AHS eNewsletter 12/21/2022
December 21st, 2022
Tornado Forcast of Upcoming Events
December 21st: After-school and evening activities in the Anoka-Hennepin School District have been canceled.
December 22nd: School canceled due to extreme winter weather conditions. School or district-sponsored after-school and evening activities including facility rentals will also be canceled.
December 23rd - January 2nd: Winter Break - Building closed on 12/23, 12/26, 1/2.
January 3rd: Students return to school. School day starts at 7:40 am.
January 5th - 16th: 9th, 10th & 11th grade registration
January 5th: Curriculum Exploration Event - Decide Your Future 2:50 - 6:00 pm
January 9th: Late start for students.
- School begins for students at 8:30 am.
- Student transportation will operate under normal timelines.
- Students who arrive before 8:20, will be required to stay in the cafeteria, the main lobby, or the library to work on class assignments quietly.
School canceled Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 due to extreme winter weather conditions
Due to forecasted extreme cold, blizzard conditions and hazardous travel, Anoka-Hennepin schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, December 22, 2022. School or district-sponsored after-school and evening activities including facility rentals will also be canceled, even if the weather improves later in the day. Families were notified last night regarding a modified afternoon release and that after-school and evening activities are canceled today, Thursday, December 21, 2022. More details are at ahschools.us.
For answers to frequently asked questions on winter weather and school closures, please visit
School will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Thank you for your attention to this message.
Mental Wellness Through the Holiday & Winter Break
As we enter the long winter break, we want to highlight mental wellness and provide contacts for available support 24 hours a day/7days a week. Our student's social and emotional well being is a top priority and we're thankful to you for partnering with us to be a healthy learning community.
Yesterday, all students heard a supportive message from the Counseling Office on Anoka TV News reminding students where to access support free of charge if they or someone they know is experiencing a mental health crisis. A copy of the slides presented has been emailed to all students to reference over break. As a reminder, the following resources were shared:
- Anoka County Mobile Crisis Response Service, 763-755-3801.
- Hennepin County Mobile Crisis, Children (up to 18): 612-348-2233, Adults (18+): 612-596-1223
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 or Chat 988lifeling.org/chat. For Spanish speakers, call: 1-888-628-9454. Tele-Interpreters are available to connect to crisis centers supporting over 240 languages.
- Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate, physical danger.
Thank you for partnering with us on these critically important matters of mental wellness. We wish you and your loved ones a safe, healthy and happy holiday and winter break.
Preparing for the Registration of Classes for the 2023-2024 School Year
Students, the registration process for the 2023-2024 school year is upon us. There are 3 steps that you need to take for the registration process to be meaningful to you with your decisions on what courses to select. Some core courses have already been selected for you based on our Anoka-Hennepin graduation requirements, but many electives have not. It is important that you take some time to see what your interests are and then select those courses that support your interests. You can begin with Step 1 now which will help prepare you for the next two steps. A brief explanation of each step is provided below.
Step 1: Use your Naviance Account and the Career Prep site to prepare for the Curriculum Exploration Event. These activities will assist you in determining which elective course options at AHS may align with the careers and clusters you are thinking about. This only applies to current 9-11th graders.
Identify or review helpful high school courses for any favorite careers using the Helpful High School Courses activity in MCIS, found on the Career Prep site.
Log into Naviance on your mobile or classroom device by logging into the Anoka High School website with the lock and key. Once you are in the Rapid Identity, you can select the Naviance icon and will be automatically logged in.
Students should review results from their completed inventories in Naviance under the “Self-Discovery” tab, located in the upper middle of the page. While reviewing inventories, you may add or update your favorite careers or clusters.
Step 2: Participate in the Curriculum Exploration Event. On January 5th from 2:50 p.m. to 6 p.m. Students and Parents/Guardians will be able to:
Meet with Anoka High School teachers who have taught these courses or email them your questions about the course during this same time.
View videos on specific courses offered at Anoka High School
Review the 2023-24 Registration Guide
Step 3: Register for your 2023-2024 classes (January 5-January 16).
**Look for more communication with Steps 2 & 3 on January 4th, 2023.
Please contact your current school counselor if you have additional questions.
Current Grades 9 & 11
Ms. Kari Schell A-J Kari.Schell@ahschools.us
Ms. Thomas Hagerty K-U Thomas.Hagerty@ahschools.us
Ms. Amy Gardner V-Z, all AVID/ML Amy.Gardner@ahschools.us
Mr. Will Erickson STEAM William.Erickson@ahschools.us
Current Grade 10
Ms. Renee Johnson A-J Renee.Johnson@ahschools.us
Mr. Katie Teresi K-U Katie.Teresi@ahschools.us
Ms. Amy Gardner V-Z, all AVID/ML Amy.Gardner@ahschools.us
Mr. Will Erickson STEAM William.Erickson@ahschools.us
AHS Automotive Class hosts Career Exploration Day!
Mr. Joslin's Automotive class hosted Dunwoody College Of Technology for a Career Exploration day. Dunwoody brought in a 2015 Subaru WRX to show off to the students. Students were revving their engines to get in a take a look at the vehicle.
Way to go, Tornadoes!
Tornado Girls Basketball is storming through the competition!
The Tornadoes girl's basketball team is off to a hot start winning 7 of their first 8 games. The team currently sits at the top of the Northwest Suburban Conference Standings being undefeated in conference play. The Tornadoes are led by sophomore forward Madlin Freking (18.4 PPG), junior forward Lydia Lakanen (11.2 PPG) and junior guard Evyn Eppinga (9.5 PPG). Lakanen also leads the state with 89 total rebounds this season.
The team will travel up to St. Cloud next week for the annual Granite City Classic where they will take on Cambridge Isanti and Orono.
Anoka Senior Eli Paulson signs with St. Thomas!
Congratulations to Anoka athlete Eli Paulson who signed with the University of St. Thomas for football.
Keep making the Anoka Family proud, Eli!
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)
School Counselors will be hosting a Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) informational presentation for interested students and families. This meeting will be held at Anoka High School on Thursday, January 26th, at 5:30 PM. Any students interested in PSEO for the 2023-2024 school year are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting to learn about the eligibility requirements and the application process.
PLEASE NOTE: All students will need to complete their 2023-2024 Anoka High School Registration in January, even if they plan to apply for PSEO for the following school year. The application process for PSEO typically starts in early spring and can take a number of weeks. Once the PSEO application process is complete this spring, counselors will work with students individually to adjust course requests as needed for the 2023-2024 school year. As counselors will be working with all students to ensure high school registration is successfully completed this January, we are asking students and families to hold on appointment requests to discuss PSEO until after the meeting on January 26th.
What's new in the Career Center?
Register for the "Pay Less for College" Workshop!
Anoka Hennepin FAFSA Help Session is coming up!
Support Anoka Girls Basketball at Chipotle on Jan. 18th from 4:00 - 8:00pm!
Winter Weather Reminders
Minnesota weather is shifting gears, and the Anoka-Hennepin School District has plans in place for when extreme winter weather arrives.
The safety of all students is the first priority when determining if schools should stay open in adverse weather. If a determination is made to close school due to extreme winter weather, the district will alert families in a variety of ways, including:
Phone, text or email message from AHlert system (for Anoka-Hennepin parents/guardians only).
District and school websites.
District and school social media pages (e.g. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).
Media outlets including WCCO, KSTP, FOX 9, KARE 11, CCX Media, WCCO radio and Star Tribune newspaper.
Those responsible for activities scheduled in schools over the weekend will determine if adverse weather conditions necessitate a cancellation.
Read more about the district’s policies on extreme winter weather at ahschools.us/weather.
Need to get extra help? Come to Lighthouse!
Lighthouse is a free after-school tutoring program for all Anoka High School students. Students can
get help from teachers or just have a quiet place to work. Lighthouse is held in SC171 and SC172 (9th grade science wing) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Students can ride the activity bus home.
This e-newsletter is published by Anoka High School. Questions, comments or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.