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Graduate Spotlight
One of the measures of a successful school district is the success of its graduates. Profiles of graduates featured in the Focus newsletter are archived below.
Do you know someone we should consider for Graduate Spotlight? Let us know! Be sure to tell us the high school and/or the year the person graduated, and tell us briefly why you are suggesting this person.
Our high schools are located in the cities of Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Champlin Park and Coon Rapids.
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Retired Coon Rapids Police Chief and current Anoka County Sheriff Brad Wise, a 1982 Coon Rapids High School graduate, continues to impact the community
(10/23/2024) Six degrees of separation is the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. For Anoka County sheriff Brad Wise, a 1982 graduate of Coon Rapids High School (CRHS), it’s more like two or even one degree of separation if you have ever lived in the City of Coon Rapids.
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Blaine High School alum earns wings, soars skies as commercial pilot
(05/23/2024) Zach Crowe’s (‘17) journey from Blaine High School (BHS) to the cockpit of a Delta Airlines jet was a meticulously charted course.
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Champlin Park grad giving back to the community by empowering youth in the Brooklyns
(02/09/2024) She didn’t travel the path she thought she would, but 2009 Champlin Park High School (CPHS) graduate Chia Lee Xiong is where she is meant to be.
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From Blaine High School to the broadcast screen
(06/25/2023) Turn on the local news and you can find Morgan Wolfe at both the anchor desk and reporting out on the scene for KARE-11 – but this isn’t the first time she’s pulled double-duty pursuing her interest of sharing stories in her community.
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Anoka High School graduate living out passion for advocacy
(03/03/2023) Richnetta Parker, a 2016 graduate of Anoka High School (AHS), is driven by lived experiences to be an advocate for refugee and underrepresented communities both locally and internationally.
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Coon Rapids grad, Todd Archbold, leads effort to expand mental health care in Minnesota
(10/25/2022) A social worker and a summer volunteer gig led 1999 Coon Rapids High School graduate, Todd Archbold, on a career path that would wind through the mental health care field, from school social worker to CEO of PrairieCare - one of the nation’s largest providers of psychiatric services.
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Graduate Spotlight archives
Profiiles listed by most recent at the top:
- Cody Wiberg, Blaine High School, Class of 1977, Head of Minnesota Board of Pharmacy
- Semhar Araia, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1995, International Rights Lawyer
- Tarah Andrews, Crossroads Alternative High School, Class of 2004, Fitness Model
- Cordelia Anderson, Anoka High School, Class of 1973, Consultant for Social Change
- Kerry McCauley, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1980, International Ferry Pilot
- Alicia Ulwelling, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1990, Helotech, McMurdo Station - Antarctica
- Bradley, Bob and Kate Beahen - Anoka High School, Class of 1999, 2003 and 2005, Performing Arts Careers
- Dr. Vincent Voelz, Anoka High School, Class of 1993, Postdoctoral Researcher, Vijay Pande Laboratory at Stanford University
- Dr. Matthew Hodges, Blaine High School, Class of 1994, Assistant Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin
- Kris Helgen, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1997, Curator, Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History
- Maria Holland, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 2006, Engineering student at University of Tulsa
- Briana Scurry, Anoka High School, Class of 1990, Olympic Athlete
- Tanja K. Manrique, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1984, Judge, Fourth Judicial District
- Dr. Rosalie Ambrosino, Anoka High School, Class of 1963, Provost, University of Texas at San Antonio
- Randy Stenson, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1975, Vocal Music Teacher, St. Mary's International School, Tokyo, Japan
- Joe Davies, Champlin Park High School, Class of 1996, Physicist, University of California-Davis
- Jeffrey Olson, Anoka High School, Class of 1973, Neurosurgeon, Emory University School of Medicine
- Anthony Cox, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1973, Jazz Musician
- Dale Pomraning, Anoka High School, Class of 1981, Machinist, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Capt. Tamara Ward, Champlin Park High School, Class of 1995, Pilot, U.S. Air Force
- Maj. Michael J. Rounds, Blaine High School, Class of 1984, Engineer, U.S. Army
- Dean Sorenson, Anoka High School, Class of 1982, Director of Jazz Studies, University of Minnesota
- David Schneider, Coon Rapids High School, Class of 1976, Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Gretchen Carlson, Anoka High School, Class of 1984, anchor/journalist, CBS News