PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE
Construction program expanding,
Anoka-Hennepin
Technical High School
on the move to STEP
student proud to be
on path of opportunity
Trust Thao acknowl-
edges that he strug-
gled as a student in
previous years.
Trust Thao
“I needed help, but
I just tried to do it
myself,” he said. “I
didn’t know about
the opportunities for
help, and I never
really asked.”
As a result, Thao, 18, didn’t graduate with
his peers from Anoka High School. And
that, he said, was hard. “I didn’t really
know what I was going to do,” he said.
“My parents had expected a lot from me.
I felt lost.”
Then he discovered Anoka-Hennepin
Technical High School (AHTHS), Anoka-
Hennepin’s diploma completion program,
located on the Anoka Technical College
campus, that offers 18 to 21-year-olds who
didn’t graduate with their peers a chance to
get their high school diploma and transition
into college or a career. “It changed every-
thing,” he said.
Each year for nearly 25 years, Blaine High
School (BHS) students have built an entire
house, from the ground up, with their own
hands. It’s a project that includes everything
from walls and roofs, plumbing, electrical,
sheetrock, heating and cooling, insulation and
siding — everything.
For students interested in pursuing a con-
struction career, the experience provides a
competitive advantage. Starting next year, the
carpentry class and program that builds the
house is moving to Anoka-Hennepin’s
Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP),
which is located on the campus of Anoka
Technical College, and will be part of its
construction careers pathway.
“It’s so awesome,” said Tim Nestrud, the BHS
technical education instructor who teaches the
carpentry classes that builds the house. “It’s
fun, I enjoy teaching this — but it’s also a great
experience for the students.” Nestrud, who has
been teaching in Anoka-Hennepin for 29 years,
will follow the class to STEP so he can continue
the home building project he launched.
About 10 months ago, while still at
Anoka, he made it known to staff at the
school he was in need of a job. He said a
teacher made a phone call, offered a refer-
ence, and that led him to a part-time role at
Carlson Toyota in Coon Rapids working as a
runner.
“Basically when customers come in, I take
their car, log information like the VIN num-
ber and mileage, and park it so the techs
can take care of the rest,” Thao said. “It’s a
good job.”
But it’s just part-time, and now that he’s a
graduate from AHTHS, he said he began
looking for full-time work. Enter Honeywell
and a full-time job doing avionics assembly.
“It pays a bit more, which is good,” he
joked. “There I’d be helping make parts for
planes and (I would) help make sure the
parts are ready (and safe). If I were to work
there, they’d train me, and I’d have a lot of
opportunities to move up in the company.”
But recently, while talking with his manag-
er at Carlson, Thao mentioned the
Honeywell opportunity. “When he found out
I might go to Honeywell, he said I’d have a
full-time job at Carlson if I wanted it,” he
said. “That made me feel good — that they
wanted me.”
AHTHS Principal Nancy Chave said Thao is
a perfect example of why the school exists.
“The goal here is for students is to earn
their diploma and get on that career or
college track. That’s what we’re here for,”
Chave said. “(Thao) is proof that it’s hap-
pening. We’re so proud of him and the
other students here like him.” n
By moving the class and project to STEP, all district students
interested in construction and carpentry will have access to
the class, not just BHS students. “I think it’s a good thing to
open this up to other kids in the district,” Nestrud said.
Jes Lipa, the director of STEP, said she’s long understood
the importance of Nestrud’s carpentry class and more
specifically, the home building project. It’s her career and
technical education budget that covers the costs of the
materials and supplies to build the home. The final project
is sold by auction and relocated each year.
“It’s a fantastic project, but it’s also a critical opportunity
to offer students,” she said. “Construction is a high-need
industry and our kids need to have this experience. That’s
our main focus.”
As a result of his time at AHTHS, Thao not
only completed his work to graduate, he
had two full-time job opportunities waiting
for him once he had that diploma in hand.
“I feel like I’ve come a long way,” Thao
said. “Now I have this pathway — I have
some things to look forward to now.”
Tim Nestrud, BHS technical education teacher, consults with
students to solve a construction issue.
Jaidelyn Nordlund, BHS junior, works on wiring
in the house.
STEP bills itself as a high school in a college setting where
students primarily in grades 11 and 12 can explore hands-on
technical and manufacturing careers while earning both high
school and college credit. Most who attend 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. n
Kindness Works!
Winners named in annual poster contest
A showcase of student generated art with a
kindness theme will be on display at schools
throughout the district as winning entries were
selected in the 15th annual Anoka-Hennepin
kindness poster contest. The event is held
annually during October, which is also
National Bullying Prevention month.
The district invited students at all grade-lev-
els to submit their best artwork for the compe-
tition. Elementary and middle schools selected
one winning poster for each grade level and
each high school also selected a winner to
advance to the district-level judging.
This year’s theme was: Kindness works! Over
100 posters were voted on by staff at the
Educational Service Center (ESC) on Nov. 6
and this year’s winners are:
Poster design by Hailey Petersen, Anoka High School sophomore.
● Elizabeth Yefimenko, kindergarten, Madison Elementary School
● Aubrey Ranft, first grade, Johnsville Elementary School
● Avrie Siedschlag, second grade, Sand Creek Elementary School
● Saee More, third grade, Sand Creek Elementary School
● Olivia Michalke, fourth grade, Ramsey Elementary School
● McKinley Brown, fifth grade, Johnsville Elementary School
● Brooke Bauerly, sixth grade, Anoka Middle School for the Arts
● Jake Bouthsarath, seventh grade, Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science
● Aubrey Bryant, eighth grade, Jackson Middle School - A Specialty School for Math and Science
● Hailey Petersen, 9-12, Anoka High School
These students were recognized at a School Board meeting in February and also received a Kindle tablet
from the Horace Mann Company. n