

Ann Loch said some of the memorable ones were a North Shore landscape by artist Rita Corrigan and historian and model train enthusiast Jerry Mattson’s old-time steam engine. Others honored family members who had died or showed civic or school pride.

The Lochs and Schwartz all singled out RAAC member Lee Champ for working many of the tile-signing events. Ann Loch noted that the 80-plus-year-old Champ painted tile No. 1 and some of the last ones at the final event.

John Loch said having the project done is a great sense of relief followed by a sense of pride of what has been accomplished.

He said volunteers put in an astonishing number of hours that involved about 30 RAAC and Friends of the Library members.

John Loch also credited the work of Rosemount school art teachers who offered tile signing at evening school events that pulled more adults into the project.

“When (the students) saw us at these special events, they brought their parents over, explained what we were doing and made sure their parents participated,” John Loch said.

He said it was heartwarming that people donated money generously to the project despite RAAC members saying all they wanted was their signed tiles.

“This really allowed us to make sure that no one in the community was left out,” John Loch said.

“It is truly a work of dedication, love and community pride,” Schwartz said.

There is still some work to be done.

Rosemount resident Scott Selig has built a maple and walnut frame that John Loch calls beautiful and exquisite. The two large panels need to be mounted to the frame and Dakota County employees will help hang the piece in the library.

“I like the way it looks,” Loch said of the mosaic as it was being pieced together on the stage of the city-owned Steeple Center. “It is very colorful, and it is so great seeing all the different things that were painted on the tiles by the participants. You really get a great feeling that this was indeed a community project.”

“I’m really excited to see the finished piece in its new home in the library,” said Frances Veit, Robert Trail Library lead librarian, “and to talk with people about the project as they come in and notice it. I think it will make the library lobby a destination in its own right.

“In some ways, it feels like the project is ending, because the work of fundraising and recruiting volunteers and hosting tile-signing events is over,” Veit said. “At the same time, it’s the beginning of something much longer-lasting. The One Tile project will become part of the Robert Trail Library experience, and it will be here in the future for the people who helped make it and for future residents of Rosemount.”

Email Tad Johnson at
tad.johnson@ecm-inc.com. Follow him on Twitter @editorTJ.

Video: Star Wars Extravaganza 2015 in Rosemount

Star Wars fans young and old turned out in droves for the “Star Wars Extravaganza” on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Rosemount Community Center. The event hosted by the Rosemount Area Arts Council, Friends of the Robert Trail Library and the Robert Trail Library featured Star Wars-themed arts and craft activities, a video game contest, Lego display, Lego-building activity, caricature artists and a visit from the 501st Legion, a volunteer group of Imperial Stormtroopers and other characters.

Rosemount police chief is about community, caring and cookies

Rosemount Police Chief Mitchell Scott talks with a city colleague during a groundbreaking ceremony for a new activity center in Rosemount. One of Scott’s goals is to be out in the community making connections with local leaders and residents to help strengthen the department’s relationship with the community. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

by Tad Johnson

Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune

Dec. 3, 2014

Rosemount chief of police Mitchell Scott knows the power of a cookie.

When he was a young military police officer working night guard duty at a U.S. Air Force base, he was approached by the wing commander who was in his dress whites on his way to an evening gathering.

The commander stepped out of the darkness, handed Scott a cookie and thanked him for protecting the base.

The gesture was not lost on Scott, who says the encounter has influenced his leadership style today.

“You have to show the people who work for you that you care about them,” Scott said. “Then they will support you in hard times and good times.”

For the past four months since Scott was hired as the Rosemount chief he has had group and individual conversations with Rosemount officers and staff members, and he hasn’t stopped there.

He’s had countless interactions with community leaders and residents in neighborhoods throughout the city.

“I like to talk to people when the times are good, so they understand who you are,” Scott said. “That is going to help when something bad happens.”

Those conversations are also part of strengthening the multi-dimensional nature of law enforcement’s role in the community.

Being a police officer is different than it was 21 years ago when Scott began his civilian career as a Hennepin County deputy.

