Heard in the Halls - October 2021

October 13, 2021

We encourage you to read all the current blogs, or click below to quickly go to a section.


ATHLETICS | COUNSELING | CHOIR | THEATER | JROTC 

Athletics

Boys and Girls Cross Country

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

As the Cross Country Team nears the end of its regular season and prepares for conference and section meets, the runners take a moment to reflect on what they have accomplished so far. With a team makeup that is heavily weighted in the younger grades, we have seen growth in confidence and competence as the runners take on more mileage in training throughout the season. Team leaders such as Andy Chestovich '22, Izzy Lauer '22, Jack Mountain '22, Adam Sewich '22, and Anna Zastrow '22 have been instrumental in promoting this growth in their younger teammates. Their excellent leadership will be a tough act to follow next year.

The JV team's last race will be at Tanners Brook Golf Course on Tuesday, October19 when JV and Varsity will be competing in the Suburban East Championships. The Varsity will have at least one more race at the section 4AAA meet which will be held at the Highland 9 Hole Golf Course Wednesday, October 27. The top two teams and 6 individuals not on those teams at the Section Meet will advance to the State meet on November 6.

Boys Soccer

By Carter Albrecht, Head Coach

After a difficult non-conference schedule beginning the year, the Boys Soccer Team has continued to grow and now holds a 3-3-1 conference record in the Suburban East. Wins against Forest Lake (8-0 away), Roseville (3-0 at home), and Irondale (4-3 away) have shown the potential of the group and the benefits of hard work. The team ends its conference schedule with matches against White Bear Lake (home) and Stillwater (away). Heading into Sections, the team will look to continue to build and to be playing their best soccer of the year.

Girls Tennis

By Tim Spika, Head Coach

The team portion of the tennis season ended on Thursday, October 7 with a section quarterfinal loss to South St. Paul by a score of 5-2. The Raiders competed well and had some chances to pull out the match, but in the end, South St. Paul was just a little better. The Raiders were consistent all year long and every match was well-contested and close, winning some and losing some, but always competitive. A week before that final match, CDH celebrated the five varsity seniors from the 2021 team on Senior Day: Anna Holm ’22, Audrey Graham ’22, Maria Lewis ’22, Megan Delsing ’22 and Ryan Courtney ’22. The team defeated Forest Lake 4-3 that day and concluded the evening with a nice celebration in the Commons, complete with flowers and gift bags. 

Our attention now shifts to the individual portion of the Section Tournament.  Each of the 16 teams in the section enter two singles players and two doubles teams. The teams playing doubles are  Holm/Graham and Delsing/Courtney. Singles participants are Morgan Redden ’23 and Lily Cade ’23. Delsin and Cade each have had remarkably consistent and successful years. Both players should be seeded in the top 8 in the Section Tournament, and both have a great chance to advance deep into the tournament. For all six entrants, it’s a great honor to represent CDH in the tournament and the first day of the tournament, October 18, is truly one of the more exciting days of the season.  Congratulations to the team on a good season, and best of luck to Anna, Audrey, Megan, Ryan, Morgan and Lily in the individual tournament. 

Dance Performance

By Alison Svedsen, Head Coach

The season is quickly coming to a close for the CDH Fall Performance Dance Team. It has been a whirlwind during this last half. The team attended the Spring Lake Park Dance Show for the first time ever, and even though the event was cut short by rain, it was a fantastic experience for the team to join 10-plus other schools in celebrating what they love doing: dance!

Homecoming was a huge success with multiple performances in one day, including Pep Fest and the game back at UST for the first time in almost two years. This week will close out the season with one final performance and a celebration of the team’s incredible seniors and their families. It has been quite the ride, and the majority of the team is gearing up for the kick-off to CDH Winter Dance.

Football

By Chuck Miesbauer '03, Head Coach

After a tough last-minute loss to Irondale on Homecoming, the Raider Football program will look to bounce back on Senior Night against Two Rivers (Formerly Henry Sibley) High School. The game is scheduled for Thursday, October 14 with kickoff at 7:30 pm at Seafoam Stadium on the campus of Concordia University on St. Paul.

Recognition of our 20 seniors will begin at 7:10 pm. We are grateful for all the hard work these young men have put in both on and off the field and look forward to honoring them this Thursday night. The regular-season finale will be a road game at Hastings High School next Wednesday, October 20 with kickoff taking place at 7 pm. GO RAIDERS!

Counseling

By Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

College Financial Aid 

An informative video presented by Cheryl Dooley, a financial aid officer at Hamline University, is available now. Cheryl is an excellent presenter and her presentation helps to make a complicated process more understandable. We highly suggest you view this video before you tackle applying for college financial aid.

