Heard in the Halls - September 2018

September 12, 2018

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 | THEATER

Athletics

Boys Cross Country

by Chris Babcock, Head Coach
The boys’ cross country team has started off the season on the right foot. They had their first 5k race of the season at St. Croix Bluffs Park. They did well and that really let them know that their summer training paid off. The majority of the returning team, including team leader and co-captain Eli Brotman ’20, showed year-over-year improvement in this race, as well as racing more effectively in their earlier short distance races this season. The team has a race in Anoka this week and then will have a week of training before racing again.

Girls Cross Country

by Chris Babcock, Head Coach
This year the team is rebuilding. And they are doing it one step at a time. The girls have been working hard and gaining momentum fast. The two returning members of the team, Monica Calkins ’20 and Ana Morton ’20, have been doing a great job leading the new members of the team, including team front-runner Flannery McGreevy ’21, who placed third in the JV race at the Minnaert Invitational on September 6. The team will be toeing the line again at the Rum River Invitational at Anoka High School on September 13.

Girls Swim and Dive Team

by Shannon Van Oosterom, Head Coach
The team is currently 1-0 on the season with a 93-86 win over Forest Lake last week. The team competed in the Prior Lake Invite on Saturday, September 8, and took second as a team overall. Leading the Raiders to victory were Seniors Charlotte Conley, Allie Paterson, Abby Reeder, Juniors Chloe Schmidt, Eleanor Jablonic, Anneke van Oosterom, Lizzie Paterson, Carolyn Garcia-Creighton, Sophomore Greta Geheren, and 9th Graders Mary Harrington, Leah Hausmann, Sophia Heer, and Anabel Prichard.

The Raiders are looking forward to facing the Park Wolfpack at St. Kate's on Thursday, and participating in the Laker Invite at St. Kate's on Saturday.

Football

The team is off to a great 2-0 start.

Girls Soccer

The team is off to an impressive start of 4-2.

Boys Soccer

The team has started the season with a 0-3-2 record.

Volleyball

The girls have a 2-5 record so far this season.

Girls Tennis

The team is having a great season so far with a record of 6-5-0.

Band

by Donna Novey, Band Director
The fall band season started in early August with one week of percussion camp and one week of full band camp. During percussion camp, the group welcomed the incoming 9th graders and acclimated them to marching percussion. Hard work and great mentorship by the upperclass made the week a success with the group putting together the cadence, and learning the parade, and field show music. But, the most important event of percussion camp was the entire section, including several 2018 alums, going to visit sophomore Owen Loftus at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. It was time well spent to provide some support and encouragement to Owen.

The woodwinds and percussion joined the next week, again welcoming the new band members. This year there were new members in grades 9, 11, and 12. The band quickly got to work for a one-week crash course in marching band, some learning to march for the first time. The music had to be memorized for both the parade and the homecoming field show. The week culminated in a neighborhood parade in full uniform and a family potluck.

 
All of this was in preparation for the State Fair Parade on August 23, which was a great day for a parade. This year’s drum majors are senior Will Dusek and junior Tommy Zastrow. They did an excellent job of training and leading through camp and through the parade. The crowds were great and there were many CDH alums, families, and friends at the Fair. The other bands marching that day were Rosemount, Eden Prairie, Tartan, and Somerset, WI. But, the CDH Band was not daunted! The percussion section really did a fabulous job on the cadence and the music was strong and crisp! 


Next up for the band will be supporting the Cretin Alumni Banquet on September 20, the JROTC Fall Review on September 26, Homecoming on October 5 (a Latin show is in the works), and several pep bands.

The Fall Concert will be on Monday, November 12.

Band Member(s) Spotlight:

Drum majors for the Band this year are senior Will Dusek (French horn & trumpet) and junior Tommy Zastrow (trombone). Drum majors are responsible for assisting with musical and marching rehearsals/sectionals as well as running field rehearsals. In performance, they are in charge of leading the parades and directing the field show. The senior drum major determines when and how often to play, maintaining a good pace for the band and providing showmanship at the front of the band. The junior drum major relays communication to the rear block and assists with keeping the band members in line and in step. In field show rehearsals, Tommy has done an excellent job of running the rehearsals while Will assists with counting, timing, and positioning. Both are called upon during the year for conducting warm-ups, rehearsals and pep band and for assisting with musical decisions on behalf of the band.

