Conventional wisdom says that resumes be a single page, but given the diverse list of accomplishments, clubs, sports, volunteer groups and top GPAs, an exception should be made for these four elite Edina preps.
Genevieve Kalland, Louie Nanne, Erin Savre and Coleman Foley are clearly standouts, especially in their ability to multitask: The talented singer also plays oboe; the star hockey player volunteers as a coach; the inspiring student council leader also captains the football team; the talented trombone player swims and skis. All have grade-point averages near 4.0.
To do it all, this fabulous foursome is driven. Sometimes it requires doing homework at 5 a.m. Other times, it means lifting weights alone or practicing an instrument late at night.
“I enjoy everything that I do, and I think that I can catch up on sleep during the weekends,” says Foley, who manages to do it all.
Edina Magazine profiles these standouts in the following pages.
Louie Nanne
The deal was brokered across the school lunch table: Adaptive hockey player Chris Reichel asked star varsity hockey player Louie Nanne to help coach his team.
“I thought it would be something that I’d like to do, so I took it up,” Nanne says.
Besides his role as captain of the Edina Hornets, Nanne participates in Bringing Back Kindness, a school group looking for ways to pay it forward.
“I was sitting together with him at lunch, and he is always in such a good mood,” Nanne says of Reichel. “I like to take after that.”
In hockey, Nanne has taken after his father and grandfather. His father, Marty, played for the Hornets and the University of Minnesota. His grandfather, Lou, grew up in Canada, played for the Gophers, in the National Hockey League, and later became general manager of the Minnesota North Stars.
So, naturally, Louie was on the ice at a young age. To learn the game, 18-month-old Louie was on skates, gripping a plastic yellow goal as a makeshift walker. During his childhood, the Nannes’ backyard was flooded to make an ice rink, and Grandpa would be there teaching Louie and his younger brother, Tyler.
“He would come over and teach us how to skate, shoot, stick-handle,” Louie Nanne says.
Throughout his playing days from mites to bantams, Louie had a coach in each ear. Marty Nanne would point out the things he could do better; Lou Nanne would compliment him on the things he did well.
“They have always been constantly flowing,” Louie says.
Nanne was called up to the varsity team as a freshman, and through determination and youthful leadership, he was never outmatched, says Curt Giles, the Edina High School hockey coach.
“He has a strong personality,” Giles says. “He always has a smile on his face and is willing to help people and make them feel comfortable.”
Louie Nanne says his biggest fear is “looking back and not putting more into something.” So he began lifting weights before his teammates did, and the results he saw on the ice gave him confidence.
“I didn’t consider myself anything special and I still don’t,” Louie Nanne says, “but that’s when I saw a turn of events.”
After graduation, his next event will be to enroll at the University of Minnesota and play hockey for the Gophers.
“It really means a lot, especially being third generation,” he says. “It’s going to be an honor to play at the University of Minnesota, but it’s more important that I will be getting an education.”
Genevieve Kalland
Genevieve Kalland’s house was alive with The Sound of Music.
A 4-year-old wannabe Julie Andrews would run around singing “My Favorite Things” and other classics from the musical movie. At 17, her passion for singing remains.
“It’s just what I love to do,” Kalland says.
Performances began in earnest at age 5 in the choir at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. She started taking voice lessons at 11, and last school year, she was one of only two juniors among the senior-led Chamber Singers at Edina High School.
“She has a beautiful voice and a real ease,” says David O. Henderson, Edina High School’s choir director. “It’s a very clear, pure sound. She approaches it in this easy way, so it’s never pushed or out of control.”
As voice lessons started, so did flute tutorials. As Kalland played, her teacher accompanied her on the oboe. The sound of that music inspired her to switch to the oboe, a notoriously difficult instrument.
“It’s a unique sound; it’s a challenging instrument; it takes a lot of breath control,” she says. “It was an opportunity to challenge myself.”
She would become the only oboe player in middle school and an outstanding oboe player in concert band, Henderson says.
Yet music is more than sounds to Kalland; it’s a means of self-expression.
“It has helped me find my voice, literally, with who I am,” she says. “I’ve been able to express myself through the songs that I’m singing or playing. It’s a good outlet from the world sometimes.”
In the upcoming school year, Kalland’s voice will be heard not only in song, but also in speech as student director of the chamber singers. She’s also been selected as a drum major for the marching pep band.
“It’s her musical background and being a good musician,” Henderson says. “That’s key to becoming student director.”
Erin Savre
Erin Savre says her inspiration is “seeing other people work hard; it makes me want to work harder.” But it’s often Savre’s tireless determination that gets others motivated.
“As a musician, what sets her apart is her work ethic,” says Paul Kile, Edina High School’s band director. “Many come in with talent, but few have her work ethic. She is not afraid to get after it.”
Savre comes from a musical family, but she didn’t fall in love at first listen. Piano lessons at age 4 were not enjoyable, she says. She envisioned herself playing a string instrument. A defining moment came in the fourth grade when she attended a matinee show of the Pops Concert at Edina High School. It was then she knew that she wanted to play a band instrument. She picked up the trombone.
“I don’t really know why I chose the trombone,” she says. “When I went to choose an instrument, I liked it, but I still don’t really know why.”
Why she enjoys playing in the band is more understandable.
“I enjoy the challenge of getting all the parts to fit together and sound really nice,” Savre says. “I enjoy the process of it, and I think that the end product is really special. It’s something to be really proud of.”
Kile says that Savre is a rare junior in the top jazz and concert bands because she is strong, active and an “all-around great kid.”
Savre, also a Nordic skier and a swimmer, is a fan of classical and jazz music as well as rock bands such as Coldplay and the Black Keys. It’s the variety that she’s drawn to.
“I like music that is a little different,” she says. “All the different things that you can create with music and every single piece of music is unique in some way, shape or form. It’s very special to me.”
Coleman Foley
As a three-sport athlete, Coleman Foley has been cheered for in more than a few school pep rallies, but his appreciation for the events has deepened since he became a member of the student council.
“It takes a lot more planning and teamwork than I would have imagined,” says Foley, who knows a thing or two about teamwork as a captain of the football and alpine ski teams. “There is so much work that goes into the little things that I have so much appreciation for. It might only last for a half-hour, but there is so much more.”
Running for office with the slogan, “Holy moley, vote for Foley,” he was elected to be one of eight juniors in the 25-member council. As an athlete, choir member and participant in the Sober Squad (an anti-drug and -alcohol group), Foley believes he can bring together diverse members of the student population.
“If you have that, you can speak to the student body as a whole, so things can be appreciated by a larger group of people,” he says.
As a baseball catcher, football linebacker and slalom skier, Foley says that leaders put the team first.
“You lead by example and act the way the team should,” Foley says. “You sacrifice and pick kids up when you need to and call someone out when they aren’t acting right.”
Student council co-advisor Angela Kieffer says that Foley is one of the kindest and most energetic high school boys she’s interacted with and sees him as a role model for her 8-year-old son.
“He is so inclusive of everyone around him,” Kieffer says. “He really likes to connect with people. He can connect with peers and adults. Some can connect with peers. Others can connect with adults. He can connect with both. He is the total package.”
One way Foley that lightens the atmosphere is with quirky handshakes, Keiffer says.
“I always like seeing people smile,” Foley says. “I feed off others’ energy. I would hate to bring people down. I just want people to have the same kind of day I’m having.”
