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Principal's Blog #36
May 17, 2024
Message from Dr. Taylor
Dear Class of 2024!
We cannot wait to celebrate YOU on Sunday! Below are the details for your big day.
Sunday, May 19th
NOW Arena
5333 Prairie Stone Parkway
Hoffman Estates, IL
Traffic can be crazy in that area, please allow yourself some extra time.
Student arrival 2:00pm
Ceremony 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Rehearsal - Graduation practice video. Click here to watch.
Additional Info:
- Tickets - Each graduate will be issued 15 tickets (wristbands) for guest seating. General seating will begin at 2:00 pm. Accessible seating is available on a first come, first served basis. In order to ensure there is sufficient accessible seating for everyone, only the person needing special seating and one family member may sit there. All other family members must sit in general seating.
- Live Stream - Graduation will be live-streamed for those who cannot make it in person. Click here to start live stream.
- Seating Chart - Click here to view the graduation seating chart.
- Transportation: Students may drive on their own, with their parents, or take advantage of MHS bus transportation to NOW Arena and back to MHS. Transportation will be available for any students and their families, at no cost. The bus will leave from the MHS main entrance at 1:00pm.
- Eligibility - Students must meet all graduation requirements in order to participate in the graduation ceremony. Students are encouraged to check with their guidance counselors if they are uncertain of their eligibility status. Students with outstanding fee balances on their school accounts should make payment to the MHS Bookstore/Payment Center before graduation. Fee balances are printed on the bottom of all progress reports and report cards. Chromebooks must be returned. Please contact Mrs. Olson at extension 1235 with questions regarding your school account.
Congratulations, we're so proud of you! See you Sunday!
Have a great weekend, Mustangs!
Dr. Alexandria Rios Taylor
Principal, Mundelein High School
847-949-2200 x1257
Cell Phone Survey! We want to hear from YOU!
As the principal of Mundelein High School, I am reaching out to gather your input regarding a possible change in how our school permits cell phone use for the 2024-2025 school year.
Recent studies have shown that excessive cell phone use can have detrimental effects on the neurological and social-emotional development of youth and high school students (Haidt, 2024).
Those studies have shown:
excessive cell phone use can lead to decreased attention span, impaired memory, and reduced problem-solving skills
high levels of social media use, often accessed through cell phones, are associated with increased rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances among teenagers
students who used their cell phones during class had lower academic performance and reduced engagement in learning activities
To combat this, I have attached a DRAFT of the proposed cell phone expectations that could go into effect for the 24-25 school year for your review.
As we are taking into account all considerations, I would like to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to complete this PARENT survey, which will help us include your feedback and concerns.
Thank you for taking the time to provide your valuable input. Your responses will help guide our decision-making process as we strive to create a learning environment that promotes academic success and the well-being of our students.
Graduation is Sunday, May 19th!
May 6 - Graduation Practice Video
Click here to view your graduation rehearsal video.
May 18th - Six Flags Grad Night
Six Flags Great America’s Grad Nite offers more than any other Illinois Grad Nite destination. With once-in-a-lifetime experiences like world class coasters, dinner buffet, and the party doesn’t stop there!
Featuring thrills and fun:
- Completely PRIVATE Event – students and their chaperones (not open to public)
- World class thrilling roller coasters and high energy activities
- All-you-can-eat buffet
- Activities for both students and chaperones
- Complimentary chaperone admission, food and comfortable accommodations
Click here to reserve your spot today! * Not affiliated with MHS.
May 19 - Graduation
Tickets and seating: Each graduate will be issued 15 tickets (wristbands) for guest seating. General seating will begin at 2:00 pm.
ADA Seating: is available on a first come, first served basis. No reservation is necessary. ADA areas are restricted to the individual needing special seating, plus one family member. All other guests must sit in general seating to ensure there is sufficient ADA seating for those who need it.
Live Stream: Graduation will also be streamed live, for those who can not attend in person. Click here to view.
Full Schedule of Events: Click here to see the full schedule of upcoming graduations events.
Upcoming Events for Everyone Else!
2024-2025 School Year Registration
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/
All returning students must register for the upcoming 24-25 school year. Please check your email for your snap code.
Snap Code Questions: Contact Patty DeLozier at 847-949-2700 ext. 2014 or at pdelozier@d120.org
Payment Center Questions: Please contact KC Olson at kolson@d120.org
May 17 - Evening of Jazz
This year's Evening of Jazz and Silent/Live Auction Fundraiser will be held on Friday, May 17, 2024, in the Mundelein High School Gymnasium (please note the change of location).
Click here to purchase tickets for DINNER. We will NOT be selling tickets at the event. Ticket sales will end on Thursday, May 9.
Seats will be available, and tickets will not be needed for anyone wishing to come for the concert only. Doors will open at 6pm for dinner guests, and music begins at 6:30pm.
