Day 83 - Celebrating Para Professional Week!

Last week we celebrated Para Professional Week at Westonka. This week the MWHSPride blog will feature blog posts from several outstanding paras that work at MWHS!

Today's post is from paraprofessional Annalisa Millimaki

I am proud to have worked as a paraprofessional at Mound-Westonka since 2008. My job is to work alongside teachers to help students with special needs in the classrooms. I have enjoyed every minute of my six years for many reasons.

First of all, the students at MWHS are the main reason I come here everyday! They are caring, compassionate young adults who work extremely hard to be successful. They also are so supportive of each other. When I was growing up, students with special needs were often excluded from general education and were not always treated well by their peers. Times have changed and luckily, this is less and less the case, but there is something special about the way MWHS students interact so genuinely with each other. It isn’t because they think they have to, it’s because they are genuinely great people! I can say with confidence that MWHS has the BEST student body in the state!

In addition, the administrators, teachers, and staff in this school work really well together. I think it is because we all are truly here for the students and we all care about each other. Several of us even get together socially inside and outside the high school walls. I actually attribute my own back-to-college endeavors to the encouragement I’ve received from my co-workers. This is the most supportive atmosphere I have ever worked in!

Lastly, I feel that I do some of the most rewarding work there is to do in this world. The students I work with everyday never cease to amaze me! Despite their struggles due to their disabilities, they ALWAYS rise to the challenge, and when they accomplish their goals, they are on top of the world! Not only are they hardworking, but they are so funny! They are always making me smile and laugh when they tell jokes or are being silly. For these reasons and many others, I am extremely proud to be an MWHS paraprofessional and a White Hawk!

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 82 - Proud to be a White Hawk from Mexico City

Today's post is from foreign exchange student Alexis Olvera

My name is Alexis, and I'm an exchange student from Mexico,City. I´m proud to be a White Hawk because all the people are friendly. They make you feel good like if you were in your home country. All the people without knowing you smile at you, say hi in the hallway or try to include you in the classroom without knowing you. I'm not talking only about the students, also the teachers. The teachers are really good people and really helpful, especially for Mr. Bulman and Mrs. Lolich.  They are  great teachers, and they want us to have the best experience as an exchange student.

I'm proud for all the opportunities in sports that this school has given me. I have practiced Cross Country Running and I'm doing Cross Country Skiing--which we do not have back home. It´s so amazing how all the students have spirit in all the different games and sports for being a White Hawk. I remember the first time that our football team beat Waconia High School in their homecoming game. It was so funny how everybody got crazy! I really like that attitude that everybody has at sports games.

I'm also proud for being part of the concert choir. They receive me like another member of the family and they make me feel so comfortable with everything. I already have the opportunity to participate at the ACDA Conference and with the Honor Choir which was last weekend. It has been such a good year, and I'm looking forward for what is going to happen next. 

I really like how American life is, although it´s so different than my life in Mexico. I really like Mound BUT the weather is so cold for me. I always say the coldest place that I've ever been to is the fruits and vegetables fridge at Costco -- really it's so crazy how cold it gets in here!

Finally I'm so thankful with everybody that has made this such a great year. I could say as an exchange student that I'm proud to go to Mound Westonka High School. I'm proud to be a White Hawk!

Alexis

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 81 - Becoming part of the great community in Mound

Today's post is from German foreign exchange student Lara Schulte

Hey! I’m Lara Schulte, one of the three german exchange student here at Mound Westonka. First of all, I just want to say thank you to the whole community here at Mound. Everybody here makes my year, and I can probably say that for the other guys too, a great experience. Since I got here, I learned a lot about the American Way of Life and also about myself. That makes me really proud and I love to say ‘I’m a White Hawk’.

What makes my year here so good, are for example the variety of activities and sports - even if we are a small school. So far, I was a Junior Varsity Volleyball player and I also participate in DECA. I am also going to join Lacrosse this spring.

The girls from my Volleyball team helped me a lot to find friends and to get used to living in the US. They showed me what it means to be a good team, no matter if you lose or win a game. That also includes our great coaches Ms. O’Gara and Ms. Palm. I really miss practice every day and I wish I could play next year, too. Sports are so much more intense here, students should really appreciate getting the chance to do extracurricular activities. It is great how team members automatically maks you one their buddies. We had a lot of fun together and it made me proud to get the ‘Volleyball White Hawk Award’ at the banquet. Thanks to all the girls!

