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PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE
Front row , from left : Robert Bone , FBI acting special agent in charge , Steve Burrill , teacher , Lyhnsay Yang , Oak View Middle School , Grace Amell , Oak View Middle School , Madison Gruhn , Jackson Middle School , Gabe Adams , Northdale Middle School , Josh Determan , Roosevelt Middle School , Derek Kohen , Roosevelt Middle School and Bill Harvey , treasurer , Anoka-Hennepin School Board . Back row , from left , Cory McIntyre , executive director of student services / supervisor for middle schools , Gary Lundeen , Oak View Middle School principal , Greg Blodgett , Roosevelt Middle School principal , Jeff Leach , Northdale Middle School principal , Marci Anderson , vice-chair , Anoka-Hennepin School Board , Tom Hagerty , Jackson Middle School principal .
District eighth graders win FBI cyber safety award
A group of eighth-grade students from four Anoka-Hennepin middle schools recently won an FBI a ward for their performance on a program that tests cyber safety .
The students , who go to Jackson , Northdale , Oak View , and Roosevelt middle schools , as well as their computer explorations teacher , Steve Burrill , were recognized during the district ’ s March 26 School Board meeting by acting special agent Robert Boone , who is in charge of the FBI ’ s Minneapolis division .
“ These are the things that the FBI really does enjoy to do — giving these ( awards ) out to exceptional groups of students ,” Bone told the School Board .
According to Bone , the FBI Safe Online Surf ing , or FBI-SOS program was developed in 2012 by the FBI in conjunction with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children , and takes the form of inter - ac tive games students participate in , and a test at the end .
“ The idea was to teach children how to be more responsible and good digital citizens in the cyber world , as well as to ensure that they understand the online dangers that face them ,” Bone said .
Burrill used the program to teach his 267 eighthgrade students at the four middle schools about cyber safety , and in doing so , they competed against 96,000 students from 1,642 schools across the country .
“ I think that most of the time when society looks at internet safety and the responsibility piece , young adults and teens get a bad rap due to inappropriate usage with their phones , tablets , and computers ,” Burrill said . “ This means a lot to the students to get recognized and earn the award . It ' s real nice for them to be able to get recognition for being knowledgeable and responsible with this topic .”
How it worked , Burrill said , is that he registered all of his classes at the four schools , and then the kids participated in various grade-appropriate games and activities . After completion of all the activities , students then took the test , and Anoka-Hennepin ’ s middle schoolers had the highest composite score ( 93 percent ) nationally for the month of December , 2017 , winning the national award .
“ I realize I ' m the one who registered them and presented them the lesson , however this is all about the students from the four middle schools ,” Burrill said . “ At the end of the day , they ' re the ones who put in the effort and work .”
Since the pro gram be gan in 2012 , there have been more than 2 mil lion students who have participated , Bone said . ■
U . S . Sen . Tina Smith visits Anoka-Hennepin ’ s Secondary Technical Education Program ( STEP )
A number of students at Anoka- Hennepin ’ s Secondary Technical Education Program ( STEP ) recently had a chance to chat with a United States senator .
U . S . Sen . Tina Smith ( D-Minn .) visited the district ’ s STEP program March 27 , where she took a brief tour of the school located on the campus of Anoka Technical College ( ATC ), chatted with some of STEP ’ s manufacturing and welding students , and then held a panel discussion with leaders from the Anoka-Hennepin School District and its STEP program , as well as leaders from Anoka Technical College , and a number of county and local business partners .
“ The work that ( STEP and ATC are ) doing here , I think , is a national model ,” Smith said . “ I want to take what they ’ re doing and bring it back with me to Washington , D . C ., so I can help make sure the federal government is a good partner .”
STEP bills itself as a high school in a college setting where students in grades 11 and 12 can explore hands-on technical and manufacturing careers while earning both high school and college credit . It ’ s located on the ATC campus , and shares facilities , equipment , and supplies with the college .
During the tour , Smith met with a number of students who talked about their education at STEP . One was Anoka High School senior and full-time STEP student Julia Hoeke . The two chatted about her interest in welding and the opportunity she ’ s had to pursue it while at STEP .
“ I love it ,” she said about the district ’ s STEP program . “ It ’ s nice to be with different people and to have the college experience while in high school .”
Smith also spent time talking to Emmanuel Raymundo-Deleon , a second-year welder who created a violin that he will be submitting to the Skills USA Championships for a possible award , STEP senior Dylan Bratsch about his time at the school , and engineering and manufacturing teacher Mike Hilber about his classes .
U . S . Sen . Tina Smith poses with STEP welding students during visit to the school March 27 .
According to Jes Lipa , director of the district ’ s STEP program , the school has 700-800 students each trimester , who come from all five of Anoka-Hennepin ’ s five traditional high schools ( Andover , Anoka , Blaine , Champlin Park , and Coon Rapids ). Most are part-time students , which means they take core classes at their regular high school , and then come to STEP at some point during the day for technical and manufacturing studies .
In addition to meeting students and seeing firsthand what they ’ re doing while at STEP and at ATC , Smith was interested in learning about barriers in place that keep students from pursuing career and technical education offerings , or from going after highskilled and high-paying jobs in manufacturing and other technical careers .
Answers from members of the panel discussion included increasing federal
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