Beyond the Books - February 2024

February 13, 2024

At Cretin-Derham Hall, students have important opportunities to grow, learn and thrive both in the classroom and 'beyond the books!' In fact 98% of students participate in one or more sports or activities. 

Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC and fine arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.

ATHLETICS | ACTIVITIES | THEATER | JROTC | CHOIR | BAND

Athletics

Alpine Ski

By Carrie Freitag, Alpine Coach

The CDH Alpine Ski Team season was fast and furious and wrapped up this past Tuesday 2/13.  Yes, the weather was a challenge, but every race was held, and CDH  athletes were especially adept at managing all the challenges.

The teams, and all of the individuals on the teams, made huge strides forward in their racing skills this season.

The top accomplishment goes to Else Wermager '24 for her consistent placement in the top ten at all conference races this season. She topped it off with a 7th place medal achieved at the Section Race on 2/7, and qualified for the State Championship Race! Unfortunately, a prior school trip commitment prevented her from attending the State Championship race. She handled the “can’t do it all” situation with grace and resilience beyond her years!  The team will greatly miss her next season.

The team is blessed to have Finn Wermager '25 returning next season. He consistently placed in the top 15 in the conference races this season.  He is a strong and talented leader on the team.

Additional graduating seniors, and team captains are Gabe Zilka '24 and Marin Miroslavich '24 who solidly brought in team points all season.  We will miss their team leadership. Alex Gagnon '25, David Spartz '26, Jacob Haider '25, and Stuart Murray '27 are big contributors to the team standings, and will return as the makings of the solid boy’s team moving forward.

Maeve Zilka '26, Lydia Rosso '26, Lauren Fairbairn '27, and Abby Nesset '27 also consistently improved the team standings in the conference this season. They will form a cohesive base for next year’s team.

Alpine Ski Team is a unique sport, but open to anyone interested in improving their ski skills and having a lot of fun doing so!  It is amazing how quickly racing skills can progress.  If you are interested in checking it out for next season, catch one of these athletes in the halls and they will convince you to join the teams!  You can also contact head coach Carrie Freitag.

Baseball

By Toby Anderson, Assistant Coach

9th grade tryouts will be March 7 - 9 from 3 - 5 pm. The March 7 and 8 tryouts will take place at CDH and the March 9 tryouts will be at the Cages in Burnsville. 

Grades 10 - 12: Arm care and conditioning week is March 11 - 15.

Grades 10 - 12: Tryouts will be held March 18 - 21.

Boys Basketball

By Tony Yazbeck, Assistant Coach

The boys basketball team continues to stay on top of the Suburban East Conference. Jojo Mitchell ’26 leads the team in scoring with a 17.4 PPG average. Monteff Dixon ’25 is averaging a team leading 9.6 RPG average. The team has had great leadership from their captains Miles Bollinger ’24 and Anthony Knight ’24. On February 6 the team had the pleasure of attending the University of Minnesota vs. Michigan State Men's Basketball game at Williams Arena to support Raider Alumni Tre Holloman ’22, who plays for Michigan State. Upcoming games for the Raiders are February 15, when we host White Bear Lake, and February 17 when we travel to DeLaSalle.

Girls Basketball

By Tara Seifert, Head Coach

The girls basketball team has been battling and continues to see improvements with the team chemistry and overall play the past weeks. Our current overall record is 9 -11 and we are 6-8 in SEC Conference play. Our senior night game was a great night featuring our 4 senior players as well as taking the SEC Conference leader White Bear Lake into overtime. The team fell just short in the contest losing 56-54. It was a great battle with Suraya Hodges '24 scoring 15pts and 11 rebounds. Lauren Bengtson '24 had 8 points and 10 rebounds, along with Emma Dornan '25 and Kyla Laguda '27 both with 8 points.

