When North Lakes Academy junior Brenna Theisen found out she was one of 40 recipients in the state to receive this year’s MSHSL ExCEL (Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership) Award, “it was surreal,” she said.
“I started to get teary-eyed,” Theisen said when she heard the news.
The award honors students who are nominated by a teacher and coach for being active students and leaders in and outside of their school communities.
“I knew she was a strong candidate for it. That’s why we nominated her,” said Jeff Beimert, activities director and girls basketball coach.
Beimert was happy for Theisen to win the award and be part of the small pool of honorees this year. Last year was the first time NLA encouraged students to apply for the award and a few others alongside Theisen applied this year. Once the award became public knowledge, the floodgates of support opened.
“Everybody was congratulating me, and so it was really cool because … I put so much work into everything that I do, and I feel like I got the recognition and it was really nice,” Theisen said.
Her father Chris Theisen said he wasn’t shocked, because her passion for the activities she participates in is evident.
“I’m very proud, not surprised. ... Her whole heart is into everything she does,” he said.
But aiming for the award isn’t why she volunteers, pursues good grades and competes in sports, she said.
“I guess it’s kind of always been in my nature. ... I just love helping people,” Brenna said, adding she is the “mother hen” of her friends and teammates, always checking in to see if anyone needs anything.
The application required students to document hours they’ve offered toward community service, academic accolades and an athletic resume.
“I just got to see all of my community service and academics all laid out and it didn’t seem like a lot,” Brenna said.
But she submitted the application anyway and was surprised to hear she is one of the honorees who will be recognized at the MSHSL basketball tournament in mid-March.
One of the highlights from her resume was working at Trout Lake Camps, a Christian camp program in Pine River. She explained how it allowed her to connect with young campers during their weeklong stay.
“I just loved every second of it,” Brenna said, sharing she was able to “share the gospel” with the campers and answer their questions.
Nikki Theisen, Brenna’s mother, said a heart of service was foundational in her own childhood and has remained something they continue in their own children’s lives.
“I think it’s important to serve as a family together and then serve as a community,” Nikki said.
Within the NLA community, Brenna has taken on leadership roles in the sports and extracurriculars she participates in. She has been the captain of the girls softball team for three years, and became a captain of the varsity girls basketball team this year and also plays soccer in the fall.
“I love to be busy. I love to go help out here, go play all the sports,” Brenna said, something she’s done since middle school, even often tagging along to the varsity basketball team’s practices and games.
“It was really cool to see all the upper school girls, and I was like, ‘Oh, I want to be a part of this, and I want to do this,’” Brenna said.
The girls basketball team has had a rough season this year, winning its first game on Tuesday, Feb. 13. She found herself “team cheerleader,” as the Huskies were being consistently heavily outscored.
“It’s been really hard keeping the girls’ energies up, but you kind of just have to go into the mindset of, you know, now is the time just to go have fun. ... With a young team, that’s what they need. They just need the encouragement, the positivity of ‘Come on, we can do this, let’s just go have some fun’ instead of focusing on winning,” Brenna said.
As she looks toward college plans, she appreciates how this award recognizes all that she does inside school or throughout the community.
“I’m always just a busy body and love to help people, and so it’s just an extra thing on my belt,” Brenna said.
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