Mustang Messenger

NovemberNovember 3 ELECTION DAY-VOTE!

November 5 Fall Musical “Footloose” (7:00 pm)

November 6 Fall Musical “Footloose” (7:00 pm)

November 7 Fall Musical “Footloose” (1:00 pm or 7:00 pm)

November 7 Host State Class 2A Football Game (1:00 pm)

November 10 Orchestra Concert #1 (7:00 pm)

November 12 Orchestra Concert #2 (7:00 pm)

November 14 ACT Practice Test (8:00 am – noon)

November 17 Host Chippewa Orchestra Concert (7:00 pm)

November 19 Jazz Band Concert (7:00 pm)

November 21 ACT Strategy Session (8:30-11:00 am)

November 23-27 NO SCHOOL

MVHS - HOME OF THE MUSTANGS!

Hello Mounds View Families,

Peering out the window of my office this week, I noticed that most of the leaves have fallen and our daylight hours have slowly decreased. Fall (if not winter) is starting to fill the air and if your family is similar to mine, many of you have already started your preparations for the upcoming holiday season.

In the building, our students have been very busy. This past weekend we held our annual Halloween dance. Like

our Homecoming dance, the gym was full of energetic, excited, and very respect-ful young people. Our students also completed our annual food drive and per-formed wonderfully in their band, orchestra, and choir concerts.

In the coming month, we have many events planned for students, families, and members of the greater Mounds View High School community. These events in-clude our musical production of “Footloose”, the practice ACT and ensuing strat-egy sessions, as well as concerts in orchestra and jazz band. Please feel welcome to attend and partake in as many events as you are able. Our students absolutely love the support.

In closing, please remember that students have a week-long break during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is a great time for them to “re-charge their batteries” and enjoy time with family and friends. I wish you, your student(s), and your fami-lies the best and look forward to seeing you at a school event soon.

Go Mustangs!!

Dr. Jeffery P. Ridlehoover

November 2015Mustang Messenger

From the Principal….

"Building an inclusive community of responsible, respectfuland resourceful citizens who value learning."

Ryan Poepard graduated from Valparaiso University with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He earned a Masters Degree in School Counseling from Purdue and his admin-istration license is from Saint Mary’s. He worked as a School Counselor in White Bear Lake for 11 years and this is his 4th year as a Dean of Students at MVHS. He also coaches girl’s basketball and baseball. He is married and has two daughters. His wife works in the district and his children attend school in Mounds View as well. In his spare time he loves visiting family in Florida where his girls love to surf and hunt for sea shells. He truly enjoys working for Mounds View Public Schools. “The quality in leadership and instruction makes me proud to say that my kids will one day be Mustangs!”

This is Lexi Runnals’ first year at Mounds View High School and she is overjoyed to be part of the community and the English department. This semester she is teaching College Seminar 9, Advanced English 10, and Writing Workshop. She is also honored to be part of the MVHS production of Footloose. Lexi has spent the last five years teaching in Minnesota and Massachusetts. She grew up in a small western Massa-chusetts town and moved to Minnesota after graduating from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In her free time, Lexi likes to travel home to Massachusetts, spend as much time as possible outdoors, and buy lots of books and wish there was more time to read them all! She is a huge animal lover and has three cats and a dog. As a non-native Minnesotan, she also loves hearing about new and exciting places to visit in the Midwest, so next time you see her please share some of your travel ideas.

If you call the Attendance Office or stop in to pick up your student, you will probably talk with Patty McDonagh. Patty is starting her second year as our Attendance Clerk, but has worked for Mounds View School District for 21 years. “It has been great to see so many familiar faces of stu-dents and parents I knew at Chippewa, along with meeting so many new families now from across the district.” Patty grew up in the Shoreview area and attended Snail Lake Elementary, (now the dis-trict offices & K center) Chippewa and Mounds View. She married her high school sweet-heart, Sean who she met in her 11th grade math class and they live in Arden Hills. Their three boys have kept them busy chasing from the football, baseball and lacrosse fields to hockey rinks across the nation. Colin (27 yrs) and his wife, Emily live in St. Francis; Ryan (26 yrs) and his wife, Kaylee share their time between New York City and Shoreview and Quinn

(16 yrs) is a junior here at Mounds View.Patty and her family love to travel to New York to cheer on son, Ryan, playing hockey for the New York Rangers. She also loves cheering on Quinn and all the Mustang student-athletes. Other activities Patty enjoys are biking and water aerobics. One event Patty has crossed off her “bucket list” was standing for 12 hours in the middle of Times Square to watch the ball drop for New Years Eve. “It was an unbelievable experience!”

