Beyond the Books - April 2026

At Cretin-Derham Hall, students have important opportunities to grow, learn and thrive both in the classroom and 'beyond the books!' In fact, 98% of students participate in one or more sports or activities. 

Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC, Campus Ministry, and the Arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.

ATHLETICS | ACTIVITIES | CHOIR | THEATER | BAND | JROTC

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Athletics

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Baseball

By Buzz Hannahan ’94, Head Coach

High School Teams, Big League Dreams: Twins to Host Four High School Baseball Games at Target Field on April 12, April 22, April 29 and May 14

Twins to welcome eight high school teams this spring for a series of four prep games at Target Field – the most regular season contests in the ballpark’s 16-year history.

Giving young ball players from eight regional high school baseball teams a chance to live out their big-league dreams, the Minnesota Twins today announced a series of four prep games to be held at Target Field this spring: Cretin-Derham Hall vs. White Bear Lake at 4:15 on, May 14.

Fans looking to support CDH baseball should contact Tony Yazbeck in the athletic office or purchase tickets during the Raiders Home contest at Shrode Field. Proceeds from tickets bought through the school will be used to support their baseball programs. Additionally, fans holding tickets to the Twins game on the date of the high school game will also have access to both contests. Twins play the Florida Marlins @ 12:40 pm, 5/14.
 

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Boys Golf

By Bob Kinne ’11, Head Coach

As we begin preparations for the 2026 Boys Golf season, I want to take a moment to welcome everyone back and share our excitement for the year ahead.

Coming off a State Championship season, our program has a lot to be proud of. The success we experienced last year was a direct result of the hard work, commitment, and team-first mindset demonstrated by our players. That standard will continue to guide us as we move into a new season.

This year, we welcome seven new players to the roster. With a mix of returning experience and new talent, we are excited about the growth and potential of this group. While we may look different than last year’s team, our expectations remain the same — to compete at a high level, represent our school with class, and continue building a strong program.Preseason preparations are already underway, and we’re looking forward to getting on the course and back into competition. 

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Girls Golf

By Megan Fee Smith ’00, Head Coach

The CDH Girls Golf Team officially began the 2026 season on Wednesday, March 18 with indoor practices at the Midwest Golf Dome. These early sessions have allowed golfers to work on their swings and build a strong foundation as they prepare for the competitive season ahead.

Throughout March, the Raiders focused on all aspects of their game while also emphasizing strength and conditioning. The team trained with Coach Ryan Bonikowske in the CDH Fitness Center and participated in a specialized session on golf stretching and mindfulness led by former CDH JV coach Megan Namowicz.

In addition to physical preparation, the team dedicated time to learning and growth off the course. Nora McGuire ’73, a member of both the CDH Athletic Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame, led a session reviewing USGA and MSHSL rules, to help the team with their understanding of the game.

The 2026 Raiders feature a strong mix of returning players and new talent. Leadership this season comes from captains Katherine Campbell ’26, Kendall Klecatsky ’26, and Alayna Peterson ’27, who have done an excellent job setting the tone and building team culture early in the season.

Looking ahead, the Raiders are excited to begin conference play on April 15 at River Oaks Golf Course, where the Varsity team will compete in an 18-hole match and JV will play 9 holes. The team is also preparing for its home conference match on April 20 at Highland National and Highland 9, with a 3pm shotgun start. The CDH community is encouraged to come out and support the team!

With strong preparation, committed leadership, and great energy, the Raiders are ready for a successful spring season.

Go Raiders!

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Softball

By Carolyn Osdoba, Head Coach

We are off and running with the 2026 season. We have 43 girls out for softball this spring and we will field 4 teams. 

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Activities

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Clay Target Team

By Jason Naber, Head Coach

The Clay Target Team has kicked off the spring season.  There are 15 kids participating in Trap and 8 kids participating in Skeet. Our practice dates run through mid-April followed by 5 straight competition weeks through May. The State Championships for both Trap and Skeet are held in June; CDH will send teams to both events. 

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Speech Team

By Nick Niewinski, Coach

We have wrapped up another successful Speech Team season. The theme of this season was: Small but Mighty. The number of participants attending the Speech Team meetings were productive as we entered competition.

But the year also included a lot of important firsts for the program: This was the first year that we've had students across grade levels regularly attend meetings. This was also the first time in six school years that we've had students participating in speech tournaments. One of our students competed in multiple tournaments across multiple weekends.

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Choir

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By Delilah Schuster, Choir Director

On Thursday, 3/26, several CDH Choir students took on the challenge of performing in the annual Vocal Solo/Ensemble Competition, which took place at Hill-Murray this year. Students sang solos and small group songs in a range of styles and languages (English, German, and Portuguese!) for judges, who gave them feedback and scores. All 3 of our entries this year earned Superior ratings! Congratulations to these singers: Nora Tacheny '28 (solo & small group), Jake Olson '28 (solo), Rhema Edomaruseh '27 (small group), Nola Turner '27 (small group), Annie Cavanaugh '27 (small group), & Miley Stoeklen '27 (small group).

CDH Performing Arts students—Band, Choir, and Theater—will travel together to New York City for a combined trip April 8-11. Follow the CDH Instagram page for student updates along the way.

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Theater

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by Cullen Wiley, Theater Director

Tickets for The Little Mermaid are officially on sale! This show full of all the characters and songs you know and love are sure to delight audiences of all ages. Join us on May 9th for a dinner theater fundraiser! Tickets for the dinner theater are $50 and include dinner and a show.

Shows:
May 1st @ 7pm
May 2nd @ 7pm
May 3rd @ 2pm
May 8th @ 7pm
May 9th @ 7pm (5:30 dinner theater)
May 10th @ 2pm 

$10 Students/Staff
$15 Adults

Get Tickets

CDH Performing Arts students—Band, Choir, and Theater—will travel together to New York City for a combined trip April 8-11. Follow the CDH Instagram page for student updates along the way.

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Band

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By Teddy Williams, Band Director

CDH Performing Arts students—Band, Choir, and Theater—will travel together to New York City for a combined trip April 8-11. Follow the CDH Instagram page for student updates along the way.

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JROTC

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By SGM David Berrisford '81, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold

The Raider Brigade excelled during its annual Army Cadet Command Inspection on March 19. The formal Army inspection was conducted by representatives of the University of Minnesota ROTC Department. In addition to the inspection of the Corps of Cadets, the evaluation included a drill presentation, color guard presentation, and cadet presentations on their Service Learning and Continuous Improvement Projects. The annual inspection was followed up by a command visit on March 23 to evaluate the instructors and facilities. We are happy to report that once again the inspection and command visit went very well and the inspectors were blown away by the pride and professionalism of the Raider Brigade Cadet Corps.

The annual Twilight Parade will be on 13 May from 6-7 pm on Wingerd Field at CDH. This is a mandatory graded event for all cadets unless they have a VARSITY game, match or competition that conflicts with the parade. NOT practice and NOT JV or B team games. If cadets have jobs they should make their supervisors aware with plenty of notice they are not available that day. We hope the move from Friday to Wednesday makes it easier for those families that may be traveling on the weekend.

Finally, this is the last call for permission slips for the final event of the school year – the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids from 26-30 May. In this CDH-led event, 15 Raider Brigade cadets will join approximately 50 other Army JROTC cadets from other Army JROTC programs throughout the region to participate in a host of individual leadership and team-building activities to include: rock wall climbing, rappelling, a high ropes course, archery, kayaking, and orienteering.