Heard in the Halls - April 2023

April 12, 2023

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

ATHLETICS | COUNSELING | THEATER | JROTC | BAND

Athletics

Boys Baseball

By Toby Anderson, Assistant Coach

The CDH Baseball Team continues to build on its growing success this spring as 10 players return to the Varsity roster. Maturity and experience will be the strength of this team as some have now been at the varsity level for 2-3 years. The Raiders will be led by seniors Jack Taxdahl '23 and Trey Gnetz '23, and juniors PJ Jones '24 and Jake Quinn '24. With the addition of some new players led by Justin Benjamin Jr. '23 who comes in with varsity experience and plays at a high level on the mound and in the outfield, this roster is poised to put together a great spring. 

Ranked 4th in the state in the latest pre-season rankings, offensive output will be what drives the Raiders in games this season. Our line up will consist of 3 D1 athletes and 4-5 other college level athletes. 

Pitching will be paced by returning arms Lucas Ackland '24, John Henry Kohorst '25, Taxdahl and Robbie Diamond '23, as well as newcomer Benjamin. 

We open our season April 10 at current #1 in the state East Ridge, and the Varsity and JV squads will be headed to Kansas City this coming Monday to prepare for our spring! 

Key Dates: 

Opening Day - April 10 @ East Ridge
Target Field - April 29 vs Mounds View (Tickets available soon)
Seibert Field- May 22 vs STA

Go Raiders!!

Girls Golf

By Megan Fee Smith ‘00, Head Coach

The CDH Girls Golf Team had a great start to the season with 60 girls registered to play at three levels: Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Development. During the first two weeks, the team practiced their drives, chips, and putts indoors with coaches at the golf dome. The Varsity and JV teams will prepare for conference matches with a practice at Top Golf. Lily Vincelli ‘24, Lauren Bengtson ‘24, Else Wermager ‘24, Katie Votel ‘23, Ava Redpath ‘23, and Lily Anderson ‘23 are on the Varsity roster.

The first JV conference match was scheduled for Tuesday, April 11; however, the recent weather conditions have delayed the start of the season! The opening Varsity conference 9-hole match will be April 19 at Tanners Brook golf course and the JV conference 9-hole match will be on April 18 at Prestwick. The Development Team will practice at Highland National golf course and transition to local par 3 courses later in the season. The Varsity and JV conference schedules are on the CDH Girls Golf website. The Raiders will host a JV conference match at Highland 9 on May 2, 2023.

Megan Fee Smith ‘00 is returning as the Head Coach and Kate Schulz is returning as the JV coach. Megan Namowicz returns as the Development coach, along with Molly Ploetz ‘17 and Tyler Schoenbauer. Nancy Scanlan will assist as a volunteer coach at the course. Molly Ploetz ‘17 is a returning CDH alum for the girls golf team. As a former Raider, Molly competed all four years at the State Golf Tournament and was the recipient of the McDonough Spirit Award. She is excited to work with the golf team as an alumni coach! Go Raider Golf!

Boys Golf

By Bob Kinne ‘11, Head Coach

Golfers and Families, with the weather continuing to warm up, we plan to finish up try-outs this weekend. Our first two events will be next Monday, April 17 and Wednesday, April 19.

If we have any changes throughout the week I will communicate directly with the boys. 

Track and Field

By Chris Babcock, Head Coach

The boys and girls track and field teams have begun their run at the spring season. The teams have grown this year with interested student athletes continuing to sign up. Despite the prolonged cold and snow covered track and field facilities we have been honing our skills in the jumps, vault, throws, sprinting and distance events as our first outdoor meets are scheduled for Thursday, April 13. The boys will be in a relay meet with the teams from the Suburban East Conference at White Bear Lake High School, while the girls will be competing at St. Thomas Academy with teams from Hill-Murray and Mahtomedi. While these will be the first tests of the season against student athletes from other schools, we will be entering into them with confidence that our training, determination, and commitment will see us through. 

For the boys, we are looking forward to ninth graders Daniel Tolson '26, and JaDale Thomas '26 to join seniors Isaac Keomptgen '23 and Alex Atkinson '23 on the starting line of the sprints. Michael Seifu '25 has come into the season looking strong and confident as he shows first time hurdler and senior Sean Robinson '23 the ropes.

On the girls' team, Abby Chestovich '26 and Katherine Chestovich '23 will be taking on the distance races with Lucy Keating '26 and Piper Lee '23, who is moving up to the 800m. Not to be out done in the hurdles, Becca Gutzman '24 and Clare Lasure '25 have been working hard to improve their already formidable abilities in their races. Gutzman has also been working hard over the winter on her vault. 

While we are working hard, we are enjoying ourselves too. We took some time on the last day of March to enjoy the last crusty bits of snow and held some sled dog races. Teams of two raced across the snow pulling one another in turn. There were a lot of smiles, laughs, and a good time. 

