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Bryn Mawr Elementary physical education teacher to retire
After 28 years as the physical education teacher at Bryn Mawr Elementary School, Ms. Anita Chavez is retiring next month.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — On Monday morning, kindergarteners at Bryn Mawr Elementary School in Minneapolis lined up to play tennis in the gym. InnerCity Tennis has been visiting students at the school, teaching them all about the sport.
It’s just one of many programs that Anita Chavez has brought to the school during her 28 years as the physical education teacher.
“I try to bring as much as I can to my kids because not everybody’s a basketball player, not everybody’s a football player. I still have to teach that skill, but I really want kids to enjoy moving their body their whole life,” said Chavez, known to her students as Ms. Anita.
Chavez said she had wanted to be a physical education teacher since she was 12 years old — and don’t call her a gym teacher.
“There’s so much that people don’t know about elementary education. Some people are like… ‘I could go in that gym and teach a day.’ If you’re out there, I challenge you. Not a day. I challenge you for one week to come in the gym. It’s a lot,” Chavez said. “Social skills is a big thing for me. Manners, social skills, and just getting along with people.”
Bryn Mawr Elementary was built in 1996. That same year, Chavez was offered a job — five years into her career.
“Twenty-eight years later, here I am. The best parents in the world. The best students in the world… staff, supported by community,” Chavez said. “It’s a beautiful place to be.”
“She’s been such an outstanding cornerstone of who we are as a building and as a community,” Principal Kevin Oldenburg said.
Oldenburg estimates that Chavez has taught more than 7,000 students in her 28 years at Bryn Mawr.
“Talking about the number of classes that she’s had, it’s just astronomical. She’s brought in so many amazing projects,” Oldenburg said. “She’s been bringing in people to help our kids and expose them to things that they might not get the opportunity to see all the time.”
Chavez has introduced her students to a variety of sports including dance, First Tee golf, biking, snowshoeing, rugby, karate and self-defense classes.
Chavez secured grants to get them a fleet of bikes and thanks to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the school has $25,000 worth of snowshoes. Kids take the trails just behind the school at Theodore Wirth Regional Park.
“Our kids can go right out the gym door and go cross-country skiing in beautiful woods. So, we see the animal tracks and we see the animals in the woods,” Chavez said.
Many of the teachers are trained so that their classes can use the bikes.
“They get to know their neighborhood in a way that is really meaningful for them,” said Aaron May, a third-grade teacher at Bryn Mawr.
May will soon take over the biking program.
“It’s sad to leave but it’s time for me. Physically, my body’s kind of done after 33 years of getting on a scooter and off. I always said the day I couldn’t get down on a scooter and get up was the day I needed to be done. I can get down. The problem is getting up is a little bit of an issue,” Chavez said. “So, it’s just time for me to go.”
Chavez plans to retire when the school year ends June 14.
Earlier this month, she received a surprise from the Minnesota Lynx.
“I just thought our school got free tickets,” Chavez recalled.
Pretty soon, she was standing in the middle of the court and receiving a signed ball.
“I didn’t have a clue. It was pretty cool… pretty cool to be honored that way,” she said.
After 33 years, what keeps Ms. Anita going?
“It’s the light bulb moment when you’ve been trying to get somebody to throw overhand with their right hand and stepping with their left foot. And now all of a sudden, they get it and they’re jumping up and down. Even though you don’t really care about them hitting a target, they’re just trying to doing their best. When they hit it and they’re jumping up and down, you’re jumping up and down,” Chavez said. “The light-bulb moment I think is what’s kept me going for for 33 years.”
Chavez plans to spend the next year traveling with her mom, visiting historical sites around Minnesota.
“The spirit of her will live on. That gym — she’s been the only gym teacher there. The building was put together in 1996 and it’s just been Anita,” May said. “What she’s created in there, her spirit is going to be there a lifetime.”
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Sergeant Tony Bryand spent 10 months in the Middle East, and never got to see his stepdaughter perform – until Saturday
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Hundreds gathered to watch the musical White Christmas, but for one person, the show wasn’t the most important part of their evening.
It was who would be there.
“Me and her have had a really good bond since I’ve came into her life,” Sergeant Tony Bryand said.
Sgt. Bryand has been away on deployment in Kuwait for the last 10 months, returning home just in time for the holidays. On stage, his stepdaughter, nine-year-old Jenalia, plays Susan Waverly.
“Me being gone is a big change, really hard on her,” Sgt. Bryand said, choking up. “Hard on me.”
During the preshow announcement, emcee Nancy Nelson walked out, set to announce the start of the show.
Instead, she was interrupted by Jenalia.
“On behalf of the theater, Nancy, we would all like to thank you for all you do!” Jenalia said, surprising Nancy.
“You should have them, and I know someone who wants to give them to you, darling,” Nelson said in response. “Turn around!”
In front of the crowd, Jenalia turned and saw Sgt. Bryand, running into his arms, reuniting the two after months apart.
“He has not seen her on this stage, in this show, but he will tonight!” Nelson said while the two embraced.
Sgt. Bryand sat and watched his stepdaughter perform during the show, the nerves he had conquered, and now reunited for the holidays.
“Gonna give her a memory, gonna give us a memory that we’ll never forget,” he said.
The road conditions were snowy and icy when the crash occurred.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — One man was killed after his truck collided with another vehicle in Inver Grove Heights on Saturday afternoon, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The man was driving up the entrance ramp from Concord Boulevard to northbound Highway 52 when his truck lost control, said the state patrol.
His truck crossed over the northbound lanes of Highway 52 before colliding with another vehicle, said the state patrol.
The road conditions were snowy and icy when the crash occurred.
The state patrol identified the man who died as 74-year-old Willard Pohl of Inver Grove Heights.
The driver of the other vehicle and his five passengers, which included four children, were not injured in the crash.
The Red Bulls were deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield, where they played a role in strengthening defense relationships with partner nations.
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division, known as the “Red Bulls,” has returned home after a 10-month deployment to the Middle East.
On Saturday, the second wave of over 550 Citizen-Soldiers reunited with their families at the division’s headquarters in Arden Hills.
This homecoming follows the first wave of soldiers who returned earlier this week, marking the end of a successful mission that began in February 2024.
The Red Bulls were deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield, where they played a role in strengthening defense relationships with partner nations.
During their deployment, the Red Bulls conducted numerous military-to-military exercises with partner nation forces in the region. They also modernized the division headquarters with top of the line communications equipment. Lieutenant Colonel Jay Hackett, the Infantry Battalion Commander, expressed pride in the unit’s focus and dedication throughout the mission.
“They really took care of the mission, and more importantly, they took care of each other,” Hackett said.
The scene at the Arden Hills headquarters was filled with emotion as families eagerly awaited their loved ones’ return. One soldier, medic Kacie Lou, was greeted with warm embraces from her parents and grandparents. When asked about her first desire upon returning home, she humorously replied, “I want to go eat some tacos.”
Another returning soldier described the surreal feeling of being back, stating, “It’s unexplainable. I feel like I’m in a dream, and I don’t think it’ll really set in until tomorrow morning when I wake up in my own bed.”
The Red Bulls’ return marks another chapter in the division’s rich history of service. With roots dating back to 1856, the Minnesota National Guard has consistently answered the nation’s call, with more than 13,000 Soldiers and Airmen serving across 58 communities in the state.
