Staff member drowns during school retreat in Brainerd

September 6, 2022 at 1:33AM

A staff member from Maplewood Academy, a private Christian high school in Hutchinson, drowned Monday afternoon during a retreat for students, according to a release from the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office.

At 1:37 p.m., Crow Wing County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call of a possible drowning at North Star Camp in Brainerd, where a group of seniors and school staff were on a weekend retreat.

By the time deputies arrived, a student had pulled the 30-year-old staff member from Hutchinson out of the water. The school staffer was transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd, where he was pronounced dead. The victim's name was not available Monday evening.

The Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which owns and operates the school and the camp, said counseling services will be available for faculty, staff and students.

about the writer

about the writer

Reid Forgrave

State/Regional Reporter

Reid Forgrave covers Minnesota and the Upper Midwest for the Star Tribune, particularly focused on long-form storytelling, controversial social and cultural issues, and the shifting politics around the Upper Midwest. He started at the paper in 2019.

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