October 11, 2024

Dear MHS Families,

There was a lot of Mustang Pride in the air this week as we celebrated both staff and student accomplishments. These individuals have been recognized for their remarkable character traits and/or ability to make positive progress through challenging situations. Scroll down to the Shout Out section to see more.

We follow that wonderful news with a 3-day weekend. Monday, October 14th is a federal holiday! The building will be closed so, students and staff, enjoy your day off... and the beautiful weather! Winter is right around the corner.

Just a quick, and final, reminder. October 14 is the state-wide deadline for physicals. All 9th-grade students must submit a school physical and all 12th-grade students must submit proof of the second meningococcal vaccination by October 14th. Students without these requirements will be excluded from school on October 15. Visit our health office website for more info.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Go Mustangs!

Mike Souza

Interim Principal and Associate Principal of Operations

Mundelein High School

847-949-2200

www.d120.org

msouza@d120.org

Oct 11 - MHS Art Opening at Tonality Brewing

Oct 14 - Federal Holiday - No School

Oct 15 - Deadline for Student Physicals

Oct 16 - PSAT/NMSQT

Oct 17 - Theme Thursday

Oct 17th - 19th - The Philadelphia Story, presented by MundeleinTheatre

Oct 18 - School Safety Drill

Oct 23 - Picture Re-Take Day

Oct 24 - MHS Building Tour

Oct 25 - Home Football Game

Oct 30 - Parent Book Club

Nov 5 - Election Day - No School

Congratulations to Trent Webster, Cory Thompson, Catherine White and Beth Willis. These individuals were recognized by other staff members as having exhibited remarkable teaching, coaching, mentorship, collaboration, student-centered support, making-a-difference, etc.

MHS hosted a special breakfast Thursday morning to celebrate the academic achievements of students who have been recognized by the College Board and by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

The NMSC named Mariana Van Eycke a National Merit Semifinalist. She is one of about 16,000 students out of 1.5 million around the world who take the PSAT/NMSQT exam to qualify as a semifinalist. Less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school graduating seniors will qualify as semifinalists.

MHS had five students named as National Merit Commended Scholars. These students are:

Jacob W. Chambers; Damian R. Harrison; Shawn R. Mastandrea; Stella H. Moon; and Dylan C. Buisson.

The College Board program honors underrepresented high school juniors with a 3.5 GPA who score in the top 10 percent of the state on the PSAT/NMSQT exam or if they score a 3 or higher on two or more distinct AP exams. Students honored at MHS are:

Nalanie E. Stanczak; Logan A. Ramirez; Max A. Solano Keil; Natalia E. Jandes; Diana K. Hernandez; Brenda Guadalupe; Michael N. Cory; Kameal N. Myrie; Danielle V. Saweh; Eric Koonce; Alberto Diaz; Mia E. Joshi; Justin M. Zelaya; Adamaris S. Ortiz; Emilio R. Burgos; Gabriel Aguila; Alexander K. Bazan; Isabel A. Covarrubias; Nia N. Buxton; and Parker J. Dumalski.

We recognize all the hard work they put into themselves and their school. We’re so proud of these students and their accomplishments. (Not all of the students are pictured here).

For more information and pictures, please visit our Facebook page.

On October 10th, MHS sponsed Free College Application Day featuring representatives from 25 colleges and ROTC. This amazing opportunity offered seniors the chance to talk to college representatives and apply to up to 30 different colleges FOR FREE during all lunch periods. Some students were even admitted ON THE SPOT!

On Wednesday, October 9th we welcomed Cuban musicians Alejandro "Coqui" Calzadilla and Rodrigo Garcia to Mundelein High School. This piano/clarinet duet worked with our jazz students to provide a masterclass performance and Q&A session.

The Business INCubator classes hosted their first monthly mentor meetings of the year this past week! Entrepreneurs & Business Experts from the surrounding community came in and listened to our students pitch their concepts and ideas for their businesses. They provided valuable feedback and a wealth of mentorship to our students!

Click here for the full photo album.

Our outstanding art students participated in a student portfolio day hosted by Niles North this past week. They had the opportunity to network with college and university art schools and gather feedback on their work portfolios.

This was a fantastic opportunity to explore careers in the fine arts!

Hispanic Heritage month has come to an end, but we go forward with what we've shared and learned Juntos ... Together! See our scrapbook of activites that took place over the month, including the Hispanic Heritage Career Panel shown below.

Participants from left to right are:

Juliana Roznowski, Project Engineer I, Mortenson Construction

Laura Garcia, Director of Postsecondary Success, OneGoal

Germain Castellanos, Chief Operating Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Evan Salazar, Chef De Cuisine, American Place Casino

Sergio Perez, Owner, Los Perez Supermarket

Mariana Banahan, Provider Affairs Project Consultant, BC/BS of Illinois

Anthony Vega, Lake County Clerk

Click here to Spread Kind Vibes!

