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Minnehaha Celebrates Opening of New Gymnasium
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (April 19, 2002) - Minnehaha Academy recently celebrated the
grand opening of a new 38,000-square-foot gymnasium at Minnehaha's Upper
Campus in Minneapolis.
The grand opening marks completion of phase one of the school's $9 million
capital campaign, "Promise for the Future," the most ambitious fundraising
event in school history. Phase one will
accommodate school-wide functions and will house weight training and
exercise rooms, classrooms and locker rooms. A total of $8 million has
already been raised.
The school's previous gymnasium is being torn down to make room for a new
chapel and fine arts center - the second phase of the school's three-year
capital campaign. The 600-seat facility will be used for student chapel
services, concerts, drama productions, art exhibits, convocations and
community gatherings. Work is scheduled to be completed in late 2002.
The old gym had been used as a practice facility for the Minneapolis (now
Los Angeles) Lakers in the 1950s and was considered one of the best
basketball surfaces in the state. It served as the site of the one of the
better small school programs in Minnesota, perennially a powerhouse in the
Minnesota Independent School League.
The new gymnasium will be home to a high school sports program that has
become more varied, but has still maintained a high level of success in its
new league, the Tri-Metro League. This winter, a number of Minnehaha
athletes earned All-Conference and All-State honors.
In boys basketball, Derek Johnson and Charles Dawson made All-Conference
and Johnson was named to the Class 2A All-State team by Minnesota
Basketball News. The girls team had three All-Conference picks - Lee
Durant, Megan Foy and Annika Boyd. Durant and Foy were named to the Class
2A All-State team and Durant made the Associated Press All-State
team. Durant is headed to Auburn University on a scholarship while Foy is
going to Montana State.
Outside of the gym, Minnehaha athletes also earned All-Conference and
All-State mention. In boys hockey, Billy Pettit made All-Conference and in
Nordic Skiing five athletes earned All-Conference mention - Mark Michals,
Rob Michals, Alex Rykken, Mary Bowmann and Lori Rasmussen. Bowmann and
Rasmussen also earned Academic All-State honors.
Minnehaha Academy was founded in 1913 and is sponsored by the Northwest
Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. It has an enrollment of
1,250 in preschool through grade 12 with students coming from more than 50
metro communities covering a radius of more than 30 miles. Minnehaha has
three campuses - two are located in Minneapolis for preschool through grade
12 and one is in Bloomington for kindergarten through grade five.
For more information about the school, its athletic programs and the recent
grand opening of the new gymnasium, call athletic director Ken Anderson at
612-729-8321
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