“We are no longer just police officers, we are first responders, counselors and social workers,” he said.

Often the first to arrive at any call for service, whether it be a disturbance, medical call or fire, police officers do more than just find the criminals and bring them to justice.

They deliver bad news if a loved one has died, they comfort victims and determine if they need medical or psychological assistance, they assess if homes they enter are unsuitable for children or if there are other underlying issues to address.

“We see people where they are at in their lives and get them the help they need,” he said.

Scott, a member of the One Rosemount community leaders group, said the monthly meetings have helped him connect with those in schools, churches and nonprofit organizations like 360 Communities that can help officers address the myriad issues they encounter.

“This generation of officers knows there is more than one way to get the job done,” Scott said.

The advent of special divisions and training to address domestic abuse, juvenile crime and illegal drug use are part of this increased emphasis to not only catch criminals but help victims.

Rosemount residents are taking notice of the Police Department’s efforts.

A 2014 community survey found that 96 percent of 400 local residents polled gave positive ratings to the department.

A near perfect 99 percent said they generally feel safe in their homes at night and 94 percent said they feel safe walking in their neighborhoods at night. A similar survey in the city of Hopkins in 2013 found that 86 percent said they feel safe walking in their neighborhoods at night.

Scott is pleased with such statistics, but he knows that maintaining that standard is a challenge, he said.

While he influences the daily mission of the department, he will have his chance to put another portion of his stamp on the department in the coming year as he is expected to hire two new officers after two senior sergeants retire.

One of the areas in which Scott is very well-versed is hiring new officers. As the patrol sergeant for 12 years in Apple Valley, he helped direct the process that resulted in the hiring of several officers in a few years.

Among the primary qualities Scott said he looks for in candidates are their experience and demonstrations of work above and beyond the call of duty.

“I think I had a good track record of making good hires there,” he said.

He will also have the chance to select the people who will fill the senior sergeant roles.

The ability for a chief to make such decisions throughout the organization was one of the attractive aspects of the Rosemount job.

Scott speaks highly of the Apple Valley Police Department, which is led by Jon Rechtzigel. Scott worked for 18 years in Apple Valley, the last 17 months as captain of field operations.

“There was more opportunity to shape and mold the future leaders of the department,” Scott said of the Rosemount move.

Many of Scott’s experiences overseas in the U.S. Air Force, as the only police officer in his organizational management class at Concordia University and even as a 17-year-old assistant grocery store manager, helped groom him for this leadership position.

“You have to do the right thing for the whole of the group even though it might not be in your best interest,” Scott said.

Beyond the badge

Many of Scott’s co-workers are happy that the predominant colors in his office aren’t the scarlet and white of the University of Wisconsin, but rather the crimson and cream of Scott’s home state of Oklahoma.

While the Badgers are border Big 10 foes, Oklahoma aims for its Big 12 gridiron goals in Norman, where Scott grew up just blocks away from the football stadium.

He said he could remember playing pickup games with his buddies on the famous football stage that played host to many future football stars.

His office is adorned with many OU trinkets, and even Scott’s soft drink of choice, Dr Pepper, sports the crimson and cream colors.

Some of Scott’s co-workers have had fun giving their boss gifts in homage to the Sooners, even as it’s been a down year for the squad.

Scott encourages officers to find such outlets outside of law enforcement, since the rigors of the work can be difficult to endure.

“Law enforcement should not define you,” he said. “Officers should find other activities and have friends outside of law enforcement. There is more out there than being a police officer.”

He said family was always the No. 1 priority of the Apple Valley Police Department, and it’s his No. 1 priority, too.

Family is the reason Scott has landed in Minnesota. He met his future wife, Angie, while he was a Air Force sergeant in Kuwait serving in the Gulf War and she was a teacher in Bloomington who sent a pack of letters to the soldiers that found its way to Scott.

Scott continued to write letters to Angie and their relationship developed to the point that when Scott returned from active duty he came to Minnesota and eventually married his pen pal.

