Knightly News, Winter 2022-23

In this publication, you will find various updates, awards, achievements, upcoming events, and an opportunity to learn more about the administrative team. Students provided content in this publication directly, so look at what your peers are celebrating around you.

With so many things happening around our building, we apologize in advance for inadvertently missing content. If there is anything that you would like included in our next edition, please get in touch with Principal Saefong.

Editors:

Matthew van Bruggen

Colin Sokolowski

Megan McKeen

Content provided by:

Vichai Saefong

Jen Tinerella

Chris Fink

Sue Weber

Irondale Students & Staff

APRIL

April 7

No School

April 13-15

WGI Winter Guard World Championships

April 22-25

DECA Nationals

April 30

"The Dining Room" 1 p.m.

MAY

May 1-12

AP Exams

May 10

Knight Time

May 22

CLEP Exam

Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m.

May 29 No School

JUNE

June 1

Band Concert, 7 p m

June 7

Finals (hours 1, 3, 5)

April 12

Knight Time

April 21 No School

April 26

Knight Time

April 13

Communication Night, 4:30 p m

April 20-22

WGI Percussion World Championships

April 27-29

"The Dining Room" 7 p m

May 3

Knight Time

May 11

Senior Recognition, 6 p m

May 24

Knight Time

May 6

Prom (Quincy Hall), 9 p m

May 17

Knight Time

May 26 No School

May 30

Choir Concert, 7 p m

June 2

Senior Last Day / Finals

June 8

Finals (hours 2, 4, 6)

Last Day for All Students

June 5

Graduation, 7 p m

@Maturi Pavilion

mvpschools org/moundsview

Get to Know 'Em

MEET KELSEY CLODFELTER

Kelsey Clodfelter is an English Teacher.

What is your favorite memory from your own high school experience? Starting a school newspaper with my best friend!

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would that be and why?

I have always wanted to visit Colombia My favorite author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is Colombian, and I've heard they have the best beaches in the world! I also love opportunities to practice my Spanish.

What is your favorite go-to snack?

I love popcorn with extra butter and anything involving dark chocolate :).

What is your favorite thing about Irondale High School?

Obviously the students! It is my first year teaching here, and I have been been so impressed by their creativity, compassion, and sense of humor

Knight to Know

The KNIGHT TO KNOW program is a staff-nominated program that recognizes students from within the classroom or other school community activities. Recipients of the KNIGHT TO KNOW award are recognized for having demonstrated significant growth or embodying the skills of the 4 values of IRON

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

ISAIAH SCHULTZ-DEASON

9th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Carruth

Value: Joy

Nomination:

Isaiah always comes to class upbeat and ready to learn (and I see him 6th Hour!). He has made great progress this semester and tries his best to keep on top of assignments, tests and projects. It is great having him in lessons.

ARIEL TA

12th Grade

Nominated by: Mr Hall

Value: Joy

Nomination:

Ariel is imbued with the spirit of joy. She always says hello to staff and students at IHS. Her support and good nature help raise the spirits of others, lifting them to higher levels of joy and connection. She finds joy in curiosity and learning.

Ariel has a fantastic attitude--that all learning is useful at some point in the future, if not now. She brings a room to life when she enters.

DOMINIC LINDAHL

10th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Arueya

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Dominic is an amazing student who has been engaged since the beginning of the school year. He is hardworking, respectful and works well with his peers. He is always willing to work with any group he is assigned to, and does he best no matter what. It is a pleasure to have him in my Advanced Algebra class.

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

ALEXANDRA BIRKEN

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Kountz

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Lexi is a strong leader in and outside of the classroom. She is an active member of the Robotics team and leads the ACE team. She is very engaged in the work she does and helps others engage in the work as well. In the classroom she works well with others, asking and answering both student led and teacher led questions. She is a real JOY to have as a member of your team and classroom.

CLARENCE YOUNG

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Cartwright & Ms. Poncelet

Value: Belonging & Engagement

Nomination:

Ray-Ray is very friendly and open to meeting new people, and will always speak up if he believes that someone is being disrespectful to someone else. He's very empathetic and understanding and he's a great example to other students in those areas

-Cartwright

Ray Ray demonstrates Engagement within the Irondale community in his interactions with peers and staff. He models what it means to take responsibility for his words and actions and models leadership among peers. He owns "where he is at" while working to improve himself and the people around him.

-Poncelet

LUIS PAEZ-BARRAZA

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms Kierstead

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Luis works very hard in class to fully understand the content. He is also willing and able to work with his classmates, explaining things they don't understand yet or working together to solve problems.

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

DEREK FREESE

12th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Foley

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Derek is engaged with his peers and his activities. He is rocking his job at the New Brighton Community Center, gaining muscles as he works in his strength training class, increasing his academic skills, cracking jokes with friends and a is great role model for his peers.

