North Branch Area Public Schools

Congratulations to our incredible athletes who have qualified for the MSHSL Class AA State Track & Field Meet!

4x100m Relay - Ella Dick, Rachel Halseth, Sophia Thorsen, Kailie Kopp
Long Jump - Nolan Weidenhamer, Sophia Thorsen, Amelia Lattimore
Pole Vault - Ella Dick, Brooke Giese
100m Dash - Sophia Thorsen
200m Dash - Sophia Thorsen
Section Team Runner-up - North Branch Girls

The state meet is held at St. Michael Albertville High School this Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 starting at 9 am.

Leadership in action! 🚜🌾

Students at Sunrise got a taste of farm life during North Branch FFA’s second annual "AGventure Day!"

Student leaders showcased livestock projects, hosted outdoor games, and gave younger students a taste of rodeo life with roping and hobby-horse barrel racing. It was the perfect blend of fun and hands-on agricultural education! FFA members did a fantastic job of sharing their passion for agriculture with the next generation!

FFA is an intracurricular student leadership organization at NBAHS that prepares students for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success available to all agriculture students.

Come gather, create, and connect! We're making hand drums together - shaping, stretching, and bringing rhythm to life by hand. 

The event is Thursday, June 11, 4-7 p.m., NBAHS cafeteria. Enter through door 1. RSVP to the event by following instructions on the flier, or by clicking this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mFkYXdLJk-dIb9ZHdI_Yr9rgnUfeTo2DC09QB8BeIiE/edit?usp=drivesdk 

Supplies are limited so sign up right away if you plan to attend!

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Paulina Rossini signed with the University of Mary to play tennis. Paulina is the last in a long line of Rossini tennis players. She has always been driven to be the best version of herself and worked constantly on and off the court to meet that goal. Along the way she worked her way up to first singles, received all conference her senior year, was fourth in the section, set the North Branch Girls record for points earned in a career, and is fourth all time in North Branch Girls Tennis wins. She was a strong leader on the tennis team, and was instrumental in the 2025 Section runner up finish.

Coming up in Community Ed!

Nobody's Perfect at Masonic Auditorium / Thursday June 11th / 10:15 AM - 5:00 PM

Enjoy a relaxing day trip by comfortable coach bus to the Masonic Auditorium in Minneapolis. The day includes a delicious buffet lunch followed by the hilarious performance of Nobody's Perfect.

Registration here: https://northbranch.arux.app/ or call 651-674-1025.

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Bo Pederson signed with Ridgewater Community College to play baseball. Bo’s first varsity opportunity came against St. Francis under the lights in front of a large crowd. What stood out wasn’t just the play he made, but how calm and smooth he looked doing it — like he had been playing varsity baseball for years. Over the course of his varsity career, he evolved from a soft-throwing defensive specialist into a leadoff hitter, a two-year captain, and a pitcher capable of reaching the mid-80s on the mound. In his career, Bo has amassed 38 hits, posted a .339 batting average in a season, and recently recorded an 11-strikeout performance on the mound. His work ethic, leadership, and ability to connect with everyone around him will allow him to succeed at the next level.

The Chisago County Sheriff and NBPD had the assistance of a few students who helped spray paint safety messages at the high school entrance. Shout out to the students, Chisago County and Mr. Edson helping with this!

NBAMS 8th graders just completed their Watercolor Fish painting projects. Students learned four watercolor techniques: wet on dry, wet on wet, lifting (both wet and dry) and dropping color in. They were challenged to use all four techniques in their projects. Students could choose their own species of fish to use for a reference, then they free-hand drew it on 12"x18" paper. Many fish chosen can be found in Minnesota lakes, while others were of a tropical origin and there was even a deep-sea anglerfish depicted as well!

Students learned that most fish have a sensory organ called a lateral line that runs from the gills to the base of the tail. The colors, values, textures and shapes created were beautifully impressive! Proud art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Morgan Mann signed with Augsburg University to play softball. Morgan is a 3-year varsity starter for NBAHS and is currently one of the captains. Her sophomore year she started as a DP and also got thrown in as an outfielder and 3rd basemen. Her junior and senior year she has locked down the starting varsity catching position and hasn’t missed a game there. Morgan holds a 3.98 high school GPA and a 4.0 college GPA. She plans on majoring and earning her masters in social work while continuing her education and softball career for Augsburg University. Morgan has been all section and all conference all academic for 3 years in a row. She will also be All State All Academic this year. Morgan also played volleyball for NBAHS until her sophomore year. She has played in over 64 varsity softball games, had over 160 varsity at bats, over 45 varsity hits, been walked 30 times, has had 196 total chances, 154 put outs, and a .917 fielding percentage.

