This family of the Shingle Creek neighborhood includes Henry Patriots: Mike, the badminton coach; Lisa, the volleyball coach of both boys’ and girls’ teams; and, Molly, Athena Award winner, a 2023 graduate.
Molly Minnema
Molly has lived all of her life in the Shingle Creek neighborhood of Camden. Growing up, Molly played volleyball, basketball, baseball, and tennis in multiple Minneapolis parks and schools. She attended Loring Elementary, Olson Middle School and Henry High School. A factor in choosing Henry was that she had already built relationships there as a middle schooler on the volleyball team. Molly followed mom, volleyball coach at Henry, when she had to make the HS decision. She lettered in volleyball six times, and once each in basketball, softball, cross country and badminton, and served as a wrestling manager for four years at Henry. She says, “Participating in sports at Henry is extremely beneficial as it creates a positive environment for growing confidence, creating health habits, staying out of trouble, and building positive relationships in your community.” She says that attending Henry was valuable for “The ongoing love and support I’ve received from the staff, administration, my peers, and my community for my success, the tight knit relationships I easily created with everyone, and the opportunities I’ve had to develop into the confident, resilient, leader that I am today.”
Molly has begun this school year as a college freshman at University of Sioux Falls, having chosen Exercise Science with interest in physical therapy or athletic training as her career path. Training for volleyball for her at USF began in mid-July. “Participating in sports as a woman helps in building self-esteem and relationships and learning leadership lessons. A sport could also shape your career and future.” Molly’s vision of women’s sports in the future: “I’m visualizing women’s sports having more media coverage at all levels. I also see women’s sports having more professional teams in each country. More coverage at these things should lead to more viewership and more funding for women’s athletics.”
Molly’s desired legacy: “I would like my legacy to be that I’ve successfully made an impact on other athletes. Being an advocate for youth and developing sports participation and being someone my community looks up to and is inspired by.”
Advice Molly would give to Henry’s undergrad’s: “Participate in a school sport or activity! The social aspect is so important for maximizing your high school experience. Communicate and build relationships with your teachers.”
Mike Minnema
Coach Mike Minnema is the father of Molly Minnema. He grew up in NE Minneapolis through 8th grade in the ‘70s and ‘80s. At the time, MPS was trying to desegregate schools and so his parents bussed him from Northeast Minneapolis to the Northside for schooling where he attended Cleveland, Jordan, Lincoln and Franklin schools. His family moved to Fridley where he graduated from Spring Lake Park High School. Graduation from Bethel University followed.
Mike has been a Physical Education Teacher at Edison High School for 15 years having taught previously at Folwell Middle School. He is the badminton coach at Henry. He feels that this sport is an important activity at Henry because the Henry girls love to play badminton. He says, “If I didn’t end practice, they would continue to play. They are committed and they are an awesome group of girls. Last year, my first year, we had 25 girls show the first day of practice.” Despite the break from the teacher’s strike, the girls showed up consistently for practice and competition. They displayed great leadership and bestowed the expectations to the younger girls. “My goal every season is to win the Minneapolis conference championship, and secondly, to have at least both of my singles and doubles finish in the top 3 in the conference individual tournament. It was an added bonus this past season that our team qualified in the top 16 for the team state tournament, I was not expecting that, and they performed outside my expectations,” said Coach Mike.
So, what does Mike Minnema find valuable about his daughter attending Henry? “Like my time in Minneapolis Public Schools, Molly will tell you that the diversity of the friends that she has made and has, is not measurable by most. She appreciates and enjoys diversity. Her relationships with her teachers have been impressive too.” Two of her former teachers met with her prior to graduation for brunch where she shared her Valedictorian speech with them.
How does participation in a sport play a part in the success of young women according to Coach Mike? “I believe that participation in sports by either young men or women is a huge character builder. Participation in sports builds confidence and motivational skills that are life-long. It teaches students how to make goals, work hard, be determined, and to battle through adversity.” Three words that Mike would like for his legacy are: Encourage, motivate, care.
Lisa Minnema
Lisa Minnema is the mother of Molly Minnema and the wife of Mike Minnema. She grew up in St. Michael, Minnesota, where she attended high school and played volleyball, basketball and softball. She continued to play these sports in college and continues to play sports as an adult. Having been married to Mike for 21 years, they have three adult children who all attended Minneapolis Public Schools; Aaron, 25; Thomas 19 and Molly, 18.
Lisa is currently a preschool lead teacher in Northeast Minneapolis after achieving accreditation in child development by attending Bethany Lutheran College and Mankato State University. She took over the position of head coach of girls’ and boys’ volleyball at Henry High in 2019-2020 after serving as an assistant coach there. She coaches youth volleyball camps at Folwell Park as a volunteer as well as with the 13U team there in the late fall.
Coach Lisa views volleyball as an important activity as it is a team sport. Lisa said, “The relationships that develop through working together towards winning here at Henry are some of the best friendships the kids have, and they continue to be friends on and off the court. It is like a community of people who all love this same sport. Boys and girls worked hard together all summer from 8 to 10 in the morning, and to have kids wake up early all summer to come and be together and play says it all about how much they enjoy each other and the sport.”
When asked, “What was your reaction to the 2023 announcement that boys’ volleyball was finally voted by the Minnesota State High School League to be an official sanctioned sport,” she answered, “It’s about time! I have been a volunteer boys coach for the last four years and have had to do all the work to get boys to and from games, find gym space to hold practices and sometimes even practicing outside at parks or using the gym lobby, and appealing to the league and schools every year. So, to have the high school league support us will make it a lot easier to just focus on coaching and having fun.” Now that boys’ volleyball is considered a sanctioned sport, Coach Minnema foresees “having at least 50 boys involved next spring and possibly doubling in the next 3-4 years as this is the fasting growing sport in the nation.”
How is it that daughter Molly became a Henry student? Lisa says, “We live one mile from Henry. We have lived in our home for over 22 years. Molly went to Loring, Olson, and of course Henry was the logical next step as the pathway and friends she made throughout elementary and middle school continued through high school. It was also her desire to be coached by me.”
I asked Lisa, “What did you find valuable about your daughter attending Henry? She said “Molly was able to be known, and not even with the year and a half of distance learning. She excelled in class and in sports and was the Athena Award recipient as well as Co-Valedictorian. I believe her teachers, coaches and support staff supported her to help her achieve these great successes as a team.”
Lisa says the importance of youth participating in sports is, “Sports give kids purpose. They teach them teamwork. They help their confidence to grow. Sports also teach kids healthy lifestyle habits.”
Lisa’s desired legacy: “I would like to be remembered as caring, motivating, and encouraging.”