April 2, 2025

The Anoka-Hennepin Schools Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) is hosting a resource information night on April 3 for families of students with special needs to learn about resources available in the community. Vendors for sports, camps, community service, and a post-secondary college program will be in attendance.

• When: Thursday, April 3 from 6-7:30 p.m.

• Where: Educational Service Center, 2727 N Ferry St., Anoka. (Enter through Door 7.)
  Families will be able to speak with various vendors at stations that will be set up in the rooms.

Read more about the SEAC resource information night.

When a person suffers Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), response time to provide care is critical to survival and recovery. Anoka-Hennepin Schools are equipped with Automated External Defibrillators - or AED’s - that provide a level of preparedness to respond to emergencies and save lives.

Anoka-Hennepin is in the process of installing 107 replacement AED’s across the district at all sites including 14 portable units for outdoor use and away from campus events.

💻 Learn more about AED's used in Anoka-Hennepin Schools.

Anoka-Hennepin students with a mastery of world languages can use that knowledge to earn special recognitions – World Language Proficiency Certificates or Bilingual/Multilingual Seals.

What are the certificates and seals?: The Minnesota World Language Proficiency Certificate and Bilingual and Multilingual Seals were created by the state of Minnesota as an official recognition of proficiency in a language in addition to English.

Testing information:

• Saturday, May 17, 2025, from 12-4 p.m. at Champlin Park High School. Registration will be open from March 18, 20205 - April 30, 2025.

💻 Learn more about testing opportunities on the district website.

🔔 Bell times for the five traditional high schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and for eight other secondary sites are shifting starting in the 2025-26 school year. The reason for the change is to prioritize staffing ratios and classroom support as part of a $26 million reduction and reallocation plan approved by the School Board at its Nov. 25, 2024 meeting. Get the full details.

Anoka-Hennepin Schools has strategies in place to prioritize increased student achievement for students progressing at all levels. Summer school, also known as Targeted Services, is an ongoing strategy of the district to maintain academic progress made by students the past school year. The opportunity is offered each year to eligible students who have completed grades kindergarten through eighth-grade, and is designed to build upon each student’s academic skills, develop better organizational and social/emotional skills. Get details.

Action of the School Board provides brief summaries of Anoka-Hennepin School Board meetings. View the latest Action of the School Board from the March 24, 2025 meeting.

For agendas, meetings and minutes visit ahschools.us/schoolboard.

🚌 The Anoka-Hennepin transportation department held its 30th annual school bus safety poster contest this winter, which began during Winter School Bus Safety Week. The winners were recognized at the district transportation safety committee meeting on March 19.

🎨 This year’s theme was Safety First—Safety Always. The transportation department invited students from all grade levels to submit their best artwork for the competition. 💻 Visit the district website to view photos from the recognition on March 19 and the winning posters.

🎶 Each spring, band instructors at all six of Anoka-Hennepin’s middle schools select a group of students to participate in the eighth grade honor band. Students spend about five hours on a Saturday rehearsing with a guest conductor, followed by a performance.

🎺 On Saturday, March 29, 70 students gathered at Oak View Middle School at 8:30 a.m. to begin rehearsal with guest conductor Steve Lyons. Lyons is in his 40th year as a music educator, having spent the last 33 years teaching and directing the varsity band, percussion studio, world drumming and International Baccalaureate music classes at Champlin Park High School.

📸 View the song selections and photos from the concert on the district website.

📐 Blaine High School advanced to the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League tournament held March 10, 2025 at Spring Lake Park High School. The Bengals team included eight students plus one alternate: Nathan Abayneh (11), Veronica Garcia (12), Andy Hoang (12), Elizabeth Hoang (12), Cayden Moua (10), Andrew Moline (11), Kaitlyn Palzer (12), Amogh Patil (10), and Taison Scofield (10).

💻 Visit the district website to learn more about the state math league tournament.

At the beginning of each school year, Brookside Elementary School teachers organize a student council to provide students with a leadership opportunity and a voice in decision-making at their school. Each year, the student council leads a service project for students and the community to support a local organization. This year, students organized a donation drive for the Gillette Children’s Infusion Center.

💻 Learn more about the student-led service project at Brookside.

🫀 On Feb. 26, Hoover Elementary School - Biomedical, Health Sciences, and Engineering hosted a community blood drive welcoming school and district staff, parents and community members.

In total, 36 individuals donated 32 units of blood, surpassing the school’s goal of 28 units, or enough to save up to 100 lives. View photos and learn more about the blood drive event hosted at Hoover Elementary.

💦 Over 220 students and three district principals synched efforts to raise money for Special Olympics at Champlin Park High School (CPHS) on Thursday, Mar. 27 by ‘plunging’ into a giant tank of water outside the school for its annual ‘Polar Plunge.’ The efforts were coordinated by the school’s Unified Club, which aims to create a school climate where students with disabilities feel welcome and routinely included in all activities, opportunities and functions.

📷 View photos and read the full story.

🎶 During the school day on March 25, the Anoka-Hennepin Eighth Grade Choir Festival allowed students from all six district middle schools to sing, learn and listen together at Anoka High School.

The musical ensemble of students in attendance participated in a workshop session as either sopranos, altos or tenors and basses before performing two mass choral numbers, together, lead by Anoka High School choir director Michelle Hayes. After performing two songs as a collective, each school had the opportunity to perform a song in front of their peers. 📺 View video performances from the Eighth Grade Choir Festival.

Coon Rapids High School was the proud host of the 2025 Minnesota State High School League Adapted Floor Hockey State Championships March 7-8. Learn more about the event in a news report by CTN Coon Rapids.

Blaine High School special education teacher Ted Erickson was nominated for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award and was recently named a semifinalist for the award. Learn more about Erickson in this news story by North Metro Television in Blaine.

🏆 Mila Halling, third-grade student from Madison Elementary School; and Sloan Peterson, fifth-grade student in the Nebula program at Eisenhower Elementary; recently competed in the state Braille Challenge. It was Peterson's for the fifth time to compete, previously qualifying for the National Braille Challenge as a 2nd grader.

View the recent stories from 📰 ABC Newspapers and 📺 KSTP-TV.

Try something new! Have fun! Make new friends! Anoka-Hennepin Community Education offers a variety of youth programs/classes/camps over the summer, ranging from sports, arts and craft, musical theater, robotics and more! Most programs will be held at Anoka Middle School.

View the 2025 summer flyer and follow links inside to register.

Back by popular demand, this 21+ prom is sure to be enchanting! Put on your best attire, gather your friends or significant other and get ready to relive your high school glory days at the 2025 Adult Prom!

• Date: Friday, April 25
• Time: 7-10 p.m.
• Location: Green Haven Golf Course
• Register by April 9. Space is limited!

• April 18, 2025 - No students, staff development.
• May 26, 2025 - District closed, holiday.

📆 View the district calendar online.

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