Award winners
Senior Oladunni Alomaja placed ninth in the state during the qualifying round of the Minnesota Brain Bee, a neuroscience competition for high school students. She’ll move on to compete at the University of Minnesota for the next competition. Last year, she placed third in the state.
Senior Jasmine Brown was one of 10 Minnesota students to win the $7,000 Horatio Alger Scholarship for 2015. The scholarship is awarded to outstanding students who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Freshman scientists
Twelve freshman Como scientists will participate in the Twin Cities Regional Science Fair on Feb. 27 and present research they accomplished at Wolf Ridge Environmental Education Learning Center through the E2 Program after their eighthgrade year at Murray Middle School. The E2 Program is a collaborative Murray-Como program created by Murray teacher Tim Chase. It has launched its learners into a richer understanding of the environment and into accelerated biology classes at Como.
Debaters awarded
The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) banquet was held Feb. 3. Como debaters were recognized for their work this season, including a first-place Spirit of the MNUDL award. ‘First Book’ The Future Educators club wrapped up the second phase of its “First Book” fundraiser in January. Club members raised funds from community donors to purchase books for every first-grader in Dayna Thomas’s classroom at Como Park Elementary School. Club members visited Thomas’s classroom in January, where they read to small groups of students and gave each child their own book to take home.
ROTC drill team
Como’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC (MCJROTC) drill team took home the second-place trophy out of 12 teams competing in the Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge Feb. 6 at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul.
Earlier this year, MCJROTC cadets participated in a Winter Cadet Leadership Camp at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minn. Cadets took classes, trained, hiked, skied and camped. Maj. John Foley and his cadets thank the Camp Ripley staff for hosting the cadets, along with the Marine Corps League North Star Detachment 943 and the Minnesota Marine Corps Coordinating Council for their financial donations, which made the camp possible.
Cougar Idols
“The Voice of the Cougar Idol” singing competition concluded on Thursday, Jan. 22, with junior Angel Khang being crowned the champion and junior Adrienne Cunningham the runner-up. Auditions were held after school the previous week, narrowing the field of 20 talented voices down to the Final 5, which was no easy task for the faculty judges. The fun-filled event was sponsored by Tri-M, Como’s Music Honor Society.
Band news
The Como Park Winter Instrumental concert took place on Jan. 29. All of Como’s instrumental groups performed, featuring music from Bach to the White Stripes and spirituals to Spain. The evening concluded with a performance of Como’s Honors Jazz Band. The band also played at the Underground Music Cafe in Falcon Heights on Feb. 16.
