As all of us MHS students got settled into our classes this year, trying to slowly exit the three months of summer break, we couldn’t help but remark the changes made to the high school. In the time that the class has of 2017 has been here, the parking lot was remodeled twice, Pagel was renovated, the dome was installed, new hangout spaces replaced the locker bays, and a brand new science wing was created.
Mr. Erickson mentions, the school is “constantly trying to get better, trying to improve on the past and provide new spaces for students.”
So, instead of groaning at how long the construction in the parking lot is taking, let’s take a quick look at the past to see just how far we’ve come.
In the 1950s, our beloved Minnetonka High School (and Breezes with it) was created by merging of Excelsior and Deephaven High School. At that time, there was no silo (opened in 1963), no arts center (opened in 2000), and no commons. Can you imagine MHS without these signature places? We actually didn’t have commons until 2007. Instead of what is now the commons, there was a green courtyard. This finally explains why we have those windows overlooking the commons. That was probably pretty, but definitely was impractical as the commons was a very small area next to the Port. Imagine walking from the silo through hallways just to be able to hangout with friends.

But as we all know, Minnetonka isn’t just its infrastructure. A lot of the heart of the school rests in its sports teams and clubs. The swim and dive team, now sending swimmers to the Olympic trials (and coaches to the Olympics) didn’t exist until 1975, more than twenty years after the creation of the school. Even our mascot has changed over the years. We’ve had different sorts of skippers, an octopus, and even a duck (#BringBackSkip).

It’s fair to say many things have changed, and the trend doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. In a few years the students will probably gawk at what we consider new now. Will the high school expand or merge with other districts? Will Skippy the duck finally get the place he deserves in the stands and our hearts? Will the parking lot finally make sense? I guess we just need to stay tuned. But, as we wait for our classes to be taught by holograms, we should all savor the time we get here at MHS.