Students shine at inaugural Inspired Journey Summit

Hundreds of Eden Prairie students from elementary to high school displayed creative projects at the district’s first-ever Inspired Journey Summit on May 22.

The projects were the culmination of their work in various fields of study over the past year as part of the district’s Inspired Journey experience.

This aligns with the five pathways laid out in the district’s 2023-28 Strategic Plan: communication and the arts, human and public services, natural and applied sciences, engineering, technology, and manufacturing, and business and marketing.

The event was held at Eden Prairie High School (EPHS), with projects set up at individual stations spread across the building. In addition to students interacting with staff, families, and other visitors, judges interviewed students about their projects to determine which would win awards at the end of the night.

Robb Virgin, the district’s assistant superintendent of secondary education, said the aim of the Inspired Journey experience is “to create something with purpose and relevance beyond the school setting. We want students to discover, explore, and pursue.”

Student projects covered all five pathways

In the school’s Lower South Commons, students from Eden Lake Elementary and Cedar Ridge Elementary displayed group projects they have been working on in their Inspired Journey groups.

The program, which was piloted at these two schools during the 2022-23 school year, was rolled out this year at all of the district’s elementary schools.

Students met on Tuesday afternoons during the school day in teacher-led “enrichment clusters” called Discovery Groups, which are based on their indicated interests.

A few of the group focuses were Theater Camp (communication and the arts), Sportsmanship (human and public services), Exploring the Outdoors (natural and applied sciences), Coding for Kids (engineering, technology, and manufacturing), and Be Your Own Boss (business and marketing).

At the summit, students showed off video games they had created, performed a play called “Cinderella Modern Makeover,” ran a spirit wear pop-up store, displayed artwork and photographs, played cardboard arcade games they created, and more.

Megan Skogstad, who teaches grades 4 and 5 at Eden Lake, was there with her students in the “Harry Potter Hangout” Discovery Group to display their Harry Potter-themed creations, including dragon eggs and wands.

“The kids at Eden Lake always look forward to Tuesdays because it’s Inspired Journey day,” she said. “They never want to miss it.”

Upstairs, Central Middle School (CMS) students packed the main gym to show off their projects and business plans.

One highlight was the large CO2 car drag racing track set up on one side of the room. CMS teacher Larry Hunter and his Design, Model, and Make students were there to demonstrate the CO2 race cars they created in class.

Hunter said his students learned a lot this year through the engineering and design process. “They’re trying to find the recipe for the lightest and most aerodynamic car,” he said.

First, he said his students started by determining the purpose of their project and creating sample sketches. After learning to use tools such as a band saw, belt sander, and drill press, they each chose their design and built and refined it into a small wooden car. After hand-sanding, students primed and painted their cars, added wheels, and tested them.

Logan Watkins, one of Hunter’s students, said he enjoyed creating the cars. “My favorite part of the project was drawing the prototype, and the biggest challenge was learning to use the band saw,” he said. “The most fun part was racing the cars.”

Watch a video of the CO2 cars drag racing below.

In the Upper South Commons several high school students showcased capstone projects they created this year.

Al Amundsen, an Eden Prairie High School senior, has taken two capstone classes: Multimedia Story Production (communication and the arts pathway) and Science Research and Design (natural and applied sciences pathway). At the summit, Amundsen presented an environmental science project created for the latter capstone about the health of Eden Prairie’s Round Lake.

“I wanted to know: Why is Round Lake strange compared to the rest of our lakes?” Amundsen said. The project measured the lake’s turbidity (clarity), nitrate levels, pH (which is an indication of lake health), and temperature. Although the lake has had issues with bacteria overgrowth and dropping water levels in the past few years, Amundsen said that, surprisingly, “The turbidity wasn’t terrible.”

Amundsen said the capstone was a positive experience. “I loved my capstone classes,” Amundsen said. “I think it’s a really good idea for our schools to encourage kids to pursue higher research.”

Amundsen also suggested that as the school refines the capstone experience, especially for the newer courses, incorporating clear rubrics and more structure would help guide students who may be doing significant independent research projects for the first time.

Several other high school students presented projects across the five pathways. In the Business and Management pathway, sophomores Cecelia Erickson and Nawal Abdullahi shared their project, called Haute Hijab’s No-Snag Hijab Magnets, which they created outside of class for the DECA competition.

“It was an Integrated Marketing Campaign designed to draw attention and bring in potential customers for this under-represented product,” Erickson said. “I feel like the most meaningful part of the project for me was to bring awareness to a practice and issue that most people are not aware of: the risk of safety pins for Muslim women.”

Senior Jack Mlodyziniec presented a business plan he and classmates Billie Jacobsen-Couch and Tommy Moen created in their entrepreneurship capstone, focusing on marketing, preparation, and selling of an apple dessert to students during the high school lunch hour.

Awards ceremony recognized community partners, special achievements

The showcases concluded at 6 p.m. and were followed by an awards ceremony.

Virgin was instrumental in developing the Inspired Journey experience in his previous role as the district’s executive director of personalized learning.

After greeting the packed auditorium, Virgin said, “I think we’ve started an annual tradition here. It really gives us a chance to think about what learning could be, and really celebrate the learning we want to have happen in Eden Prairie Schools.”

Virgin said he was happy to have the opportunity to celebrate the “amazing” work of the district’s students and teachers.

“’Inspired Journey’ is the language we’ve developed here that ties into our mission of inspiring each student and ties into our vision that learning really is about a journey,” he said.

Virgin also thanked teachers for mentoring students and community members for serving on pathway advisory boards, helping with capstone classes, judging at the event, hosting site visits, and providing resources for students. “Partnerships really make all of that possible,” he said.

Ethan Dado, who joined the district last July as the pathways coordinator, was responsible for planning, organizing, and executing the event. After thanking the community partners and judges, Dado announced awards, which were given to the top two projects at the middle and high school level.

Central Middle School

Business and Management
First place: Karthikeyan Suresh and Larson Schiveley.
Second place: Ananya Gali, Manonmai Ivaturi, and Riaz Ahmed.

Communication and the Arts
First place: Kason Redford.
Second place: Winona Nelson.

Engineering, Technology, and Manufacturing
First place: Aanya Mehta.
Second place: Akshaya Ramanujam (and team).

Eden Prairie High School

Business and Marketing
First place: Cecelia Erickson and Nawal Abdullahi.
Second place: Jack Mlodozyniec, Billie Jacobsen-Couch, and Tommy Moen.

Communication and the Arts
First place: Sophia Yoerks.
Second place: Nora Koehler.

Engineering, Technology, and Manufacturing
First place: Jasmine Garry.
Second place: Mark Derouin and Nolan Peterson.

Human and Public Services
First place: Najma Said.
Second place: Kaylee Peralta.

Natural and Applied Sciences
First place: Jordan Flam and Chloe Kruse.
Second place: Gabi Lainhart.