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Get to Know ‘Em

Meet Lexi Runnals

Meet Ryan Poepard

Meet Patty McDonagh

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Senior Spotlight

Zoe Randall

What is your favorite food?Mac & Cheese

What is your favorite TV show?Grey’s Anatomy

What is your favorite movie?Interstellar

What is your favorite book?Harry Potter Series

What is your favorite school lunch?Pasta Day!

What is your favorite MVHS class?Chemistry

Who is your favorite MVHS teacher?Mr. Wright

John Reim

What is your favorite food?Fish Tacos

What is your favorite TV show?The Walking Dead

What is your favorite movie?Transformers

What is your favorite book?American Sniper

What is your favorite school lunch?Popcorn Chicken

What is your favorite MVHS class?DECA

Who is your favorite MVHS teacher?Senora Rivers

Frankie Floeder

What is your favorite food?Prime Rib

What is your favorite TV show?Survivor or America’s Got Talent

What is your favorite movie?Soul Surfer

What is your favorite book?Something for Joey, by Richard E. Pecke

What is your favorite school lunch?Own lunch

What is your favorite MVHS class?Strength Training

Who is your favorite MVHS teacher?Mr. Galvin or Mr. Wright

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Athletics & Activities Happenings

Section Champs & Headed to State!!

Athletics/Activities SchedulesSchedules are available online at gomvmustangs.com and /or suburbaneast.org under member schools, select Mounds View. Schedule changes are posted as they become available.

Our girls soccer team entered section play as the #1 seed, was ranked #2 in the state and #14 in the National rankings according to USA today. Click to view: http://usatodayhss.com/rankings/expert/girls/soccer/2015/8

Three players were named “All State”:Julia Anderson, Rachel Boyer and Mariah Northrop

Senior Rachel Boyer has been selected as a Miss Soccer Finalist!

CONGRATULATIONS TOALL THE GIRLS!

Rachel Boyer

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Athletics & Activities Happenings (cont.)

Mustang Invite

The Mustang Cross Country Invite was held on September 25 at Chippewa Middle School. Six states were repre-sented this year with 31 schools participating with an estimated 1200 runners. Tom Watson (alumni parent) runs this event and has since its inception – thanks for an excellent job, Tom!

Don’t ForgetProduction of Footlooseopens this week!!

Show Times: Thursday, Nov 5 @7:00pm Friday, Nov 6 @7:00pmSaturday, Nov 7 @ 1:00pm and 7:00pm

Student PassesStudents can still purchase a student pass for $20.00. They will be admit-ted to all home events during regular season play using the pass. Please see the Activities Office for more information or to purchase.

Co-Curricular ActivitiesOur Co-curricular activities are gearing up and there is still time to join if interested!Science Olympiad, Robotics, Mock Trial, Speech, Math Team, Viewer and Econ Club are all challenging and fun activities to get involved in! Visit our webpage for more information gomvmustangs.com

Mustang PrideTo show their Mustang pride, many of our fall sports participants visited Island Lake Elementary School for a pep-fest and joined Turtle Lake Elementary students for “Lunch with the Mustangs” during our Homecoming week. It was a very positive experience for all involved!

Winter Sports Registration is now Open A few reminders:

• An updated sports physical is needed every 3 years in order to register.

• All registrations are done online through the parent school view account. Instructions can be found on our website gomvmustangs.com under the registration tab.

Please note:• 9th grade Boys Basketball tryouts started October 29 & 9th grade Girls Basketball tryouts start November 3. • Gymnastics, Boys Hockey, Alpine and Nordic Ski, Boys and Girls Basketball start dates are November 9. • Wrestling starts November 16• Boys Swim and Dive starts November 30 • Girls Hockey and Dance are well underway.

Please continue to watch the Daily Enews and our web page for updates!

