Carissa Hopkins-Hoel 
It was 26 years ago when Michael Bakken, a special education physical education teacher, began teaching in St. Cloud Area School District. He became a teacher because of his love for kids. “I was inspired by a physical education teacher many years ago and decided that’s what I wanted to do,” explains Bakken. Happenstance put him … Read more
Who is more excited or nervous for kindergarten to begin? Parents or students? KinderCamp, a St. Cloud area districtwide collaborative with community education, occurs every summer to help prepare soon-to-be-kindergartners for that first day and beyond. Take a peek into a day of KinderCamp in Ms. Davidson’s class at Oak Hill Community School. It’s day three … Read more
St. Cloud Area Community Education offers a wide range of courses for youth enrichment including boxing classes for kids. When it comes to a variety of classes, there is always something new to try! Colas (Cole) Falon, the youth boxing instructor at St. Cloud Boxing Club, found his niche in boxing and martial arts at … Read more
When it comes to young women in sports, St. Cloud Area School District 742 has a robust history. Starting in 1972, Peg Brenden became the first girl in the state to earn a letter for competing on a boys’ tennis team after arguing her rights in court and with the school district. Later that year, … Read more
Nate Nelson, a 1998 Apollo High School graduate, majored in history and minored in ancient Greek while attending St. John’s University. He loved history, but after graduation realized he didn’t want to teach the subject. Instead, he turned to his other passion, debate, and attended law school at the University of Minnesota to obtain his law … Read more