742 Blog

In St. Cloud Area School District 742 where dreams are super-sized, a ten-year-old prodigy and fifth grader named Jonas Ruiz has emerged as a champion. Fifth generation of a family of boxers and with an unyielding passion for the sport, Ruiz has trained relentlessly since the age of five.

This past school year, St. Cloud Area School District 742 launched IMAGINE 742, an innovative crowdsourcing platform that provides both students and staff an opportunity to share their ideas on how to make District 742 an even better place to learn and teach. IMAGINE 742 also allows the district’s education community to share in the decision-making process by voting on ideas and bringing the best submissions to the top.

Apollo High School senior Fatuma Hassan and freshman Shyla Gordon have won first place in the senior division of the Community Problem Solvers (CmPS) National Competition at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In addition, they were also awarded the Beyonder Award, which is the highest honor a Community Problem Solving project can be awarded and is not given every year.

Brian Nutter, North Junior High School principal and 2023 MASP (MN Association of Secretaries to the Principals) Administrator of the Year, knew he wanted to do something exciting for a career. At 18, he narrowed his choices down to two: a United States Marshal or a kindergarten teacher.

Every year students in Project Lead the Way woodworking classes at North and South Junior High Schools have a chance to do a major build project. They work from start to finish on a shed or playhouse using lumber and tools. The project is possible due to the generous donation and partnership with Simonson Lumber.

Two years ago, St. Cloud Area School District featured Farrah and Orly Reese, sisters at Oak Hill Community School who were in the Distance Learning Community.

The St. Cloud Rox Project S.A.V.E. (Sports, Arts, Volunteerism and Education) Foundation has expanded its partnership with St. Cloud Area School District 742 this year to a newly piloted fitness program.

Students often have felt unheard when it comes to practice and policy involving their education. St. Cloud Area School District is committed to listening to their voices.

Art students at Tech High School had the opportunity to work with multi-disciplinary artist Willicey Tynes on the important topic of “You Matter.” Tynes has worked with Tech art teacher Jennifer Furcht on several occasions with other students from District 742. Their art theme, “You Matter,” is especially relevant after coming back together from COVID and experiencing societal and mental health issues.

Central Minnesota Virtual Academy (CMVA), an online academy through District 742, has been in the making for two years and will provide another pathway toward graduation for students. Beginning as early as this winter, students will be able to enroll for the 2023-24 school year.

New to Apollo High School this year is a Teen Empowerment group based on Erika's Lighthouse, a program with resources for schools to provide mental health information via classroom instruction, peer-led group activities, staff development and community connections

A new Interact Club, first established at Apollo and including students from Tech, is in its pilot year in St. Cloud Area School District. It has grown exponentially over the summer, thanks to students spreading the word about how much fun it is, and has succeeded in bringing the two schools closer together within the St. Cloud community.

This year, Community Learning Fridays are a new addition to McKinley-ALC thanks to Principal William (Bill) Sininger. His implementation of Community Learning Fridays gives students the opportunity to learn and use skills not typically found in the classroom while engaging with community partners.

St. Cloud Area School District is excited to announce a new partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Granite Partners. Coined BIG Partners, (Big Brothers Big Sisters, ISD 742 and Granite Partners) the highly focused mentoring program fosters resilience and encourages intentional collaboration across experiences, strengthening educational, college and career opportunities for students facing barriers.

This year, North Junior High School is excited to implement a new student engagement program called Eagle Time. The idea for Eagle Time came from school leadership studying trends on how students lose their focus and feel less engaged in the afternoon as opposed to mornings.