February 14, 2025

Hello Mustangs!

What an incredible day of learning and connection today at MHS as we proudly hosted the Lake County Institute Day along with a visit from our IL State Superintendent, Tony Sanders! Fun fact: Tony and I were doctoral classmates together at Aurora University- shoutout to Dr. Pickup and his qualitative research class!

Today was a shining example of what makes our Lake County educational community so special. Educators from across the county came together under one roof to share their expertise, forge meaningful connections, and engage in powerful professional growth. These invaluable opportunities allow our teachers to enhance their craft, discover innovative instructional strategies, and stay at the forefront of educational excellence.

I'd like to give a special thanks to the exceptional teamwork of our dedicated building, maintenance, and security teams who worked tirelessly to prepare our campus. Additionally, I'd like to acknowledge the meticulous planning led by our Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning, Stacey Gorman, whose attention to detail truly shone through. We look forward to hosting this event again once our renovations projects are complete!

Also, occurring this week were tremendous student-centered celebrations! Keep scrolling to read all about:

• Show Choir
• Dance Clinic
• Honor Roll
• Mustang Pride Student Awards IHSA Gymnastics
• Honirs Band

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Dr. Alexandria Taylor

Principal

Mundelein High School

847-949-2200

www.d120.org

ataylor@d120.org

We have had a number of vehicles park in our student lots without parking permits. We want to ensure a smooth start to everyone's day, so please note:

1. Parking Permits Required: All students must have a valid parking permit to use our student lots.
2. Legal Spots Only: Please park only in designated legal parking spots.
3. Consequences: Vehicles without permits or parked illegally will be stickered and towed at the owner’s expense. No exceptions!

Let's work together to keep our parking areas organized and accessible for all!

SENIORS! Don’t miss out! Place your cap and gown order by February 28th.

👉 Order online at Herff Jones or call 815-756-4743. After February 28th, please visit Mrs. Lendino in the Principal's Office for assistance.

For more details on graduation and to download a helpful checklist, click here.

Feb 14 - Teacher Institute Day

Feb 17 - Federal Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Feb 20 - Building Tour

Feb 22 - Winter Turnabout Dance

Feb 27-Mar 2 - CSMS Musical

Mar 6 - Winter Choral Concert

Mar 8 - Jazz Invitational

Mar 14 - Late Start

Mar 18-19 - Spring STAR Testing

Mar 24-28 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

Text courtesy of BlackHistoryMonth.Gov and the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture

Gen. Colin Luther Powell, our nation’s first African American Secretary of State, was a revered military hero, four-star general, decorated veteran, and statesman. His accomplishments during his decades of military and civil service—including being a recipient of the Soldier’s Medal, the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, the Congressional Gold Medal, and two Presidential Medals of Freedom, among others—serve as a powerful testament and symbol of the fulfillment of the American promise.

His is the quintessential American story—one characterized by resilience, determination, and a deep love of country. In forging his own journey to success, Powell also shattered glass ceilings and paved the way for others in public service.

The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was born in Harlem, New York, in 1937 and raised to value hard work and determination above all else.

Click here to read more >>

Text and Image Courtesy of The Smithsonian: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/honoring-general-colin-powell

Please be sure to congratulate all of our students involved with show choir for their fantastic performances this past weekend at Ft. Atkinson!

On Saturday, Reverb was named the Prep Division Champion and Sound was named the Grand Champion! Sound beat out 9 other groups to win the division, with Alex Benassi being named "Best Male Soloist."

This weekend, the show choirs will travel to Davenport, Iowa, to compete in the Great River Invitational at the Adler Theatre and round out their season in Dubuque on February 28-March 2.

HERE are some photos (courtesy of Greg Ney, @gney.photography)

Again, CONGRATULATIONS to our fantastic students and teachers on a successful weekend, and best of luck in the coming weeks as you close out the successful season!

The MHS Dance Team hosted a Winter Dance Kids Clinic Saturday morning. The young dancers, from kindergarten to eighth grade, will perform at halftime of the MHS Boys Varsity Basketball game Saturday afternoon. What a great opportunity for teaching, collaboration, and dance!

Click here to view the Dance Clinic scrapbook.

Congratulations to our 1st Semester Honor Roll Students! We know the effort and commitment it takes to get there. Way to go!

Congratulations to the six students who received a coveted Mustang Pride Award during a special breakfast program Thursday morning.

The award recognizes students for demonstrating one or more of our Profile of a Lerner tenets: agile; self assured; proactive; information-seeking; resilient; and empathetic.

Those receiving awards were Julia Song Nicholas Osorio, Mohin Patel, Lucy Heikes, Madison Taborn and Yakout Nassiri.

Congratulations to the students - they are setting a high standard for all of our students.

Click here to see the full scrapbook.

Mustang gymnasts performed Thursday night at the IHSA Sectional hosted by Mundelein High School. A total of 15 teams competed. Go Mustangs!

See videos and more pictures on our Facebook page.

MHS held its February Honors Band Concert Thursday night featuring the Mundelein Wind Ensemble and the Mundelein Symphonic Winds.

