South school briefs: 3 elementary school principals hired in Lakeville

The Lakeville School District approved hiring three new principals last week, all at the elementary level. All three will begin their new posts on July 1, and each replaced a retiring principal.

The new Eastview Elementary principal is F. Taber Akin, who has served as the district's assessment and accountability coordinator and was most recently principal at a Burnsville elementary school.

The new Orchard Lake Elementary principal will be Mari­lynn Smith, the current magnet coordinator in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan district.

And at Christina Huddleston Elementary, Jill Kelly will be taking over. Kelly currently works for the St. Francis district.

The superintendents from the two districts that enroll students in Elko New Market will give a public State of the Schools address on May 21.

Lisa Snyder, Lakeville's superintendent, will speak, as will both the retiring and incoming superintendents in New Prague, Larry Kauzlarich and Tim Dittberner.

All will talk about their district's efforts to provide students with a quality education even in challenging economic times. There will also be a question-and-answer period.

The event is hosted by the Elko New Market Chamber of Commerce. For further information, contact Amy Lewis at 651-450-9222.

District 196 elementary school parents can apply to serve on the Gifted and Talented Advisory Council.

Applicants should be a parent of a qualified Gifted and Talented (GT) student. The position's term begins Sept. 1 and lasts three years.

The council's goal is to ensure awareness of the programming and to provide curriculum input. The group meets four times during the school year at the district office in Rosemount.

Applications are due by June 1; the application form is available at www.district196.org or by calling 651-423-7739.