News

Two adapted bowling coaches, Steve Tischer of Cambridge-Isanti and Alyssa Nelson of North Branch Area, recently spoke with the County News Review about the unique opportunities their programs offer.

Eden Prairie High School’s Linda Wallenberg has been named Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. She has been in the classroom for nearly five decades and is also a nationally renowned gymnastics coach.

Ahmed Amin recently took the reins as the principal at Minneapolis South High School. Amin, a graduate of Minneapolis Roosevelt, was a teacher at Roosevelt and principal at Sanford Middle School before accepting his current position.

On March 14, Dan Jourdain, Jonathan White and Phillip Johnson became the first all-Indigenous three-man referee crew to officiate a Minnesota basketball state tournament game.

Shelly Foster, a graduate of Cass Lake High School, was recently inducted into the 2025 North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. Foster walked on the Stanford University Volleyball team in the spring of her sophomore year and played two season for the Cardinals as a libero.

Referee Rob Bissonnette recently took to the floor to officiate his 2,500th game. He began officiating in 1994.

Sports have always been an opportunity for Amy Cooper. Sports opened doors of opportunity, and when physical limitations prevented her from competing, she used her love of sports to open up doors for others.

Every time the Elk River girls basketball team plays Rogers at home, the Elks host a charity night to raise money and awareness for a specific charity. This year, Elk River decided to support Jack’s Basket, a resource and support network for families of babies who have Down syndrome.

Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald reflects on the 1979 basketball game between St. Paul Central and Minneapolis North Community that changed his life. The game featured Ricky Suggs playing for Central and Ben Coleman playing for North.

Lakes International Language Academy freshman Brecken Lee got bit by the theater bug at a young age. She was four when she took the stage for the first time. Since then, Lee has performed in over 30 different theater productions throughout the Forest Lake area and the broader Twin Cities.

Alongside Old Highway 23, there stands this proud sign exclaiming Russell High School’s 1979 9-Man state football championship team. Eric Viccaro, Sports Editor at the Pipestone County Star, thought it was time to celebrate the 45th anniversary of this grand occasion.

Two Cannon Falls coaches - Melissa Huseth and Dan Meyers - recently shared some of their philosophies on developing "life skills," like leadership, teamwork and perseverance, through high school athletics.