Saint Peter High School’s One-Act Play cast and crew have ramped things up recently in preparation for the Section 2AA, Subsection A contest set for Saturday, Jan. 25, here at the SPHS Performing Arts Center (PAC). 

This year’s production is Squirrel Girl Goes to College, and is being directed by Jason Toupence and Amanda Blue. The Section 2AA, Subsection A contest begins at 9:10 a.m. and, besides the Saints, other schools competing includes Dassel-Cokato, New Ulm, Hutchinson, Marshall, Orono, and New Prague. Because of Section 2AA rules, the schedule of performances is not available to the public. 

Prior to the Subsection A contest, SPHS cast and crew will take part in the Big South Conference Festival here at the PAC on Monday, Jan. 20, as a sort of trial run with six other conference schools also taking part. SPHS will hit the stage at 9:45 a.m. 

The Saints group will also stage a free public performance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the PAC. 

“This year's One Act is a superhero story,” Toupence said. “Marvel's Squirrel Girl has graduated high school and is on her way to Empire State University. Squirrel Girl Goes to College looks at her struggle to be a regular girl that just happens to be a superhero. 

“Rehearsals are going well and the cast and crew are doing a great job. As always, our biggest issue is the time crunch. This year's state competition was moved closer a week, so all of the sub-sections and section competitions were also moved closer. This year's public performance will also include an additional non-competitive one act play directed by Mr. Deering, which will also perform at the Big South Festival.”

The following is the cast and crew list for the SPHS one act play:

Squirrel Chorus - Matthew Springer
Squirrel Chorus - Marina Sawyer
Squirrel Chorus - Sky Gassman
Tippy-Toe - Katie Engeldinger
Doreen Green - Gloria Toupence
Doctor Doom - Breeley Ruble
Tomas Lara-Perez - Jaden Neubauer
Nancy Whitehead - Madelyn Tollefson 
Brightmind - Bryan Harroun 
MODOC - Noah Faulstich 
Smartnoggin - Sarah Fadness 
Freak - Julia Marlow
Stage Crew - Ayla Aydogdu 
Stage Crew - Wesley Toupence 
Sounds - Ethan Niemeyer 
Lights - Jack Leonard

Each month, Saint Peter Middle School teachers nominate two students from their respective houses 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 were nominated for the months of November and December. Congratulations and keep up the amazing work!

NOVEMBER

Spruce House:

Ellijah Cherland Narum - Elijah shows Saints PRIDE in all aspects of his life.  Elijah displays great determination in his classwork to ensure he is reaching his fullest potential.  Elijah shows tremendous respect to not only his peers, but adults as well. Elijah is a role model for his peers and exudes empathy in his daily encounters with all that he comes in contact with. 

Lily Filand - Lily shows Saints PRIDE every single day in everything that she does.  Lily's determination is fabulous. Lily is always eager to share and answer questions. 

Oak House:

Lily Prunty - Lily Prunty is more than deserving of being this month's Saint’s Pride All Star. Lily does a fantastic job of staying on task in class, turning her work in on time, being respectful of both her peers and her teachers, and volunteers to answer questions in class. Lily is supportive and collaborative with her peers which makes her a great role model in class. Lily is a positive influence on others and is always willing to lend a helping hand to a classmate. You are a wonderful student, and you absolutely deserve to be a student of the month. Congratulations Lily, keep up the good work!! 

Ethan Potts- Ethan leads by example.  There isn't a moment that I have ever seen him not giving his all.  He shows all characteristics of Saints PRIDE. His determination to do well, get better, and succeed inspires his classmates to do the same.

Maple House:

Umayma Abdi - Umayma shows Saints PRIDE by being kind and helpful to her classmates.  In every task, she puts in 100% effort and has a positive attitude when taking on challenges.  To teachers and staff, she is polite and willing to ask for help when needed.

Henry Jacobs - Henry is a student who shows PRIDE by coming to class ready to learn.  He keeps a positive attitude and a sense of humor with each lesson, being a fantastic partner to work with. He is also kind and polite to teachers and classmates.

Pine House: 

Corbin Herron - Awesome wardrobe (his Hawaiian shirt and khakis scream Ace Ventura according to Mr. Moelter), and Corbin has had an awesome year. He stays on task and does more than what is expected. He asks lots of questions and is a great leader/helper  in the classroom for teachers and his peers  

Emmy Remmert - Emmy is kind, hard working and helps others in class. She is always striving to do her best, shows Saints PRIDE, and is a great role model for her peers. 

DECEMBER

Spruce House:

Alex Bur - Alex is very determined in everything he does. He is consistently setting an example for his peers.  

Katherine Callahan - Katherine is sunshine. She is a natural leader who is thoughtful, intelligent, creative, and persuasive. She brings joy to her classmates with her humor and her spunk. Her teachers are excited to see how she uses her many talents to impact the world. 

Oak House:

Alex Korir - Alex is a helpful student who continues to demonstrate SAINTS PRIDE in all he does. He is bright and willing to offer his help in the classroom to both students and teachers. Alex is clear in his communication and pushes himself to go further in his academics.  When Alex submits his work, it is of the highest quality and thoughtfully completed.

Tatum Kennedy - Tatum is always friendly to her peers in the classroom. She's a hard worker and goes above and beyond to help other students in class when she can. Tatum comes to class ready to learn and be a positive influence on others. 

Maple House:

Nora Fondie - Nora shows Saints PRIDE everyday in class by working hard, asking questions to clarify her understanding, and turning in work on time.  Nora is respectful to her classmates and her teachers and is an excellent role model for her classmates.

