Como Park Senior High Newsletter

May

6- Parent Advisory Council 6:00 (virtual)

6-17 AP Testing

8- Band/Orchestra/Jazz Concert 7:00-8:00

8- Education Pathway visits Groveland Elementary 10:30-3:00

10- Family Fun Night 5:00-8:00

14- ELL Field Trip to MIA 9:30-12:30

17- Senior Prom 7:00-11:00

17- ELL visits MN Zoo

22- Choral Music Spring Concert 7:00-8:00

27- No School (Memorial Day)

28- Senior Dedication 6:30-8:00

30- Senior Last day of School

31- Senior Picnic/Cap & Gown pickup 11:00-2:00

June

5- Class of 2024 Graduation Rehearsal at Roy Wilkins 8:00-9:00 AM

5- Class of 2024 Graduation at Roy Wilkins 8:00-10:00 PM

10- Last Day of School grades 9-11

Please check out our athletic events coming up: https://sppscomoparkhighschool.rschoolteams.com/

CPSHS Parking Reminders

Everyone who parks in the Como Park Senior High School parking lots needs a parking permit (aside from visitors). If you do not have a parking permit, please see Ms. Lor in the front office. The parking permit should be placed on your vehicle's window so it is visible to staff.

Student parking is located at the last section of the lot nearest to Como Avenue and the far end of the football field. Students may not park in any other section.

Staff may park in the lot but may not, under any circumstance, park in a visitor space.

Students and staff who have a visible handicapped sign posted or noted license plate may park in a handicapped space.

Please follow the rules so everyone eligible may find a parking spot in the lot. Staff will be monitoring the lot to make sure vehicles have permits and that vehicles are parked in the correct sections and spaces. Vehicles may be towed at owner's expense if not following Como parking rules. Thank you for your cooperation.

Parent Advisory Council Meeting (Last one for 23-24)

ALL PARENTS ARE INVITED

WHEN: Monday May 6, 2024

TIME: 6:00 PM

WHERE: Virtual through Google Meet:

Google Meet joining info

https://meet.google.com/gzc-mzwa-aiy

Or dial: +​1​ ​3​1​5​-​7​9​5​-​1​3​2​7 PIN: 6​6​9​ ​1​8​1​ ​0​5​9​#

AGENDA:

Budget Informtion for SY 24-25

Family Fun Night

Senior Night/Graduation Details

SCIP (School Continuous Improvement Plan)

School-Parent Compact Revisions

Family Engagement Plan Revisions

If you have concerns or questions, please email jamie.hoffman@spps.org.

Como Park Robotics had its best season ever finishing 4th ranked at our tournament. Congratulate a member of Como Beastbot Robotics if you see one. A great way you can support robotics at Como Park High School is by donating old tools or technology. If you have an old wrench set, tap and dye, 3D printer, cutting torch, soldering iron, laptop or anything tech your spouse wants you to get out of your garage contact Michael Fischer to arrange for someone from robotics to pick it up. Email michael.fischer@spps.org or call 651-744-1919 to arrange your donation.

Tickets are:

$50 per person

$90 per couple

This is the link to pay online through SPPS:

https://spps.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/getclass/category_id/518/program_id/16

Tickets will also be sold during lunches

SUMMER SCHOOL INFORMATION

Counselors will be registering students for the Summer Learning Program, if they are missing credits.

Here are the dates for each session:

Session 1: June 24th-July 18th from 8:45 am-2:45 pm

Session 2: July 22nd-August 13th from 8:45 am-2:45 pm

At the following locations:

Como Park Senior High School for 11th and 12th graders only

Johnson High School or Humboldt High School for 9th and 10th graders only

Please reach out to your student's school counselor if you have any questions or concerns.

Mrs. Moser, holly.moser@spps.org

Ms. D'Amore, natalee.damore@spps.org

Farah, farah.abuqalbeen@spps.org

Mrs. Vang, choua2.vang@spps.org

Ms. Thao, kia.thao@spps.org

FAMILY FUN NIGHT

Attention students and families: Come for FREE food, DJ, raffles (bring cash to improve your chances to win), inflatable obstacle course, face painting, ping pong, paper dolls/creativity center, American Indian drum group, knitting lessons, Bingo, selfie station and photo booth, Como Wear sales, and candy and prizes.

