June 4, 2025

🥗 The Anoka-Hennepin School District will participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) this summer. Meals will be provided to all children 18 and under at no cost.

🍎 Summer meals: Meals will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis at 16 sites across the district. The program will start on Monday, June 16. Meal availability and serving times vary from site to site and are subject to change. Review a list of sites and meal times for more information.

Children must be present to receive a meal. Meals will be served inside school buildings and meals must be eaten on site. Parents accompanying their children may purchase a meal. Adult breakfast is $3.50 and lunch is $5.50. Exact change is required, and no checks will be taken. 💻 Visit the district website for more information, including the Free Meals for Kids app.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the SUN Bucks program, an income-based food support program that provides families with $120 per eligible school-aged child to buy groceries when school is out for the summer.

Families who are not yet eligible can still apply for the benefits through Aug. 31, 2025. Visit ahschools.us/freereduced to complete an online application.

Eligibility: School-aged children between the ages of 7-18 whose households participate in specific public assistance programs (SNAP, Medicaid) or children who have an approved Application for Educational Benefits to receive free and reduced-price benefits through the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program.

Benefits: Eligible children get $120 on a SUN Bucks EBT card for the summer to spend on approved groceries.

What do parents need to do?

• Ensure the school has the correct guardian information and mailing address, if there has been a recent change. Contact the secretary at your child’s school, who can update the guardian information and address.
• If you have any questions about your child’s eligibility for the program, contact the Child Nutrition Department at 763-506-1240.
• If you have other questions about the program, such as when cards will be sent, please contact the SUN Bucks Hotline at 651-431-4608 (8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.) or visit the website at https://dcyf.mn.gov/sun-bucks.

Anoka-Hennepin’s efforts to inform and engage students, staff and community members have been recognized as some of the nation’s best. The district’s communication and public relations team earned five awards from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), which is a professional organization for public and private school districts and post-secondary institutions from around the country. 🏆 Read the full story to see which projects received recognition.

Anoka-Hennepin’s four-member communication and public relations team includes Jim Skelly, executive director; Heather Peters, assistant director; Tim Evans, communication specialist; and Jessica Sauro, communications assistant.

Action of the School Board provides brief summaries of Anoka-Hennepin School Board meetings. View the latest Action of the School Board from May 19, 2025.

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

The Huskies celebrated 467 graduating seniors during a ceremony on Sunday, June 1 at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus.

• Graduation ceremony replay.
• Senior reflection video.
• View photos from graduation day.

Anoka High School held its 153rd Annual Commencement Exercise recognizing 543 graduating seniors on Tuesday, June 3 at Historic Goodrich Field in Anoka.

• Graduation ceremony replay.
• Senior reflection video.
• View photos from graduation day.

Friends, family and staff cheered on 770 graduates from Blaine High School during their graduation ceremony at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus Sunday, June 1.

• Graduation ceremony replay.
• Senior reflection video.
• View photos from graduation day.

In the largest Anoka-Hennepin graduating class of 2025, Champlin Park High School honored 803 seniors at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus Sunday, June 1.

• Graduation ceremony replay.
• Senior reflection video.
• View photos from graduation day.

Cardinal families, supporters and staff honored 498 graduates on Sunday, June 1 at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus.

• Graduation ceremony replay.
• Senior reflection video.
• View photos from graduation day.

Graduation events are being held in the evening of Wednesday, June 4.

🌟High schools with specialty programs showcased students and a culmination of academic achievements to conclude the school year.

• 🌪️ Read about the Anoka High School students presenting their projects at the annual STEAM Expo event May 14 - sharing passion projects, ideas, projects and capstone projects to hundreds of family members and professionals from the community.
  
  
• 🔬Learn about senior capstone projects on display at the Blaine High School CEMS capstone event, celebrating the ingenuity and problem-solving skills of approximately 112 graduating seniors from the class of 2025, forming 24 project teams May 15.
  
  
• 📕 Read about the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering students at Coon Rapids High School (CRHS) at a senior recognition and capstone presentation night held May 29.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC®) announced June 4 that two Anoka-Hennepin high school seniors have earned College-sponsored National Merit Scholarships financed by U.S. colleges and universities:

• Kieran Hobot, Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science, attending the University of Texas at Dallas with plans to study business administration.
• Elizabeth Mayor, Champlin Park High School - International Baccalaureate Programme, attending Carleton College, where she plans to study writing.

