Community Education News
New Executive Director
Jake Winchell has been named as the new Executive Director for Bloomington Community Education. Currently, Jake is the Director of Community Education and Athletics and Activities Director for Cannon Falls, located about 45 minutes south of Bloomington. Jake received a business degree from Gustavus Adophus College. Soon after graduation, he decided that he wanted to work in education and he received his licensure and a Master's Degree from Minnesota State-Moorhead. Jake is looking forward to starting his new career in Bloomington on April 1st. Welcome to Bloomington Community Education Jake!
CEAC Volunteers at VEAP
Bloomington Bookfest!
The countdown is on! Only 4 more weeks until Bloomington Bookfest! Join us at Oak Grove Middle School on Saturday, February 29th from 9am - Noon as we Leap Into Books for the Second Annual Bloomington Bookfest!

Come see Belinda Jensen, KARE11 Meteorologist and author of the book, Bel the Weather Girl. She will be joining us right after her Saturday morning show to talk about her book and present a few weather-related science experiments.

We are looking for volunteers to help with the event. Want to volunteer? Call Julie Kinsella at
952-681-6117 or sign up online here . We are looking for room volunteers, author assistants, book distributors, set up/clean up crew, greeters, and volunteers to wear or assist our costumed characters. New costumes this year....who would you like to be? If you can't volunteer....come to the event!
Staff Spotlight
Metro South is pleased to welcome Jessica Anderson, Metro South Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator!  Jessica completed a BA in journalism and international studies at NDSU-North Dakota State University where she also studied abroad in Grenoble, France. She moved to Jinju, South Korea in 2008-2017 to teach English and fell in love with the country and city where she lived.  At first, she started teaching basic English to Korean kids age 6-25 in an afterschool program and after a year, she was hired as an instructor at a Korean AirForce base teaching officers English and intercultural communication skills. Later Jess moved on to teach English to college students at Gyeongsang National University, along with serving as the Business English Program coordinator there.  During that time she also served as guest English teacher for EPIK-English Program in Korea for high school students. While in Korea, she received her MEd. degree in education- learning, teaching and curriculum design with an emphasis in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) from the University of Missouri. She has great memories of Korea, she loved the welcoming people, the safety and the food. She also had the opportunity to  travel around Southeast Asia and experience a variety of cultures and languages.  

 In March of 2017 she returned to the US to be closer to family and began a summer position working for the City of St. Paul in the Right Track program in administration. 
At the end of the summer Jess started working at Hmong American Partnership (HAP) where she served as the ABE & Volunteer Program Coordinator before joining Metro South.

She loves ABE because she feels she can give back by building relationships with students and volunteers.  Jess enjoys seeing students grow in their English language and life skills, becoming more independent and proficient in navigating society in the USA. She looks forward to getting to know the volunteers and staff at Metro South and is happy to be back in an academic setting.

Welcome Jess!
Summer Enrichment & SLAM Catalog
Coming to Bloomington homes on February 21st is the new Summer Enrichment and SLAM Catalog. Previously known as the Summer Experience catalog, which combine SLAM, with City and Artistry programs, this new catalog combines all of the Bloomington Community Education programs into one, easy, go-to catalog so you can plan your family's entire summer by looking in one location. Mark your calendars. Registration opens on March 11, 2020!
Did You Know?
Bloomington Public Schools has a new website? Check out the Community Education page by going to bloomingtonschools.org . Click on Community Education on the top right. Look at all the great programs offered through Community Education.
Next Month
Next month: All About Bloomington Bookfest!