West school briefs: Eden Prairie student runner-up in science contest

Student runner-up in science contestEden Prairie freshman Carolyn Jons beat eight other finalists from across the country to win the runner-up spot in the recent 14th annual Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

Jons, 14, was one of 10 finalists for her project about preventing food waste caused by mold. She got to work alongside a 3M scientist during a summer mentorship program to create an innovation presented at the final event Oct. 15-16 in St. Paul.

As the second-place winner, Jons received $1,000 and a trip from Discovery Student Adventures to Costa Rica.

Her project involved creating a packaging method to inhibit mold growth and keep food fresh longer.

The winner, a New Hampshire student, was dubbed "America's Top Young Scientist" and received $25,000 and a trip from Discovery Student Adventures.

School board hosts listening sessionsThe St. Louis Park school board will hold one of three listening sessions starting this week.

The events give students, parents, staff and community members the opportunity to have an open dialogue with the school board. The first session takes place from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the Meadowbrook Community Center.

If no one shows up for one of the meetings within the first 30 minutes, the school board will cancel the session.

West schools in SpotLight programSeveral west-metro schools are among 56 schools this year that are participating in the SpotLight Musical Theatre Program, a project of the Hennepin Theatre Trust that honors and supports Minnesota high school musical theatre.

It's the eighth year of the program, which ends with the SpotLight Showcase on June 3.

In the west metro, participating high schools include Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park, Chanhassen, Chaska, Edina, Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Jefferson, Main Street School of Performing Arts in Hopkins, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Mound Westonka, Richfield, St. Louis Park and Wayzata.

In Minneapolis, participating high schools include Blake School, Southwest, Washburn, DeLaSalle, FAIR Downtown School and Minnehaha Academy.