News and events Nov. 22, 2024
November 22, 2024
Important Upcoming Dates
Nov 25-26: No School- Grading & Professional Development Days
Nov 27-29: No School- Thanksgiving Break
Dec 2: First Day of Trimester 2
Dec 23-Jan 1: No School- Winter Break
Jan 3-Jan 9: Registration for 2025-26
Jan 20: No School- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 30: Tri 2 Parent-Teacher Conferences
Schedule Reminders
Please note that there is no school for students next week as listed above in the Important Upcoming Dates. CRHS has a professional development day for staff on Monday, followed by a grading and planning day on Tuesday and Thanksgiving Break Wednesday-Friday.
The first day of Trimester 2 is Monday December 2nd.
Late Start Mondays- Trimester 2
CRHS will have Late Start Mondays again in Trimester 2 on the following days: Dec 9, Dec 16, Jan 6, Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 24.
CRHS Biomed Students Study the Heart
Last week, students in our PLTW Principles of Biomedical Sciences dissected a sheep heart! Special guest Dr. Janet Beneke, a retired pathologist from Regions Hospital, visited their class to help students identify the parts of the heart in their dissection specimens. Dissecting a sheep's heart is a great way to see firsthand how our hearts work! Since sheep hearts are so similar to human hearts, it helps students really understand the parts they have been studying, such as the chambers, valves, and blood flow.
Other topics students study in PLTW Principles of Biomedical Sciences include forensic science, various diseases such as diabetes, and phlebotomy.
Cardinal Diver Shines at MN State Meet
Cardinal Diver, Delilah Smith-Ginnette, competed at the Minnesota State Diving Competition last weekend and took 25th place finish. Even more amazing, Delilah was one of the youngest divers at the State Meet and finished higher among divers from the Section 7AA group than she was originally seeded going into the State Competition!
Congratulations Delilah on an impressive sophomore season and to her coaches and family for their support!
CRHS Culinary Students Taste Test New Menu Items
On Tuesday, CRHS students in Ms. Halverson's Culinary I class were selected as taste-testers for possible new Anoka-Hennepin lunch menu items.
Anoka-Hennepin’s Child Nutrition Director Noah Atlas told CRHS students, “This is how we change our menu. You tell me what you like…my goal is to serve you as my guest, so I want to serve you what you like.” To share their opinions with the Child Nutrition Department, CRHS students completed feedback forms and gave their honest feedback about what they liked or how things could be improved.
DECA Holds District Elections
This Fall, District 4 DECA held their district elections at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River. Coon Rapids’ DECA president and MN DECA State officer Kelsey Koehler served as the MC for this event. Coon Rapids High School had two candidates running to be district officers, seniors Kimora Freeman and Adreanna Fowlkes. Both Coon Rapids candidates, along with 8 other representatives from other schools, set up booths for their campaigns and gave speeches to 75 voting delegates and over 125 total attendees.
Each candidate had two campaign managers, the following students took part in helping our Coon Rapids candidates run their campaigns, caucus with voting delegates, work their campaign booths, and deliver their speeches.
Kimora Freeman (Senior, 4th year DECA member, Candidate)
- Lilyanna Gagnon (Junior, 3rd year DECA member, Campaign Manager)
- Denise Roberts (Senior, 2nd year DECA member, Campaign Manager)
Adreanna Fowlkes (Senior, 2nd year DECA member, Candidate)
- LucyAnn Curfman (Junior, 3rd year DECA member, Campaign Manager)
- Olivia Tweh (Senior, 2nd year DECA member, Campaign Manager)
At the end of the day, Kimora Freeman was elected as the DECA District 4 Vice President of Publicity. She will serve with other officers from Maple Grove, Rogers, Anoka, and Elk River High Schools in preparing for the 2025 District 4 Career Development Conference.
We interviewed a few DECA members who were present at the event to see their thoughts on the election and event overall.
First, we interviewed Kalista Barker, a junior and a first year DECA member, about her favorite part about district elections, Barker said, “I really liked meeting people from other schools, I felt like it helped bring the schools closer.”
