Heard in the Halls - October 2018

October 10, 2018

We encourage you to read all the current blogs, or click below to quickly go to a section.
ATHLETICS | BAND | COUNSELING | JROTC | THEATER

Athletics

Winter Season Parent & Student-Athlete Meeting

Monday, October 15
6:30 p.m.
Field House
Any students interested in participating in these winter teams should attend: boys and girls alpine ski, boys and girls basketball, competition dance, gymnastics, boys and girls hockey, boys swimming & diving, and wrestling. *Winter season registration will be open soon.

Boys & Girls Cross Country

by Chris Babcock, Head Coach

With the regular season behind them and the championship portion of the season ahead, the Raider runners have one last week of training to go before heading into the conference meet on October 16, at Tanners Brook Golf Course in Forest Lake. 

The girls' team has made some great progress this season and are on pace to improve from last year. Flannery McGreevy '21 leads the team and has been consistently finishing in the top tier of her races. Ana Morton '20 and Monica Calkins '20 have been running well this year as well and continue to show improvement. The team is made up of student-athletes who are mostly new to cross country and running competitively. They have shown great work ethic and grit as they have learned how to overcome the challenges of the sport, as well as pushing themselves mentally and physically. 

The boys' team is led by Eli Brotman '20, who has improved from last year and raced to a 12th place finish at the Thundering Elk Invitational last week. With his teammates running behind him, they have been moving up in the ranks as a team as well. Captain Seamus Foley '19 has been running in the third position as he has been showing standout Andy Chestovich '22 the ropes of competing at the high school level. Chestovich has been consistently running in the number two spot and racing quite well. The conference and section meets should prove a good challenge to all the athletes on the team as they strive once more to meet the goals they have set for themselves this season.

Girls Swim and Dive

Join the team for their Senior Night meet on Thursday, October 11, 6 p.m. at St. Kate's vs. the Royals of Woodbury.

Football

The team currently has a record of 3-3. They won their Homecoming game and helped raise more than $1,500 for Tackle Cancer with a bake sale and donations during at the October 5 game.

Girls Soccer

The team finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. They are the #2 seed for the 6AA section, and host St. Louis Park on Thursday, October 11, 7 p.m. at Wingerd Field to begin section play.

Congratulations to Paige Peltier ’20, who was the winner of the MN Soccer Hub Top Performer of the week, September 24-29! “Paige is a Notre Dame commit, and one of the leading scorers in the state. She picked up an assist in a 1-0 win over Roseville on September 24, then scored three goals and tallied an assist in a 5-1 win over Forest Lake the next day.”

Boys Soccer

The team made it to the section tournament but lost in the first round to a higher seed. Congratulations to the following students who were named to the Coaches All-Section Academic Team for Section 3AA: Vince Berndt '19, Jack McGrath '19, and Peter Countryman '20. The award is presented to the top players from each school in the section with the highest cumulative GPA.

Volleyball

Congratulations to Montse Caride ’21—she was named to the 2018 AVCA Phenom List! Student-athletes named to the Phenom List have been identified by the AVCA as an elite student-athlete who has received some form of recognition for their outstanding play.

Girls Tennis

by Tim Spika, Head Coach

The girls’ tennis team concluded its season with a 4-3 loss to South St. Paul in the second round of the Section 3AA team tournament. The Raiders finished the season at 12-12. Highlights included a second place finish in both the Coon Rapids and Rochester John Marshall tournaments. Senior contributors include Maria Bedford, Kaitlin Wilhoit, Olivia Kinne, Olivia Crawford, and Nina Pitera. Six players now move on to individual sections on October 12, indoors at Lifetime Fitness in Lakeville. Maria Bedford and Kaitlin Wilhoit will play singles, with Bedford earning the #3 seed after a stellar senior season. They will be joined by two doubles teams: juniors Kyra Davis and Margaret Musolf, and junior Ava Monacelli with 9th grader Anna Holm.

