Spotlight Musical - 42nd Stret

Mark your calendar and set your date for the Southwest Spotlight Musical

42nd Street coming to the stage at SWHS

Don’t confuse our address (47th Street) with our Spring production (42nd Street)

March 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at 7pm

Matinee at 2 pm on March 21st

Ticket reservations at http://southwest.mpls.k12.mn.us/ticket_reservations.html

SW Baseball Fundraiser March 13

Southwest Baseball Fundraiser: March 13, 2010 7:00-9:00 PM at Minneapolis Officers Club

Please join us for 2 hours of wine tasting hosted by Brian and Anne Gandrud from Grand Pere Wines, Inc., a local importer and distributor of fine wine. Brian and Anne will be pouring some very special wines during the event, wines from France, Spain, and Italy.

Have you ever tried wine from Puligny-Montrachet? A 3rd growth Bordeaux from Margaux? A powerful Priorat from Spain? This is your chance! The wines tasted will range from affordable everyday wine to rare and almost impossible to find wine!

Who knew that supporting Southwest Baseball could be so enjoyable?!

TICKET INFORMATION: Request your ticket by e-mail ctjossem@comcast.net - $45/ticket; the tasting is limited to 75 people and tickets will not be available at the door so order yours today!

PLAN test information for 10th grade Parents

Parents of 10th Graders:On Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 pm in the Media Center, the counselors and Career & College Center Coordinator will be hosting a PLAN Information Night for parents.

At that time, parents will receive their students' PLAN test scores.

We will walk you through reading the test results and will also address additional PLAN information, PSEO registration, SAT II testing, and answer any questions you may have.

Please note that we will need to collect the PLAN booklets and score reports as we will be reviewing this information with students the following week.

Please contact me with questions.
Jean Sherwood
SW Counselor

Speech Honors at Centennial Speech Tournament

The Southwest Speech Team participated in the Centennial Invitational Speech Team this past weekend. With over 24 schools represented and over 800 speakers in competition, the tournament was a warm-up for sectionals and the state contests.

Three SW students moved to the awards part of the tournament.

Mikaela Kurpierz earned honorable mention in Humorous Interpretation
Aswar Rahman earned 4th place in finals Extemporaneous Speaking and
John Dahl won first placed in honors finals in Discussion

Congratulations to all who participated. Next week is Fridley invitational.

Chess Tournament Winners

· Southwest took first place in the Check It Out chess tournament. Individually Amanual Zewdie came in first and Xinkai Wang earned the second place trophy.

Twin Cities Science Fair Winner - Ulrich

Mark Ulrich won 5 awards at the Twin Cities Science Fair for his Mind Surfer helmet. He advances to the state competition being held at the end of March.

Southwest Math team Division Champions!

Southwest Math Team took home the division championship for the 4th straight year.

Matthew Kean and Christina Nelson finished tied for 3rd place. Rose Milavitz finished with 61 of a possible 70 points for second place honors. Jason Paller-Rzepka finished with 68 of 70 possible points and took first place. He also tied for the third highest point total in the entire state of Minnesota.

The American Mathematics Competition winners this past week. Michael Moore is the school winner for AMC 10 and Rose Milavitz is the school winner for the AMC 12.

Southwest MCAD Art Awards

Minneapolis College of Art and Design Awards

MCAD acknowledges the honors Southwest has received in the 2010 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards. Thanks to the hard work of Cecily Spano and Ben 9 of our students were judged by a panel of art education professionals from across the country to be among the best in the state by students in grades 7 through 12.

The students recognized are:Lodanne Assad, San Collin, Evan Griggs, India Johnson, Joseph Knox-Carr, Anne Lee, Jack Schneider, Sarah Douglass, Shane Vader.

The Artwork is on display at the Minnesota College of Art and Design.

Sarah Douglass received a Gold Key Award which automatically enters her in the national competition in New York. The artwork will be judged by panels of prestigious members of the arts and education communities.

For more info, visit www.artandwriting.org

Pre-registration continues

We just started 2010-11 school year pre-registration for next year 10-12 grades. Your son or daughter should have brought home the pre-registration card for your review and signature.

There is still time to make sure he/she signs up for the right classes. Think about challenge and getting ready for that application - whatever that might be. Will you be prepared?

Parking Tickets

Sorry about all the parking tickets last night. That is not the way to say - Welcome to Southwest.

Last night was parent teacher conference, girls basketball, community band, and community education. That is a full night which almost every night at SW is a full night.

