Heard in the Halls - April 2019

April 10, 2019

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 | COUNSELING | BAND  | LLC | JROTC

Athletics

Boys Tennis 

By Randy Muetzel, Head Coach

The Cretin-Derham Hall Tennis Team is led by five returning seniors: Henry Anderson '19, Cade McGovern '19, Zach Muetzel '19, Joe Nussbaum '19, and Nico Paredes-Sepulveda '19. Each of them will play a significant role on our team and with helping the new players settle in. It will be exciting to see how well each of them does, as well as the new players who will be involved.

Girls Golf 

By Megan Smith '00, Head Coach

There are 31 girls in the golf program in three levels: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Development.  Emmy Springer is returning as the Development Coach and this is my first year as Head Coach, although I was an Assistant Coach for the program in 2016 and a former varsity player for CDH from 1997-2000.  

For the past two weeks, the team has been practicing their swings at the Midwest Golf Dome. On  March 27, PGA pro and Derham Hall alum Nora McGuire '73 provided a presentation and demonstration of the updated USGA rules of golf for 2019. We plan to attend Top Golf Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 3 for a fun and interactive golf practice. Many golf courses will be opening in the next week and we plan to practice at Highland and Lost Spur. The first JV conference match is on Thursday, April 11 and the first Varsity conference match is on Tuesday, April 16 at River Oaks Golf Course. The 2019 Varsity and JV schedules are posted on the CDH Girls Golf homepage.

Look for returning players Grace Bullard '19, Lauren Davis '19, Emily King '19, and Caitlin Bruns '19 to serve as leaders for the team. Go Raiders!

Boys Hockey 

By Matt Funk, Head Coach

The Boys Hockey Team finished their season with a final record of 16-9-1 losing in the Quarterfinals to the Blake School. The Raiders finished 13-3 in conference play, won the Schwan’s cup Gold, and played one of the state’s most competitive schedules which included 4 State Tournament teams and 7 teams that made their Section Final. The Raiders had plenty to celebrate after a very good season with plenty of end-of-season awards.

Star Tribune 2^nd Team All-Metro – Matthew Gleason '20  

Pioneer Press East Metro Player of the Year – Matthew Gleason '20       

Pioneer Press East Metro Player of the Year Finalist – Danny Magnuson '19

Reed Larson Defenseman of the Year Finalist – Danny Magnuson '19 

SEC Defenseman of the Year (Voted by Conference Coaches) – Danny Magnuson '19

SEC Forward of the Year (Voted by Conference Coaches) – Matthew Gleason '20

SEC All-Conference (Voted by Conference Coaches) – Danny Magnuson '19, Ryne Mohrman '19, Grayson Milosch '19, Matthew Gleason '20

SEC All-Conference Honorable Mention (Voted by Conference Coaches) – Zach Brydges '19, Nick Davison '20, Preston Thelemann '20, Jack Nei '20, Chuck Altier '21

Hobey Baker Award Winner (Nominated by Coaches) – Danny Magnuson '19

Boys Lacrosse 
By Matt Hourigan, Head Coach

On March 23, Boys Lacrosse Captains Steven Budka '19, Carter Steele '19, Jake Kircher '20, and Ted Muetzel '20 participated in the statewide Captains Cup hosted by Homegrown Lacrosse. The Captains Cup brings together student leaders from all across Minnesota and groups them by region for a round-robin competition, as well as a conversation about leadership in our sport. The event featured keynote speaker Kyle Harrison - one of the most decorated collegiate, professional, and Team USA players of all-time. Our boys led the "East Team" to a record of 3-0 and its first-ever Captains Cup Championship. Well done, gentlemen!

Girls Lacrosse 

By Sheala Osborne, Head Coach

Girls Lacrosse is looking forward to a successful 2019 spring season. The team returns eight players who will provide excellent leadership and knowledge of the game for 25+ new players. The team is lead by our senior captains Olivia Crawford '19, Nina Pitera '19 and Anne Marie Rhoda '19. They have put in tremendous work helping our program prepare over the offseason both in the weight room and on the field. Their hard work has shown throughout tryouts and we expect all teams to step into the season feeling confident and ready to compete. 

Our home opener will take place under the lights against Visitation/SPA on April 13!  