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Athletics & Activities Happenings (cont.)

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9th GradeNinth grade family Four-Year Planning Meetings are well underway. Thank you to all of you who have already signed up or met with your child’s dean. CLICK HERE if you still need to schedule a Four-Year Planning Meeting.

10th GradeAll tenth grade students took the PLAN Test on October 28. Taking the PLAN test is a great way to prepare for the ACT and help students get ready to suc-ceed in college and beyond. On December 15, students will meet with their deans in the computer lab to understand how to interpret their PLAN Score Report and learn strategies and tools available to assist them in preparing for the ACT. All students take the ACT at Mounds View in April of their junior year.

11th GradeOn October 14, 219 juniors took the PSAT test. The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test adminis-tered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship

Corporation (NMSC) in the United States. PSAT results will be available to students in a couple of months.

12th GradeMost seniors have been working on completing their college applications. Please pay attention to upcoming col-lege application deadlines. All students planning on applying to the University of Minnesota should submit their application prior to December 15. Below are a few links to assist with requesting transcripts and letters of recommendations:

• Directions for requesting transcripts• Transcript Request Form• Letter of Recommendation information

From the Deans DeskMark Nelson A-Co (Grades 9-11)A-Da (Grade 12)651--621-7133 [email protected]

Kendra EckmanCp-G (Grades 9-11)Db-Ho (Grade 12)[email protected]

Caleb BjorklundH-La (Grades 9-11)Hp-Le (Grade 12)[email protected]

Brian PeloquinLb-Ng (Grades 9-11)Lf-Os(Grade 12)[email protected]

Ryan PoepardNh-So (Grades 9-11)Ot-So(Grade 12)[email protected]

Andra StorlaSp-Z (Grades 9-12)[email protected]

Antonia VanyoDean of Support [email protected]

Pictured left to right: Brian Peloquin, Mark Nelson, Ryan Poepard, Toni Vanyo, Kendra Eckman, Andra Storla, Caleb Bjorklund

Student Services SupportBarbara Kurtoglu Barbara began working as an educator in 1986 and has worked at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in

a variety of roles. Initially a teacher, she taught students identified with cognitive, learning, and emotional/behavioral disabilities. Barbara was licensed as a school psychologist in the early 90’s and began working for Mounds View Public Schools in 1995. She currently works at Chippewa Middle School and Mounds View High School. At MVHS, Barbara conducts comprehensive educational evaluations for students suspect-ed of having a disability; provides short-term, solution-oriented counseling to students; and serves as a resource to students, parents, and staff when issues negatively affect a student’s success. She is currently working on creating opportunities outside the school day for students to address stress and anxiety by improving self-awareness and developing skills to enhance well-being.

Carla Anton Carla comes to us from Northeast Youth and Family Services as our school based therapist. She came from a pri-vate practice where she worked with families, groups and individuals with various thera-peutic needs and provided psycho-education on mental health and facilitated parenting groups. Carla specializes in individual, relational, group and career counseling. She has exten-sive experience helping youth improve their social, emotional and academic well-being. She teaches problem-solving techniques between parents as well as communication and behavioral skills. Carla has worked with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Carla is available to meet with students at Mounds View on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She typically meets with students who have barriers, such as financial or transportation limitations, to seeing a therapist outside of the school setting. Carla is also available on Tuesdays and Thursdays to visit with students who may have an immediate mental health need occurring during the day.

Article from the New York TimesBelow is a link to a New York Times article from July. The article discusses the pursuit of perfection many students experience and the consequences that pursuit has on their mental health. The article focuses on the tragic loss of a life to suicide on college campuses. We are including this article to raise awareness that stress relating to perfor-mance is at the forefront for many high school and college students. Our goal is to partner with families to recog-nize the signs of excessive stress students experience and to help support and provide resources as needed. CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO ARTICLE.

Student Wellness Speaker Series November – MarchMounds View is pleased to introduce a mental health and wellness series featuring five guest speakers between November and March. Speakers will share messages of support for navigating the demands of high school and the challenges of being a teenager. Insight will be offered for caring for one’s own physical and mental well being. Knowledge and skill development related to wellness are critical for both social-emotional health and academic suc-cess.

All students are welcome to attend one or all of the presentations. More information about signing up to come.

