In the Know - April 28, 2023
April 28, 2023
Above & Beyond Awards recipient profiles
Anoka-Hennepin Schools has a tradition of involving students, families, community members and staff members in recognizing and honoring employees that consistently go that extra mile so students can be successful. During the month of April, the 2023 Above & Beyond Awards recipients will be featured. Learn more about the Above & Beyond awards.
Above & Beyond Award recipient: Jacob Southmayd
Jacob Southmayd, a special education teacher at Dayton Elementary School, has been recognized as a 2022-23 Above & Beyond Awards recipient. He has found innovative ways to meet the needs of the students and utilize technology to best serve both students and staff on a day-to-day basis.
“Working with my co-teachers, paras, classroom teachers, and administrators, we tried out-of-the-box ideas that had never been seen at our school before to address social and emotional needs,” Southmayd said. “It took all of us to make the risks worth the rewards and our students express daily how much love and support they feel, knowing that we see them as more than just another student in the system.”
Southmayd has worked for the district for four years; previously serving as an explorations/core teacher at Brookside Elementary School, and a fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts. Everyday, he sets up the technology needed for the teachers and paras to be successful in their classrooms. He also implemented the use of Google products for teachers and paraeducators to collaborate electronically and increase efficiencies, which gives the teams real-time updates on students to provide support when needed. Read more about Southmayd.
Above & Beyond Award recipient: Minh Strusz
Minh Strusz, principal at Hoover Elementary School - Biomedical, Health Sciences and Engineering has been recognized as a 2022-23 Above & Beyond Awards recipient. Strusz is a dedicated educator who partners with students, families and her staff to provide meaningful and memorable learning opportunities that will engage and initiate positive change-makers.
Strusz, a 1996 Champlin Park High School graduate and former student at Monroe Elementary and Jackson Middle School, is in her sixth year at Anoka-Hennepin. She spent four years as the curriculum integrator at Hoover before moving into administration.
“What I’ve learned as a principal, is that it’s not about me and won’t ever be,” Strusz said. “It’s about prioritizing the students at Hoover and to do that, I have to listen to and understand the needs of the staff and families.”
The “we” over “me” approach has led to a supportive and collaborative working and learning environment at Hoover. Strusz has implemented a shared leadership model where she works with her talented team of dedicated and knowledgeable educators who are all-in when given a chance to be a part of a collective to solve problems for Hoover students, staff and families. Read more about Strusz.
Above & Beyond Award recipient: Bill Underwood
Bill Underwood, a teaching and learning specialist working in special education technology, has been recognized as a 2022-23 Above & Beyond Awards recipient. For the last year, Underwood has led a migration to a new software solution for student data within special education. His extensive preparatory work, training sessions and support after implementation has led to a smooth transition for staff.
“This year has been the most challenging and rewarding year in my career,” Underwood said. “The transition to the new software has encouraged many discussions on how we track and monitor student needs…which allows educators to do the vital work they do with our students.”
Underwood had a goal to make the new process more efficient for staff so they could focus on teaching. He met with key groups to identify all the district's priorities in regard to documenting students' achievement and needs and then communicated those ideas to the software company to come up with the final solution. Read more about Underwood.
Above & Beyond Award recipient: Jacque Weidner
Jacque Weidner, a special education teacher at Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts, has been recognized as a 2022-23 Above & Beyond Awards recipient. Weidner made a mid-trimester move from River Trail Learning Center to Lincoln, a school that was facing staff shortages in its DCD centerbase program. Through her experience, work ethic and caring attitude, the program at Lincoln flourished with more stability for students and staff.
“I believe it is imperative to have a partnership with students and their families to help students reach their full potential each and every day,” Weidner said. “I did my best to maintain a positive attitude and trust the process of change. I am proud that we have come so far at Lincoln and recognize we still have a lot of work to do. I look forward to it!”
Weidner has worked 21 years in Anoka-Hennepin and in her career has taught special education at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and in transition education (18-21 year olds). She ensures her students are successful by creating as many opportunities as possible, both in the classroom and outside the school walls. She has been rewarded by having several families of former students reach out to show their gratitude. Read more about Weidner.
NEW EPISODES: Anoka-Hennepin and Allina Health present SupportingYoU podcast
Anoka-Hennepin and Allina Health partnered to provide district teachers and staff with a library of resources to support employee health and mental wellness.
