Heard in the Halls - January 2020

Empty Bowls 2020

Each year as we consider why we hold our annual Empty Bowls event, we repeat the somewhat cliché proverb, “Give a man (or woman) a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.” While the proverb may be overused for some, it is very much at the heart of what we believe Empty Bowls is all about! On Wednesday, February 5, students and staff will be hosting our 18th annual Empty Bowls to support the work of Heifer International. 

We extend our profound gratitude to all who have supported Empty Bowls, especially our soup, bread, ceramic bowl, silent auction donors, as well as those who provide direct financial support. All members of our CDH community are invited to join us in the Griep Family Gym on February 5 for lunch, which will be served from 11:30 am–1 pm and supper from 4:30 – 7 pm. 

If you have any questions regarding Empty Bowls, or are interested in supporting the event with a monetary donation, or soups, bread or auction items, please contact Peter Gleich at PGleich@c-dh.org.

LaSallian Youth ~ “Faith, Service, Community, and Justice”

Our now 35-year tradition of LaSallian Youth Children’s Christmas Party was once again celebrated this year, with CDH student and staff joining with the students, staff, and parents of Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in West St. Paul. The blessings of Jesus' birth, and the joy and hope that comes with the knowledge that God is with us, along with a visit from Santa were all part of our celebration. Santa and elves greeted over 60 COS preschool and kindergarteners who were each given a special gift. Presents that included Legos, Barbies, Play-Doh, Trucks & Cars, Frozen and Barbie Dolls, and Craft Kits were all opened with anticipation and excitement.

A special thanks to the CDH students and staff who helped make our annual party possible:

Sock Drive

Our CDH LaSallian Youth are once again organizing the collection of socks for two Sisters of St. Joseph ministries, Peace House and Learning in Style. New or gently used children and adult socks are being collected through our Feb. 3–7 Justice Week. In honor of the 300th anniversary of the death of St. John Baptist De LaSalle, our goal is to collect 300 pairs of socks! Donated socks can be dropped off in the collection barrels in the Link or Campus Ministry.

Chicago 2020

Plans are being finalized for our Midwest LaSallian Youth gathering in Chicago in June. All students are invited to consider being part of this gathering of LaSallian youth from Chicago, Memphis, St. Louis, Tulsa, Cincinnati, and the Twin Cities. This week will have a strong focus on Service and Justice work in and around downtown Chicago.

If you have any questions regarding LaSallian Youth, are interested in making a donation of socks, or need more information about Chicago 2020, please contact Peter Gleich at PGleich@c-dh.org or Joe Miley at JMiley@c-dh.org.

 

Now that we are back, we are gearing up for our participation in the Suburban East Conference Music Festival (the SEC). This is an all-day event on Monday, February 3. Our band (along with the other 9 conference bands), will perform and receive a clinic with noted Composer, Brian Balmages. In the evening, a special Honor Band (including some of our students), will perform a Grand Finale Concert. Our Choir will be participating as well.

 

By Chris Hill, Theater Assistant

CDH Theater is on the express train to fine arts town! We closed "Miss Nelson is Missing" to rave reviews and swells of laughter. This year's children’s show was a wonderful way for families and friends to share quality time together during the beginning of the holiday season.

Up next is our black box show, "1984." The directing team, cast, and crew are in the beginning stages of the production. The theater is abuzz with meetings and creative brainstorming! Performances are February 7 – 9 and 14– 16. There is no better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than at the Lillian Theater.

The New York City trip is at the end of January. Students will travel to the big city to see great theater, meet with alumni, and see a glimpse into the life and career of theater artists. It’s going to be a great trip.

Exciting art! Exciting times! See you at the theater! 

 

Happy New Year from the CDH Choir! We are excited to be back and have already started on our SEC repertoire. Thank you so much to those of you who made it out to either the Christmas Dinners, the Christmas Concert, or both! I will be sending a January-May choir schedule home with students this week. This schedule will detail many of the exciting concerts and opportunities we have coming up this spring, including a choral festival in St. Michael, MN featuring 800 high school students who will have the chance to work with Voces8, one of the worlds' leading choral ensembles! Thank you for your support of fine arts at CDH, and I hope to see you soon.
 

By LTC Jamie Fischer, SGM David Berrisford, and MSG Ken Peloski

Our co-curriculars are engaged in many practices during the week to prepare for upcoming activities and to retain a level of sharpness for developing excellence. Our Color Guard and Armed and Unarmed Drill teams, and the Rifle Team will compete in the upcoming Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge (UMJC) that CDH will host on February 7, 2020.  

Our Color Guard has been performing at basketball games and wrestling matches and presenting the colors at other community events.

Flight Club went to the 133rd Air National Guard wing for a tour and flight just before Christmas. Orienteering will have events coming up towards the latter part of the trimester. Many cadets have been involved in the fall and early winter activities and we expect the same or higher level of involvement as we move towards the spring.

Air Rifle continues to be booming. There are more than 40 students involved this year and the new shooters this year are phenomenal. We will be participating in the UMJC Air Rifle Meet as well as another seven postal competitions through the remainder of the season.

The Honor Guard continues to serve at multiple events both within the CDH community as well as at alumni and external community events. The cadets that participate in the honor guard continually represent CDH and JROTC in an exemplary manner.

Our major upcoming events through the remainder of the second trimester are the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge we will be hosting on February 7, 2020. This will be our 30th consecutive time hosting this very popular regional competition. We anticipate as many as 16 separate schools will compete, bringing in approximately 400 cadets. States competing this year will be Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and North Dakota.  

Our other big event will be the Military Ball, which will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020. Our venue again will be TST/Ideal Hall in St. Paul. This is the most talked about and anticipated event of the year. We expect to reach our capacity this year of 300 people attending.

Seniors should be finishing Senior ROTC applications and Academy nominations. Juniors who are considering military service should be doing their research on which branch, what school, and which major.  As always, we are available to answer questions. Come see LTC Fischer at conferences.