Heard in the Halls - December 2017
December 13, 2017
Welcome to Heard in the Halls!
We encourage you to read all the current blogs, or click below to quickly go to a section.
ATHLETICS | BAND | COUNSELING | JROTC | STUDIO ARTS | THEATER
Athletics
Boys Basketball
by Tony Yazbeck, Assistant Coach
The CDH Boys Basketball Team is the only high school team in Minnesota nationally ranked by USA Today at #25. CDH has started the season with a 2-0 record defeating St. Paul Central 81-74 and then defeating #3 ranked Hopkins 86-73. Senior forward Sy Chatman scored a career-high 33 points against Hopkins and is leading the metro area in points scored. The Raiders play a tough December schedule with games against state-ranked teams: Edina, Orono, East Ridge, St. Thomas Academy, St. Cloud Tech, and Apple Valley.
The St. Thomas Academy game will be at STA on December 23 with tip-off at 7:00 p.m. This will be the inaugural Archbishop John Ireland Golden Basketball trophy game with the winner maintaining possession of the trophy for one year.
The Apple Valley game will be played at St. Cloud State University in front of an anticipated crowd of 8,000 people on December 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
by Joe Lynch, Head Coach
Girls Basketball is off to a great start. After playing in the Turkey Tip-Off Tournament, where they went 1-1 and played against one of the best players in the country, the team played at the prestigious Breakdown Tournament in Hopkins against Minneapolis South. CDH prevailed 81-62, with many players scoring and helping out in the win, led by junior forward Frannie Hottinger. She led all scorers in the game with 31 points.
On December 5, the team played its first home game of the season against Hill Murray. A great team effort in the defensive end led to a decisive 60-24 victory.
Team captains are seniors Chan'el Anderson-Manning, Justyna Butler, Elizabeth Edinger, Autam Mendez, and Haley Moore. Besides junior Frannie Hottinger, those contributing every game are juniors Allie Reding and Paige Goaley, sophomore Sydney Jackson and senior Alanna Carlson.
The team was proud to host a Toys 4 Tots Night with free admission on December 12 to all adults who donate a toy for a child in need this holiday season.
Dance Competition
by Ashley Sampson, Head Coach
Boys Hockey
by Jim O'Neill'74, Co-Head Coach
The 2017-18 Boys Hockey team is off to a 2-0 start with victories over Woodbury and perennial power Eden Prairie. The Raiders have a good nucleus of veteran players returning from last year's team that won 19 games. Five of the top six goal scorers return this season.
Leading goal scorer sophomore Matthew Gleason and assist leader senior Joey Gimberlin will lead a potent Raider offense. Both were All SEC last year along with junior defenseman Danny Magnuson. The Raiders did graduate All-Metro goalie Michael Magnuson'17 so junior George Maguire and senior Tom Cavanagh will look to take charge in the nets.
The team has a challenging schedule including the Schwan Cup tournament over Christmas break.
Boys Swim & Dive
by Mike Steineman'92, Head Coach
Please check the team website for more information and follow us on Twitter!
Girls Tennis
by Tim Spika, Head Coach
The 2017 girls’ tennis season was filled with excitement, close matches and great competition. Eleven seniors and two juniors provided both tennis experience and personal maturity, which helped to create a great team spirit and a positive feeling at both practices and matches.
The team improved its standing from last season in both section and conference play. Junior Maria Bedford was awarded All-Conference for her stellar play this season. Seniors Anna Klein, Jordan Sundt, Madeline Marzolf, CJ Robinson, and junior Kaitlin Wilhoit earned Honorable Mention All-Conference.
While the girls played well on the court their performance in the classroom was even better. Six seniors earned Academic All-State awards from the Tennis Coaches’ Association. Those honored were Adriana Houge, Anna Klein, Claire McMahon, Grace Altier, Jordan Sundt, and Madeline Marzolf.
All the players mentioned above, along with seniors Paige Ernst, Aliah Lopez, Celie Bachman, and Julia Schneider, helped the team earn the top team academic award as well. We wish all eleven seniors the best of luck in college and beyond and look forward to the 2018 season with those returning players.
Volleyball
by Ellen Schafer'10, Head Coach
CDH Volleyball finished the season with a 12-17 record earning big wins against Concordia Academy, Burnsville and Minneapolis Southwest. We lost to East Ridge in the Section quarterfinals after a hard-fought battle.
Earning All-Conference with a 3-year career record of 1,547 assists is senior setter, Grace Anetipa. Anetipa is now ranked 2nd at CDH for most assists in her varsity volleyball career. Senior outside hitter, Emma Anetipa, sophomore middle blocker, Emma Honsa, and sophomore libero, Mia Scanlan also earned All-Conference Honorable Mentions.
Along with these all-conference awards, CDH also earned a spot on the Gold Academic All-State Team with a collective team GPA of 3.75 or higher. We also have 5 seniors that earned a spot on the Academic All-State team for having a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher over their 4 years at CDH. Congratulations to seniors, Elise Hitchcock, Calista Wieber, Abby Aanonsen, Allie Hire, and with a perfect 4.0, Livia Gans!
