News

First Annual Pickleball Open

Get ready for the greenest day of the year! The First Annual Beacon Pickleball Open will be held on Saturday, March 25, beginning at 9:00 am, and it's going to be a really big dill! Teams of two can sign up for either an upper division (A) or a lower division (B) and are guaranteed at least three games. All participants receive a t-shirt, and prizes will be awarded to the winners. The Beacon Pickleball Open is a fundraiser, with proceeds going toward the much-needed renovation of CA's boys and girls locker rooms. The cost is $100 per team, and space is limited. Registration is open to all pickleball enthusiasts!To get additional information or register your team, click here.

Register for 2023 Summer Camps

CA Volleyball Goes to State!

Update 12/12/22
The Beacons started the season 4-4 and finished it 4th in the state, giving us countless memorable moments along the way, including a section 4AA championship win against the undefeated, number-one team. They never gave up, and they never stopped making us proud. Congratulations, Beacons, on an incredible volleyball season! 

Update 11/12/22
It all comes down to this! An outstanding season wraps up today as CA battles Annandale for Third Place in the state! Let's fill the stands with Beacons fans at 1:00 on Court 2 of the Xcel.

Update 11/11/22
After their amazing, nail-biting win yesterday, the Beacons advance to the State Volleyball Semifinals today. Catch them on Court 1 at the Xcel at 5:00 pm vs. Pequot Lakes.

Original Post 11/7/22
On Saturday, November 5, the Beacons won the Section 4AA Volleyball Championship and now advance to the 2022 State Volleyball Tournament. We're incredibly proud of the work of this team and can't wait to cheer for them at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Their first game is Thursday, November 10, at 1:00 pm vs. Belle Plaine. Because of the 1:00 start time, we will only have a half day of school on Thursday. All four blocks will meet during shortened periods in the morning, with classes ending at 11:20 am. An abbreviated lunch period will follow, with hot lunch available as usual. 

A student fan bus will be available to transport students to and from the Xcel Center on Thursday. Students interested in riding the fan bus should sign up with Mrs. Voss in the lunchroom or her office. The bus will load at 11:45, leave CA by noon, and return after the game ends. The cost to ride the bus is $3, payable when signing up.

Thursday morning, all students will receive a t-shirt commemorating the Beacons' participation in the State Tournament. They're encouraged to wear them to the game that afternoon.

The school building will remain open throughout Thursday afternoon for students who are not going to the tournament and need to wait at CA for their rides.

Admission to the State Tournament is $11 for students and $17 for adults. Tickets can be purchased online here. While tickets can also be purchased at the Xcel, it is a cashless venue. In-person purchasing will be done on personal phones using the same website as advanced purchases, so there is no advantage to waiting to purchase tickets at the Xcel. Please note that bags, purses, and backpacks are not permitted. Bags sized 4" x 6" x 1.5" or smaller (such as clutches and wristlet wallets) are allowed and subject to inspection.

Friday's game will be played at 5:00 pm, with the opponent to be determined. A student fan bus will again be available for $3, payable when signing up. Tickets for this game can be purchased online here. 

The Minnesota State High School League will be streaming the tournament as part of their NSPN.TV streaming package. Click here for details.

We can't wait to see lots of students, parents, alumni, and other Beacon fans at the Xcel this week. Go Beacons!

Elizabeth Grove Is National Merit Scholarship Commended Student

Concordia Academy is proud to announce that Elizabeth Grove (CA '23) has been named a Commended Student in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. In chapel on October 10, Elizabeth was presented with a "Letter of Commendation" from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2023 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students place among the Top 50,000 students who entered the 2023 competition by taking the 2021 PSAT. Congratulations, Elizabeth, on this significant accomplishment! We hope this well-deserved recognition will help broaden your educational opportunities and encourage you as you continue your pursuit of academic success.

Shaina Zinter Named 2021-22 Gatorade Minnesota Girls Track & Field Player of the Year

In its 37th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade announced on June 30 that Shaina Zinter (CA '22) is the 2021-22 Gatorade Minnesota Girls Track & Field Player of the Year. Zinter is the first Gatorade Minnesota Girls Track & Field Player of the Year to be chosen from Concordia Academy.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Shaina as Minnesota’s best high school girls track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Player of the Year award to be announced in July, Zinter joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt High School, Iowa), Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist High School, Calif.), Robert Griffin III (2006-07, Copperas Cove High School, Texas), Grant Fisher (2014- 15 & 2013-14, Grand Blanc High School, Mich.) and Candace Hill (2014-15, Rockdale County High School, Ga.).

The 5-foot-10 senior won the national championship in the heptathlon at the Nike Outdoor Nationals this past season. She punctuated that victory with an 800-meter run time of 2:10.47, which ranked No. 74 nationally among prep girls competitors in 2022 at the time of her selection. Zinter also earned All-American status at Nike Nationals with her runner-up finish in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles in a state-record time of 59.19 seconds, which ranked No. 3 in the country. She broke the tape in the 100-meter high hurdles, the 300-meter intermediate hurdles and the 200-meter dash at the Class A state meet, setting meet records in both hurdles events.

Shaina has maintained a weighted 4.12 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete on an athletic scholarship at the University of Wisconsin this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media, and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Shaina joins recent Gatorade Minnesota Girls Track & Field Players of the Year Nyalaam Jok (2020-21, Annandale High School), Madison Schmidt (2019-20 & 2018-19, Blaine High School), and Emily Kompelien (2017-18, Edina High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

Congratualtions, Shaina, on this major accomplishment in track and field!

Elementary and Middle School Sports Opportunities

For a number of years, CA has offered a BEAMS Athletics program for middle school students, including football, dance, basketball, and track. In 2021-2022, we are excited to begin our Beacon Buddies program, offering flag football, volleyball, soccer, and basketball camp options on Saturday mornings for our youngest future Beacons in 1st-4th grade.

Click here for more information about BEAMS Athletics for middle school students.
Click here for more information about Beacon Buddies sports camps for students in Grades 1-4.

Seniors Awards Presented at Honors Convocation

At the Honors Convocation on May 18, departmental and extra-curricular honors were presented to the following seniors. Congratulations to all of them for their outstanding achievements!

Valedictorian and Salutatorian Named

Concordia Academy is proud to announce the top three students in the Class of 2022. Cam Erskine has been named salutatorian, and Emily Erickson and Grace Erickson have been named co-valedictorians, both with identical GPAs through the hundred-thousandth decimal place! Congratulations, Emily, Grace, and Cam, on your outstanding accomplishments!

COVID-19 Updates

Click here to see how Concordia Academy is addressing the COVID-19 coronavirus situation.