Thursday, August 11, 2016

School is Open!

What a great start to the school year!  Students and staff have expressed excitement and great expectations this week.  Certainly, the opening of the new building has generated this energy.  While I stood in the 2nd floor hallway, I asked students what the thought about the new building.  They were full of descriptive comments about the brightness, openness, areas to talk, overall beauty, and new furniture.  After years of planning, this addition has changed the face of MHS forever for the better!

In the next couple weeks, students will also begin to see examples of Mundelein High School's new branding.  With our Annual Open House approaching later this month (see information below), staff will ensure the building is in order.

It is my wish that every student takes full advantage of the curricular programming and social activities offered this year.   MHS is your school and our staff is dedicated to being an active part in each student's life.  Welcome back to school and have a great school year!








Time lapse video of new building addition:


Core Ideology


District 120 embraces innovation to create sustainable growth for all.

Core Values


  • Equity – We value all individuals and believe they will achieve.
  • Growth – We value continuous improvement for all students, staff, and programs. 
  • Collaboration - We value working cooperatively towards building a dynamic learning community.


These core values are used as the litmus test when examining new programs, curricula, and hiring staff members.  MHS pledges to strive for excellence in these values and invites the community to join in our work.

Announcements


STEM VIP Visit: Distinguished scientist Dr. Mark Stoyer will speak to MHS students
How do you create new element? Dr. Mark Stoyer, senior staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, will convey his personal knowledge of the process to STEM Research and other science students Tuesday, August 16. Dr. Stoyer, a nationally-recognized scientist, co-created six elements (113-118) and was co-namer of two. His stop at MHS’s new STEM wing follows a visit to Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont.


Mundelein Ambassadors Invite Parents to Join!
Who we are:   Parents of Mundelein High School students who want to support our school and community.

Purpose: To build bridges with parents, sender schools, community and MHS faculty.

Commitment:   One meeting a month 90 minutes
                         2-3 hours per activity

Events:            

  • Host Freshmen Families BBQ
  • Meet with all sender school future 9th grade families
  • Serve snow cones at Freshmen Orientation
  • Supervise Senior Grad Party Night
  • Supervise Back to School Bash
  • Assist with Mr. Mustang
  • Organize Teacher Appreciation Week


If you want to be part of the group and help out once in awhile contact
Lisa Brandt:  jlre.brandt@gmail.com

Freshmen Cookout Planned 



MHS to host community meetings concerning Bell Schedule recommendation
Mundelein High School officials will host two evening meetings in August, open to all community members, to address an upcoming decision concerning the bell schedule.  The meetings will be held Wednesday, Aug. 17 and Wednesday, Aug. 31 beginning at 6 p.m. in the MHS cafeteria.

The District is considering an alternative daily schedule to replace the current 4x4 Block Schedule that has been in place since 1996. A committee made up of staff and administration has been studying various schedules for over a year. Their most important finding has been that students are at a disadvantage under the current schedule because of what is called “gap time.” The committee has determined that gap time has had a negative effect both on ACT test scores and Advanced Placement [AP] scores as well as student grades in general.  The administration is looking for a schedule that is year-long based so that the majority of courses are 36-weeks long. Currently, the Block Schedule has 9-week and 18-week courses only.

Of the 20 Lake County High Schools, 17 are on traditional 8-period day schedules while three are on modified block schedules. MHS is the only Lake County high school on a 4x4 Block Schedule.
Residents will hear a short presentation about the alternatives to the Block Schedule that the administration is considering and there will be time for questions and answers. An official recommendation is expected to be made to the Board of Education in September. If the bell schedule is changed, it would go into effect in the 2017 – 2018 school year.

2016-2017 Athletic Activity Season Passes
Follow the link below and pre-order your passes today to lock in last year’s  price - $25 for two
passes.  If you plan to attend even a few varsity athletic events throughout the fall and winter seasons these passes will pay for themselves!  Order online by August 15th to take advantage of 2015 prices!
Order today at http://passes.mhsedfoundation.org

Proceeds from Season Pass sales provide classroom grants and student scholarships benefiting the students at Mundelein High School.  The MHS Foundation awarded $12,000 in student scholarships and $1,700 in classroom grants last year.  This would not have been possible without your generous support.  Thanks, and Go Big Red!







MHS Building Tours before Open House
Come see our new building before you meet your student’s teachers!! Mundelein High School students will host tours of the new building in English and Spanish from 5:00-7:00pm on August 24, 2016.  

The tours will take parents, family members,  and community members through all the great additions and renovations here at MHS, and Quest will be providing some delicious bites for you to sample as well.  This is your chance to get an up close look at the new rooms, labs, equipment, and other spaces throughout the building with explanations of how we utilize the spaces from the students.  Tours will start every 10-15 minutes from the front office.  

Sign up ahead of time is not necessary, just come by before open house starts at 7pm to join in.  We look forward to sharing our excitement about all the changes at Mundelein with you and hope to see you there!





Theatre Department announces 2016-2017 season
For years, the theatre department at Mundelein High School was known as MHS Theatre.  But starting this year, the department will change its moniker to Mundelein Theatre.  “The issue with being known as MHS Theatre is that many other schools whose name starts with an ‘M’ use that same name,” said Jonathan Meier, theatre director at MHS. “Having Mundelein in our title gives us much stronger name recognition.”  So armed with a new name and a new logo, Mundelein Theatre has announced their 2016-2017 season.