Parking continues to be an issue around the building. The permit signs keep changing due to the snow emergency. The neighbors have problems trying to park their cars especially those without the alley behind their house and no garage.

Watch out where you park. Please plan on parking a couple blocks away and always look for the signs regulating the parking on that street.

We want you to attend events, but in a residential neighborhood there are going to be some problems.

Southwest 1980 Reunion

Minneapolis Southwest High School Class of 1980 – 30 Year Reunion
Saturday, July 17th, 2010 7:00 p.m.
- MidnightRadisson University Hotel - Humphrey Ballroom
615 Washington Avenue SE

On the U of M East Bank612-379-8888 or 1-800-333-3333 http://www.radisson.com/univ_minneapolis

Special room rate of $110 available until 6/17/10

Go to 30 Year Reunion website - http://www.southwesthigh80.com/ to register, pay, and complete a survey

• $40 per person - before 6/1/10
• $50 per person - before 7/10/10
• $60 per person - at the door

Additional donations above these amounts are accepted.
Hors d’oeuvres buffet, dessert, cash bar
• Please pass this on to others to help us find missing classmates.
• Send any high school pictures that you’d like to be part of a slide show at the reunion to June Jobin Kallestad – jk_878@hotmail.com.
• What music brings you back to high school? We'll have a record player,so bring your old vinyls or your favorite tunes on CD or MP3 format.

Other Reunion Events:
Happy Hour – Friday, July 16th 2010 – 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Chatterbox Pub – Linden Hills
4501 France Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55410(612) 920-3221
http://www.chatterboxpub.net/

Tours of Southwest High School will be available!

Potluck Picnic – Sunday, July 18th 2010 – Noon – 3:00 p.m.
Beard’s Plaisance (aka “Upper Lake Harriet Park”)
45th and Upton Avenue South

Bring your family and food for fun with old friends!

Please Note: To save costs, you will not receive an invitation via postal mail.

2010-11 Class Pre-registation

Tuesday current 9th, 10th and 11th graders start the process of figuring out the possible courses for next school year. The goal setting work with Project Success, Career and College Center, and the counselors should help in making this process move along smoothly.

The students are asked to take the cards home and discuss with families as well. At this age that actually happens sometimes. Parent Teacher conferences are Thursday and if there are specific course questions, that might be a good time to ask. Dick Schwartz will be available to talk about 11th and 12th grade AP and IB options and/or requirements.

Thursday Feb 25 Parent Teacher Conferences 4 - 8 pm

Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday February 25th
4:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Teachers will be in their regular classrooms.

This is a four-hour opportunity to talk briefly with your child's teacher(s). If your son/daughter is making satisfactory progress you might consider an email at a later date. It could be crowded.

We encourage communication with your son/daughter's teacher(s0. However, parent teacher conferences are for brief conversations that usually set up another appointment for a more detailed conversation.

Thank you for your patience.

Staff Appreciation Thursday Feb 25

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Potluck Meal on Thursday February 25th
- Main dishes or money donations needed.

PTSA and SW parents will once again provide our teachers and staff with a delicious meal at 3pm on February 25th before parent/teacher conferences begin at 4pm.

The meal is a wonderful way to show our SW staff how much we appreciate them. Thank you to all who have already donated. We are still seeking at least 10 more main dishes (can be anything from soup to lasagna to chicken wings, etc...).

You can drop off your dishes in the cafeteria on the 25th from 1:30 to 2:45 or the night before or morning of at Bianca Zick's house - 5236 Logan Ave. S. Please email or call Bianca if you can provide a dish or donation -bianca.zick@gmail.com or 929-1529. Thanks!

Feb 25 - Zone 3 Parent Advisory Meeting

Zone 3/Area C Parent Advisory Council Meeting Thursday February 25 - 6:30-8:30pm

Whittier International Elementary School
315 West 26th Street - enter door #1 on 27th Street

Agenda
Welcome and Introductions Report from Zone 3 (Area C) Schools & DPAC*
*"Internet and Cell Phone Safety 101' Our children and social networking - how parents can create a safe environment for their kids who text, facebook, e-mail.............Guest Speaker: Naomi Hupton of the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center
Q&A - Naomi Hupton
Q&A - Courtney Cushing-Kiernat & Dr. Marianne Norris

Childcare available ~ interpretation in Spanish & Somali ** A 45 minute presentation designed for parents and caregivers of kids 11 and up.

