Heard in the Halls - October 2017

October 11, 2017

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 | BAND | CHOIR | COUNSELING | JROTC | THEATER

Athletics

by Phil Archer'99, Athletic Director

Winter Parent/Athlete Meetings

Winter Parent/Athlete meetings begin this month. Please check the website for more information including dates, times, and location!

Coming up:

Wednesday, Oct. 11: Girls Hockey Only
Monday, Oct. 23: Boys & Girls Basketball, Boys Hockey, Alpine Ski, Boys Swim & Dive, Gymnastics, Wrestling

NBA Championship Coach Kevin Eastman to Speak at CDH

He will inspire and challenge us on the topic, "Why the Best Are the Best"  on Monday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Joe Mauer Field House. Students of all ages, parents, and friends are encouraged to attend.

Boys and Girls Soccer

This week marks the start of the Boys and Girls Section Soccer Tournament. The Boys Soccer season ended with a tough 2-0 loss against Apple Valley last night. Thank you to our seniors for providing great leadership throughout the season. The Girls Soccer Team will play Thursday night at home against Hopkins starting at 7:00 p.m. We would love to see a ton of people come out and support the teams.

Girls Swim & Dive

by Shannon van Oosterom, Head Coach

With a 100-85 victory over Woodbury High School last night the girls are currently in second place in the conference with a 4-2 dual meet record. The 200 and 400 freestyle relay team of Carolyn Garcia Creighten, Sophie Clauson, Chloe Schmidt, and Anneke van Oosterom, all sophomores, was undefeated last night against Woodbury. Senior Kate Van Meter, sophomores van Oosterom and Schmidt won both of their individual events last night as well.

Rookie eighth-grade diver Sophia Heer placed fourth behind three very strong Woodbury divers and continues to improve as the season progresses.

There are currently six CDH swimmers on the All-Conference list and we are looking to add more as the season continues. Next stop: White Bear Lake on Thursday, October 12 and True Team Sections at Edina on Saturday, October 14.

Band

by Donna Novey, Band Director

The first six weeks of school have been an absolute whirlwind for the CDH Band.  Hard work and great mentorship by the upperclassmen have really set the tone and created a can-do attitude with such a heavy performance schedule early on in the school year.  And, the band has enjoyed great success as a result!

The band has already done eight performances as well as chair auditions and held the annual CDH Band Cake Breakfast which was on October 8. You can watch their Homecoming Field Show, here. Next up for the band will be supporting the JROTC Diamond Promotions, two Open Houses for incoming 9th graders and any post-season pep bands that may arise. The Fall Concert will be on Monday, November 13.

Band Member Spotlight

Senior Band Officers this year are Katelyn Jaksha (percussion), Joe Seifert (tenor sax), Jamie Urban (clarinet), and Mikey Jay (flute).  Officers are responsible for a variety of leadership responsibilities as well as problem-solving and having the pulse of the band members.  They rally band members to work together and facilitate communication among the members.  Their leadership is invaluable to the smooth workings of the band.

Choir

by Isaac Lovdahl, Choir Director

The first choir concert of the year will take place this Thursday, October 12 at 7 p.m. in the Lillian Theater on campus. We have been working hard since late August on an eclectic program featuring a variety of different musical styles. Come and join us for an evening of song!

Counseling

by Joan O'Connell, College Counselor

College Financial Aid

The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, will be available for families to file for college financial aid beginning October 1 for the 2018-2019 school year.  Prior year tax information from 2016 tax returns will be used for the income section of the FAFSA for both students and parents. Specific questions can be directed to any college financial aid officer.

College Application Deadline Changes

Largely due to earlier filing for college financial aid, college application deadlines have moved up to earlier in the fall.  Many schools now have November 1 priority deadlines for admissions and scholarships.  Seniors must pay careful attention to their deadlines and be sure to have CDH Application Contracts to the counseling office at least two weeks prior to your earliest deadline.  If you have a November 1 deadline, you must have your CDH Application Contract to the counseling office by Friday, October 13 to assure that your CDH materials can be sent by the November 1 deadline.  Questions or need help?  Contact the counseling office at 651-696-3312.

Campus Visits Over October Break

Students will not have school Thursday, October 19, Friday, October 20, and Monday, October 23, 2017.  This long weekend is traditionally a time when regional colleges host high school juniors and seniors for on-campus visits.  A college visit is easy to schedule online.  Take advantage of this extended time to see schools that are a bit further away.

JROTC 

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

We kicked off the school year with our annual Fall Review, which was held on September 14. The review is designed to formally welcome the ninth grade class into the corps of cadets and recognize a few that have displayed emerging skill in leadership. Our corps was challenged by an extremely warm day at 91 degrees, but they persevered and marched in fine fashion. 

