Minnetonka Alumni Association

Minnetonka Public Schools and the Minnetonka Alumni Association celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding alumni at our annual awards event during homecoming each year.

2022 Alumni Awards

13th Annual Alumni Awards

Minnetonka Public Schools and the Minnetonka Alumni Association celebrated the accomplishments of our outstanding alumni and former faculty members on Saturday, September 24, 2022. The thirteenth annual event was held from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Minnetonka High School.

The following alumni were honored at this event:

Distinguished Alumni Award

Dr. Courtney (Heniff) Albinson ‘92 - Courtney is a nationally recognized leader in sport psychology, and serves as the Director of Sport Psychology Services at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Bruce Goetz ’63 - Bruce spent 43 years at Northland College developing the innovative curriculum that has transformed it into one of the most prestigious environmentally-focused schools in the nation.

Distinguished Service Award

James Turner ‘69 - An experienced anesthesiologist, James traveled annually to Guatemala with a volunteer surgical team for 20 years to help those without access to proper medical treatment, until retiring in 2018.

Young Alumni Award

Alexa Bussmann ‘16 - Alexa has served in a multitude of nonprofits and social advocacy organizations across numerous communities, including founding Novel Hand, an online publication dedicated to bridging the gap between activism and impact.
Dr. Brett Cornell '07 - Brett set a department record at Drexel University by earning his PhD in 3.5 years. He currently works at Inari Medical in California, where he develops devices that may help prevent venous disease, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms.

Skippers Hall of Fame

2001-02 Girls Soccer Team - The 2001-02 Girls Soccer Team was unstoppable. They completed their regular season undefeated and won the Classic Lake Conference Title, the Section Championship and the 2001 Minnesota Class AA State Championship.

Faculty Hall of Fame

Bill Keeler - Bill Keeler taught science at Minnetonka’s middle and high schools from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Bill made it his highest priority to cultivate his students’ curiosity and encourage them to pursue their own individual interests.

View Past Award Honorees

Submit a Nomination

Up to ten awards may be presented each year. The selection committee consists of the MHS student leaders, the high school principal and MAA Board members.

Deadline: Nominations are accepted throughout the year. Decisions for the annual awards are made in February each year. Nominations submitted after January 31 will be considered for the following year.

Awards may be presented in the following categories:

Distinguished Alumni Award

This award is Minnetonka’s premier alumni honor, recognizing distinguished professional achievement, distinguished leadership and/or distinguished service toward the greater good. Recipient(s) must have graduated from Minnetonka High School at least 20 years prior to receiving the award.

Nomination Form

Past recipients:

2009 - D. Bruce Johnstone '59
2009 - Matthew Slaughter '86
2010 - Dr. Prudence Lam '89
2010 - Jan Malcolm '73
2011 - Lee Blessing '67
2011 - Peter Holthe '78
2012 - Mark Kroll '70
2012 - Tom Staggs '78
2013 - Stephen Pouliot '63
2013 - Mary Story '69
2014 - Deborah (Smith) Mayer '65
2014 - Dr. Steven Miles '68
2015 - Donald Mark '65
2015 - Anna Nelson '91
2015 - Gary Sundem '63
2016 - Robin Phillips '81
2016 - James (Jim) Rice '65
2017 - Lori Palmer '65
2017 - Richard Humleker '67
2019 - Ed Deutschlander '89
2019 - Mike Bussey '65
2019 - Bob Naegele '57
2020 - Jane Brattain '65
2020 - Richard Martin '56
2021 - Dr. Joni (Hlavacek) Schwartz-Chaney '71
2021 - John Stanoch '76
2022 -Dr. Courtney (Heniff) Albinson ‘92
2022 - Bruce Goetz ’63

Distinguished Service Award

This award is open to any Minnetonka alumni and recognizes significant volunteer service benefiting the greater good, philanthropic leadership or service/contribution to the MAA.

Nomination Form

Past recipients:

2009 - Tad Shaw (Former Board Member), Bob Miller ’54 and Steve Frazier (Former Teacher)
2009 - Nancy Countryman '59
2011 - Charlie Kanan '69 and Frank Kuzma '79
2012 - Carl Zinn '61
2013 - Bob Williams '39
2015 - Brian Kuhnly '78
2016 - Bonnie Board Niles '67
2017 - Cornell Anderson '66
2019 - Bill Loeber '69
2020 - Tonya Andruskiewicz '92
2021 - Sharon (Haley) Hermel '65 and Carol (Fischer) Parker '65
2022 - James Turner ‘69

Young Alumni Achievement Award

This award honors alumni within fifteen years of graduating from Minnetonka High School for distinguished achievement in any one of the following: post-secondary academic achievement, professional achievement, distinguished leadership or distinguished service toward the greater good.

Nomination Form

Past recipients:

Skippers Hall of Fame (Arts, Activities, Athletics)

Providing an opportunity to remember the good times, the Skippers Hall of Fame inducts an individual or team for achievements in arts, activities or athletics. Induction reflects achievements that stand the test of time, by alumni who graduated from MHS more than 10 years ago.

Nomination Form

Past recipients:

Faculty Hall of Fame

Nominated by a former student, the Faculty Hall of Fame will honor a Minnetonka School District teacher or administrator who inspired in students a passion to excel with confidence and hope.

Nomination Form

Past recipients: