2011 Year in Review: March's Top Stories on Mendota Heights Patch

The proposal to  into Friendly Hills Middle School will not be on a list of budget-cutting options presented at the  School Board’s next meeting.

Superintendent Jay Haugen announced his intention Monday night to bring forward some of the more promising  for further review on April 4. Based on feedback from the board, he said that the controversial “co-location” plan would not be among them.

 

The sign on Highway 110 will read: "Mendota Heights: Pop. 11,071" for the next ten years, according to U.S. Census data released March 16. That marks a decline of 363 residents from the official 2000 population.

The Census is a count of the American population gathered every ten years, and is mandated in the U.S. Constitution. The information is used to determine the boundaries of government representation, distribute funding and plan for the future.

 

St. Thomas Academy junior Andrew Commers said that it was impulsive—that he didn’t have enough time to think about it.

All he knew was it had to show his excitement.

Seconds after scoring in March 11th's Class A semifinal, Commers, while still in motion, knelt to one knee and dusted the ice with his glove before being mobbed by teammates.

Impulsive? Perhaps, but this particular hockey celebration—known to the players as a “celly”—has become the celly du jour at this year’s Minnesota state tournament.

 

For the first time in its history, Visitation School in Mendota Heights has an official mascot. The mysterious figure arrived in a "blaze of glory" during the school's recent Merrie Market fundraising event.

Known as "Blaze," the new mascot is a phoenix. She was revealed to students and parents on Friday, March 4 during the first night of Merrie Market, arriving complete with a spotlight and dramatic music. 

 

Native Mendota Heights resident, Andi Brenne, had the thrill of a lifetime when she was selected to be a contestant on one of her very favorite shows, "Wheel of Fortune." Brenne, wife and mother of two girls aged 4 and 2, traveled to California this February for the taping of the episode that will air on June 7. Her parents and good friend Jennifer Berg joined her on the trip for moral support.

 “We were all so excited and proud of Andi," said her dad, Tom. "It was quite an awesome and unforgettable experience.”