Schools
Smithsonian to Feature Apple Valley Girls Hockey in 'Hometown Teams' Exhibit
The exhibit, slated to open in 2014, will be part of the 'Museum on Main Street' program run by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
In 1994, Minnesota became the first state to include girls ice hockey as a varsity sport at the high school level.
In 1995, 's girls hockey team beat the South St. Paul Packers 2-0 to win the first girls state hockey championship in the U.S.
Because of that hockey heritage, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service has selected AVHS to be included in an exhibit—called Hometown Teams—slated to open in 2014 as part of its Museum on Main Street program. SITES is one of the Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Institution's four national outreach efforts.
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Apple Valley's girls hockey program, past and present, will be the focus of AVHS's part in the exhibit, according to Athletic Director Pete Buesgens; Smithsonian staff are scheduled to be at the high school next week to interview current and former players and coaches in the program.
It's "an incredible honor to be a part of such a program," Buesgens wrote in an email. More information about the exhibit should be available as work on it progresses.
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The Hometown Teams exhibit will depict the spirit and love of local, high school, college amateur and professional sports across America. It will include video and audio stories from players, historical photographs and footage and objects donated by teams.
It also will include accounts of fan and family experiences, and projections of the future of sports.
"Our love of sports begins in our hometowns--on the sandlot, at the local ball field, in the street, even," according to the exhibit's website. "Americans play sports everywhere."
The Museum on Main Street program, of which Hometown Teams will be a part, takes museum exhibits to small towns across the country, according to its website. Current exhibits include a celebration of American Roots Music, the history of American working culture and even an exhibit of how fences have shaped our lives over time.
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