It’s an unlikely connection that has led to a thankful result for Rosemount and Scott, who plans on being the chief of police for years to come.

Rosemount friends team up for Christmas fun

Rosemount teacher and graduate release second book in homage to their hometown

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune
November 20, 2014

Chuck Brooks during the Rosemount High School homecoming coronation ceremony in 2014. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

One doesn’t have to look any further to see the story of education than Chuck Brooks and André Nelson’s new book – “The 12 Days BEFORE Christmas in Rosemount.”

While the book is a humorous romp as the down-on-his-luck protagonist receives gifts from an unknown friend, the real story is that of the connection of a teacher and student.

When Brooks, a Rosemount High School teacher, finished writing the text for the 2013 book “Twas the Night Before Christmas in Rosemount,” he sought an illustrator by asking his students if they had any friends who would be possible candidates.

One student referred him to Nelson, whom Brooks had never met before the then senior came into his classroom, and the two say they never would have expected the results.

The synergetic, energetic, intergenerational connection has given rise to two books and a great friendship.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed that (illustrating a book) was in my future as a high schooler,” Nelson said. “It is a blessing having an opportunity like this, which was kind of out of the blue. … It’s awesome having your name on a book and show it to people.”

Nelson said Brooks has taught him about the things that matter in life, which come through in different ways in the two books.

“He has a great amount of perspective, experience and a way of going about the things that happen to him,” he said.

Nelson said he has learned from Brooks about valuing community, friends, family and the things that make Christmas Christmas, as evoked in the first book.

He said Brooks has also taught him about being lighthearted and not taking things too seriously, which is a focus of the new book.

Andre Nelson

“You have to fun,” Brooks said. “I’ve always believed in the fun component of living.”

“I realize how lucky I am to have him in my life,” Nelson said. “I am so ready to take on things in life that I wouldn’t have taken on myself without him.”

Brooks said Nelson has understood the vision of both books without needing much direction.

“He’s done an incredible job,” Brooks said.

“I love his artwork. The people who see the book, they just want to see the pictures. My ego is such that I can deal with it,” he said with a laugh.

Brooks said Nelson can capture the sentimental and the funny with his art that goes beyond his years would indicate.

He said Nelson is age 18 going on 50 in terms of his maturity.

An example of that is something that blew away Brooks when Nelson showed him a painting for the second book that depicted Brooks’ quaint childhood home in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Brooks had spoken to Nelson before about the house, which Nelson arranged to have photographed without Brooks’ knowledge so it could be incorporated in the book.

“You talk about a kid making a move like that … that’s impressive,” Brooks said.

After the resounding reader approval of the first book, the two embarked on a project to release their second book.

“It’s been a blast,” Brooks said. “This is 180 degrees different than the first book. … I wanted it to be total fun.”

For those feeling a little frazzled by the looming date of Dec. 25, people will find a sympathetic companion amid the hustle and bustle on the pages of “The 12 Days BEFORE Christmas in Rosemount.”

Popular Rosemount locations return in this book, as the protagonist’s journey through the 12 days starts out with welcome surprises, then escalates to a raucous calamity that reminds him to be careful of what he wishes for.

The process

Brooks and Nelson said the positive reactions and sales of their first book – they sold out of their first 200 rather quickly – had them thinking about putting out a new one about a month or two into the new year.

“It was so much fun getting to that point,” Brooks said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to incite a riot again.”

Once the twist on the “12 Days of Christmas” theme was decided, the two collaborated on ideas, rejecting some characters and refining others as Brooks worked on the story for the 12 days of gifts and the protagonist’s reaction to them.

Nelson said he appreciated Brooks’ additional stanzas, which gave him more material to work with in developing the paintings.

“It is a humorous take on all of this stuff coming this guy’s way,” Brooks said.

“They help to illustrate his state of mind and how frazzled and harried he gets as he gets zany gifts,” Nelson said.

Nelson describes his work in the book as illustrative and very different from the realistic landscapes he typically paints with atmosphere and depth.

