Alumni

For Mike Thull, YME Class of 2008, the Heart of the Hive is about more than where you went to school. It’s about the people who show up for one another, especially when times are hard.

Some of Mike’s favorite YME memories come from something simple that many alumni may remember well: the once-sacred senior hallways and the friendships built sitting together on those benches. Those relationships—and the sense of community surrounding them—have stayed with him long after graduation.

After YME, Mike spent a year attending college in St. Cloud before realizing he needed a different path. He took some time away from school, wrapped up the rodeo chapter of his life, and returned home to Granite Falls to work. In 2013, he earned his degree in Criminal Justice from Moorhead Technical College.

A year later, Mike began his law enforcement career with the Granite Falls Police Department. Over the years, he worked his way through the ranks and was recently appointed Chief of Police—serving the same community where he grew up.

His connection to YME also came full circle when he returned to the district as its School Resource Officer, a position he held for eight years.

“I had the pleasure of coming back to YME after high school when I worked as the School Resource Officer for eight years, and it was truly amazing to see the staff from behind the scenes and to see just how much love they pour into kids who unfortunately might not experience that at home.”

Mike’s life today is still deeply rooted in Granite Falls. He and his wife—whom he first met in choir class at YME—are raising their two young boys here. Outside of law enforcement, Mike has also spent the past 13 years as a professional fisherman, representing companies in the fishing industry through promotional events, tournaments, and guide trips. He is also a local property owner, having purchased a 24-unit rental complex early in his career.

When Mike reflects on what makes YME and the communities that make up the district special, he points to something that has been built through both good times and difficult ones: resilience.

“YME and the multiple communities that make up this district are so special because of how kind, caring, welcoming and helpful they all are.”

Mike believes some of those qualities were strengthened through the adversity the area has experienced over the years—from tornadoes and floods to the heartbreaking loss of classmates. Those experiences taught his generation what it meant to depend on others during difficult times and, just as importantly, to be the person someone else could lean on.

That lesson continues to define what the Heart of the Hive means to him today.

“Being a part of the ‘Heart of the Hive’ is being willing to step up and be a solution to someone else’s problem. Being willing to give your best to someone else who might be at their worst.”

As both an alumnus and someone who has had the opportunity to return and serve within YME, Mike is excited about what the future holds for the district. He is excited to see staff and students thrive in a new environment that isn’t holding them back because of structural limitations and distractions.

From student, to School Resource Officer, to Chief of Police, Mike’s journey has kept him closely connected to the community that helped shape him. And perhaps that is one of the best examples of the Heart of the Hive: taking what your community gave you, coming home, and finding your own way to give it back.

Thank you, Mike, for continuing to serve, support, and invest in the YME community—and for showing what it means to carry the Heart of the Hive forward.

For Morgan Busack, YME Class of 2016, some of the most meaningful parts of growing up at YME weren’t just the classes she took, but the opportunities, relationships, and sense of belonging she found along the way.

One memory that still stands out? Her junior-year FFA trip to Hawaii—an experience that reflects the kinds of opportunities that helped shape her interests and ultimately her future.

After graduating from YME, Morgan attended South Dakota State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Leadership in December 2021. She returned home briefly after college before beginning her career in Eastern Iowa’s pork industry and eventually settling in Sanborn, Iowa.

Today, Morgan works for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in O’Brien County as a K-12 Program Coordinator, where she reaches hundreds of students each year through educational programming focused on agriculture, STEAM, and more.

“I am passionate about helping young people learn, grow, and explore new opportunities.”

And while Morgan may no longer call Granite Falls home, the impact of growing up here has stayed with her.

She says she often finds herself comparing the community she lives in today to YME and Granite Falls because of the strong sense of belonging she experienced here. The friendships she made became like family, and the welcoming atmosphere is something she continues to appreciate years later.

For Morgan, that is what being part of the Heart of the Hive is all about.

“Being part of the ‘Heart of the Hive’ means being connected to a community that helped shape who I am today. Growing up in the YME/Granite Falls area provided me with opportunities, support, and experiences that prepared me for success beyond high school.”

 

As she has built her education and career, Morgan says she has gained an even greater appreciation for the foundation YME provided—the opportunities she had as a student and the values of hard work, service, and community that were modeled for her. Today, she gets to carry those lessons forward by helping young people discover new opportunities, just as others once did for her.

And now, Morgan has another special connection to YME: her nieces and nephew are walking the same halls she once did.

“It’s wonderful to see them having many of the same opportunities that I experienced,” she shared. “It’s also exciting to see the school continuing to grow and invest in the future of its students.”

As YME looks ahead to a new chapter and a campus being built for future generations, Morgan is excited to see what comes next—not only for her family, but for every student who will call YME home.

“Being part of the ‘Heart of the Hive’ also means carrying that sense of community forward, staying connected to the place that helped me grow, and supporting future generations so they can thrive and succeed.”

Once part of the Hive, always part of the Hive. ❤️