Do you want to learn more about social networking sites, cyber-bulling, sexting and internet safety? This workshop is designed to help bridge the gap many parents feel when talking to their teens about technology. You will learn the basics of social networking, including what is safe to post on-line. Filtering software and safety rules will also be discussed. Make sure your teen is educated and empowered to make healthy choices on-line!

Prom Dresses - Operation Glass Slipper

Operation Glass Slipper distributes prom dresses and accessories to girls who would otherwise not be able to afford the expenses of this wonderful event.

Operation Glass Slipper will have its 2010 open house at the Mall of America on March 13 and 14.

To participate you must complete the registration form found in the office and through Check and Connect. Completed forms must be returned to Ms. Overhue in main office.

Speech Team - Cicero Night Tuesday - Feb 23

Find out what speech is all about and help the finances of the team!

Cicero Night - an evening with the Speech Team is happening in the Black Box on Tuesday Feb. 23 starting at 7 pm.

Donations will be taken to support the winning efforts of the Speech Team.

The show is a series of presentations by the Speech Team members demonstrating the various speech categories for state composition.

Tuesday night at 7 pm - come out and support the team.

Speech Team with 8 award winners

Speech Team participated in the White Hawk Invitational tournament this past weekend. Numerous team members made their way to awards.

Madelaine Foster in Creative Expression 4th place
Louis Fine in Extemp Reading – 4th place
Vincent Puzak in Extemp Speaking 3rd place
Mikalea Kurpierz in Humorous Interpretation 5th place
Chloe Baevik-Rich in Humorous Interpretation 8th place
Mariah Oxley Informative Speaking 8th place
Brodin Jentz Original Oratory 2nd place
Phoebe Chastain Storytelling 7th place

Congratulations Speech TEam

Tuesday March 9 at 7 pm Media Center

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Teens, Dating, and Relationships

Sarah Jerstad, PhD, LP, Psychologist, Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota.

Dating and relationships have become more complex for teenagers over the years. Parents want their children to experience positive, healthy relationships but there are many barriers.

Dr. Jerstad will discuss difficulties in teen relationships from a developmental and cultural perspective, including decisions about sex, dating violence, use of social networking websites in relationships, and challenges with communication.

She will talk about how parents can help their teens deal with challenges and ultimately have healthy relationships in a complex world.

Snow Ball Dance

Tonight is the winter Snow Ball Dance. As with most of our dances, the kids usually come in groups. Yes, we still have couples and boyfriends and girlfriends. However, those type of pairings that I remember from my high school days are not the in thing at this point. That doesn't mean they don't get together.

A number go out to eat prior. That may be really fancy or that be fast food. The older kids with access to cars are usually the ones to go out to dinner. Going out to eat with mom and dad is a great way for someone else to pay the bill but it is not exactly the way we want to express our care for that someone special.

We really want the kids to be safe. Once they leave your house in a car the potential for problems do start. We assume you had that age-old lecture of automobile safety. -- Don't forget that two young people will do things that your precious darling by him/herself would never do. That risk factor is squared by each additional young person over 2. So 3 young people together are risking than 2. 5 young people together becomes also certain questionable behavior and 7 or 8 become scary.

One myth that is not true and never has been -- there is absolutely no need (reason) for the kids to rent rooms at the hotel. Regardless of the story, there is nothing school related with a rented room. Once your angelic child steps into a rented hotel room on dance night -- all bets are off.

Dances can be fun. They are part of the legends and historical references of the high school experience. Once past thirty, there is no way a group of people can talk and not relate at least one dance story. Some are extremely funny (but not funny at the time) and some are sad. Please have the appropriate conversation with your son and/or daughter. And wish them a good time!

A long week

Spirit week is its own punishment. The snow sculptures were GREAT! Maybe the meltdown will not be as attractive but fun activity.

Student Council did a nice job with creating fun winter activities and staying out of the school (and academic) part of school. Maybe with students living closer to school in the coming years, these types of activities will be more inclusive of all the students. There still seems to be too many students who just have a connection with what is happening. Some of that may be distance.

Within any group of 1,700 people there are those who are greatly involved and those who have absolutely no involvement. So it is with school and the spirit week and especially the "Pep Fest." No matter how to try to make it more inclusive it sure seems like the same favorite children are in front and the same other children left out. The definitely is not the way the planning starts but it sure seems that is the way the implementation ends up.

But for the dance Saturday night, this is the end of another spirit week in the history of the school. I am sure there will plenty of happy and sad stories about the activities and events. I am sure there will be plenty exaggeration of both 10 years from now.

