Day 115 - Proud Wrestling Brotherhood

Today's post is from senior MWHS Wrestling Captain Bryan Tierney

There is a certain bond that is formed in each and every sports team. It's like nothing else; you aren't just teammates or classmates. In wrestling, our team had something special -- we were brothers. That may be difficult for people to understand because most people view wrestling as an individual sport. However there are 13 other individuals battling for the same purpose, not just to win but more importantly for each other. In that sense we are more like brothers than anything else. We ride on each others successes, we pick each other up when we fail, and we inspire each other to achieve greatness.

During the State Tournament this brotherhood was more eminent than ever. The team enjoyed delicious post weigh-in meals together in downtown St. Paul and staying up late in the luxurious Embassy Suites. Together we warmed up and prepared for our final matches of the year, for the seniors the final matches of their career. Wrestlers who did not make it to "The Tourney" were begging coaches to tag along to help their teammates warm up and be there for support. We picked each other up when we lost a heart breaker and sat on the edge of our seats cheering during an intense victory. Together we sweated, we bleed, we cried; and when it was all said and done, I can not be more proud of our team and how we competed. I realized as I stood on the podium for the last time how much I am truly going to miss this sport and everyone who I have shared all the unforgettable memories with.

Bryan

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Day 114 - More MWHS Art Pride!

Today's post is from senior Trevor Omann

This year art students at MWHS and from all over the state of Minnesota were able to take part in a contest called The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This contest is known to be one of the longest-running, most prestigious recognition programs for creative teens in the U.S. In 2013, more than 2300 works of art and writing were submitted in the state of Minnesota alone. There are three types of awards that are given at this state level. The first is the Gold Key, about 7 – 10% of the works submitted receive this award. The next is the Silver Key and about 10-15% of the work submitted receive his level. Finally there is Honorable Mention, which about 15 – 20% receive. 

Congratulations to senior Carly Koch who was honored with a Gold Key Award for her drawing, Melancholy and seniors Ryan Flesher who won a Silver Key for his photograph Vacancy and Trevor Omann who won a Silver Key for his sculpture Withered. Carly, Ryan & my artworks were on exhibit with the other Gold & Silver Key award winning artworks at Perpich Center for Arts Education from February 5th – 22nd.

Congratulations to junior Lily Durand and seniors Aurora Fenzl & Trevor Omann who won Honorable Mention Awards for their artworks: Lily’s photograph, Girl, Aurora’s drawing A Red Pen Edit and my Necromancer's Tea Pot. And three of our seniors, Carly Koch, Lily Frenette & Leah Pinault won Honorable Mention Awards for their portfolios (a collection of 8 artworks each) submitted to the MSAA contest.

These awards were not easily won. It takes talent and determination which the students of the Mound Westonka Art Department truly have. I would also like to complement the excellent staff that ever so carefully guide the developing minds of the students -- Ms.Blanchard and Ms.Hensley. THANK YOU for everything you do! I can truly say that the art at MWHS give me MWHS PRIDE! 

Mrs. Hensley, Ryan Fletcher, Carly Koch, Trevor Omann & Mrs. Blanchard

If you have a story that you would like to share, please email mwhspride@277apps.org for more information! We would love to hear from you!

Day 113 - A-Honor Roll Pride

Today's post is from 8th grader Samantha Eidsness 

This year I have had pride in many of my achievements in school. One of these moments was when I made the A-Honor Roll for first semester. I had pride in this moment because I had worked hard to get to this point and it was rewarding. Also getting on the A-Honor Roll the first semester was a good way for me to start out my 5 years at the high school and will encourage me to continue to do my best. 

Getting all A’s required me to do my best in all my classes and get help when I needed it. It wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t turned in all my assignments on time and studied for all my tests and quizzes. At some points in the semester I did not have A’s in all my classes so it was my responsibility to bring my grades back up. This wasn’t always easy because in some classes, such as art, there were not many assignments put into the gradebook. This meant that I had to do my best on each and every project to bring my B up to an A. In other classes I would have to talk to the teacher to see if there was any extra credit opportunities or any other way to raise my grade. English was one of these classes. I went to Mrs. Wallace to ask what I could do to get an A and she said that before the end of the semester there would be multiple extra credit assignments that would be more than enough to get my A. 

Not only did I get on the A-Honor Roll but I am also in many advanced courses such as English, Global Studies, and Geometry. I set a goal at the beginning of the year to make A-Honor Roll and I achieved this goal!  I want to keep it up and also make second semester A-Honor Roll. To reach this goal I will have to continue to do my best, work hard, and get help when I need it. 

Samantha

If you have a story that you would like to share, please email mwhspride@277apps.org for more information! We would love to hear from you!

Day 112 - MWHS Student Wins "Youth Art Month" Best in Show!

Today's post is from MWHS Art Teacher Laura Hensley

Seniors Lily Frenette & Carly Koch each had artworks chosen to represent Mound Westonka High School in the Youth Art Month Student Exhibition presented by Art Educators of Minnesota. K-12 Art Teachers in the state of Minnesota can submit two pieces to be included in the Youth Art Month exhibit. I am thrilled to announce that Carly Koch won the “Best in Show” award and she and I have won a trip to New York City this summer where we will join a select group of other state’s high school Youth Art Month “Best In Show” award winners and their art teachers!

"It's hard for me to believe that my art got chosen as 'Best In Show'; it's so nice that all of my hard work is paying off," said senior Carly Koch. "It's an amazing opportunity and I'm really excited for the trip - I've never been to New York City before!"  

"I'm so incredibly proud of the work our students are creating and I couldn't be happier that Carly's work was recognized in such a prestigious way," said Art teacher Laura Hensley.  "I can't think of a more deserving student and I'm so excited to share this experience with her!"

The Youth Art Month Student Exhibition is up at the Hopkins Center for the Arts for the month of March - be sure to go check it out! 

Carly Koch's "My Artistic Lens" -- Best in Show!

Lily Frenette's "I Keep Having Dreams"

Carly and Laura & Ada Hensley at the Opening Reception

If you have a story that you would like to share, please email mwhspride@277apps.org for more information! We would love to hear from you!

Day 111 - Perks of a Small School

Today's post is from junior JoAnna Hardie

Mound Westonka may be considered small, but to me and other students it really does have the perfect amount of students. A lot of times having a small number of students limits classes and limits the amount of people to be friends with, but I think it benefits the students. Our school is very close; it is so awesome that everyone knows each other. Being able to see your friends in between classes is awesome.

At a large school students and teachers would find it hard to have 1 on 1 time because there are so many students. Having a small student body makes it very easy to connect with teachers and make sure that you get the extra help that you need. The staff at Mound Westonka are very willing to help in any way they can and they really do want you to succeed. The staff is very friendly and they want to get to know you. It makes school a lot better knowing that you have teachers that don’t just care about your grade in their class but care about you as a person.

Even though having fewer electives that Mound Westonka can offer is more limited it actually helps in the long run. Most kids that are in the same grade take the same core classes. It makes it so easy to help each other on homework and be able to do more group activities and projects.

Having a small school can either be very fun or boring. It’s all about perspective, but for me having a small school really does benefit me. Having 1 on 1 time with teachers that care about me really does positively affect how I do in school. There may be a small selection of classes but they do offer the most important classes that will not just help now, but will help in the future. Mound Westonka is a positive place, and it really is a place where students can succeed.

JoAnna & Abby

If you have a story that you would like to share, please email mwhspride@277apps.org for more information! We would love to hear from you!