“The other style just emerged,” Nelson said.

While Nelson said he attempted to make the paintings in the first book sentimental and heartfelt, the new book’s illustrations are very exaggerated using dark colors contrasted with light.

André Nelson, a University of Minnesota freshman, completed one of the paintings for “The 12 Days BEFORE Christmas in Rosemount” inside Starbucks in Rosemount. The painting uses the coffee shop as a scene for the book. (Photo submitted)

“It pops more, is less realistic and more cartoony,” he said.Nelson said his typical process has him starting with a pencil sketch to frame his ideas. He admits that he’s often impatient when doing the sketch because it doesn’t have any color and he’s so bent on getting started with a painting.

Because of the looming deadlines, Nelson said for the second book he spent less time sketching so he would have enough time to work on the 15-by-30-inch watercolor paintings.

Nelson said he likes to stand at an easel when painting, especially in the early stages so his posture and physical space is unrestricted.

He can work for about three or four consecutive hours on a painting, and it takes him about six or eight hours to complete one.

The final image does not come easy for Nelson. He said there’s always a mid-point that he calls the “I hate this painting” stage when it doesn’t look at all like what he wants it to be.

“Sometimes I give up on it, but having had the experience of a painting coming together tells me to keep it going and it improves by the end,” he said.

Nelson has hidden many details in the book, such as 18 shamrocks, that readers can search for along with recognizing the many notable places in Rosemount that serve as backdrops to the action.

Brooks thinks these connections to Rosemount have heightened interest in the books, especially the first book.

“He captured that spirit that was Rosemount in the soft colors, the snow falling,” Brooks said. “It was a hometown kind of thing, like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ ”

Brooks said Rosemount residents feel ownership of their town like no other in the Twin Cities suburbs.

“That is one of the things I love about this community and school,” Brooks said.

He views the first book as his gift to Rosemount, a community that has come to mean so much for Brooks, who is retiring from teaching after this school year.

As for the next chapter, Brooks said he plans to write a book to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Rosemount High School in 2017.

District 196 to issue iPads to 1,600 students

Beta project will be analyzed to help measure technology’s effectiveness

by Tad Johnson

Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune

Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District officials are hoping that a test project in 46 classrooms this school year will improve the quality and quantity of learning for 1,600 students.

Those classrooms and students will take part in a beta project through which each student will be issued an iPad Mini after funds of up to $502,400 are spent to purchase 1,600 of the devices and related equipment – a move that was approved July 14 by the School Board.

The idea to test the effectiveness of issuing a mobile device to a limited number of students – the district has an estimated 28,000 students and 31 school sites – emerged from District 196’s Learning and Technology Task Force.

The beta project aims to evaluate what kinds of courses, projects and ages are most appropriate for a district-provided, one-to-one technology device. “We wanted to go through it in a real thoughtful way,” Steven Troen, director of teaching and learning, said.

The district sought applications from fourth- through 12th-grade teachers who wanted to have their classrooms become part of beta project.

An estimated 80 applications were submitted and task force members selected 46 classrooms representing each grade level (4-12) in nearly all district buildings.

Among the selection criteria were a teacher’s past classroom technology experience and their explanation about how a one-to-one initiative would be applied in the curriculum.

Beta project teachers are undergoing staff development this summer with an eye toward learning from each other and best practices in other districts, such as in Farmington where an all-district, one-to-one iPad initiative is entering its second year.

Troen said the project is not about the device, it’s about creating a “dynamic student learning experience.”

“It comes down to how students use technology to access information, collaborate and communicate,” Troen said.

Some teachers may deploy a flipped classroom using the devices. In a flipped classroom, teachers can create video lectures that students can view at home and use classroom time to complete assignments or projects. This allows the teacher to guide and assist in such work.

Troen said iPads have applications through which teachers can receive real-time feedback on students, such as a quiz that generates instant results so teachers can see who is grasping or not understanding what is being taught.

“The hallmark of every conversation is it is all about the learning and what it is we want students to do,” Troen said.