"I am very proud of these girls achieving high success on the court and in the classroom. We have one of the strongest conferences in the AAA class and for our players to be able to perform at such a high level every night and then get work done in the classroom the next day shows a testament of how CDH instills their values in all of their students," said Schafer. "CDH truly builds strong students today to empower the world tomorrow."
Captains for this season were senior setter, Grace Anetipa and senior outside hitter, Calista Wieber. CDH Volleyball is graduating 10 seniors this year and will have four returning players next fall. Our players work hard in the offseason by training in the weight room and playing club volleyball throughout the state and nation.
Wrestling
by Daniel Willaert, Head Coach
The Raiders Wrestling season has started with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Twenty experienced wrestlers returned for another campaign, and nineteen (and counting) new wrestlers have joined the ranks to fill the practice room to capacity. Raiders now post completely full JV lineups for the first time in over a decade! Also, the alternative uniforms have been a big hit.
Senior Javen Guzik-McNeil (132 pounds) and junior Danny Vrtis (113 pounds) are both undefeated in conference matches so far, at 3-0. A handful of other wrestlers have one or two conference victories already in the books.
Over 30 alumni, parents, and coaches met at Shamrock’s for the annual social following the home opener against Woodbury on December 1. It was a fun event filled with stories and laughter.
The Raiders have several home matches remaining on the schedule.
- Thursday, December 21– CDH will host section opponents Henry Sibley and St. Paul Central for a triangular.
- Thursday, January 18– the Raiders will take on the Park Wolfpack, followed by a NCAA Division III dual meet between St. John’s University and St. Olaf College
- Saturday, February 3 – we will host the 3rd Annual Sgt. Michael Carlson Memorial Duals.
- Friday, February 16 – we will host the Section 3AAA Team Championships.
We are still in need of more volunteers to help run the two tournaments in February. If you are interested in helping out and getting a front row seat for all the action, please contact Coach Willaert.
Band
by Donna Novey, Band Director
First trimester came to a wonderful conclusion with the Fall Band Concert on November 13. Music selections included a circus march, a Broadway tune, a Spanish dance, music from the Wizard of Oz and a patriotic selection in honor of Veterans Day.
The String Ensemble and Jazz Band held a concert in the band room on December 7, which was transformed into a coffee house style setting, complete with decorations, hot cider, and cookies. It was a fun and varied program in an intimate setting with an appreciative and supportive audience of family and friends.
The second trimester started with five pep band performances before Christmas break, and four more are scheduled after Christmas. Additional events will depend on post-season opportunities for the basketball and hockey teams (both girls and boys). The band will also perform for the third Admissions Open House on January 16.
Our World’s Finest Chocolate sale is winding down. We are gearing up for the band trip to Orlando at the end of the trimester.
Looking ahead into 2018, the band and choir will participate in the Suburban East Conference (SEC) Music Festival. There are two components to the festival: the day program with all of the top bands, choirs and orchestras from each school performing during the course of the day and the Grand Finale Concert which consists of the Honor Band, Choir and Orchestra made up of the top musicians from each school. The festival is usually held on the first Monday in February but due to the Super Bowl, will be held on January 29. The festival rotates around the conference and will be in Stillwater this year. Seven CDH band members are in the Honor Band and two are in the Honor Orchestra.
Band Member Spotlight: 10th Grade Band Members
The sophomore band members form a small but active contingent of the band program. They are no longer in their first year and are learning and listening as they move up in the musical ranks. The class of 2020 includes a transfer student as well as an exchange student, Daniel Wu, from China, who plays in the percussion section.
Counseling
by Joan O'Connell and Leslie Connelly, College Counselors
All junior students will attend “Jumpstart Your Future on Thursday, December 18. Jumpstart Your Future is a day-long series of workshops and speakers to help students get ready for the college search process and to begin formulating post-high school plans. This required school day will give students the chance to hear from college admissions professionals on a wide variety of topics.
A corresponding program for parents/guardians of junior students will be held on Wednesday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. While parents/guardians who have been through this before are welcome to attend, this evening is designed for those who are beginning the college search process for the first time. Watch for more information and invitations via email. Post-high school planning meetings with junior families will begin in January. Information and scheduling instructions will be emailed to you after the first of the year.
JROTC
by LTC Jamie Fischer, SGM David Berrisford, and MSG Ken Peloski
As always, we are busy in JROTC over the winter months. Our new Diamond Officers have been active in leading the Brigade. Weekly labs have focused on Cadet Challenge, our annual physical fitness evaluation. Every Cadet has participated in Cadet Challenge to their full ability. We have conducted the Squad Drill Competition. The Squad Competition gives our sophomores the chance to really start plying their leadership skills on a small scale. All elements of the brigade did a great job and the squads that were selected as best, were great.
