Heard in the Halls - March 2019

March 13, 2019

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 | COUNSELING | BAND  | CHOIR | JROTC

Athletics

Wrestling 

by Dan Willaert, Head Coach

The Raiders Wrestling team wrapped up the season at the Section 3AAA Championships in February. During the team tournament, CDH defeated St. Paul Central in the first round before losing to the #1 seeded team from Hastings. In the individual tournament, Carey Vanier, Jr. '21 placed 3rd - narrowly missing a trip to State. Danny Vrtis '19, Maxwell Fronda '20, Edmundo Villalva Lijo '19, Cage Linton '21, and Zane Jhocson '20 all placed 6th at their weight classes. Edmundo Villalva Lijo, Ted Hoover '19, and Isaac Enriquez '20 were named to the Section 3AAA Academic team. 

Girls Hockey 

by Brooke White-Lancette, Head Coach

The 2018-19 CDH Girls Hockey Program was best represented by hard work, determination, strength, and heart.

Our ninth graders brought youth, energy, and fun to our program. Our sophomore class pushed the envelope and gave 110%. The junior class showed confidence and leadership. Our senior class was the foundation that propelled our program into its final stages of the season.

The season began playing Blake, Breck, and Edina, the top-ranked teams in the state. As the saying goes, "You have to beat the best to be the best". This demonstrated the character and potential of our program, which became the stepping stone to our strong finish.

With a 13-13-1 record, this season was about much more than the wins and losses. The CDH Girls hockey team finished on a high note in Section play. The Raiders took on Benilde St. Margret's in the Quarterfinals, which proved to be their best and most exciting hockey of the season with a 4-3 Win over BSM.

Throughout the season, players built lasting friendships. As a coaching staff, we are proud of this year's progress and development. This will serve as a spring board leading into the season next year.

The 2019 CDH Girls Hockey Banquet was a celebration of our student-athletes, parents, and coaches for their dedication. Without our CDH community, Athletic Department, CDH faculty, and families, none of this would be possible. Thank you!

As a program, we had several outstanding accomplishments including:

All-Conference: Emily King '19, Bri Willier '19, Kaelie Smith '19
All-Conference Honorable Mention: Makayla Lenz '19, Ali Eiden '19, Cece Ziegler '20, Kiera Ryan '20, Alexis Rojas-Westall '19
Hobey Baker Award Winner: Ali Eiden '19
MSHSL Excel Award Winner: Stella Dolan '20

Boys Swim and Dive 

by Michael Steineman, Head Coach

Isaac Wahlstrom '19 finished in 3rd place at Sections and made the qualifying time in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 21.87. Wahlstrom, along with Tor Cox '19, Adam Ernster '19, and Travis Teeter '20 also qualified for State in the 200 Freestyle Relay (they were 2nd and also hit the qualifying time). Going into State they were both seeded 13th (the top 16 make it to finals). Relay alternates were Ryan Miler '19, Simon Baumberger '20, Alex Heer '20, and Johnny Gaertner '20.

The JV guys finished their season at the JV Conference Meet. There we had 14 out of 20 swims that were lifetime or season bests. Last weekend at Sections, we had 30/33 lifetime or season bests at prelims and 24 of those swims went back to finals. Ten of those swims were in the top 8. Overall we finished in 4th place and have been recognized as an Academic Silver Team for a GPA of 3.69!

Dance Team

by Emiley Sandvik, Assistant Coach

The CDH Winter Dance Team had a strong finish in their season receiving some of their highest scores in years! Although the winter season has concluded, our Spring session is quickly approaching. 

Spring Season Details

Tuesdays (3:30-4:30 pm) and Wednesdays (3:45-5:15 pm) from April 2 - May 15. 

All levels of dancers are welcome and attendance is not mandatory. Tuesdays will include ballet and conditioning, while Wednesdays will focus on Jazz and Kick Technique. 

2019-2020 Winter Tryouts 

Monday, May 20 - Wednesday, May 22 

Those who should try out include any student who is interested in participating in the Winter 2019-2020 Winter Dance season.

Summer Season Details 

Mondays - Thursdays in the evenings (Monday, June 10 - Thursday, July 25)

Includes all variations of dance. Practice is not mandatory. We also offer the option to attend Just For Kix Dance Camp in Rochester July 17-20.

Email Coach Ali with interest or questions on any of these upcoming opportunities! 

