On Friday, May 5, 2012, Anoka softball played St. Francis for strike out cancer.

The two teams played each other at Central Park in Ramsey under the lights at 7.  Even though Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate, the teams still played, going around puddles and changing out softballs after every hit.  Anoka players sold pink Let’s Strike Out Cancer t-shirts and St. Francis sold green Let’s Strike Out Cancer t-shirts.

Strike out cancer was dedicated to Anoka’s first baseman, Jordin Novak’s mom and St. Francis’s pitcher, Debbie Evan’s mom. Novak’s mom was diagnosed with Breast cancer.  Evan’s mom was diagnosed with Kidney cancer.

All the money raised from selling t-shirts went toward cancer research.  The softball game ended with St. Francis beating Anoka 4-2, but the game’s intention was more getting together and playing against cancer.  At the end of the game, Jordin and Debbie  presented their moms at the mound with flowers and a hug.

Located in historic downtown Anoka on Main Street, Avant Garden is known as “Anoka’s Premier Coffee House Espresso Bar”. While the business may be famous for its various delectable drinks and homemade food menu options, this little hipster-chic café is rising to prominence for a different reason: its Thursday night open mic sessions!

The event first began under Avant’s original owners, but the idea didn’t quite catch on that time around. Now, with new management, the business’s open mic night has been running strong since May of 2011. Performers with a range of talents come to showcase their passions, which include singing, playing instruments, reading original poetry, giving stand-up comedy routines, and more.

Anoka student Max Quesnell is one recurring act at Avant— he performs his comedy routine nearly every Thursday night to hone his humorous skills. “The more I do it,” he says, “the better I get. It’s a great place to practice performing because the crowd is so accepting.”

Attending Avant’s open mic gatherings truly is a one of a kind local experience. Audience members get the chance to enjoy the talents of fellow Anokans in a charming, friendly atmosphere with great food and drink selections.

But locals who come to watch aren’t the only ones who enjoy the performances—employees like Emilie, one of Avant’s baristas, even request to work on Thursdays just to catch the show! “I just love meeting the new musicians and listening to such diverse acts. Anoka has some pretty talented people!” Emilie said of the event nights.

So the next time you and some friends are looking for fun, stop into Avant Garden for an uptown Minneapolis experience right in the heart of Anoka!

There are many athletes at Anoka High School we can be very proud of, but this year’s varsity Girls Hockey team did an outstanding job on the ice. They won the Northwest Suburban conference championship with a 22-3 win-loss record and 2 ties in the season.

This remarkable achievement was the best record of any Anoka Hockey team of all time so far. Furthermore the girls were rated 3^rd in state but unfortunately lost with 3-1 against Blaine in the semifinals of the section playoffs, even though they previously beat the Bengals during the season. They also won the season’s very first game against Minnetonka, which is last year’s and this year’s State Champion.

“The girls got along well as a team because they have a lot experience. Some of them played high school hockey for 3 years,” analyzed Coach Pete Hayes who started coaching Girls hockey 8 years ago.

Even though they didn’t make it to state, the Tornadoes showed team spirit, sportsmanship and killer instinct on the ice. These qualities made it a joy for the fans to watch the hockey games this winter and obviously the athletes had fun too.

“I try to encourage the girls by just letting them have fun. They practiced each day 1 or 2 hours and played 2 games a week but still tried to work even harder. It was amazing how they listened to the coaches,” stated head Coach Hayes.

Maybe next year the luck will be on our side again!

Back in time to the fifth century lived a legend named Saint Patrick.  He originally was born in Roman Britain and at only 16 was kidnapped to Ireland.  Patrick is most well-known for relating the symbol of the shamrock to the Holy Trinity.  Saint Patrick’s death, believed to have been on March 17, 461, became even more ingrained in the Irish culture.  St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in spirit of the first Saint Patrick.

Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.  They would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.  The Saint’s would have a religious feast day to help celebrate.  The first parade held in honor of St. Patrick’s Day took place not in Ireland but in the United States.  On March 17, 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City.  The parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Today St. Patrick’s day is widely celebrated throughout the world.  Approximately 1 million people annually take part in Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks shows.  More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the United States; New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.  St. Patrick’s Day is a popular holiday that keeps spreading yearly to different parts of the world.

Source: www.history.com

Show your support and deck out in your red attire for Anoka High School’s Red Out on Friday March 2nd at the varsity basketball game. From Wednesday February 22 – Friday March 2nd you can purchase a red t-shirt for $10 in front of the auditorium doors during your lunch period.

This event was created by Anoka’s very own National Honors Society who teamed up the American Heart Association to raise money that will go towards research and patient treatments. The event was inspired by Kareen Hopkins, a sophomore at Anoka High School who lost his life late November due to a preexisting heart condition. The donations collected over the two week period will be donated in honor of Hopkins.

“We were inspired by the death of Kareen Hopkins and felt something needed to be done about heart disease. This was the perfect opportunity to get students involved and raise money for a cause close to our hearts,” says National Honor Society’s President Sarah Kobelinski.

Join students in their efforts to show their support for Hopkins by wearing your red apparel. Spectators will also get the chance to shoot a basketball from half-court for $1 as a contribution to the cause, and if anyone is lucky enough to make they will be rewarded with a red Gatorade. Come and show your support Friday, March 2, at 2pm in the Anoka field house.

source: Startribune.com

Actors and actresses are always trying to hone their drama skills and that’s exactly what Anoka’s own performers did at the Park Square Theatre!

Students who attended the February 9th trip participated in an assortment of theater workshops taught by professionals from Broadway to the international stage. Topics included make-up and set design, and various styles of acting.

Schools from all around the metro area joined Mr. Milbauer and the seventeen Anoka students in the workshops, and later, everyone was treated to a performance of the show Ragtime. “Watching the show was amazing- the cast was so talented! The performance was fun yet emotional at the same time,” said Carlo Bahe, one Anokan who thoroughly enjoyed the outing.

Perhaps the helpful people at Park Square will provide inspiration for our hometown actors and actresses the next time they perform on the Anoka stage!

With an unforgettable voice and even more unforgettable story Whitney Houston will be greatly missed. On Saturday, February 11th, Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The cause of her death is unknown, but some people suspect drugs are related to this star’s early death. The annual Grammy’s award show scrambled to create a tribute to the artist to symbolize the impact she had on the industry.

Over the past twenty years Houston has set the bar high for success in both the music and acting business. Overall her album sales have sold over 42.7 million albums, singles and digital tracks in her career which are expected to increase over the next few months.

Houston’s music career started in 1985 when she was signed to Arista Records in 1983 by Clive Davis. Her first big success was when she released her album Whitney that sold nine million albums that included the songs; I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me), So Emotional and Didn’t We Almost Have It All. She also became one of the first African-Americans to be featured in Seventeen magazine.

Houston then shifted to a whole other career by entering the acting field where she landed the starring role alongside Kevin Costner in the blockbuster, The Bodyguard. Houston played a new upcoming artist who ran into trouble when a stalker arose towards the singer and Costner played her bodyguard; eventually the two became closer than just acquaintances. The flick was a hit bringing in $121 million and one of Houston’s most common songs, I Will Always Love You, a cover song that was on the soundtrack that was originally sung by Dolly Parton. The tune was #1 on the Hollywood Hot 100 list for fourteen weeks in a row selling 17 million copies, and winning three Grammy’s.

One of the most shocking moves Houston made in 1992 was her marriage to New Edition singer Bobby Brown. From that point on Houston was in the media not for her talent, but her crazy antics. On January 11th 2000, Houston and Brown were found with marijuana hidden in their luggage in a Hawaiian airport. The couple then divorced in 2006, ending Houston’s fourteen year marriage to Brown. In 2009, she would eventually admit to repeatedly using marijuana and cocaine, claiming her actions were because of the abuse she received from her ex-husband.