Tough losses against Mounds View, Stillwater and Forest Lake followed. The Raiders bounced back with a decisive win over Park of Cottage Grove on Jan. 26. Hodges had 20 pts and 9 rebounds along with a number of other players contributing. The Raiders got a big win vs. Irondale on Jan. 30 by a score of 55-31. All JV and Varsity players got into the game with 11 players scoring.

The team then took a loss against East Ridge and bounced back the following game with a nice win over Maranatha Christian Academy. Hodges had 20 pts and 10 rebounds in this contest. Dornan contributed with a season high 17 rebounds in this game. The team now heads into their final 2 weeks of conference play and look to finish strong heading into section play starting on Wednesday, Feb. 28. 

Competition Dance

By Angie Keske, Program Manager

The Raider Dance Team successfully completed their season placing 4th in Varsity Jazz and 5th in Varsity Kick at Section finals. We are most proud of the positive team culture created this year and the success the Raiders had on the dance floor. This memorable season left us grateful for all of the countless hours of practice, the team bonding experiences and the growth in character, leadership and dance technique over the past 4 months. Thank you to the CDH community for the outpouring of support. We had the largest Raider fan group ever at sections with so many teachers, students and staff showing up to cheer. The Varsity Jazz performance even brought many of us to tears.

The Junior Varsity team competed in the Mounds View Invitational at the end of January placing 2nd in Kick and 3rd in Jazz. During the performance, Ani Kachmarek '27 showed leadership by calling out timing and encouraging her teammates to dance with confidence & passion. Both performances were the best of the season and proved that hard work, dedication and good coaching can transform a routine.

The Junior Raider Dance Team performed for the last time at the Anoka Invitational in January. Leah Bartel '30, Lindsey Nuemann '29, Camryn Tesch '30 and Lucia Ticcioni '29 excelled at precision and teamwork. The Junior Raider Dance Team works on the foundational skills of performance dance and dancers form lifelong friendships that will take middle schoolers into high school. Seventh and eighth grade students have the opportunity to try out and compete at the high school level. Any middle school student interested in participating in spring or summer dance camps should watch for the info to be posted on the CDH Athletic website soon.

The captains of the Raider Dance Team are Emily Boss '25, Penelope Deignan '25, Cailin Ryan '25, and Alayna Verdeja '25. The Head Coach is Zohra Rouna '17 and the Assistant Coaches are Anna Blake '10, Emily Hunkeapillar, Hannah Heitzman, and Ashley Rascher. The Raiders will start their spring 5 week training program in April and any middle or high school student is invited to attend. GO Raiders!

CDH Gymnastics

By Claire Gutknecht, Head Coach

The Raider’s gymnastics team is having an amazing season. The team has won more meets this season than in any season in recent history and hope to keep the winning streak rolling as they head into Sections. The Varsity and JV teams have beaten the self-imposed records set last season, and are seeing personal bests at almost every meet. The JV team wrapped up their season at the JV Conference last Friday, February 9 at Park High School. The Varsity team has Sections at Roseville High School at 11 am on Saturday, February 17– we hope to see you there because it’s going to be a high intensity meet. We would love to have a huge cheering section! If the Raiders win Sections, the team will go to State as a team for the first time in over 10 years. Go Raiders!

Boys Hockey

By Matt Funk, Head Coach

The CDH Boys Hockey Team held their Senior Night on Thursday, February 8 against Roseville. We celebrated our 7 senior players and 2 managers, grateful for all they have done for Raider Hockey. The players are Chuck Owens ’24, Aidan Siegfried ’24, Easton Swift ’24, Shawn Newton ’24, Luke Chorlton ’24, Marco Cerise ’24, Leo Miller ’24, and our managers are Joey Henningsgard ’24 and Jake Quinn ’24. The Raiders are 12-7-1 and in 3rd place in the conference. We have five games remaining, two of which will be against the top two teams. Check the athletic calendar for our upcoming games and come support your Raiders.