We also interviewed Sean Collins, a sophomore and second year DECA member. We asked Collins about his favorite part of district elections. Collins said, “The community of DECA in general, everybody was very inclusive and very friendly.”
Freeman is very excited to serve as a district officer for Coon Rapids DECA. Freeman said, “The district conference is going to have over 500 students taking their first steps on their journey to state and internationals in Orlando, Florida. I am proud to serve this fantastic group of young business leaders and entrepreneurs.”
At Coon Rapids High School students can join DECA as early as 9th grade and participate through 12th grade. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for future careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. For more information on DECA contact, DECA Advisor, Blake Bodenburg at Blake.Bodenburg@ahschools.us
DECA Gets Down to Business at "Back to Business Conference"
CRHS students attending leadership sessions
Coon Rapids DECA attended the "Back to Business" Fall Leadership conference. This conference competition helped prepare CRHS DECA students for the upcoming district competition in January. Each student competed in a marketing communications role play where they were given 10 minutes to prepare a business solution for a specific business scenario, and then 7 minutes to present it. Students also took a business administration cluster exam. The highest scorers received awards at the end of the conference. Coon Rapids DECA had 20 students attend this fall conference.
The following names are those who attended this conference and competed:
- Seniors: Kimora Freeman, Adreanna Fowlkes, Denise Roberts, Olivia Tweh, Peter Bruhjell, Mathew Larson, Alan Sierra-Lopez, Cristofer Sierra-Lopez, Justyne Vue, Matheus Quintuna, Jason Tran, Mustafe Farah.
- Juniors: Lilyanna Gagnon, LucyAnn Curfman, Kalista Barker, Nolan Clerge.
- Sophomores: Connor Pierce, Devon Ashworth.
- Freshman: Julia Smith, Ja’el Roberts.
After everyone finished attending presentations and competing in their competitive events, we gathered at the award ceremony and got the results of the highest placers for roleplays and test scores.
Congratulations to Mustafe Farah and Devon Ashworth on placing top 3 in their divisions for their role plays!
We asked Farah what his favorite part about the conference was. Farah said, “My favorite part was probably winning a medal, it felt really good to win! I also really enjoyed the entertainment they provided at the conference.”
DECA's Annual Food Drive Hits High Gear!
The DECA Food Drive was held from November 11th to November 15th. The Marketing and Management Internship class facilitated the drive. Each classroom with a first hour was given a paper bag with item ideas and the deadline of the drive on them. When students brought items in, they could put them in the bag and the internship class would retrieve them during 4th hour.
Students were encouraged to bring in items such as canned food, hygiene products, newly packaged toys, or batteries for the toys. Each day, the top 3 classes with the most items were announced. In addition to supporting a great cause, classes battled for bragging rights and a donut and juice party. The top 3 classes with the most donations were:
- 1st place was Mr. Miller in Room 116 with 178 items!
- 2nd place was Ms. Burley in Room 330 with 176 items!
- 3rd place was Mr. Kuenhe in Room 345 with 127 items!
Congratulations to Mr. Miller and his first hour class! Ms. Burley’s class also won a donut and juice party from Mr. Pena because they raised the most items just on Friday. Because of the selflessness of our student body at Coon Rapids High School, we were able to raise over 800 total items.
At Coon Rapids High School, students can join DECA as early as 9th grade and participate through 12th grade. DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for future careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. For more information on DECA contact, DECA Advisor, Blake Bodenburg at Blake.Bodenburg@ahschools.us
Students Earn Certificate of Achievement for Sales Skills
The Business and Marketing Department at Coon Rapids High School prides itself on giving students real-world skills. Within the business and marketing department students have the opportunity to take Advertising and Sales; this class trains students using real-world selling situations. Students complete two sales demonstrations, and if they average 89% or higher on both demonstrations, they earn a selling certificate of achievement.
