Name: Renee Grover
School: S.G. Reinertsen Elementary
Position: Computer Technician
Year on Staff: 38th
If you visit S.G. Reinertsen Elementary on a typical school day, you’ll likely find Renee Grover in the Technology Office, cheerfully tackling everything from student Chromebook issues to staff tech troubleshooting. After hours, though, Renee steps into a different role. With her husband Bill by her side, she’s a familiar presence at nearly every Spud activity—camera in hand, documenting the energy, pride, and community that make Moorhead Area Public Schools special.
Though she captures thousands of photographs at multiple events per week now, Renee’s run of photographing the Spuds started with one football game in 2010.
“I’ve always loved taking photos, and I had a camera from photographing my little brother’s wedding a few years prior,” explained Renee. “So I brought it with me to take pictures of a family member at a football game. Then the next year we went to multiple football games, plus basketball and hockey games.”
By 2012, with a new camera in hand, Renee recruited Bill to use her original camera to get shots from the opposite angle, enabling them to cover the entire surface. Renee would post collections of pictures from each game to social media, which led to Spud families requesting the Grovers cover more and more games and events.
“We would get messages asking ‘will you be at this swim meet?’ and ‘can you please shoot this wrestling event?’” recalled Bill.
These days, Renee and Bill get photos from every MHS Spud activity plus major annual events like the fall musical, the Indian Education Pow-Wow, homecoming and graduation—among others. At each event, the duo will combine for over 4,000 photos that will eventually be pared down to their preferred shots.
Despite snapping tens of thousands of shots every year, Renee is quick to recall her favorite photos, even from 10 or more years prior.
“One of my favorites is of Austin Moon, who was a kicker, lining up to kick off in a snowstorm and he’s focusing with so much snow coming down around him,” she said of a 2012 photo. “Another is a really cool one of [Football Head] Coach Feeney in 2015. We’d just scored in a sectional game and he was pointing at a player and it looks like he’s pointing straight at the camera.”
When asked about her favorite memory, the 1979 MHS graduate didn’t hesitate, and her answer likely wouldn’t surprise many Spud fans.
“State hockey…. winning at state last year,” Renee declared with a grin. “Obviously! One thing that’s been really cool is getting to take photos at every major sports venue in the Twin Cities with our teams and our schools.”
Over the years, the Grovers’ photos have been featured in district publications, newspapers across the region and even in major installations at Moorhead High School. Fourteen of the athlete photos featured in the “Once A Spud, Always A Spud” mural on the east wall of the new MHS gym were taken by either Renee or Bill. Their photos were also heavily featured in the limited edition school history book, also titled “Once A Spud… Always a Spud,” that celebrated the 150th anniversary of Moorhead Area Public Schools. Renee’s photo of Mason Kraft is currently on display at Grand Casino Arena for the Mr. Hockey Award.
What keeps Renee and Bill coming back with their cameras year after year is knowing how much their work means to the community. “It’s the best feeling,” Renee said. “When the boys or the girls come up and say ‘Hey, thanks for being here,’ or ‘We appreciate you coming down’—that’s the best part.”
Staff Spotlight is a new feature that will appear monthly on the district website and social media. Do you know a staff member with an interesting story that we should feature? Email spudnews@moorheadschools.org!