Heard in the Halls - October 2019

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 2020-2021 school year. Prior year tax information (2018 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 Deadlines 

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 Monday, October 14 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 17 and Friday, October 18, 2019. 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.

Heads Up on April ACT Test Date

Please note that the April ACT testing date is Saturday, April 4, 2020, which is the first Saturday of the CDH Spring Break. Please take this into consideration if/when you make any travel plans. Students can also register to take the test at a site in another state.

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

Since our last article a great deal has happened…..

On September 25, we conducted our Annual Fall Review. Read more about it and see pictures here.

More than 100 cadets and chaperones traveled to Camp Ripley on September 27-29 for our Annual Encampment. Our weather was wonderful until we came home on Sunday, but the rain on Sunday didn’t impact our activities. We started our encampment weekend with a pizza party on Friday night and incorporated plenty of physical training, the orienteering and obstacle course, a lot of fresh air and exercise, a trip to the Camp Ripley Museum, and a very nice prayer service.  We topped it all off with a fun dodgeball 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 our senior cadets to practice their leadership skills.

The Color Guard has been busy supporting varsity sports and community events. We completed the first-trimester Color Guard “boot camp” where nine students earned the color guard arc. We hold this intense training session at the start of every trimester. Thanks to this training, five new 9^th graders carried the colors at the Fall Review. We are training to send teams to the Como High School Marine Corps JROTC Drill Competition at the end of October.

Orienteering will have its first training event on a Saturday in November to get ready for the spring season. 

The Air Rifle team will start its training and season on Monday, October 14. We have quite a few returning members, but invite all interested to come out and enjoy this fun and safe sport.

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 25.

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. Most have passed their drill exam and have earned promotion to Cadet Staff Sergeant.  

Sophomores and freshmen 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 ninth graders are learning what leadership positions exist.

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

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