West school briefs: Bloomington rain gardens created for hands-on learning

Bloomington's Poplar Bridge Elementary School and Pond Family Center are creating rain garden sites to provide hands-on experience and outdoor learning spaces for students and parents.

Children and parents from the Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and preschool classes will plant the Pond Center's rain garden on Thursday, May 16. Poplar Bridge will host a community planting day on Saturday, May 18.

Poplar Bridge's 4,000- square-foot rain garden plot and outdoor classroom area was created last month by Field Outdoor Spaces. The garden will have 26 plant species to provide food and habitat for wildlife. Poplar Bridge staff also hopes to have the garden registered as a monarch way station, providing host and nectar plants for monarch butterflies.

Poplar Bridge neighbors and community members planning to participate in the public planting day should visit http://pb.bloomington.k12.mn.us to complete a form in advance.

The project is funded through an environmental grant from Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, a donation from Valspar Corp. and the school's fundraising efforts.

The Minnetonka School District is partnering with FitNation Donation to sponsor a Fit-Drive event on Saturday May 18. This event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the west parking lot of the high school.

People are asked to donate their used and unwanted exercise equipment, which will be sold to provide funding for new strength and fitness equipment at Minnetonka High School.

Anyone who needs assistance in donating equipment can call the Fit-Drive hot line at 952-240-8638 to arrange a collection time. The Fit-Drive team will arrive at their home to pick up the equipment.

For more information, contact Joel Scalzo, director of charitable partnerships, at 952-240-8638 or at jscalzo@fitna tiondonation.com.

Individuals considering seeking one of three school board seats up for election in November are encouraged to attend one of three information sessions the district has planned.

All three positions are for four-year terms. Members elected will be seated in January 2014, and their terms will last until January 2018.

The seats are currently held by Susan Gaither, John Moroz and Sue Droegemueller. Individuals wishing to run must file election paperwork with the district between July 30 and Aug. 13.

The sessions will provide basic information about district operations and campaign laws. Representatives from the school board also will be available to answer questions about the work involved.

All sessions will be held at the District Administration Building at 210 County Road 101 N. in Plymouth. The Administration Building is next to Gleason Lake Elementary School.

Sessions are planned for:

• Tuesday, May 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

• Monday, June 24, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

• Thursday, July 11, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

RSVP to attend one of the sessions by contacting Colleen Erickson, the executive assistant to the superintendent and the board. E-mail her at Col leen.Erickson@wayzata.k12.mn.us or telephone 763-745-5002.

Blue Water Theatre Company will hold auditions for the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" on Sunday, May 19, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Auditions also will be held May 22 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and May 24 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

A somewhat snarky retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Princess and the Pea," "Once Upon a Mattress" is an ensemble show with dozens of roles. Auditions are open to all student actors currently in grades 6-12.

Actors interested in auditioning need only to show up at one of the sessions. Advance registration is not required, and actors do not need to prepare anything in advance. They should be prepared to stay for the entire audition time.

Rehearsals for "Once Upon a Mattress" will begin on Monday, July 1. They will run 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Monday through Friday, through July 25.

There will be three performances: Thursday, July 25; Friday, July 26; and Saturday, July 27. All of the performances are at 7 p.m. at Wayzata Central Middle School.

This production will be directed by Charlie Leonard, with choreography by Barb Brauch and musical direction by Chris Larson.

For more information, visit www.bluewatertheatre.com to download the production packet. This packet contains everything a student actor needs to know about the show, as well as an actor information form that must be filled out, signed by a parent or guardian, and turned in at the time of your audition.

Blessed Trinity's Class of 2013 will present "Pied Piper: The Musical" on Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, May 19, at 1 p.m.

The performances are at the Academy of Holy Angels' Starlight Theater, 6600 Nicollet Av. S. in Richfield.

For more information, contact Blessed Trinity at 612-869-5200.