Early Bird pricing until November 1 - $60 each.

Beginning November 2, yearbooks will be - $70 each.

This Friday our art students have an art opening at Tonality Brewing & Scratch Kitchen. Please consider coming out to support our visual arts students. If you can't make it Friday, the art display will be up until Nov. 3rd and you can visit during business hours.

This is the first time we have partnered with our friends at Tonality to highlight the arts in our community. Let's show some love and support for this local Mundelein establishment. The food is really good!

Thanks to all those who attended Monday's clinic. We are so excited to see so many new faces to the Feeder Program and look forward to such a great anticipated turnout for next week's tryouts. Here are a few important announcements including an extra tryout day and time for those who are unable to make it to both Saturday and Sunday.

1. We've secured extra gym space for this Friday 10/11 at 6:30pm to 8:00pm at the MHS Main Gym for an extra day of tryouts. Those who cannot attend either or both days of tryouts over the weekend will be asked to attend Friday's tryout. Others wanting extra gym time are welcome to attend all 3 days.
2. All players trying out for the Feeder Team will be required to complete the attached registration form with a parent/guardian signature. No fees are due until the season begins. Players must bring the completed form signed to the tryout or email me directly an electronic copy.
3. We plan to announce the team rosters by the end of day Monday 10/14. The number of teams and number of players per roster are still TBD.
4. We anticipate playing in the Illinois Feeder Basketball League with games in Northbrook on either Saturdays or Sundays with double-headers each weekend for a total of 14 games. In addition to league games, we will schedule other games against other local Feeder teams at MHS or the hosting Feeder team's gym along with at least 2 tournaments.
5. We are in need of coaches including head and assistant coaches. We keep our program costs well below most clubs because of volunteer coaches and gym space sponsored by the high school. If interested, or know of any coaches with experience, please contact me directly.

All the Best,

Coach Brian

NO SCHOOL

All 9th-grade students must submit a school physical.

All 12th-grade students must submit proof of the second meningococcal vaccination.

Students without these requirements will be excluded from school on October 15. Visit our health office website for more info.

The following colleges will be in the CCRC to talk about their programs:

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor - 1st Period

Calvin University - 2nd Period

Worcester Polytechnic Institute - 3rd Period

University of Missouri -Columbia - 5th Period

Oberlin College - 6th Period

Kalamazoo - 7th Period

Lake Forest College - 8th Period

Register in Schoolinks

The PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) will take place on Wednesday, October 16, 2024 at Mundelein High School. The PSAT/NMSQT is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes long. Students will be excused from class for the periods they are testing but will be responsible for making up the classwork they missed.

Top performing grade 11 students may be eligible for money through National Merit, National Achievement, or National Hispanic Scholarship funds.

To learn more about the PSAT/NMSQT, visit www.collegeboard.org/psat or email Dr. Kroll with questions.

Support breast cancer awareness month by wearing pink!

The following colleges will be in the CCRC to talk about their programs:

University of Rochester - 1st Period

Oklahoma State University - 2nd Period

Bradley University - 3rd Period

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 4th Period

Wartburg College - 5th Period

University of Nevada-Las Vegas - 7th Period

University of Vermont - 8th Period

Register in Schoolinks

by Philip Berry

Directed by Jonathan Meier

October 17, 18 & 19 at 7:30 p.m.
October 18 at 3:45 p.m.

This smash Broadway comedy, about an eventful wedding weekend at the estate of a wealthy American family, inspired an Oscar-winning film (Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart) and the hit musical High Society (Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra).

Tickets

Adult - $10

Student/Senior - $5

Online sales stop two hours prior to each performance. Walk-up sales start thirty minutes prior to each performance.

Purchase Tickts
Show Program click here

The mission of Mundelein High School District 120 is to provide a safe environment for all students, staff and community members. As required by the Illinois School Safety Drill Act (105 ILCS 128/20).

A school safety drill will be conducted on October 18th during the school day. Please click here for more information.

Bring some bucks and enjoy a Bloodsucker's (strawberry) Milkshake outside the cafeteria during 3rd, 4th and 5th periods.

The following colleges will be in the CCRC to talk about their programs:

University of Tampa - 8th Period

Register in Schoolinks

Staff and students who could not attend on their regularly scheduled day, or need to do a retake, will have another opportunity to get their picture taken on October 23rd.

Students may visit the District Meeting Room during any lunch or free period between 10:15am and 2:15pm.

Seniors interested in booking a premiere graduation session should have a regular yearbook picture taken, then visit www.vipis.com or email support@vipis.com to schedule a premier session at the VIP studio in Vernon Hills.

