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

At Mahtomedi Public Schools, we utilize our strengths, interests, and expertise to be leaders in the field of education. This is reflected in several ways by our educators and how our community supports their pursuit of lifelong learning and leadership.

One of the ways our community supports our educators to grow their leadership and learning is by supporting them to attend professional conferences. Through the support of the Mahtomedi Area Educational Foundation (MAEF), our educators have been able to participate in conferences. They can bring back to Mahtomedi new ideas and improvements, and also our educators have an opportunity to showcase their expertise to others in the field of education. MAEF also supports educators to purchase new classroom resources and tools as we incorporate new teaching strategies or need to be better aligned with new technology. We saw this during this school year with the new Fab Lab computers, digital cameras, and tablets.

We want our students to be lifelong learners, and we also see this important characteristic reflected in our educators. Mahtomedi teachers are always learning something new and modeling this for students. When I went through college to become an educator, it was over 27 years ago, and so much has changed in terms of the evidence and research-based practices. One area where this is evident is in the high school area, in AVID, and how we keep students actively engaged in learning. This is our first year having an AVID elective class and the first year of school-wide implementation of AVID strategies. 

These instructional and engagement strategies impact every student at MHS. AVID is aligned to both our Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Graduate and helps close the opportunity gap in preparing for college and career success. I recently visited over 40 classrooms to observe these strategies that we are putting into action. What I saw was students being active learners and the intentional teaching in action to keep students engaged. 

This month, we celebrated our Future Educators, MHS Class of 2025 students who plan to pursue the field of education. The event was sponsored by MAEF and the Mahtomedi Education Association and celebrated the students as they embark on a career impacting the lives of students. We wish them all the best and hope that they are inspired to be lifelong learners and leaders in the profession.

How are navigation and map-reading important skills used in life? MHS Human Geography students had the opportunity to learn exactly this directly from the Army National Guard. Army National Guard Staff Sergeants Quigley, Christensen, and Hartley presented a land navigation lesson and had students practice map-reading skills using geographic tools and strategies. "Students were able to apply skills learned in class in a relevant and real-world context," shared Ms. Karen Vidlock, MHS Human Geography teacher. In addition to the activity, the Guard members shared experiences during their military service and explained how navigation and map-reading skills are important in military and civilian life.

Human Geography is a required course for graduation at MHS and is open to students in grades 9-12. The course examines the world's geographic landscape using the themes of population, land use/natural resources, agriculture, political geography, cultural geography, urbanization/settlements, and economic development.

This summer, MHS Theater Manager Dennis Joslyn is launching a new theater experience for our community in collaboration with Mahtomedi Community Education. Click here to learn three reasons why you join community theater from two of our current MHS theater students. Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this special experience; register for crew or a free audition on Eleyo by June 2. 

Questions about post-secondary planning?
Please reach out to your MHS Counselor.

Ms. Erickson - Students with Last names A-D
Ms. Cole - Students with Last names E-K
Mr. Miley - Students with Last names L-Q
Mr. Akins - Students with Last names R-Z