South metro school briefs

Suggest nominees for high school Hall of Fame Burnsville High School wants help picking this year's inductees into the school's Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame honors groups and people that have made big achievements in their field or contributions to the school or community.

Nomination forms must be returned to the school's athletic department by April 10. Forms are available in the school's main office or online at www.isd191.org/bhs. Nominations that were submitted in 2008 and 2007 will be reconsidered this year.

The school will announce this year's honorees in June.

Utecht wins tech award A professional association of school technology gurus has honored Lakeville's Greg Utecht for decades of work putting high-tech tools in the hands of students and teachers.

The Consortium for School Networking is honoring Utecht with its 2009 Withrow CTO Award.

Utecht coordinates technology, information and media services for Lakeville public schools. He joined the school district in 1997.

The event includes several speakers, including author Corwin Kronenberg, who will give a talk on teaching kids to be responsible.

For more information, call 952-226-0080.

High school bookkeeper charged with theft A former Rosemount High School bookkeeper was charged with theft last month after allegedly "borrowing" more than $6,000 from the school.

Helen Alice Penney, 55, was charged with five counts of theft in Dakota County District Court.

School officials called police in November after discovering the theft while Penney was out sick, according to a complaint filed in court. A school staff member who was making deposits had found a number of checks written on Penney's personal account to the school and dating back to April 2006.

Penney, who lives in Farmington, was hired to work at the school in 2001, said Jill Coyle, the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district's attorney. Penney resigned in November, Coyle said.

District seeks parents to serve on advisory council The Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district is looking for parents to serve on its Curriculum and Instruction Advisory Council.

This summer, the council will have five positions open for elementary school parents and three for high school parents. The council meets up to five times a year at the district office in Rosemount, typically from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Council members serve for three years.

Applications are due by April 15. They're available at www.district196.org. Or, call 651-423-7621.