SupportingYoU, an employee wellness podcast, has 34 episodes available now - featuring a range of topics from self-care fundamentals to the importance of gratitude.
Listen by visiting the website at ahschools.us/supportingyou.
Apply today for summer jobs in Anoka-Hennepin!
Anoka-Hennepin is currently seeking teachers and paraeducators for early childhood, elementary and secondary Extended School Year and Targeted Services summer positions.
Paraeducators and teachers who are not available for working the entirety of the summer schedule are encouraged to still apply and reach out to the appropriate supervisor indicating your availability. Sub coverage is still needed in the summer and your availability may help to fill that need. Read details and apply online.
University Avenue Elementary named a Top Magnet School in the United States for 2023
The Magnet Schools of America named University Avenue Elementary School - Aerospace, Childrens Engineering and Science a Top Elementary Magnet School in the United States for 2023. The honor was presented at a special ceremony held Saturday, April 22 at the Magnet Schools of America (MSA) National Conference in Dallas, Texas. View the MSA Press Release.
University Avenue ACES Elementary School is an elementary magnet school with a STEM for students in kindergarten through fifth. UAE is one of 26 elementary schools serving approximately 600 students in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. The school is located in Blaine, Minn., and is a part of the Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD), which is a consortium of seven school districts in the northwest metropolitan area. Nearly 25% of students at UAE are enrolled through a lottery process facilitated by NWSISD.
University ACES has been recognized multiple years by MSA as a Magnet School of Excellence, which is only awarded to a select group of magnet schools in the country. In February, UAE was one of just 24 schools nationally to earn this recognition, earning the award for the second time in recent years.
District and school representatives attended the conference along with nearly 1,500 other magnet school teachers, principals and administrators from across the country to learn and share best practices in curriculum and instruction, technology integration, school leadership and magnet school design.
To learn more about University Avenue Elementary School, visit ahschools.us/university.
Pictured, left to right: Melissa Jordan, executive director, of Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD); Kate Watson, Curriculum Integrator Coordinator; Diedre Bloemers, Principal; Erin Heers-McArdle, Anoka-Hennepin School Board Treasurer; Krisanthy Sikkila, NWSISD Communications and Magnet Specialist.
University Avenue Elementary celebrates with students
On April 28, University Avenue Elementary celebrated the award with an all-school assembly. The event was led by students and was attended by Erin Heers-McArdle, Anoka-Hennepin School Board Treasurer, Dr. Kate Maguire, interim superintendent, Dr. Mary Wolverton, associate superintendent for elementary schools and Dr. Annette Ziegler, director of state and federal programs and elementary schools.
Anoka-Hennepin high school graduation rates continue to outperform state average for the 2022 school year
Graduation rates for students in the Anoka-Hennepin School District continue to outperform the state average for 2022, graduating 86.3.% of all seniors in four-years. Anoka-Hennepin continues to outpace the state graduation average overall by 2.4% and outperforms the state in all but one student group. Student demographics in the Anoka-Hennepin School District closely mirror averages across the State of Minnesota.
The 2022 overall district graduation rate dropped 2.7% from the recent all-time highest district graduation rate in 2021, returning to graduation rates similar to the two previous years.
The 2022 results included an 80.2% graduation rate for Black students, the highest rate in district history and a number that outpaces the state average by 6.7%. Blaine High School led the district with 92% of Black students graduating in four years, a 2.5% gap from their White student group. Four of five high schools have a Black-White graduation gap of 7% or less while the districtwide Black-White gap narrowed to 8.5%, considering all traditional and alternative schools.
Anoka-Hennepin students continue to stay in school yielding an overall dropout rate of 2.3%, compared to the state average of 4.5%. Both Andover High School and Champlin Park High School generated a dropout rate of less than 1% of students and Blaine High School dropout rate was 1.6%.
Graduation rates are one of the five main data points used to measure student performance in Minnesota’s World's Best Workforce monitoring system. Other key performance indicators include kindergarten readiness, reading well by third grade, reducing performance gaps between student groups and college and career readiness.
For more the four-year high school graduation rates for the district and five traditional high schools, visit our website.