Take the tour! 🙂

Join us for our 5th home football game of the season! The theme is Community Night.

Contest

Mundelein Mustangs versus Lake Forest Foresters

Theme

Pink Out

Start Time

7:00pm

Tickets

Current MHS Students with ID - Free

Child (ages 3-10)/Seniors (65+) - $3

General Admission $6

Purchase Tickets at GoFan

Gates open 60 minutes before kickoff for single varsity games. On nights when we have a lower level game prior to varsity, gates will open 30 minutes prior to kickoff of the lower level game and remain open through the varsity game.

Disallowed Items

Alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, backpacks, large bags, noisemakers, outside food or drink. All bags subject to search.

Our school district is committed to fostering a healthy learning environment for all students. To align with this goal, new cell phone expectations are being implemented this year. MHS teachers invite MHS parents to join our book club discussion of "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haid to learn more about how you can support this change and explore the reasoning behind this endeavor.

Part 4

Oct 30th - 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Moved to MHS Media Center

Click here to learn more.

No School

Cap and gown order deadline is December 6th! To place your order, please visit Herff Jones online at www.herffjones.com or call 815-756-4743. Orders received after December 6th will incur late fees and may not arrive in time for graduation.

To learn everything you need to know about graduation and download a handy checklist to keep you on track, please click here.

The CCRC offers assistance with all aspects of the college application process:

• Narrowing down college choices
• Working through applications
• Checking essays
• Discussing financial concerns and scholarships
• Talking about standardized tests
• Working with potential college athletes
• Discussing military options
• Helping students connect with people at university

Click here to learn more.

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.

There is a super-bright future for students interested in the field of manufacturing, engineering, technology, and trades! The month of October is dedicated to promoting opportunities in this field to all students, and on Wednesday, October 9, Mundelein High School took a group of students to the Advanced Technology Center at the College of Lake County.

For those of you who are aware of this space, you’re familiar with its impressive size and the state-of-the-art technology training that it offers young people.

For those of you who don’t, the Advanced Technology Center space was once a home-improvement warehouse that the College of Lake County purchased and converted into a stunning facility that gives students hands-on experiences in the field of welding, metal fabrication, and computer numerical control operations.

If your student is interested in all aspects of technology, this is the opportunity you’re looking for!

Our students received a tour of the facility and were given a chance to network with representatives from local industry partners, such as Abbvie, MacLean-Fogg, Scot Forge, and many more!

The highlight for many was Moss Enterprises’ robot puppy! This cute little canine waved at visitors and showed off major cuteness with sits and rollovers.

Click here to see the robot puppy in action.

Click on the photos below to view moments from the event!

If you’re interested in learning more about our Dual Credit Student Internship course or any of our Experiential Education programs, contact Alexander Kapotas at akapotas@d120.org or at (847) 949-2200 x1092.

Check out this promo video that captures the spirit of the experiential education program here at Mundelein High School. Your epic future awaits, Mustangs!

PreVenture is a mental health program that screens students for personality related risk factors that may indicate increased risk for future participation in high-risk behaviors, including using drugs and alcohol. This does not evaluate for current high-risk behaviors, rather this is a preventative program to support the development of coping skills and self regulation strategies.

Omni utilizes the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) to screen students for eligibility. To learn more about PreVenture, click below.

English/Spanish

Quest is proud to be your dining partner and we are committed to providing the best experience possible to every student, including nutritious food, a wide variety of choices, and a seamless dining experience. We wanted to share a few important reminders about the dining program and we welcome your questions and feedback. Click here for more information.

New Year, New Look! Elevate Your Mustang Pride! Exciting news! We've expanded our spirit wear lineup with premium brands Under Armour and Champion at Mymustangnation.com.

Customize your gear with official school logos using our state-of-the-art DigiSoft printing for a smoother feel. Shop online 24/7 or see our printed merch at Mundelein High School. Visit us at mymustangnation.com or linked through the d120.org website.

Athletics events week of 10/14/24

Fall Athletic Department Newsletter

Submitted by Coach Winter

On Saturday the team played in quad at Warren. Alina Ahmed led the team with 2 wins on the day, Ashley Williams, Brianna Mondragon and Renata Turska all had wins in singles. In Doubles Nahomy Benitez and Valerie Gazaeva had a big win.

On Monday at Wauconda all singles players won convincingly. #1 Holly Scaramella, #2 Adrianna Trotz and #3 Alina Ahemed. At Doubles Annelia Sosa and Renata Turska won easily.

Submitted by Coach Rutz

This weekend we split our team up, with our top 7 running at the Peoria Invite, with the rest competing in the Antioch Invite, It was a chance for more of our runners to compete in a varsity race on one of my favorite courses.

