Heard in the Halls November 2016

November 9, 2016

Welcome to Heard in the Halls. We encourage you to read ALL the current blogs submitted this month, but you can also click on department links below to quickly go to a particular section. 

 BAND | COLLEGE COUNSELING | JROTC

 ATHLETICS | CHOIR

BAND
By Donna Novey, Band Director

The band has supported several events this fall including the Cretin Alumni Banquet, the JROTC Fall Review and Diamond Promotions, two Open Houses and many pep bands.  The band will continue to support the various athletic teams throughout their seasons and as long as Mother Nature cooperates!  

Several band members participated in the Fall Musical, “She Loves Me:"  Mikey Jay (11)-flute; Lulu McMahon (12)-clarinet; David Jaksha (11)-trumpet; Patrick Hahn (11)-French horn; Caroline Warner (11)-string bass;  Katelyn Jaksha (11)-percussion; Frank Enestvedt (11)-drum set.

Named to the St. Olaf Honor Band:  Senior Erinn Jambor, trumpet.

Upcoming Events

• Fundraiser:  World’s Finest Chocolate  -  November 16 through December 16.
• Fall Band Concert - Monday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lillian Theater.  Free and open to all
• Jazz Band and String Ensemble Concert -Wednesday, December 7 in the Lillian Theater.          

We invite you to keep up with the activities of the CDH Band on our website!  Band shirts can also be purchased at the CDH on-line store.

COLLEGE COUNSELING

By Joan O’Connell, Guidance

Filing the FAFSA

A reminder that the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is available now for families to file for the 2017-2018 academic year.  Please be sure to meet financial aid deadlines (which may be earlier this year) for all the schools to which your child is applying.  Contact college financial aid officers with any questions you might have.

Private Scholarships for College

Many private organizations offer scholarships to students intending to go to college.  CDH seniors can find private scholarship information on their “Naviance” accounts. Just log in, click on the “colleges” tab, scroll down to “scholarships & money”, click on “scholarship list” to find the most updated list.  All of the private scholarships that we have been made aware of will appear here and students can get all the information they need to apply in one spot.  You can also do a search of a national scholarship database by clicking on “national scholarship search”. Please remember to check these resources throughout the winter and spring as they are continually updated.

Be vigilant about college scholarship scams.  Beware of any scholarship organization that asks you to pay a fee, promises scholarship money or touts money-back guarantees.  Don’t be fooled by official sounding names that include words such as “National,” “Federal” or “Administration”.  Never supply your credit card information to a scholarship site.

CORPS OF CADETS (JROTC)

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

Our first trimester of the school year 2016-2017 has been fantastic.  Here are the highlights so far. The Cadets conducted the 99^th Annual Fall Review on September 28.  This event celebrates the full integration of the ninth grade class into the Corps of Cadets following a period of drill instruction headed by the instructors and seniors.  The weather was wonderful and the cadets looked fantastic.  Our Reviewing Officer was Major David Wagner, the Executive Officer for the University of Minnesota’s Army ROTC program. He spoke for a few minutes to the cadets and encouraged them to continue to be good students and seek excellence in all that they do and to do all that they do with integrity.

We were joined by a large crowd of alum, family, friends, and faculty.  Thomas Sheehan was the Host Commander, and Eli Andrzejek served as the Commander of Troops. The Brother Alphonsus Martel Leadership Scholarships for early achievement by ninth graders, were presented to Cadet Privates Max Karas, Margaret Musolf, and Nick Owsley.  Cadet Privates Will Domler, Jack Patwell, Isaac Enriquez Olvera, Raheem Ross, Paris Nash, Darby Anderson, Will Burke, and Johnathan Anderson received the Outstanding Drill Cadet Awards.    

Our co-curricular organizations remain a unique and fun way to experience JROTC.  Our color guard plans to support wrestling, basketball, and hockey this winter.

The Orienteering team completed one MNOC course and is now on break until after Christmas. We are looking forward to another successful season in the spring.

Our Regulation Drill team, commanded by Cadet Major Allison Rudolph is gearing up for the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge, and eyeing a national competition.

The members of the Crack Drill Team, commanded by Cadet COL Eli Andrzejek continue to practice and will be performing demonstrations throughout the year.   

