Emily Norlander Kennett '03

Full-Circle at Minnehaha

Emily Kennett sat in the Olson Family Campus Room, watching her daughter, Ella, receive her soccer team’s end-of-season awards. The team’s captains handed out gag gifts, and a slideshow from the season played on the projector. For Emily, the moment felt familiar in a new way. This time, she wasn’t a student or an athlete. She was a parent, watching the same experience that had shaped her years at Minnehaha Academy.

A Lifelong Connection

Emily’s story with Minnehaha began long before she walked through the doors as a kindergartner. Her father, Mark Norlander, taught French and coached tennis at the school for more than 30 years, and her younger sister, Celeste Norlander Stimack, graduated in 2009. Growing up at MA meant the school was not just a place she attended. It was part of her family’s identity.

After graduating in 2003, Emily explored her career elsewhere. In 2012, a timely opening brought her back. 

“I wasn’t expecting to return to work at MA and wasn’t originally planning to send my kids here,” she recalls. “When I saw an opening at the school during a career transition, it felt like the perfect fit.”

Behind the Scenes

Emily began as a Business Office Assistant, working alongside Ruth Berg, who quickly became both a mentor and friend. By 2014, her role expanded into athletics, and she split her time between the business office and supporting athletic programs. In 2018, she transitioned fully to athletics and now serves as Administrative Assistant to the Athletic Director, managing the operational details that keep teams running smoothly.

“I often tell people that my work is very much behind the scenes,” Emily says. “I don’t seek the spotlight. I prefer to be in the background, ensuring everything runs smoothly so that coaches and athletes can focus on the experience. It has been incredibly rewarding to see how my administrative work supports the same athletic experiences that shaped me as a student.”

Memories on the Field

As a student, Emily was a multi-sport athlete, competing in tennis, track and field, softball, and hockey. “I wasn’t a natural athlete,” she admits. “I had to work incredibly hard for every achievement, but I loved the process of learning new skills and, most importantly, making lifelong memories with my friends.”

Those experiences continue to shape how she supports athletes today. “My experience as a student-athlete profoundly shaped my high school years,” she explains. “Those relationships and lessons stayed with me. My goal has always been to ensure that today’s student-athletes have similarly positive experiences, regardless of team records.”

When Home Changed

In August 2017, a gas explosion destroyed part of the Upper School building and deeply affected the entire school community. Emily was working in the building that morning alongside her colleague and friend Ruth Berg when they were alerted to evacuate. Moments later, the explosion occurred. Ruth was one of two workers who died that day. 

At the time, Emily was in the Senior Hallway, a place that had held some of her most meaningful memories as a student. It was where seniors gathered between classes, decorated lockers, and marked the final chapter of their time at Minnehaha.

“It was a hallway filled with some of my happiest student memories,” she recalls. “On the day of the explosion, it looked very different and would never look the same again.”

The experience was life-altering. The effects of that day are something she continues to carry, but so are the relationships formed through it. “Knowing colleagues walked through similarly difficult experiences that day has been incredibly helpful when I stumble or find myself struggling again,” she reflects.

The “Mom” Moment

Emily’s Minnehaha story entered a new chapter when her children joined the school’s athletic programs. Henry joined the Nordic ski team in 2021, and Ella joined the girls’ soccer team in 2024. Watching her children compete, Emily was reminded of how influential those same experiences had been in her own life.

“Ella had looked forward to being able to play soccer for Minnehaha for years. The team was very young and in a rebuilding phase,” Emily says.  “The win-loss record was tough, but the girls were passionate and resilient. Watching them brought back a lot of memories.” 

At the end-of-season banquet, Emily felt the full-circle moment most clearly. She watched the seniors speak about what the team had meant to them and listened as they reflected on their coaches and teammates. Sitting there as a parent, she found herself thinking back to her own experience and how much those same moments had shaped her.

“I realized this is why I do what I do,” she says. “I get to help create the same meaningful experiences for today’s students that shaped my life.”

The Lasting Influence

Emily emphasizes the importance of every coach in the program. “It’s not just the head varsity coach making an impact. It’s every single one of them. I wasn’t a star athlete, so I spent most of my time on JV teams. It was those JV coaches who made the biggest difference in my life.”

She maintains a decades-long connection with her former JV hockey coach, Glenn Anderson, who attended her wedding and has seen her children grow up.

Emily also carries the wisdom of her coaches and her father into her own volunteer work as a manager for Ella’s club soccer team. Her favorite quote from former hockey coach Denny Malarkey is, “Whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.” Her father often added his own humor: “Here’s a tip that will help you win the game: score more points than the other team.”

“Thirteen is a difficult age for girls to feel confident in themselves and their abilities,” Emily explains. “I tell them they have to trust their training. You never know what you’re capable of until you try, and you can’t get better without failing along the way.”

Full Circle

Through every stage of life as a student, employee, and parent, Emily’s connection to Minnehaha has remained steady. While the campus and community have evolved, the hallways of Minnehaha still feel like home. 

For Emily, athletics have never been just about wins or losses. They are about relationships, memories, and the moments that shape who people become.

“Being part of a team shapes each individual in different ways,” she says. “And seeing my children experience that same journey is a reminder of why this place matters.”