Today, Willie Jett serves as the leader of Minnesota’s public education system as the state’s education commissioner, but once upon a time, he was a student at Crest View Elementary School. Jett took time to visit his old school on Oct. 25, where he toured the school, met staff and scholars, and visited with the school’s principal, Stephanie Webster.
Crest View is one of the district’s oldest schools, and Webster proudly showed off the building’s new art flex lab and bright, welcoming halls with student art showcased throughout. As they toured the building, Jett picked out some of his old classrooms and shared memories of his days as a Crest View student.
Beyond his memories of attending the school, Jett and Webster also discussed the neighborhood’s transition from potato farms to a suburban/urban environment, the school-wide mentoring program, and the racial, cultural and linguistic diversity of the school and how it enhances learning. They also discussed some of the academic and artistic endeavors happening at Crest View and the unlimited possibilities for the school’s scholars.