The Honor Guard commander by Cadet LTCs Frank Kimlinger, Josh Goldberg, and Cadet Major Elizabeth Hingsberger has been very visible with school and alumni functions to include the CDH Legacy Gala, CDH Open House, and many funerals and wakes.  

The Rifle Team, commander by Cadet LTCs Jack Calkins and Riley Domler season has started and we will compete in multiple competitions this year; currently 12. Many new members of the team have joined and the future of the rifle team looks strong.

Congratulations to Cadet Major Walter Cleveland for representing the Brigade in the annual VFW Voice of Democracy Essay Contest. Winners compete for over $30,000 in scholarships.

The big event of the trimester was the presentation of Diamond Rank to our seniors.  This year’s selection process was very difficult due to so many fine candidates.  Here are those who earned the honor to lead the Corps for the rest of the year:

Brigade S1 (Personnel):  Cadet Major Conor DeBorde

Brigade S2 (Information):  Cadet Major Nick Neumann

Brigade S4 (Logistics):  Cadet Major Zach Johnson

Brigade S5 (Communication):  Cadet Major Walter Cleveland

Executive Officer, 1^st Battalion:  Cadet Major Alison Rudolph

Executive Officer, 2nd Battalion:  Cadet Major Thomas Sheehan

Executive Officer, 3rd Battalion:  Cadet Major Elizabeth Hingsberger

2^nd  Battalion S-3 (Operations and Training):  Cadet Major Sam Miller

Brigade S3 (Operations and Training):  Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Riley Domler

Commander, 1st Battalion:  Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Frank Kimlinger

Commander, 2nd Battalion:  Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Jack Calkins

Commander, 3rd Battalion:  Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Jack Spencer

Brigade Executive Officer:  Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Josh Goldberg

Brigade Commander:  Cadet Colonel Eli Andrzejek

Diamond officers and all seniors are learning how to plan, prepare, and execute Brigade operations. They are cooperating in using their experience to develop the rest of the Corps. For example, they spent three lab periods practicing drill and reviewing knowledge in preparation for the squad competition on November 16th. Seniors then evaluated and determined the best squad in each battalion. We will announce the winners on our webpage and other social media.

Juniors are learning the basics of leadership theory. All juniors will move to different positions for second trimester. This is to help them gain experience so they can better lead the Corps as seniors. Before Christmas, they will receive their junior officer study guide so they can prepare for the JO test at the end of 2nd Tri.

Freshman and sophomores continue to learn leadership principles and are starting to engage more and more in planning for and participating in events and service. 

All JROTC students will participate in the annual Junior Achievement project on December 9. This project involves every cadet preparing and delivering parts of a class to students in one of three elementary schools in the city.  This project is extremely helpful to the elementary schools, and to our cadets as well.

Thirty seventy cadets presented at the CDH Open Houses in late October and early November to show prospective ninth graders and their parents JROTC in action.  The Raider Brigade depends upon a strong ninth grade enrollment to sustain our school’s important traditions, variety of activities and service to the community. 

On November 11, five Cadets, Joseph Seifert, Gisele Centeno, Peyton Yurek, Jacob Walters, and Johnathan Koop, will participate in the Student Leadership Seminar hosted by the West Point Society of Minnesota.  Participants will learn about challenges facing students and the ways to lead their communities to better choices. 

We will hold our Diamond Dining-In on December 2.  This is a great formal occasion for the cadets, and all who attend have a great time.     

The window for Academy Nominations has closed. By the end of the year, we will complete JROTC nominations for our students seeking an appointment. Deadlines for ROTC scholarships arrive for the Air Force on December 1, for the Army on January 10, and for the Navy at the end of January. Juniors should be researching websites, taking the best classes, and completing the ACT. Contact our office at651-696-3350 with your questions, or for help in the application process

ATHLETICS

By Kelley Hood, Athletic Director

Because high school sports are between seasons, both fall and winter sports teams have submitted an update for this issue.

