Day 65 - Nordic Ski Team is Overflowing with MWHS Pride!

Today's post is from Nordic Ski Coach Sue Harrison

Have you been to the “Scramble”? If so, you will know why I am so proud of the MWHS Nordic Ski family. If not, come next December and feel the MWHS Nordic Ski team pride. It is contagious at this outstanding community event!

A brief history of the MWHS Nordic Ski Team: We started as a club in 2007 with about 20 skiers; 17 girls and 3 boys. I was the novice ski coach with inexperienced skiers. Support came in many ways: one exceptionally helpful Estonian exchange student/skier, many helpful parents, encouraging friends and assorted ski coaches from other teams to offer moral support and guidance on how to get kids skiing. The kids were enthusiastic and the snow was good and we had lots of fun! The second year the club grew to about 30 skiers. Following that, I petitioned the school board to allow us to be an unfunded high school varsity sport. This passed the school board and we have done our own fundraising to support the team ever since!

This is not a cheap sport to fund. We spend over $5,000 per year on buses alone! We have waxing costs, conference fees, race entries, an assistant coach and more. We manage to get it all paid for through the incredible success of our “Scramble: Omelets Served Classic and Freestyle” event. This breakfast and silent auction is held the 2nd Sunday of December at the American Legion in Mound. Last Sunday the Legionnaires made 288 omelets in 3 hours for our event! The entire team and all of our parents are involved in making the Scramble a yearly success story. The skiers sell tickets and work the event, and parents solicit donations for the silent auction. This year we had over 200 items donated. It is very exciting to see the list of auction items grow as the event gets closer! Also, many delicious treats are prepared for the Bake Sale table by parents and skiers. It all gets set up on Saturday night, so that Sunday morning the Scramble can begin. The Legionnaires are there making an omelet every 90 seconds, the parents oversee the ticket table and bidding at the auction and the skiers clear tables, pour coffee and juice and help with dishes. It all is over in a blur with people coming and going, alumni skiers and parents stopping by and friends and families eating, bidding and supporting the Nordic Ski team. It makes me incredibly proud of our ‘ski family’ to see how we all come together for this festive and fantastic community event!

All along the way, from our 1st day as a club through today at our first meet of our 5th varsity season, I have been proud of the support these skiers and parents show this team. From food for meets to fundraising, from chaperones to drivers, from water stop volunteers to City of Lakes Luminary production teams, this amazing group of skiers and parents is there to help! This doesn’t even address my pride in them as skiers/students and as role models. This team is overflowing with MWHS PRIDE!

Karla Humbert and Tracy Inglis

Coordinators for “Scramble: Omelets Served Classic and Freestyle”

Seniors on the 2013-14 Nordic Team

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Day 64 - Be the Change you wish to see at MWHS

Today's post is from MWHS Boys Basketball Coach Tyler Biwan

It was Gandhi who once said “You must be the change you wish to see in MWHS…” or something along those lines.

Prior to the start of the season I met with each of our eight seniors individually to hear them out on how they currently felt about our basketball culture, chemistry and identity at MWHS. Given their three years in the program, there were a lot of great [very frank and honest] assessments made. I ended nearly every conversation with, “okay - what are you going to do about it?” Receiving perplexed looks, my challenge to our seniors has been to go above and beyond in leaving their mark on the program.

I have a great group of Senior Moms who have graciously put time into our Golden Ticket initiative. With this, each boy in our program has 5 tickets to hand out to friends for free admission into our basketball game – a season-long initiative. I don’t have any history at Mound to know what past seasons have looked like, but our boys assured me the student section has been bigger and louder than any year they remember (side note: students, you have been awesome – keep coming). We may not be the most talented team in the state, section or conference. However, our players vow to put on a show of energy, toughness and unity for those who take time out of their busy schedule to support and cheer us on for 36 minutes. With that, they are truly marketing and selling the program within MWHS. Their Pride in the program is contagious, and seeing the results in fan and student support two games into the season, I get excited thinking about the short and long term future.

