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PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE
Students present projects exhibiting research, data and creativity at districtwide STEM Fair
Anoka-Hennepin has a rich history of science fairs dating back to the late 1960s, and traditionally hosts a K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math( STEM) Fair as an opportunity for students at all grade levels to present findings on research projects and experimentation they’ ve completed to the general public. This year’ s districtwide STEM Fair was coordinated by Champlin Park High School teacher Kevin Molohon, who has organized the event annually since 1997.
The annual district event was held Saturday, Feb. 21 at Blaine High School, featuring over 240 projects from a handful of elementary school
Evidence in Action: Celebrating projects grounded in solid data and shared through clear, confident communication.
• Daniel Gbati, grade 9- Anoka High School- STEAM program
• Julian Miller, grade 5- Johnsville Elementary School
• Mason Grande, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Ren Vang, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Bethel Senay, grade 10- Blaine High School CEMS
• Kruz Johnson, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Carter Borchardt, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Noah Tatkenhorst, grade 9- Anoka High School- STEAM program
• Jordyn Obright, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Jacob Ball, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
Design and Discovery: Recognizing projects that combine thoughtful design and strong communication.
• Chalida Khambounmy, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Nanafi Ahavit, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Bengail Seeka, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Roshna Hoti, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Ren Vang, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Brynlee Close, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Autumn Thalin, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Michelle Wongbi, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Elliot Niven, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Juniper Santiago, grade 9- Blaine High School
Visionary Thinker: Honoring outstanding innovation and original thinking in designing and exploring STEM solutions.
• Ramona Madsen, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Kensue Khang, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Max Shaughnessy, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Amelia Xiong, grade 9- Anoka High School
Jade Poquette and Mallory Mannel from Jackson Middle School demonstrate an ice cream experiment which was woven into their STEM research project.
students that participated along with many enthusiastic middle and high school students who opted to immerse themselves in an advanced opportunity to study Science and STEM topics of their choice this school year. The STEM Fair provides students an experience to improve their critical thinking, public speaking and research skills. Awards were presented to ten students in five different categories. n
DISTRICT STEM FAIR AWARDS
• Addison Carnes, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Evie Sebesta, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Alison Moody, grade 9- Blaine High School
• Oscar Bennett, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Maryam Sajjad, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Vanessa Pourzandva, grade 9- Anoka High School- STEAM program
Presentation Power: Honoring excellence in creativity, design and communication.
• Jheel Sharma, grade 9- Blaine High School
• Nolan Schueller, grade 9- Anoka High School- STEAM program
• Adelyn Lind, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Debie Terfassa, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Phoebe Vang, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Keyana Zach, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Kruz Johnson, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Zoey Hommerding, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Oscar Bennett, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Claire Anderson, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
Out of the Box: Recognizing exceptional creativity and original thinking in approaching STEM challenges with insight and innovation.
• Roshana Hoti, grade 10- Blaine High School- CEMS program
• Brooklyn Hop, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Phoebe Vang, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Aidan Orcutt, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Caleb Mehr, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
• Claire Anderson, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Keyana Zach, grade 6- Oak View Middle School
• Amira Farah, grade 9- Blaine High School
• Bengail Seeka, grade 9- Anoka High School
• Devin Thomson, grade 6- Jackson Middle School
Jackson Middle School team wins Battle of the Books traveling trophy
A team from Jackson Middle School- A Specialty School for Math and Science( JMS) will bring the coveted Battle of the Books trophy back to its school after winning the annual competition on Feb. 25. The district Battle of the Books competition challenges middle school students to prove their knowledge and understanding of literature.
Teams of students compete first within their middle school, and the top-finishing teams advance to a district-level Battle of the Books competition. The annual competition promotes reading and comprehension of literature in a fun and engaging format with 19 teams representing all six middle schools competing to prove they learned the key concepts from 25 books chosen for this year’ s competition.
Team“ Two Very Cool People &
Team " Two Very Cool People & One of Those Band Kids " made up of Allison Kuechler, Kalyane Vu and Edith Keilor with principal Joel Young.
One of Those Band Kids” made up of JMS eighth-grade students Allison Kuechler, Kalyane Vu and Edith Keilor, ended up on top after 41 rounds and 322 questions being asked.
Battle of the Books was sponsored by the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation and Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd. n
High school marching bands hit a high note with end of season performances
Marching bands from 35 schools competed in the Youth in Music State Marching Band Competition; Coon Rapids High School earned the title of champions.
Anoka-Hennepin’ s five traditional high schools competed in the Minnesota State Championships and Class Championships at U. S. Bank Stadium Oct. 11. The event is called“ Youth in Music,” which convenes over 35 high school and college bands, presenting nearly 50 unique performances in one day.
• Coon Rapids High School earned first-place in the Class A state championship, in addition to Outstanding Color Guard and Outstanding Visual awards.
• Anoka High School( AHS) earned third-place in the Class A state championship. An award was also given to the“ Best Drum Major,” with Sofia Tudor from AHS Class A earning the noteworthy award.
• Andover High School placed fifth in the Class A state championship and also earned Outstanding Percussion and Outstanding Winds awards.
• Blaine High School placed seventh in the preliminary competition.
• In Class AA, Champlin Park High School placed third in the state competition and placed sixth in the preliminary / national competition. n
A LEADER IN MUSIC EDUCATION
Choir / Band / Orchestra
Anoka-Hennepin has been awarded the“ best communities for music education” designation for 11 consecutive years. The District is one of nine in Minnesota to receive the honor this year.