Announcements
2018-2019 Calendar updates due to severe weather closures:
Monday, February 18: (President’s Day) School in session. Regular schedule 7:45am -3:05pm
Thursday, May 16: Late start. Classes begin at 9:25am
Monday, May 20: Early Release. Students dismissed at 1:40pm
Tuesday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 22: Semester 2 final exams. Students dismissed at 1:00 pm
Thursday, May 23: Semester 2 final exams. Students dismissed at 11:00am
Book Murals
The website/Facebook story about the book murals in the English hallway received record responses in several venues. Coverage of the story took place in the Daily Herald, New Jersey Family Magazine, Scary Mommy website, Pop Sugar website, the BBC in London, two European countries and countless websites and blogs. Diane Covert and Ron Girard received a total of 57 inquiries about the project from teachers and administrators from around the country.
Here are the statistics from our Facebook Page: Total number of people reached: 492,084; Engagements [people who reacted in some way]: 235,294; Comments [all positive]: 744; Shares to other friends/websites: 4,267.
In addition, three of the authors of the featured books are making plans to visit MHS and speak with students about their books. Simon and Schuster, publisher of two of the books, has donated 30 copies of each book to be added to the English Department library.
Weather cancels author’s planned visit to MHS
Chris McDougall, author of one of books featured in the English hallway display, Born to Run, was scheduled to speak with students about writing and about the subjects of his books. He also wrote the bestseller, Natural Born Heroes. The snow and high wind chills delayed and eventually canceled McDougall’s flight. He will reschedule for the Spring.Trained as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, Christopher McDougall covered wars in Rwanda and Angola before writing his international bestseller, Born to Run. Born to Run is currently being made into a feature film starring Matthew McConaughey.
In the spring, McDougall will speak about the Art of the Hero, looking at the way kids of high school age used to be schooled in the strength, skill, and desire necessary to be their best selves. Native Americans, Ancient Greeks, and African tribespeople made it a priority to train young men and women in the art of the hero, but unfortunately, that tradition has largely been lost. “However, there are still some cultures that keep the art of the hero alive, and by learning how it’s done, we might be able to work it back into our lives,” McDougall said. He will also speak about the Tarahumara, Parkour crews, and WWII resistance fighters.
Transition Program news
Members of the Transition Program at MHS threw a thank-you party for the members of the Facilities and Maintenance staff. Last summer, the staff created a whole new look for the program by having a separate entrance with signage and constructing rooms that look more like apartments than classrooms. These students are over age 18 and are in the program to transition to adulthood and independence. They have been thrilled with their new surroundings and held the breakfast gathering as an appreciation gesture.
Recognition
MHS junior chosen to study in Shanghai
Mundelein High School junior, Christopher Mora, has been selected by the Counsel on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) to spend part of the upcoming summer studying Chinese Language and Culture in Shanghai, China. He was nominated by his Advanced Placement (AP) English teacher, Angie McLaughlin.
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| Christopher Mora |
“You should be extremely proud of Christopher as we had more than 3,000 applicants for our November 30 deadline,” said Anna Johnson, a CIEE representative. “We rely on your recommendations to help us determine which applicants to accept and award scholarships to. Thank you for your time and patience, and for all that you do to support your students’ efforts to live and learn abroad!” she said.
Mora is currently carrying an impressive group of courses which includes AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, AP United States/Comparative Government and Politics, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP English Language, Honors Physics and PE Strength 2.
“I first heard about the program through the morning announcements at school and thought it would be a great experience,” Mora said. “I was thrilled when I found out I was accepted and was basically awarded a ‘free ride’ scholarship too.”
Mora is looking forward to learning Mandarin and also hopes to become fluent in the language. His future plans include an interest in medicine with an eye on working in US communities that have populations of Mandarin speaking residents.
While in Shanghai, Mora will spend the four weeks living with a local family. “That should really help me to understand the culture that I will be living in,” he concluded.
MHS yearbook staff earn six awards in state contest
The staff of the Mundelein High School yearbook, Obelisk, earned six awards in their division of the Illinois Journalism Education Association (IJEA) contest. The IJEA received more than 50 yearbooks from high schools from throughout Illinois.
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| 2017-18 yearbook staff |
“The staff spends about ten months each year working on the yearbook,” said Advisor Michelle Didzbalis. “They have to wait for a final printed product before they see the fruits of their labor so it’s nice all their hard work can be rewarded with awards from a well-known journalism contest,” she said.
This year, the 2018 book with the theme “Stay Connected” earned second place in the copywriting category. “Overall, this category told in-depth stories that captured the personality of their schools,” the judges wrote.
The staff members also took third place in both the graphics category and in sports coverage. “Some very good stories elevated this section. Features on bottoms of pages are nice as well,” the judges wrote about sports coverage. For the graphics category, the judges stated “Winners used graphics consistently without overdoing it and it created simple but elegant books. Bold and fun use of graphics was also observed.”
The staff also received honorable mention in the theme development category, the photography category and the coverage of the year category.