At Antioch the boys took 7th out of 8 teams in the varsity race.

Freshman Advik Sharma led the way in the varsity race, taking 35th on the extremely hilly course. Logan Ramirez was next in in 40th place. Delmar Mena and Adrian Pacheco Reyes took 51st and 52nd with Henry Molozaiy finishing the scoring by taking 57th. A link to all the Antioch results is posted below.

At Peoria our top 7 took 13th out of 40 teams. Elijah Mendoza was again our #1 runner, taking 13th out of 267 runners in a new PR of 15:17. This puts him 10th on our All-Time Detweiller list. Izic Miller, in his first full race in a while, was next in in 60th race. Nathan McCreight, also recently back from injury, took 88th. Greshmen Erick Cordova and Brandon Newell finished out the scoring, taking 98th and 108th. Brandon dropped 10 seconds from his previous PR. Aidan Sweet and Andrew Weaver contributed with places of 139th and 165th.

This week we will be competing in the Lakes Sunset Invitational at Lakes High School on Friday, starting at 4:30. Hope you can join us there.

Submitted by Heather Crawford

Congratulations to the JV1 Boys Soccer Team for winning the regular season conference TITLE ending with a 5-0-2 record and closing it out with a decisive 2-0 home win against Lake Forest on Tuesday night. The boys have been working extremely hard all season and continue to get better every day. The CHAMPS continue to roll through the last week of their season next week at the final NSC Conference Championship tournament where they will be the #1 seed and ready to compete one last time together for another championship.

Submitted by Coach Willis

This past weekend, the sophomore team took 4th at the Antioch Slam Tournament, and Varsity took 2nd at the Lake Forest Invite. The Mustangs went undefeated in pool play scoring wins against Highland Park, Lake Forest, and Lakes High School. They beat Deerfield in the Semi-Final and lost to DePaul College Prep in the Finals. Congratulations to Norah Emso and Sophia Mitry for being named to the All-Tournament Team! Varsity and both freshman teams brought home a win against Lakes on Monday night, which set us up for excellent play against Lake Zurich on Wednesday.

This upcoming weekend is going to be jam-packed with Mustang Volleyball! Our Freshman A team heads to the Evanston Invitational, JV travels to the Johnsburg Invitational, and Varsity heads to Huntley for 5 matches each. With only 3 weeks left in the season, all levels are preparing for the final push to the end of the season competitions. Next week, all levels travel to Waukegan on Wednesday, October 16.

We have less than 2 weeks until our Cancer Awareness Night on Wednesday, October 23! There will be a 50/50 raffle and themed baskets to win. All proceeds will go to the Lynn Sage Foundation (link) Please mark your calendars and join us for this special event!

Our MHS Portrait of a Learner tenets affirm student identity through schoolwide values, expectations and practices.

English | Spanish

Regular school attendance is required and necessary to develop the academic and intrapersonal skills needed for success. Students are expected to attend each class and be on time. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. If your student is going to be absent, leave early or arrive late, please submit the attendance via the monitor application within Power School in lieu of calling the attendance line and leaving a voicemail.

Please log on to the Power School parent portal at the MHS website https://www.d120.org/ to record your student’s attendance.

Attached you will find instructions on how to submit your students attendance.

Power School Attendance Instructions

Guardians will be receiving an email with your parent Power School log in instructions if needed.

If you need further support please call 847-949-2200.

Would you like to know when your student’s bus is going to be late? For Mundelein bus routes, Lakeside Transportation is using the Bus Bulletin notification system to notify parents and students when there are bus delays and schedule changes.

For more information, or to sign-up and start receiving notifications, please visit Bus Bulletin (Find Mundelein Area Schools when prompted for a district) *Note - This is managed by Lakeside Bus Company and not MHS.

Although we take great pride in a dress code that encourages self-expression, we do want to remind students of our student dress code policy as found in our student handbook.

• Clothing must cover all undergarments (waistbands and straps excluded).

• Fabric covering all private parts must not be seen through.

• Clothing that depicts, advertises or advocates the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other controlled substances is prohibited.

• Clothing that depicts pornography, nudity or sexual acts is prohibited.

With the increased enrollment in recent years, we have been unable to provide a locker for every student at MHS. Since many students do not use a locker, we are assigning lockers to students upon request. Click below to request your locker!

Sign up for a Guardian SchooLinks Account! Be a part of your student’s college and career exploration. Understand more about the benefits of a Guardian Account with this video. If you need assistance creating your Guardian Account, email akroll@d120.org with your student’s name and ID number. A claim code and directions will be provided in response.

View Our Principal's Blog Archive

District Developments Newsletter

Website: www.d120.org

Location: 1359 West Hawley Street, Mundelein, IL, USA

Phone: 847-949-2200