By True Grimes

Eighth-graders will usually have at least one adult in their family. Maybe even two.

But when an adult outside of their family takes the time to be a mentor to them, that is pretty powerful stuff, says Central Middle School counselor Stephanie Bender.

That’s why the “Hope for Tomorrow” mentor program is in need of Eden Prairie women to step up as mentors at the middle school at 8025 School Road.

This year, Eden Prairie plans to replace canned vegetables with fresh vegetables. The bakery will be trans-fat free.

By Karla Wennerstrom

It’s two weeks before the start of school, and the Eden Prairie School District kitchens are steaming, stirring, whipping and chopping hubs of activity.

In one kitchen, Production Manager Don Colbrun is working on spaghetti sauce, which will be frozen and ready for the school year to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Spaghetti sauce is one of a variety of soups and sauces the district makes from scratch.

Proposed boundary maps for the 2011-2012 school year may not be available to the public until October, according to an update the Eden Prairie School Board received Tuesday.

According to a district communication plan, feedback will be accepted in a variety of ways through October, with a final decision in early November.

The Boundary Committee again asked the School Board its opinion on non-contiguous boundaries.

The Eagle Band will hold a preview night at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2. The event is open to the public and will be held at Aerie Stadium. The event is sponsored by the Band Parent Organization (BPO).

By Karla Wennerstrom

When Nicole Foyt attended scholarship night at Eden Prairie High School, she had no idea that she was the winner of the biggest scholarship that would be awarded, the Holasek-Griffiths Scholarship.

“It was a huge surprise,” she said. “I was shaking in my chair. … So many emotions were going through my mind. That is one of the highlights of my four years of high school.”

Sam and Charlie Bradley of Eden Prairie held their eighth annual Bradley Backyard Carnival last week to raise money for The Foundation for Retinal Research (www.TFRR.org) in honor of their friend Mary Rose Bushland, according to a news release. The carnival raised $1,020, which “will be used to help researchers find a cure for those afflicted with retinal type blindness.”

C-Tech founder and FEPS board member helps students without computers

By Karla Wennerstrom

About 100 families will receive a refurbished home computer this year thanks to Mike Meshbesher, the Computers for Kids program and the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools.

Meshbesher founded C-Tech in Eden Prairie in 1998. The business accumulates servers, desktop computers and monitors and mainly resells servers.

The school report cards are in, and there are a lot of A’s in Eden Prairie’s corner. For the first time in years, the district as a whole is making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as required by the No Child Left Behind standards.

The gains Eden Prairie has seen as part of making AYP go beyond “adequate.” The district scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment II show that Eden Prairie is making progress on the very elusive goal of tackling the achievement gap between white students and students of color.

By Daniel Huss

Three weekends ago, the Eden Prairie American Legion baseball team won a District 10 title. Two weekends ago, this same legion team won a state championship. Monday, and after playing through another long weekend, Eden Prairie won the Central Plains Regional Tournament. And did you know they boast a 40-7 record?

Next, they hop a plane and fly to Spokane, Wash., for the American Legion World Series.

What do you do with your weekends?

The Chess Club of Minnesota will hold its 2010 summer chess camp Aug. 9 to 13.

According to a news release, “In addition to studying and playing chess in a relaxed, friendly setting, campers will also enjoy a variety of other enjoyable games, puzzles and physical activities. Blitz chess, bughouse chess, lectures, videos, chess puzzles and more will be included. Players will be divided by skill level, with novice, intermediate and advanced groups.”