Art openings

Thursday Feb 18 --
Viva City Art Exhibition Opening at Downtown Central Library -- Several of the Southwest students are scholarship and prize winners. Opening 5 -7 pm

Foot in the Door Art Exhibition at Minnesota Institute of Art -- numerous Southwest students and staff pieces on exhibit. Opening 6- 9 pm

Experience the rhythm and excitement of an opening. Share in the feeling of being part of the Southwest happening.

Be careful of flu

The flu season is not over. We sent a few too many students home today feeling ill and having problems keeping breakfast and/or lunch down.

Yes, it finally got over 30 today. That does not mean we should forget the precautions about the flu and spreading the flu.

Wash your hands frequently. If you are sick - STAY HOME.

It was a three day weekend and sometimes teenagers get too active over the weekend and just do too much. Running at full speed for three full days is not healthy either. I think the illnesses today were more then the weekend overactive type.

This is not the time to panic and yes, kids get colds. Use precautions and stay healthy.

Chess Tournament Winners

Southwest Chess team took first place in the "Check it Out" chess tournament this past weekend.

Individually, Amanual Zewdie came in first and Xinkai Wang earned the second place trophy.

Congratulations Chess Team!

Science Fair Winner

Senior Mark Ulrich won 5 awards at the Twin Cities Science Fair this past weekend for his Mind Surfer helmet, including a $200 cash award from Intel.

He also advances to the state competition being held at the end of March.

see all the details at: http://www.tcrsf.org

Winter Dance is tough for some

Bad enough to have Valentine's Day. Lucky it was on Sunday this year. High School is a rotten time to be a teenager and especially if you are one of the new (young like 13 or 14 or 15) teenagers. For those in the 9th and 10th grade, particularly, there seems to be no justice in the world.

The rest of the world is bigger, has access to a car or has one and has a job which means money. All of those attributes make competition for the fancy of the opposite gender a little more difficult. It probably hits the boys the hardest.

A dance is a big problem all by itself. Who wants to pick up your heart throb with your Dad (or both Parents) in the front seat? Try going out to eat some place. How are you getting there? Do parents have to go with you? How do you get from the dinner to the dance? Does that mean another car ride with Mom and Dad? Who in the world set these prices?

We try not to make these dances a couple's thing. Many of our students come together as a great big group. It really is okay to come by one's self or with a bunch of guys or gals. That takes some of the pressure off, but there is a reality within the whole growing up scene.

This coming week attempts to be one of fun and school unity. As with most things, it cannot be a great success to all people. The dance is at the end of the week. A part of growing up is coping with the realities as well as the joys and thrills. For the most part - that is okay.

SW Place third in Japanese state contest!

Southwest Students won third place in the Minnesota J-Quiz Competition

The J-Quiz is a competition to test the ability of high school students who are studying the Japanese language. It is modeled on a quiz show format and aims to make the study of Japanese challenging and enjoyable.

The Minnesota State Competition was held at Normandale Community College on February 13th, 2010. It was a competition to include Minnesota, and Northern Wisconsin.

There were three levels: level II, level III and level IV in this competition. Southwest teams won 3rd place in level IV.

Congratulations to the finalists who represented Southwest at state this year:
Level IV-B Jessamyn Anderson, Rachel Boyle, Brenda Barrera
Other participants are:
Level IV-A Connor Rice, Reed Monson, Grant Jolstad
Level III-A Cunthia Vue, David Rawlins, Matthew Casey
Level III-B Kaija Beilke, Lilabel McCall, Jonathan Riddle
Level II-A Michael Moore, Matthew Thomazin, Isabel Pone

Kyoko French
Japanese Teacher

Side roads better but be careful when parking

The side street surrounding Southwest are better if talking of the snow piles, ice ruts and bumping ride. But if you are trying to park -- think about parking at home or several blocks away.

The amount of available parking is now half of what it was and it was extremely limited in the best of conditions. Night events are even worse. With normal activities, community education and the neighbors home from work, there is no available parking in the closest blocks around school.

Plan on parking (legally) a couple blocks away. For those needing to be careful of the ice and cold, drop them off and then go find a parking spot.

Snow in Minnesota is not a new concept. Let's play close attention to the parking signs and various restrictions. Let's exercise a bit and walk an extra block. Working together makes this a bit easier and sure beat paying the traffic fine or towing bill.

Speech Team Honors

Speech team went to the RC Streaker Invitational tournament in Forest Lake this weekend.

Two speakers made it into Finals rounds.

Emily Kenner placed sixth in the Honors Finals in Poetry Interpretation.

Aswar Rahman place first in the Honors round in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Congratulations speech team!

