Eighty student leaders from Northfield and three other school districts — Faribault, Tri-City United, and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown — gathered at Carleton College in December to discuss data related to graduation rates, school connection, mental health and well-being, and substance use. Substance use and school connection data came from the Minnesota Student Survey, and graduation rates and […]

In an increasingly digital world where electronic communication is the default for today’s elementary students, kids at the Bridgewater and Spring Creek Elementary Schools are learning how to connect the old-fashioned way — by writing letters in a pen pal club.  Erin Hall, a first-grade teacher and Community School volunteer at Bridgewater, came up with […]

The Northfield Community College Collaborative (NCCC) launched a new pathway this fall for people interested in becoming emergency medical technicians. The EMT program is offered in partnership with Northfield Hospital + Clinics. Students can become certified as EMTs in one year, after completing two courses and passing a national exam. “The program is unique compared […]

Izzy Hessian remembers what it’s like to be a busy teen juggling homework, after-school activities, and social time with friends. As a 2019 graduate of Northfield High School and a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, she’s drawn upon her not-too-distant memories of high school life as she’s helped create a new hangout space […]

Angelica Linder loves to make people feel welcome at the Northfield Public Library. But she’s learned during the past five years as the library’s outreach coordinator, and her twenty years of living in Northfield, that the downtown location does not meet the needs of everyone in the community. Getting to the library when it’s open […]

Community school programming is expanding this fall to serve students and families in all three public elementary schools in the Northfield district. Bridgewater and Spring Creek are joining Greenvale Park in offering free out-of-school-time programming for their K-5 students Monday through Thursday, immediately after school until 4:45 p.m., starting Oct. 3. Students can receive homework […]

Starting in early October, Northfield students in grades 6-8 will have the opportunity to participate in an innovative after-school program that boosts foundational academic and life skills through projects and games. ACES (Athletes Committed to Educating Students) will serve up to 50 students, providing project-based curriculum and learning experiences that bring math and social-emotional learning […]

Youth First received national recognition in August for its work in ensuring that Northfield’s young people have their voices heard at local decision-making tables and are actively engaged in civic life. The organization — a partnership between Healthy Community Initiative (HCI), the City of Northfield, and Youthprise, a Minneapolis-based youth development organization — received the […]

Wearing safety glasses and work boots, with a tool belt strapped around his waist, Landen Tuma moved purposefully around the Northfield Area Learning Center’s outdoor work site, located behind the former Longfellow Elementary School. The Northfield tenth-grader was part of a team of students getting paid to learn on the job. The project at hand […]

The Northfield High School auditorium turned into a game show set in May as four seniors competed for money, prizes, and the applause of their classmates. Kurt Halverson, financial literacy education specialist for HomeTown Credit Union, played the role of emcee for “Let’s Master Money,” a fun competition designed to test students’ knowledge of topics […]