The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is available for families to file for college financial aid beginning October 1 for the 2022-2023 school year. Tax information from 2020 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. To file use this link: FAFSA

College Application Deadlines 

The November 1 priority deadlines for admissions and scholarships are coming up fast. Seniors must pay careful attention to deadlines and be sure to have CDH Application Contracts to the counseling office at least two weeks prior to your earliest deadline. This contract is how you request to have your CDH transcript and other supporting materials sent to your schools. If you have a November 1 deadline, you needed to have your CDH Application Contract to the Counseling Office by Monday, October 11. Questions or need help? Contact the Counseling Office at 651-696-3312.  

Theater

By Chris Hill '01, Theater Director

The CDH Theater department has been hard at work on this year’s fall show, The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood. The play runs October 15–17 and it will be performed outdoors on our CDH campus.

Students have had an opportunity to take on some of literature's most famous and infamous characters. The show is a quick-witted, fast-paced comedic retelling of the trials and tribulations of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men as they take on the evil Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham all while trying to win the love of Maid Marian. These Raider Thespians have given their talents to help the audience find joy Sherwood-Forest style.

Acting 1 students have also been making each other laugh as they have begun learning improvisational comedy games and scenes. Favorites include Ghost Toes, Celebrity Party, Park Bench, and Four Square. These improv comedy games teach students the need for flexibility and foster a problem-solving mentality that helps both on and off the stage. Students are beginning to work on their children’s theater group scenes. Students are building physical characters based on bugs and toys and while collaborating with classmates on direction and staging of their work.

Acting 2 students have been digging into advanced-level character creation and scene work. Working with the play Proof by David Auburn, the class presented excellent scenes steeped in realism, deep relationships, and actor connection all while using acting techniques from Uta Haugen and Sandford Misner. We have also begun work on monologues that can be used for college as well as professional theater auditions. Students will be writing their acting resumes in order to present their work in a mock audition that prepares students for the next level of theater arts education. 

Up next are the auditions for the Children’s Show, The Velveteen Rabbit. Auditions will be held November 3 and 4 at 3 pm in The Lillian Theater. The Velveteen Rabbit is scheduled for December 10, 11, and 12. Join us for the show and bring friends and family who are young at heart with you.  It is a wonderful way for the CDH community to celebrate the season and share the gift of live theater with those we love. 

Choir

JROTC

Since our last article a great deal has happened…..

On September 29, we conducted our Annual Fall Review. The review is designed to formally welcome the ninth-grade class into the Corps of Cadets and recognize a select few that have displayed emerging skill in leadership. Our corps was blessed with a beautiful fall day as they marched on Wingerd Field in fine fashion. This event was the first formal event for our Corps of Cadets to celebrate the 103rd year of JROTC at CDH.

Former Senior Army Instructor, LTC (Ret.) Jamie Fischer, PhD, addressed the cadets about leadership challenges and the positive impact JROTC students have on the community.  In addition, the Brother Alphonsus Martel Leadership Scholarship and the Outstanding Drill Cadet Awards were announced. These students are:

Brother Alphonsus Martel Leadership Scholarship

Cadet PVT Scarlette Nagel
Cadet PVT Kellan Shetka
Cadet PVT Hannah Yaeger

Outstanding Drill Cadet Awards

Cadet PVT Keyon Archer
Cadet PVT Andrew Ek
Cadet PVT Grace McSherry
Cadet PVT Dryden Thompson-Woodland

In light of the COVID-19 situation, we postponed our annual Camp Ripley Encampment.  We want to get the cadets up to Camp Ripley, so we are going to look at either a late winter or early spring trip there.

The Color Guard has been busy supporting varsity sports and community events. Our Color Guard carried the colors during the Fall Review.

The Air Rifle team started its training and season on October 11. We have quite a few returning members, but invite all interested to come out and enjoy this fun and safe sport.

Both our Armed and Unarmed Precision Drill Teams have started practice. We will continually prepare for our formal inspection in late January and practice multiple routines for upcoming competitions.

Our Honor Guard continues to support the community through attendance at wakes/funerals as well as a recent bridge dedication for Mr. Joseph Marthaler '42. Marthaler made the ultimate sacrifice as a U.S. Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima, during the Battle of the Pacific.

Our seniors have begun to lead the Brigade. 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. 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 October 29.

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. Most have passed their drill exam and have earned promotion to Cadet Staff Sergeant.   

Sophomores and freshmen are finishing up on their drill and ceremonies training. Soon we'll be focusing on health topics and U.S. national symbols. Sophomores have assumed squad leader positions and the freshmen are learning about the leadership positions.

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.