South Washington County schools to make free summer meals available

Free meals are being offered to children this summer at schools in the South Washington County School District.

The district is providing the meals in partnership with the state Department of Education's summer food service program, the district said.

Meals are available to children ages 2 to 18. They do not have to attend the school to participate, and no registration is required. The district began to offer the meals last week and will continue until Aug. 8.

Breakfast and lunch will be served at Newport Elementary School, 851 6th Av., Newport, on Monday, June 24, through Thursday, June 27. The school also will provide the two meals July 15-18, July 22-25, July 29-Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8.

Also participating are Pullman Elementary, 1260 Selby Av., St. Paul Park, which will serve breakfast beginning July 15, and Crestview Elementary, 7830 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, which will serve lunch beginning July 15. Meals will be available at Pullman and Crestview July 15-18, July 22-25, July 29-Aug. 1 and Aug. 5-8.

Five school programs held ceremonies for graduating seniors in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District during May and June.

The district's three middle schools also held recognition ceremonies for eighth-graders.

The district also announced that a Tartan High graduate, Tyler Weaver, will be entering the U.S. Military Academy at West Point this summer.

Justin Hansen, a former Ford Motor Company worker who lost his job when the St. Paul plant closed in December 2011, is now a Century College student on track to earn a four-year degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

According to the college, Hansen may receive the degree without ever leaving the White Bear Lake campus.

The East Bethel resident used dislocated worker funds to enroll in Century's engineering CAD (computer aided drafting and design) technology program, and is expected to graduate this fall. Then, the college said, he plans to begin online studies that should net him a bachelor's degree in the fall of 2014.