Important dates to mark on your calendar:

• Tuesday, April 23- SEC opener vs Stillwater 
• Thursday, May 2 – Teacher Appreciation
• Thursday, May 9 - Spirit Night/Fan appreciation
• Wednesday, May 15 - Senior Night 

Softball

By Patrick Bowlin, Head Coach

After graduating 11 seniors including seven starters, the CDH softball team will look to gain some valuable experience this year in the tough Suburban East Conference. The team features four seniors, Maria Bedford '19, Auni Kruse '19, Megan Meyers '19, and Allie Reding '19, and returns shortstop Cece Ziegler '20 and pitcher Stella Dolan '20. The Raiders will rely on strong pitching and defense and will need the offense to develop in order to make a run in the playoffs.

The softball team was featured in USA Breakdown Sports: “Cretin-Derham Hall was the last team to beat the Stillwater Ponies last year in their section run. Stillwater entered the softball playoffs 7-12, and lost their first playoff game to CDH. After this loss, they won nine straight games to win the state title. (Yes, they did win the section championship twice, after coming out of the losers bracket...) CDH had an amazing run against them last year. CDH was 2-2 with Stillwater, what a rivalry! Hopefully, we can see these 2 SEC conference teams back in action this spring. But, CDH will have some large holes to fill, after losing 11 seniors. Luckily, they return their junior ace pitcher, and key defensive players, Megan Meyers '19 and Cece Ziegler '20.”

Ultimate Frisbee

Both of the Ultimate Frisbee teams welcomed new coaches this year. The boys are coached by Kevin Knutson and Carl Koepke while the girls are being coached by CDH grad Charlie Enders '10.

Both teams started their seasons the first week of April, and you can now find them on the West Soccer fields practicing and playing.

Wrestling

By Daniel Willaert, Head Coach

The Raiders Wrestling team wrapped up their season with a banquet at DeGidio's on March 24. Several individuals were recognized with awards. Ben Tallman '22 and Lazaro Carrera-Perez '21 each won Rookie of the Year, Raheem Ross '20 and Cage Linton '21 won Most Improved. Edmundo Villalva Lijo '19 and Carey Vanier Jr. '21 won both Most Dedicated Wrestler and Most Valuable Team Member. The team captains for this off-season and next year will be Isaac Enriquez '20, Rhys Engelmeier '20, Cage Linton, and Carey Vanier, Jr.  

The entire team was also honored by the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association with a Gold Academic All-State plaque for having a composite, cumulative un-weighted GPA of 3.55! This is the 8th season in a row that the Raiders have been recognized on the state-level. Isaac Enriquez, Ted Hoover '19, and Edmundo Villalva Lijo were also recognized at the 3AAA Section tournament with Academic Awards.

Counseling

by Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

Attention Juniors:

College Counseling Meetings with junior students and parents are underway.  If you have not scheduled your appointment with your CDH College Counselor, please contact Mrs. Reding in the Counseling Office for assistance.

The registration deadline for the June 8 ACT test is May 3. Late registration (with additional fees) will be accepted until May 20. Register online at  actstudent.org. 

Dates for the Minnesota Private College Week this summer are June 24 to 28. All of the private colleges in Minnesota welcome prospective students and their families to campus during this week, both in morning and afternoon sessions. Wisconsin hosts a similar event. The Wisconsin Private College Week will be held July 8 to 13. Call colleges or go online in advance to register for visits.

Attention Seniors:

A reminder to keep information on all your college admissions decisions and financial aid awards. CDH will be sending out a Senior Survey in late April to collect this data.

Your enrollment deposit to the college of your choice is due by May 1. It is contrary to the "Statement of Principles of Good Practice" of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling for students to make multiple college enrollment deposits.  CDH will send only one final transcript in June.  Consult with your college counselor if you need help making your decision as the consequences of  “multiple depositing” can include rescinding offers of admission.

A reminder that ALL colleges require a final transcript of your high school grades as a condition of enrollment so be sure to continue to do your best work! Major schedule changes or an obvious drop in grades senior year can have consequences including the loss of merit scholarships and/or your spot in the incoming class.

Band

by Donna Novey, Band Director

The start of 3^rd trimester was spent preparing for 4AA Large Group Contest.  On April 2, the CDH Band joined three bands from Woodbury, one band from East Ridge and orchestras from East Ridge and Roseville for the contest hosted by East Ridge High School. CDH gave a great performance and scored very well, earning a Superior Rating from all three judges. The band performed “A Scottish Portrait” by James Swearingen and “Apollo:  Myth and Legend” by Rob Romeyn.

Coming up on Saturday, April 13, is 4AA Solo/Ensemble Contest at White Bear Lake-South Campus. Fourteen events are slated to perform and results will be posted in the next issue of the Communicator.

Next up will be the full band playing at the Easter Mass on Friday, April 26.

The band will be working on several events to wrap up the school year. 