Girls Hockey

By Tony Scheid, Head Coach

The Raiders Girls Hockey Team was ranked 19th in the State Class AA Girls Hockey Ratings and was seeded second in Section 3AA. They lost their game against Park Cottage Grove 3-1 in the Section 3 quarterfinal tournament play that ended the season. The Raiders went on a tear in January, winning 6 of their final 8 games after Christmas break. Playing in the rough and tough Suburban East Conference with 3 other current top 20 rated schools has prepared the Raiders to make a deep run in the playoffs. Goalie Grace Kemp ’26 continued to shine as one of the state’s top goaltenders. Kemp has a .920 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average. Grace has 12 wins, including 3 shutouts. Goalie Katherine Nelson ’24 had a massive win at Mounds View/Irondale on January 23 and has earned an important varsity role this season.

Defenseman Casey Coffey ’24 has 16 points on the season with 3 goals and 13 assists. Defenseman Stella Hadac ’25 has 15 points, including 4 goals and 11 assists. Ava Perry ’25 and Regan Flohrs ’25 have each had excellent seasons on the blueline, logging major minutes with a consistently high level of skill. The Raiders continue to be led in scoring by sharp shooting  forward Abby Broz ’25 with 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points. Moreover, the magical playmaking of forward Hope Hadac ’25 has produced 4 goals and 15 assists for 19 points. Channing Haycraft ’27 has an impressive 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points. Winger Delaney Schwab ’25 is a phenomenal 200-foot player and currently has 7 goals and 6 assists for 13 points. Lily Vincelli ’24, Lauren Fisher ’25, Josie Vance ’25, and Isabelle Oelrich ’25 have had major roles in the team’s success down the stretch!

Girls Lacrosse

By Jeff Rosga ’89, Head Coach

The excitement is building as we gear up for an electrifying girls’ lacrosse season ahead. A culture of champions is taking root, and you're invited to be a part of it. Our off-season training and HS Sixes league have seen a surge in player participation, setting the stage for a solid season of growth and achievement. We're thrilled to witness the sport's rapid expansion, offering more opportunities than ever for our student-athletes to thrive. Last year marked the beginning of an incredible journey for us as a new coaching staff. Together, we led the girls to a successful season, laying the foundation for even greater achievements in 2024. With each stride we've taken, we're poised to elevate our game and compete fiercely against some of the best, including last year's state champ, Benilde St. Margaret, in this upcoming season.

Mark your calendars…February 27 is our spring sports meeting, where we'll discuss plans, expectations, and everything you need to know for the upcoming season. We'll be fielding both JV and Varsity teams, offering opportunities for every player to grow and develop. Whether you're a seasoned player or new to the game, now is the time to be part of the lacrosse program. Practice and tryouts kick off is on April 1, so make sure you're geared up, prepared and ready to hit the field. 

Let's make 2024 a season  to remember, filled with culture, camaraderie, growth, and unforgettable moments on the field. Get ready to lace up your cleats, grab your stick, and let’s make this season memorable.

Boys’ Swimming and Diving Team

By Mike Steineman, Head Coach Boys' Swim & Dive

The Boys' Swimming and Diving team ended their regular season on Thursday, February 8 with a close dual meet against the Wolfpack of Park. The final score was CDH 86, and Park 96. Now the team starts to taper for the end of the season. The first meet is the SEC JV Conference Meet at Oltman Middle School (East Ridge's home pool) on Saturday, February 17. The meet starts at noon. Up next, the varsity swimmers will compete in the Section 6AA Section Meet at Edina. This meet will be held at the Art Downey Aquatic Center in South View Middle School. Prelims are Thursday, February 22 starting at 6 pm.  Finals will be Saturday, February 24 and start at 1 pm. The season ends with the MSHSL Class AA State Swimming & Diving Meet held at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota. State Prelims are Friday, March 1. State Finals are Saturday, March 2. Both meets (State Prelims & Finals) begin at 6 pm.  

Results, video streams, and ticket information for these meets are available on our website.  You can also follow all of the action on the MeetMobile app for iOS and Android devices.

