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Oak View Middle School opened its doors in the fall of 1996 with an enrollment of 950 students. The school was built to accommodate the growing population of students in Andover and to ease crowded conditions at Coon Rapids Middle School and Fred Moore Middle School in Anoka.
Oak View was named for the many stands of Red Oak in the area around the site chosen for the school. The school’s community selected a bobcat as the school’s mascot and its colors as burgundy and gray. Today’s enrollment at Oak View has grown to nearly 1400 students, and its feeder schools are Andover Elementary, Rum River Elementary, and Crooked Lake Elementary. Most of Oak View’s students go on to attend Andover High School.
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Norm Hande was chosen as Oak View’s first principal in 1995. That year he hired dean Diane Steffen and secretaries Jeannie Johnson and Donna Becker to help him build the foundation for what would become Oak View Middle School’s staff. In addition, Mr. Hande and Mrs. Steffen hired 13 teachers representing varied grade levels and departments to help establish the school’s mission and vision, schedule, decision-making model and remaining staff. The school opened with interdisciplinary teams at all grade levels and an alternating day-block schedule, which was innovative at the time
Oak View’s student population grew rapidly during its first five years of existence, creating the need to expand modular classrooms in in 1999 and to construct a new addition in 2002. After 2002, growth continued but tapered off to reach today’s enrollment numbers.
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In 2000, Mrs. Diane Steffen was chosen as Oak View’s principal after Mr. Hande was hired to open Andover High School and later become principal of Blaine High School.
Mrs. Steffen led Oak View until her retirement in June of 2006. Mrs. Steffen's tireless commitment to Oak View will long be remembered.
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In the spring of 2006, Dr. Jinger Gustafson was selected as Oak View’s third principal. Dr. Gustafson had been an assistant principal at Roosevelt Middle School in Blaine before coming to Oak View. During Dr. Gustafson's time at Oak View, the school staff worked to establish a teaching and learning system known as a professional learning community, developing collaborative teams among staff members within each core curricular area.
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In June, 2011, Dr. Gustafason was named interim Associate Superintendent for Middle Schools for the Anoka-Hennepin School District. As a result, a search began to find her replacement. Soon after, Gary Lundeen, an assistant principal at Oak View at the time, was selected as Oak View’s fourth principal in July of 2011. Mr. Lundeen currently serves as Oak View’s principal.
Oak View is known for its strong community spirit and support and for excellence in the arts and academics. Oak View has rapidly developed a strong reputation for strong academics and a community-based school that prides itself on preparing its students for future success.
