December 13, 2024

Dear MHS Families,

Our Annual Holiday Collage Concert was again a huge success. It's always fun to see students and staff performing together. Cohesivness and togetherness is what this year's theme, "Juntos", is all about!

We so enjoy our performing arts at MHS that we often have students open our staff meetings on a positive note (pun intended). Click here to enjoy a little cheer from our Honors Wind Ensemble.

Sometimes the fun is less about performing and more about just being a good sport. This week the College Ambassadors held their "Pie a Teacher" event. Eight teachers were selected to get a pie in the face for the sake of raising funds. Both students and teachers had a blast! See article below.

Congratulations to the Mundelein Theatre Shakespeare Slam Team who won the Scene Round Championship at the Chicago Shakespeare Slam on Navy Pier. See article below.

Congratulations also to English Honors 4 student, Elle Dodge, who just completed in the 3rd Annual Charitable Outreach Project. Her charity, Compassion International, will be the recipient of funds raised during the project. See article below.

Lastly, next week is finals week. We have special schedules on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We hope students will take the short day on Tuesday to study, rest, and otherwise prepare for finals on Wednesday and Thursday. You will find the special schedules linked below.

Friday is scheduled as an emergency day. We have been fortunate, thus far, to avoid any snow days. If that luck continues to hold between now and the 20th, then December 20th will be included in the winter break and students will not be in session.

Wishing you all a wonderful winter break and holiday season. We will see you back here on, Tuesday, January 7th!

Go Mustangs!

Dr. Alexandria Taylor

Principal

Mundelein High School

847-949-2200

www.d120.org

ataylor@d120.org

Dec 13 - Dias Festivos

Dec 16 - Orchesis Dance Show

Dec 17 - Special Schedule

Dec 18-19 - Final Exams

Dec 20 - Emergency Day

Dec 20 - Senior Cap and Gown Deadline

Dec 23 - Start of Winter Break

Jan 6 - Teacher Institute Day

Jan 7 - Students Return - 1st Day of Second Semester

On Monday, December 9, the Mundelein Theatre Shakespeare Slam Team was named the Scene Round Champion at the Chicago Shakespeare Slam on Navy Pier. The team competed with a scene from the play Macbeth. Schools from throughout the city and suburbs of Chicago participated in this competition, sponsored by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Performers on the team are Alex Benassi, Xavion Haynes, Aedan Hogan, Mia Joshi, Avisha Mehta, Sylv Pacis, Sydney Olorvida, and Jasmine Tigley. The student assistants are Arlo Fingerhut, Noah Letts, Sara McHugh, Graham Ney, Erin Page, Nishna Shah, Aspen Sweet, and Mariana Van Eycke. The director/coaches are Jonathan and Jill Meier.

The Choral Program had a fantastic Spotlight event this past Friday! Students in all show choirs performed to a packed house in the MHS Auditorium. This singular fundraising event provides all of our students with wonderful opportunities at the 3 competitions they attend each year. Thank you to all who attended!

In October, MHS Choir and Band students auditioned for entry into the District VII Honors Ensembles. Those that earned principal spots in the ensembles were afforded the opportunity to be considered for All-State auditions in January.

We are proud to announce the following students who have earned the honor of auditioning at the State Level down in Peoria in January 2025!

Orchestra

Mariana Van Eycke - Trombone

Dylan Buisson - Bass Trombone

Jazz Combo

Chloe Langford - Trombone

Composition

Jacob Irabagon

This past Tuesday, the entirety of the band program was on stage performing in their Fall Band Concert. It was a night filled with fantastic performances, marking the first concert performance of the year!

This past Thursday, the Band and Choir programs hosted their annual Holiday Collage Concert with a packed house! Community members were serenaded with carols, percussion ensembles, and small ensembles from our band program. The Art program also had an exhibit on display out in the Commons where concert goers could enjoy student art as well as pick up their own self-made buttons!

We hope you’ll join us second semester for some more outstanding performances from our Fine Arts Team!

Click here to see our Collage Concert Scrapbook

Click here to check out our Collage Concert Videos

The College Ambassador Fundraiser sold approximately 250 tickets for the Pie in the Face event and had great fun delivering the pies. Thank you to Mr. Stowers (who baked his own pie for the event), Mr. Billittier, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Cowhey, Officer Schuldt, Mr. Gates, Mr. Pruc, and Mr. Kuhn for being such good sports!

Congratulations again to all our Honors English 4 students on a great afternoon of thoughtfully researched presentations. Currently, over $800 has been raised and will benefit the work Compassion International does to sponsor and support children all over the world. Of course, fundraising continues through the weekend, so please consider donating to this project.

This week at our staff meeting 9 staff members were honored with Mustang Pride awards. Those individuals are: Rob Bever, Paul Thatcher, Jackie Hogan, John Cowhey, Michele Bonadies (not shown), Morgan Spitz (not shown), Noe Alcanter (not shown), and Heather Demuth (not shown).

There are so many celebrations in December, it truly is the busiest month of the year.

Winter Solstice - December 21st

Christmas - December 25th

Hanukkah - Begins December 25th at sundown.

Kwanzaa - Begins on December 26th

New Year's Eve - December 31st

It is also a month to remember universal human rights and person with disabilities.

Course selection for next year is beginning. Parents and guardians are able to see what their students are thinking about for course selection with a Guardian Schoolinks account.

Email akroll@d120.org and request your Guardian Account access code today!

Our lost and found is overflowing! If you lost anything during the semester please go to the security box by door 1 before winter break to see if anythng belongs to you.

All items left as of winter break will be donated.

Whether you're traveling over Winter Break or spending time at home...did you know...The MHS Library is Boundless! Download the Boundless app to read eBooks or listen to audiobooks anytime, anywhere.