The district will use anecdotal and empirical information to judge the beta project’s effectiveness.

San Francisco-based BrightBytes has supplied a computer platform called Clarity with Case Module to compile survey data from staff, students and parents regarding their experiences.

The analysis will also measure how much work was completed and grades the students achieved.

Troen also hopes to hear feedback about individual students creating something due to the access to technology that they might not have ever done or conceived of otherwise.

“We are going to stand back and watch the stories develop,” Troen said.

Troen said working with technology better prepares students for college and careers since so many post-secondary schools and job sites are fully-integrated with computers.

“The long-term vision is that the technology becomes invisible,” Troen said. “It is interwoven into the learning experience. It is just part of the world and how you communicate and collaborate.”

The next step for the district with regard to growing the use of district-provided, one-to-one technology likely will be dependent on how successful the beta project is.

Troen said another 40-50 teachers are undergoing staff development training through a separate beta project called Technology Integration. Through this project teachers have access to a Chrome Book or iPad carts, that are used only in the classroom.

Issuing technology devices to students for use at home and in school is something that Troen hopes will expand if the funding is available.

“There is a high excitement level,” Troen said. “I get to work with a lot of good teachers and staff on a variety of projects, but this has the ability to impact every classroom and every student – to change the experience, that is exciting.”

Rosemount Leprechaun Days 2014 special section

I was responsible for all aspects of this special section’s editorial and design.

 
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Rosemount students ‘AVID’ about college success

Three students improve their academic focus with the help of first-year program

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune
May 15, 2014

Ask the 21 students in Rosemount High School’s first Advancement Via Individual Determination class what they’d rather be doing right now and there would be a range of answers.

Kyon Rivera might say riding his skateboard. For Devon Schmidt, it could be strumming her guitar. Natalia Hiza might rather be playing sports.

While these ninth-graders love all those fun things, they know these activities are low on the priority scale when attending college is the ultimate goal.

Kyon, Devon and Natalia didn’t always see academics that way.

In their middle school years, they said completing homework and being organized were huge obstacles to earning good grades.

Seeing that the students were teetering on the edge, their teachers or counselors encouraged them to become part of AVID, a new program and class at Rosemount High School that meets daily during the first hour.

The class aims to support “academic middle” students as they enroll in rigorous honors or Advanced Placement courses to prepare them for success in college and beyond.

With AVID’s first year almost complete, these three students say the tools and encouragement the class has provided has worked.

Three lives

When Natalia was a little girl, she had doctor’s play set. Coming from a family that included Tanzania’s first surgeon general, Natalia dreamed of one day being a doctor.

Her little girl dreams were slightly fractured when she learned that being a doctor wouldn’t come easy.

“I didn’t know it was as expensive and I didn’t know you needed a high GPA to get into medical school,” Natalia said.

She said she promised her late grandfather that she would graduate from college and get a master’s degree.

“I think it’s extremely important for me to live up to that,” Natalia said. “He’s the one person I don’t want to let down.”

When Natalia entered Rosemount Middle School after living in the East African country of Tanzania, she experienced academic culture shock.

She said Tanzania schools lean much more heavily on exams and quizzes with little homework.

The homework she received as a seventh-grader was overwhelming to her, and as a result she said she didn’t hand in much of it. Her grades suffered.

Her enrollment in AVID gave her the tools to tackle the organizational skills needed to address multiple homework assignments in any given night.

Kyon said the most important tool AVID equips students with is a binder system that organizes work into sections, such as “homework” and “to return to class.”

Kyon, who was in a middle school AVID program in Florida before moving back to Minnesota this summer, said having the binder means his mother doesn’t have to remind him to hand in his homework.

“I like making my mom proud,” Kyon said. “I have to work harder after I started in AVID. I knew I was going to have to turn in more work and be more focused.”

He said another important aspect of the program has been the Tuesday and Thursday sessions where students are required to bring a question to a concept or problem that they didn’t understand from another class.

The question is presented to a small group of students who help their classmate find the answer or understand the concept by asking additional questions.

