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Excellent Educator: Circle Pines' Val Rae Boe Helps Kids With Disabilities

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- This week's Excellent Educator is Val Rae Boe, who has a passion for helping children with disabilities.

Boe has put her heart and soul into creating the Karner Blue Education Center in Circle Pines, which is a brand new state-of-the-art facility that's an oasis for kids with special needs.

"It's the staff and it's the building and the district that have made this happen," said Boe as she accepted the award.

This is the first year for the school, it opened in September.

"The school is really designed to help students who have special education needs," Boe said. "This building has been created based on the needs of the students everything from acoustical consideration and lighting, and having flexible spaces."

One of the things people notice right away is the connection the school has with nature.

"We have a nature theme in our building and that really helps create a healing environment for students," Boe said. "We really help them connect to Minnesota through four ecosystems, the forest, river, lake and prairie. When they're connected to something larger than themselves there's a sense of safety and security."

Boe says working with special needs students is very rewarding.

"Seeing their dreams come alive, helping them to understand that there is a future for them and giving them the hope that they need to achieve their goals," she said.

Boe hasn't always been an educator. She received her bachelor's degree in Education but couldn't find a job, so she went into the corporate world for a number of years, but never lost the calling. Eventually, she was able to get in a classroom teaching special education, and now is the principal.

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