Beyond the Books - November 2023
November 8, 2023
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.
Formerly known as Heard in the Halls, the new Beyond the Books is our brag book on all of your favorite co-curriculars at CDH: athletics, activities, JROTC and fine arts. This can also be a place for occasional school-wide athletic department updates and current news on some of our activities.
Counseling news will now be found in it's own article every month. Check it out here.
ATHLETICS | ACTIVITIES | THEATER | JROTC | BAND | CHOIR
Athletics
Boys Basketball
By Tony Yazbeck, Assistant Coach
Boys tryouts will be November 20-22 in the Joe Mauer Field House. All players need to be registered online with a valid physical uploaded prior to November 20 to participate.
We would like to wish the following alumni good luck as they start their Division 1 seasons: Sy Chatman ’18 (University of Buffalo) Curtis Jones ’20 (Iowa State University), J’Vonne Hadley ’20 (University of Colorado), Tre Holloman ’22 (Michigan State University), Donavhan Cain ’22 (Southern Utah University) and Adam Tauer ’23 (University of St. Thomas).
Girls Basketball
By Tara Seifert, Head Coach
CDH Girls Basketball tryout dates are November 13, 14 and 15, 3 - 5:30pm in the Joe Mauer Fieldhouse. Players need to be registered online and upload physical prior to Nov. 13!
Cross Country
By Chris Babcock, Head Coach
Football
By Steve Walsh '85, Head Coach
The Raiders football team lost the Sectional Championship vs. Mahtomedi on November 3, but won 4 straight games before that, including playoff wins 40-0 over Harding-Humbolt and 49-17 over Central. The Raiders scored 7 touchdowns against Central including a pick 6 interception from Jaydn Harris '25. Miles Bollinger '24 threw for 5 TD passes including 2 to Monteff Dixon '25. Other Raiders who scored touchdowns were Brady Stoeklen '25, Tommy Sticha '25, and Jaylen Gayles '24. Sticha also had a rushing touchdown.
Boys Hockey
By Matt Funk, Head Coach
It has been an exciting off-season for the Raider Boys hockey team. We had 6 players represent CDH in the elite league this fall. Chuck Owens ’24, Veszi Lippai ’25, Jimmy Dodig ’25, Max Bennett ’25, Max Anderson ’26 and Nate Chorlton ’26 all played in the Elite League. Owens finished 3rd in the league in scoring and first in assists and Chorlton finished in 9th in scoring. Lippai’s team won the league with Lippai finishing with an impressive 7 points in 3 playoff games leading his team to the title.
Central Scouting also released their preseason watch list for the upcoming NHL draft and Jake Fisher ’23 and Dodig were both listed as draft prospects for next year’s draft.
Finally, Chuck Owens became the 8th Raider in the last 4 years to commit to a Division 1 school to play college hockey. Owens committed to the Air Force Academy in early October. He joins former teammate Simon Houge ’23 as future Air Force Academy student-athletes.
The season gets underway with tryouts on 11/13 and the season opener on 12/1 at 7 pm against Hermantown at the Highland Arena. The Raiders look to “threepeat” as Section 3AA champs and return to the Xcel Energy Center for the State Tournament in March.
Alumni, be on the lookout for more details about our Alumni Game on 12/23 at 1 pm at the Highland Arena.
Boys Swim and Dive
By Mike Steineman ’92, Head Coach
The Boys' Swimming and Diving Team's season begins on Monday, November 27, 2023. Nine swimmers return to the team this season and we are excited to welcome some new members! Led by captains Matt Baumberger '24 and Finn Dougherty '24, the team is gearing up for another fun season and is hopeful for another opportunity to compete at the MSHSL Class AA State Swimming and Diving Meet held February 29 - March 2, 2024 at the U of MN Aquatic Center. CDH has sent boys swimmers and divers to State the past ten years in a row and twenty-six times in the last twenty-seven years!
If you are interested in joining our team, there is still time! Please use the registration link on the Athletics webpage. Want to know about the practice and meet schedule? Be sure to check out our team calendar. If you have any questions or are interested in joining the team, please contact Head Coach Mike Steineman '92. We are a no-cut program. If you can swim one length of the.pool (unassisted), you meet our requirements! Also, if you are interested in diving please let us know!
Girls Swim and Dive
By Lisa Thomas, Head Coach
CDH Girls Swim and Dive is on course for a banner year as a team! With a 6th place finish in Class A at True Team State, this team has grown in speed and confidence as we prepare for our section and state meet this month. True Team competition is based on the idea that every team member's performance counts toward the team's score in competition. This year the CDH Girls Swim and Dive Team brought a talented team of athletes to the True Team State meet at the U of M. With stand out performances across the board in both swim and dive, CDH is in position to place swimmers and divers high in our section tournaments this year and hopeful for the state meet as well.