Kyon said AVID has got him interested in learning in a new way. It has him particularly focused in his government and math classes and on graduation.

“I definitely have that as a goal,” Kyon said. “You have to work to achieve it.”

He’s thinking about two possible career paths: disc jockey or a mechanical engineer.

Devon said she also was not consistent in completing homework when she was in middle school. She also had an unconventional vision of her life after high school.

“Before AVID, right after high school I was going to stop and be in a band and just tour and live the life,” Devon said. “I realized that is not the life. I want more than that.”

She’s done a 180-degree turn with regard to completing homework and her interest in math, which is now a possible career field for her.

“(Math) was very much something that I had convinced myself I couldn’t do until AVID had come into my life,” Devon said.

She also made the B honor roll this year.

“That was pretty cool,” Devon said. “My parents were so proud of me.”

Devon said she has received a lot of support from her parents.

“It’s something I want to do for me and a lot for them,” Devon said. “Making my parents proud is what is keeping me going on this successful track.”

While family is a big part of success for Kyon, Natalia and Devon, they say the support network of teachers and students in AVID is like family, too.

“There is a lot of trust,” Devon said. “Hopefully, we will be together for four years. It is nice to have to other people you can talk to.”

The expectation is that this group of ninth-graders will remain together until graduation day. Some students may leave the class as they transfer or move from the district, but those students will be replaced with other same-age students on a waiting list.

AVID instructor Tanya Ringquist also used “family” to describe the class.

“They are very caring for one another and watch out for one another,” she said.

Ringquist said the instructors have established real connections with the students because they truly care about them.

“Once they know that you care, respect starts building, and motivation, effort, on their part, follow,” she said. “When there are issues that come up, the trust allows you to have a genuine conversation and find solutions to whatever is happening. If there is no student-teacher relationship, those conversations are harder to have and the outside issues slow down or stop learning.”

The students feel it. Natalia and Devon said the AVID instructors really care about their success.

“They are always there and always willing to help you,” Devon said. “They ensure you can be doing better than you are. … They tell us: ‘You have so much potential and we want you to realize that potential.’ ”

Ringquist and the other AVID instructors – Julie Endersbe and Betty Deming – have noted big changes in the students since the beginning of the year.

“The students are becoming more confident in themselves,” Ringquist said, “becoming aware of the fact that they have the capability and potential to succeed and can make it happen for themselves, and their ability to ask in-depth and focused questions.”

Ringquist said she’s also noted the students have more self-awareness and monitor themselves.

Natalia credits AVID with helping rein in her exuberant personality that has caused some problems in the past.

“I’m loud and was always blurting things out in class,” said Natalia, who said she makes a conscious effort to turn her voice volume down. “AVID has helped me control myself and my anger, too.”

Ringquist said the students have become more responsible for their own actions and success – a key to the program’s spread across the country.

AVID, a program that began at a San Diego high school in 1980 with 32 students, now enrolls more than 700,000 students in more than 4,800 schools.

AVID officials say the formula is simple: “Raise expectations of students and, with the AVID support system in place, they will rise to the challenge.”

They note that of the 33,204 AVID seniors surveyed in 2012, just over 98 percent indicated they would be graduating from high school, with 90 percent planning to attend a postsecondary institution: 58 percent to a four-year college and 32 percent to a two-year institution.

Though it will be another three years before the results of Rosemount’s first AVID class are known, the early returns are positive.

“I want to work hard,” Devon said. “It showed me that beyond high school, there is so much that you have to prepare for, and there’s a lot to be excited for.”

Rosemount teacher is semifinalist for state honor

Motivating students at the molecular level

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune
March 27, 2014

Atoms are busy.

While the nucleus of the cell is a constant, electrons rush about spinning round and round in constant motion.

Rosemount High School teacher Michelle Betts’ classroom might be best described with this molecular example.

