The Oriole Newsletter

April 2025

The temperatures are getting warmer and the sun is shining longer each day! Spring is here. With that we begin our official shift to the end of the school year. We continue to work hard to support seniors in their push toward graduation. Our juniors excel toward finalizing their approach to senior year and their post-secondary plans with the ACT exam coming soon. Our sophomores are gaining momentum to step into a junior year filled with exploration and discovery, while our freshmen have truly embodied Osseo Excellence this year and are ready to help us lead our next incoming class.

Please reach out if your scholar needs support to finish the year with focus!

• April 21: Asynchronous (remote) learning day for scholars
• April 22: ACT Exam Day (remote learning day for 9th and 12th grade scholars)
• April 23: In-person Academic Conferences, 3-7PM
• May 5: No School (Licensed Staff Workshop)
• May 26: No School - Memorial Day Holiday

Our annual "Say Yes to The Prom Dress" event is happening on April 17th after school from 2:30pm-4:30pm. This spring alone we have received about 150 formal dresses from a variety of sources – making our total available selection well over 300! Last year over 100 juniors and seniors were able to pick out a prom dress and accessories for FREE!

Our Intro to Business students recently participated in the eMentors program, an online mentoring opportunity that pairs high school students with professionals from corporations in a variety of fields. Over seven weeks, students and their mentors from Wells Fargo discussed topics such as college and career experiences, workplace etiquette, professional relationships and networking, monetary policy, the time value of money, and intercultural competency. These conversations aligned closely with our Intro to Business curriculum and helped students better understand business concepts, professional expectations, and career pathways with focused and meaningful conversations.

The program concluded with a field trip where students met their mentors in person, participated in a career panel, toured the Wells Fargo building downtown, engaged in additional educational programming, and enjoyed a great lunch with impressive city views. According to survey results, 97% of students said they better understood the skills needed for a professional career, 90% said they broadened their knowledge of career options, and 83% said their communication and interpersonal skills improved.

This practical real-world opportunity gave students valuable insights into career paths, professional communication, and essential workplace skills and was an innovative and memorable experience for our scholars!

On March 7-8, our BPA students competed at the State Leadership Conference, which was the largest state competition in the history of MN BPA! The top 5 in individual events and the top 3 teams qualified for Nationals. Please congratulate the following dedicated and focused scholars on placing in the top 9 of their competitive events:

Hikma Adam: 5th place Basic Office Systems and Procedures

Myriam Akakpo: 6th place Legal Office Procedures, 6th place Administrative Support Team

Oluwaseun Alagbala: 2nd place Legal Office Procedures, 6th place Administrative Support Team

Mina Hirdler: 2nd place Digital Media Production

Nimo Ibrahim: 5th place Digital Communications and Design Concepts

Nela Khamphavong: 6th place Administrative Support Team

Elizabeth Ly: 8th place Website Design Team

Joshua Ly: 7th place Computer Network Technology, 8th place Website Design Team

Jasmine Mambu: 8th place Legal Office Procedures, 6th place Administrative Support Team

Faaeza Wako: 8th place Website Design Team

Samantha Yang: 8th place Website Design Team

Good Luck to Hikma, Olu, Mina, and Nimo who will be courageously competing at Nationals in Orlando, Florida in May!

On Friday, March 15th, the PBIS (Positive Behavior and Intervention Support) team and staff celebrated 72 scholars from trimester 2 who were nominated as being "On a Roll." These scholars were celebrated for demonstrating positive behavior and contributing to a supportive environment. Scholars were recognized for their excellence with a certificate, enjoyed a pizza lunch, and received OSH swag. Congrats to our conscientious scholars and the staff who support them in their endeavors!

As an extension of Osseo Sr. High’s Care Closet, which provides clothing resources to students in need, we hosted an exciting new event this month. On March 19th we popped up the OSH Thrift Shop after school. Our “shop” offered clothing, accessories and shoes on a “pay as you can” basis. With a line outside the doors, we welcomed more than 100 students and “sold” 300+ items. Some students even donated funds for their bounty – to the tune of $50 which will go towards our student snacks resources. This event was so fun for staff and students have already asked “when’s the next one?”

