SHS athletes pick colleges Six sign national letters of intent last week
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2011
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Students hear: No to bullying
New principal brings new energy to growing SHS
BY KRISTIN HOLTZ kholtz@swpub.com
One by one, Shakopee sixth-graders walked to the middle of the circle last week, picked up the microphone and faced their classmates. “My act of courage is to stand up for others, but fi rst I have to stand up for myself because I don’t want anyone to be bullied like I was.� “I want to learn to not hold grudges. To forgive and forget.� “I want everyone to be themselves.� The activity was part of Shakopee Middle School’s annual Courage Retreats, led by the nonprofit Youth Frontiers, which challenge students to be themselves and stand up to bullying in their school. “Youth Frontiers helps build capacity with our students to stop and think, ‘Would I do this if a principal or mom or dad were here?’� Principal John-Paul Jacobson said. “They need the courage to step outside themselves.� Bullying in schools is a hot topic these days across the country. While bullying can (and does) occur at any age, middle school is a particularly difficult time for kids. “I’d like to tell you there’s no such
BY KRISTIN HOLTZ kholtz@swpub.com
PHOTO BY KRISTIN HOLTZ
Shakopee Middle School sixth-graders brainstorm acts of courage during a Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat Nov. 15 at the Shakopee Community Center. Each student made a pledge to live out one of the acts. “The real challenge of today isn’t the work you did today; it’s the work you do tomorrow,â€? Rita Boersma of Youth Frontiers said. thing [as bullying], but that’s not a reality,â€? said middle school social worker Joan ParĂŠ. “Middle school is the time when your friends are the most important thing and you want to fit in.â€? In addition, middle school students
don’t yet always understand that what we say or write can emotionally impact someone else, Jacobson said. “[We try to teach kids] we are responsible for the way things we
PHOTOS ONLINE SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE COURAGE RETREAT
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Kim Swift was honeymooning in southern California last March when she got a call about interviewing for the Shakopee High School principal position. She flew back to the Twin Cities and braved a blizzard to make it to the interview. She really wanted the job. Swift joins the Kim Shakopee School Swift District after 33 years as a teacher, guidance counselor and principal in Dubuque, Iowa. She hopes to bring a new vibe to a school that’s seen its share of administrative turnover the past year. “With new leadership, comes new energy,� Swift, 55, said. Education runs in the Wisconsin native’s blood. Her father was a former school superintendent, her
Bullying to page 12 ÂŽ
Swift to page 12 ÂŽ
Township leaders wary of mine plan Environment concerns among issues BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
Mine to page 8 ÂŽ
Senior housing near SACS proposed BY SHANNON FIECKE sfiecke@swpub.com
St. Mary’s Catholic Church plans to sell another piece of property for a senior housing development. St. Cloud-based Trident Development has approached the city about acquiring tax-increment fi nancing to build a three-story, 79-unit housing project on 3 acres of land south of Shakopee Area Catholic School (SACS). The property is part of a 10-acre
parcel that St. Mary’s is holding for a future church. Design plans for the site show enough room for a church to be built next to the school someday. A purchase agreement has been signed, but is contingent upon the developer securing funding and permission from the city to build on land that is now zoned for residential housing. The church has not designated a use yet for the proceeds of the sale, said the Rev. Peter Wittman. St. Mary’s is also selling land next
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Q-PRIME 112 ACRES
Louisville Township Sand Creek Township
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Senior housing to page 8 ÂŽ
PHOTO FROM TRIDENT DEVELOPMENT
The proposed assisted living facility is a little larger than a similar facility in St. Michael, Minn., that filled up in four months.
28 ACRES SCOTT LAND COMPANY
Jor Ave dan nue
to its current church to the Scott County Community Development Agency for senior apartments. That vacant parcel, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Sommerville Street, is the location of the former parish school. While the CDA project is envisioned as more of an independent living facility similar to Northridge Court at the River City Center, the 131,000-square-foot facility proposed
Louisville and Sand Creek Township residents are accustomed to mining operations along the Highway 169 corridor, but a proposed frac sand operation along their shared border has them on high alert. Township leaders are suspicious of the developer and worry Scott County will focus on the tipping fees the mine would generate, rather than potential environmental and public health hazards. “Don’t chase the dollars,� warned Louisville resident Leon Doucette, who worries for his four grandchildren who live near the proposed plant. He spoke with county commissioners who were invited to a township meeting last month. “You’re up against some formidable people that know what they’re doing. Do what you can within your power and wisdom because when it’s all done they’re gone.� Great Plain Sands has proposed mining approximately 100 acres of sandstone, on property owned by Scott Land Co. of Lakeville and Q-Prime of New York, west of High-
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