Over the past four years at the school, she has been the stable center in her chemistry and physical science classes as students have zipped to places large and microscopic. It has engendered so much praise, her 2014 Teacher of the Year nomination impressed Education Minnesota enough to place her among the 35 semifinalists.

“I couldn’t believe that I had been nominated,” said Betts, who is currently on maternity leave. “I cried, which many of my students and colleagues know I do when I am touched. I couldn’t believe that a student had taken the time to show their appreciation for me.”

It wasn’t just one student.

Several of her “student-electrons” spoke about how Betts inspired their interest in science to motivate them to do more than just experiment with the idea of turning to it as a college and career path.

“Ms. Betts believed in me that first day of class, when I was so close to giving up on science completely, and now, because of her support and wisdom, I will be majoring in biochemistry after graduation,” said Amari Brown, an RHS senior who was the school’s 2012 Chemistry Student of the Year. “(She) believes in our abilities, and she points that out to us every day. She knows what we are capable of, and she uses that to bring out our personal belief in the fact that we truly can be successful in school.”

While atoms are the building blocks of all matter, Betts describes her teaching philosophy like building a scaffold.

“In my classroom, students are asked to build upon their own experiences, knowledge and skills through the use of warm-ups, questioning and using the knowledge I have gained from building relationships with them before moving into a more difficult knowledge and set of skills,” she said. “Instead of looking and focusing on what my students do not know, I find ways to incorporate what they do know and utilize this knowledge as the foundation for their learning.”

One recent example of that was a student who was struggling with low attendance and test scores.

Betts spoke with the student about his other interests and discovered that he liked writing lyrics and “could make words flow.”

In assigning a test she also asked students to write a song or rap about the atom.

She said the student worked on his rap song over the course of three days and the results were “amazing.”

The student turned the project into a study tool for him to memorize science concepts.

“During the standard test this student was quietly rapping to himself the song he had written and scored in the A range,” she said. “The student was so proud of himself.”

Such examples are central to Betts’ philosophy. She aims to find out what her students’ interests are and leverage those in conveying the curriculum.

She is a believer in showing her support for students by attending their performances in the arts, sports or when they receive the oath committing to a branch of the military.

“My efforts have shown the students the strong commitment that I have to them; which in turn leads them to strongly commit to learning in my classroom,” she said.

The students take notice.

In her second year at RHS, the students selected her as the faculty graduation speaker.

Counselor Julie Endersbe attributed her selection to Betts being a “constant figure at concerts, performances and athletic events.”

“Relationships are at the heart of her work with students and staff,” Endersbe said.

Betts said she aims to create a positive, affirming, caring classroom energy. It’s a collaborate and democratic environment, she said, but authoritarian when necessary.

“Establishing this connection builds the trust that is so important when I ask my students to take an intellectual risk,” she said.

Betts grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, and “became hooked” on chemistry due to her high school chemistry teacher making it so much fun.

She has transferred the fun aspect to her own classroom as her students recognized “Bettsisms” such a the attention-getting “woo woo,” the elongated “noooootes” and “y’all” – a holdover from her three years as a teacher in Texas where she went after earning her bachelor’s in chemical engineering and master’s in education from Iowa State University.

Aside from her words, Betts has a signature pair of safety goggles adorned with jewels.

“My students think I look like a dork, but they are secretly jealous that their goggles aren’t blingy like mine,” she said.

Betts also connects with students morning, noon and after school in help sessions and through her Twitter account with posts that always end with “#iloveteaching.”

A selection committee for Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers union, will choose 10 finalists at the end of this month. Last year’s announcement was made April 1 when Rosemount High School choir teacher Steve Albaugh was among the select group.

“Honestly I’m still blown away that I’m a semifinalist,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

ArtBlast to launch this summer in Rosemount

Published March 20, 2014 at 2:10 pm

Rosemount Area Arts Council plans weeklong celebration of the arts

by Tad Johnson
Sun Thisweek-Dakota County Tribune

Before the Rosemount Area Arts Council was founded in 2008, there were probably many creative folks who were working in the shadows.

