Principal's Blog #25

Dear Honor Roll Students:

On behalf of the faculty and staff at Mundelein High School, I would like to congratulate you for earning a place in the Honor Roll for the first semester of 2023-2024 school year.

Your accomplishments bolster the culture of learning we strive to foster in this community. Furthermore, your high level of achievement now serves to motivate and inspire your peers to aim high in their studies. I encourage you to maintain this level of academic rigor as you progress in your education and career.

Once again, congratulations on this prestigious scholastic achievement! The entire Mundelein High School community celebrates your success.

Go Mustangs!

Dr. Alexandria Rios Taylor

Principal, Mundelein High School

847-949-2200 x1257

www.d120.org

ataylor@d120.org

Mar 15 - Late Start - Classes Begin at 9:40am

Mar 25 - 29 - Spring Break

Mustang parents are invited to complete the 5-Essentials Survey to help provide valuable information about our MHS learning community and help guide our ongoing improvement efforts.

Parents can start the survey now by clicking here.

Congratulations to Junior Carlos Infante (left) and Sophomore Jacob Senescu (right)!!

On Wednesday, February 21st, the Jazz Ensemble made the trip down to Aurora, IL to perform at The Venue alongside Oswego High School. They had the opportunity to perform with renowned Jazz Trumpeter, Kellin Hanas! It was a wonderful evening of outstanding performances and experiences for all of our MHS jazz students!

Picture 1: Kellin Hanas having candid conversations with the MHS Jazz ensemble students

Our MHS show choirs performed at the Great River Invitational in Davenport, IA this past weekend performed wonderfully!

Congratulations to Reverb for earning 1st Runner-up in their division! Noise earned “Best Band” at the event and Sound earned 3rd Runner-up in what was an extremely competitive event.

Black History Month begins February 1st. Click here to explore Google's Black History, Arts & Culture.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Our community partner, A Safe Place, provided the parent resource below. Click on the flyers to learn more.

Did you know that you can customize your Mustang spirit wear online? Since 2010, hundreds of items are available to choose from infant sizes to 6XL. Choose embroidery or screenprint, ladies or men’s fit, and front and back printing. You can add custom text to add your name to your shirt. Look at actual garment size (chest, body, and sleeve length) to find the perfect fit. Buy accessories like hats, bags, and luggage tags. All customizable and shipped directly to you! Visit us at mymustangnation.com or linked through the d120.org website.

Student Registration opened February 1, 2024. All students must register yearly. Visit our registration page for more information: https://www.d120.org/resources/parents/registration-2/

The 2024/2025 Early Registration Fee item has been added to PowerSchool fee accounts for the Class of 2026, 2027, and 2028. If you choose to pay the Registration Fee by May 1st, 2024, you will receive the $25 discount, currently applied in PowerSchool.

Starting May 2nd, the discount will be removed and the regular Registration Fee of $275 will be listed. Please know that all prior Registration and Course fees must be paid off before paying the Early Registration item.

If you have any questions, please reach out to KC Olson in the MHS Payment Center at kolson@d120.org.

Summer School Registration opened on February 1st, 2024. Please log into the webstore to register for Session 1 and Session 2.

Please remember that the summer school interest form is not an automatic registration into summer school you must log into the webstore to register for the courses you expressed interest in.

Driver’s Education Summer School Registration will open at the same time. The permit classes required for Driver's Ed are provided by Mundelein High School and will be listed in the confirmation email you will receive.

If you have questions or need help, please contact:

Sylvana Sette

Summer School Registration
ssette@d120.org
847-949-2200 x1495

On February 28, 2024, MHS will administer the Illinois Youth Survey (IYS) to 10th and 12th graders. The purpose of the IYS is to better understand Illinois youth risk and protective behaviors as they relate to students and their success.

Read more... English | Spanish

Favorite Book Character Day - Dress as your favorite character or person from your favorite book. Harry Potter, Benji Ovich from Beartown, Daisy from The Great Gatsby, etc.

World Teen Mental Wellness Day is observed on March 2nd every year. It was established to raise awareness, decrease stigma and spark very important conversations around the topic of mental wellbeing and to make those experiencing mental health challenges aware of available resources.

Please stop by the commons on March 1st to get your an awareness bracelet and some excellent mental health resources.

"Teenagers are putting an end to mental health stigma. To do it, they’re telling their own stories – unfiltered – in the documentary film OUR TURN TO TALK. From skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts of racism, social media, and the pandemic, their struggles and triumphs carry a powerful message: Storytelling saves lives. In this segment, learn about Dylan Buckner's story. If your life or someone else's life is in danger, please call 911. If you are in crisis and need help now, please call 988."

Text and video courtesy of: https://www.ourturntotalk.com/

Image courtesy of: https://kidsmindsmatter.com/

The annual Mayor’s Cup STEM Challenge is a great opportunity for Mundelein students to showcase their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills, earn cash rewards, and have fun in the process! Think critically, work together in teams, test your knowledge, and strengthen your collaborative and social skills. Expect real-world problem solving, hands-on involvement, and out-of-the-box thinking!

Please register for the Mayor’s Cup STEM Challenge through teachers at each participating school no later than March 18, 2024.