Girls Lacrosse

By Jeff Rosga '89, Head Coach

April 3 kicked off a new era in the CDH Girls Lacrosse program! New Head Coach Jeff Rosga '89 and his staff are looking forward to the season ahead with great energy and anticipation. Led by captains Anna Stangler '23, Josie Nei '23 and Maggie Plante '23, along with DII goalie commit Margarita Lucio ’23 the team has been focused and committed to their off-season training program, which should pay dividends as the season progresses. It all starts with building a championship culture and the leaders on this team have stepped up to the front and led by example all off-season. 

The JV/V open up against Breck at home on Thursday, April 13, followed by four home games. This is a great opportunity to come watch the newly led Raiders and support the girls! Besides a highly competitive conference schedule, Chanhassen on May 8 is an away game to note on the calendar.  Chanhassen was the state runner up to Lakeville South and returns a strong squad. It will serve as an opportunity to see how the Raiders measure up to one of the state's perennial powers in girls lacrosse. The regular season concludes on May 23 at home against Buffalo with Senior Recognition that night.  

Softball

Carolyn Osdoba, Head Coach

CDH softball is off to a great start tuning up our fundamentals and getting to know our teammates. We have 50 girls out this spring, which is great to see. We have a lot of young talent that we are excited to see develop throughout the season.

Wrestling

Dan Willaert, Head Coach

This season we had a senior class with some extensive experience, and also some fresh faces. Mike Bougie '23, Justice Linton '23, and Nick Wood '23 provided terrific leadership for our team while newcomers Dave Mix '23 and Jameson Casper '23 provided a jolt of fresh energy to the team! The captains for this season were Linton, Wood, and Mickey Piazza '25.

In addition to Piazza, a large group of talented student-athletes, including: Oskar Bowman '24, Joey Evans '24, Liam McLay '24, Alec Warford '24, Ike Andrzejek '25, Bud Brondum '25, Andrew Ek '25, Theto Hatley '25, Michael Nobrega '25, Evan Stoltz '25, Jaziel Enriquez '26, Isaac Henry '26, Kyron Kurtz '26, Lucas Roberto '26, Niko Stuurop '26, Jaymes Bougie, and Pla Khu all gained valuable experience that will help to build a strong core for Raiders wrestling for the next several years!

The theme for this season was “RAIDERS on the Rise!” The captains chose this theme because they
recognized that although there were several people with wrestling experience on the team, very few of them had regular Varsity experience in the past. So almost everyone on the team was working to step up their game and pull their weight in bringing our program a little closer to the top!

The squad posted a 12-10 non-conference record. This was the first time in over a decade that CDH had a winning record in matches outside the Suburban East Conference! Additionally, the Raiders beat East Ridge to keep intact their four year streak of winning at least one conference dual! In individual Suburban East Conference action, Linton led the way, earning his first All-Conference award and Enriquez earned SEC All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The Section 4AA Individual Championships was the final tournament of the season for the Raiders. They ended up placing six wrestlers in the top six of their weight class! Piazza placed 6th, Khu and McLay placed 5th, Linton placed 4th, and Enriquez and Mike Bougie placed 3rd, both losing true-second matches. Although no one qualified for State, having 4 returning section placers and 4 other wrestlers with experience in that tournament bodes well for next season!

The Varsity squad was also recognized with an Academic All-State Gold award from the Minnesota
Wrestling Coaches Association for achieving a composite, unweighted GPA of 3.58! Mike Bougie, Linton, McLay, Enriquez, and Khu were honored individually with Section 4AA Academic Awards and Linton and Mike Bougie qualified for All-State Academic Honorable Mention from The Guillotine!

The team and coaching staff also voted on awards. Henry and Khu were named Rookies of the Year. Brondum and Bowman were named Most Improved. Wood and Piazza were named Most Dedicated Wrestlers, and Linton and Mike Bougie were named Most Valuable Team Members. The team captains for the off-season and next year will be McLay and Piazza, along with possibly one other person who distinguishes himself throughout the off season. 

The entire team and coaching staff would like to thank our managers who worked tirelessly to make our season run smoothly. Maren Gainer '23 and Avery Ingram '23 were valuable parts of our success this season through their work with the statistics, camera work, and general support for the team. Thanks also to our family members and supporters who continue to help us make Raiders Wrestling a family program!

College Counseling

By Joan O'Connell, College Counselor, from the College Counselors

Seniors Students and Families

• Monday, May 1 we will be celebrating College Decision Day for the Class of 2023. Seniors can wear a college sweatshirt over the CDH uniform that day and you will be meeting with the College Counselors during the week to complete your required senior survey.
• Most colleges and universities require an enrollment deposit by May 1 to hold your spot in the class entering in the fall 2023. Please check your enrollment deadlines and be sure to make your deposit on time.
• You will, most likely, have all of your admissions decisions and financial aid packages by now. Be sure to read the entire decision letter as it will contain important information about making a deposit, housing, orientation and other steps to take next. Making enrollment decisions can be difficult, so please reach out to us if you need anything… help understanding a financial aid award, deciding etc.  Email one of us at joconnell@c-dh.org (last names A-K) or lnelson@c-dh.org (last names L-Z).