Counseling

by Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

Attention Juniors - College Counseling Meetings with junior students and parents are underway. If you have not scheduled your appointment with your CDH College Counselor, please do so via the link to SignUp Genius sent to you via email or contact Mrs. Reding in the Counseling Office for assistance.

The CDH Education Fair will be held Monday, April 8 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm for junior students and their families.  We will host over 100 colleges and universities that evening, which is a convenient way to make contact with admissions representatives and get your questions answered.  A list of attending colleges will be available prior to the event.  Students can register at www.gotocollegefairs.com to get a barcode the colleges can scan so you won’t have to spend time filling out contact cards with each college!

The registration deadline for the June 8 ACT test is May 3. Late registration (with additional fees) will be accepted until May 20, 2019. Register online at www.actstudent.org. 

Dates for the Minnesota Private College Week this summer are June 24-28, 2019. All of the private colleges in Minnesota welcome prospective students and their families to campus during this week, both in morning and afternoon sessions. Wisconsin hosts a similar event. The Wisconsin Private College Week will be held July 8-13, 2019. Call colleges or go online in advance to register for visits.

Attention Seniors: Colleges will be sending you important information on admission, financial aid, housing, registration, and orientation. Be sure to read and respond to your email! An enrollment deposit to the college of your choice is due by May 1.

A reminder to keep information on all your admissions decisions and financial aid awards. CDH will be sending out a Senior Survey in late April to collect this data.

Thank your teachers for your letters of recommendation. Remember that CDH teachers write hundreds of letters of recommendation for students as they apply to colleges and universities - over and above all the other responsibilities they have as classroom teachers and coaches. Please take a minute to thank them for this very important work that they do on your behalf.

Band

by Donna Novey, Band Director

On February 23, I finally put my concert outfit back in the closet, resigned to the fact that there would be no winter concert this year.  But we sure tried!

Things already weren’t looking good the weekend before when the roof in the Aux Gym started springing leaks. But, that wouldn’t stop us.  We just rearranged the band room and it actually looked quite nice for our concert, ready for family and friends.

Then, there was the weather. Like all classes, we lost quite a lot of rehearsal time in preparing for both the SEC Festival and the concert. But, we knew we could do it. There was only one song that was a little scary in terms of preparation but, even then, we knew we would rise to the occasion.  The last thing we talked about on Tuesday was that we needed to have school on Wednesday so we could do our concert. We had worked hard and were busting out, ready to perform, ready for our next game.

But, alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Wednesday morning it snowed and snowed and then snowed some more. It snowed faster and faster and at a rate even with one of our fastest songs! It just wouldn’t quit!  So, along with everything else that day, the concert was canceled, not even postponed. There were just no dates available where everyone could come.  In addition, with finals coming up the next week, that would not have been a good idea.

So, our next events will be Large Group Contest (Sections/State) in April and our final concert in May. But, I’m not going to publish those dates just yet. I don’t want to give Mother Nature any ideas.

Choir

There is a choir concert coming up on March 26 in the Auxiliary Gym at 7 pm. 

JROTC

by SGM David Berrisford

The Honor Guard continues to represent JROTC and CDH at many events. The dedicated students who give freely of their time are so appreciated by our CDH community.

Regulation Drill and Color Guard will be competing in a drill competition in Sioux Falls, SD at the end of March. They are earnest in their practice and they should do very well.

Our Armed Precision Drill Team continues to perfect its routine as they prepare to perform for the formal inspection team that will be at CDH on April 10, as well as for the Twilight Parade on May 15. This team is working on a new performance sequence for these events.

Our Military Ball was held on February 23 at Ideal Hall in St. Paul. In spite of the stormy weather, over 220 cadets and guests attended. The young women and men looked fantastic in their formal attire. After a great meal, danced the night away!

Orienteering season starts soon. Those interested should look for information on our bulletin board for upcoming events.

Our Flight Club took a tour of the Minnesota Army National Guard hangar in late February. Fifteen cadets made the trip to St. Paul's Holman Field and were able to learn about aircraft maintenance and explore the inner working of an aviation maintenance facility.

Our seniors are beginning to receive nominations from members of Congress for the academies and ROTC scholarships. Juniors should be taking time to review the steps and begin their application process. If someone is considering enlisting in the military, please have them consult with us so we can make sure they have ALL the information. We are always willing to answer any questions that students or parents have about military service.

We have begun emailing the weekly lab announcements out to parents as another way to keep you informed. If you have not been receiving the emails and would like to, please provide your email address to the JROTC Department.