Como High School News
- Twenty-six students in the Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) program at Como Park High School and Como Park Elementary School completed a service/learning project during the April snowstorm. They made more than 300 sandwiches for the Sandwich Project, a grass roots organization whose mission is to feed the needy. The completed sandwiches were delivered to shelters and food shelves throughout St Paul.
“Bigs” and “Littles” form “Matches,” which are consistent partners and pairings within the program. The Matches started with a discussion reflecting on the significance of serving our communities with the Sandwich Project and other opportunities they can participate in throughout their lives. Then the teams worked together efficiently building and bagging turkey and cheese sandwiches. The Matches who were not able to participate in sandwich-making helped by creating instructional posters and motivating messages to help support the Matches as they made the sandwiches.
The event demonstrated how individuals or small groups can make a big impact in simple ways. Como Park High School’s BBBS advisor is health teacher MaryClare Bade. The Como Park Booster Club provided financial support for the Sandwich Project.
- Como’s Global Cultures Showcase featured dance, song and poetry from students proudly representing their home cultures. An evening performance on April 25 was followed by an additional show for participating classes at the end of the school day on Friday.
Somali, Ethiopian, West African, Hmong, Karenni and LatinX dancing troupes brought energy to the auditorium. A Karen group of 40 students performed a traditional song. The program included inspiring poetry readings and vocal soloists from a broad range of perspectives. Como junior Nimo Mohamud and English Learning teacher Jane Sevald organized the show, with support from the Como Park Booster Club.
- French College in the Schools (CIS) students attended the Field Day at the University of Minnesota in mid-April. They met other French students from the greater metro area, attended French classes, and learned about the engaging work of Mme Estelle Arnaud-Battandier, Consular Affairs Officer for the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis.
- For four advanced Como Park French students, spring break was a great adventure across the Atlantic, visiting Paris and Orléans, France with French teacher Mme. Patricia Teefy. In Paris, the group visited several iconic sites — the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral de Paris (before the fire), the Louvre, and Orsay museums. In Orléans (liberated by Joan of Arc), students stayed with French families, attended school with their host sisters, and visited famous chateaux in the surrounding area.
- The first two weeks of May were an intensive time for students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, as AP exams were administered for 20 different courses at Como. Altogether, 286 Como students took 596 exams. The AP exams students choose to take are a culminating measure of the study and knowledge they gained from the rigorous college-level courses.
- The spring choral concert, which featured all five Como choirs, was held May 6 in the Como Auditorium. The groups directed by Ms. Carole Whitney include the Soprano /Alto Choir, Tenor / Bass Choir, Donna di Cantare, Concert Choir, and the Chamber Singers.
There was also a fan-favorite performance by Como’s Micography Vocal Jazz Group, which consists of 16 students who commit to a weekly two-hour evening practice session. The concert concluded with the presentation of musical honors earned by students this school year and special recognition for the senior class of 2019.
A highlight for 20 members of the Concert Choir will occur from May 24-28. That’s when the students travel to New York City and perform with an ensemble group at Carnegie Hall.
- The spring band concert is scheduled for May 23 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. In addition to the instrumental, band and choir spring concerts at school, many Como musicians performed in the St. Paul Public Schools Honors Concert at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on April 23.
- Como’s annual graduation ceremony is scheduled for June 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Auditorium and will be followed by the all-night graduation party. The annual post-graduation event at school is hosted by Como parents and supported by many community groups.
— Eric Erickson is a social studies teacher at Como Park High School.