Questions? Please contact Jennifer Marshall at 847-949-3225 or jmarshall@mundelein.org

Keep scrolling to see what's happening right now and click here to see the full schedule of events.

Last chance to order your cap and gown! You Must Order Now at www.HerffJonesIL.com, or call Herff Jones at 815-756-4743. Herff Jones office hours are Mon - Fri, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Spring is approaching, and VIP is thrilled to offer limited cap and gown-only photo sessions at our Vernon Hills Studio. These appointments are currently only offered on Mondays between February 19th and March 4th. The session fee is $30, and appointment slots are filling up fast. Secure your spot now by scheduling your appointment through this link: https://calendar.app.google/x1W5DdbMSxT7c7zcA

We regularly feature a student, staff member or department at our school to give Mustang Nation a closer look at these wonderful folks! Nominate yourself or others for this feature by emailing Mr. Gonzalez – hgonzalez@d120.org

The Wellness Center team is proud to share Mental Health Must-Haves for Mundelein Mustangs, a resource packet filled with tips and tricks to manage emotions and stress, regulate thoughts and anger, improve self-love and self-confidence, increase executive functioning, and enhance overall self-care.

Take a moment to review the March Self-Care Checklist

Click here to see all the student support areas we have to offer.

Juniors, this is a great time to start thinking about where you may want to go to college.

Below are some scholarships guaranteed to go to seniors at MHS. You can find more scholarships guaranteed to go to Mundelein High School seniors by clicking on this link.

Patrick Zepeda Athlete in Service Award

Old Number One

The James Martin Scholarship

MHS Foundation Scholarships

Experiential Education describes all opportunities offered to students to give them a chance to explore the world of careers and professions. These include classes like Dual Credit Student Internship, Business INCubator, and Geometry in Construction as well as career treks and featured guest speakers.

The College of Lake County is pleased to once again offer to MHS students an opportunity to participate in a Spring Break Apprenticeship Awareness program, March 25 - 28th through the Career and Job Placement Center of CLC.

Please see the flyer, application, and session descriptions below. 70 Lake County students will be accepted into program which is for grades 9-12.

Mundelein High School will be hosting area businesses and industry representatives for a its annual school-wide Job Fair and Career Expo on Friday, April 12th between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM.

This is your chance to recruit talent for hourly (year-round), seasonal (summer-only), and entry level (18+/graduate-only) openings for your business. Industry reps and military branches are also welcome to showcase opportunities in their respective fields.

For more information, please contact Alexander Kapotas, Career Exploration & Internship Coordinator, at akapotas@d120.org or 847-949-2200 x1092.

Sign up at bit.ly/Expo2024MHS

Space is limited--reserve your spot today!

Visit the Literacy Center

Week of 2/26/24 athletic events

Submitted by Coach Prorok

This week was a whirlwind! The Girls Bowling team went on the state walk leading to State. Then we spent 3 days in Rockford, Illinois where we had the chance to bowl against the best teams. Our team placed 21st out of 24 teams (There are 227 high school girls bowling teams). Samantha Sciortino qualified for Day 2 and finished 41st in State as an individual. The excitement and memories that we made during this season will last a lifetime.

Submitted by Coach Rutz

We had a great start to our competitive season last Friday at Glenbrook South. Lots of new faces on the team, and some tremendous improvement by our returners as well.

Two juniors new to track and field really shined for us. Ethan Connelly and Maddux Hermestroff competed in 4 events each, and performed well in all of them.

Ethan started his night with Maddux in the High Jump. Both cleared a number of heights, with Ethan clearing 4'11'' and Maddux clearing 5'5" and taking 3rd overall. Ethan took 3rd in the Triple Jump, jumping over 37'. Maddux had one of the team's top times in the 50 yd. dash, running 6.0. Ethan had our 2nd fastest 200m time of the night, running 25.4. Maddux contributed the fastest split on our 4 x 160m relay, while Ethan had our fastest time in the low hurdles , 9.4. Maddux finished his night with our 2nd best long jump of the night, 5.36m. Great performances considering this was their first track meet, and their first opportunity to actually attempt these events due to our lack of indoor facilities.

Another newcomer had a pretty good night in the Shot Put. Dylan Coe threw 11.91, just under 40'. I'd keep an eye on him. Freshman Michael Pacella cleared 3 heights in his first opportunity to actually pole vault, clearing 7'2". Finally, sophomore Delmar Mena ran 5:47 in his first 1600 race, in fact, his first distance race ever. Most impressive was his ability to take direction during the race, making eye contact with me on each lap.

Next up- a varsity only meet at Lakes High School next Saturday. I will be posting the lineup and other important information later this week. If you get the chance to go to Lakes, you're going to get to see an incredible meet, with many of the top teams in the State, in one of the best indoor facilities in the State. Hope to see you there!

Past blogs are available at:

https://www.d120.org/about-mhs/principals-newsletter/

Website: www.d120.org
Location: 1359 West Hawley Street, Mundelein, IL, USA
Phone: 847-949-2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mundelein-High-School-District-120/100095401983567/
Twitter: @MundeleinHS