I am also happy about joining DECA. DECA is so much more than only preparing for the district competitions. You get to know a bunch of people that are so interested in you. Even if it was a lot of work and took much time, the moment when they call your name for the state competitions feels amazing. Joining DECA made me a lot more confident than I was before. I am really excited to go to Minneapolis in March for the next competition. Mound Westonka's Business teachers Mrs. Simonson, Mrs. Lolich and Mr. Lee are great advisors and helped me a lot.

Those and a lot of different experiences make me proud to be part of the Westonka community. I really appreciate the students and the staff at school and I also want to say thank you to my host family, who made this year possible for me! Half of my year is almost over, the time goes by so fast. But I am glad I can take my experiences from here to Germany and teach them what is means to be a good school community.

Are you curious about being a foreign exchange? Make the world your home and visit http://www.yfu.org/.

Lara

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 80 - A second perspective from Germany

Today's post is from German exchange student Luk Fleddermann

My name is Luk, and I am an exchange student from Germany. I’m proud to be a White Hawk because we have so many different sport opportunities (surprisingly it doesn't matter that we are a smaller school). I have already tried two sports that are not common in Germany: Basketball and Cross Country Running.

Also I’m proud of the good team spirit we have in all sports that I have participated thus far. If we lose or win, all people are still cheering and helping you to produce the best results.

I am also proud because of all the friendly people who go to school here. Most of them start talking to me without knowing me. They have also tried to include me if I was alone and always smile at me in the hall way if we see each other. Students here just make the whole time better and help me feel good when I feel homesick.

I am not only talking about the students, they’re a bunch of teachers who really have helped me, too. There are some who just explain stuff over and over for me, and some who give me special time if I can’t finish something. I especially appreciate that, because I don't think that would be the same in Germany!

Luk

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 79 - To be an exchange student is a great thing at MWHS!

Today's post is from German foreign exchange student Vincent Rominger

I’m so thankful for all the teachers from Mound Westonka. You are so awesome! I can not believe that already five months are over. I still know how it was when I first came here. I think that the scariest thing of being an exchange student is the first days in school. You always worry about your English and if you can communicate with people. To be an exchange student is a great thing! After the past five months, I'm so happy that I said "yes" to being an foreign exchange student this year. At the beginning I really didn't know if I want to be an exchange student this year because it doesn't count for me back in my home country, and I have to retake this year. But I learned so many cool things in the past months that I can be proud of about Mound Westonka High School. 

It was so exciting to see our football team get a win this fall. We killed it, and I will never forget how everybody stormed the field at the homecoming game. I played soccer this fall, and it was also great to get so many pictures and other stuff at the Soccer banquet. After we had an awesome season, we also experienced an awesome Homecoming week that included a lot of toilet paper.  

The most amazing thing that happened for me...happened this weekend. I got first place in Public Speaking in the District DECA competition at Minnetonka High School. I'm so thankful that Mrs. Lolich asked me to join DECA; Mr Lee helped me with my speech; and Mrs. Simonson asked me write to write an article for this blog. It was an incredible feeling when Willie Maahs said "and in first place Vincent Rominter!" Now I am excited to go to the DECA state competition!  

I really like the life in America -- although its so different than my life in my home country of Germany. Mound is a beautiful city, and I'm so happy that I came to Minnesota. I'm really thankful to the people who helped me to start at MWHS and make my first few days go so well. As an exchange student I'm so proud to go to Mound Westonka High School.  I've collected many incredible experiences which I will never forget in my life. I thank my soccer team for the incredible season. I thank all my friends for making our experience in basketball so memorable. I'm proud to be a White Hawk!

Vincent winning first place at DECA District Public Speaking Competition

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 78 - Pride from MWHS Foreign Exchange Students

Today's post is from foreign exchange student Mikkel Christiansen

Hey my name is Mikkel and I'm an exchange student here at MWHS and this is the reason why I'm proud to call myself a White Hawk.  When I was in Denmark I played a lot of soccer, but I have never experienced such a bond between players on a soccer team until I got here. When I first met the soccer team in late August I felt right at home. I felt like “here’s finally a team that has the right connection”.

If I only could say one thing about my team is it that they might not be the most talented team I have played for, but they are definitely the best. I actually enjoyed the practice just as much as I enjoyed playing the games. I got excited on Mondays by the thought about playing soccer with the best team ever after school was over.

The sports are not the only thing that I like about MWHS. I’m not the biggest fan of school, but I surprisingly don’t have a problem dragging myself out of bed in the morning knowing that I have to attend school. The biggest reason I don’t have a problem with the school here is because I have good friends, good teachers, and really good classes.