Please join us as we celebrate our Viking #Classof2026 in today’s #SeniorSpotlight! ❤️🖤
▪️Aiden Grimm
▪️Joshua Halseth
We're proud of our seniors. They are going to do AMAZING things!
#Celebrate138 #VikingSeniorPride

For the third straight year, Junior Wyatt Helberg is the Section 6A individual champion, qualifying for the state tennis meet! The MSHSL tournament starts on Thursday, June 4, at the Reed-Sweatt Tennis Center. SKOL! and good luck to Wyatt!

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Addy Lewerenz signed with the University of Wisconsin-Stout to join the dance team. Addy’s dance journey began at just 3 years old. Growing up, she spent countless hours watching her older sister dance, and that early inspiration helped spark a passion that would quickly become such a big part of who she is. She joined the Vikettes in 10th grade and wasted no time making an impact, earning a varsity spot all three years of her high school dance career. This past season, Addy had the honor of serving as one of the team captains. Also, this past season, Addy earned Jazz All-Conference honors, solidifying her as one of the top jazz athletes in the conference and helping pave the way for what would become an unforgettable All-State season. She has been nominated for All-State Jazz both her junior and senior year, and this past March had the incredible honor of being selected to represent the Vikettes on the Minnesota All-State Jazz Team—an accomplishment that reflects years of dedication, growth, and passion for her craft.

Photos and acknowledgements from the May 20 Senior Scholarship Ceremony are posted at the district Facebook. Check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/nbapschools/posts/pfbid02Nsp581hkG7i4AVdCtLKtQjjxu2LapkQq6GiHbe76LZxarBNGvFEwVzJ4qQc3TiWSl

Please join us as we celebrate our Viking #Classof2026 in today’s #SeniorSpotlight! ❤️🖤
▪️Teagan Young
▪️Nakita Zachrison
▪️Carter Zwetz
We're proud of our seniors. They are going to do AMAZING things!
#Celebrate138 #VikingSeniorPride

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Maggie Hunter signed with the University of Wisconsin-Stout to play tennis. Maggie came to the tennis program early in her high school years, and instantly showed she was going to be one of the hardest working players on the courts. She spent hours and hours on the courts making up for lost time, and began to recognize and hone her talents. Her hard work paid off, eventually becoming part of the top doubles pairing on the team. Maggie was second in wins for doubles players in 2024, and her 26 win season in 2025 puts her second all time for North Branch girls wins in a season. She and her partner were fourth in the section in 2025.

Please join us as we celebrate our Viking #Classof2026 in today’s #SeniorSpotlight! ❤️🖤
▪️Sophia Wolfe
▪️Kira Wright
▪️Amandy Yang
▪️Karen Yang
We're proud of our seniors. They are going to do AMAZING things!
#Celebrate138 #VikingSeniorPride

Recently, adapted bowlers played a match against the girls softball team. It looks like everybody had a blast!

On Monday, May 11, several student athletes signed letters of intent to attend college. Kaytlin Hammond signed with Iowa Lakes Community College to play softball. Kaytlin has been the starting varsity shortstop since 8th grade. Since then she has played 108 varsity softball games. She has had over 80 varsity hits, over 350 total chances defensively and holds over a .870 fielding percentage. She will go down as top 5 most varsity games played at North Branch Area High School Softball along with top five defensive chances, assists and put outs. Kaytlin has earned all conference, all conference academic, and Defensive MVP.

Please join us as we celebrate our Viking #Classof2026 in today’s #SeniorSpotlight! ❤️🖤
▪️Alyssa Vang
▪️Keara Vickers
▪️Trent Volk
▪️Andrew Witkowski
We're proud of our seniors. They are going to do AMAZING things!
#Celebrate138 #VikingSeniorPride

Photos from Gameday at Sunrise and the Ed Center are posted at the district Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nbapschools. Check it out!