Students dance at homecoming at Brainerd High School Sept. 23, 2022 in Brainerd, Minn. This is the first homecoming, which is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of the school, held in Brainerd without coronavirus pandemic restrictions since 2019. Located in the central part of Minnesota, the high school enrolls about 1,900 students. “I’m excited that this is our first full [in-person] year of school,” Brainerd High School Senior Mackenzie Myrum, 17, said. “It’s sad but it’s almost better in a way because it’s the first time we’re doing everything together. It’s more special.”
Teens enjoy a ride at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 25, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. Many youth head to the fair before the school year begins for this end-of-summer tradition. The Minnesota State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. Around two million people visit the fair a year.
Cheerleaders are able to pump up the crowd in-person after several years of isolation during a Boys’ Varsity Basketball game at Park Center High School Jan. 10, 2023 in Brooklyn Park, Minn. Park Center High School enrolls over 2,000 students and is located in the Twin Cities metro area.
Irie Nordstrom, 15, holds a smiley face balloon while Lily Nickel, 15, retreats under the cafeteria table during their lunch break after a pep fest, a gathering of students to encourage school support typically before a sports event, at Brainerd High School Sept. 23, 2022 in Brainerd, Minn. “It’s really loud being together,” Nordstrom said. “The pep fests are awful.”
Timpika Detpraiwan, 16, takes a break to look at her phone after performing on stage at Johnson Senior High School Dec. 17, 2022 in St. Paul, Minn. “It’s a lot of pressure being out there,” she said. Detpraiwan performed a group routine during a Cypher Side Dance School showcase. Cypher Side Dance provides classes in break dancing, hip-hop and K-pop.
A teen a part of the Urban Roots Conservation Program collects seeds from native plants at Hazelwood Park Oct. 18, 2022 in Maplewood, Minn. For many of the teens working for Urban Roots, this is their first job. Every summer, the organization hires interns ages 14 to 18 through St. Paul’s Right Track program that provides paid internships to students from cost-burdened homes.
Camila Avilez, 15, walks outside of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church for her quinceañera service Oct. 15, 2022 in Rochester, Minn. A quinceañera, which has cultural roots in Mexico, is often both a religious and social ceremony celebrating a girl’s fifteenth birthday marking her passage to womanhood.
Isabel Kellar, 17, dances while confetti falls at the Night to Shine prom at Proctor High School Feb. 10, 2023 in Proctor, Minn. Hosted by Augustana Lutheran Church, Night to Shine is a party that celebrates students with special needs. Kellar spent the afternoon getting ready with friends and then got her makeup done at the event.
David Larson, 16, drives a combine in the evening after school at his family farm Oct. 19, 2022 in Elbow Lake, Minn. Larson is a part of his school’s Future Farmers of America (FFA), a youth organization that prepares students careers in agriculture. “FFA has really guided a lot of my independence out in the field,” Larson said. “But also when you’re out there all you have is yourself. My grandpa is getting older so I take on the stuff he can’t quite do anymore. Knowing that the farm can’t move forward without me is what motivates me.”
Jaime Johnson, 16, works after school at the Johnson Family Farm Oct. 19, 2022 in Evansville, Minn. Johnson also is a part of her high school’s Future Farmers of America. She grew up on her family farm and hopes to one day take over the property. “I like to feel needed, like when I’m out the combine, but usually I just monitor the grain,” Johnson said. “Just because I’m small doesn’t mean I can’t do things here. Girls can be farmers too.”
Gavin Hostetter, 13, practices how to safely shoot with a training gun during a firearm field and safety training session at the HERO Training Center Sept. 25, 2022 in Cottage Grove, Minn. Hostetter had fired a gun before, but was undergoing training to go out hunting with his family later in the fall season.
Bullet holes are left on a target during the training session Sept. 25, 2022 in Cottage Grove, Minn.
The Brainerd High School football team celebrates after winning their homecoming game against Bemidji Sept. 23, 2022 in Brainerd, Minn. Brainerd and Bemidji compete every year to win “Babe’s Bell,” a traveling trophy. This is the first time Brainerd won Babe’s Bell in five years. “Babe” is a reference to American folk hero Paul Bunyon and his sidekick, Babe the Blue Ox.
Tete Tossou, 18, takes a moment to catch his breath during a warm up before a game at Park Center Senior High School. The Park Center Pirates basketball team was one of the best teams in the state for the 2022-2023 season.
The sky slowly turns to dusk over a country road in Oct. 19, 2022 in Elbow Lake, Minn. Evening is not a time for rest for many farmers in the autumn season.
Maryjane Shimek, 12, left, shares a laugh with her family members Trishell Thompson, 11, and Aleecia Azure, 9, near their home in the White Earth community Sept. 24, 2022 on the White Earth Reservation. Maryjane is undergoing a berry fast, which is a year-long ritual in Ojibwe culture that begins after the first menstruation. She is the only one out of her younger cousins to begin this process. In addition to refraining from eating berries, it is a time when she would receive wisdom for women elders. “It’s taught me a lot of discipline, but it’s pretty tough,” she said.
Elena Freking, 12, trains for the John Beargrease 40-mile race with her mother, Jen Freking, in front, on their family property Jan. 15, 2023 in Finland, Minn. Elena is training for the John Beargrease 40-mile race that occurred later that month. She grew up around mushing and is excited to begin racing longer distances.
Becka Newcomb, 16, lights a candle in the old church at the Gammelgården Museum for the Saint Lucia Day celebration Dec. 11, 2022 in Scandia, Minn. Every year, a high school girl is picked to play Saint Lucia to honor the Swedish tradition of bringing light into the very dark days of December. Newcomb was picked to play Saint Lucia. “It’s nice to know that the pandemic has calmed down and to be able to do this in-person again,” she said. “I realized after I got picked [to play Lucia], how it’s very important for the Swedish tradition. It’s nice for me to continue that on.”
Jake Lindstrom, 15, rides down a makeshift snowboard course in his neighbor’s backyard during the evening of a snow day Jan. 4, 2023 in Monticello, Minn. Classes were canceled due to heavy snowfall.
Jenaya Jordan, 17, left, dances with her date Jordan Aultman, 18, at Duluth East High School Prom May 13, 2023 in Duluth, Minn.
2022 Graduate Faiza Abdulahi, 18, dances to a beating drum as family and friends celebrate with her after the commencement ceremony at Willmar Senior High School in Willmar, Minn.
A reflection of prom light decorations is cast in a window overlooking the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minn.
Tyzhane Carthron, 18, shares a moment with her son Geryiell Walker, 2, in her new apartment Nov. 11, 2022 in St. Paul. Carthron had moved into her apartment several days prior and is in the process of unpacking. This is her first time living alone. Before moving to her new apartment, she was a distinguished graduate from AGAPE High School and lived at LifeHaven, a transitional living program for teenage mothers. “I’ve always had to be independent. It’s taken me a lot to get here and I’m pretty proud of myself,” Carthron said about moving into her new apartment.