Opening the year will be the Student Directed One-Act Plays. This year an all-time high nine plays have been selected. The plays are chosen, cast and directed by MHS seniors.  The plays average 12 minutes in length. Performances are September 6 and 7 at 7 p.m.

Next up is Completely Hollywood, by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor. This is the New Faces production, providing an opportunity for freshmen and sophomores, as well as junior and seniors who have never acted on the Mundelein main stage. This seriously silly show biz satire cuts through the celluloid to condense the 186 greatest films in Hollywood's over 100-year history into a complete compilation of classic cinematic clichés - plus a few brand new clichés. Performances are October 28 and 29 at 7 p.m, and October 29 at 3:45 p.m.

The fall play will be The Best Man, written by the celebrated American writer, Gore Vidal. The perfect play for an election year, the show deals with a fictional presidential primary in 1960.  The play examines the nature of power, the quest for power and the way power makes people behave. The witty dialogue and clever characters give the play a sense of satirical fun. Performance dates are November 10, 11 and 12 at 7 pm, and November 11 at 3:45 pm.

This winter will bring a twist on one of Shakespeare’s most popular and beloved plays, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Staged on the school’s 200-seat thrust stage, Mundelein Theatre will be setting the play in the day room of a mental hospital.  So what happens when the inmates get control of the asylum?  The answer is, of course…Shakespeare!

The story and language remain the same - the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta, four young Athenian lovers, a group of rude mechanicals, all controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit the forest in which most of the play is set. The play runs January 22, 23 and 24 at 7 p.m, and January 23 at 3:45 p.m.

Once again, Mundelein Theatre will compete in IHSA Group Interpretation. This year they will be adapting the novel Stranger Than Fiction, by Zach Helm. A mentally unstable IRS auditor hears an author's voice in his head and discovers that he is the ill-fated protagonist of her latest work. While a book company employee tries to cure the author's case of writer's block, the auditor and a professor set out to find the woman and make her change her story. There will be public performances held at MHS on March 16 and 17 at 7 p.m.

Springtime at Mundelein High School always means musical season.  This year’s musical is City of Angels, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel and book by Larry Gelbart.  The show is two musicals in one. It is the interweaving of two plots, one dealing with the writing of a screenplay in the legendary Hollywood of the 1940’s; the other, the enactment of that screenplay. It is entirely appropriate, then, that the final curtain comes down on two happy endings. The show runs April 27 and 28 at 7 p.m. and April 29 at 2 and 7 p.m.
More information about the season can be found at www.mundeleintheatre.org.

College & Career Resource Center

MHS Introduces New College Counselor
Hello!  My name is Andrea Rusk and I am Mundelein High School’s new college counselor.  After teaching Spanish at Warren Township High School for 6 years, I became a part of the MHS family as a generalist counselor, a role that I have held for the past 5 years. I absolutely love the positive energy that flows through our students and am thrilled to hold this new position!

I hold an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a master’s degree from Concordia University, Chicago.  I am involved in organizations like the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling, and I have been a member of the board of the Lake County Counselors Association for the past 5 years.

I am excited to have the opportunity to enhance our current program by engaging with the college community and bringing resources back to our students and families. I look forward to discovering new ways to keep our information current and hope to offer more focused opportunities for interaction with college representatives and others who can support our students as they choose their path.

I hope to see many of our students and their parents at our upcoming events.

Fall Event Highlights:
NSC NCAA Athletic Program  Lake Zurich High School Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, September 7:  7:00-8:30pm

College Planning Night Mundelein High School Auditorium    
Wednesday, September 21: 7:00pm

Performing and Visual Arts College Fair  DePaul University - Theatre School Chicago, IL
Saturday, September 24: 1 -3:30pm

NACAC National College Fair  McCormick Place, Chicago, IL    
Saturday, October 1: 11am-3pm

NACAC National College Fair  Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, WI          
Sunday, October 2: noon-3pm

FAFSA Workshop   Mundelein High School      
Wednesday, October 5: 5-8pm

CHOICES College Fair for Students with Disabilities  Lake Forest High School  
Monday, October 17: 6-9pm

Take a look at our upcoming events, college representative visits, and online resources: http://d120.ae-dns.com/academics/ccrc/default.aspx
Email me: arusk@d120.org
Follow me on Twitter: @mundycollege

Activities


Back-to-School Bash
Student Leadership will be hosting the 3rd Annual Back to School Bash.  This event takes place in conjunction with the soccer and football program's fall scrimmages, the Scarlet and Grey Game.  The
Back to School Bash will include a 40 foot inflatable obstacle course, a chance to dunk your teachers and community police officers in the dunk tank, and a life-size human foosball court.  There will be plenty of food, drinks, music, and fun for all.  The cost for admittance into the Back to School Bash is $2 which includes food, drinks, and activities.  All students are invited to attend which will take place on Friday, August 19th.

The times of events are as follows:
5:00pm – 6:00pm: Varsity Soccer Scrimmage (Stadium), Freshmen Football Scrimmage (Baseball field)
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Varsity Football Scrimmage (Stadium), Freshmen Soccer Scrimmage (Baseball field)
7:00pm – 9:00pm: Back to School Bash (North Field and North Lot)

Hope to see you there!


Athletics

Fall sports have started at MHS.  There is still time to get your white card and participate in sports, see the Athletic Office for details.

Important Athletic Dates 
Monday, August 15th and Tuesday, August 16th - Parent/ Athlete fall sport meeting-
Pre-season parent and athlete letter

Thursday, August 18 - Fall Sport Team Pictures