Counseling

by Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

Where are they now? CDH Class of 2018

• 89% Attending Four Year Colleges & Universities
• 8% Attending Two Year Schools

Percentages of students in the Class of 2018 continuing on with their educations:

• 49% are attending 22 different post-secondary schools in MN
• 72% are attending post-secondary schools in the five-state area including Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota & Wisconsin
• 27% are attending post-secondary schools in 22 other states
• 57% are attending public institutions & 43% private institutions
• 28% are attending Catholic colleges & universities

The Class of 2018 completed 1,400 applications, with 81% resulting in offers of admission.

CDH College Application Boot Camp
Close to 100 seniors in the Class of 2019 worked hard at the CDH College Application Boot Camp this August, where they got a head start on college essays, applications, and résumés.

Fall College Visits
Fall is the prime time for college and university admissions representatives to make their annual visits to high schools. CDH expects to host more than 100 institutions of higher education this fall and many of our students take advantage of these opportunities to learn more about schools. A complete list of schools scheduled to visit CDH can be found on Naviance.  

JROTC

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

Success seems to breed success as again we are off to another absolutely great year in JROTC at CDH!! Our opening enrollment for school year 2018-19 is 236 students, and 84 are 9th graders!

We are entering our 101st year with JROTC being a part of the fabric of CDH. We will kick off the year with our Fall Review on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, at 2 p.m. on Wingerd Field.  
 
This past June, right after the school year ended and for the 11th year, ten members of the CDH JROTC Corps of Cadets traveled to Camp Wilderness near Park Rapids, MN. Our cadets joined JROTC cadets from high schools from Fargo, ND, Bemidji, MI, Red River, ND, Grand Forks, ND, and Lower Brule, SD, for a week of activities that included archery, athletics, canoeing, high and low COPE courses, land navigation, physical training, and swimming. The CDH cadets were Zach Steigauf, Mary Andrzejek, Teagan Foley, Rylie Cormell, Ian Weninger, Martha Enestvedt, Louie Tighe, Ellie Dougherty, Justice Wesson, and Margaret Musolf. At this camp, we have the privilege of selecting one outstanding cadet from our group and this year Zach Steigauf earned the honor.

With such a strong program and a large 9th grade class, the new students are a source of excitement because of their energy, involvement, and early contributions. Also, JROTC at CDH is organized to include 9th graders in many meaningful ways. Their talents will be showcased at the Fall Review, which will be held on September 26, 2018, on Wingerd Field. Our Corps of Cadets, along with the CDH Band, conducted by Ms. Donna Novey, honors our new 9th grade cadets and officially welcomes them into the corps.

The acting Brigade Commander, Anthony Daddah and the acting Battalion Commanders - Joseph Schwirtz, Owen Mische, and Isaac Yahn are doing their best to get everything rolling. They have organized drill instruction, are preparing for the Fall Review, and are continuing to build their plan for the year. At the same time, the sophomore and junior classes have been preparing to take on more leadership responsibilities as leaders at squad and platoon levels.  

In regards to new leadership roles, congratulations to the cadets who earned Junior Officer over the summer: Zach Summerfeld, Charlie Groebner, Justice Wesson, Matteo Marchio, and Josh Nelson. Their performance is noteworthy because they studied extra and set an appointment with LTC Fischer to test again, WHILE THEY WERE ON SUMMER BREAK - that shows the kind of dedication that leaders should have. They are eligible for promotion to Diamond Officer and higher responsibility in the Corps.

The Annual JROTC Encampment at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, will be the weekend of September 28-30, 2018. We anticipate 110 students will attend.

The Armed Precision Drill Team, which is commanded by Mary Andrzejek, has started practice for the year to prepare for their first performance at the Fall Review. Along with the Crack Drill, the Regulation Drill Commander, Margaret Musolf, will start practice shortly after the review. We have a great returning corps and new 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are welcome to join Regulation Drill.