Diamond officers have begun project selection for improving the corps of cadets; each officer volunteers to lead a more complex activity that either improves the Brigade or completes a key task for our program.
Our Color Guard has been busy. We are doing both girls and boys varsity basketball games, wrestling matches, and are preparing a nine-person color guard for the UMJC competition in February.
The Flight Club has a tour scheduled at the Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie. Later this winter, a jet fighter pilot as well as a helicopter pilot will be coming to CDH to make presentations.
Congratulations to Cadet Major Bryce Vevey'18 for being selected from our Corps of Cadet to represent CDH in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Essay Contest.
We held our annual Dining-In event in the CDH Commons on December 8. 75 cadets attended as well as our two faculty guests, Mr. Dan Rosen and Ms. Montserrat LaVelle. It was a wonderful evening of good food and great fun.
Our JROTC students all participate in a service project through Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement in a Day will take place on December 15. We will travel to three schools and our cadets will present the Kindergarten through 5th-grade curriculum to the students. Our students grow from this service project and always do a great job. This service project will accumulate approximately 1,500 service hours for our community.
The rifle team has continued its strong performance in multiple air rifle meets and will be competing against teams during the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge in early February as well as additional meets throughout February, March, and April.
As a school, we are also very proud to say that for the third year in a row our JROTC Air Rifle Team has qualified for the JROTC Air Rifle Regional Championships that will be held in Port Clinton, OH from February 14-17.
We have conducted our Best Squad competition and here are the winners!
1st Battalion - Will Domler'20, Ethan Sigler'20, and Max Guyott'21
2nd Battalion - Isaac Anderson'20, Andrew Domler'20, Sam Andrzejek'21, Lazaro Carrera-Perez'21, and Christian Pornschloegl'21
3rd Battalion- Simon Baumberger'20, Sam Vinck'21, and Zach Steigauf'21
Congratulations to seniors Drew Kampmeier, Charlie Dennis, Patrick Hahn, Dan Guild, Jackie Carroll, Connor McKay, Anastasia Ingstad, Max Steigauf, Gia Postiglione, and Sam Luhman on their promotion to Captain.
Select members of the Unarmed Drill and Precision Drill teams, along with the Color Guard will compete in Council Bluffs, IA at a JROTC Multi-Service Drill meet the last weekend in January.
Finally, our Honor Guard, as always, continues to support CDH at alumni funerals, school events, and other ceremonies.
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? How about a JROTC T-shirt? Our stickers and pins make great stocking stuffers! Contact the Department to place your order or stop by the Raider Rack.
Studio Arts
Drawing and Painting
by Sue Cranston, Studio Arts Teacher
Michael Caron, Katie Mattocks, and Nicholas McDonnell are seniors who are taking an Independent Study Art Class. One of their latest projects was to contribute to "The Memory Project" by creating portraits of young children from Syria. You can view more information about the fantastic project here.
Drawing II students recently completed charcoal self-portraits and created complex drawings of a "Tiny Universe Inside a Glass Container." Painting I students are working on paintings using only a monochromatic color palette.
Student artwork is displayed throughout the hallways, so take a look next time you are on campus!
Theater
by Katie Kretizer, Theater Director
Merry Christmas from the Theater Department!
The Children’s Show, Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells Batman Smells is in the final stages of rehearsal for their big performances. The 25 member cast composed of new CDH actors and the thirty-seven member crew is working hard to put Barbara Parks #1 New York Times best-selling chapter book series to life on the Lillian Stage.
Directed by CDH alum, Christopher Hill’01, the show is a creative romp through our childhood memories of being a first grader at Christmas time. The outspoken Junie B. Jones, played by senior Teagan Fee, is having a hard time holding her tongue with all the enthusiasm of the season. Junie B. is particularly frustrated with her fellow “know it all” classmate, May, played by ninth grader, Maddy Kestner. Junie B. learns a life lesson when she realizes that what May really needs for Christmas is a friend.
Hill, his team of designers, and the CDH crew heads have created a unique set that reflects the creativity of childhood. The set was made to look like a giant fort made from refrigerator boxes. I think most of us remember, when we were little, the box was just as much fun as the present! Another unique element of the show is Junie B’s giant elephant friend. The elephant is created with five actors and will be in the lobby for children to interact with after the show.
Live theater is one of the best presents you can give a child at Christmas. Experiencing live theater is a memorable gift that will last a lifetime. I still remember the plays my great aunt took me to when I was young and her generosity of giving unique gifts like Theater, changed my life. Our hope is that CDH Theater was able to bring the gift of theater to a lot of children this Christmas.
Next up, is the CDH Winter Black Box Show, The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Nighttime. The show auditions will be December 19 and 20 held in the Black Box Theater. Although never stated in the book by Mark Haddon or the play, the main character, Christopher, has trademarks of Autism. However, the play is much more than autism. It’s about the gift of being different and seeing the world in a different way. The intimate Black Box Setting will be a lovely intimate setting for this heartfelt show.
Happy New Year CDH!