The first day in Greece found our OSH orchestra completing a boat cruise to the Islands Hydra, Poros, and Aegina, enjoying the sites and pistachios on Aegina. Scholars also went on a bus tour to the local cathedral and visited archaeological sites on the Greek countryside on day 2; including the Cornith Canal and lunch at Agamemnon's Palace! On the third day our scholars had the opportunity to have a clinic with Maestro Michalis Economou and finished the day by attending a concert conducted by Economou at the Athens concert hall. On the last full day of activity, scholars visited the Experimental Music High School of Pallini where they participated in an innovative exchange concert and then enjoyed a guided tour of the Acropolis/Parthenon.

Overall, the trip was an elite experience that exudes Osseo Excellence!

Osseo Area School's Department of Educational Equity provided district scholars an opportunity to attend a tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) over spring break. Scholars experienced the unique and rich culture of each college and had the opportunity to interface with college admissions, visit dormitory quarters, eat in various college cafeterias, and really partake in the experience of what college life is like on a Black college campus. Our scholars were able to sense the warmth, high expectations, academic rigor offered, and familial connectivity and reflected on the impact the trip had on their future college aspirations. It was a fabulous experience for all who participated.

HBCU Tour Slideshow 2025

Osseo HOSA - Future Health Professionals attended and participated in the Minnesota HOSA State Leadership Conference (SLC) in Saint Cloud. Please join us in congratulating our courageous competitors and top placements:

CPR / First Aid

6th Place - Hussein Mohammed and Mia Scott

Dental Science

1st Place - John Mai

Emergency Medical Technician

1st Place - Hussein Mohammed and Mia Scott

6th Place - Dawit Getnet and Efren Rivero Quevedo

Human Growth & Development

7th Place - Kenna Fleming

Medical Assisting

4th Place - Kenna Fleming

Pharmacy Science

2nd Place - John Mai

With the SLC competitions, the top 3 places automatically qualify, and 4th - 10th place provisionally qualify for the International Leadership Conference and Competition which will be in Nashville in June.

Finally, please congratulate those who worked hard and also competed:

Hassania Ahmed

Presley Allen

Sara Baheza Martinez

Meena Mehta

Claudia Molero Fuentes

The OSH Art Department is thrilled to share some exciting news! Two of our talented student artists have been recognized on the national stage as Scholastic Art Award Winners!

Congratulations to Amarilys Balmaceda and Mina Hirdler, whose outstanding work has earned them national Silver Key Awards in the 2025 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This places them among the top one percent of creative students in grades 7–12 across the country!

Ama and Mina first achieved the prestigious Gold Key distinction at the state level—an honor awarded to only the most exceptional submissions. Their Gold Key-winning pieces then advanced to the national level.

Out of nearly 110,000 students who submitted over 310,000 original works of art and writing, Mina and Ama’s innovative pieces were selected by leading professionals in the visual and literary arts for their originality, technical skill, and powerful personal vision.

Their work will be featured in the online galleries at artandwriting.org, and will also appear in Yearbook 2025, a companion publication to the annual anthologies showcasing the best student work from across the nation.

Please join us in celebrating Ama and Mina—this is an extraordinary achievement - we couldn’t be more proud!

The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition is an annual juried ceramic competition for Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12) students in the United States. Designed to showcase the best K-12 ceramic work made in the country, the exhibition takes place in a different city each year in conjunction with the annual conference of The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA).

Tate Brink, OSH senior scholar, had two pieces selected of the 150 pieces from across the country. He won honorable mention, the Bailey Tool Kit Award, and the Spolla Award for his "Birch" teapot.

Congratulations Tate! We're proud of your focus and dedication to your craft!

Join us for the most reflective and memorable event of the year!