If our players truly take Pride in being a White Hawk, they must spread that Pride throughout the program, school, even into the community. Change doesn't happen overnight, nor does it happen alone. The program is not about me, our coaches, or our currently varsity team. It’s about those who play next year, five, ten years from now in the same White Hawk jerseys (well, hopefully we have new jerseys by then, but you catch my drift). Our current seniors; being able to return from college and beyond to future basketball games and take Pride in saying “I was part of this foundation – I left my mark.” That is MWHS Pride.

Go White Hawks!

Ryan, Tynan, Coach Biwan and Gabe

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Day 63 - White Hawks Wrestling Pride

Today's post is from WALA Teacher and Head Wrestling Coach Todd Munsterteiger

Former MWHS principal (and later superintendent) Gene Zulk would always start his introduction at public events with “I’m Gene Zulk, and I am proud and privileged to be the principal at MWHS”. That made an impression on me early in my career, and I can also say that I, Todd Munsterteiger, am truly proud and privileged to be the head wrestling coach at Mound Westonka High School. Wrestling isn’t the most well-known sport, and certainly doesn’t get the attention, fans and accolades other sports do at our high school. However, the amount of hard work, late nights and weekends, and literal blood, sweat and tears it takes to be successful far outweigh the more “popular” sports. There is little fame that goes with being a wrestler, and practices and competition are far from “fun”. Wrestling is one of the most physically demanding sports, and win or lose there is no one else to blame but yourself. Every single moment on the mat you are putting yourself out there in a battle of wills that takes extreme focus, and takes you to the brink of mental and physical exhaustion. Experiencing this as an athlete and being able to share this journey with our kids gives me extreme pride.

Although I am always proud of our wrestling team and program, there was an extreme sense of pride last Saturday as we won the Fridley Invitational for the first time ever. Over the years, we have done well at this tournament; and last year we fell just short of winning the championship. I knew we had a shot this year, but after losing a few starters and not being full-strength, I was not sure we had enough to get the job done. We, as coaches, asked a few kids to step up and fill in the holes, hoping we could win a few matches to help the team score. Step up they did, as we placed all twelve wrestlers in the top five, with everyone winning at least two matches. The excitement of winning come from behind matches and watching our kids realize their potential right before my eyes was one of the most fulfilling moments I have had in my eighteen years at MWHS. Watching our entire squad being handed the first-place trophy, while hearing the roar of the parents who tirelessly donate their time and energy for the program was a feeling like no other. It was the culmination of hours of hard work on everyone’s part, and a snapshot of how great we can be if we stay the course.

Todd Munsterteiger, Proud and Privileged Head Wrestling Coach and the White Hawk wrestlers after their big win in Fridley this Saturday

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Day 62 - Setting a Good Example and Making Us Proud

Today's post is from parent Sandy Gooley

We moved into the Westonka School District just four years ago and enrolled our son into 7th grade at Grandview Middle School without him knowing a single soul. That's a difficult time to come into an unknown school but, wow, what a welcoming bunch! 

Mitchell is now in 10th grade and still very happy. What made us both very proud of all the students at this school, happened on Wednesday. A large group of high school boys gathered near the stop light on Sunnyfield Road in the snowstorm and assisted by pushing car after car up the slippery hill. They laughed and waved and ran up and down the hill helping car after car to make it safely to the top. That is character, that is coming together, that is caring about other people. Thank you for setting a good example and making us so proud.

Some of the boys helping push cars on Wednesday

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Day 61 - Representing Our School on an International Stage

Today's post is from 2013 graduates Brenna & Callie Mack

Hearing “And in first place…Brenna and Callie Mack from Mound, Minnesota” announced over the loudspeaker at the International DECA award ceremony in 2012 was not only our greatest academic accomplishment, it was also a moment in which we were overcome with school pride. Most are familiar with Herb Brooks’ famous words, “the name on the front of your jersey is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back.” Standing on the podium, this statement hit home for us. We were representing our school on an international stage, and honored to do so.