May 20 - Wellness Bash
Wellness Bash will take place May 20 during lunch periods ONLY! The cafeteria will be CLOSED.
Hotdogs, chips, and water bottles will be available for student lunches. Snow cones for sale for $5
Games, raffles, community resources, and other activities available
Visit community resource tables to learn about supports available in the community for your chance to win AirPods, a Stanley, or a Bluetooth speaker.
May 22 - Special Schedule
In an effort to give students extra time to study and take a breath before finals, we have implemented a special schedule for May 22nd. Click here for more information.
May 23-24 - Final Exams
Semester 2 final exam days are May 23rd and May 24th. We will be on a special schedule both days. Please click here for more information.
May is...
Shout Outs!
ASPIRE
Congratulations to Freshman, Hunter Duitsman and Freshamn Ethan Herman!! We received 26 submissions this week! 🙂.
Incubator Final Pitch Day
Yesterday marked our INCubator Final Pitch event in Mrs. Sherwin-Petrucci’s INCubator classes! 11 teams presented their final pitches to our amazing volunteer board consisting of local entrepreneurs and business owners. We are so very thankful to our community members who have volunteered throughout the year and poured hours of mentoring and coaching into our students!
The 3 Finalists that are invited back to our Final Pitch Night on Wednesday, 5/22 at 7:45pm are:
LinktUp
CaddyGo
GripStrip
Photo 1-2: Our INCubator Board listened to each student group present their products and graded them on presentation, voice, details, and materials with the use of rubrics to end up with three finalists!
IED Classes Repair Mascot!
Mr. Morrison and his outstanding students in Digital Electronics class were approached by Maverick to replace the fan inside of the costume this past week. Nick Selimos, class of ‘25, utilized his soldering skills learned in class to replace the fan in Maverick’s head. This cross-curricular opportunity is just one of many within the CTE department!
Equity Office
To nominate yourself or others for this feature, please email Mr. Gonzalez.
The Welcome Center
The Welcome Center is in need of donations to continue assisting those members of our community that are in need. With the fallout from some of our families being displaced recently by inclement weather, those donations are even more important today. We welcome donations of non-perishable food items, personal hygiene items, soaps, detergents and clothing. To help assist those families in need, we are also accepting gift card donations. Please take a minute to watch this video about how The Welcome Center helps our community.
Student Supports
Student Services
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 May self-care check list.
Click here to see all the student support areas we have to offer.
MHS Supports
MHS has many supports to offer students. Students can access a quick-reference guide of all supports available on this page. Available is everything from social-emotional support, to financial support. Check it out!
Click here to see all the student support areas we have to offer.
College and Career Resource Center (CCRC)
Congratulations class of 2024!
We will truly miss you and we cannot wait to see all of the amazing things you do with your future!
Thank you to our College Ambassadors who planned a wonderful decision day Celebration!
Thank you to the generous businesses and parents who donated all of the food and beverages (and photography) for our celebration!
Target Mundelein
Mcdonalds on Lake St.
Tina G's
Photos Hot Dogs
Jimano’s Pizzeria
LoLos Bowls
Karina's Bakery
tony cannoli
Culvers
Rosy's Bakery
Samaris Sweet Creations
Heather Magrow
Lindsay Van de Motter- Photographer
Experiential Education
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.
Athletics
Coaches Corner - JV Tennis
Submitted by Coach Cohen
The JV Tennis team took 4th place in the Conference tournament. This is the highest finish for Mundelein Boys Tennis in the North Suburban Conference tournament.
Pictured are medalists: Ben Emso (Fr) + Sneh Shah (Fr)
Coaches Corner - Senior Boys Volleyball
Submitted by Coach Dressen
On Tuesday, we celebrated our seniors on Senior night in the game against Grayslake Central. The MHS volleyball program would like to send a big congratulations to our senior volleyball players who will graduate on Sunday, May 19: Shane Clausen, Dominic Kampa, Kaidyn Wright, Zander Magrow, Oscar Carrasco, and Max Dunlap. Thank you for being a part of Mundelein volleyball!
This past week, our Mustangs brought home a huge win against Lake Zurich. And our lower levels completed their seasons with their matches against Lake Forest on Wednesday. To all our athletes, we are so proud of your hard work, and we can’t wait to see what you do next season! Our Varsity team continues into the postseason with the first Regional match on Monday against Palatine at Round Lake High School, and hopefully, the Regional Quarter-final on Wednesday. Our team will continue to play as long as we continue to win. Thank you all for your support and encouragement this season!
Coaches Corner - Softball
Submitted by Coach Ryan
The MHS Softball team complete the conference sweep, going 14 - 0 and capturing their first conference title since 2006. We invite the MHS community to come out and support our team in our last regular season double header against Grayslake Central this Saturday.
