McKinley Celebrates 25 Years With the VA

McKinley students serve Thanksgiving cookies to vets.

McKinley-ALC students gather in the early morning at the St. Cloud Veterans Hospital sporting their volunteer shirts and name tags. They venture to the Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA) twice a month to reconnect with veterans, some whom they now call friends. Kathy Lyerly and Mike Myers-Schleif, McKinley service learning project supervisors, await the students. They laugh … Read more

I AM 742: Alumna Sara Algoe

Curiosity is human nature, and it can be a powerful driving force. For 1994 Tech High School alumna, Sara Algoe, curiosity is not only her motivation but a craving to learn more about human nature itself. Algoe yearns to discover how emotions tie to the physical and mental well-being of human beings. She began to … Read more

Diving into a New Record

Matchinsky adjusts the fulcrum.

It’s time. It’s her turn. She walks along the tiled floor, her feet splatting on the wet tiles. She takes the first step on the ladder to the diving board, and the crowd dies down so low that she can hear the hum of the air units in the Tech High School pool. “Deep breaths,” she … Read more

I AM 742: A New Beginning

Chris Ley instructing marksmanship

Chris Ley is committed to doing the best job he can do, whether as a U.S. Airman or as a number one dad. This year is a new beginning for Ley and his daughter Kaylee. They recently moved to St. Cloud to be closer to family. Ley was also looking for a fresh start. Westwood Elementary … Read more

I AM 742: Family, Tradition and Honor

Robert Thorson in uniform

Family, tradition and honor are words military personnel think of when asked why they enlist. The same is true for Robert Thorson, Tech High School parent and U.S. Navy veteran. Thorson followed in his naval grandparents’ footsteps. He boasts that his grandmother was one of the first officers in the U.S. Navy WAVES, (Women Accepted for … Read more