West metro school briefs: New prep school to open in Chaska this fall

New prep school to open this fallA new private prep school is opening next fall in Chaska at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Alexander Prep School will have grades 7-10. A series of open houses is being offered to meet school officials, tour the grounds and visit with special guests, including former NHL player Neal Broten, who played in the 1980 Olympics.

The next open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday in the Carlson Room and will feature Broten. Another open house will take place from 6-8 p.m. Monday and feature Ken Dragseth, a former Edina superintendent and the director of administrative licensure at the University of Minnesota School of Education.

New private school forms from mergerImmaculate Heart of Mary School in Minnetonka and St. John the Evangelist School in Hopkins are merging this fall to create a new regional Catholic school called Notre Dame Academy.

An open house will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at 13505 Excelsior Blvd. in Minnetonka. The school will include kindergarten through eighth-grade as well as 2-, 3- and 5-day preschool programs.

For more information or to register, call 952-358-3500 or go to www.nda-mn.org.

Sleep out for the homelessA group of 20 sixth- and seventh-grade boys hockey players from Minnetonka are having a "sleep out" to raise money and awareness for homelessness in Minnesota.

Group performs 'Revolution '63'The Youth Performance Company will present an original production that examines a tumultuous year in the nation's history, 1963.

"Revolution '63" features songs and stories of the people behind the year of 1963. Performances will take place Feb. 1-17 at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center in Minneapolis.

Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. For performance times or to buy tickets, go to www. youthperformanceco.org.

St. Helena principal receives awardThe principal of St. Helena Catholic School in Minneapolis recently was recognized by the National Catholic Educational Association as one of 12 distinguished principals nationwide.

Jane Hileman and the other 11 award winners of the Distinguished Principals Award were selected from among more than 6,000 principals nationwide. Hileman, who has been the school's principal since 1998, will receive the award in April.

The event is open to the public and will take place from 6-10 p.m. at 7540 Penn Av. S., Richfield. Tickets are $25 per family or $15 per individual.

The event will feature a homemade pasta dinner for $5. Special tickets for seniors are also being sold for $8 and will include the cost of the pasta dinner.

A silent auction will include baskets, gift certificates and homemade items. Call 612-866-6906 or go to www.btcsmn.org for more information.

Nominations open for Caring Youth awardThe deadline is Feb. 1 for nominations for the annual 2013 Caring Youth Award.

Each year the cities of Minnetonka, Hopkins and Golden Valley, the Hopkins and Minnetonka school districts and the Glen Lake Optimists host a Caring Youth Recognition event to honor the contributions of young people. This year's event will take place at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Minnetonka Community Center.

To nominate a seventh- through 12th-grade student who demonstrates awareness of others through volunteering or other activities, go to www.eminnetonka.com for guidelines and applications or contact Minnetonka community relations manager Jacque Larson at 952-939-8207. Nominations are due by 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 1.

PACER Center benefit bringing in Jay LenoThe PACER Center in Bloomington, a national parent center, is bringing comedian Jay Leno to its 31st annual benefit, which supports the center's programs for children with disabilities and their families.

Tickets are now on sale to see Leno, the Emmy Award-winning host of NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," at the Minneapolis Convention Center on May 11. For more details or to get tickets, go to www.pacer.org.