ELSIE BAKER

10th Grade

Nominated by: Ms O'Donnell

Value: Belonging

Nomination:

Elsie came to me and said she thought that the group next to her was not really working together as a group very well. So she asked if she could work in that group. The group has a couple of special ed students and others didn't really want to work with them. She is a great leader and knows how to make everyone feel like they belong and can get them all to work together well.

YSAELYS SORIANO QUERALES

9th Grade

Nominated by: Mr Johnson

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Ysa works tirelessly to complete her assignments and is always working for success. She is kind to her classmates and focuses on her goals, even with her classmates want to distract her. She goes above and beyond to complete tasks and even reaches out from home when she has questions. She extends help to her classmates when they need it.

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

KEENA THOMAS- WOODS

10th Grade

Nominated by: Ms Niebur

Value: Partnership

Nomination:

Besides being a focused and hard-working student, Keena is incredibly helpful. She takes the initiative to help others without being asked and goes above and beyond in her participation and contributions to our learning.

JAIDA MENEFEE

10th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Niebur

Value: Belonging

Nomination:

Jaida really exemplifies all four values, but I think the one that stands out most is belonging. I've seen her welcome new students, help other students with their work and she makes any group more successful. She's incredibly mature and hardworking and adds so much to the class.

NICHOLAS ANDERSON

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms Kountz

Value: Partnership

Nomination:

Nick is a wonderful student to have in your class. He is motivated, dependable and works hard, but what makes him really stand out is his willingness and ability to help others. He is a real team player in our classroom. This is demonstrated by how he partners with other students to figure out the content. Even when he can figure it out with ease, he takes the time to make sure others are understanding as well. He is a real Joy to have in our school!

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

SOPHIA FREY

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Powers

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Sophia is enrolled in the Century College -916 Law Enforcement program. The passion she has developed while enrolled in this course brings a smile to my heart. She will show me her assignments, resume, applications, we chat about situations, etc.. Sophia has developed persistence and continues to climb over any obstacle to achieve her goal. Anyone who works with Sophia can't help but to burst with pride ♡

MICHAEL DEEL

11th Grade

Nominated by: Mr Ackerman

Value: Engagement Nomination:

Michael consistently shares his understanding and asks good questions in World History. He stays up to date on current events and works hard to have fun with material every day.

MARIA MILLER

11th Grade

Nominated by: Mr. Ackerman

Value: Partnership

Nomination: Maria shows partnership with her classmates and me by participating in class and working well with class mates in World History. She exhibits collaborative leadership in how she goes at her work in a humble and determined way.

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

JO TREUNENFELS

9th Grade

Nominated by: Mr. Willis

Value: Partnership

Nomination:

It is great having Jo in class. He is always ahead of the game and willing to help other students who have questions or need some guidance. He is also great at engaging in conversation about class topics with others and provides valuable insights.

JASON OLLUA-VALENTA

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms O'Donnell

Value: Belonging

Nomination:

Jason is so observant about his classmates, he noticed his spanish speaking classmates were going to need help with labs and their study guides! So he asked if he could be in their group so he could help them since he is bilingual . He is just the best student, and one day he asked me after I did a demonstration if he could help me out and do the dishes.

HUNTER ROHRBACHER

9th Grade

Nominated by: Ms Yff

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Hunter is a student who brings his all to class each day and goes above and beyond after school to make sure he understands the concepts. Hunter takes time to email if he has a question or if he feels he can improve his grades. He is a phenomenal student and I am lucky to have him in Economics this semester!

WINTER KNIGHT TO KNOW RECIPIENTS

OMAR AHMED

9th Grade

Nominated by: Ms. Yff

Value: Engagement

Nomination:

Omar has been such a fantastic student in Economics this semester. He works hard on all classwork and is always engaged and actively participating. I have been so impressed by his work ethic and maturity! Keep up the great work Omar!

KHANI RODRIQUEZ

11th Grade

Nominated by: Ms Powers

Value: Belonging

Nomination:

Khani saw that I was upset about losing my keys. He came to my emotional rescue by finding them and "telling me", instead of not saying a word and watching me go crazy as I continued to talk to myself!

From the Dean's Desk

MEET YOUR DEANS

Email them using firstname.lastname@mvpschools.org

District Somali Cultural Liaison

Please help us welcome the new Somali cultural liaison, Zeynah Abdulrazak. Zeynah started with the District in January. She lives in Burnsville with her five children and enjoys cooking, writing poems and practicing martial arts She's excited to support families and students with their educational and cultural needs moving forward

THE EQUITY PROMISE

Mounds View Public Schools is committed to preparing all students for opportunities of their choice after high school, whether they choose a college, a trade school, technical college, the military or employment.