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From the Deans Desk (cont.)

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College Corner

Century College - The Power of YOULast year Mounds View High School was added to the list of schools participating in The Power of YOU, a program at Century College. The Power of YOU cov-ers the cost of tuition and fees for two years at both of these colleges through state and federal grants and private scholarships.

Qualifying students must attend qualifying high schools, be eligible for federal financial aid, satisfy the college admission requirements, and have a combined parent and student adjusted gross income and untaxed income of less than $75,000. For further information, go to:

http://www.century.edu/futurestudents/powerofyou.aspx

Scott WiensDean

Post-Secondary Services651-621-7143

[email protected]

MnSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities)As seniors are considering college applications, remem-ber that the seven MnSCU four-year institutions have some general guidelines for admissions. Students with ei-ther a 3.0 GPA OR a 21 or above on the ACT are admitted to these institutions. Keep in mind that this is a general admissions policy that applies to most MnSCU schools. Under some circumstances students may be admitted if not meeting one of these requirements after going through an appeal process. Conversely, students who meet one of these requirements who are significantly below the other standard may also need to go through an appeal process.

Winona State University

The Common ApplicationThe Common Application (CA) is an application used by over 600 public and private colleges nationally and inter-nationally. Colleges using the CA are committed to a ho-

listic review process. The CA allows students to apply to multiple schools using the same application. Some colleges have supplemen-tal requirements, which often consist of ad-ditional essay questions. Students interested in the CA can access it at: https://www.commonapp.org

Scholarship OpportunitiesThe Alert Scholarship - No deadline$500 essay contest for graduating seniorsEssay about the dangers of drugs and alcoholhttp://alertmagazine.org/scholarship.php#eligibility

AXA Achievement Scholarship - Deadline: December 15, 2015$10,000 scholarship for high achieving students with ambition and drive, determination, respect, and the ability to

succeed in collegehttp://www.axa-equitable.com/axa-foundation/AXA-achievement-scholarship.html

Burger King Scholars Program - Deadline: December 15, 2015$1000 - $50,000 scholarshipsScholarship application available October 15 First 50,000 applications will be processedhttp://www.bkmclamorefoundation.org/whatwedo/scholarsprogram

JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest - Deadline: January 6, 2016Essay contest describing an act of political courage by a US politician after 1956 http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education/Profile-in-Courage-Essay-Contest.aspx

GE-Ronald Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program - Deadline: January 7, 2016$10,000 renewable scholarshipMust demonstrate leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenshiphttp://www.reaganfoundation.org/GE-RFScholarships.aspx orhttp://facebook.com/GEReaganScholarships

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College Corner (cont.)

Health Office NewsMedication Safety

Did you know that half of the prescriptions dispensed each year are taken improperly? Misuse is incorrectly taking medications and is often unintentional. Abuse can be defined as taking medi-cines that aren’t prescribed to you or for a purpose other than what it was prescribed for. Re-gardless of the intention behind it, improper use of medication can be dangerous. Here are some tips for promoting the medication with your student and in your home:

• Demonstrate respect for medications. Model reading instructions and taking medications only as prescribed. Ask your doctor or prescriber, if any of the directions for taking a medica-tion are unclear.• Store all medications up and away and in a safe place, including over-the-counter medications and vitamins. • Be thoughtful about where you keep medications when you’re not at home. Be careful not to keep medication in purses, bags, or coat pockets for example in places where small children or others could get into them.• Keep all medicines in their original container so that they can be clearly identified and won’t be easily confused.• Talk to your children and teens about medication safety.• Dispose of any unused or expired medication safely. Free and convenient drop boxes are offered through Ramsey County Medication Collection Program. The nearest drop box is located at the Sheriff’s Patrol Station (1411 Paul Kirkwold Dr in Arden Hills just off of Hwy 96) and is open Monday-Friday from 8-4 PM.

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Student Council News

Making a DifferenceThe week of October 26 was a busy one for Student Council. In addition to organizing a school-wide food drive to benefit Ralph Reader Food Shelf, they hosted a Drive-In Movie event and a canned food competition. They also host-ed the Halloween Dance and donated all of the profits to the Ralph Reader Food Shelf.

