Maple Grove people

When 16-year-old local teen Elle Gaudette applied to attend a week-long
aerial ski camp last summer, she had no idea that she was changing the course of
her life. Upon completion of the camp Gaudette was selected by the U.S.
Freestyle Ski Team’s Elite Aerial Development Program to live, train and attend
school year-round at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. Read more about Elle Gaudette: U.S. Freestyle Ski Team Elite

Kelly Eull, an attorney who concentrates her practice in family law, joined Maple Grove’s Henningson & Snoxell firm in December 2013. Being that Kelly has been listed as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in the 2010-2012 editions, we figured we’d ask her (on behalf of all of the working moms out there) how she balances the busyness that comes with being a successful career woman with her role as a mother and wife. Read more about Maple Grove Attorney: Kelly Eull

Maple Grove resident Colleen Hazen is the oldest of seven children and she never played organized sports. So Hazen had an epiphany when her own two children, Andy and Katie, began playing competitive tennis several years ago at Maple Grove Junior High School. She quickly discovered how much parental effort goes into helping athletic teams raise money for necessary equipment, uniforms, awards and banquets. Read more about Maple Grove Mom Tackles Tennis

Great achievements are often times marked by great victories. Three outstanding Maple Grove area young girl athletes added significant accomplishments to their resume last year. They prove that age is simply a number and that anything is possible. Read more about Young Maple Grove Athletes Earn Awards

When local families open their homes to international exchange students, everybody learns from the experience. Meet the Jones, Norby and Fjeldsted families as they share their unique experiences and what they enjoy most about hosting exchange students. And the students, who hail from Norway, Bosnia, Pakistan and Japan, tell their stories of coming to America, adapting to life as Minnesota high school students and what they’ve learned so far about U.S. culture. Read more about Maple Grove Families Gain Through Cultural Exchange

They wear crowns and beautiful dresses, but they aren’t pageant girls— they are your Maple Grove Ambassadors. Libby Wanner, Anna Worel and Alexa Castonguay were found to more than live up to the Ambassadors’ theme for the year: “The Perfect Fit.” Last summer, these three were selected to represent Maple Grove as goodwill ambassadors throughout the Twin Cities.
    Read more about Meet Three Maple Grove Ambassadors

Birthdays ordinarily include friends, family, presents, lots of cake and a few cheers to another year. Nate Bruss’ 16th birthday was anything but ordinary. On August 16th, Nate rang in his big day by making it even bigger: he set the world record for solo-piloting 10 aircraft in one day. He was accustomed to airplanes, taking his first flight at the age of two, and was inspired by a magazine article on the topic of the previous solo piloting record for tail wheel aircraft in one day, which was 7.    
     Read more about Nate Bruss Solo Pilots 10 Airplanes on His 16th Birthday

Carol Brendal was a student patrol in sixth grade. All grown up, Brendal still helps kids cross the street. She’s been a crossing guard for seven years, guiding students through the intersection of 101 and 89th on their way to and from Rush Creek Elementary School. Read more about Crossing Guard Carol Brendal

Each morning, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., 12-year-old Haley Briesch can be found on the ice. Donning her Lululemon warm-up jacket, she laces up her white skates and takes to the cool glassy surface to practice two to three hours a day.

The Maple Grove seventh-grader receives advice from her coach Tom Incantalupo, a former elite skater himself, and the assistance of a state-of-the-art computer modeling system called Dartfish. Together, Incantalupo and Briesch watch as her spins and jumps appear on the screen in slow motion—with an available 60 frames per second. Read more about Maple Grove’s Haley Briesch: Computer-Analyzed Skater

Toni Beckler, assistant principal of Woodland Elementary School, oversees nearly a thousand students ages 4 to 12. Describing herself as “passionate,” Beckler says she laughs and cries with students and teachers every day. “There isn’t a day I think I could be doing anything better,” she says. Here is a glimpse of the everyday life of Minnesota’s outstanding assistant principal of 2013.

Q. What is the biggest challenge for you as assistant principal? Read more about Toni Beckler: Minnesota 2013 Outstanding Assistant Principal