The South Washington County School District has tapped a bilingual educator from St. Paul to serve as principal of Crestview and Nuevas Fronteras elementary schools.

Tina Haselius took over last week at the dual-campus site at 7830 80th St. S. in Cottage Grove. She replaced Rich Romano, now the principal of Newport Elementary.

Crestview Elementary had 296 students in 2012-13. Nuevas Fronteras Elementary, a K-5 Spanish immersion program, had 360 students.

Haselius began her career at a dual immersion school in Illinois, and went on to teach for seven years at Adams Spanish Immersion Magnet School in St. Paul, a South Washington County schools news release said.

She most recently served as lead literacy specialist in the St. Paul school district's center for curriculum, instruction and professional development.

In the news release, Haselius spoke of the need to continue to find ways to grow professionally to better serve students. In addition to her experience at the K-12 level, she also has been an adjunct professor at Concordia University in St. Paul.

"Ms. Haselius has exemplary experiences that are closely linked to the needs of all Crestview and Nuevas Fronteras students, staff and families," Dave Bernhardson, assistant superintendent for elementary education, said in the release.

Haselius is the third educator from the St. Paul district to be chosen this summer to lead a Washington County area school. In the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District, Pangjua Xiong, supervisor of multilingual learning in St. Paul, was named principal at Weaver Elementary School, and Kevin Wolff, assistant principal at Highland Park Senior High School, is the new principal at Maplewood Middle School.

Mahtomedi

Open house set for new Wildwood school

A community celebration is set for Tuesday at the new Wildwood Elementary School in Grant.

The building, at 8698 75th St. N., replaces the old Wildwood school about two miles away in Mahtomedi. The new school will serve students in grades K-2 as well as preschoolers.

Tuesday's event runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and includes self-guided tours of the building.

Anthony Lonetree