Ceremony Details

Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 3:30pm
3M Arena at Mariucci
University of Minnesota Minneapolis Campus
1901 4th Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Tickets are not required for admission to the Commencement ceremony, and there is no limit on the number of guests that may attend per graduate.

Graduates will be transported by bus to and from 3M Arena at Mariucci; families will take their own transportation to the venue. Graduates should meet at Osseo Senior High by 1:15pm to board buses wearing their caps and gowns.

Please note: Graduates may wear only approved commencement regalia

(Here is the: 2025 Graduation Guide).

THE ACT IS COMING! The ACT will be given to all junior students (and those seniors who have not had the opportunity to take it) and the Pre-ACT to all sophomore students on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Score reports should be available about 3-4 weeks after the exam. The makeup opportunity is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Questions about testing can be directed to Beth Vos (vosbeth@district279.org).

FOR SENIORS Please check your emails for messages from colleges and universities with information about housing, orientation, class registration, reciprocity (if applicable) and placement testing (if applicable).

COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID OFFERS After completing the FAFSA, you will receive a financial aid award letter from the colleges to which you have been accepted. Financial aid award letters can be confusing. So how do you figure out what college will actually cost? This 18-minute video from Niche can be helpful. You can also make an appointment to visit with Maz in the CRC to walk through what your award letter(s) means. Some things to consider:

1. Yearly costs, such as tuition, fees, books, room and board, travel, etc

2. Financial aid that you don’t have to pay back (scholarships, grants, work-study)

3. Financial aid you DO need to pay back (federal loans)

4. What’s left after accounting for the above 3 items? That is the amount you will need to pay out of pocket.

Remember: some grants and scholarships are not offered every year. Also, work-study is not a guarantee.

SPRING IS A GREAT TIME to schedule college visits and tour various schools to help students find their fit. Here are some additional questions to ask on a college visit. Keep in mind the types of schools you are interested in and what their admission standards entail.

AP TESTING AP Exams will begin on May 6 and are scheduled through May 23. All AP exams will be taken in person at Osseo Senior High in the Forum Room, Career Resource Center or Counseling Conference Room. Check your Total Registration (totalregistration.net/AP/241930) account for testing dates, times and assigned locations. You will also receive an email from Michelle Mazanec with your testing schedule and assigned locations to the email address you registered with.

FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES INTERESTED IN THE MILITARY The Bureau of Labor Statistics has provided a valuable resource for students entering the military with plans to return to civilian life after their service has been completed. This resource helps military members answer these questions:

• Which civilian occupation corresponds to my military job?

• Is employment in my potential occupation increasing?

• How much might I expect to earn?

The jobs listed will require varying levels of education. Jobs like data scientists, software developers, registered nurses, and paramedics are just a few of the jobs mentioned. Might you share this resource with students and their families who are interested in learning more about jobs in the military and how to look for jobs when transitioning back to civilian life?

WALLIN 2-YEAR SCHOLARSHIPS The Wallin Education Partners 2-Year Program application opened March 1, 2024. There are multiple pathways to receive a scholarship. The Opportunity Pathway for students that plan to attend one of the MN partner community colleges (up to $6000). The Aspire Pathway is for students that plan to attend Dunwoody. The HealthPartners Pathway is for students interested in healthcare. The Mortenson Pathway is for students interested in construction management. In addition to financial support, scholarship winners receive advising and professional support to help navigate college, as well as access to college-to-career programs, internships and other opportunities.

ICATT APPRENTICESHIPS The Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT) is the leading apprenticeship program for high-tech manufacturers. The ICATT works with local companies such as Buhler, J&E Manufacturing, KEB America, Kobra Molds, PAR Systems, Sonic Packaging and Turck to train future employees. ICATT Apprentices gain hands-on experience while working at one of these companies and attending classes at Hennepin Technical College (HTC). Apprentices earn a living wage and receive a debt-free associate degree. More than 85% of ICATT apprentices complete the apprenticeship program. There are virtual opportunities.