We need volunteers to make this event successful! Please sign up to volunteer!

• Activities sign-up https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Cqk3cK77_PVaB-afJcLk1kLz3KndLUD7O_gP60YZ6wI/edit?usp=sharing

If you'd like to help in another way, you can donate a basket for our raffle. We will accept themed baskets, gifts, gift cards/certificates to places in the surrounding area, etc. by Wednesday May 8th.

Thank you!

AWARDS

Ellery Tennison - Athena Award

A Three Sport Star!

Volleyball: 4 Year Letter Winner, Captain, MVP, 2X Section Runner Up As a Team

Basketball: 2 Year Letter Winner; 2X Conference Champion, 3rd in State As a Team

Track: 4 Year Letter Winner; Conference Champion and State Entrant

Congratulations, we're so proud of you and your accomplishments!

Sahara Hinton - Minute Men Scholarship

We are excited to announce that Sahara Hinton has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Minute Men Scholarship. The Minute Men sports booster club was formed in 1960 to assist in the promotion of the bond sale to build Metropolitan stadium, for the new Twins and Vikings. Over the years the club has grown into a support organization for all forms of sports in Minnesota.

The Minute Men Amateur Athletics Foundation Scholarship is worth a total of $4,000, which goes to an outstanding student who plans to continue to compete in athletics at the collegiate level. Sahara Hinton is a trailblazer, becoming the first Black American female to receive a saddle club award, and will continue to pursue equestrian excellence at the prestigious program at Lake Erie College in Ohio.

Winfield Award Recipients

The Winfield Awards provides scholarship awards to Student Athletes in Minnesota, fostering both their athletic ability and education.

Baw Reh

Baw Reh's exceptional prep athletics career evolves from his status within his Karenni community, specifically a mountain village in the Kayah State of Myanmar called Preh Soe Leh. His family and community followed the path of the many cultures intertwined into the neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Freed from violence and given opportunities to pursue academics and athletics, Baw Reh arrived at Como High School during the pandemic and built a legacy to match his anointed status in his Karenni community where he was always, 'the one'.

Kayah, or Karenni have over a decade of athletic accomplishments at Como Park High School. The community is small and very tight. Baw Reh's brother-in-law played on the 2013 state championship team and his sister-in-law was an Athena Award winner in 2023. In the Karenni community, it's been said the better athletes come from Preh Soe Leh. Moving up and down the mountain builds stronger legs than those farming in the valley.

Baw Reh fluctuates from the shy, reserved immigrant, to 'Big Man on Campus' personality. He struggled to embrace a role on varsity soccer as a sophomore in the fall of '21, but in the spring earned recognition on the boys volleyball state tournament team. Those mountain legs lifting the team above the net and into the final 8 of the state tournament. Baw Reh moves around the volleyball court with an ease and confidence of an apex predator. It's his kingdom inside those lines.

The confidence translated to results in the fall, scoring spectacular goals in rivalry soccer matches, creating joyful memories while moving in virtual slow motion. Baw Reh's touch on the soccer ball is a bizarre symmetry with his spike over a volleyball net. Smooth, effortless, powerful. An unmatched talent.

Another state tournament for the now established Como Boys volleyball team in the spring of junior year. Baw Reh, clearly the leader now, he felt the pressure of expectations. Teammates, opponents looked at him and he didn't always want that attention. He wasn't always the guy rallying the team, picking up struggling teammates. It took time for him to embrace that role. To exude the confidence and energy of the quiet, leader by example type, Baw Reh needed to mature and accept that with his ability, his responsibility was to be that teammate, the way his Karenni community viewed him.

And senior year, with the spotlight, the eyes of the community, expectations of his teammates, Baw Reh took that step forward, becoming the player a team, a teammate, a coach, a friend, a fan, and a school looked to as their guy. Recognizing Baw Reh as a recipient of the Winfield Award is the story of "talented student athlete fulfills potential." A kid from the mountains of Kayah State stands in front of his family and community in St. Paul, Minnesota, recognized as one of the special student athletes in the class of 2024. Congratulations, Baw Reh.

