Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon visits Como Park Senior High School students on Oct. 25 during Como’s schoolwide mock election. Photo courtesy of the Pioneer Press
Early voting at Como
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon visited Como Park Senior High School during the school-wide mock election held Oct. 25. More than 900 Como students voted at the polling place set up in the school auditorium. AP Government and Politics students served as election judges, administering a registration table and distributing official ballots for the presidential election, which were provided by the secretary of state’s office.
Several local media outlets covered the event at Como, including KSTP, KARE11, the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune. Seniors Eli Freberg, Joe McCune-Zierath, Chong Xiong, Divine Uchegbu, Rachel Ruskin, Jackson Muehlbauer, Lizzy Larson, Hannah Rhee, Trenton Phillippi, Marie Wulff and Minna Stillwell Jardine were all interviewed or quoted in the news stories, expressing intelligent and thoughtful ideas about the democratic process and this election season.
Academy of Finance students keep busy
The Academy of Finance (AOF) continues to thrive at Como with 300 students in the program across all four grades this academic year. A Financial Literacy Fair was held at school on Oct. 25 with 20 volunteers from the Federal Reserve Bank leading breakout session with students. On Nov. 3, AOF juniors attended a field trip to the 3M campus as part of the BrandLab Marketing internship program.
Other recent AOF highlights include seniors Titi Yusef and William Toney representing Como in a meeting with U.S. Sen. Al Franken in St. Paul on Oct. 19. The meeting was an “exploratory education visit” by Franken as part of his work on the Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) Senate Committee. Several AOF juniors also attended the Carlson School of Management college visit and tour on Oct. 27.
BEASTBot attends invitational
The Como Robotics Team participated in the Minnesota Robotics Invitational at Roseville Area High School on Oct. 15. Como’s BEASTBot did well in a challenging set of qualification matches and proved its adaptability to many competitors. In Robotics, alliances are formed with other teams, and the first-place team from qualifying matches chose Como as an ally.
In the end, Como’s BEASTBot worked together with Irondale’s KnightKrawler team and Central’s MinuteBots and triumphed as the tournament champions. Coaches Donna Norberg and Mike Fischer said the team was proud to collect a first-place trophy, and team members are excited for the regular season to begin in January.
Say something nice, in chalk
Students in MaryClare Bade’s health classes participated in the National “Kindness in Chalk” Day on Oct. 31. The Kindness in Chalk activity is an anti-bully movement that was started a 2014 years ago in Minnesota. The students in Bade’s health classes decorated the sidewalk in front of school with positive messages reinforcing positivity, acceptance, respect and support for their peers.
Learn about AP Nov. 22
Como Park Senior High School’s Advanced Placement (AP) Night will be held Tuesday, Nov. 22, 6-7:30 p.m. AP Night is an opportunity for prospective students and their families to learn more about Como’s AP program from staff, parents and a student panel.
Middle-school students and families interested in learning more about Como’s award-winning college-prep curriculum will be able to visit with current AP students and teachers and ask questions about the AP experience. The event will take place in the school library and refreshments will be provided. No reservation is required, but any questions can be directed to Como’s AP Coordinator Molly McCurdy Yates at 651-744-5354.
Support Como on Nov. 17
The Como Park Booster Club is encouraging the community to support Como on “Give to the Max Day” on Thursday, Nov. 17. Please give generously to help support extracurricular activities at the school. Student programs and clubs, including music, athletics, robotics, student council, yearbook, math club and more, are aided by the Booster Club. To find out more about the Booster Club or make a donation, please go to givemn.org/organization/comoparkboosterclub.