Next week will be another big week for our team as we are set to host regional playoffs at our varsity field. Our first playoff game is set for Tuesday, May 21st against the winner of Round Lake/Waukegan starting at 4:30 p.m. The championship game will then be played on Friday, May 24th at 4:30 p.m. We need you, Mustang Nation!
Coaches Corner - Girls Soccer
The Mustangs won their first Regional game 4-0 vs Harlem under first year head coach Alix McArthur. Freshman Carlie Bestler scored with 20 seconds remaining in the first half. It was all Mustangs after that. Ashley Strachn added a goal, Bridget Russ and Carlie scored her second to put the game away. Sam Biesterfeld had three assists. The Freshman team held 7 opponents scoreless this year. JV2 had a record of 7-4-1 and JV had a record of 11-7. This was the best program effort in years.
Coaches Corner - Boys Track
Conference Recap-
Overall, a pretty good night for our Mustangs, as the F/S scored 46 points, and the Varsity scored 55. Starting with the F/S-
The F/S 4 x 800 got things rolling with a 3rd place effort. The foursome of Arturo Vargas, Mason McMurray, Delmar Mena, and Kessler Magrow ran 8L22, with Arturo contributing a 2:15 to lead off.
William Cunliffe followed that with a 4th place finish in the 110HH. Kessler Magrow came back to take 4th in the 800. The 4 x 200 relay of Aubre Booker, Jordan Baker, William Cunliffe and Riley Murphy followed with yet another 4th. Delmar Mena contributed a 6th place in the 1600 with a 12 second PR. The track events ended with the 4 x 400 relay of Shiven Patel, Riley Murphy, Kessler Magrow and Cesar Hernandez taking 6th.
In the Field Events, Marco Toledano took 3rd in the Shot, while Holden McFall took 5th in the Discus. Michael Pacella followed up his 5th place in the Pole Vault with a surprise 2nd in the High Jump. Kadin Toussaint contributed a 3rd in the High Jump. Great job by our F/S squad. A great way for most of them to end their season.
At the Varsity level, the quartet of Nathan McCreight, Andrew Weaver, Logan Ramirez, and Izic Miller brought us a 6th in the 4 x 800 relay. Izic followed that up with a 3rd place in the 800. Julian Eagar followed up a 4th place in the High Jump with our only win on the night. Julian won the 100m with a PR of 11.13, only .06 away from the State Qualifying Standard. Julian also PR'd in the 200, taking 2nd in 22.86. Julian concluded his awesome night by leading off the 4 x 200 relay to a 4th place finish, along with Ethan Connelly, Adam Hauf, and Connor Tector. Their time of 1:32.87 is our fastest time in that event since 2017.
Nico Osorio PR'd in the Pole Vault while taking 6th. William Vilchynskyy took 5th in the Shot Put, while Dylan Coe took 5th in the Discus. Ethan Connelly took 3rd in the Triple Jump. Alberto Diaz brought home points in 2 events, as he took 3rd in the 3200, and then came back to take 4th in the 1600. Elijah Mendoza topped off the scoring by running a gritty race in the 3200, taking 6th.
A shout out to our own Coach Whitty, as he is retiring at the end of this season. Good luck on your future endeavors, Whitty, we'll miss you!
Next Friday we compete in the IHSA Sectional at Grayslake Central. Come on out and support your Mustangs as they try to earn a trip to the State Meet in Charleston the following week. It's A Great Day To Be A Mustang!
Coaches Corner - Freshman Boys Volleyball
Submitted by Coaches Rolfe and Fansler
Freshmen Boys Volleyball won their last game of the season against Lake Forest last night.
The Fresh/Soph boys finished there season last night with a win over Lake Forest 25-9 and 25-14. Ending the season with a 5 game win streak.
Their final record was 25-5, undefeated at home, 5-2 in conference (2nd or 3rd place), 2nd in the Lake Forest tournament and Champions of the LIbertyville Tournament.
No a bad season for these boys.
Coaches Corner - Girls Track and Field
Submitted by Coach Mahoney
Our Girls' Track and Field program had a great night at the Lake Zurich Sectional meet last Friday. We saw a number of PRs and great performances. The athletes have been working hard since the season began back in January and have shown a lot of growth!
Congrats to these ladies! Big season best and a new school record in the 4x100! Congrats Sariah, Delaney, Kate, and Vickie! Their names will go up on the record board in the main gym!
And a huge congratulations to Kate Burchill for qualifying for the IHSA 3A State Championship Meet in the Triple Jump! The state meet is at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL May17-18.
Reminders
Quest Food Service
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.
Spirit Store
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.
Literacy Center
Visit the Literacy Center
ASPIRE - You Can!
Go Mustangs!
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