Park juniors Rebecca Etten and Taran Blasy have been nominated to represent the school for the MSHSL ExCEL award. Ex-CEL – Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership – is a unique recognition program designed exclusively for Minnesota high school juniors who are active in school activities, show leadership qualities, volunteer in their communities, and are model citizens.

Park’s female recipient this year is Becky Etten. Becky is a two- time letter winner in tennis, participates in softball, and is a captain of the trap team. In school she is involved in orchestra and speech and many clubs, including Student Council, Key Club, Link Crew, National Honor Society, Leaders of the Pack, and the Homecoming committee. Etten is also very involved in the community, volunteering at youth sports camps and at Feed My Starving Children, Salvation Army bell ringing, and UNICEF. She has taken many IB and AP classes and has a GPA of 4.2.

Taran Blasy is Park’s male award winner. Taran is a two-year letter winner in football and received All-District honors this year. He also participates in wrestling and is captain of the track and field team. Blasy is a member of the school’s ICC Leadership Council as well as Leaders of the Pack. Outside of school, he volunteers with his church and at youth sports camps as well as Feed My Starving Children. Taran is a full IB Diploma candidate and has a 3.6 GPA.

This is the 27th year that the MSHSL has sponsored the ExCEL award. An independent panel of judges from schools throughout Minnesota will select Ex-CEL Award recipients in January. State award winners (sixteen males and sixteen females) will be announced via the League website in February and will be recognized on KSTC-TV (Channel 45) during the broadcast of the 2023 winter state tournaments. Park graduates Meghan Kuemmel and Ethan Berube (2015) were both selected as state winners of this award when they were juniors. Additional information about the ExCEL Award may be obtained by visiting the Minnesota State High School League’s Web site at www. mshsl.org. Congratulations to Becky and Taran for demonstrating excellence in community, education, and leadership.

The mission of the Park High School Activities Department is to create learning opportunities for students to develop character, become well-rounded citizens, and achieve excellence in their activities, school, and community.

Taran Blasy