Rachel Salfer - Rachel shows Saints PRIDE in class by doing her best for any task she is given.  She is always smiling and has an amazing attitude toward school and her learning.  Rachel is a classmate that can work well with any of her peers on projects and activities.

Pine House: 

Emily Sustaita - Emily is always demonstrating SAINTS PRIDE.  She has a great attitude and is always willing to help out in anyway possible.  Students enjoy working with her and look to her as a leader in the classroom.

Drake Smuder - Drake is a very hard-working student both in the classroom and throughout the building.  He demonstrates all the attributes to be successful as a person and student. He is constantly helping others and is very patient in all situations that he is involved in.  Students look to Drake to be a leader both academically and socially throughout the day.

 

A somewhat regular occurrence during the school day at Saint Peter High School has become a popular among school staff as Liz Leibfried’s Life & Work Skills students make their way around the building in the afternoon with their Saints Brew snack and beverage cart. 

The crew began offering tasty treats and beverages to SPHS staff this past fall and they were immediately well received. What treats they offer varies from week to week, but often includes baked goods such as cookies, bars, and muffins, and, since the holiday season is over, they have include veggies and dip or fruit for those wanting to get their diet back on track. The beverages of choice usually includes water, coffee, or hot chocolate. 

“Saints Brew has been such a wonderful project-based learning experience to add to our classroom,” Leibfried said. “Our week revolves around the coffee cart. Monday we go out in the community and grocery shop for the food items. On Tuesday and Thursday we bake the food for the cart. 

“The kids have seemed to really enjoy building relationships with staff in the building.  The cart has increased their social and employment skills. Alyssa said she has learned to be more patient and Emma loves working with her friends. Sabrina and Kiersten have increased their use of their communication device in a variety of settings.”

The students don’t charge anything for their treats and beverages, but they do accept donations and use those funds to buy more snacks and beverages for the cart.

Saint Peter High School is the recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) Safe Sports School award for its Saints’ athletic program. The award champions safety and recognizes secondary schools that provide safe environments for student athletes. The award also reinforces the importance of providing the best level of care, injury prevention, and treatment.

“Saint Peter High School is honored to receive this recognition from NATA, and we remain committed to keeping our student athletes safe during physical education classes, team practices and games so they can accomplish their own goals of great competition, winning records, fair sportsmanship and good health,” Jordan Paula, SPHS Activities Director, said. “Our goal is to lead our athletics program to the highest safety standards for our players.”

“We remain committed to the health and welfare of young athletes in competitive sports,” NATA President Tory Lindley, MS, ATC. “This award recognizes the contributions and commitment of schools across the country that are implementing safe sports policies and best practices to ensure athletes can do what they love best and have the appropriate care in place to prevent, manage and treat injuries should they occur.”

Funding for this award was provided by the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association.

In order to achieve Safe Sport School status, as Saint Peter High School did, athletic programs
must do the following:

• Create a positive athletic health care administrative system
• Provide or coordinate pre-participation physical examinations
• Promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities
• Plan for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment
• Provide a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes
• Develop injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental
• conditions
• Provide or facilitate injury intervention
• Create and rehearse a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan
• Provide or facilitate psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education
• Be sure athletes and parents are educated on the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities

Leah Rutz is the Athletic Trainer for Saint Peter High School and more information about her and the services she provides SPHS student/athletes can be found at https://www.stpeterschools.org/athletics/athletic-trainer.  For more information on NATA please visit: www.athletictrainers.org.

 

Fans of some Saint Peter High School sporting events will have the option of watching games online with the installation of the new video system in the school’s gym through the NFHS Network System.

Partnered with the National Federation of State High School Associations, 44-plus high school state athletic/activities associations, and PlayOn! Sports, the NFHS Network is a joint venture created to provide fans with the ability to stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are.

Those interested in viewing Saints boys and girls basketball games and wrestling matches this winter season can go to www.nfhsnetwork.com and sign up for a subscription to access the video feeds of these games/matches. Saints volleyball matches, starting in the fall of 2020, will also be shown through this system. The cost of the subscription is $69.99 for the calendar year or $10.99 per month, for those who are only interested in access during a particular sports season. 

In addition to those home events here at the SPHS, subscribers will also be able to access video feeds of away games for those schools using the NFHS Network System. Several Big South schools and area schools already use the system including Waseca, Le Sueur-Henderson, Blue Earth Area, Windom Area, Jackson County Central, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Maple River, and Luverne. 

SPHS Activities Director Jordan Paula said other events held in the gym, such as graduation, youth sports, and other programs may be broadcast. The video feed for an event like graduation, according to Paula, would be available for free to the general public. 

“We are excited to be able to provide video feeds to Saints’ fans who might not normally be able to get to a game or event,” Paula said. “We are extremely thankful for the Triple A Capital Campaign funds which paid for the purchase of the Pixellot video system used by the NFHS Network. The $2,500 purchase price was a fixed cost and any future funds needed to update and maintain the system will come from subscriptions that are purchased by our fans. The school also gets a certain percentage for subscriptions that are purchased by Saints fans.”

The video will only have the audio feed from the gym, but at this point there is no play by play commentary. 

“The capability is there should we decide to have students become a part of the broadcast or we can at some point add a connection to a radio broadcast that is going on, but that is something for later on as we get more familiar with the system,” Paula said. 

There are plans to install a similar video system at Floyd B. Johnson Field to do online video feeds from football, boys soccer, and girls soccer games. However, internet access will need to be made available at that location before that happens, according to Paula.