Dance Team
Ali Milan, Competition Dance Team Coach

The winter competition dance team has already been up and running for two weeks. The turnout of girls was great and the coaches are really enjoying teaching the choreography and seeing how quickly the dancers are getting stronger. The Varsity CDH Dance team, along with the middle school Junior Raider program, are set to have their first performance at the Catholic Jamboree on Saturday December 3 at Totino-Grace High School. Most of the Catholic schools in the metro area participate in the annual event in which all proceeds go towards the host school’s charity of choice. This year, the proceeds will go towards the Ronald McDonald House! Keep posted on the athletic center website for exact performance times!

Boys Basketball
Jerry Kline, Head Boys Basketball Coach

The 2016-17 CDH varsity boys basketball team has high expectations for this year. The two-time defending SEC champions surprised many last year by winning the conference with a roster heavily comprised of sophomores. The Raiders finished last season 20-8 overall. This season they are expected to be ranked in the Top 5 to start the year. Returning players Daniel Oturu, Jacob Prince, Deland Phillips and Ray Tradwell bring back experience and skill. Outru is being heavily recruited by many DI schools. The Raiders have some new additions as well with the transfers of Ryan Larson (Braham), Michael Carter (Woodbury) and Sy Chatman (DeLaSalle) who will add to the depth of the team. Perimeter shooting should be much improved with Griffin Gamble, Jaeden King and Caleb Davis all showing significant improvement in the off-season.

The schedule for the Raiders is one of the toughest in the state playing state powers: Lakeville North, Apple Valley, Wayzata, Eden Prairie and DeLaSalle as well the #1 ranked teams from Wisconsin (Stevens Point) and Iowa (Iowa City West). The Raiders open play December 3 at St.Paul Central.

Volleyball
Rick Kuehlwein, Head Volleyball Coach

CDH Volleyball season ended Saturday, November 5 losing to Minnesota #1, nationally ranked #3, Eagan at Prior Lake. Although a trip to state wasn’t in our future, we did accomplish several goals. CDH won SEC Conference Championship going undefeated, won Aerie Challenge (16 teams) and most importantly, we never lost a match on our home court. Our overall record for the season was 23-7 and 7-0 in SEC. We should have had eight SEC matches, but conference rival East Ridge overbooked their schedule and was unable to play our scheduled match.

CDH was seeded #2 in 3AAA behind #1 Eagan. Being seeded #2, we had a first round bye. In quarter-finals against Hastings we had to play without starter Deaira Gresham due to illness. We lost the first two sets and were behind in third set 24-19 when Captain Frances Patt took over and served us to victory 26-24 behind a very spirited team offense led by captains Brynn Carlson and Kate Kohler. Our semi-finals opponent at Prior Lake was East Ridge. CDH won the first two sets, lost next two and eliminated East Ridge in fifth set to advance to 3AAA finals against Eagan.

CDH did defeat four teams playing in this year’s state tournament, including SEC rival Roseville playing out of 4AAA. CDH was moved to 3AAA from 4AAA two years ago. We say goodbye to nine seniors this year, Sophia Poppert, Claire Riesgraf, Kayla Moynagh, Ann Vukodinovich, Frances Patt, Eleanor Howard, Kate Kohler, Deaira Gresham and Brynn Carlson. Seniors, we thank you for your leadership and contribution to CDH Volleyball.

CDH Volleyball had five All Conference/Honorable Mention players on this year’s squad:  Brynn Carlson, Frances Patt, Kate Kohler, Deaira Gresham and Grace Anetipa will all receive those awards at CDH Banquet Monday November 14 th at Mancini’s. Brynn Carlson joined a very exclusive group this year by becoming only the 4th person in CDH history to record over 1000 kills in her career. Additional awards being given out at banquet are All-State Academic (GPA 3.8 unweighted)  to three seniors, Brynn Carlson, Kate Kohler and Deaira Gresham.

Wrestling
Dan Willaert, Head Wrestling Coach

The Raiders Wrestling team is looking forward to kicking off another exciting campaign this winter! The team will be led by captains seniors Logan Smith, Joshua Goldberg, and junior Javen Guzik-McNeil. This will be the first time in CDH Wrestling history that the roster will boast three wrestlers with State Tournament experience! Goldberg, Smith, and fellow senior Nick Neumann have all been section runners-up and have gained valuable experience that will help take our team to the next level.