It still brings tears to our eyes watching a video clip that a fellow DECA student filmed when we took the stage. The clip embodies school pride at its best. We wouldn’t have been so successful without the incredible support system and resources that we had available to us through our school. The DECA advisors challenged us to reach our potential and excel beyond it. They genuinely cared about us and were willing to do anything and everything to help us reach our goals. Not only this, but the other members of our DECA chapter created a competitive environment that forced us to work harder.

Ultimately, winning first place at DECA Internationals was not an individual triumph that we can accredit to ourselves; rather, it was a reflection of the passionate students and staff at Mound Westonka High School that stood behind us every step of the way.

Brenna & Callie Mack

Video link to the girls winning first place at the International DECA competition shot by fellow DECA members.  http://goo.gl/nxhX7u 

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Day 60 - Proud MWHS Alum

Today's post is from 2012 graduate Kaitlyn Tierney

After graduating from Mound Westonka High School in a class of fewer than 200 students, I now attend the University of Wisconsin Madison. Moving to a metropolitan area to be apart of a student body of over 30,000 may have been intimidating, but it wasn’t. I was excited for my new experience in college because of what I learned from my time at MWHS. My fellow classmates of 2012, my teachers, and my DECA advisors all taught me that I am capable of accomplishing what I set my mind to.

I am incredibly proud to be apart of the class of 2012; because of the way we genuinely respected and supported one another. A time of encouragement that stands out to me was fall of our senior year. One of our classmates needed to have brain surgery. His teammates and friends rallied around him and shaved their heads to match his. My classmates moved me because they helped our friend feel a little more at ease before facing a very daunting situation. Whether it was moments like this or the times we spent cheering under the Friday night-lights or giving standing ovations at DECA state or just a simple congrats as we passed one another in the hallway, our class believed in one another. This spirit among us helped me learn to believe in myself. My peers at MWHS are driven, wonderful people and I am proud to be 2012 alum.

MWHS has an outstanding faculty that is invested in their students. I was very involved in DECA during my time at MWHS, and the time I devoted to that program was worth every second. Although, I did not always accomplish what I set out to in DECA, my advisors taught me that failure does not define you, but it is how you deal with and learn from that failure that truly shapes character. They inspire me still today, to be the best version of myself.

As proud as I am to be a Badger, I will always cherish the days I proudly proclaimed, “It’s a great day to be a White Hawk!”

Val & Kaitlyn

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Day 59 - Memories to Last a Lifetime

Today's post is from 2012 graduate Maya Reinholdz

If there is one thing that I am starting to learn in life more than anything is that the saying “time flies” is more real than I ever imagined. As a now sophomore in college it astounds me, and more than anything saddens me that I only have two more years left of being a student. Two more years until I have to, as they say, “join the real world”. It is common to say that the greatest memories in life will happen in college. As I am two years into being a business student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison I can say that yes, I have made some amazing memories here. But the memories I have made in college still don’t over shadow those that I had during my years at MWHS.

When thinking back to my four years at MWHS I can’t help but laugh, smile, and sometimes cry at all of the amazing memories I made. Now attending a college of more than 40,000 students, I appreciate more than ever having a high school class of only 180, where I could walk down the halls and recognize every face I passed by. Being a part of a small school meant making connections and relationships that are hard to experience once you get to college. My teachers were not only mentors; they were role models, whom I formed life-long connections with. I will never forget the endless hours I spent in Mrs. Lolich’s room working on DECA, where at times it almost seemed like that was my second home. Or where Mrs. Simonson’s accounting class was more fun than accounting ever should be, and where hockey games meant sprinting from your car, signs in hand, to make sure you got the front row.

MWHS is more than just a high school; it is a community, and one that I am so proud to have been a part of. It is easy to say that some of my greatest memories were made during those four years, as well as relationships and experiences that I will forever cherish. When I was younger I never realized how fast time passes by you. But no matter where I am in life I know that I can always be proud that the connections and memories I made at MWHS will truly last a lifetime!

