School buildings close, distance
learning takes shape
page 2
Elementary schools recognized
for “beating the odds”
page 4
Above & Beyond
recipients named
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Students support Senior
Citizens during time of need
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ANOKA - HENNEPIN SCHOOL DISTRICT
ON ANOKA-HENNEPIN SCHOOLS
Secondary Technical Education Program (STEP)
celebrates 20 years of partnership, success
This year marked the 20 year
anniversary of the district’s Secondary
Technical Education Program (STEP), a
high school in a college setting where
Anoka-Hennepin’s students in grades 11
and 12 can explore hands-on technical
and manufacturing careers while earning
both high school and college credit.
The program and facility are unique.
STEP was born from a partnership
with Anoka County, Anoka Technical
College (ATC), and the Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities system, and
today is one of the only such schools
and programs in the country. It’s also a
magnet for national and state leaders in
education, who visit looking for ways to
replicate STEP’s success elsewhere.
“The work that (STEP) is doing here,
I think, is a national model,” said U.S.
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) during a visit
to the school in 2018. “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.”
Just months later, U.S. Deputy
Secretary of Education Dr. Mick Zais
visited STEP, too. “This is an amazing
facility and kids can obtain certifications
and diplomas that lead to high-paying
jobs,” Zais said during his visit. “It’s a
fantastic program.”
History
At first, it was just an idea — a
dedicated place where Anoka-
Hennepin’s high school students
could explore hands-on technical and
manufacturing classes and earn college
Dr. Mick Zais, US Dept. of Education deputy secretary
learned best practice strategies from Pete Groebner,
aviation instructor and Jes Lipa, STEP director on a
tour in 2018.
The Secondary Technical Education Program campus is located adjacent to Anoka-Technical
College and hosts 700-800 students for classes each day
credit at no cost while still fulfilling their
high school academic requirements.
Through the 1990s, the district
already had its traditional postsecondary
educational options (PSEO),
in which students would take core
classes at their home high school and
attend vocational classes at Anoka
Technical College (ATC). A vision
emerged for something bigger — a
way to expand the program, and
also provide a place for students to
immerse themselves in a college-like
atmosphere.
As it turned out, ATC shared the same
vision — a way to provide a unique
learning environment for applied high
school learners. By 1999, the idea
began to grow into something larger,
and a decades-long partnership began
to bloom.
“Our school district formed a
partnership with Anoka County
and the Minnesota State
Colleges and Universities
(MNSCU) system in 2000 to
construct STEP, which opened
its doors in 2002,” said Anoka-
Hennepin Chief Operations
Officer Greg Cole.
MNSCU and ATC agreed
to have STEP on the college’s
campus, and to partner with
ATC to share equipment,
and supplies. In addition,
MNSCU would allow many of
the college credits earned by Anoka-
Hennepin high school students to be
transferable to other institutions once
they graduated.
Meanwhile, Anoka County agreed to
sell $8.5 million in bonds to construct
the 60,000 square-foot STEP facility
on the campus of ATC. The district,
meanwhile, agreed to pay principal and
interest payments on the bonds until
they were paid off.
“The final stipulation negotiated was
once the bond was paid off, the district
could purchase the STEP building and
property for $1,” said Cole. And that
occurred this year when, after making
the final bond payment, the School
Board, on Feb. 24, authorized the
official purchase of the STEP building
and property from Anoka County for a
dollar.
The school
According to Jessica 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 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.
There is no gymnasium or cafeteria
in the STEP building – high school
continued on page 5
SPRING 2020
Working to
provide the best
opportunities
possible
By Superintendent
David Law
Anoka-Hennepin School
District is proud of our efforts
to continuously improve.
Each year we utilize student
assessment data, survey
data from parents, students,
staff, and the community,
graduation rates, and other
measures to identify areas
for improvement. Working
with internal and external
experts, we prioritize time and
resources to address the areas
of greatest need.
Now that a “normal day”
of school has been replaced
by a virtual, distance learning
format, we have new sources
of data to consider. Student
access to instruction and
student engagement are two
areas of focus. One thing
that hasn’t changed, school
is about learning. Teachers
and students are responding
to the challenges of the new
distance learning format and
finding a way to make it work.
While it is understood that
this system is new and each
student may react differently,
work is happening to refine
and improve with a focus on
moving students forward.
continued on page 3