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Past issues of the eNews are available at www.mahtomedi.k12.mn.us/enews

This Issue's Top Highlights

KNOW

Semester 1 Finals are right around the corner! CLICK HERE for information about the adjusted schedule and student expectations

DO

The Mahtomedi High School Staff wishes all of our MHS students and families a wonderful Winter Break filled with happiness, family and fun. We'll see our students back in the building on Thursday, January 2nd.

After 36 years at the high school, Assistant to the Associate Principal, Joan DeMars is retiring! Thank you Joan, for your dedication and friendship. We will miss you! If you see Joan around town please wish her Happy Retirement!

Principal's Spotlight on Learning

Each month, Principal Justin Hahn spotlights learning happening at our school. This month, the Principal's spotlight focuses on Impact.

We have recently begun sharing our Portrait of a Graduate with Mahtomedi High School staff and having them reflect on the themes and how we prepare students in these areas. The Portrait articulates the skills, competencies, and dispositions students need to be positioned for success in the future. One of the themes is preparing our students to be global citizens, specifically that students leverage their strengths to make a beneficial impact locally and globally.

A group of students came together at the beginning of the school year and reached out to Counselor John Akins to find a way to serve others in our school community. With Mr. Akins’ help, the group has now created a drop-in tutoring service available to any students on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday before and after school in the media center. They have nine students with academic experience in math and rigorous coursework who have already shared almost 4,000 minutes of volunteer time.

A new option in our Flex time offerings this year is Zephyr Buddies, a program started by staff member Kelly Unger to encourage connections and authentic relationships between peers. Students spend time playing games, taking walks, or attending a different Flex session together. Ms. Unger shared that it is a low-commitment activity with a high impact on our school community. Students can sign up in SST and start building friendships with their peers.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the MHS NASA HUNCH program Preliminary Design Review (PDR) held at Dunwoody College of Technology. The NASA HUNCH program is new this year, and advisor Bryan Farmer is supporting students to research and design projects to submit to NASA. MHS had four teams present at the PDR and they showcased their ideas for Cosmic Dust Collectors, Lunar Additive Manufacturing (3D printing), Lunar Landing Legs, and a Lunar Ejecting Robot. Throughout the program, students are mentored by NASA engineers, who are supporting the students to make a global impact with their designs that may be chosen by NASA to be implemented in the future.

Our students are actively engaging both inside and outside our school community to share their strengths and passions with others while making an impact in several new ways this school year, and we are grateful to the staff who are supporting them along the way.

In partnership,
Justin Hahn, Principal, Mahtomedi High School

School News

Thank you to our families, staff, students, and community members for their generous donations and working together for our gift assistance program! MHS collected $1,200 in gift cards for teenage children!

The MHS SLC, with help from Mahtomedi DECA, took hundreds of donated books, toys, puzzles, and personal wish list items from our Zephyr Service Project and assembled them into packages for families! If families wanted the gifts wrapped, our students wrapped their gifts, too! These gifts will be distributed to families who applied for gift assistance this year. Here’s the process in action! With our combined efforts, we are helping over 100 Mahtomedi students with gift support this year!

Click here to see the wrapping in action.

Athletics and Activities

Around the School

Our MHS students enjoyed a special performance at lunch before break from their peers in the Zephyr Jazz Ensemble (ZJE) with special vocal singers Julia Morreim and Ada Thompson. The ZJE is a group of students primarily in the Wind Ensemble who also come in every Tuesday morning before school to learn about jazz and improvisation and rehearse music in its many different styles. There is a long-standing tradition at Mahtomedi High School where the Jazz Ensemble always plays at lunch before we go on Winter Break!