Robbinsdale Armstrong High School Explained
| Robbinsdale Armstrong High School |
| City: | Plymouth |
| State: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Coordinates: | 45.0201°N -93.4173°W |
| Type: | Public secondary |
| Established: | 1970 |
| District: | Robbinsdale Area Schools |
| Head: | Eric Norby |
| Mascot: | Freddy The Falcon |
| Address: | 10635 36th Avenue North |
| Staff: | 60.55 (FTE) |
| Ratio: | 30.26 |
| Students: | 1,832 (2022–23)[1] |
| Free Label: | Colors |
| Free: | Red, White, and Blue |
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School (AHS; full name Robbinsdale Neil A. Armstrong Senior High School) is located in Plymouth, Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. The school serves students from the cities of Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Plymouth and Golden Valley.
The school offers core subjects as well as technology education, physical education, and the fine arts. Newsweek ranked the school 1324.In their "List of the 1500 Top High Schools in America,"[2] and The Washington Post ranked AHS as #11 in Minnesota.[3] Armstrong, along with the Robbinsdale Area School District, have also been ranked among the "100 Best Communities for Music Education" by the American Music Conference.[4]
The school's athletic programs have made it to state competitions on many occasions. School tradition maintains that the school's rival is Robbinsdale Cooper. Together, Robbinsdale Armstrong and Robbinsdale Cooper serve the secondary school population of over 4000 students in the district.
The students
Armstrong is a four-year public high school located in Plymouth, Minnesota and it is one of two public high schools in the district, along with Robbinsdale Cooper High School.
Facilities
Robbinsdale Armstrong High School was built in 1969, and it has undergone several renovations and upgrades since its construction, with the most recent major renovation finished in 2003. The campus consists of four interconnected buildings with four stories. The grounds contain a varsity and a junior varsity football field. In addition, Armstrong has two baseball fields, several enclosed tennis courts, and a track going around the football field.
Athletics and activities
Armstrong was once a member of the Classic Lake Conference; however, it was voted out of the conference due to declining enrollment as of 2010, thus Armstrong was admitted to the Northwest Suburban Conference.[5]
State Team Championships| Season | Sport | Number of Championships | Year |
|---|
| Fall | Soccer, Boys | 2 | 1979 and 2003(AA) |
| Cross country, Boys | 1 | 1974 |
| Cross country, Girls | 2 | 1976 and 1978 |
| Volleyball, Girls | 7 | 80(AA), 81(AA), 82(AA), 83(AA), 84(AA), 00(AAA), 02(AAA) |
| Winter | Nordic skiing, Boys | 1 | 1980 |
| Gymnastics, Girls | 2 | 1976, 1983 |
| Gymnastics, Boys | 7 | 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982 |
| Spring | Softball, Girls | 1 | 2001(AAA) |
| Track and Field, Boys | 2 | 1985(AA) and 2002(AA) |
| Total | 25 | |
|
The Falcons rivalries include the Cooper Hawks, Hopkins Royals, and the Wayzata Trojans.
Notable alumni
- Mo Collins, comedian[6]
- Tom Dooher, former president, Education Minnesota, largest union in Minnesota
- David Gilreath, professional football player with the Buffalo Bills[7]
- Chad Hartman, Current WCCO radio host, Former KFAN radio host and son of Star Tribune reporter Sid Hartman
- Ember Reichgott Junge, former politician
- Evan Kaufmann (born 1984), professional ice hockey player in Germany
- Douglas McCain, Jihadist, killed in Syria.[8] [9]
- Mark Merila, professional baseball player
- Everette Pedescleaux, professional football player for the Denver Broncos
- Derek Peltier, professional hockey player
- Todd Richards, former hockey player and former coach of the Minnesota Wild and the Columbus Blue Jackets[10]
- Travis Richards, former hockey player for the University of Minnesota
- Jeff Schuh, All-Big Ten First Team, University of Minnesota (1980), professional football player for Cincinnati Bengals (1981–85), Green Bay Packers (1986), Minnesota Vikings (1986)
- Leah Thorvilson, distance runner
- Bee Vang, actor (played Thao Vang Lor in Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino)
- Ryan Bauer-Walsh, American actor, singer, and visual artist
- Dennis Vaske, professional hockey player
- Jordan Leopold, – National Hockey League Member of U.S. Olympic hockey team and the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
Notes and References
- Web site: ROBBINSDALE ARMSTRONG SENIOR HIGH. National Center for Education Statistics. March 19, 2024.
- Web site: Armstrong and Cooper among "America's Best High Schools" . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007202309/http://ahs.rdale.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=130016 . October 7, 2011 . mdy-all .
- Web site: Robbinsdale Armstrong High School Ranks Among Best High Schools in the Nation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007202403/http://ahs.rdale.org/modules/news/announcements/showAnnouncement.phtml?gid=-1&aid=2083972&sessionid=47c19e3f1ecd174e72267dc55300896e . October 7, 2011 . mdy-all .
- Web site: American Music Conference web site . The 2007 "Best 100 Communities for Music Education" Roster . American Music Conference . 2007 . September 3, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071016120153/http://www.amc-music.com/news/articles/survey/final2007.htm . October 16, 2007 . mdy-all .
- News: Armstrong to join NW Suburban . January 16, 2009 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090122224412/http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/37694859.html . January 22, 2009 . mdy-all .
- Web site: Mo Collins . TV.com.
- Web site: Skate Program . Chicago Lakes Hockey Association web site . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071008123847/http://www.chisagolakeshockey.org/skateprogram.htm . October 8, 2007 . mdy-all .
- Web site: Former Robbinsdale student dies fighting for ISIL in Syria. Star Tribune.
- Web site: MSN. https://web.archive.org/web/20140829001035/http://news.msn.com/us/high-school-buddies-followed-similar-path-to-jihad. August 29, 2014.
- Web site: Todd Richards - Men's Hockey . University of Minnesota Athletics . 28 June 2020 . en.