The Equity Promise states:

Programs and services will be in place at all schools to ensure that race, gender, class and disability will not predict students’ success in Mounds View Public Schools.

Student academic performance will not fall into patterns identifiable by factors such as race, ethnicity, English language proficiency, socio-economic status and disability

The school that a student attends will not be the predictor of his/her school success

CULTURAL LIAISONS

District cultural liaisons are available for translations and to meet students' and their families' educational and cultural needs. District liaisons host cultural activities and events throughout the year and aim to assist students in attaining academic success.

Jill Spencer Native American Liaison 651-341-1793

Angel Toro Spanish/Latino/Hispanic Liaison 651-724-2854 angeltoro@mvpschoolsorg

Mee Yang Hmong/Asian Liaison 651-724-0396 meeyang@mvpschoolsorg

Zeynah Abdulrazak Somali Liaison 651-262-4577

Achievements & Awards

JURIAD HUGHES JR. BREAKS 41-YEAR-OLD STATE LONG JUMP RECORD

A prolific junior athlete named the 2023 USATF Minnesota Athlete of the Year and a former youth record holder for his age group in the 100m, Juriad Hughes Jr. can now add state record holder to his resume.

Hughes Jr broke the 41-year-old Minnesota state indoor long jump record of 24' 9 25" with a big statement jump of 24' 11" that breaks the previous record slightly over an inch He also broke the previous Minnesota state indoor record by over a foot (23' 1").

His mark of 24' 11" currently ranks as the U.S. No. 3 for the indoor long jump for the 2023 season

For more information, check out this article: https://mn.milesplit.com/articles/327900/juriad-hughes-jr-setsnew-state-indoor-long-jump-record

VOICE OF DEMOCRACY WINNER

The Brooker Edmond VFW Club Post 724 representative Terry Hoye presented a local award to Lucia Blechert for her submission to the Voice of Democracy scholarship program Students wrote essays on the topic

"Why is the Veteran Important?" and read them as part of the competition

All students grades 9-12 are eligible to submit an entry; the new topic will come out in Spring 2023 and entries will be due at the end of October. Congratulations to Lucia on this achievement!

Athletics & Activities

MEET THE ACTIVITIES STAFF

Chris Fink Activities Director

William Mauricio Assistant Activities Director

ALPINE SKI TEAM SENDS ONE TO STATE

Irondale Junior Anthony Petkov finished third at the Section 5 downhill ski meet (3rd out of 105 skiers) and earned a trip to the state alpine ski meet on Tuesday, February 14, at Giants Ridge Ski Area.

IRONDALE BOYS HOCKEY TEAM

The Irondale Boys Hockey Team received the following TriMetro Conference Awards:

All Conference

Alex Sabev

Parker Henry

All Conference Honorable Mention

Matt Rockwell (Columbia Heights High School)

Gavin Bourassa

A Special Congratulations to Alex Sabev who was named the Tri-Metro Conference Goalie of the Year!

Sue Weber Activities Secretary

Alex Sabev (11)

Parker Henry (12)

Gavin Bourassa (11)

BOYS SWIM STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Boys Swim Team had three Knights compete in the State Championship meet last weekend. Freshman Lucas Megahan finished 12th in finals of the 200 free. Sophomore Henry Botten finished 17th in the 200 IM and was an alternate in finals. Senior Emmett Botten finished 15th in the 100 fly, and 13th in the 100 breast with a time of 1:00.37 breaking the previous Irondale record of 1:00.55.

NEW SCHOOL RECORD

Senior Emmett Botten set a new school record at 5AA Section Finals for the 100 fly with a time of 51.34 seconds, compared to the record he set last year of 51.77. At the State Championship finals, Emmett also broke the record in the 100 breaststroke finishing in 1:00.37, compared to the record of 1:00.55 set in 1989. Congratulations!

Pictured left to right: Emmett Botten, Lucas Megahan, Henry Botten

Athletics & Activities

NORDIC SKI TEAM AT SECTIONS

The Irondale Nordic teams competed in the MSHSL Section 5 Championships this past Wednesday. Congratulations to Siri Stolen, Mia Nordberg, Azelle Besemann, Amelie VanLoon, Renata Kikeh, Addy Granlund, and Sophie Stephens for taking second overall as a team and qualifying for the State Nordic meet! Earning section awards were Siri Stolen (4th overall) and Mia Nordberg (7th overall).

The boys team of Noah Besemann, Luke O'Rourke, Finn Rodefeld, Gabe Hart, Jack Patterson, Franklin Doncavage, and Erik Olson finished 3rd overall in the section, narrowly missing state team qualification. Earning section awards and qualifying for state as individuals were Noah Besemann (5th overall) and Luke O'Rourke (8th overall).