This event was the first formal event for our corps of cadets to celebrate the 100^th year of JROTC at CDH. Mr. Brian McMahon'87, current Chair of the CDH Board of Directors addressed the cadets about leadership challenges and overcoming them through perseverance. We will continue to celebrate this year with the Twilight Parade in May and we will culminate the centennial next September with another Fall Review. As I mentioned earlier, we recognized some ninth graders for their leadership skills. We do this by awarding them the Brother Alphonsus Martel Leadership Scholarship and the Outstanding Drill Cadet Awards. These students are:

Brother Alphonsus Martel Leadership Scholarship

Cadet PVT Teagan Foley
Cadet PVT Ethan Kalafatich
Cadet PVT Steven Thornton

Outstanding Drill Cadet Awards

Cadet PVT Jackson Thoma
Cadet PVT Maximillian Guyott
Cadet PVT Lazaro Carrera-Perez
Cadet PVT Sean Xiong
Cadet PVT Henry Votel
Cadet PVT Benjamin Kimlinger

A total of 82 cadets, along with the cadre and chaperones, traveled to Camp Ripley on September 22-24 for our annual encampment. We were a bit worried about the weather, but our luck held up and even though we did have some rain, we were able to conduct all of the fun events. These included a pizza party on Friday night, physical training, running the orienteering and obstacle course, picnicking at the obstacle course while communing with nature, a trip to the Camp Ripley Museum, a very nice prayer service, and we topped it all off with a fun Dodge Ball tournament. All of the cadets had a great time and we arrived back at CDH on Sunday with a half day left for the students to go to church and do their homework. Our trip to Camp Ripley every year is very important for the students to get to know each other better and to allow for our senior cadets to practice their leadership skills.

Color Guard performed at the Fall Review, Alumni Banquet, Homecoming, and will present flags at Diamond Promotions.

Our seniors have begun to lead the Brigade. Many planned and supervised activities at Camp Ripley.  Those in key leadership positions have initiated the Continuous Improvement Process for the year. They are currently reviewing our mission, vision, and values to identify desired outcomes and set goals using the SMART model. In October, those who are interested and eligible will compete for Diamond Officer.  We will announce our permanent chain of command at the Diamond Officer Assembly on October 27.

The juniors are digging into basic leadership theory. By understanding the “Dimensions of Leadership,” they can be more deliberate and purposeful in how they lead. They have learned the meaning of the principles of leadership and are attempting to memorize them. They are doing well in their efforts to manage their platoons and companies for the first time. As soon as they pass their drill exam they earn promotion to Cadet Staff Sergeant. 

Our sophomore and freshmen classes are finishing up on their drill and ceremonies training. Soon we will be focusing on health topics and U.S. national symbols. Sophomores have assumed squad leader positions and the freshmen are learning what leadership positions are available.

Seniors should be finishing Senior ROTC applications and Academy nominations. Juniors who are considering military service should be doing their research on which branch, what school, and which major.  As always, we are available to answer questions.  Come see LTC Fischer at conferences.

To stay up-to-date on all of our news, activities, and events, follow us on Twitter!

Theater

by Katie Kretizer, Theater Director

The 2017-2018 CDH Theater Season is off to a humorous and entertaining start.  On September 11 and 12, approximately fifty students auditioned for the fall show, One Man Two Guvnors by Richard Bean. An all-star cast has been working hard mastering British accents, practicing stage combat and physical comedy tricks, and finding the fun in this incredibly well-written comedy farce.

Based on an English adaptation of the1743 Italian Commedia dell’arte play, A Servant of Two Masters, the show centers around comic stock characters such as greedy old men, know-it-all parents, lovers, captains, and more.  The common traits of these characters will resonate with audiences. The study of Commedia dell’arte has become an integral part of the acting curriculum at CDH providing an opportunity to dive into strong physical characters.

One Man Two Guvnors premiered on Broadway in 2012.  If you are a fan of James Corden from “Carpool Karaoke” or “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” you have this show to thank. Cordon played the leading role, which, in turn, launched his American career and won him a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2012.

It has been nine years since CDH has done a non-musical comedy and it feels as if this is the perfect time to be producing something that brings us joy.  Rehearsals have been filled with belly laughs and giggles that, quite literally, take us a long time to regain our focus.  The cast is required to participate on the CDH Improvisation Team, which meets every Monday during homeroom and lunch as well as Wednesdays after school. To be sure, this fall season has been filled with laughter and we can’t wait for you to share it with us.

Don’t miss the hilarious One Man, Two Guvnors.  Shows are October 24 – 26 and November 3 – 5.  Tickets are on sale now online at the CDH Theater web page or at the door (if available) the day of the show. Tickets will no longer be available pre-sale in the main office. Buy yours now!