Girls NOrdic Ski Team Earns Third in the state

The Southwest Girls Nordic Ski Team earned third place in the Minnesota state Nordic ski tournament this week.

Congratulations to the Nordic Ski Team!

Math Team Finishes in First Place

It is official. The Southwest Math Team earn first place in the Minneapolis Division.

They have also finished the season with the eighth highest point total in the state of Minnesota out of over 170 participating schools. The varsity team will participate in the state tournament on March 8th.

There are over 1600 individual competitors in the state. We have two of the very best right here at our school.

Rose Milivitz finished the season with 61 total points out of a possible 70. She is tied for 14th place overall in the state rankings.

Jason Paller-Rzepka finished the season with 68 total points out of a possible 70. He is tied for 3rd place overall. His accomplishment will be recognized at the state tournament on March 8th at South St. Paul High School.

Both Rose and Jason will participate in the Invitational Tournament on the morning of March 8th. The students with the ten best scores at the invitational tournament participate in the Math Bowl…it’s sort of like a homerun contest before the MLB All Star Game.

The scoring team will participate in the team tournament during the afternoon on March 8th.
Cumulatively, the Southwest Math Team had more students participate in math team events this year than any other math team in the state of Minnesota.

• Here are some statistics from meet #5.
• 140 total students from eight schools in the Minneapolis division participated
• 83 Southwest students participated individually at the meet
• 80 of the Southwest students scored at least one point (As a coach, I’m REALLY proud of that fact)
• Two Southwest students earned a near perfect 12 points
• The Southwest varsity team scored a perfect 24 points on the team event
• The Southwest junior varsity team scored 73 points officially, good enough to unofficially place second in the division for the fifth consecutive meet this year
• The varsity team (official scoring team) earned 95 points, finishing in first place within the division
• Varsity finished 8th in the state at this meet.

Official state rankings can be viewed at http://www.augsburg.edu/mathleague/

Softball Info Meeting Feb 22.

Softball season is near!

There will be an informational meeting on February 22 at 3:30 pm in Room 4.

Southwest Dance Fund Raiser At Davanni's Feb 28

Here's how the fundraiser works:
On Sunday, February 28th from 12-4 the Edina Davanni's (50th and Vernon) will donate 20% of every order by a customer with a coupon from our group.

This means that all we have to do is pass out these coupons, and/or forward this email with the attachment to our friends, co-workers, and family and ask them to come to Davanni's on Sunday 2/28 between 12 and 4 and have some lunch.

That's all there is to it and the dance students can earn some money for New York City education trip.

Don't Get Your Car Towed

The snow emergency demands that you are extremely careful when parking a car anywhere near or around Southwest. Please be considerate of our neighbors. Please make sure you carefully read ALL the signs (new and old) regarding No Parking; Limited Parking; Parking by Permit Only and No Parking During Restricted Hours. Your car will be ticketed and towed.

Do not park on the school parking lots during the posted restricted school hours. From 7 am to 4:30 pm, the school lots are restricted to employees with parking tags. Any cars without school issued tags will be towed.

Please work with us in getting through this snow emergency. We want to be a good neighbor and we want to continue to be a friendly and welcoming school. By towing your car, neither of us will be happy.

Thank you

Tap Dance Shoes Needed

I am searching for the last few pair of tap shoes for the 50 dancers that need them for our musical that's in rehearsal. Any chance that any of you have size 9-9.5 women's black, heel tap shoes? We've borrowed, bought from 7 different schools and no one seems to unearth those sizes.

Any ideas? Greatly appreciated.

Colleen Callahan Russell
Dance Teacher
Musical Dance Director

Driving Alert

If you drive to any event to Southwest -- time to think about it.

Snow alert and NO PARKING on the even sides of the street. This will cause a major problem for our neighbors and for all our guest at the various events.

If you can car pool or ride the bus or get dropped off at the school, please do so.

If you are going to park for school or an event think about our neighbors and maybe park several blocks away.

Maybe if you are an athlete in training - park some blocks away and run in -- or ski - or snow shoe.

Let's be good neighbors and be careful of where you park. If can come to Southwest, please find a way that does not involve parking around the school.

If you are improperly parked you will be ticketed and may be towed.

Alpine Ski State Results

Southwest Alpine Ski Team went to compete in the Minnesota State Tournament.

Early Results report:

Dylan Hager took 5th, the boys alpine team 6th today.

Congratulations Dylan and the entire team!