Certificate recipient and senior, Ben Simon said, “This class, and the sales demonstration in particular, felt so relevant and real to me… learning those skills of customer behaviors and needs is a skill that I will benefit me in my future college where I want to study advertising.” Senior Samaiyah Willis, echoed Simon’s views and went further by saying, “Earning this certificate reinforces my confidence. This class really helped reduce some of my anxiety when talking to others, and I feel like I have developed a great skill that I will be able to use for the rest of my life”
The eleven students earned this award this year:
- Seniors: Ben Simon, Nathan Khang, Samaiyah Willis, Levi Blilie, Cris Sierra Lopez, Yeabsra Berthanu, Jason Tran.
- Juniors: Parker Nick and Jacob Thoen.
- Sophomore: Jahzi Morris.
If a student averages an 89% or higher between their two sales demonstrations they will earn a Sales Certificate of Achievement that is aligned in accordance with the Minnesota High School DECA excellent rating.
Uses of the certificate:
- Resume Builder
- Provides Employers Proof of Skills
- College Applications
- Scholarship Applications
- Confidence Builder
Community Partnership Spotlight
CRHS would like to thank Rev. Kevin Doely (Senior Pastor) Jammin, (Director of Next Generation Ministries), Shelley, Nancy and the Faith Lutheran Church congregation for their incredibly generous donation.
We appreciate your partnership in supporting the students and families in our Cardinal community!
Reminder- CRHS Closed Campus
We wanted to share a few important reminders as we start Trimester 2 at CRHS.
- Students are expected to enter through Door 1 only after school starts for the day. Students will then need to show their Student ID or StudentVue at our Check-In Desk. Entry through Door #1 is required to ensure Cardinal Nation remains a safe and welcoming school community for all of us!
- PSEO and STEP students may pick up their pass in the Main Office for their programs.
- CRHS is a closed campus, which means students must remain on campus for lunch and are not allowed to order food into the building through restaurants/outside vendors (e.g. restaurant delivery, DoorDash, GrubHub, etc). Any food delivered to CRHS will be turned away.
- Students are not allowed to open doors for entry of anyone! If students are seen opening doors, consequences will be earned for violating building safety protocols.
2025 Senior Class- Information and Updates
CRHS Senior Class Website
The Senior Class of 2025 website is up and running! This website is your “go-to location” for important information and updates on everything “Senior Class” so bookmark it today and check back often!
Order Your Cap & Gown Today!
Seniors, it’s time to order your Graduation Cap and Gown! Please click here and scroll down to the “Order Cap and Gown” to submit your order! Don't wait- your order is due before Friday December 6, 2024.
Class of 25 Senior All Night Party News
The Class of 2025 Senior All Night Party committee is starting to plan for the event which will take place following graduation on Sunday, June 1, 2025. One of the best parts of the Senior All Night Party is all of the great prizes! Every student who attends goes home with a fabulous prize. The committee is looking for donations for the Class of 2025 Senior All Night Party and we’ve made it super easy to donate with a handy dandy Amazon Wish List!
Join CRHS Boys' Swim & Dive Team
Hey Coon Rapids students! The Boys' Swim & Dive season starts in just a few weeks! If you are interested in trying swimming or diving, register by Dec. 2nd. There is no experience needed, no tryouts, and no cuts- we'll teach you everything you need to know!
If you have any questions, see Ms. Scholl in Room 339.
SLPCR Boys Hockey fundraiser at Cafe Zupas, Wed. Nov. 27, 11am-9pm
SLPCR Boys Hockey is having a restaurant fundraiser at Cafe Zupas in Coon Rapids on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Come eat at Zupas anytime between 11am and 9pm on Wednesday and mention SLPCR Boys Hockey. Thanks for supporting our new team!
Tri 2 Parking Permits- On Sale Now!
Attention Students- Tri 2 Student Parking Permits are on sale.
Here's some important information to know:
- Permits can be purchased online from through December 20. If you purchase your permit online, stop by the Finance Window to pick up your permit for display in your vehicle.
- Permits can also be purchased at the Finance Window Monday-Friday before and after school.
- Please note: All students who did not purchase a Full Year parking permit MUST purchase a 2nd trimester permit to park at CRHS. There is no free student parking.