The 25/26 Early Registration Fee item has been added to the PowerSchool fee accounts for the Class of 2026, 2027, and 2028. If you choose to pay the Registration Fee by May 1st, 2025, you will receive the $25 discount currently applied in PowerSchool.

Starting May 2nd, the discount will be removed and the regular Registration Fee of $275 will be listed. Please know that all prior Registration and Course fees must be paid off before paying the Early Registration item.

If you have any questions, please reach out to KC Olson in the MHS Payment Center at kolson@d120.org.

Seniors, it’s time to order the Official Personalized Graduation Announcements!

The announcement will feature the custom foil school crest, the official commencement text, and the School Etching where available.

Orders will ship directly to your home. Order online now at HighSchool.HerffJones.com

Is it Washinton's Birthday or Presidents Day? If you would like to learn some history on the subject, click here to see what the National Archive has to say about this day.

Come join us for raffles, games, t-shirt giveaways, and more!

Click here to buy tickets.

Join us for a Crafting + Movie Night immediately after school on Thursday, February 20th in the cafeteria. Bring your own crafting supplies, make friendship bracelets (provided), or help us create decorations for the dance. A Google Form will be sent out next week to vote for the movie. If you have suggestions, please complete this Google Form.

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 February 20th at 4:30pm. Click here to register.

Date: Saturday, February 22nd

Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Theme: Disco Nights

Tickets:

On sale via RevTrak 2/5 - 2/20

Cash sales on 2/18 and 2/19

Ticket Cost: $15/each

Guests: Guest forms available in the Dean's Office starting on January 31st, and due back to the Dean's Office by February 18th. When bringing a guest to the dance, tickets must be purchased on RevTrak. You’ll need to see Ms. Olson in the bookstore to receive a guest ID number!

Save the date. More info coming soon.

Save the date. More info coming soon.

Save the date. More info coming soon.

Classes begin at 9:40am.

Buses will run one hour later than usual.

Click here for late start schedule.

Entries are now being accepted for the Mundelein Coexist Club 3rd Annual Lip Sync Battle. There is no entry fee. Please contact Mrs Kolcz at lkolcz@d120.org for more information.

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

Your student may pick up from the main office at the end of the school day. Please note, we don’t want students walking around the building with the yard stakes for the sign, so please encourage them to specifically pick up after classes. Alternatively, you may stop by the high school during school hours to pick up the sign.

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.

Many scholarship opportunities for Mundelein High School Seniors are now open! Ms. Bogseth sends out weekly emails with a list of scholarships but all of the MHS specific scholarships as well as community scholarships are posted in SchooLinks.

Seniors- in your SchooLinks account, click on “Finances” and then “Scholarship Match”. Scholarships posted by Ms. Bogseth will be under the “District-Posted” tab.

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.

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 2/17/2025

Winter Athletic Department Newsletter

Submitted by Coach Prorok

The Mundelein Girls Bowling team had a good weekend at the IHSA Regionals this past weekend taking 1st place. Shout out to Reena Photopoulos for a consistently great day. Next up - ISHA Sectional this Saturday, February 15 at Poplar Creek Bowl.

Submitted by Coach Dressen

Volleyball has a couple of Open gyms starting next week. They are Thursday the 20th and the 27th from 3:45 pm to 5:30 pm at Carl Sandburg Middle School in the Main Gym. We will have 2 nets, one at girl's height and one at boys.

Boys Volleyball tryouts are about a month away. Tryouts start Monday, March 10th at 3:30 pm in the MHS main gym for all levels. They will last all week with the final teams being chosen by Friday the 14th. Registration is open on the MHS Athletic Website. Please register as soon as you can and be sure your physical is up to date with the school nurse. Physicals are good for 13 months from the day it was taken. Any questions please contact me by email; Coach Dressen at gdressen@d120.org

Submitted by Coach Newsom

After four years, our cheerleaders returned to state, placing 24th! We are so proud of the effort and resilience the showcased this season. We’re excited for what next season holds. Good luck to our seniors! We will miss you!!

Submitted by Coach Kloss

In the pre-season meeting the Girls Track and Field program decided that the team mantra for this year is going to be “all or nothing”, meaning we will always give our 100% in practice and meets. Girls track and field has taken that seriously, and already started the season off with a bang, taking first place in their first meet on February 3rd against Wheeling, Elk Grove, and Vernon Hills. Despite having minimal practice space, the track-letes have proven to be dedicated and talented. We scored points in every single event, and it is just the beginning! We have a long season ahead of us, so make sure to support the team and cheer us on at meets! Go Mustangs.

Our next meet will be February 15th, at Proviso West High School. Wish us luck!

Submitted by Coach Billock

We had a great first weekend of competition for Mundelein’s winter guard! On Saturday February 1st we placed 1st in our division and on Sunday February 2nd we placed 2nd!

And these are the members that made it all happen. We have 3, four year seniors in the group. Jolette Jimenez, Wendy Maganda, and Molly Stedman.

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

We are excited to announce that our parent calendar has gone electronic. The MHS 2nd Semester calendar is now online in both Flipbook and PDF downloadable format.

A big thank you to Kameal Myrie, Class of 2025, who designed this semester's calendar! Very nice job! You can see more of Kameal's work at www.artisticallymira.com.

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.

• 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