Whether it being singing the Star Spangled Banner at a football game or hitting every note in the song I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston will always have a place in our hearts where we can remember and appreciate her talent.

Source: usatoday.com

Once again this year’s MORP talent show and the assembly on Friday, February 3^rd offered many great acts and showed that the creativity of Anoka High School students knows no bounds. Whether it was a modern dance or a song which was performed, every participant proved big potential and entertained the audience in many ways, they were blown away with how incredible the performers did.

Singing, piano playing or even break dancing–it was an electrifying show!

One young woman enchanted everyone with her beautiful voice. Senior Maureen Mayieka did an outstanding job singing “Russian Roulette” by Rihanna. She started her favorite hobby in the local church in her native country Kenya and is still an active a cappella singer and solo act in her church group here.

“I like to get lost in the music, because it has so much power I feel like I am carried away,” she explained.

Her favorite artist and a huge influence of hers was Whitney Houston, who sadly passed away recently.

Maureen gets the motivation which is necessary to perform as good as possible from her family, her fans, and especially her good friend Katie Johnson she said.

Singing in front of hundreds of people, especially if they are in your school, had to be a pretty unsettling experience but the seventeen year old mastered the task superbly.

“I was pretty confident at the MORP Assembly because I already sang there in 9^th grade but I am usually getting nervous after the performance. While I am singing I just pretend that the audience isn’t there, that helps me to stay calm,” the ambitious artist stated.

She prepares herself by finding a song she knows and listening to it repeatedly for the two days right before her performances and then with confidence, sings her heart out.

What are this singer’s future plans? She would like to make her talent and love of music, a big part of her life, make it into the business, but place that as a second priority due to the difficulties that may arise in this tough and competitive industry.

Lastly she wants to thank the people who inspired and supported her in her life dream.

Announcements about the Outstanding Anoka-Hennepin Above & Beyond Award have been buzzing around Anoka this month, but many wonder what the award is all about.

This award is eligible for any part-time and full-time Anoka-Hennepin district employees who have shown a dedication to their job. Employees who go that extra mile to benefit students and staff deserve recognition for their hard work and this is the perfect opportunity to do so.

The nomination process begins by visiting the Main or Guidance Office or visiting www.anoka.k12.mn.us/above. Deadline to nominate an outstanding employee is February 24.

Once nominated for this award employees will be reviewed by a panel of district and community members, and those selected will receive the award at a ceremony on April 25. The Outstanding Anoka-Hennepin Above & Beyond Award is a wonderful way to show gratitude towards employees who spend countless hours bettering the lives of Anoka-Hennepin’s students.

You may have noticed inspirational notes in the bathrooms, exciting posters on the hallway walls and hand-painting during lunch. Any visitor to Anoka High School last week would have felt the overwhelming love shared throughout the school.

As a part of E.L.E., Everybody Loves Everybody Week, the Student Council helped create an atmosphere of happiness and joy throughout the campus of Anoka. This year’s E.L.E. week was a part of the overall effort to unite Anoka High School as a family. Each day of the week featured a new activity during the lunches that reinforced the ideas of love, friendship, and having a positive attitude.

Students were happily greeted Monday morning with a multitude of post-it notes decorating the bathroom walls and stalls. With simple messages such as “You are beautiful” and “Have an awesome day” the notes brought inspiration to unsuspecting bathroom visitors. Many people commented with positive thoughts with one student being very excited about the colorful notes.

“These are so cute, I just love the messages,” said a student.

During lunches students got a chance to make their mark on Anoka by painting and tracing handprints on posters. There were also posters filled with compliments written anonymously to Anoka students.

With so many positive thoughts running throughout the school it was hard to not put a smile on your face. This week was a success that brought Anoka even closer, and can hopefully continue into every week so eventually everyone can truly love everyone.