Some highlights of the schedule this season will be home duals against Saint Thomas Academy (Alumni Night) and East Ridge (Senior Night). We will also be hosting a TakeDown Cancer event where the Raiders will take on state-ranked St. Francis in conjunction with a NCAA Division III dual between St. John's University and St. Olaf College at CDH. The Raiders will also host an expanded field of 8 teams at the 2nd Annual Sergeant Michael Carlson Memorial Duals, named in honor of CDH graduate Michael Carlson'00 who died serving his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

One other storyline to follow this season will be the possibility of a new all-time school record being set for career victories. Josh Goldberg begins his final season as a Raider with 97 career wins. The current record is 121 wins, set by Jeff Jackson'07. If Josh stays on pace with his first three seasons, he should surpass his former teammate Matthew Boncich '15, who is second on the list at 110 victories, in December and will then set his sights on the record in January.

Football
Brooks Bollinger, Head Football Coach

The 2016 Raider Football season ended on Friday night with a loss to Eden Prairie in the section final. The Raiders finished with a 7-3 record including notable victories over Woodbury, Stillwater and Anoka. Although we came up short in our quest to play in US Bank Stadium, the CDH football team had a number of players receive individual honors including seven players named to the All-District team as well as four players listed as honorable mention. Most notably, James Jackson was selected as the ‘Defensive Lineman of the Year’ and Nick Neumann was awarded the ‘Offensive Lineman of the Year’ for the SEC conference. We will close out the season by honoring a great senior class with our banquet on Sunday November 20 at Mancini’s.

Cross Country
Chris Babcock, Head Cross Country Coach

Not since Danny Docherty ’08 and Laura Docherty ’09 qualified for the State Meet in 2007 have the Raiders sent a member of both the boys’ and the girls’ team to St. Olaf to run in the big race. This season, seniors  Dillon Diekmann and Althea Gutzmann qualified out of Section 4AA for the State Meet, which was held Saturday, November 5, 2017.

First to run for the Raiders was Diekmann, now in his second appearance at this meet. However now he came in better prepared mentally and physically. He was confident in his ability to race with this group. So, when it came time to push he was ready and gave his best effort. He finished ahead of athletes who bested him two week prior at the conference race. His 35th place finish was 33 places better than last year and his time of 16:35 was a 12-second improvement as well.

This also marks a return to the State Meet for the girls’ team. While it was Gutzmann’s first appearance in the Cross Country pinnacle race, she is no stranger to the State Meet arena where she has competed twice in Track and Field running on the 4 x 400m relay. Going into the race she was calm and collected, focused on what she wanted to do. Over the course of the race she pushed herself as she ran with the elite pack of runners. In the end, she would finish 98th place in a time of 20:28, faster than her previous time at St. Olaf this season by 50 seconds.

CHOIR

Andrew Bourgoin, Choir Director

We're on the road to Christmas! As performers, it's a thrilling time of year:  familiar tunes and a hefty schedule.

Let's reflect on the past couple of months: seven public performances, continuous growth, and lots of varied repertoire.   We have performed hymn tunes, pop songs, musical theatre, and a national anthem!

Shout-outs go to percussionists Louie Shearon, Claire Connelly, Katelyn Jaksha, and Ryan Klein for their consistent skill set and willingness to work with us--we're so grateful! George Masson provided a smooth bass texture for us in All-Saints Mass. Erinn Jambor, David Jaksha, Patrick Hahn, Jack Calkins, and Lauren Swords created the CDH Brass Quintet to provide accompaniment in Worship. Faculty members Tim Teuber and Sam Vetch never cease to amaze with their guitar stylings.

What will be next?  Make plans to attend the 25th Annual Choral Christmas Dinner! Showcasing the talent of Cretin-Derham Hall musicians, the event features a catered event by Taher and a silent auction.  All proceeds go to the CDH Vocal Music Program.  Saturday, December 3, 2016 from 6-9 PM. Coat Check Opens at 5:30 PM.  Griep Family Gymnasium. Visit www.cdh.org to pre-purchase tickets. 

We are taking donations for the silent auction; please contact Andrew Bourgoin for more information.     abourgoin@c-dh.org

See you there!