♫ Jazz Band and String Ensemble Concert on Thursday, May 9 at 7 pm in the Band Room

♫ Support the JROTC Twilight Parade on Wednesday, May 15 at 6 pm on the Wingerd Turf Field

♫ Celebrate West St. Paul Parade on Saturday, May 18 at 1 pm in West St. Paul

♫ Spring Band Concert and Senior Recognition on Wednesday, May 22 at 7 pm in the Lillian Theater

The CDH Band attended a much-appreciated bowling and pizza party on March 24, at Flaherty’s in Arden Hills, hosted by Dan and Susan Loftus.  Bowling and pizza were favorites of Owen Loftus, a sophomore percussionist who passed away due to cancer last October.  It was a great way to remember Owen and a great opportunity to continue to support the Loftus family.

Zach Sommerfeld '19, a CDH swimmer, wanted to do something to honor Owen, who was a member of both the band and the swim team. Since the swim team doesn’t have a home, per se, Zach decided to build benches for the band room as his Eagle Scout Project. Three new benches arrived on March 29 and have already been put to good use by the percussion section.  

Library and Learning Center

April is National Poetry Month! The CDH Library and Learning Center is celebrating in style. All month long, poetry collections and novels in verse will be on display, including titles from internet sensation Rupi Kaur and Shout, the new memoir in verse from powerhouse YA author, Laurie Halse Anderson!  For those ready to flex their creative muscles, the LLC maker space will be home to several activities including Push Pin Poetry as well as last year's favorite, Black Out Poetry. Spring has sprung in the LLC!

JROTC

by SGM David Berrisford

Our incoming JROTC class of 2023 is again very large. Currently, there are 70 incoming 9^th graders registered for JROTC. This is the second year of 70+ incoming 9^th graders electing to be a part of the CDJ JROTC Corps of Cadets. We are very proud of this accomplishment and look forward to helping them grow and hone their leadership and citizenship skills. 

On April 10, we conducted our Annual Formal Inspection assisted by the University of Minnesota’s senior ROTC unit as well as members of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Twin Cities company. Our senior leadership as well as many other cadets worked on presentations, preparing uniforms for inspection, and honing their skills in drill and ceremony to ensure we achieve the highest rating possible: Honor Unit with Distinction. We are happy to announce that for the 90^th year, we again achieved this rating. This is an unprecedented string nationally for this accomplishment. Our cadets proudly represented the corps of cadets in achieving this recognition.

Co-curriculars continue to meet in the morning to increase participation among our busy students.

Our Regulation Drill teams, as well as Color Guard teams, traveled to Sioux Falls, SD on March 28-31 to compete in a regional competition hosted by another JROTC organization. Our teams performed wonderfully. Our varsity Regulation Drill Team and an all 9th-grade drill team each earned third place in their competition categories. CDH JROTC also placed fifth overall for in ranks inspections. We are very proud of the cadets' accomplishments and look forward to their continued success.

Armed Regulation Drill continues to meet to practice for the upcoming Twilight Parade which will be held on May 15 at 6 pm.

The Rifle Team ended its season in early March. We had many successes this year and although our team is graduating many seasoned members, we are confident the younger members will pick up the mantle and bring the team to new heights.

The Honor Guard continues to be extremely busy. We continue to assist families at wakes and funerals, we performed duties at the St. Patrick’s Day mass at the St. Paul Cathedral, and we will assist with upcoming alumni events and the Taste of CDH which will be held on April 27.

Color Guard members are continuing to practice each week. During the week of April 1-5, the third iteration of new member training occurred.  We have several parades and events to support this month and next.

The Orienteering Team begins its season on April 27. There will be three meets this year with the next two occurring May 11 and May 18. Come join us out there!  

On May 28, 12 of our cadets will attend the annual JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge. This camp is held just north of Park Rapids, MN at a camp called Camp Wilderness. This camp is five days long and will include activities such as a high ropes course, situational leadership problems, orienteering, archery, a climbing tower, and a 10-mile canoe trip. This camp provides the cadets an opportunity to grow as individuals and work in a larger group to hone their leadership skills.

Flight Club will participate in the Minnesota Air National Guard Open House on May 17, learning about Air Force operations and equipment.

Our seniors are beginning to receive their appointments to the service academies and ROTC scholarships. Juniors should be taking time to review the steps and begin their application process. If someone is considering enlisting in the military, please have them consult with us so we can make sure they have ALL the information.  We are always willing to answer any questions that students or parents have about military service.

We will continue emailing the weekly lab announcements to parents as another way to keep you informed.  If you have not been receiving the emails and would like to, please provide your email address to the JROTC Department, jrotc@c-dh.org.