Robbinsdale Cooper High School

Robbinsdale Cooper High School
Location
New Hope, Minnesota, United States of America
Information
Type	Public
Established	1964
Principal	Mike Favor
Number of students	approx. 2000+
Mascot	Hawk
Colors	Orange and Blue, (Pale Pumpkin and Navy)
Website	www.chs.rdale.org/

Robbinsdale Cooper High School (45°02′26.96″N, 93°23′04.42″W) is a public secondary school located in New Hope, Minnesota, a northwest suburb of Minneapolis. Cooper, as it is informally referred to, became an IB World School in July 1998, and now offers the IB Middle Years (MYP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs along with a wide variety of courses and curricula suited to the needs of every student.^[1] RCHS offers a comprehensive fine arts and music program, as well as many extra-curricular activities including a broad selection of athletics. RCHS is home to more than 2000 students. Cooper students and Alumni are referred to as Hawks, after the school's mascot.

School history

E. J. Cooper Senior High School, as it was originally known, was built in 1964 to accommodate increasing enrollment in the Robbinsdale Area School District (Independent School District 281). Once called the most modern high school in the area, Cooper was advanced in both structure and audiovisual technology. It was named for district superintendent Edwin J. ("E.J.") Cooper, and for years E.J. was a popular guest at school gatherings. The school's first principal was Lyndon Ulrich. In its first year, Cooper held classes for kindergarten as well as grades 10 through 12. After that, it held grade 10 through 12 school. Because the needs of the school district have changed, the school now teaches grades 9 through 12.

In 1982, declining enrollment in the district forced the closure of one of the district's high schools. Robbinsdale High School, a sister school to Cooper, was chosen after contentious debate. In an effort to placate Robbinsdale residents, the two remaining high schools within the district, Cooper and Armstrong, were renamed Robbinsdale Cooper and Robbinsdale Armstrong.

Cooper Athletics & Activities

State Athletic Team Championships
Season	Activity	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Soccer, Boys	1	1978
Spring	Tennis, Boys	1	1970
	Softball, Girls	1	1985
	Lacrosse, Boys	2	1999 & 2000
	Wrestling, Mens	2	1965 and 1969
Total		6

State Finearts Championships
Season	Activity	Number of Championships	Year
Winter	Lincoln-Douglas Debate	1	2007

Cooper entered into the MSHSL North Suburban Conference in 2005. The Girls' Swim Team won the North Suburban Conference Championship in 2005 and 2006. The Boys' Basketball Team won the Conference Championship in 2006, and finished 2nd in the state tournament behind Hopkins High School. This was the first time since 1975 that the team had made it to the state tournament. In 2010 Cooper Sophomore Brenna Walek set 4 Minnesota State High School League records for softball including homeruns in a single game (4), consecutive homeruns (4), RBI's in a game (9), and walks in a single game (4). In the 2010-2011 Boy's Hockey season, the Hawks beat their arch rival the Armstrong Falcons. It was the first win against this team since 1995. Also in this season, the team tallied 14 wins, the most since 1984. The Girl's hockey team was also quite successful in this season, (which would turn out to be their last. Starting in the 2011-2012 season, the girls will merge with the Armstrong Falcons). The team racked up 7 wins, tying their all-time high. Cooper is the only high school in Minnesota with a Philosophy club which was started in 2010 by Forest Eidbo.

Traditionally, the Cooper Hawks' primary athletic rivalry has been with the Armstrong Falcons.

Notable alumni

• Actor Steve Zahn, who has starred in many films, including Saving Silverman, Sahara, National Security, and That Thing You Do.^[2]
• Omar Ansari, owner/CEO of Surly Brewing Company. Omar Ansari was named an Artist Of The Year 2007 by City Pages magazine^[3] and Surly was named the Best Brewery In America by Beer Advocate Magazine's June 2007 issue's Top 50 American Breweries.^[4]
• Actor John Elsen.^[5]
• Actor-director Kevin Norberg ('71), ASCAP composer, recording artist, member of critically acclaimed Dale Warland Singers including the Grammy award nominated project, and currently heads The Tevye Project based in Mpls, MN (http://www.TheTevyeProject.com)
• Pop, R&B and dance music recording artists The Jets, who were known at the time as Quazar.
• United States Marine Lance Cpl. Scott Modeen, who was killed in 2005 while serving in Iraq.^[6]
• Steve Plasencia, a two time Track and Field athlete on the US Olympic Team
• Cindy (Seikkula) Peterson, a speedskater in the 1976 Winter Olympics.
• Meteorologist Aaron Shaffer, Meteorologist & storm chaser for KGAN CBS2/KFXA FOX28 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Former Chief Meteorologist at KDLT-TV in Sioux Falls, SD, and morning meteorologist at KCWY-TV in Casper, WY.
• Motivational Speaker The Scary Guy, who campaigns worldwide to eliminate hate, violence, prejudice and bullying in schools and corporations.
• Hip-Hop Recording Artist Brother Ali, has recorded critically acclaimed records including Shadows on the Sun, Champion EP and his newest record The Undisputed Truth. He is signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and has toured with acts Atmosphere, Rakim and many others.
• Former NHL Hockey player Lance Pitlick, a defenseman who played between 1994 and 2002 for the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers.
• Former college football player Dan Nystrom, who was a placekicker for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. On November 6, 1999, he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Penn State Nittany Lions, which at the time was ranked #2 in American college football. This was the first major upset win during coach Glen Mason's 10-year coaching career with the Gophers.
• Former National Football League football player Dan "Bomber" Johnson, a tight end for the Miami Dolphins from 1983 to 1987. In Super Bowl XIX, a 38-16 Dolphins' loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Johnson caught 3 passes from quarterback Dan Marino for a total of 28 yards and 1 touchdown.
• Former NHL Hockey player Jim Johnson, a defenseman for several teams between 1985 and 1998, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota North Stars, the Dallas Stars, the Washington Capitals, and the Phoenix Coyotes.
• Carolyn (Mattson) Peterson, a freelance TV, radio and film producer. She was Miss Minnesota USA in 1983.
• Carole Van Valkenburg, was Miss Golden Valley in 1969 and Minneapolis Aquatennial Princess in 1970.
• Julie Knutson was Miss Minnesota USA 1989 and competed in the Miss USA pageant.
• Dan Terhaar, a radio sports reporter and hockey play-by-play announcer. He has been the television voice of the Minnesota Wild since the beginning of the 2005-06 season.
• Photojournalist Sean Skinner, The Emmy Winning Photojournalist from WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Also currently is the Stadium Announcer for the Robbinsdale Cooper Football Team.
• David Mudek United States Military Academy at West Point class of 2007 and North Regional Olympic Trials Team alternate to the 2004 Olympic Wrestling Trials. Two time NCA All-American.
• Billy Thayer, Drummer with International recording artist "Knight Crawler", and columnist for Nite Times Magazine.
• Rodney Williams Jr., Ranked 24th best basketball player in the United States for the class of 2009, and a class of 2013 Golden Gopher on a basketball scholarship.

References

1. ^ International Baccalaureate program
2. ^ Steve Zahn references
3. ^ "City Pages Artists Of The Year 2007"
4. ^ Jason and Todd Alström (2007-06). "Top 50 American Breweries", BeerAdvocate Magazine, pp. p. 1.
5. ^ IMDB Entry
6. ^ Two MN Marines Killed In Iraq WCCO

External links

• Robbinsdale Cooper High School
• Cooper Class of 1972
• International Baccalaureate Organization
• Cooper Hawks Football Website
• Cooper Hawks Girls Basketball Website