Episode 32 Part 1: School Resource Officers working in partnership with Anoka-Hennepin schools
The latest Parent Engage 360 Podcast is the first of a two-part series focused on school safety. In Episode 32 Part 1, host Liz Burgard sat down with Champlin Park High School principal Mike George and City of Brooklyn Park Police Officer and School Resource Officer (SRO) Andy Dickman to learn more about the role of the SRO in Anoka-Hennepin and their vital role in safety, building relationships and getting people comfortable in talking with law enforcement.
Anoka-Hennepin coordinates SROs in 12 schools across the district and maintains relationships with local law enforcement. These partnerships play a vital role in protecting the safety of students and staff districtwide.
Tune in to the Parent Engage 360 Podcast on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or at ahschools.us/parentengage360. The Parent Engage 360 Podcast is also now available on Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, iHeartRadio and Samsung Podcasts.
Stay tuned for part two of this episode, where Burgard will visit with Greg Cole, Anoka-Hennepin’s chief operations officer and Tim Fournier, Anoka-Hennepin’s security & emergency operations manager, to learn more about the district’s approach to school safety and improvements that have and continue to be made around the district to ensure the safety of students and staff.
District students sweep state bus safety poster contest, four selected for national competition
All 10 of Anoka-Hennepin’s entries into the 2023 Minnesota School Bus Safety Poster Contest won their respective grade-level competition and four district students won their grade-level division and were selected to represent Minnesota in the national school bus safety poster contest.
Vanna Vang (kindergarten, University Avenue Elementary), Luke Dorsey (second grade, Madison Elementary), Sebastian Bojorge (fourth grade, Madison Elementary), Avery Dikken (fifth grade, Andover Elementary), Brielle Whitney (seventh grade, Oak View Middle School) and Andrew Beasley Wells (eighth grade, River Trail Learning Center) all earned first place in their grade level.
Samantha Formosa (first grade, Madison Elementary), Abdullah Muhamed (third grade, Madison Elementary), Avrie Siedschlag (sixth grade, Coon Rapids Middle School) and Molly Siedschlag (ninth grade, Coon Rapids High School) were Minnesota division winners and have been selected for the national poster contest.
Visit the district website to view the award-winning posters.
District staff collaborate to help prepare students for life after graduation
Anoka-Hennepin teachers and staff play a critical role in preparing students for life. Career and college specialists from each of the district high schools collaborated for two events in 2022-23 to provide families with the opportunity to explore a variety of college, career and military options for post-graduation.
Not one path after graduation will be the same, making exposure to the different options during high school a priority. In the fall, Anoka High School (AHS) hosted the first “Education, Employment and Enlistment Palooza.” Then in the spring, Blaine High School (BHS) welcomed families for the “Education, Employment and Enlistment Spring Spectacular.” Additionally, financial aid sessions were offered to support families in completing the FAFSA or the Minnesota Dream Act application. Between the two events there were an estimated 600-700 people in attendance.
“These Saturday events have been wonderful because families are invited to learn with their students,” said Jill Wolfe, BHS career and college specialist. “Things have changed in the postsecondary world, sometimes dramatically, and families are eager to learn the new trends so their students are prepared and supported as they maneuver through their options and next steps."
Middle school students compete in Robotics Challenge
Spectators lined the cafeteria at Oak View Middle School on Saturday, April 22 for the Anoka-Hennepin LEGO Robotics Challenge.
Multiple teams from five of the six middle schools competed in the weekend tournament. A pit area was set up for students to practice and make improvements to their programming. Then, they took their robots to the competition tables to perform their official challenge missions.
In the Performance Runs, teams have three chances throughout the late morning and early afternoon to have their robots navigate the playing field to score points. Only the highest score counts for each team. The robots always start from the base, but the missions that each team chooses to complete, and how they complete them, are what make the Robotics Challenge an exercise in strategic thinking and planning.
The students also took their robots to the technical station where they were judged for Teamwork and Robot Programming and Robot Design/Engineering awards. Here, teams run their robots through paces on a competition table, show their computer programs to judges and are interviewed about how they decided on the robotics solutions. Teams are evaluated on their teamwork and cooperation in this area, as well as their pit practice and performances.
Robotics is an after-school Community Education program for students in grades 6-8. Volunteers donated time and talent to officiate, judge, officiate, set up computer operations and help with scheduling. Organizers say that without their help, there would not be a tournament.
For results and photos from this year's event, visit the Anoka-Hennepin Community Education website.
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