Why it matters: These scholarships provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship winners are a part of the distinguished group of more than 6,930 high school seniors who will receive National Merit Scholarships for undergraduate college study worth nearly $26 million.

Additional celebration: NSMC also announced winners of corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards and National Merit $2,500 scholarships in May, when Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS) senior Cole Burnett was named a National Merit Scholar.

Three schools from the Anoka-Hennepin School District have been recognized by Project Lead the Way (PLTW) for their commitment to helping students own their education by increasing access, engagement and achievement in PLTW programs.

• Secondary schools: Blaine High School - Center for Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (BHS) and Coon Rapids High School - Center for Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (CRHS) were both named PLTW Distinguished High Schools.
• BHS and CRHS are the only two high schools in the state of Minnesota to receive the award.
• It’s the eighth straight year BHS has been recognized by PLTW and the sixth overall, and the fifth consecutive year for CRHS.
• Elementary schools: Monroe Elementary School - Mathematics, Science and Children’s Engineering was named a Distinguished School Launch. Monroe has earned this recognition in six consecutive years.

Christopher Nelson, assistant principal at Anoka Middle School for the Arts, received the Assistant Principal of the Year award in the Hennepin division of the Minnesota Association for Secondary School Principals (MASSP). The recognition honors outstanding leadership in education celebrating principals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, innovation, a commitment to student success, and service to the organization. Nelson will officially accept the award on Tuesday, June 24 at the MASSP Summer Conference.

MASSP is a professional educational association of active and retired secondary school administrators. There are eight divisions within MASSP, with the Hennepin division as the largest.

🚀 University Avenue Elementary School - Aerospace, Children’s Engineering and Science, hosted its sixth annual Leadership Day May 22, a celebration of student achievement and growth throughout the school year.

Students presented research projects progressing from ‘Then, Now to Wow,” explaining a problem and the creative solution they designed and proposed how it could come to life one day. Throughout the hallways, students also stood ready as “wax museum statues,” where learners transformed into historical figures, reciting prepared reports sprinkled with notable facts about each subject for district staff, family and community members in attendance. Read more about University Avenue Elementary.

📷 View photos from the event.

Students from Northdale Middle School (NMS) made an impact for others in need while competing in a statewide competition as part of the Family, Careers and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) State Leadership Conference.

Why it matters: Xaybriana Berg, Grade 7; Lilliahna Firkus, Grade 7; and Desina Habte, Grade 8; are believed to be the first Anoka-Hennepin middle school students to compete at the state level. NMS Principal Jeff Leach provided key support for the Northdale FCCLA Chapter and received an Outstanding Administrator Award from Minnesota FCCLA.

FCCLA is a national Family and Consumer Sciences student leadership program which focuses on service projects and competitions where students are recognized for proficiency and achievement, leadership skills and career preparation. The NMS project involved 15 FCS students who sewed 20 chemotherapy caps that will be donated to childhood cancer patients. 📙 Read the full story.

With the spring sports and activities season wrapping up, here’s a look at who’s heading to state, and how they fared when they performed and played. Also included is information about postseason awards earned by student-athletes and coaches.

Visit mshsl.org/tournaments for all state tournament information. 🥎 🎾 The latest news features updates from softball, boys tennis and adapted softball championships.

🎓Anoka-Hennepin Schools is the largest school district in the state of Minnesota, and coordinates commencement ceremonies for four traditional high schools at the University of Minnesota in one day, prior to hosting three more graduation ceremonies for three other schools - Anoka High School, Sandburg Regional and Technical high schools.

📰 Read the article in the Star Tribune for insight into the planning logistics.

❤️ Coon Rapids High School hosted a heart-screening event May 17 in coordination with the "Play for Patrick" foundation to raise awareness, education, prevention and elimination of Sudden Cardiac Awareness in kids. The school also received an AED for the football field. 📺 Watch the story from CTN Coon Rapids.

🌞 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.

• Friday, June 6 - Last day of school.
• Monday, June 9 - School Board Work Session.
  
  
📆 View the district calendar online.

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