(02/07/18) Anoka-Hennepin is pretty big — the biggest school district in the state, as a matter of fact. And Superintendent David Law wants to make sure everyone feels like their voice is being heard — including the voices of Anoka-Hennepin’s excellent students.

That’s why on Feb. 6, Superintendent Law was joined by associate superintendents Dr. Timothy Gadson, III and Cory McIntyre, at Anoka-Hennepin Technical High School (AHTHS) for the last in a series of nine listening sessions with district high school students during the 2018-19 school year.

AHTHS, located on the Anoka Technical College campus, is a school that offers 18- to 21-year-olds who didn’t graduate with their peers a chance to get their high school diploma and transition into college or a career.

Superintendent Law talked to the 12 AHTHS students about their personal experience, and asked for open and honest feedback on a range of questions, from how students learned about AHTHS and its offerings, to whether they felt they were prepared for life after getting their diploma.

“We want to make sure that next year is better than this year,” Law said. “If we’re going to do that, we need to consider making changes based on what students say and need.”

Most of the AHTHS students revealed that they learned of the school and program from counselors at their traditional high school when it became clear they may not be able to graduate on time with their peers for a multitude of reasons.

“This school is great,” one student said. “We all get along and there’s no drama, really. We all have the same goal — we want to graduate.”

Each of the students said they felt ready for what’s next in life, which mostly included going to college to get degrees.

“And if we do need something, we have everything we need — we just need to ask,” another student said.

The students also revealed they have a number of trusted adults to turn to, both at home and at school, to bounce concerns off of, whether it be about their education, career goals, or personal situations when they crop up.

The first student roundtable event was held Oct. 9 at Andover High School, and since then, all nine high school programs have held a student roundtable.