Boys Tennis

By Randy Muetzel, Head Coach

The boys tennis season will kick off with a Parent/Athlete Meeting on February 27 at 6 pm in the CDH Joe Mauer Field House. On March 21, we will hold a student athlete meeting from 2:50 - 3:05 pm in the CDH Commons. We will discuss practice times and places during spring break. Practices over Easter Break will be March 25, 26, 27, 28 and April 1 (Times and places dependent on weather). Any students interested in trying out should see Mr. Muetzel.

Track and Field

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

Boys' and Girls' Track and Field is getting ready for another season for competition and training starting March 11. Track and Field is a great way to continue your training, improve your speed and feed those competitive fires. We offer 18 different events: Sprinting, jumping, throwing, and yes running. While waiting for the season to start, take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and dry sidewalks. Captains' practices will be starting soon. Contact Katie Chestovich '24, Becca Gutzman '24, Leah Iverson '24, Ava Yets '24, Mason Kuchenmeister '24, Issaac Nesset '24, or Liam McLay '24 for further details. You may also email coach Chris Babcock or find him in room WH 101. 

If you have expertise in the throws events and would like to share with our throwers, we are looking for a throws coach this spring. Interested parties should contact Chris Babcock. 

Activities

Clay Target Team

By Jason Nabor, Coach

The CDH Clay Target Team competes in two sports - Trap and Skeet, and is composed of both boys and girls. The only prerequisite for participation is each athlete must possess their Hunter and Safety Education Certificate offered by the state DNR. School Letters are awarded at season's end to those who meet the criteria offered by the team. This sport offers both young men and women an opportunity to compete side by side, and possibly discover hidden talents they didn't know they had. The shooting sports require good hand and eye coordination, and the maturity to stay focused on safety. We take beginners every year; we provide training to athletes in both the safety and skill of the game. The team does have a limited supply of club guns for use if an athlete does not have one available to use. We do our very best to introduce the shotgun shooting sports to a generation of young people that may have had limited exposure thus far. We focus on safety, fun, and skill development.

Spring season is very competitive with many more teams participating. CDH will again compete in Trap and Skeet. In June the team will attend the State Championships for Trap and Skeet held in Alexandria and Prior Lake respectively. Find out more at the Clay Target Team webpage.

Debate Club

By Ms. Emily Denzen, Moderator

Join Debate Club! Want to work on your research and speech skills while debating fun topics? Come to Debate Club on Thursdays during Flex 1 in the Design Lab to learn more about this club. Contact the following for more information: Students Lydia Rosso and Mary Jensen, or Ms. Denzen  

Empty Bowls

By Peter Gleich, Moderator

Empty Bowls was held on Wednesday, February 7 and was a big success. Read all about it on the News Hub story.

History Day

By Jenn Androsky, Moderator

Students in College Prep United States History completed their CDH History Projects before Christmas Break. The following projects were selected by the History Day Team to compete in the Metro Senior Competition on Monday, March 4, at the University of Minnesota West Bank Campus.

History Day 2024 Advancing to Regionals (Students are placed in order randomly)

