Golden Valley Student Wins $2,500 National Merit Scholarship

Nicholas J. Thyr was selected from a pool of 15,000 finalists.

A Golden Valley student is among the winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships released Wednesday, the organization announced. Nicholas J. Thyr, a Minneapolis resident at the Breck School, was chosen from among 15,000 finalists in the 2013 National Merit Program. The winners are judged to have the best combinations of “accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.” The number of winners in each state is proportional to the number of graduating seniors in the state. A committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors selected the winners using: This year’s competition began when 1.5 million juniors across 22,000 high schools took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship …

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Marathon Suspect Shootout Witness Is Andrew Kitzenberg from Edina

The Breck School alum photographed a clash in Watertown, MA, between police and the men they suspect of bombing the Boston Marathon. He said he was 'terrified'—and saw one suspect go down and another drive a Mercedes SUV through a police line.

Police in Watertown, MA, near Boston said early Friday they were searching for one suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, and that the second suspect had died after a shootout. A witness to the shooting was Watertown resident Andrew Kitzenberg, who is from Edina, MN, and attended Breck School in Golden Valley, MN. In the Storify window above (use the scroll bar at right) or at Storify.com, you can see photographs he posted on Twitter. Kitzenberg gave his account via Twitter and on MSNBC (click on the Play arrow in the MSNBC clip above, click on Playlist in lower right, then select the grey panel captioned "Resident says he saw "pressure cooker bomb"). In a live interview with a reporter from local Boston TV station WHDH at 5:05 a.m. …

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Photos: Breck Boys Hockey Season Ends in State Semifinal Loss to Hermantown

The game went into overtime Friday, March 8, 2013 at the Xcel Energy Center.

Golden Valley-based Breck School boys hockey team ended their bid for a state title after a 4-3 loss to Hermantown High School March 8, 2013 at the Xcel Energy Center. For a full recap of the game, check out the Minnesota State High School League website. Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

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Preview: Breck Boys Hockey State Run

The StarTribune profiles the Breck boys hockey team and their chances at the 2013 state tournament.

Section 2A Hockey: Breck Players Prepare for Semifinals

The Breck School boys hockey team beat Waconia High School last Friday.

On Friday, Feb. 22, the number one seed Breck School Mustangs beat the Waconia Wild Cats, seeded sixth, 6-1. Now, the Mustangs, who have been to state four times in a row, are getting ready to take on Providence Academy on Tuesday, Feb. 26, in the section semifinals. While Providence Academy is seeded fifth, A MNHockeyHub.com section preview reported that the players are having their best year together as a team. The game will be held at 8 p.m. at the Parade Ice Garden. The winner will play Blake or Delano in the championship game Thursday, Feb. 28. Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

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We Day Minnesota: Breck Student To Co-Host Community Service Celebration

Breck School senior Hutton Phillips will join The Jonas Brothers and thousands of youth as she and her brother co-chair We Day, a celebration of youth service coming to the Xcel Energy Center next fall.

She’s spent time with HIV positive orphans in Ethiopia. She’s traveled to Rwanda to see first hand impacts of a war-torn country. She’s writing a curriculum that she’ll teach to students about genocide. The kicker? Hutton Phillips is only 18 years old and she’s working to change the world. As a senior at Breck School in Golden Valley, Phillips said that community service is second nature. So, it comes as no surprise that Phillips and her brother, Dean, will co-chair one of the biggest youth service events in the nation--We Day. Related: Watch a 3 minute video that explains what We Day is. Originally formed in Canada, We Day is a movement that is quickly gaining momentum. The event is a day-long educational forum that celebrates the service…

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Breck Teacher Plans to Fly on NASA Aircraft

WCCO reported that Breck School science teacher Chelen Johnson will travel to outer space this week.

Local Schools Compete in Nordic Ski Section 6 Championships

The event was held at Wirth Park on Monday, Feb. 4.

It was a busy and successful day for Cooper, Armstrong, Hopkins and Breck high school skiers on Monday. Both Hopkins boys’ and girls’ Nordic ski teams claimed Section 6 championships at Theodore Wirth Park. *** Boys Teams Robbinsdale Armstrong High School boys finished fourth, Breck School finished ninth and Robbinsdale Cooper High School finished tenth. Hopkins senior Harris Dirnberger finished first overall, with a total time of 29:44.6. Teammate, senior Jakob Ellingson, took second with a time of 29:50.8. Senior Bjorn Leach rounded out the list of Hopkins skiers in the top 10 with a ninth place, 32:41.0 finish. Armstrong junior Jon Delaney finished sixth with a time of 31:35.6 and teammate Tom Norman finished 11th with a time of 33:07.8…

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Breck School Aims for Construction Completion in 2013

The Golden Valley-based school is adding to their school space off of Ottawa Avenue North.

If construction continues on schedule, students and staff at Breck School in Golden Valley can expect a few changes to their building by the first day of school in the fall. “We are on schedule and on budget and expecting to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 school year,”  Breck School Director of Communications Jill Field told Patch. “We're very grateful to our neighbors for their patience and understanding in the face of the additional traffic, noise and activity during the construction process, and we're looking forward to scheduling an open house for neighbors and friends in the early fall.” Plans for the expansion provided to the Golden Valley Planning Commission last year included highlights such as: According to the Breck School…

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