The team earned the highest academic award from the Minnesota Coaches Association with a team GPA of 3.79. These young women obviously are athletes and scholars who enjoyed success both on and off the court. All involved are eager to see what the 2019 season will bring.

Wrestling

by Dan Willaert, Head Coach

The wrestling team had a very productive off-season! In June, we hosted a youth wrestling camp at CDH for students in grades K-8. Then, our student-athletes attended a team competition camp run by UW-LaCrosse in Wisconsin Dells. In addition, about a dozen student-athletes participated in a summer lifting program with former assistant coach Travis Rutt, who was most recently the strength and conditioning coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling team.
 


As we gear up for the coming season, the team captains (Danny Vrtis, Edmundo Villalva Lijo, Sam Nelson, Ted Hoover, and Isaac Enriquez) have been meeting weekly for a book-discussion group focusing on developing leadership.
 


We are excited to announce that we will be hosting seven home events this season!
 


• Friday, November 30 vs. Saint Thomas Academy – Alumni Night

• Saturday, December 1 vs. Medford, St. Agnes, BSM
• Thursday, December 6 vs. Forest Lake – Parent Appreciation
• Thursday, December 20 vs. East Ridge and Henry Sibley – Teacher Appreciation

• Thursday, January 10 vs. Stillwater – Senior Night & Youth Night

• Saturday, February 2-4 – Annual Sgt. Michael Carlson Memorial Duals

• Saturday, February 9 – Suburban East Conference JV Championships
 


We are starting a new competition for Alumni Night. It is a competition between decades (based on graduation year), to see which decade will have the highest participation. Each decade will have a team captain to be the point of contact to encourage teammates to attend.
 Look for more information on Alumni Night coming soon.

Fall Dance Performance Team

by Alison Svendsen, Co-Head Coach

The season is coming to a close in the next two weeks, but there have been a lot of great accomplishments made by the 2018 Fall Performance Dance Team. The team has learned and performed two dances thus far, and has their third routine being showcased for their annual Kids Clinic performance at the October 12 CDH home football game.

Homecoming was one of the biggest days for the team, with routines performed at Pepfest and the Homecoming Game. This year's team also performed at the South St. Paul Dance Show on September 22. The team took home the "Most Positive and Energetic" team award, making them the winner of this award for three consecutive years in South St. Paul. Team captain Sophia Tambornino ’20 was the winner of the kick contest that took place at the show. It has been an incredible season with a fantastic group of dancers!

Winter Competitive Dance Team

by Ali Pendergrass, Co-Head Coach
 
We invite you to join the Winter Competition Dance Team!
 
Tryouts are Monday, October 22 (3:30-6 p.m.), with final auditions on Tuesday, October 23.
 
If you have any questions, please email me at cdhdt@c-dh.org.

Band

by Donna Novey, Band Director

It’s been a busy fall season for the CDH Band. Up to this publication, the Band has already performed at five pep bands, the Cretin Alumni Banquet, the JROTC Fall Review, and Homecoming (Latin show). Senior drum major Will Dusek sang the National Anthem.

Jazz Band auditions have started and rehearsals begin on October 16.

The annual Band Cake Breakfast is Sunday, October 14, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This year’s tasty pancakes will include blueberries or chocolate chips! Hope to see you all there!

Next up, the Band will play at the Open House on October 24, and the JROTC Diamond Promotions, two days later, on October 26. The trimester finale will be the Fall Concert on Monday, November 12. The Band will also support the athletic teams for Section finals and State tournaments, as weather permits.

All-Conference music meetings were held on Wednesday, October 3, and the following members were named to the All-Conference Band: seniors Jack Chojnacki (alto sax), Alex Christensen (bari sax), Mary Grace Shearon (trumpet), and juniors Tommy Zastrow (trombone) and Ben Craighead (euphonium). These students will attend three rehearsals (November, January, and February) before the Grand Finale Concert on February 4, 2019.