If it wasn’t because I would miss my old friends and my family so much, I would definitely stay here and finish my education. I wished that I could stay here for more than just a year. Because one year is definitely not enough time to see all that I want to see and try all that I want to try. I’m proud to call myself a White Hawk, and I’m proud to say that this is my school!

MWHS Foreign Exchange Students

From left to right: Luk Fleddermann, Lara Schulte, Alexis Olvera, Kesha Nowack, Mikkel Christiansen, Oskar Danielson and Vincent Rominger 

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 77 - Happiness is found here!

Today's post is from 2012 grad Valory Schoenecker

Happiness is the greatest thing a person can achieve. Happiness is everything one could ever want and yet is so difficult to find. Happiness is different for everyone, though the idea is identical. Happiness is contentment. Happiness is beauty. Happiness is love. Happiness is a smile, a hug, or a laugh. Happiness is engrossed within the welcoming walls of Mound Westonka.

As a 2012 graduate, it has been almost a year and a half since I have walked the halls of my alma mater. Oh how I miss shivering in my car on my ten-minute drive to school with my best friend sitting next to me in the passenger seat. Dani, my younger sister, would play the role of a DJ and we always ended up blasting Taylor Swift while singing at the top of our lungs by the time my car rolled into the parking lot. I have no shame.

Since the parking lot was always filled with familiar faces we would gather amidst a clan of black parkas and colorful scarves, most often discussing our homework from the night before or the recent White Hawks sports update. Once inside, my first stop was always at my locker. Since the lockers were organized by last name, the exact same people surrounded me for all five years. This came to be a home for me. After classes I would talk with my “locker buddies” about my stressful exams, my latest crush, and my excitement for whatever my weekend would entail.

One of the things I distinctly remember includes always being so hungry right before lunch. I guess I should have eaten more breakfast. Oops. My favorite lunch was either Dominoes Pizza or an Asian sesame chicken and rice meal. Although I held my academics at a high standard and cared deeply about school, lunch was by far my favorite part of the day. Lunchtime meant talking with my friends, catching up on homework, eating food, and most importantly, hanging out with my favorite teachers, Mrs. Lolich, Mrs. Simonson, and Mr. Lee. These teachers were not just my DECA advisors and business teachers; they were my friends.

DECA stole my heart. From the first competition I competed at during my freshman year, I fell in love with all the organization had to offer. I devoted my time and my passion to this club and I would never in a million years trade it for anything. It is through DECA where I learned how to write a 30-page business paper, how to speak in front of audiences of over 3,000 people, and how to communicate my thoughts in a professional manner.

I am now a student at the University of Minnesota and can honestly say that Mound Westonka not only made me a successful student, but also a better person. It is now, in college, where I realize that I can’t go back to my high school days. I can’t relive the moments that are engraved in my mind and in my heart. All I have are the timeless memories and the countless friendships that will last a lifetime. I know with full confidence that my best friends from Mound Westonka will be the girls that stand next to me when I am at the alter. These are the girls I will take trips with when I am fifty years old. These are the girls that will keep me grounded throughout my every venture.

I thank Mound Westonka from the bottom of my heart for giving me the experience of a lifetime. Before I was twelve years of age, I moved to thirteen different cities, all in the state of California; thirteen different schools, thirteen different teachers, and thirteen different groups of peers made it very difficult to feel at home. It wasn’t until my family moved to Mound, Minnesota where I found myself feeling fully content, fully loved, and fully happy. When I moved here, I had no idea I would stay long enough to partake in the ride of high school. I am so lucky that I did, and what a crazy ride it was.

Val

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 76 - Pride from 1,000 miles away!

Today's post is from grandmother and parent Ann Hall from Cincinnati, Ohio

Fall of 2004 began my association with Mound Westonka High School from my home in Cincinnati. My grandson entered the 8th grade and graduated in 2009. His mom was hired and continued her teaching career as part of the faculty and then my granddaughter will graduate in May of 2014. I have been part of high school education as the wife of a principal for 28 years and I can say "proudly" who you are (Mound Westonka High School) and what you do stand above the rest! 

I have been able from 1,000 miles away see Madd Jazz, soccer games, attend academic assemblies and be a small part of the community. I have enjoyed being part of the China trip blog, Best Buy summer program for girls and watch DECA celebrations and awards, to name just a few. In order for all of this to happen, the school system has to be innovative and up to date; they have to have modern technologies and great faculty and administration. I have been included in the lives of my grandchildren and my daughter. I am incredibly proud for all that they have accomplished at Mound Westonka High School. I truly have Mound Westonka Pride from 1,000 miles away!

Sue Simonson, Ann Hall & Courtney Simonson

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!