Capital DivisionTwenty Student Council members recently attended a Capital Division meeting at Roseville High School where they learned the importance and responsibility of being a council member. Working in small groups with other councils, they had the opportunity to share ideas and planned events, brainstom new events, and discuss advertising and problem solving. The groups were led by members of the Capital Division Executive Board, which included Morgan Kerfeld (MVHS Senior)!

Henry AlexanderCo-President

Grant DelauneCo-President

Morgan KerfeldCapital Division Executive Board

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Around MVHS

National Merit Semifinalists

Last fall 1.5 million students participated in the PSAT/NMSQT competition and nationally 16,000 were named as Semifinalists. All Semifinalists are invited to compete for National Merit Scholarships and are invited to apply to become finalists. In February students will be notified if they are Finalists.

The following Mounds View seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists by PSAT/NMSQT: Brandon Duffy, Alex Jiang, Persis Ke, Hassan Lubega, Daniel Min, William Newhouse, Emily Ruan and Samuel Rush .

Of the 1.5 Million PSAT/NMSQT participants 34,000 students were named Commended Students based on their performance on the PSAT. The following students were recognized as Commended Students by PSAT/NMSQT: Mary Fennig, Brandon Hoglund, Olivia Holstine, Chandler Hong, Daniel Johnson, Yue Ning Li, Thomas Oswood, Katie Riedel and Kevin Shen.

Perfect ScoresMounds View High School seniors Brandon DuffyWilliam NewhouseEmily RuanPersis Ke achieved a score of 36 on the ACT test, the highest score that can be achieved.

Pictured front row: Emily Ruan, Hassan Lubega, Persis Ke, Brandon Duffy, Alex JiangBack row: William Newhouse, Samuel Rush, Daniel Min, Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover

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Mustang Pride!

Community members show their Mustang Pride!

Around MVHSHalloween Fun!

Mounds View PREP students attending the Adapted PEHalloween dance hosted by Wayzata High School.

School to Home CommunicationTeachers designate one hour per week on their website as their Communication Hour. The purpose of this time is to provide timely, specific and relevant updates to families through direct contact, postcards, websites and SchoolView. Keep in mind that you are welcome to call at anytime and/or set up a meeting at any point.

SchoolView is a parent portal that gives parents secure, electronic access to their student’s records. Teachers use this system to provide families with more consistent and reliable communications about their child’s progress. Par-ents can view attendance records, test history, schedules, grades, assignments and personal information. Personal Learning Plans can be accessed on SchoolView and parents can make payments for meals and activity fees. Ques-tions? Contact your student’s dean.

http://www.moundsviewschools.net/pages/MoundsViewPS/Quick_Links/SchoolView_Login There are Communication Nights throughout the school year in which teachers will continue in their efforts to di-rectly contact families about the progress of students. These nights are valuable opportunities for parents to learn more about programs and to meet with teachers, deans and administrators.

Thursday, December 3 (6:30-8 PM)Thursday, February 11 (6-9 PM)Tuesday, April 5 (6:30-8:30 PM)Tuesday, May 10 (6:30-8 PM)

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Around MVHS

Around MVHS

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3-D Art Class Creates a Monster of a SculptureStudents of Ms. Imholte’s 3-D/Sculpture Class created “Mother of a Sea” using very humble building materials - card board and hot glue - that’s it!

Students worked collaboratively in teams to build parts, but always with an eye for how it would all fit together in the end. Emphasis for the project was placed on the qualities of an effective team and the benefits of group work, where big things happen in a short amount of time.

The great unveiling in the commons brought delight to the students and staff alike.

Jeff RidlehooverPrincipal ........................................... [email protected]

Stephanie BruggersAssociate Principal .......................... [email protected]

Michael SchwartzAssociate Principal .......................... [email protected]

Robert MadisonActivities Director ............................. [email protected]

Administration

Please remember to vote on Tuesday, November 3. Vot-ers will elect four residents to serve four-year terms on the School Board. On the ballot:

John Hakes, ShoreviewBob Helgeson, North OaksAmy Jones, ShoreviewJonathan Weinhagen, ShoreviewSandra Westerman, Shoreview

All polling places in Ramsey County will be open from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

For precinct maps and more information, visit here.