MINNEAPOLIS - It's been one year since the tragic gas explosion at Minnehaha Academy. Two people died, nine others were hurt, and part of the building was destroyed.
Students spent the last year at a temporary building in Mendota Heights. For senior Emma Melling, it was a tough last year of high school. However, it didn't stop her from working hard.
PHOTOS: Minnehaha Academy explosion
She joined the school's journalism program as a freshmen. After the explosion, she and her teacher, Reid Westrem, discussed how to cover the story.
"She really thought that letting people tell their stories would be the most powerful thing," Westrem said.
Melling was editor-in-chief of the school's newspaper but was drawn to a different style of journalism.
"I realized that I had an audio file of an interview that I'd done in 2016 with John Carlson, who was the custodian who died in the explosion," she said. "We decided that we were going to publish it on the website."
That led to a series: August 2 Stories.
"For most of the podcasts, I would pretty much only ask one or two questions and just let them talk the whole time," Melling said.
Westrem said Melling is able to grasp concepts not every teenager can grasp.
"Emma really does have that empathy," he said. "She's able to talk to people. People trust her because they know that she's sincere. They know that she cares."
Now the world knows it, too. Melling submitted a clip from her series to The New York Times’ first student podcast contest. In the clip, Melling interviews Laura DuBois, a school chef who was on campus during the explosion.
There were almost 700 podcast submissions. Melling was one of only 10 who won.
"Just to be recognized and validated by so reputable and well known a new source as the NY Times was so validating and encouraging because the project throughout the year was by no means easy," she said.
Thursday, August 2, the school will host a "pillar raising ceremony" in remembrance of the explosion and in celebration of its plans to rebuild. The school community plans to raise a foundational pillar for the new campus. There will also be a virtual reality activity that provides a look inside the building plans.
Speakers include Minnehaha Academy President Dr. Donna Harris, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges. Judy Hoskens, principal of the Cuningham Group, Kendall Griffith, vice president and general manager of Mortenson Construction, and two students are also scheduled to speak.
The ceremony starts at 10 a.m. and will be held at the construction site at 3100 West River PKWY in Minneapolis.
Melling will begin classes at Bethel University this fall and plans to study English and Journalism. You can listen to her podcast here.