Jennifer Cahill, Columbia Heights Public Schools’ new Teacher of the Year. (Columbia Heights Public Schools)
Columbia Heights Public Schools names Teacher of the Year
Valley View Elementary kindergarten teacher Jennifer Cahill has been named the 2025 Columbia Heights Public Schools Local 710 Teacher of the Year.
In an essay she wrote as part of the application, Cahill said:
“Educating the whole child is valuable and I believe the most important educational issue of today is meeting the needs of the whole child — physical, social, emotional, and academic; therefore, supporting their mental health. Students live in a world that is complex where students may experience economic hardships, social injustice, worries about being deported, and overuse of technology.
“In this complex world, educators can do many things to provide for the whole child and I believe we can make a difference in providing our students with social and emotional health support within the classroom … Supporting our students’ social and emotional needs is just as valuable as the academic needs. Looking at our classrooms as a garden of children will give us a perspective to support the whole child. As teachers, we will give them great soil to thrive in by educating ourselves in best practices related to social and emotional health and also academics. We will tend to the social and emotional needs to grow strong roots, water our students with academics so they thrive with knowledge.
“When they are growing, we ‘prune’ as needed with additional support, both within and outside the classroom. If this is done in every classroom, we will have students who have gained skills to be successful in school and be contributing members of our complex world!”
Call for artists around town
The 11th annual Posters for Parks show will take place on Saturday, October 11, at Minnehaha Park, and preparations are in full swing.
Artists and art teams interested in getting their art shown at the event are invited to apply to design and create artwork that honors Owámniyomni — the Dakota name for St. Anthony Falls. The selected artist or art teams will collaborate with the Dakota community to design the piece. Native American, American Indian or First Nations people are encouraged to apply, but all who live or work in the Twin Cities area are welcome. The application deadline is May 28 at 4 p.m. Email info@lovemplsparks.org for more information.
Friends of the Mississippi River and F-O-K Creatives are teaming up to sponsor a river-inspired art exhibition. “Our River Mississippi Muse” takes place December 1-19, 2025, at F-O-K Studio’s 3rd Floor Gallery in St. Paul. Artists “whose work relates to the river” are welcome to submit by June 1, 2025. Visit https://mnartists.walkerart.org/opportunity/our-river-mississippi-muse for more information.
Dziedzic at the reopening of the bridge in 2021. (Northeaster file)
The Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic Memorial Bridge. (Northeaster file)
Bridge to downtown renamed
An old bridge is getting a new name. The 10th Avenue Bridge was recently renamed the Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic Memorial Bridge in honor of the late State Senator. Senator Doron Clark recently said in his newsletter that “Senator Dziedzic built bridges — both at the legislature and in her personal life. This memorial will be a fitting tribute to her public service, advocacy, and dedication to her constituents.”
Congratulations, graduates
Mankato State University graduated two students from Columbia Heights, Kidus Ermias received a CERT in Business Analytics and Alex Kerns graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in RN Baccalaureate Completion. Armia Ali graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in RN Baccalaureate Completion and Lajune Cain received General Credit for Race Conscious Leader[ship] and Educational Leadership, both are from Minneapolis.
Jaclyn Ramosa, St. Anthony, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in RN Baccalaureate Completion.
Southern New Hampshire University names Minneapolis student to President’s List
Chinyere Prowell of Minneapolis has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s Spring 2025 President’s list. To be eligible for placement, full-time students must have maintained a GPA of 3.7 and above for the previous term.