Individual Exhibit

1. Claire Adrian ’26 - The California Gold Rush

2. Alex Herz ’26 - The Invention of the Microprocessor

3. Joey Hoover ’26 - The Pink Triangle

4. Annie McMahon ’26 - Nellie Bly - changing the treatment of mental health, women’s rights, and journalism

5. Mackenzie Thomas ’26 - Coco Chanel

Group Exhibit

1. Kendall Klecatsky ’26 and Cailin Gannon ’26 - The Boston Massacre

2. Sofie Goodlund ’26 and Taylor Williams ’26 - The Polio Vaccine (1955)

3. Keishion Jarmon ’26 and Gaby Hoban ’26 - Allen Iverson's cultural impact on the NBA

4. Nhu Huynh ’26 and Anh Pham ’26 - The Battle of Dien Bien Phu

Individual Website

1. Zichong Chen ’26 - Neon Genesis Evangelion

2. Carl Steinhoff ’26  - Minneapolis Flour Milling Boom

3. Jill Wohlever ’26 - The mill girls of Lowell 

Group Website

1. Emily Boss ’26 and Grace Nickel ’26 - Dorthea Lang

2. Jackson Drieman ’26, Louis Reinartz ’26 and Griffin Becker ’26 - The FDA

3. Sage Gilbert ’26 and Olivia Laughlin ’26 - The Growth of Women’s Basketball 

Individual Documentary

1. Bauer Houge ’25 - Negro Leagues

2. Holly Johnson ’26 - WAVES in World War Two 

3. Uriel Richmond ’26 - World War II

Research Paper

1. Alice Su ’26 - Labor Day and May Day

Science Olympiad

By Jessie Botello, Moderator

The Science Olympiad was at regionals the weekend of February 3 at Mounds View High School.  CDH placed 9th overall. We had one student, Fazil Kidane ’25, get 2nd place in Optics.  We also had a team place 5th in Microbes (Annika Clift ’25 and Garrett Poynter ’25), 7th in Ecology (Madison Botello ’25 and Fazil Kidane ’25), and  8th in Anatomy (Scarlette Nagel ’25 and Madison Botello ’25).

 

Student Council

By Ellen Schafer, Moderator

The Student Council has been busy planning several events for all students to feel welcome and included. For the first time, the Student Council planned Lunar New Year activities during Lunch/Flex for students to celebrate the Lunar New Year throughout the week of February 5-9, 2024. See the Instagram Post on the Lunar New Year at CDH.

The Student Council planned the annual Chill Out Week, which is being held this week February 12-16, 2024. Students are out of uniform all week and dress up according to the theme and enjoy fun activities during their lunch/flex. Winter often brings long, dark, and cold days. Chill Out Week helps the winter days go by faster and is something our students look forward to each winter.

Theater

By Penelope Parsons-Lord, Theater Director 

Upcoming performance dates are:

Sunday, February 18, 2:30 pm

Friday, February 23, 7 pm 

Saturday, February 24, 7 pm 

Buy your tickets online, or purchase them prior to the show.

Spring Musical Auditions 

Auditions for Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical will be held after school on February 21 and 22  between 3 - 6 pm. Audition forms and crew sign up forms will be available soon. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results. We are so excited about this show, it has something for the whole family and we can't wait to get into the swing of rehearsals. 

 JROTC

By SGM David Berrisford '91, MSG Ken Peloski, COL Joe Scrocca, and SFC Brittany Thingvold

On February 3, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raider Brigade hosted the 33rd Annual Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge (UMJC). Nearly 350 Army, Air Force and Marine Corps cadets from 12 local and regional JROTC programs attended the competition and approximately 30 of our own cadets competed in the competition, while more than 100 more cadets ran the competition and its various events.  Make no mistake about it - this was a cadet/student run event with the instructors only maintaining oversight.   

The CDH Raider Brigade represented itself with distinction finishing third overall. The following teams and cadets took home honors: The Knowledge Bowl and Air Rifle Teams both placed first and Lillian Moore ’24 was the top shooter in the competition. The Archery placed second, the Fitness Team placed third, and the Regulation Drill team placed fifth. Approximately 250 cadets competed in the individual “knockout” drill competition with Kara Callahan ’27 placing second overall! 

In other JROTC co-curricular news, the CDH Raider Brigade Robotics Team competed in its first-ever VEX Over/Under tournament at St. Croix Lutheran Academy in St. Paul. More than 30 teams across Minnesota and Iowa competed in hopes of qualifying for various national events across the country. Although the Raider Brigade is not quite ready to compete nationally, the team did a great job, learned a lot, and had a blast at the competition.