Xee Lee

Xee Lee has been an outstanding role model at Como Park High School both on and off of the court. In the classroom, Xee Lee has an incredible 4.73 weighted and 4.00 weighted GPA. Her dedication continues to be present in her athletics performance.

In volleyball, she participated on the varsity team for three years and achieved the honor of All Conference Honorable Mention. In badminton, she participated on the varsity team for three years and was a captain her senior year. She also was involved in the musical for two years in lead roles.

Xee Lee exemplifies what it means to be a Como Park Cougar with her grit, dedication, and well-roundedness.

EARLY SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

While the spring seasons are still young, we have had quite a few outstanding moments already that have provided excellent momentum for many of our Cougars as they seek positive results in the coming post-season contests.

Badminton

Fun fact, badminton is one of the largest teams that we have at Como Park High School! With 45 players this year, our badminton team has put together some impressive results such as two back-to-back wins against Central High School (5-2 and 5-2) as well as a gutsy 4-3 win over conference rival Highland Park. With a varsity lineup containing seniors in 9 of the 10 positions, our veteran group is hungry to end their high school careers on a strong note.

Baseball

The baseball team can be characterized by balance. Lead by a strong group of seniors and supported by a large group of 8th and 9th graders, the team began its season with a difficult loss to Robbinsdale Cooper, but quickly rebounded for a dominant 12-6 victory over Brooklyn Center. The senior group is continuing to develop as leaders, and the young guys are continuing to showcase their hunger.

Golf

The Como Golf program has seen a recent resurgence with program numbers at their largest since the program was revived back in 2018. On the boys side, the team has a blend of students from all age groups, including middle school athletes. Over on the girls side, we've seen over a 50% increase in participation from last year to this year. Hattie Hemthong, a sophomore on the team, is currently one of the top players in the Saint Paul City Conference and will be looking to have a potential run to the state tournament.

Softball

Our softball team is another group at Como with a balance of strong senior leadership accompanied by over 50% underclassmen and middle school athletes. The team as a 50/50 win loss ratio with dominant wins over Brooklyn Center (26-1) and Minneapolis Henry (18-5).

Boys Tennis

The tennis team has seen its greatest start in years. Beginning the season with a home opener 4-3 win over De LaSalle, the Boys Tennis team has taken that momentum through the season, beating Saint Paul Conference giant, Harding High School, with an impressive 6-1 win on Monday, April 22nd. The last time that Como Park beat Harding was when head coach and alumni, Kia Yang, was playing tennis here at Como in 2007. With this historic win, the tennis team is gearing up to have it's best season in years, lead by captains Nolan Rognerud and Daniel Klett at the helm.

Track

The track team has also grown in participation, with over 85 athletes competing this year. The team will be looking to build on a strong 2023 season with multiple state participants.

Boys Volleyball

This year boys volleyball is being categorized as an "emerging sport" through the Minnesota State High School League. Next year, the team will move from club sport status to a fully sanctioned sport. The Como Park Volleyball team is hungry to build upon a strong 2023 season which saw them earn 5th in state. The team started off the season with a straight sets home opener victory over White Bear Lake, followed by a gutsy 4 set victory over Burnsville. The team is on track to continue their dominance!

NEW WEIGHT ROOM- Thielen Foundation Grant

Thanks to the generosity of the Thielen Foundation, Como Park High School will be having an entirely new weight room constructed! Improvements include an aesthetic update with a fresh coat of paint and brand new Como Pride decals, new weights, and brand new flooring, some of which will be turf. The project is set to begin this spring and will be completed by the end of July.

ကညကီျာိတ်ီၤတၢမ်ၤလအိသီတဖၣ်တၢဖ်ၢနုာအ်ီၤလၢ တီၤခၢၣ်သးဒီးတီၤထီကိၠဖိတဖၣ်အဂီၢလ်ၢကိၠနၣံ်၂၀၂၄-၂၅အပူၤ

College Possible is hosting some virtual Zoom info sessions for 10-11th grade students and families over the next few months. Below are the dates and times of these info sessions and the Zoom link to join.

