District celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(01/24/2020) As students did not have school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, Anoka-Hennepin administrators and staff participated in events to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
Superintendent David Law was joined by members of his cabinet, including Paul Cady (general counsel), Nicole Tuescher (executive director of human resources), Al Ickler (executive director of community and government relations), Greg Cole (chief operations officer), Dr. Johnna Rohmer-Hirt (director of research and technology), Dr. Eric Melbye, (associate superintendent for middle schools), as well as Dr. Jennifer Cherry (director of student services), James Greer (inclusion and diversity coordinator) and School Board treasurer Bill Harvey, at the 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast at the Armory in Minneapolis.
At this year’s event, district administrators heard from keynote speaker The Honorable Eric H. Holder Jr., former Attorney General of the United States, who was the first African-American to serve in that position.
Later that day, administrators returned for the district leadership event, which was held at Bunker Hills Event Center in Coon Rapids. Each year, Anoka-Hennepin holds two leadership events, giving administrators from across the district an opportunity to hear updates on strategic priorities while also having the opportunity to discuss how the school year is going amongst peers.
During this event, leaders reviewed an update on the district’s equity achievement plan by associate superintendent for high schools Dr. Timothy Gadson, III. A panel of students from Anoka High School joined social studies teacher Lomumba Ismail to give district leaders insight into their Honors African American course, which is now being offered at high schools. Students discussed how the class has positively impacted them and gave their perspective as students of color.
All of the activities are in alignment with the district’s Equity Achievement Plan, a coordinated effort to promote high academic achievement for all students and eliminate predictable gaps amongst student groups.