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In-Depth p. 6-7
Culture p. 10
Sports p. 5
Apocalypse 2012 : All about everyone’s favorite global catastrophe.
Holidazzle!: Minnesota’s favorite parade, as seen from high school.
How to be a good fan: Advice from Edina’s student section.
Volume 33 Issue 3
December 7, 2012
6754 Valley View Rd. Edina, MN 55439
A SECOND LIFE FOR SOUTHDALE Renovation promises to reinvigorate America’s first indoor shopping center
Writer’s Block goes to Chicago
photos by Talia Edelheit
Southdale Director of Marketing Lauren Carpenter stands in front of the mall’s renovated façade. Southdale Center’s multimillion-dollar renovation is finished and open to the public, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Since the remodel began in 2011, Southdale has expanded retail, built a new food court, and redesigned its aesthetics. By cultivating the charm it had back in 1956 as America’s first indoor shopping center, the mall hopes to recreate its original success. The mall began as the brainchild of architect Victor Gruen, who disliked the suburban sprawl of the 1950s and sought to create a community core for the quickly developing Edina. He saw the Southdale shopping mall as a place for locals to meet and form a community. Lauren Carpenter, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Southdale, said Southdale intends to reinstate Gruen’s approach. “We want to bring the local shoppers back, and create a comfortable atmosphere.” How? According to Carpenter, by making Southdale the unique place it was originally. The mall now includes new stores to Minnesota, activities and events targeting all demographics, and a design intended to create a comfortable and elegant atmosphere. Edina students feel optimistic toward the renovation. New stores like Madewell grabbed the attention of senior Lauren Dahl; as she put it, “I’d have to sell my organs on the black market to buy clothes there, but I’m considering it!” Sophomore Annie Moorhead commented, “I really didn’t like the old layout, it definitely needed to be improved.” But will the new mall generate the influx of customers mall administration bargained for? So far, the outlook appears to be in the mall’s favor. “Just from the work that had been done up through August, stores picked up over a 30% increase in sales,” Carpenter confirmed. “Everything you can think of has been updated,” Carpenter said. A dozen new stores have been introduced, from Journey’s footwear to the younger-geared J.Crew off-shoot Madewell (its first store in Minnesota). The new food court allows shoppers to choose from a variety of cuisines, from sushi to Smashburger, and is equipped with modern furniture and a domed skylight to bring in natural light. “I think it’s perfect,” Carpenter admitted. The mall’s center is reminiscent of the 1956 design, furnished with wood-paneling, shiny new flooring, and the original clock and tall metal sculptures integrated to recreate the mall’s old charm. Still, folks may wonder, why go to Southdale when there’s MOA? Because, said Carpenter, “It’s designed with the community in mind; it’s made for local shoppers.” The remodel intends to create a more personalized and V.I.P. shopping experience including random shopper giveaways, stores tailored to locals, and friendly places for folks to hang out. The mall recognizes its only hope to compete is to make itself one-of-a-kind, just as it was in the beginning. Not only does the mall hope to bring the locals back, but also revive itself as one of the leading shopping destinations in the state. Carpenter has confidence in the mall’s new goals. After all, as she put it, “People love Southdale.” Madison Hobbs, staff writer
photo by Andrea Kimball
The five coaches and Mrs. Mohs and Mrs. Cosgrove eat lunch at the conference. On November 2-4, I had the honor to present at the National Conference in Peer Tutoring in Writing with four other students: Sarah Jones, Grace Meyer, Maggie Stang, and Eliza Thompson. All five of us have been coaching student writers for two years at Edina High School’s writing center, The Writer’s Block. We were accompanied by Martha Cosgrove and Bethany Mohs, English teachers and coordinators of The Writer’s Block. First of all, what is The Writer’s Block? You may not have heard of us, but we are a resource for all Edina students to get advice and assistance in any stage of the writing process. We help with personal writing, English essays, timed writing, and everything in between. “It’s a place where students can work one on one with a coach on his/her writing with the goal of making better writers,” explained Grace Meyer, head coach. At the conference, we attended informational sessions presented by high schools and universities across the country. Edina was one of the few high schools to present; most of the sessions were presented by college or graduate students. We learned about different peer tutoring philosophies and gained new ideas to put to work back in Edina. Most notably, we presented our own thirty minute session to about fifty people. We talked about The Writer’s Block and our unique philosophy of being “coaches” rather than “tutors.” We don’t correct papers, but rather work with students to bolster not only their writing in that specific paper but their writing in general. “It was fun to be asked questions from college writing centers that were curious about our methods,” said coach Maggie Stang. “[My favorite part was] getting different perspectives from different writing centers from across the country to enhance our work,” said Coach Sarah Jones. “I felt very proud,” said Bethany Mohs about the trip as a whole. “I felt a real sense of accomplishment in terms of what I saw our student writing coaches do.” The Writer’s Block is currently working on its next project: The National Peace Essay writing contest. Students are invited to write a 1500 word essay this winter, and enter it in a contest to win up to $10,000. Andrea Kimball, editor in chief
The official newspaper of Edina High School