How to Access:
Chromebook: Use Google Single Sign-On.
Phone/Tablet: Use your student ID# as both your login & password.
Happy reading & listening!

The MHS Sophomore Class Leadership Team and the U.S. Marines are teaming up for the 2024 Toys for Tots drive!

Please help us reach our goal of collecting 250 new, unwrapped toys by December 18th.

You can drop off your donations in the boxes located by the front entrance.

As everyone is getting into the holiday spirit, we wanted to invite you to Puertas Club’s annual holiday event, Días Festivos, on Friday, December 13th, from 6:00-8:00 PM in the cafeteria! This bilingual, open-house style event is aimed at bringing families together to celebrate the spirit of the season with their children and take part in family friendly activities that highlight some of the holiday and seasonal traditions of Latin America.

Come see some amazing students perform on stage (some for the first time!) in our annual winter show "Lose My Breath".

December 16th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium.

Please help promote the show to students. Tickets are $10 at the door, $7 with a school ID. Money earned at the show goes towards the Orchesis Dance Scholarship.

See attached flyer for more information.

We will have an early release for all students on this day to allow them to head home to prepare and “Study With Purpose” for their Final Exams.

Click here for the Special Schedule

Click here for the final exam schedule.

Cap and gown order deadline! Orders received after December 20th will incur late fees and may not arrive in time for graduation. To place your order, please visit Herff Jones online at www.herffjones.com or call 815-756-4743.

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

No students in session.

Students in session. Beginning of Semester 2.

The course selection process for the 2025-2026 school year will begin in the coming weeks. Please take a moment to read through all of the information and links below to ensure that you are well-informed of this process.

Counselors will be making presentations in developmental guidance lessons to inform students and will begin meeting with individual students on the following dates:

• Juniors: December 2nd - Completed
• Sophomores: January 13
• Freshman: January 27

If you have any questions about this process you can reach out directly to your school counselor for more information.

We look forward to working closely with you and your student to plan for an exciting and challenging 2024-2025 school year.

We are proud to host visitors to learn more about our programming and facilities. In order to minimize the impact on the educational environment, we have chosen to host visitors on select days throughout the school year.

Therefore, to secure a visitation time, please select from the following options so we are able to provide the necessary information and personnel during your visit.

Our next tour is on January 23rd at 4:30pm. Click here to register.

To place your order, please visit Herff Jones online at www.herffjones.com or call 815-756-4743. Orders received after December 20th 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.

Senior yard signs are now available for $15 each! Each sign comes with yard stakes. All proceeds to benefit the MHS Student Support Fund!

Order through April 30. Pickup in the main office at MHS after confirmation email is received.

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.

www.studentaid.gov

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.

On Thursday, December 5th, five professionals from the law field shared their experiences and career advice for the students of Mundelein High School for the Fall 2024 Mundelein High School Law Panel. Over 100 students from all grade levels gathered in the District Meeting Room to hear first-hand accounts of interesting trials and law-school adventures. This year’s panelists were, Jim Babowice of Churchill, Quinn, Hamilton & Van Donselaar, Ltd., Sharanya Gururajan of SG Law, Eric Kalata of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, JT Schuldt from the Mundelein Police Department, and Elin Shobak of LaLuzerne & Smith, Ltd.

“My biggest piece of advice is to explore your options,” stated Elin Shoback, who is also a Mundelein High School graduate. “Figure out what you like and, most importantly, figure out what you don’t like,” she added. “This is going to help you as you make your way along your career path”.

When one student asked about the effect that friendships and relationships had on their careers, Sharanya Gururajan offered an enthusiastic response. “Friendships are huge,” she commented. “If it weren’t for my mentors when I first started and the friendships and groups that I’m a part of now, I don’t know how I would have survived”.

In addition to the two panels during 4th and 6th period, our guests were invited to a lunch attended by a group of about ten students hand-picked by their teachers. I think all of them appreciated the chance to chat more informally and more in-depth about various topics.

The feedback from the event was quite positive, but the most affirming was overheard by librarian Rebecca Plaza. “I was walking out of the library and two students rushed out of the panel and one stated to the other, ‘that was great!’,” she shared.

Stay tuned for more fantastic experiences and panels by checking SchooLinks, watching your email inboxes, and listening to announcements!

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!

Athletics events week of 12/16/24

Winter Athletic Department Newsletter

Submitter by Coach Sweno

Winston Petri (right) and Chase Moy (left) both medaled in the Vernon Hill Invitational. Chase Moy for high game, Winston Petri for high game and high series.

Submitter by Coach Rosales

After working tirelessly for 7 weeks on their competition choreography, JV Cheer attended their first competition on Sunday at Barrington High School. Competing against 17 other schools, JV successfully came out with a 4th place finish! They can’t celebrate for too long as they move on to their next competition at Stevenson this coming Sunday.

First home meet for the Mustangs!

Submitted by Coach Prorok

Girls bowling is having a fantastic start. We defeated Warren with a score 9-0. Brianna Orlowski Merner bowled an impressive series of 681 with a high game of 267. Renata Turska had a high series of 421 with a high game of 172. Naomi Routledge contributed a strong 170 game to help the team succeed. Great performance by all. Then we bowled Grayslake North on Monday. We won 7-2. The girls bowled well with both teams bowling over 790 pins in the second game. Brianna Orlowski Merner, Melissa Orlowski, Paige Winters, and Reene Photopoulos all bowled over 200 pins in a game.

Up next - JV tournament at Lakeside Lanes and Varsity tournament at Strikefest in Plainfield.

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.

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.

For some additional reading, view our:

• Principal's Blog Archive
• District Developments Newsletter
• The Mustang Newpaper

Website: www.d120.org

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

Phone: 847-949-2200