North Branch Area High School

Thanks for a great 2025-26 school year! Have a great summer and we'll see you in the fall!

Congratulations and best wishes to the Class of 2026!

Those unable to attend Sunday's commencement (doors open at 12:30 pm and the ceremony starts at 2 pm), can livestream the proceedings at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djsd8jaYuts

Wyatt Helberg is headed to the state tennis individual championship!

The match will be streamed on NSPN TV at 11:30am. Here are links to watch Wyatt or other state tennis action:

Boys Tennis Doubles: AA Championship
Live streaming link: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL/GameStream/31802

Boys Tennis Singles: AA Championship
Live streaming link: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL/GameStream/31801

Boys Tennis Doubles: A Championship
Live streaming link: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL/GameStream/31800

Boys Tennis Singles: A Championship
Live streaming link: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL/GameStream/31799

Subscriptions are $12/month or just $33/year. These plans cover all content on NSPN.tv, including all MSHSL regular and postseason games and tournaments.

Yesterday there was a walking pep fest at NBAHS for the golfers and track and feild athletes headed to state. Here is the announcement that was read over the PA:

Good morning North Branch Area High School! Today we are honoring some of our Vikings who have earned the opportunity to compete at the state level!

We have 2 golfers who qualified for the state tournament. Those individuals are junior Jenna Minke, and sophomore Nick Melvin. This is Jenna’s first time competing at state and Nick’s 4th state appearance. They will golf on Tuesday, June 9th and Wednesday, June 10th at the Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

We would also like to recognize individuals from our boys and girls Track and Field team who will be competing at the MSHSL state meet tomorrow and Saturday at St. Michael Albertville High School:

Sophia Thorsen - 100M Dash, 200M Dash, 4x100 Relay, and Long Jump
Kailie Kopp, Rachel Halseth - 4x100 Relay
Ella Dick - 4x100 Relay, Pole Vault
Brooke Giese - Pole Vault
Amelia Lattimore, Nolan Weidenhamer - Long Jump
The girls also placed second as a team!

We are so proud of the accomplishments of all of these students and as a way of congratulating them and sending them off with Viking style, we will be doing a walk-through pepfest. At this time would all classes please make their way to the main hallway for the walk-through pep fest. SKOL Vikings!!!!

On Friday, Outdoor Adventures went on the finale field trip, white water kayaking on the Kettle River in Sandstone with Hard Water Sports. The students did amazing and had a fantastic time. There were rapids, little alcoves, waterfalls, and cliff jumping. This adventure will hopefully be an experience the students will never forget. Thank you to the North Branch Area Education Foundation for fully funding this amazing experience for all of these students!

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.

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.

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!

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.