Apollo High School (Minnesota)

Apollo Senior High School is a high school located at 1000 44th Ave N. in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Apollo is one of St. Cloud's two public high schools, the other being Technical Senior High School.

Meaning of name

Apollo received its name from the NASA Apollo space program. In front of the school there is a NASA space capsule that navy frogmen used for training, usually for hooking up to a helicopter after splashdown. Apollo colors are red, white, and blue.

Academics

Apollo has seen its graduates accepted by Ivy League and other high-caliber schools including Northwestern University, Macalester College, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, MIT, Harvard College, Stanford University, Grinnell College, Georgetown University, Carleton College, Rice University, and Cornell University. Apollo offers a wide variety of Advanced Placement classes, including the following (as of the 2013-2014 school year).

• Technology & Engineering (PLTW)
• Biology
• Calculus AB
• Calculus BC
• Chemistry
• English Literature and Composition
• Human Geography
• Physics B
• Physics C
• Psychology
• Spanish Language
• Statistics
• Studio Art
• United States History
• World History

Extra-curricular activities

Athletics

The boy's soccer program has a history of success. Recent highlights include a state tournament appearance in the 2006–07 school year led by captains Josh Kiley, Nate Orr and Matt Stock. The team also reached the state tournament in the 2007-08 school year. The boy's soccer team won the 2014 state soccer championship during the 2014-2015 school year. The captains were Abdiaziz Handule, Cooper Gray, Jason Omann, and Leighton Lommel.

The adapted floor hockey team, the Slapshots, won the state championship during the 2006–07 school year.

The boys' basketball team has enjoyed success as well in the past decade, making the Section finals in 2006-07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010-11.
The boys' basketball team has made two state tournament appearances (1973 and, 2011).

The school's football team has had a poor record for several years now, garnering infamy for their seemingly uncharacteristic bad luck. From the 1999-2000 school year through the 2002-2003 school year, the varsity football team did not win a single game. The next year the team managed a 4-4 record, a relatively incredible feat compared to their previous half decade of play. However, in the 2012-2013 season, the Eagles won 4 straight, beating the crosstown rivals Tech Tigers and winning their first home playoff game in a number of years in the process.

The boys' hockey team has achieved some success in recent years by reaching the state tournament in 2013, despite graduating 15 seniors the previous year. Throughout the 90's the teams had plenty of success however never making the state tournament with losses to tough opponents in their sectional games. The team is currently coached by Peter Matanich in his fifth season with an overall record of 41-62-2. The team has made three total state tournament appearances (1984, 2013, and 2015)

Activities

In 2008 and 2009, the mock trial team qualified and participated in the state competition, receiving 3rd place overall the latter of the two years.^[2] The mock trial team went on to qualify for the state competition in 2010, but was unable to attend. In 2011, the team returned to state and placed 7th overall.^[3] Additionally, Apollo's Future Problem Solving Program International team competed at the national competition after qualifying in the state competition in 2009.

The Apollo High School Book Club is an organization that meets monthly at 7:35 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Meetings are held in the Apollo Resource Center and feature a buffet breakfast and discussion on a different book each month.

Apollo has hosted FIRST Robotics Competition team #3244, the Granite City GearHeads,^[4] since 2010. The team is composed of students from Apollo, Technical Senior High School, and Cathedral High School (St. Cloud, Minnesota). The team was part of the winning Alliance in the 2013 10,000 Lakes Regional and competed in the National competition held in Saint Louis, MO.

The Apollo yearbook is called the Odyssey. It has been established for over 40 years. They currently work through Walsworth Yearbooks, and have worked with Jostens in the past.

The We Act Club is the newest organization in the school. Founded by a freshman, the club is dedicated to service learning and education of world problems. The group consists of more than 30 members, and the numbers are growing. Their ultimate objective is to earn their tickets to We Day each year. Apollo has officially become a We Act School, and is a part of a We Act District. They are closely associated with Free the Children and Me to We, and are planning to work closely with the international organizations.

Luna is Apollo's creative arts club. They publish the yearly creative arts magazine, also titled Luna. In addition, they take part in arts enrichment activities, maintain a mentorship program with neighboring Westwood Elementary, and sponsor the annual Luna Gala, which celebrates creative writing, original music, photography, and visual art.

Coordinates: 45°34′13″N 94°12′38″W / 45.5702429°N 94.2105471°W / 45.5702429; -94.2105471^[5]

Notable Alumni

Stephen Sommers - Screenwriter and film director, best known for The Mummy and G.I. Joe.

References