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SPORTS: New hockey co-op to offer ‘best experience’ for athletes PAGE 6

Hybrid model ‘perfect storm’ for city BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR

PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS

Graduates cap off a challenging year Above: Members of the Centennial High School Class of 2021 assemble, along with an audience of family members and friends, in the gymnasium during one of two commencement ceremonies held on Friday, June 11. The ceremonies were originally planned to be conducted outside at Cougar Stadium, but the threat of inclement weather forced the proceedings indoors.

LINO LAKES — The City Council now has a much clearer picture of what it will take to get the former YMCA facility up and running again and what that may look like in the future. The city was notified last summer that the Y would not reopen its fitness and well-being center, located next to the city Civic Center. Back in December, the council authorized Isaac Sports Group (ISG) to prepare a feasibility study to evaluate options for future operation of the facility. The city assumed ownership of the property March 1. ISG President Stu Isaac and Project Leader Duane Proell presented the preliminary findings of the study back in March and returned again last week to a council work session. Isaac touched on some of the highlights of the 73-page report. “It became evident very early on that the critical component was we had to consider this not just a rec center, but the Lino Lakes Recreation & Community Center, a community hub,” Isaac said. “We wanted to look at how we could significantly enhance the community activities at the center that really weren’t a part of what the Y was doing and make it relevant to all constituents in Lino Lakes (and surrounding areas).”

Key opportunities The study identified that senior programming could be expanded. Other opportunities for program expansion would be fitness, aquatics and special needs/adaptive physical education. “To be honest, the Y programming was a little stale,” Isaac said. “I don’t think they had a lot of innovation in terms of new aquatic programming, new

At right: Khoi Phan acknowledges his fellow student speaker Lindsay Wilson during his Senior Address. Phan began his speech with the statement “Holy crap, what a year!” Both students recognized the unusual and challenging nature of a senior year that forced them to become stronger, more disciplined, resilient and hopefully, kinder. Find more photos at presspubs.com.

SEE RECREATION & COMMUNITY CENTER, PAGE 7

Class of 2021’s resiliency will set grads up for future The following four speeches were given at Centennial High School's graduation ceremony Friday, June 11, at CHS’s stadium. Each year, students apply for an opportunity to speak at graduation.

Lindsay Wilson I have never been tall, but based on the way this past year has gone, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to wake up tomorrow and be 6-foot-5. Literally, nothing can shock me anymore. We’ve all had to face some massive hurdles in the last four

years, and I don’t know about you guys, but I tripped over quite a few of mine. Yet with every scraped knee, we gained a little more resiliency and learned a little more about ourselves. As our paths diverge in all directions, my hope is that each of us maintains that resiliency while we continue to discover who we genuinely are. Even without a global pandemic, high school can be brutal. There are the basic things that every high school student endures — the things that my mom would say “build character.” A classic example is

BUILDING YOUR TRUST SINCE 1959

the ever-enduring quest to have the right friends. It’s exhausting to find the people who best share your values and interests, but your identity slowly takes shape in the process. Aside from the typical experience, there are the battles that only today’s high schoolers would understand. Having your senior sports season taken away, for instance. As a captain of the girls’ soccer team, I was devastated to learn that the state tournament that we would have qualified for wouldn’t be happening at all.

Many of you can relate to this feeling, I’m sure. Additionally, the off-again-on-again status of online learning left us all disoriented. This too was a frustrating situation that left our class with no other option than to be resilient. Moreover, the political unrest of this year has called young people everywhere to take a stand. Never before have high schoolers been so compelled to voice their opinions as they are now. These curveballs that were thrown at us — acSEE CLASS OF 2021, PAGE 8

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