Zoom Link (the link will be the same for all sessions): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86305462760

• Monday, May 13 at 6:00pm

• Thursday, May 30 at 4:00pm

May 28th- Senior Awards and Dedication Night- 6:30 PM in the Auditorium

During this evening, we will distribute graduation academic and club cords, graduation club stoles, as well as celebrate achievement during the school year in our academic departments, within programming and extra curriculars, athletics, Cougar awards and other accomplishments. There will be a light dinner provided in the cafeteria prior to the awards presentation. This will be an evening dedicated to our senior class.

COMO SENIOR STUDENTS! YOUR RESPONSE IS NEEDED...Please complete this form by May 10th. The form can be accessed through your school account. (stpaul.k12.mn.us)

May 31st- Senior Picnic-11:00-2:00- Softball Fields

Students will pick up their cap and gown at this time. You won't want to miss the last chance to hang with all of your high school classmates at once. There will be plenty of food, drinks and outdoor activities. It will be a moment to remember😊

June 5th- Graduation at Roy Wilkins Auditorium- 8:00-10:00 PM

There are only 8 tickets per family for the graduation ceremony at Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

DID YOU KNOW?

Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is observed in the United States during the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Wikipedia

MCJROTC News

The Como Park MCJROTC Cadets help Celebrate Earth Day at the 38th annual Citywide Spring Cleanup! They joined forces with all our neighbors to clean up the litter in our parks and neighborhood streets that has been exposed due to melting snow. The Citywide Spring Cleanup was hosted by Saint Paul Parks & Recreation, Saint Paul Public Works and local organizations. It was a chilly, windy day and it always happens come snow, rain or shine. Sixteen cadets led by Junior Cadet Hser Da were magnificent. Thank you!!!

An amazing example of unselfishness & humility as 61 of our Como Park JROTC cadet's volunteered at the Eagan Feed My Starving Children Warehouse. They were responsible for packing more than 25,500 meals into 119 boxes for those in need. Great job cadets.

Como Park MCJROTC Cadets grunt through another Annual Warriors Night Event. We now have the new Cadet Staff in place for SY24-25. Congratulations all the Juniors. Proud and excited to see how the ship is now steered. The seniors have again passed the baton and should rest easy that they have gotten them ready to lead the battalion. Ooh Rah Warriors.

Elbow Lake, Minnesota Community Service Event on Saturday 4/28/2024. A Band of Brothers forever.

Wow! What a marvelous field trip to MIA, the Minneapolis Institute of Art on 4/24/24 for our 10th grade Accelerated English students. The feedback from students indicated they had a wonderful time and experience.

The students had a guided tour of the Black American Arts and Artists exhibit featuring Gordon Parks and Ella Watson and specifically the icon portrait of Ms. Watson title "American Gothic." (Pictured right)

This exhibit connects to the social issue research project students engaged in as the exhibit features the photojournalism activism of Mr. Parks. Gordon Parks said: "I picked up a camera because it was my choice of weapons against what I hated most about the universe...racism, intolerance, poverty." Students saw this in the exhibit and engaged in conversation about these issues throughout the tour.

Thank you to the staff and parent chaperones who helped make this happen!

Get Ready and MCJROTC enjoyed a great St. Olaf College Field trip with all Juniors. Great chow too.

Would you like to participate in the Cinco de Mayo festivities?

Check this out! https://www.westsideboosters.com/cincodemayo

Saint Anthony Park Branch Library Association is hosting a neighborhood author, Mia Nosanow, and her new book:

The College Student's Guide to Mental Health: Essential Wellness Strategies for Flourishing in College

When: Thursday May 9, 6:30-8:00

As Como students head off to school, and their parents consider the needs of their kids, this book and the conversation around it should be a great interest to all families.

For more on Mia:

• Mia Nosanow, MA, LP is a licensed psychologist and mental health therapist who specializes in college students. For 20 years, Mia worked as a mental health counselor at Macalester College, seeing thousands of students for individual and group counseling. Mia is passionate about helping young adults understand themselves and to find resources so that they can thrive in their worlds. She holds a BA from Carleton College and an MA in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She and her husband live right in St. Anthony Park and raised two sons here.

Flyer available in Español, Amharic, Hmong, and Karen. Click here for multiple languages.