Each month, teachers will be nominating two students from their house who show Saints PRIDE to become our school’s All Stars.

These are students who show Preparedness, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Empathy in their learning, attitude, and behavior. The following students have been nominated for the month of September. Congratulations and keep up the amazing work!

SPRUCE HOUSE:

Rahaf Salim - Rahaf is a hard worker, goes above expectations, and helps others. She shows determination in everything she does.

Carter Dale - Carter is a standout student. He is always showing Saints Pride in everything he does. He a great role model for all students

OAK HOUSE:

Isaih Hesse - Isaih is a hardworking and conscientious student. During Saints Time he uses his time well, staying focused until his work is complete. He will volunteer to help teachers and students with anything they may need. He also has a great sense of humor and smile.

Kaylee Dimmel - Kaylee is a very responsible student. She is always prepared and works hard in class. Kaylee is also very respectful of her peers and is willing to help them when needed.

MAPLE HOUSE

CJ King - CJ is an awesome student who works hard to accomplish expectations in the classroom. He is polite and helpful to teachers and classmates, always showing positivity and leadership.

Annika Southworth - Annika has shown much maturity as a 7th grader, staying on top of her assignments when it comes to participating in sporting events. She is always asking questions to clarify her learning and showing her best effort in everything she does. Annika is a student who is willing to help her classmates.

PINE HOUSE

Belle Putz - Belle is always prepared for class. She works well with everyone, and she is always inquisitive. She is passionate, respectful, and remains positive. All students respect Belle and her opinion. She gets along with everyone and is fun to have in class.

Lauren Jacobson - Lauren is always working hard. She gives her best effort and is always prepared for class. She works well with others and is always respectful to everyone in the class and in the hallways. She gets along with all students and is a great person as well.

Program to be held in SPHS Performing Arts Center starting at 9:30 a.m.

St. Peter resident Mark W. Roemhildt, Commander, USN (retired), will be the guest speaker at the annual Veterans Day program at Saint Peter High School on Monday, Nov. 11. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. at the SPHS Performing Arts Center, and it is put on each year by the school’s social studies department.

All area veterans are welcome to attend, and a special reception for veterans will be held before the program. Donuts and coffee will be served in the Saint Peter Community Room, next to the commons area. The public is also invited to attend the program. 

Roemhildt is a native of St. Peter and graduated from St. Peter High School in 1987. He attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he earned his Commission as an Ensign through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program. He was designated as a Surface Warfare Officer and served on nearly every ship class in the US Navy. He completed multiple deployments around the world while conducting a wide variety of missions: he worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept illegal narcotics bound for the United States; he was involved in the initial naval response while stationed in the Middle East following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and he was at the forefront of efforts to provide humanitarian aid to heavily damaged areas in Indonesia and Thailand following the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. He worked closely with the Korean Navy to plan for the defense of the Korean peninsula and he held a variety of positions with Military Sealift Command, which oversees the maritime movement of logistical materials globally.

He completed overseas assignments in the Middle East, Italy, Japan, Hawaii, and Singapore and earned a Master of Science from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Business Administration from North Central University.  He retired from the Navy in 2016 after 25 years of commissioned active duty service.

He is the son of a veteran, a brother of a veteran, and has six close family members who are also veterans.

Music for the program will be presented by the Saint Peter Concert Choir, under the direction of Scott Hermanson, and by the Saint Peter High School Concert Band, under the direction of Dave Haugh. Members of the William R. Witty American Legion Post 37 Color Guard will also participate.

A special veterans’ recognition will also be presented by SPHS Principal Annette Engeldinger honoring those SPHS alums who have served in the armed forces. 

PARKING INFO: Those attending the Veterans Day program are encouraged to park in the lots on the west side of the new SPHS building near the event (gym) entrance.

Saint Peter Middle School seventh graders took part in the annual Courage Retreat on October 29 at Johnson Hall at the Nicollet County Fairgrounds, with more than 30 student leaders from Saint Peter High School also on hand to help out.

The high-energy, interactive retreat, which is facilitated each year by Youth Frontiers, focused on creating a more positive school community by engaging students in a variety of activities that build students’ empathy skills and teach safe ways to help prevent bullying.

“Our school believes that to do well, students need to be comfortable with who they are and feel physically and emotionally safe,” Michelle Doose, Saint Peter Middle School counselor, said. “In this effort to create a safe and caring culture, we bring in Youth Frontiers to inspire students to follow their hearts rather than follow the crowd.”

Since 1987 Youth Frontiers, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, has been delivering programs to build positive school communities that help young people realize the importance of respecting themselves and others. Their vision is to change the way young people treat each other in every hallway, lunch line and classroom of every school in America so that today’s young people make tomorrow’s world better.  Last year, Youth Frontiers worked with nearly 100,000 students and educators throughout the country.

“These retreats affect so many kids because these conversations really make them stop and think about their belief system, their attitudes, their behavior, their interactions,” Doose said. “It's always interesting to see the impact of this event on our students.”  

Fifth & sixth graders travel to Lac du Bois near Bemidji to take part in variety of activities

Thirty-seven Saint Peter Middle School fifth and sixth grade French students spent time at Lac du Bois, located on the Turtle River near Bemidji, taking part in a variety of activities at the annual French camp the weekend of October 25-27.

“The students’ weekend was full of activities, inside and out, with great food and a lot of laughs,” Mary Behrends, group chaperone and recently retired SPMS/SPHS French teacher, said. “The theme for the weekend was based on Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, so it focused on the international presence of French.  

“Important financial support came from the legacy grant we recently received from the estate of Jeff Rosoff, former Gustavus Mathematics professor, a lifelong fan of all things French, and (I am glad to add) my friend,” Behrends added.

According to the Lac du Bois’ website, “We built the Lac du Bois site on Turtle River Lake near Bemidji, Minn., to make you feel as though you’ve magically happened upon a French village. The comfortable cabins and facilities are nestled in the beautiful North Woods of Minnesota. As unexpected as it is beautiful, every detail of this Village — from the mailboxes to the street signs to the menus — are authentic to Francophone countries.

“While we learn about France and its culture, we also focus on the many diverse French-speaking cultures around the world, and have staff from many Francophone countries who share with us their traditions. You will find a welcoming, supportive environment at Lac du Bois Bemidji where you will be encouraged to explore and try new things!”

 

New equipment will benefit CTE, art, math, and science programs

Saint Peter High School students enrolled in classes through the school's CTE (Career & Technical Education) program will now get the opportunity to use the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) plasma cutter the district recently purchased using AAA (Academics, Arts, and Athletics) funds that were raised privately. 

The AAA funds were raised through the school's recent Capital Campaign to provide enhancements to Saint Peter High School's academic, athletic, and arts programs. The Capital Campaign began around the time the new SPHS building opened in the fall of 2017.

According to Michael Reeser, SPHS’s metalworking instructor, adding the plasma cutting system will allow St. Peter students to experience an industry tool that is commonplace in the manufacturing workforce. Students will apply critical thinking skills to operate and manage several software systems, coordinate systems, tool path building, and G code programming to produce quality products.

“Students will identify issues with production and problem solve for solutions to maintain quality and quantity of the products for the consumer,” Reeser said. “Allowing for creativity in design, this system will expand our ability to capture student ideas and components to push for innovation in production.”

In addition, the CNC system will foster collaboration between departments to provide industry level equipment and processing to students outside of the manufacturing wing such as art, math, and science.

Students will learn to communicate using the languages of manufacturing, technical reading, and technical writing. Applying math, science, and art to create ideas and then convert those ideas to actual products.