The Archery Team competed in UMJC and its first-ever national archery tournament, the monthly St, Jude’s Children’s Hospital charity tournament finishing 24th out of 30 teams from around the country. Congratulations to sophomores Darby Peterson ‘26 and Isabella Wengelewski ’26 on being named the JROTC Archery Team co-captains for the 2024-2025 school year. 

The annual Raider Brigade Military Ball was held February 9 at TST Catering in St. Paul. We encouraged our cadets to attend this fun event. It gives the cadets an opportunity to dress up in a formal version of their uniform and their dates and young women in the program can wear a formal civilian suit or gown. Students arrived at 5 pm, have their pictures taken, eat a wonderful meal, and then dance the night away. All cadre attended as chaperones.

The JROTC Department will be collecting names of interested cadets for our final event of the school year – the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids from May 28 - June 1. In this CDH-led event,12 Raider Brigade cadets will join approximately 50 other Army JROTC cadets from other Army JROTC programs throughout the region to participate in a host of individual leadership and team-building activities to include: rock wall climbing, rappelling, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking, and orienteering. 

Choir

BY Delilah Schuster, Choir Director

In early February, the following eight singers represented CDH in the SEC Honor Choir in a beautiful concert featuring some of the best musicians from the 10 schools in our conference: Calla Massari '24, Clara McMahon '24, Luna McLeod '24, Izzy Macheel '24, Vincent Pham '24, Karlie Reynolds '24, Maggie Kane '25, and Sky McLeod '25.

During the SEC Music Festival, we spent the day listening to choir, band, and orchestra ensembles from the schools in our conference. It was a great opportunity to hear new repertoire and receive feedback from expert clinicians. They saved the best for last… the CDH Choir closed out the day with our performance, followed by a productive and inspiring feedback session from Dr. Ahmed Anzaldúa, our multi-talented clinician.

We also have several individual students participating in various honor choir opportunities this month! Up first, Mick Omosowon '25 will be traveling to Omaha, Nebraska this week to sing in the Regional Honor Choir for the Midwestern American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference. On February 17, Calla Massari '24 & Luna McLeod '24 will sing in the Minnesota All-State Choir at 10am at Orchestra Hall. Later that day, Kara Callahan '27 will sing in the Minnesota ACDA 9-10 Honor Choir at 6pm at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Each of these opportunities requires students to pass an audition and to dedicate lots of time to rehearsing challenging music, both on their own and in group rehearsals. We are so proud of these singers for their hard work and  dedication to growing as musicians through these extracurricular experiences. If you would like to attend either of the local honor concerts on 2/17, contact Ms. Schuster for more information.

Band

by Nick Zahler, Band Director

The Band is in its busiest time of year! On February 4, Elizabeth Barnett '24 (Flute), Bridget Bower' 26 (Euphonium), Cameron Kawalec '24 (Tuba), Mark Loeffler '25 (Trumpet), Michael Loeffler '24  (Tenor Saxophone), and Tim Zastrow '24 (Alto Saxophone) performed in the All Conference band. Matthew Tokheim '24 (Trumpet) and Rebecca Gutzmann '24 (Piccolo) performed with the All Conference orchestra. The band conductor was Dr. Kaitlin Bove from Diablo Valley College in CA, and the orchestra conductor was Dr. Peter Folliard from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD. All-Conference Band/Orchestra students played well and put on an amazing concert! On February 5, the CDH Band (and Choir) travelled to Forest Lake High School to play in the band clinic portion of the festival. We performed a selection from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (the Cha-Cha during which the two main characters fall in love), as well Gillingham's With Heart and Voice. 

Several band members played with the Nativity school band at CDH's annual Empty Bowls Event. The CDH Band returns to the Joe Mauer Field House this week to continue supporting our basketball teams. 

On Monday, February 26, at 7 pm, the Band and Choir will put on their Midwinter Concert at CDH. It is free and open to the public. Just a few days later, before Trimester 3 begins, the Band and Choir depart on their biennial tour to San Diego.