If you have questions about purchasing a parking permit, check in with Ms. Matthews at the Finance Office or contact her at lana.matthews@ahschools.us or at 763-506-7302.
CRHS 2024-25 Yearbook
Students--Buy your 2024-25 yearbook NOW at the lowest price of the year. Check out ordering details below:
- This year's book is on sale at Jostens.com but hurry as the "Back-to-School" deal expires at midnight on Sunday!
- Payment plans available through Jostens.
- Email Ms. Berg with any questions.
"Ads for Grads" for the 2024-2025 Yearbook
Attention Senior Parents- Senior year is an important milestone in many student's lives and it’s important to find creative ways to commemorate your student’s senior year, celebrate all of their hard work and accomplishments throughout their school career, and let them know that you love and are proud of them. A fun and easy way to do this is to place a Recognition Ad, or an “Ad for Grads”, in the 2024-2025 Yearbook. This is something that your student can look back on for years to come. It is very simple to create an “Ad for Grad.” Just follow the details below:
- Visit www.jostensadservice.com to begin creating your ad today using your favorite photos of your student and a personal message.
- Choose any photos you like: a baby photo, a grade school photo, or just a photo of your student that you love--you can even take a picture of the photo you want to use and upload that image from your phone.
- Photos may be in color or black and white, and you pick the fonts and background.
- Ads are available in two different sizes, 1/4 page for $60 or 1/8 page for $40.
- The Ads for Grads deadline is February 1, 2025.
If you have any questions or need tips on how to upload the pictures you want to use, please email Kari Berg at karilee.berg@ahschools.us or check out this sheet from Jostens with FAQs.
Upcoming CRHS Activities Calendar
Click on the button below to check out the CRHS Activities running this week. We'd love to see you come out and support Cardinal Nation!
Youth Service Volunteer Opportunities
Join Google Classroom:
CRHS Youth Service 2024 - 2025 class code: na4fsra
Contact Mrs. Borman if you have any questions julietta.borman@ahschools.us
Volunteer Opportunities
The CRHS Orchestra would appreciate your help at their winter concert on Monday, December 9th! We will need ushers to help greet and seat our guests in the auditorium. Dress in your best and join us as part of the team for this fantastic night of music.
Help us celebrate the season at our annual CRHS Traditions Concert December 12th-14th. This is an
amazing musical event that truly takes a village to produce and present. Please consider
volunteering your time to ensure that all of their hard work can be appreciated by our wonderful
community. Our volunteer ushers are an integral part of any successful concert.
Volunteers are such an incredible asset to the students here at CRHS. Let’s make sure your impact is recorded and recognized. By filling out your volunteer application you are doing your part to keep our students safe while enriching their lives through extracurricular activities. You can access this year’s volunteer application here:
CRHS Volunteer Application and Criminal Record History Release Form or email your Volunteer Services Coordinator, Danielle Callahan at danielle.callahan@ahschools.us (or call (763) 506-7130)
From the Counseling Department
Support Resources & Ideas for a Long Break
Students and parents, please look through this slideshow for some helpful tips to help get through the long break. Often these long break can create greater stress and become challenging, so check it out for ideas on how to make it a great break.
Requesting Transcripts for College Applications
Ms. Mitshulis, our College and Career Specialist, has sent out communications to seniors on how to use SCOIR to request transcripts.
Info & Support for Setting Up SCOIR Account
Seniors, if you have not set up your student SCOIR account yet, click the button below to get directions on how to do this.
9th Grade Counselor Meetings
Both 9th grade counselors have been working hard to meet every one of their 9th grade students individually before the end of the 1st trimester. This is to make sure that 9th graders are transitioning well to high school and know their resources here at CRHS.
12th Grade Counselor Meetings
The 10th - 12th grade counselors have been meeting with all of their Seniors to support their current plans for senior year and beyond. Please refer to the Class of 2025 Page for important information and updates.
Also, check out the cardinal picture to the left that has words of wisdom CRHS Seniors shared with our Freshman!
Career and College Center
This e-newsletter is published by Coon Rapids High School. Questions, comments or concerns about the school e-newsletter? Contact us.