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Anoka-Hennepin honors five magnet schools with national and state recognitions
Summary
At the Feb. 24 Anoka-Hennepin School Board meeting, district leaders and school teams celebrated five elementary magnet schools that earned Magnet Schools of America distinctions and related leadership awards.
Anoka-Hennepin School District representatives on Feb. 24 formally acknowledged five district elementary magnet schools that received awards from Magnet Schools of America and other honors.
The recognitions were presented during the board's recognitions segment. Mary Woolverton, Associate Superintendent, introduced principals and staff from Champlin–Brooklyn Park Academy, Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts, Hoover Elementary, Monroe Elementary, and University Avenue Elementary, who described program highlights and community partnerships that supported the honors.
Champlin–Brooklyn Park Academy Principal Heidi Kuba announced that Champlin–Brooklyn Park Academy for Mathematics and Environmental Science was named a 2025 Merit School of Excellence. Kuba said the school’s specialty programming and partnerships — including Mississippi Gateway Regional Park naturalists and University of Minnesota Master Gardeners — support hands-on experiences from first-grade bug collection to greenhouse gardening. She credited a curriculum integrator and teacher team for preparing the school’s application and said the school has been recognized by Magnet Schools of America eight times since 2010.
Hoover Elementary Principal Minstruce introduced curriculum integrator Matt Thompson and said Hoover earned the Magnet Schools of America Top Magnet School of Excellence award. In remarks, Thompson described Hoover’s STEM-focused programming, including a fifth-grade capstone that has students research and prototype a prosthetic leg, partnerships with the American Heart Association and American Red Cross, and a newly held blood drive.
Lincoln Elementary assistant principal Tara Lawrence said Lincoln was named a 2025 Merit School of Excellence for arts-based instruction, staff development, and increased student achievement. She highlighted fourth- and fifth-grade band, orchestra and choir, a theater program, and partnerships with Rum River Arts Center and Lyric Arts Theater.
Monroe Elementary Principal Amy Oliver and University Avenue assistant principal Derek Williamson described their schools’ Magnet School of Distinction recognitions and long-running alignment with magnet pillars, district strategic goals and the achievement and integration grant.
The board did not take any formal action on the recognitions; the segment was presented as acknowledgment of school achievements and district partnerships.
The district also acknowledged Ramsey Elementary Principal Denise Schnabel for receiving the Minnesota Elementary School Principal Association North Suburban Division Leadership Award. Superintendent McIntyre and board members praised Schnabel’s leadership in school reorganizations and program development.
