North Branch Area High School

🌟 Every job has a story—let’s share yours! 🌟 From welding to wildlife conservation, gaming to graphic design, real estate to robotics—our students want to hear about ALL careers, including the ones they may not have considered! 📢 We need YOU for Career Day at North Branch Area High School on Monday, May 5th! Be a: ✅ Vendor – Showcase your business & career field ✅ Classroom Speaker – Share insights & experiences ✅ Panelist – Engage in Q&A with students Sign up now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczei5bskQzliD-paSl_l3iCOcr502xz6jXifWCMn4gDDKYjg/viewform

Second grader Mattias Bigbear and his hoop dancing skills will be featured on WCCO Sunday Morning at 7 this weekend! Mattias will be part of the 7 am hour on Sunday, March 23, on TV and streaming on wcco.com. Way to go Mattias!!!!

Last chance to join us for a Patron Tour this school year! Interested in attending NBAPS' Friday, April 11 Patron Tour? Patron Tours start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. Guests enjoy refreshments in the morning, tour every site in the district, and finish the half day with a lunch provided by high school ProStart students. In between guests visit classrooms and talk with staff, students, and leadership. It's a great way to learn more about NBAPS from early childhood all the way through high school! To attend, contact Pat Tepoorten at 651-674-1018 or ptepoorten@isd138.org.

Spring break is a perfect time to check out the latest Community Ed Highlights! It has options for youth enrichment, early childhood, youth recreation, drivers ed, adult enrichment, and more. It also has info on the upcoming We Are All the Same Sockhop! Click here to give it a look: https://secure.smore.com/n/15ufn

Coming up in Community Ed! Squishy Squishmallows with Kidcreate Studio (Ages 4-9) March 13 / 9 AM - 12 PM DIY Pinball Machine with Kidcreate Studio (Ages 5-12) March 13 / 12:30 - 3:30 PM The Great Southwest March 17 / 6:30 - 8:30 PM Medicare 101 March 18 / 6:30 - 8 PM Little Lego Bricks with Kidcreate Studio (18 months-6 years) March 19 / 5 - 6 PM Floral Design of the Month March 19 / 6 - 7:30 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

The Viking Newsletter - Feb./March is now available at this link: https://secure.smore.com/n/8pvxj Happy spring break!

🎮 Exciting News for North Branch Area Families! 🎮 Our North Branch Area Esports program was recently recognized at a school board meeting, where mentor and coach Darin Marcussen highlighted our talented team! Team members shared their experiences and the impact Esports has had on their growth, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. What is eSports? It's a structured, competitive gaming program that helps students develop teamwork, strategy, and critical thinking—all while having a blast! North Branch Area Esports is offered through Community Education, and registration is now open for students ages 13 and older to join the 2025 Spring Club! 📅 Important Dates: 🔹 Team Information Meeting: Monday, March 24th at 3 PM | HS Commons 🔹 Registration Deadline: Friday, March 28th 📢 Ready to join? Find more details and register here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/costoption/class_id/3894/public/1/sp/ Let’s game on! 🕹️

Coming up in Community Ed! Lakeside with Canoe and Lily March 5 / 6:30 - 8:30 PM Learn the Sport of BMX Bike Racing March 6 / 5:30 - 7:45 PM Drivers Education Zoom Class Begins March 10 / 3 - 6 PM Slime Lab with Kidcreate Studio (Ages 4-9) March 11 / 9 AM - 12 PM Anime Workshop with Kidcreate Studio (Ages 5-12) March 11 / 12:30 - 3:30 PM Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

SKOL! and congratulations to Ashley Bistodeau and Ethan Kester, NBAHS's nominees for the MSHSL Triple “A” award! The Academics, Arts, and Athletics Award, commonly known as the Triple 'A' Award, honors high school seniors throughout the state who have a 3.0 or higher-grade point average and participate in League-sponsored athletic and fine arts activities. Of being selected, Ashley said “I love this school, and I love doing a ton of activities and being involved in the community." Ethan and his dad sat down to learn more about the award, “We were wowed by these amazing students who get selected for it. I decided that these are the people I want to be identified with.” Both are multi-sport athletes also involved in fine arts activities while taking AP courses.

Recently, FFA students participated in FFA Day at the State Capitol. During their visit, students met with representatives Max Rymer and Jimmy Gordon to advocate for FFA and Ag education, as well as taking the time to tour and learn about the state capitol!

SKOL! and congratulations to Annabelle Lattimore and Andrew Witkowski, the 2024-25 ExCEL (Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership) Award nominees for North Branch Area High School! The MSHSL ExCEL Award recognizes high school juniors active in school activities, leaders in their schools, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service. Annabelle is a 3-sport athlete, choir participant, NHS member, and a peer tutor. She volunteers with Operation Christmas Child. Andrew is a 2-sport athlete, symphonic and jazz band member, knowledge bowl and FTC Robotics participant. He has volunteered at Chisago County Community Center.

Here's photos from FFA week at NBAHS (Feb. 17-21). Students celebrated with a daily trivia question with prizes for correct answers. Students also read books to Education Center students, participated in a medallion hunt with clues each day, and finished the week with Bingo at all the lunches on Friday! It was a huge success for the school's first ever FFA week!

Coming up in Community Ed! Growing Sweet Potatoes in your Home Garden Feb 27 / 6-7:30 pm Chiropractic Care & Wellness For School Age Feb 27 / 7-8 pm Avoid the Pitfalls of Perimenopause/Menopause Virtual Workshop Mar 3 / 6-7:30 pm Fast Family Meals Virtual Mar 4 / 6:30-8 pm Registration here: https://northbranch.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getprogram/ or call 651-674-1025.

Statebound gymnasts Dakota Esget and Ella Dick were treated to a walking pep rally at the high school yesterday. The two will compete this Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at 11 am. Best of luck!!!

Thanks to the Snow Court for visiting with students across the district today! At the Ed Center, students greeted the court with a "snowball" fight (wadded up paper), and they were only too happy to join in! After the mayhem, the court answered questions from students.

The NBAHS Knowledge Bowl Varsity 1 team (pictured l to r): Gavin Lien, coach; Aaron Goeltl, junior; Jackson Thelander, senior; Camden Rafftery, senior; Karen Yang, junior; Samantha Nuthak, coach) placed second at the Mississippi 8 Conference Meet on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at Zimmerman High School. They scored 85 points, just one point behind the first-place finisher! This same group will be competing next week at the Subregional meet in St. Cloud for a chance to advance on to Regionals on March 4. Good luck Knowledge Bowlers!

REMINDER: The high school spring sports meeting is next Monday at 6 pm. See flier for details about where each sport is meeting.

Tonight's the night! Come one, come all to a FREE fun and entertaining evening with Joe Beckman! Dinner, also FREE, is catered sandwiches from Merchants Cafe. So...win-win! See flier for details and check out Joe's video message to North Branch here: https://youtu.be/5KdEY8o7uM0?si=Cq3FLZYe-6X_x3Xd

SKOL! and congratulations to Chazz Johnson and Layla Verdick! They are your Snow King and Queen for 2025!

Congratulations on qualifying for the MSHSL Class A State Gymnastics Meet, Dakota Esget and Ella Dick! This is Ella's first time qualifying for the state meet. She will compete on beam and vault. Dakota earned her fifth consecutive trip and will look to defend her back to back 2023 and 2024 Uneven Bars Titles and her 2024 All-Around Title. The meet is this Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at 11 am.