PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE PAGE 2
Blaine High School grad selected to attend National Science Camp
Mary Zins, class of 2025 Blaine High School graduate, is one of two students in the state of Minnesota selected to attend a three-week National Youth Science Camp this summer. The camp is a residential science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics( STEAM) program, designed to honor and challenge some of the nation’ s rising leaders.
During her time at Blaine High School, Zins was enrolled in the school’ s Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science( CEMS) program. She earned an AP Scholar of Distinction, a College Board National First- Generation Recognition Program Award, and took first place in the Fundamentals of Web Design with Business Professionals of America( BPA) Regionals. She also served as the BPA chapter president and the Thespian Troupe and Theatre
Mary Zins president. n
Middle school students test literary knowledge in annual Battle of the Books competition
Bengal students rise to the top in state computing skills program
Five Blaine High School students are among 92 across the state to earn recognition for their work in computer science by the Minnesota Aspirations in Computing Awards( MNAiC).
Blaine High School’ s Gabriella Watson earned honorable mention honors while classmates Alayna Kurland, AnnaSophia Lor, Sandara Sihavong and Anushkaa Sinha were named Rising Star award winners in the 13th Annual MNAiC Computing Awards.
Honorees were selected for competence and strong scores, as evidenced by their outstanding engagement in a variety of technology and leadership experiences provided by their high school, and community partners, and through online learning experiences.
MNAiC partners with the National Center for Women and Information Technology( NCWIT) and an array of Minnesota companies and organizations to support high school students in realizing their computingrelated education and career aspirations.
Award honorees at various levels are provided access to mentoring, job shadowing, internships, and college scholarship opportunities. Students will also receive access to exclusive resources provided by the NCWIT.
NCWIT is a non-profit community of more than 1,100 universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations nationwide working to increase girls ' and women’ s meaningful participation in computing. MNAiC seeks to inspire, engage, and empower young women in grades 9-12 to pursue technology education and career paths. n
Alayna Kurland
Anushkaa Sinha
AnnaSophia Lor
Gabriella Watson
Sandara Sihavong
A team from Oak View Middle School( OVMS) delivered the Battle of the Books traveling trophy back to its school after winning the annual competition on Feb. 25 that challenges middle school students to prove their knowledge and understanding of literature.
Teams of students compete first within their middle school, and the topfinishing teams advance to a districtlevel Battle of the Books competition. The annual competition promotes reading and comprehension of literature in a fun and engaging format. 19 teams representing all six middle schools battled to prove they learned key concepts from 25 books chosen for this year’ s competition.
Sixth-grade students Conrad Kissel, Sawyer Lane, and Zachary Kuehn, who chose the name“ Nobody,” were the winning team. Betsy Nordin, a sixthgrade teacher, is the Battle of the Books coordinator at OVMS. n
Battle of the Books was sponsored by the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation and Border Bank.
Students ' creative talent shines in state bus safety poster contest
State winners are Charlotte Olsen, kindergarten, Brookside Elementary- 1st place. Amina Muhamed, first grade, McKinley Elementary- 1st place. Leena Sharp, second grade, Jefferson Elementary- 1st place. Kindra Kulseth, third grade, Sunrise Elementary- 1st place. Maria Shinto, fourth grade, Madison Elementary- 1st place. Baylynn Lluveres, sixth grade, Oak View Middle School- 1st place. Nylah-Rae Delich, seventh grade, Oak View Middle School- 1st place. Elsa Leensvaart, eighth grade, Jackson Middle School- 2nd place. Brielle Whitney, ninth grade, Andover High School- 1st place
Eight Anoka-Hennepin students took first place, and one placed second in the 2025 Minnesota Bus Safety Poster Contest. All nine students have been invited to attend a Minnesota Twins game as guests of the Minnesota State Patrol to be recognized for their outstanding work.
Amina Muhamed, a first-grade student at McKinley Elementary School, and Maria Shinto, a fourth-grade student at Madison Elementary School, were both named division winners and have advanced to the 2025 National Bus Safety Poster Contest.
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. Each school held its poster contest, and one winner was chosen from each grade level. The winning poster from each school was then entered into the district contest.
The contest ' s objective was to encourage students to consider school bus safety and provide an opportunity for discussion during school bus safety week. n