The Color Guard, under the leadership of Ted Hoover, kept busy this summer with events in the Twin Cities. We continue to support all home football games plus as many varsity events as possible. The highlight of our fall is posting colors at the Cretin Alumni Banquet and performing in the Fall Review.

The Orienteering team, led by Andrew Bussen, intends to continue the progress we made last year. We will use Camp Ripley to recruit and participate in some MNOC events in the fall.
   
The Honor Guard, under the leadership of Rory King, Monica Calkins, and Jack Patwell, are scheduled to accumulate many hours of service in the first four weeks of school, with duties at numerous wakes and funerals, Back to School Night, the Cretin Class of 1968 (50-Year) Reunion, the Cretin Class of 1958 (60-Year) Reunion, and the Cretin Banquet.  
   
Isaac Yahn will lead the varsity Air Rifle Team this year. Currently, there are over 40 students involved in the rifle team. The team’s competition season runs from October 1 through the end of February. This year’s schedule will include 12 postal matches around the nation, the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge (UMJC) at CDH, the USA Shooting Match, state and sectional level competitions, and possibly a match in Ohio (The Midwest Region JROTC Competition).  
 
Cadets are traveling with Mr. Leseman to 26 feeder schools to talk about the JROTC program at CDH. This is an important opportunity to highlight activities and to inform prospective students that JROTC is a leadership development and citizenship program with the mission "to motivate young people to be better citizens."  

Those interested in military scholarships are putting the finishing touches on their application packets. They are taking the necessary fitness assessments, completing essays, collecting letters of recommendation, improving their ACT scores, and attending interviews. All the instructors are happy to write letters of recommendation for cadets in good standing. The application windows will be closing soon, which is why we encourage students to complete the process over the summer. Members of the Class of 2019 and their parents who have questions about the Academies or College ROTC can contact LTC Fischer.

Throughout the school year, our co-curricular organizations and cadets will be active in the CDH community. They will be striving to model the values of CDH. As one of many important programs in the school, JROTC is committed to contributing to the great reputation of our high school. It's never too late to transfer into one of our classes, regardless of the date or the academic class. There are no physical, mental, or any other limitations. We welcome all students. Why not enroll today and share in the tradition? 

Theater

by Katie Kreitzer, Theater Director
This 25th Anniversary Season of Lillian Theater is about celebrating our history of producing quality high school theater that reflects Cretin-Derham Hall’s mission and values to our loyal audiences. The centerpiece of the season will be a REUNION Revue the weekend of January 18 – 20, 2019. CDH alums from the past 25 years will return to perform alongside our current CDH theater students. The celebration will begin on Friday night with comedy: sketch comedy, improvisation, and stand up. Saturday afternoon the Lillian Theater will host a ‘panel of professionals.’ Inviting alums who are making their living in the entertainment industry to share some of their wisdom with our community and opening themselves up to questions from community members. Saturday evening will be our big Revue Show which will run similar to the Tony Awards. CDH graduate and current staff member, Christopher Hill, will help host the event serving as our own Billy Crystal.

Please mark your calendars for this weekend of fun, friends, and family. Please email kkreitzer@c-dh.org if you want to be a performer or help in the planning. 

Fall Show

Kicking off this 25th year season will be our fall play, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind by Greg Allen. The show consists of 30 short plays that must be performed in a 60-minute time period. The play is a mixture of comedy, drama, poetry, and ridiculous performance art. The audience is in control of the show by deciding which play they would like to view based on the play titles. This play is unlike any show we have ever done or seen and we are quite positive that you will enjoy your experience. 
 
Too Much Light… will be presented in the CDH Blackbox Theater. The cast consists of three 9th graders, three 10th graders, four juniors, and six seniors. Seating is limited — tickets sales will be available soon!  

Children's Show

In December, we welcome young people to our theater to enjoy the tale of Merry Christmas, Strega Nona! Based on the beloved children’s books illustrated by Tomie dePaola, the sweet story is sure to spread the magic of Christmas.

Spring Musical

The season will conclude with the rock and roll musical, Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Weber. The global phenomenon that has wowed audience for more than 40 years returns to the CDH Theater to ice the season’s cake.

Happy 25 Years Lillian Theater! We hope you celebrate this extra special year with us.