Como High: NHS Service Projects, Music, Academic and Athletic Awards

Compiled by ERIC ERICKSON, Social Studies Teacher

• Members of Como Park High School’s National Honor Society (NHS) have been busy serving the community throughout the year. Aside from being recognized for outstanding academic achievement and leadership, NHS members develop and implement service projects.

Photo right: Recently, NHS members teamed up with the Children’s Book Express to collect over 500 books for students at Como Park Elementary School. The culminating event was the presentation of the books to Principal Christine Vang and her students, who were excited to choose books they could read and own. (Photo by Mary Weyandt)

• Another service project that concluded last month was the NHS Teacher Grant Program. NHS members voted to award over $1,000 from fundraising back to five classroom teachers who submitted competitive grants. Awarded requests include $300 to Ms. Thao’s English class for a new set of 35 novels, $300 to Jane Sevald’s ELL class for a field trip to the Urban Roots Learning Program, $168 to Ms. Carole Whitney’s choir students to purchase high-quality music folders for performances, $150 to Anne Strupeck’s ELL class for an end-of-year picnic, and $90 to Sydney Willcox’s painting class for quality watercolor paper.

• “Pennies for Patients” is another NHS service project ongoing through May. Donation boxes for collecting pennies are located in each classroom. Student contributions will be pooled together and donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last year Pennies for Patients raised $300 at Como, and the goal is to top that number this year. Every penny counts.

• 100% of Como seniors in the College Possible program were accepted into college. On May 2, the 52 College Possible students from Como’s class of 2018 announced their official college decisions at an after-school event that was celebrated by participating students, peers and teachers. The mission of College Possible is to make college admission and success possible for low-income, first-generation college students through an intensive curriculum of coaching and support. College Possible also supports and continues to work with students until they get a degree no matter how long it takes.

• French students participated in the annual A Vous la Parole French-speaking contest held at the University of Minnesota on Apr. 26. Sponsored annually by the Minnesota Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French, with support from the U of M’s French Department, the contest recognizes excellence in French-speaking skills.

Students performed French poems, songs, a theater piece or original skit, and read a text in French for judges who evaluated their language and performance skills. Students are given ratings based on a four-star system with four stars earning blue medal status.

Como students earning blue medals were: Diane Sabwe, So Reh, Granda Sayavong, Amera Abou-Shenab, Thomas Etter, Aiyana Aeikens, Deborah Inanezera, Claire Olson, Celia Olson, Serena Raths and Kevin Iragaba.

• Academy of Finance (AOF) sophomore Isaac Vu was accepted to the Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Vu will attend a camp this summer, and if successful, continue summer camps with the opportunity to Madison’s business school tuition-free upon high school graduation. Vu competed among other top scholars to be accepted. All applicants were required to produce essays and create a marketing video.

• The spring concert for the Como Choirs was held on Apr. 30 in the Como Auditorium which featured all five choirs. The spring band and orchestra concert is scheduled for Thur., May 24 in the auditorium at 7pm.

Over 30 Como musicians performed in the St. Paul Public Schools Honors Concert at the Ordway Theatre on Apr. 17. Como junior Marco Tabacman was selected to the All-State Choir. Sophomore Amelia Schucker was selected to the All-State Orchestra.

• Several of St. Paul Public Schools’ JRTOC programs practiced orienteering skills at Lake Maria State Park in Monticello, MN on Apr. 21. Thirty-nine cadets from Como’s Marine Corps JROTC ventured out into slushy, muddy woods to gain valuable skills in map analysis, physical fitness, terrain appreciation, conservation, and camaraderie.

Cadets were placed into teams and challenged to navigate a course. Como’s first place team with the fastest navigation of the course while hitting all checkpoints was Ta Ways and Timothy Vann.

• The 2018 Como Prom will be held on May 19 in downtown St. Paul at the James J. Hill Center Library. The theme will be a Masquerade Ball with the Grand March scheduled for 7pm. The junior and senior classes of Como are excited about the event and looking forward to a festive night.

• Raiyne Adams represented Como at the Athena Awards Banquet on Apr. 25 as a top student-athlete in the St. Paul Area. The annual event was held at the Envision Event Center in Oakdale and was hosted by KARE 11 news anchor Randy Shaver. Adams played varsity basketball for four years and also was a varsity letter winner in volleyball and track.

Photo left: Later the same day of the Athena Banquet, Adams signed her letter of intent to play basketball and study at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The signing took place in the athletic office at Como with family, friends and both her high school coach and new college coach.  (Photo by Eric Erickson)