Bluegrass Americana Festival’s 2013 Square Dance. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

They would paint their would-be masterpieces, splice together their documentaries or strum their guitars in basement, garages or wherever they could find a spot.

Sawtooth plays at the 2013 Bluegrass Americana Festival in Rosemount. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

Since the inception of the council, the group has given these artists a stage to show the rest of the community their talent.

Film festivals, author events, art shows and even a community theater workshop has grown from the seeds the council has planted with one event in its first year and grew to 51 last year, attracting 5,690 people and featuring about 800 artists.

Now those with an interest in the arts can have a “blast” this summer in Rosemount.

Music like that at the Rosemount Area Arts Council’s Christmas at the Steeple Center, will be part of ArtBlast. (Photo by Tad Johnson)

The council is organizing the first ArtBlast from June 23-28 with a variety of music, performance and visual arts events along with classes.

“Basically, we wanted it to be an explosion of art,” said Jim Kotz, a council member. “The idea is for someone who lives in Rosemount, they can go anywhere that week and say, ‘What’s going on with all of this arts stuff?’”

Of course, the council is working hard to publicize ArtBlast, so every resident knows in advance all the events and can participate or enjoy the performances.

Anchoring ArtBlast will be the Bluegrass Americana Festival, which has been held the past four years during Rosemount Leprechaun Days in July.

This year, the festival will move to June 27 and 28 and feature a square dance Friday night with the Rosemount resident Craig Evans’ Eelpout Stringers and on Saturday the bluegrass bands start at 5 p.m. with the Fly Rite Girls, No Grass Limit, The Fish Heads and Sawtooth.

Sawtooth includes Rosemount’s own Birtzer brothers: Clint, Luke and Shane.

Evans, who founded the festival, continues to bring what he feels are Minnesota’s best bluegrass bands to Rosemount. Evans has said bands are anxious to perform at the city’s Central Park Amphitheater, since they regard it as one of the best venues in the state.

RAAC member John Loch said ArtBlast is a way to highlight the great places Rosemount has for performance art, including the amphitheater and the city-owned Steeple Center, which is the former St. Joseph Catholic Church that’s been converted to a stage venue and outfitted with the latest technology.

Kotz said he’s most excited about showcasing the talent of local residents.

People will have ample opportunity to exhibit or learn more about various artistic expressions.

Among the class offerings will be those related to photography, comic art, music and visual arts.

“It’s a fun group,” Kotz said of the council. “We have a lot of fun. It’s very diverse in the types of things people are involved in. One person will have an idea and another builds on it and then another. It’s a fun an creative process.”

A centerpiece of ArtBlast will be the community art project, which will be a mural frieze installed at the entrance to the Robert Trail Library. The mural will be composed of an estimated 9,500 small tiles that people will have the chance to personalize and will come together to form the image of a rolling river.

“The Mississippi River is a part of Rosemount’s history,” Loch said. “That is where Rosemount started, then they moved their way west to where the current central part of the city is.”

The tiles will be painted by workers at Rosemount’s MCRI WorkSource, a private nonprofit that helps people with disabilities find employment.

“We are very happy to have them involved,” Loch said.

Getting more people involved in the planning and participation in ArtBlast is also a focus.

RAAC member Jeanne Schwartz said the interest in the council’s events is snowballing as people who attend events find out about others the council has organized and end up attending those events – and inviting their friends.

“I’m a little surprised with our momentum,” Kotz said, “but we still have a long ways to go.”

Even though nearly all of ArtBlast events are expected to be free, organizing the festival won’t be without cost.

Since it is a new event, the council is focusing on fundraising to help it set the stage for what is expected to be dozens of events over those six days.

The council has a goal to raise $24,000 to pay featured artists and for materials, logistics-related expenses and publicity materials.

RAAC is looking for event sponsors or businesses and individuals willing to donate.

Those who are interested in donating to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit or becoming a member can visit www.RosemountArts.com and click on Get Involved.

Information about ArtBlast will be posted to the website and reported in the Dakota County Tribune and Sun Thisweek.