Anoka High School

Anoka High School is a four-year public high school located in Anoka, Minnesota, US on 3939 7th Avenue N.

School overview

Anoka High School is part of Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 and is one of five regular high schools in the district. The history of Anoka High School can be traced back to 1880 and the establishment of the city of Anoka, making it one of the oldest high schools in Minnesota. The school districts of Anoka and surrounding communities were consolidated into the Anoka-Hennepin School District in 1952. Anoka High has a student population of around 2,500. White students made up 90% of the student population; African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians constitute about 3% each. American Indian students made up the remaining 1% of the population.^[2] Anoka High School participates in the University of Minnesota's College in the Schools program.

History

The current Anoka High School building opened in 1971. The first Anoka High School was opened in 1904 and located in downtown Anoka. The second Anoka High School was opened in 1955, a few blocks southeast of downtown Anoka, with the old location becoming Sandburg Middle School. After the current building opened in 1971, the old high school became Fred Moore Junior High School (later Fred Moore Middle School, and now Anoka Middle School). Despite the move, the Anoka Tornadoes Football Team continues to play its home games at Goodrich field, which is just north of Anoka Middle School.

Anoka High School draws enrollment from Anoka and the neighboring towns of Andover, Nowthen, Oak Grove, Ramsey, and parts of Coon Rapids. From the forming of the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 in 1920, until the opening of Coon Rapids High School in 1963, all district students attended High School in Anoka. Anoka was the largest high school in the state until the opening of Champlin Park High School in 1992, and the removal of Anoka's enrollment from Champlin, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, and Dayton; it continues to be among the state's largest four-year secondary schools.^[3]

In the two years 2011-2013 eight Anoka High School students committed suicide. Official review of the events concluded that only one of them could be directly attributed to bullying, but articles were printed in the New York Times and The Rolling Stone, and anti-bullying rules were introduced in District 11.^[4]

Sports

Anoka competes in the Northwest Suburban Conference.^[5] Anoka High School's main rivals are intra-district schools Andover High School, Champlin Park High School, Blaine High School, and Coon Rapids High School. The other schools in the Northwest Suburban Conference are Armstrong High School, Centennial High School, Elk River High School, Maple Grove Senior High School, Osseo Senior High School, and Park Center Senior High School. Although strong in most sport because of the size of its enrollment (especially up until the opening of Champlin Park High School which drew away much of Anoka's previous enrollment in Hennepin County south of the Mississippi River), Anoka High especially has a long history of statewide dominance in wrestling with five olympic-calibre wrestlers including Brandon Paulson, who was the first high school wrestler to earn a spot on the U.S. National Senior team,^[6] and an Olympic silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Atlanta Summer Olympic Games, and most recently Jake Deitchler who competed in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. Anoka Wrestling has won 7 State Team Championship Titles and 28 Conference Championship Titles, has had 48 State Individual Championship Titles and 41 State Individual Runner Up Championship Titles, 5 Olympians, 1 Olympic Coach, 22 Wrestlers with 100 wins or more, and 17 Collegiate All-Americans.^[7] In 2011, the girls' basketball team became section champions for the first time in the history of Anoka High School, winning four games in the section playoffs after winning only twice during the season.^[8][9]

State Championships

2015-16
Boys' Soccer

2014-15
Boys' Soccer

2007-08
Boys' Soccer
The Anoka boys' soccer team beat Wayzata 2-0 for the 2007 Class 2A State Championship Title on November 1, 2007 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.^[10] Capping off a 21-0-2 season with an NSCAA Regional ranking of No. 2 and an NSCAA National ranking of No. 6 while recording an amazing 16 shutouts.

2002-03
Boys' Hockey
Anoka was the 2003 State Hockey Champions.^[11]

1999-2000
Girls' Track and Field
Anoka was the 2000 Girls' State AA Track and Field Champions.

1994-95
Football
Anoka was the 1994 state AA football champion.
They were undefeated through the season.

1990-91
Football
Anoka was the 1990 state AA football champion.
Girls' Soccer
Anoka was the 1990 state AA Girls' Soccer champion.
Wrestling
The Anoka Wrestling Team won a state championship in 1990 in class AA.

1978-79
Dance Team
The Anoka Dance Team also won a state championship in 1979 in class AA.

Notable alumni

• Gretchen Carlson - Fox News anchor and 1989 Miss America
• Margaret Chutich - Minnesota Supreme Court judge
• Jake Deitchler - 2008 Summer Olympics. First high school wrestler to make the Olympics in 30 years. 3 time Minnesota State High School Wrestling Champion
• Garrison Keillor - author, host of the radio program "A Prairie Home Companion"^[12]
• Ben Nelson - Wide Receiver, 2006 Arena Football League Rookie of the Year Award winner
• Steve Nelson - Linebacker for the New England Patriots from 1974–1987
• Mark Nenow - Distance runner, 10K World Record holder in 1984 and 10,000M American Record Holder from 1986–2003
• Brandon Paulson - 1996 Summer Olympics silver medalist in wrestling^[6][13]
• Briana Scurry - Olympic gold medalist and Women's World Cup champion as goalkeeper for U.S. Women's National Soccer Team
• Michele Bachmann - Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 6th district
• Abigail Whelan - Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from District 35A.

References

External links

• Anoka High School Homepage