At the Inspired Journey Summit, students’ discoveries, explorations and pursuits are on full display

Amid the bustle inside the Eden Prairie High School gym, Cedar Ridge fifth grader Hansel Pliego Zarate stood with a confident expression upon his face. Dressed in a chef’s hat and coat and a half apron, Hansel proudly displayed his concept for a food truck. “The Pancake Club” would sell pancakes, french fries, cupcakes and chicken tenders. “No waffles,” he stated plainly to Assistant Superintendent Felicia Thames, who was visiting Hansel’s booth at the 2025 Inspired Journey Summit. Thames laughed, asking if he’d tried crepes before. Hansel had, and it sounded like those might be a good addition to his menu. 

Now in its second year, the Inspired Journey Summit was a science fair-like celebration of learning in Eden Prairie Schools, showcasing student work in five interest-area Pathways: Communication & Arts; Human & Public Services; Natural & Applied Sciences; Engineering, Technology & Manufacturing; and Business & Management. Fifth graders from across the district presented the work they’d done in Discovery Groups, eighth graders displayed their endeavors within the five interest-area Pathways and high schoolers chatted with visitors about their Capstone projects. May 22 was an afternoon full of energy as families, staff and community partners visited students’ tables and learned about their Inspired Journeys.

Between Eden Lake’s cardboard towers, Forest Hills’ team-building games and an EP Online crochet business stood Oak Point fifth graders Harman Aneja and Rajveer Singh, who had designed a slingshot-type board game in their Discovery Group. “The key to this game is precision,” said Rajveer, demonstrating how to launch a repurposed bottle cap across a playing surface like a puck over ice. Caps that fell onto the green zone in the center of the board scored a point, while those that fell into the cut-out portions lost points. There were ups and downs in designing “Slingshots,” but the pair of students ultimately learned teamwork and crafting skills to bring the project to life. As for the Summit? “I love it,” said Harman with a smile. “It’s like a convention.”

Just behind Harman and Rajveer stood Priyal Panda and Merola Sedrak, two more Oak Point students who “really had to cooperate,” said Priyal, to finish their project on aquatic animals. When one student needed help, the other was there to pitch in, and vice versa. They shared facts and lit up when they talked about the salamander-like axolotl, their favorite aquatic animal. In addition to all of the hands-on projects on display in the room, the Inspired Journey Summit provided an opportunity for students to further practice the “4 C’s”; in this real-world environment, students could hone their communication skills while also proudly displaying the critical thinking, creativity and collaboration they had applied in designing their projects.

Just outside the gym, down in the high school’s South Commons, eighth grader Aanya Mehta was showing visitors how to use a game controller to drive the robot she had built. Aanya had always been interested in technology and wanted to pursue robotics in high school. “I feel like this is something I could see myself doing,” she said, musing about the opportunities she’d had to explore coding as a middle school student. Earlier in the year, Aanya had been invited to present her robot at the district’s Core Planning meeting, demonstrating the hands-on experience she’d had with robotics and how it had sparked her curiosity and sense of what’s possible. “It’s one of my dreams to do something for the world and make a big change,” Aanya said, the excitement of presenting her project bursting from her smile.

Nearby, high schoolers were showcasing their Capstone projects, from chess apps to behavioral research to musical performances and more. For many of them, the opportunity to complete this kind of work at the high school level was very special. 11th grader Lily James, who had completed a research study on the effects of noise distractions on attention, wanted to be a neurosurgeon, and opportunities like the Inspired Journey Summit were exciting experiences to present scientific research that aligned with her interests. The Capstone had also been a great chance to learn time management, explore connections with mentors and design a study of her own.

Down the hall from Lily, 12th graders Nathan Rys and Cody Jacobson presented their woodcrafting Capstone projects: Nathan had built a beautiful angled desk and Cody had constructed a guitar from an almost solid piece of ash. Cody was planning to study guitar building at Minnesota State College Southeast, making the month-long build of his ash guitar a fantastic introduction to the studies he had ahead of him. He played a short measure or two, demonstrating its incredible sound. The guitar was a masterful piece, and visitors flocked to see it.

Back in the gym, where fifth graders were presenting their work, Cedar Ridge teacher and Food Truck Discovery Group leader Jill O’Toole was thinking about Hansel’s “Pancake Club.” “He was all in on the food part,” she said fondly. As a 32-year Eden Prairie Schools veteran and one of the staff members who had originally piloted Discovery Groups, O'Toole could see firsthand the impact the program had on students. It was more than just fun — guiding their own learning was empowering students in a new way. “They’re finding hidden talents [in Discovery Groups] and they have really shone with their ability to talk about it,” O’Toole said. “Kids are talented in so many ways. This shows the world is so wide open for them.”