South-West Review People

Joanne (Joey) Schoen, lead teacher and assistant director at Dodge Nature Preschool, received the 2014 Kate Davidson Tanner Award for teaching from the Minnesota Association for the Education of Young Children. MNAEYC representatives, members of the Kate Davidson Tanner family, and Dodge Nature Center staff and board members joined the preschool staff and Schoen’s former preschool students in congratulating Schoen at an awards reception on Thursday, April 24.

My interest in writing happened by accident. I’m like the Post-it note of journalists.
When I was a 14-year-old freshman in the Edina School District, I had a sudden urge to write about the Minnesota Twins and pro-basketball legend George Mikan, and subsequently created a free blog to accomplish this goal.

25th anniversary of award marked
The River Heights Chamber of Commerce has named Simons Landscaping its 2014 Small Business of the Year.
Owner Dave Simons and his mom, Patti Simons, company vice president, accepted the award at the chamber’s annual small business luncheon and trade show Thursday, April 17 at Southview Country Club in West St. Paul.

Although my title is now news editor, I’m really a reporter at heart.
I started out at Lillie Suburban Newspapers as a staff writer last fall, covering North St. Paul, Maplewood and Lake Elmo. A couple of weeks ago, I was given a promotion, and started receiving a lot more emails and phone calls to sift through.
That’s because I’m the person South-West Review readers should contact about news items, story ideas or just something interesting they’ve seen or heard around town.

Sue Powell, principal of Garlough Environmental Magnet School in West St. Paul, has been named Magnet Schools of America’s (MSA) 2013-14 Region VI Principal of the Year.