Junior Students and Families

• CDH Education Fair is Tuesday, April 18 from 6:30 to 8 pm in the Joe Mauer Field House! We will be hosting close to 100 college and university representatives that evening who are eager to meet you! Come explore your options and get answers to your questions!
• Admissions officers will want your contact information in order to keep in touch. You can either fill out an information card by hand at the fair, or you can register to get a barcode on your phone that can quickly be scanned by the colleges. To get your barcode, go to the link below and register prior to the event. It is easy to do and very convenient!

CDH Education Fair Registration

• You will receive an email prior to the event with a list of participating colleges. We hope you can join us!
• Here are three ways to use your Naviance Account:

1. Do the career inventories. Once you are into your account, click on the “Self Discovery” tab and complete Personality, Strengths Explorer and Career Interest Profiler.  All of these will help you to gather clues about yourself and point you to possible career paths.
2. Don’t forget about RoadTrip Nation! These are videos of high school students interviewing people in various career fields. You can sort the videos in a variety of ways depending on your career interests. The videos are short, informative and fun to watch. Click on the careers tab and then RoadTrip Nation.
3. Research some colleges. Naviance has a couple of search functions where you can put in your preferences and see what schools match. Click on the Colleges tab, then Find Your Fit, then either SuperMatch or Advanced College Search.

Theater

By Penelope Parsons-Lord, Theater Director

Mamma Mia! is in full swing in the Lillian Theatre - our actors are singing their hearts out, dancing till they drop and filling our space with laughter and excitement. Our crew is busy building sets, rigging lights, sewing and basically making everything in view sparkle and shine. 

JROTC

By SGM David Berrisford '91, MSG Ken Peloski, COL Scrocca, and SFC Thingvold

To start off the 3rd Trimester, 11 juniors who excelled on the Junior Officer Exam were promoted to Cadet 2nd Lieutenant. Congratulations to these up-and-coming leaders: Matthew Baumberger '24, Emma Butler '24, Olivia Evans '24, Kelly Hannon '24, Luke Harris '24, Max Laughlin '24, Nick Marrinan '24, Mary Musolf '24, Katie O’Donnell '24, Samantha Wells '24, and Kayla Wengelewski '24. For those who did not meet the cut-off this time around, the exam will be offered again on May 17.

The Raider Brigade’s annual Army Cadet Command Inspection will take place on April 13. The formal Army inspection and evaluation will be conducted by representatives of the Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade from Chicago and active duty soldiers and cadets from the University of Minnesota ROTC department. The evaluation also includes meetings with the school administration, an evaluation of JROTC and school facilities, a drill presentation, color guard presentation, knowledge examinations and cadet presentations on their Service Learning and Continuous Improvement Projects.

Once the brigade completes its annual inspection the cadets will start working hard on their Drill and Ceremony as they prepare for the Best Company Competition ahead of the upcoming 105th Twilight Parade and Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 6 pm on Wingerd Field. All are invited!

The Air Rifle Team wrapped up its season at the end of March and SGM Berrisford will be working hard to install the new electronic targeting system, which will greatly enhance the team’s competitiveness next year! The Orienteering Team begins it spring season this month with five planned competitions in the surrounding area and the Archery Team is looking at three competitions to close out their season as well. The Crack Drill Team is working hard to prepare for their performance at the Twilight Parade and the Regulation Drill Team and Color Guard are practicing hard for their demonstrations at the annual inspection.

Finally, the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge will be held at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids from May 30 - June 3. In this CDH-led event, 12 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.

BAND

By Nick Zahler, Band Director

Springtime is here at last! On Thursday evening, I (and likely many of you) enjoyed the first thunderstorm of the year - falling asleep to the rumble of thunder and the tapping of rain on the roof and windows. Not only is it an excellent source of white noise, calming our brains and helping neural activity slow down, but it’s also an indicator that it’s time to rest. The year is almost over, and after one big push, the students will finally have the chance to wind down and destress.

As the year wraps up, we try to wind down a bit while the non-performing classes wind up to end-of-year finals. The band will be putting on just a few more performances. The band will play at school masses and pep fests, the JROTC Twilight Parade, and most importantly, our Spring Pops Concert. At the Pops Concert, the Jazz and Concert Band will play some great music and we will recognize some outstanding seniors with annual band awards. It’s always a great night, and I hope to see you all there.

If you or anyone you know is interested in instrumental music here at CDH, please send them the link to our digital flier for band. We’re looking forward to an amazing year next year, and want everyone involved!

Happy Trails,

Mr. Z