Speech Team Marches to the Stage

The Speech Team dominated the Prior Lake winter tournament this weekend.

Taking honors in the following:
Creative Expression - Madelaine Foster
Extemp Speaking - Vince Puzak and Aswar Rahmanh
Humorous Interpretation - Mikaela Kurpierz
Informative Speaking - Mariah Oxley
Original Oratory - Brodin Jentz
And in Poetry - Emily Kenner

Congratulations speech team

Make sure you put Feb 23rd - 7 pm on your calendar – Cicero Night with the speech team.

Years Ads - Memories - due Feb. 28

Ads for GradsYearbook Ads for Grads are for sale!

Look for details on the SW website. Get those adorable baby pix submitted by February 28!

Registration Informaiton Night Feb 9

The Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Presents:
Registration 2010-2011
February 9, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM in the Media Center

Designed for current ninth, tenth and eleventh grade parents, SWHS staff will help guide you through the spring registration process.

Is your child on track to graduate? Is she meeting all the requirements? Should he/she register for an honors course? This informative session is a "can't miss" evening.

Free to all Parents, Teachers and Students.Public bus transportation to/from meeting will be reimbursed by PTSA. Please contact Ginger or Lu at the meeting.

YOU CAN JOIN THE PTSA FOR JUST $20 OR MAKE A CASH CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT PTSA SPONSORED EVENTS & ACTIVITIES.

On to State Alpine Boys and Nordic Girls

Congratulations to skiers! The Alpine Boys team is off to State and the Girls Nordic Ski Team is competing in the State tournament. A great winter season and this year with sufficient snow.

Congratulations Teams!

Southwest Math Team 8th in the State

In general, the Southwest Math Team is doing well. Here are some details.
The team finished 12th last season, out of over 170 teams. They also finished in 9th place at the state tournament, leap-frogging a couple of teams that were ahead of them at the end of the regular season.

Last spring, three students took home the first place trophy at the Annual Concordia Math Day competition in a very exciting come-from-behind set of matches. They plan to defend their title this year on March 3.

This year, the math team has close to 150 participants. We are the largest math team in the entire state and have had the largest number of student participants at each of the four meets this year.

Currently, the Math Team Is ranked 8th in the state (out of over 170 teams).
Two, possibly three, students from Southwest will be invited to compete in the Invitational Event at the State Tournament this year.

David McMayer
Math Teacher
Math Team Coach

Perfect Math Competition Scorer

Jason Paller-Rzepka is a student at Southwest High School. He is also a member of the Southwest Math Team and participates in the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League.

At the competitions, students each enter two events and attempt to correctly answer a total of eight questions worth a total of 14 possible points. One of the purposes of the state math league is to prod students into studying material that isn’t always covered in regular high school mathematics classes. Another purpose of the league is to provide recognition and encouragement to exceptional students. More information can be found at the following website.
http://www.augsburg.edu/mathleague/

There have been four official meets this year. The fifth and last official meet of the year will take place on Monday, February 8th. Southwest is hosting the Minneapolis Division. Jason is one of three students in the state that is perfect on the season so far. To be clear, he has correctly answered a total of 32 questions of varying difficulty in eight different events at four meets.

There are over 1600 students in the Minnesota State High School Math League, so this achievement is worth noting. There have been only three students in the last five years that have finished the regular season without missing a question. There is only one more meet to go, so it will be exciting to see if all three students can answer their last eight questions correctly.

Students who do well in the Minnesota State High School Math League may seem like "brainiacs who just get everything right" to some people. The truth is that their success is the result of a lot of hard work. In order to be prepared, students must pour over a lot of material before each meet, reviewing and relearning many concepts that are just not covered in math classes. Jason is successful because he has combined his talent with an admirable work ethic. His efforts help lift other students as they strive to also be more successful.

Jason is part of the Minnesota ARML (American Regions Mathematics Team) – basically, a collection of some of the best math students in Minnesota. His ARML coach, Mike Reiners, has selected 32 students that he is taking to a competition at Harvard University on February 20th.

Jason will be part of an eight student team representing Minnesota at the Harvard-MIT Mathematics Tournament. Teams from across the United States are invited to attend. Teams will be hosted by undergraduate mathematics majors from Harvard and MIT.

Spanish Club Activities

This month the Spanish club is hosting parents and other SW Community members to teach a cooking class after school. Today a mother of a student is coming to teach us about a dish from her native Mexico.

Next week it will be Susana Spork from Argentina, who volunteers here at Southwest.

Kristin Woebke
Spanish Club Advisor
Spanish Teacher