In the Know - November 23, 2022

November 23, 2022

Following months of reviewing draft proposals and considering community feedback, the Anoka-Hennepin School Board unanimously approved new attendance boundaries for the 2023-24 school year.

School Board members and district leaders collected community feedback on draft proposals shared at over 10 meetings this fall that ultimately informed the plan. Recommendations were revised in the Blaine and Champlin Park cluster proposals in response to community feedback.

Read more about the boundary change process and next steps.

At a special school board meeting Monday, Nov. 28, the Anoka-Hennepin School Board will approve a list of initial recommended candidates to interview in its search for the next superintendent of the school district.

Candidate names will be public once approved by the School Board at 6:30 p.m. First round interviews are scheduled to begin Tuesday, Nov. 29 and conclude the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 30. Follow the Superintendent Search webpage for updates about the process at ahschools.us/superintendentsearch.

The search process is coordinated cooperatively with School Exec Connect, a search and consulting firm that specializes in supporting school boards in recruiting and evaluating candidates for leadership positions such as superintendents, central office administrators and principals. The firm has both a local and national reach and also supported Anoka-Hennepin Schools in the last superintendent search process in 2014.

The Work and Learn Program at the University of St. Thomas is launching a new cohort for Anoka-Hennepin employees. Three information sessions are available for employees to learn more about the program.

Upcoming information sessions:

Tuesday, Dec. 6

• 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Meeting link: https://stthomas.zoom.us/j/7154955543

Thursday, Jan. 12

• 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Meeting link: https://stthomas.zoom.us/j/7154955543

Tuesday, Feb. 7

• 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• Meeting link: https://stthomas.zoom.us/j/7154955543

Read more about the Work and Learn program.

A student-led initiative at Anoka-Hennepin Regional High School (AHRHS) modified the school’s annual traditional Thanksgiving meal to a celebration of the diverse student population. Knowing not every student celebrates Thanksgiving, the AHRHS Student Voices group was the catalyst for the change, which was supported by the school’s equity team and child nutrition staff.

“The change gave us joy because we realized that our voice matters and every student knows that we can make changes,” said AHRHS student J-Kwon Paibo. “It brings a really positive energy (to the building). It brings us together, we love each other.”

On Nov. 22, students and staff feasted on a menu of tacos, Liberian rice and beans, turkey legs and pumpkin bars. Students volunteered to serve the meal, and the energy in the cafeteria was high. The shift in the meal and celebration happened quickly, and the administration was grateful for the flexibility of the child nutrition staff.

View photos from the celebration and read more.

Every day before school at Roosevelt Middle School (RMS), students have the opportunity to stop by the media center to participate in a themed activity. Nov. 21 was Mindful Monday, as students conducted a service project to benefit the preschool students in the building.

Students volunteered their time to assemble 100 activity kits that the preschool students will take home for the holiday break. The students filled small gift bags that had the Roosevelt Royals paw print on it with items like Play-Doh, a miniature glider, stickers, a game, origami and more. Later in the day, groups of middle school students delivered the kits to the young learners. View photos of the volunteer activity.

"Volunteering is important because it's an opportunity to do something that helps others," said RMS student Brady Whittenburg.

RMS teacher librarian Morgan Reel coordinates the morning programming and said Monday’s activity was intended to help strengthen the Roosevelt community by celebrating its youngest learners.

“I wanted to give our middle schoolers the opportunity to participate in volunteerism, which can benefit their mental well-being,” Reel said. “We do these morning activities and a lot of the time it is a make-and-take project, so I wanted to spin that around and have them make something for someone else.”

Protecting the safety of students, staff and visitors continues to be a priority at all Anoka-Hennepin Schools. The District recently increased security procedures at events to ensure safety following incidents at other metro area high schools, and utilizes a multi-layered approach to protect the safety of students and staff.

Anoka-Hennepin Schools works closely with and maintains relationships with local law enforcement, coordinating school resource police officers at 12 schools. WCCO TV spent time at Coon Rapids High School last week to discuss school safety and the role of school resource officers in schools. Watch the story to learn more.

David Dimmett, President and Chief Executive Officer and other executives from Project Lead the Way (PLTW), as well as local industry leaders visited Coon Rapids High School (CRHS) - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Nov. 10 for a glimpse of the curriculum in action. Read more about Project Lead the Way and the visit from leaders.

Educators from neighboring school districts, including Osseo Area Schools, Minneapolis, and St. Paul Public Schools, and industry partners Cargill and Medtronic were also in attendance to learn more about the specialty program at CRHS. Watch the CTN story to learn more.

Lauren Williams, a second grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary School, was featured in the Star Tribune's recent article on reading proficiency and new methods to effectively teach young students to read. Read the article. (subscription may be required)

Adapted soccer

The state adapted soccer tournament for both cognitive impairment (CI) and physical impairment (PI) was held Nov. 18-19 at Stillwater High School.

The Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs defeated St. Paul Humboldt 8-4 on Nov. 19 to win the consolation championship at the state tournament. The Mustangs entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and lost a heartbreaker 3-2 to the Rochester Raiders in the quarterfinals. Anoka-Hennepin had a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket before closing-out the season with a win.

Girls swimming and diving

The MSHSL state girls swimming and diving meet was held Nov. 16-18 at the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

The following results are from the finals portion of the state meet held Nov. 18.

Andover High School

• Cate Pawlaski won the state title in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.79 and placed fourth in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:03.62.

Anoka High School

• Ally Diehl, Erin Neises, Sydney DeRung and Nora Sloth placed 12th in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:38.38.

Blaine High School

• Madeline Schrank placed ninth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:54.05 and ninth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.41.

• Sophia Leo placed 11th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.85.

• Madeline Schrank, Gabby Busch, Nevaeh Miller and Kalli Stark placed ninth in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:34.63.

From Nov. 14-18 the Anoka-Hennepin Wellness Committee conducted its second annual fall food drive at the Educational Service Center (ESC). This year, all the donations benefited the ESC Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) Food Shelf, which is made available to families taking ECFE and preschool classes in the building.

The Anoka-Hennepin ECFE program offers opportunities for learning through play, socialization, and support for families with children ages birth to grade three.

• Preview: Special School Board meetings for Superintendent search set for Nov. 28, 29 and 30.
• Action of the School Board, Nov. 21.
• Supporting YoU: Employee wellness podcast.
• Appreciation of Diversity workshop series for staff to begin February 11.
• Providing family choice: Anoka-Hennepin features 12 specialty and magnet schools.
• District enrollment remains steady, elementary-age students impacting growth.

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