Heading into True Team State, our divers, under the coaching of Katie Magnuson and Katie Reeder, divers Emma Donnelly '25, Lauren O'Donnell '26 and Mary Musolf '24 placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at True Team Section meet for the first time in CDH history. Our Swim relay team consisting of Isabel Macheel '24, Molly Magnuson '24, Lillian Moore '24 and Tessa Lentsch '24 came in second behind Visitation to close out the last exciting race of the day! Our swimmers and divers together placed 2nd in our section for the 2nd year in a row!
The CDH Girls Swim and Dive program will say goodbye to 18 incredible seniors at the end of this season. Our heavy hearts send them off to do amazing things and will miss their fun, infectious love of swimming and leadership. These seniors started swimming with CDH when COVID made the start of their high school years a bit more challenging. With perseverance and dedication, this group continued on together to carry on CDH values and traditions for the kids who come after them.
CDH Swim and Dive 2023 Seniors include; Elizabeth Barnett ’24, Ella Barmberger ’24, Claire Baumberger ’24, Katie Chestovich ’24, Izzy Donnelly ’24, Olivia Evans ’24, Daisy Franzen ’24, Sydney Johnson ’24, Tessa Lentsch ’24, Molly Magnuson ’24, Izzy Macheel ’24, Lillian Moore ’24, Mary Musolf ’24, Katie O'Donnell ’24, Olivia Reeder ’24, Dannika Rubbelke ’24, Josie Thomas ’24, and Siobhan Wheaton ’24.
Shout out to Captain Izzy Macheel who will head off to swim Division 1 at the University of Vermont while Captain Molly Magnuson will swim Division 1 at Seattle University next fall. With many more ambitions yet to unfold from this talented bunch, we wish them well and know we are proud of all of them!
Wrestling
By Joe Piazza, Head Coach
The Raiders Wrestling Team have been working hard for the 2023-24 wrestling season. With Two weeks left before the November 20 start, The Raiders will continue with the open Captains practices, Monday - Friday 3:15 -5:15, with lifting and technique practices. All are welcome.
The wrestlers have been working hard this school year recruiting new members to the program. Cretin-Derham Hall will be featuring six 8th graders from various middle schools around the metro. Joining our staff are Connor Deborde ’14, Pat Smith, USA Greco World Team Member, Blake Holzem, graduate of Simley High School, and weekly appearance by University of Minnesota Regional Training wrestlers. Captains for this season are Liam McClay ’24 and Mickey Piazza ‘24.
Notable dates: December 15, Senior Night, home matches against Two Rivers and East Ridge High School. Cretin–Derham Hall will be hosting the individual state qualifier for the MSHSL state tournament on February 24, 2024.
Activities
Art Club
By Suzanne Cranston, Moderator
The Art Club celebrated the fall holidays by creating spooky-ish creations!
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Upcycled thrifted toy doll houses fashioned into themed "haunted" houses
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The trendy viral ghosty paintings created on top of vintage landscapes
Now that we're heading into winter... stay tuned for extremely creative themed holiday wreaths and Christmas trees!
Asian Culture Club
By Nan Wang, Moderator
In the first trimester, the Asian Culture Club had a Making Sushi after school activity, which many students joined. They cut fish and vegetables on their own, cooked rice, and learned to roll sushi on their own. They had a great time. We also had an Origami learning experience, which was led by Norah Goddard '24. Next trimester, students want to learn kpop dance with Lily Huynh '24. Students want to learn Origami again with Norah Goddard and organize another after school activity which can be making sushi or making Mochi or something else that they are interested in. Luna (Xinyue) Cui '25 is thinking of making some plans for the Lunar New Year to celebrate together with CDH students.
Math Team
By Maureen Modl, Moderator
Our Math team just completed a trial run on Monday, October 30. We have 4 online meets on the following dates:
- November 6
- November 27
- December 18
- January 22
The fifth and final meet will be on site at the hosting school with schools in our St Paul conference on February 12.
CDH competes in Class AA Section 4. Our Math team captains are Bridget Commers '24, Katherine Nelson '24 and Joel (Yukun) Guo '24.
Student Council
By Ellen Schafer
The Student Council has been hard at work all trimester long. The Communications team has put out two newsletters and shared many events and information via our social media. The Events team has planned many successful events, including homecoming week and dance, Halloween activities, and are looking forward to planning new and exciting events for the student body. The Service team planned a successful charity volleyball tournament with over 20 teams and 100 students and staff playing while raising money to donate to charities. They also organized the first charity out-of-uniform event for the year and are looking forward to planning the bi-annual blood drive. The Policy team has been researching student policies at other schools and comparing them to our school.