State Qualifiers

Girls State Team:

Relay: Sophie Stephens, 9 and Addi Granlund, 9

Pursuit: Siri Stolen, 11

Mia Nordberg, 11

Azelle Besemann, 9

Amelie VanLoon, 8

Renata Kikeh, 9

Alternates: Dani Daire, 11 and Miriam Robertson, 8

Boys State Team:

Pursuit: Noah Besemann, 12 Luke O'Rourke, 10

Siri Stolen (11) Mia Nordberg (11) Azele Besemann (9) Amelie VanLoon (8) Renata Kikeh (9)

Addi Granlund (9) Sophie Stephens (9) Noah Besemann (12) Luke O'Rourke (10)

Athletics & Activities SPEECH RESULTS

The Irondale Speech Team had a great Section Tournament, with three students advancing to the State Tournament.

Reesa Venterea (11th) earned 1st Place in Original Oratory and will advance to State.

Natalie Jansen (11th) earned 2nd Place in Extemporaneous Reading and will advance to State

Afomia Mesfin (9th) earned 3rd Place in Great Speeches and will advance to State

Also placing in the final round at Sections were Boyana Nikolova (4th Place in Extemp Speaking), Nick Anderson (5th Place in Extemp Speaking), Ronorey Buyuccan (5th Place in Original Oratory), and Emerson Nusz (6th Place in Discussion) Great work on a fantastic season, team!

Congratulations to the DECA State Participants and to the 10 International DECA Career Development Conference Qualifiers that will be headed to compete in Orlando, FL April 21-25th, GOOD LUCK to all of you

Seniors- Saylor Gallagher & Kristina Silwal

Juniors- Elias Hamimoune, Taylor Koch, Cieara Herlofsky & Kelly Martin

Sophomores- Taylor Hansen, Ally Leight, Stephanie Nazareth, Michael Sipahialni

The group is advised by Diane Waite who was Honored as an Outstanding Advisor of the Year at the State Competion Congratulations and Good Luck DECA!

Reesa Venterea Natalie Jansen Afomia Mesfin Boyana Nikolova

Nicholas Anderson Ronorey Buyuccan Emerson Nusz

STAFF WIN THE STUDENTS VS. STAFF BASKETBALL GAME

Irondale Mock Trial competed against Higher Ground Academy on January 10, 2023 Competition Team

Angelica Severin (attorney); Mercy Davies (attorney); Vienna Parlin (attorney); Julien Martisen Holt (witness); Pela Zafinando (witness); Sola McGhee (witness); and Liliana Triviski (Bailiff and Timekeeper).

The team won a successful verdict!

Congratulations to Outstanding Attorney Angelica Severin!

Congratulations to Outstanding Witness Pela Zafinando!

IRONDALE MOCK TRIAL

Food resources

RALPH REEDER FOOD SHELF

2544 Mounds View Blvd

Mounds View, MN 55112 651-621-6280

foodshelf@moundsviewschools.org

MINNESOTA FOODSHARE

The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf and Community Resource Center is a Community Education Program of the Mounds View Public School District that was established in 1982. We provide food, basic needs and connections to other services to any school district family as well as all low income, food insecure individuals and families living within the Mounds View Public School District attendance area or Ramsey County St. Anthony. Our service area includes the cities of New Brighton, Mounds View, Shoreview, Arden Hills, North Oaks, Roseville and Ramsey County St Anthony

For 41 years, Minnesota FoodShare has worked to address food insecurity and poverty by engaging communities throughout the state via education and state and federal advocacy efforts Minnesota FoodShare also provides resources to food shelves and food distribution programs across the state through the annual March Campaign.

For more information or to find food help, click here to view their website

Alumni update

PAST ATHENA AWARD WINNER

JuliaHayes-IrondaleHighSchool 2018AthenaAwardWinner

WhereAreTheyNow?

POST HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION & MAJOR

I am a junior at the University of Minnesota, working towards a degree in Health Services Management with minors in Public Health and Human Resources

POST HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS

I am currently running track for the University of Minnesota CAREER

I hope to pursue a career in healthcare administration focusing on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

WHAT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS PARTICIPATION EXPERIENCE AND ATHENA AWARD HAS MEANT TO YOU

My high school athletic participation meant the world to me. It helped me build skills and strengths outside of just athletics, including skills such as perseverance and leadership. It also allowed me to build lifelong relationships with teammates and coaches Receiving the Athena Award was an incredible honor I was proud to represent my school at this event and meet the other incredible women representing their schools. It was amazing to connect with so many young women from such diverse backgrounds