Counseling

by Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

College Financial Aid      

The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, was available for families to file for college financial aid beginning October 1, for the 2019-20 school year. Prior tax year information from 2017 tax returns will be used for the income section of the FAFSA for both students and parents. Specific questions can be directed to any college financial aid officer.

College Application Deadlines Changes

Largely due to earlier filing for college financial aid, college application deadlines have moved up to earlier in the fall. Many schools now have November 1 priority deadlines for admissions and scholarships. Seniors must pay careful attention to their deadlines and be sure to have CDH Application Contracts to the counseling office at least two weeks prior to your earliest deadline. If you have a November 1 deadline, you must have your CDH Application Contract to the counseling office by Friday, October 12 to assure that your CDH materials can be sent by the November 1 deadline. Questions or need help? Contact the counseling office at 651-696-3312.

Campus Visits Over October Break

Students will not have school Thursday, October 18, and Friday, October 19, 2018. This long weekend is traditionally a time when regional colleges host high school juniors and seniors for on-campus visits. A college visit is easy to schedule online. Take advantage of this extended time to see schools that are a bit further away!

Counseling Podcasts

The CDH Counseling Podcast Series involves multiple podcasts that include topical discussions intended to connect the counseling personnel with our students and families. The latest podcast discusses standardized testing.

JROTC

by The JROTC Department – LTC Jamie Fischer, SGM David Berrisford, and MSG Ken Peloski

Since our last article, a great deal has happened…

We conducted our Annual Fall Review on September 26, 2018. The review is designed to formally welcome the ninth grade class into the corps of cadets and recognize a few who have displayed emerging leadership skills. Colonel Michael Stinnett, current Director of JROTC from Fort Knox, KY, addressed the cadets. Click here to see the list of award recipients and photos from the review.

Ninety cadets, along with the cadre and chaperones, traveled to Camp Ripley on September 28-30, 2018, for our annual encampment. We were a bit worried about the weather, but our luck held up. Even though we had a few snow flurries, we were able to conduct all of the fun events. Click here to read more about the trip and see photos.

Color Guard performed at the Fall Review, the Alumni Banquet, Homecoming, and will present flags at Diamond Promotions.

Our seniors have begun to lead the Brigade, with many planning and supervising activities at Camp Ripley. Those in key leadership positions have initiated the “Continuous Improvement Process” for the year. They are currently reviewing our mission, vision, and values to identify desired outcomes and set goals using the SMART model (SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACTION-ORIENTED, REALISTIC, TIME-DRIVEN/TIMELY). In October, those who are interested, and eligible, will compete for Diamond Officer. We will announce our permanent chain of command at the Diamond Officer Assembly on Friday, October 26.

The juniors are digging into basic leadership theory. By understanding the “Dimensions of Leadership,” they can be more deliberate and purposeful in how they lead. They have learned the meaning of the principles of leadership and are attempting to memorize them. They are doing well in their efforts to manage their platoons and companies for the first time. As soon as they pass their drill exam, they will earn a promotion to Cadet Staff Sergeant.  

Sophomores and 9th graders are completing their drill and ceremonies training. Soon, we will focus on health topics and U.S. national symbols. Sophomores have assumed squad leader positions, and the 9th grade students are learning about leadership positions.

Seniors should finish up their Senior ROTC applications and Academy nominations. Juniors who are considering military service should do their research on which branch, what school, and which major they plan to pursue. As always, we are available to answer questions. Come see LTC Fischer at conferences on October 16 or 17.

Follow us on Twitter @JrotcCdh

Theater

by Katie Kreitzer, Theater Director

Don't miss this weekend's Fall Play "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind." It is unlike any theater experience you have ever had - the show is a perfect fit for today's generation. Because of the fast-moving ideas, relevance of content, and refreshing combination of comedy and drama, it is sure to please theater goers. Click here for showtimes and to order tickets.