Clay Target Team
By Jason Nabor, Coach
The CDH Clay Target Team competes in two sports Trap and Skeet, and is composed of both boys and girls. The only prerequisite for participation is each athlete must possess their Hunter and Safety Education Certificate offered by the state DNR before they can participate. School Letters are awarded at season's end to those who meet the criteria offered by the team. This sport offers both young men and women an opportunity to compete side by side, and possibly discover hidden talents they didn't know they had. The shooting sports require good hand and eye coordination, and the maturity to stay focused on safety. We take beginners every year; we provide training to athletes in both the safety and skill of the game. The team does have a limited supply of club guns for use if an athlete does not have one available to use. We do our very best to introduce the shotgun shooting sports to a generation of young people that may have had limited exposure thus far. We focus on safety, fun, and skill development.
Ski and Snowboard Club
By Sarah Jamieson, Moderator
Ski & Snowboard club is a non-competitive activity for anyone interested in skiing or snowboarding. It is a great opportunity to meet new friends, try a new sport, and enjoy being outdoors. Our club goes to Afton Alps and Welch Village on Fridays during the winter months. Watch for information to follow after Thanksgiving break for more information on how to join.
Speech Team
By Nick Niewinski '06, Moderator
The CDH Speech Team is reestablishing its identity in the new school year. It's important that students are able to identify and overcome their concerns about the very common fear of public speaking at a young age so that they're able to set themselves up for success in the long term. We are building our ranks as we are helping students with identifying their public speaking strengths in preparation for our speech competitions in 2024.
Ultimate Frisbee
By Charlie Enders, Head Coach
Ultimate Frisbee is an incredibly fun, growing sport. The CDH club team (Raging Safari) exists to bring students together and make memories that last a lifetime. Also, to play a sport where you throw a frisbee around that is kind of a mix between soccer and basketball. Season will begin in January.
Theater
By Penelope Parsons Lord, Theater Director
The Lion King Jr opens on Friday November 10!
Fall Musical
The Lion King (Main Stage)
PERFORMANCES
- Friday, November 10, 7 pm
- Saturday, November 11, 7 pm
- Sunday, November 12, 2:30 pm
- Friday, November 17, 7 pm
- Saturday, November 18, 2:30 and 7 pm
- Sunday, November 19, 2:30 pm
JROTC
By SGM David Berrisford '91, MSG Ken Peloski, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold
This past month promotions were held during leadership lab for sophomore Squad Leaders. Dozens of 10th grade cadets passed their promotion exam to earn their advancement to Sergeant and Corporal. Congratulations to our newly promoted cadets! You are doing a fantastic job!
On November 3, cadets on the Regulation Drill, Color Guard, and Knowledge Bowl teams attended the annual North Branch Viking Competition. The Raider Brigade Knowledge Bowl team made up of Emma Butler ‘24, Mary Musolf ’24, Grace McSherry ‘25, and Keyon Archer ‘25 took home the 1st Place trophy while both the Varsity and JV Regulation Drill teams placed 2nd and the JV Color Guard placed 3rd in their respective competitions. This was an outstanding showing for the Raider Brigade teams who will next compete at the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge hosted here at CDH in early February. On October 22, the CDH Orienteering Team competed at Lake Elmo Park Reserve where Michael Loeffler ’24, took home first place on the Brown course. In honor of Veterans Day, the team will close out its Fall Season on November 11 at Theodore Wirth Regional Park in Golden Valley.
On October 26, more than 30 cadets went on the Fall Flight Club field trip to visit the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade at the Army Aviation Support Facility at the St. Paul Airport. While there, cadets learned about the mission of an Army Aviation Brigade from pilots, crew chiefs and technicians, checked out UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and toured the hangar, flight operations, and maintenance facilities.
The CDH JROTC Air Rifle Team has lots of new shooters who are looking pretty sharp as the
team prepares to compete in the Regional Qualifier later this month. Finally, Raider Brigade Archery is starting back up for its Winter season. Interested cadets must attend a mandatory safety training session on Monday, November 13 if they would like to participate.
Band
By Nick Zahler, Band Director
Choir
By Delilah Schuster, Choir Director
The choir performed a few songs during All Saints Mass last week (they did great!) and we had our Fall Concert last Thursday. The choir performed quite well for our first performance of the year and our first performance with me as the director. The audience packed the seats and had many lovely things to say about the musicians afterwards. Now we are on to rehearsing our Christmas repertoire! Check your e-mail regarding San Diego registration as we are hoping to get most folks registered by this Friday November 10.
Next week, we will be getting to work on our Christmas repertoire for our performances in the upcoming holiday season. Read more about our University of Mary visit!