Last year’s staff was led by editors-in-chief Kyle Ehemann and Sophia Fiore, both 2018 graduates.
FBLA brings home multiple awards
The Mundelein High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) competed at the Illinois Northern Area Conference held at Grayslake Central High School on Saturday, January 26 and earned a number of awards.
While at the Area Competition, members, accompanied by advisors Chris Hoster and Sarah Menas, competed in various events that tested their business leadership skills. A total of 46 Mundelein FBLA students competed well enough and qualified, either as an individual or a team, to continue on to the State Leadership Conference, which will be held in Springfield, Illinois on April 5 and 6.
Among the many who qualified for State Competition, one student, sophomore Sofia Feijoo, also campaigned and was re-elected for the position of Area Vice President for the Northern Illinois FBLA region.
Mundelein High School FBLA members took home the following awards for competitive events:
- First Place: American Enterprise Project: Jillian Hoffstadt, Mackenzie Stewart; Broadcast Journalism: Allan Rodriguez; Business Financial Plan: Flavio Diaz, Sofia Feijoo; Journalism: Ashley Cline; Network Design: Thomas Riggio, Noah Sioson
- Second Place: Computer Applications: Nicholas Vyverman; Introduction to Financial Math: Nathan Clapp; Management Decision Making: Mateusz Brak, Jillian Hoffstadt
- Sports & Entertainment Management: Tyler Green, Parker Geary, Zach Scott
- Third Place: Cyber Security: Christopher Hill; Global Business: Isabel Alviar, Mackenzie Stewart; Introduction to Business: Isaac Fuksman
- Fourth Place: Economics: Ilya Vynnyk; Introduction to Business: Lauren Oliver
- Fifth Place: Business Calculations: Sahil Patel; E-Business: Kavana Belagur, Taneesha Tavkar, Esther Marcos; Graphic Design: Liam Guiritan; Health Care Administration Swetha Chandrasekar; Introduction to FBLA: Xavier Greene
- Sixth Place: Business Communication: Derek Lee; Introduction to FBLA: Raina Kratz
- Introduction to Public Speaking: Polina Rubin; Public Service Announcement: Sydnie Mathews, Justin So
- Seventh Place: Economics: Justin Park; Journalism: Tress Dorfler
- Eighth Place: Introduction to Business: Wilken Benjamin; Political Science: Matthew Pawlowski; Website Design: Mackenzie Begg, Lauren Geary, Elli Pearson
Mundelein High School alum, Michelle Strachn, Class of 1990, will be inducted into the Gymnastics Coaches Association Hall of Fame Friday, Feb. 15 at Palatine High School after the first session of the Gymnastics State Meet.
After four years as a stand out gymnast and softball player at MHS, she continued her gymnastics at Winona State University. After graduating, she returned to Mundelein as an assistant coach before earning a teaching and coaching position at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates. She led the Cougars to a State Championship, two second places, a third place and a fifth place.
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| Coach Michelle Strachn assists a Conant HS gymnast during practice. |
Activities
Prom 2019 News!
We wanted to send out an email with some important updates for Prom 2019. We will send more detailed information as we get closer to Prom, but here are the highlights:
- Prom 2019 theme is ...... A Night in Hollywood
- Prom will be held on Friday, May 3rd from 6:30 - 11:30 pm (all attendees must arrive by 7:30 pm)
- Location: Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, 10 Marriott Dr, Lincolnshire, IL
- Ticket Cost: $90
- All service hours, fees, book returns (overdue) must be completed and up to date in order to purchase your ticket
- Attendance requirements: On the day of Prom you are expected to be in attendance through the end of the school day (11:25 am) - it is a 1/2 day so all students will be released by 11:25 am - please plan accordingly.
- No refunds will be issued - all ticket sales will be final.
Students, watch your email for continual updates....meal choices, song requests, etc.
As always please feel free to attend any Prom planning meetings to share your thoughts! Check the Student Leadership webpage for meeting times and location.
Support the MHS Foundation
The MHS Foundation is sponsoring a “Queen of Hearts – Done the Mustang Way” Raffle. Weekly drawings will be held on Tuesdays at 7PM at Emil’s Pizza. The first weekly draw was held on Nov.6th but the prize has grown considerably. Tickets are on sale at Emil’s for $1 each or 6 for $5. All proceeds go towards scholarships and innovative classrooms grants. Thank you for your support!
Amazon Smile Helps MHS
Register and shop Amazon Smile to benefit MHS. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of purchases to the Mundelein High School Foundation. https://goo.gl/6ayz6A
Athletics
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| Congratulations to Audrey Rehm on winning the NSC Sportsmanship winner for Gymnastics |
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| Congratulations to the JV Gymnastics team on winning Conference |
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| DJ Preston winning his dual vs Libertyville |
Basketball
Don’t forget to buy your tickets for the MHS vs Schurz game and then watch the Bulls take on the Washington Wizards. Stop by the bookstore before tickets sell out
Winter Sports
Some of our Winter sports are in their post-season play.
To view all sports happenings click HERE