2012 Grads Maya and Kennedy

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Day 58 - Pride in a 2003 Choir trip through Europe

Today's post is from Carol Shukle, district employee and parent of four MWHS grads

This week the blog posts are stories from MWHS alumni!

After 27 years as a resident of this community, including 17 years as an MWHS parent, it’s hard to choose just one example of Mound Westonka pride – but something that does remain a very special memory is the Concert Choir tour of southern Germany, Austria and Venice, Italy in 2003.

Our first child entered MWHS in the fall of 1996 and our youngest graduated last spring with the Class of 2013. All four of our kids were members of Concert Choir and either Pop Singers or Madd Jazz or both. I’ve thrilled to hear them perform in our community; on stage at Orchestra Hall and the Ordway; at the top of the Empire State building; on a street in New Orleans; and in some of the most famous and beautiful cathedrals and town squares in Europe. Along the way my husband changed jobs and we considered moving to cut his commute, but one of the things that kept us here was Mound Westonka High School. Our kids were happy and we quickly realized the advantage of having private school graduating class sizes in a public school setting, and a first-class music education.

But of all those music experiences, that 2003 Choir tour is one I will never forget. We were scheduled to leave around April 4 and the U.S. went to war in Iraq on March 20. Suddenly Americans were being warned against travelling abroad and the trip for which the students and their families had worked and planned for nearly a year was in jeopardy. During the first two weeks of the fighting several large Twin Cities school districts canceled similar trips. As our departure date and the third week of the war approached there had been no significant incidents involving Americans in Europe. The pros and cons of going ahead with the tour were discussed at length and the decision was made that the danger was not so great that the group of more than 70 students and parents could leave as planned. That took some courage and some MWHS Pride for those making the trip, but even more, for the district and high school administration who gave permission and the families who remained behind.

We were sent on our way by the administration with a cell phone with International service (a big deal even 10 years ago) and State Department advice to try to not appear too “American” – no jeans and sneakers – and to try to pass as Canadian if anyone asked?! Well, we didn’t fool anyone, but except for witnessing one anti-war, anti-American demonstration in Munich and being the object of some anti-American slurs at, of all places, Dachau, we were welcomed warmly and never felt unsafe. The students were wonderful ambassadors for MWHS whether singing in cathedrals or nursing homes, and we saw incredible sights.

A highlight of the trip was the evening that, after returning from a day trip to Salzburg, Madd Jazz was scheduled to perform before the main act at the top jazz club in Innsbruck. Madd Jazz is always good but that night they were sensational. They left the jazz club so excited they just couldn’t stop singing. Out in the parking lot Madd Jazz continued to sing everything they knew. Eventually they were joined by the rest of the Concert Choir who caught the enthusiasm and the students sang through the streets of Innsbruck all the way back to the hotel. Eventually they ran through the entire Concert Choir repertoire from that year and turned to singing music from the year before. Finally gathered in the hotel lobby, and unwilling to stop, they began singing their four-part arrangements of Christmas Carols – possibly inspired by the snow that was falling that unseasonably cold April evening. When we all sang “Silent Night” in both English and German, our Austrian tour guide, who was still with us in the lobby, was moved to tears.
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Two days later we were on our way home. Our flight from Germany landed in Detroit where we went through customs. The friendly customs agents asked the students about their trip and instructed the group to stay together to one side. When everyone was processed, the agents surprised the students by requesting a performance. Back home and with feet once again safely planted on U.S. soil, choir director Jane Brambilla directed the choir a capella in our National Anthem. That was a genuine “goosebumps” moment and still a great source of MWHS pride.

Madd Jazz in front of the Triebhaus Jazz Club in Innsbruck, Austria

Concert Choir at the Monastery Church in Wiblingen, Germany

Andy and Carol Shukle

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!