Friday, November 18, 2011

Rawandan Students Share Similar Experiences





Yunsik Oh | Staff Writer  for “The Mount”   photos by Joey Bastian

Johnny BucyanaMount Michael is home away from home for many foreign students. Rwandan natives David Gatete, Songa Rugangazi, and Johnny Bucyana are no exceptions. “I love Mount Michael. Even though I am away from everyone at my home, I feel no difference. Everybody here is just like my brothers and part of my family,” said Gatete.

These three Rwandans came to Mount Michael for different reasons. Rugangazi wanted to go to a college in the United States, and his parents wanted him to go to a boarding school here so he could get adapted to American culture and the American way of learning and teaching. By searching the internet and asking around, he found out about Mount Michael.

David GateteBucyana said, “My mom works in Haiti. She’s a doctor and she’s been there for one-and-a-half years, since the earthquake. She wanted me to go to a boarding school since she was not at home.” Some of Bucyana’s family members also study in the states and have even graduated from college here. “Coming here was not a sudden decision,” said Bucyana.

Gatete came to America to learn English. Gatete said, “My dad owns a construction company in Rwanda, and my mom goes around to other countries buying machines for dairy products for the Rwandan people. My dad was the person who sent me here. He heard about Mount Michael from the person who helped Songa discover the school. Two years ago, our president made the French language illegal in Rwanda, and he forced all the schools to use English instead of any other languages. My dad thought it was necessary to learn English to succeed in Rwanda,” said Gatete.

Songa RugangaziFuture plans for these three Rwandans remain unclear. After graduating from college, most of them are planning to go back to Rwanda and help their families. Gatete said that he wants to study engineering and architecture as his major in college, and then return to work at his dad’s business.

“I want to study industrial engineering as an undergraduate major and hopefully get my MBA after that. I would like to get work experience in the U.S. before going back to Rwanda,” said Rugangazi.

As for Bucyana, he is still largely unsure of what he will do after college; however, one thing is for certain. “I am not sure what I am going to do after graduating college because it depends on what job I get,” he said. “But I can say that I definitely enjoyed my time at Mount Michael and it is going to make an impact in my life.”

D J Wooten: Man Behind the Beard


Nate Van Haute | Staff Writer for “The Mount”

DJ WootenEvery November at Mount Michael, new faces emerge, not because of transfer students or new teachers, but because of a fundraiser for a non-profit organization put on by student council. This year, D.J. Wooten has emerged as the top facial hair grower at the Mount. Along with many other students, Wooten paid 5 dollars in exchange for a shave-free month. Although many students admire Wooten for his uncanny ability to grow facial hair, there are many other reasons why students look up to him.

Wooten grew up hearing all about Mount Michael. His dad graduated from the Mount in 1987, and after earning his PhD in nuclear physics, he got a job working in the military. Because of this, the Wooten family has lived in many different places. Wooten moved to Nebraska right before his freshman year, and knew that Mount Michael was the place for him. “It was a tough transition at first, but I have come to love Mount Michael,” said Wooten. He admits to missing his friends in Ohio, but they keep in touch with Skype. “We often play Dungeons and Dragons, which is always a good time,” he said.

D.J. Wooten loves staying involved and cherishes the little free time that he has. At Mount Michael, he is involved in robotics, band, cross-country, wrestling, and track. He said, “I love being able to play sports at Mount Michael because of the small environment.” In the classroom, Wooten excels. He maintains a competitive GPA and is regularly active in the classroom.

Wooten said that his favorite teacher is Dave Cormier, not just because of his facial hair, but because of the way he runs his class. Wooten said that there is a lot of learning, and also a lot of laughing. Outside of the Mount, Wooten is also very involved. He is active in Boy Scouts and loves adventures. “My life has been one large adventure,” he said. “I don’t know many other kids who have moved six times.”

Other students admire Wooten for his study habits and personality. Classmate Jimmy Steier said, “D.J. is a really funny kid. He maintains a perfect balance of having fun and maintaining good academic standing.” Classmate Josh Bloomquist said, “We often call D.J. Sasquatch for his facial hair, but he takes it well. He gets along with everyone in the school and is a great role model.” Although his facial hair will be gone in December, Wooten will continue to be a model student.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Recognition for Football Players


Class B Football All-State Honorable Mention

Evan Murray
Ken Batenhorst
Josh Rauterkus 

Class B District 3 All-District Football Team

Evan Murray, Sr., HB/SS
Kenny Batenhorst, Sr., OL/DE
Josh Rauterkus, Jr., OL/DE

Honorable Mention

Harrsion Engel, Sr., FB/LB
Preston Hendricks, Soph., HB/LB
Jonathan Hendricks, Soph., TE/LB
Tommy Maliszewski, Jr., QB/FS

Congratulations Knights!

Mount Michael Launches Big Plans


Omaha World Hearld Article -  There's no shortage of blue skies and open fields on Elkhorn Mount Michael High School's 350-acre campus. But after years of growing enrollment, the all-boys Catholic school is nearing capacity and needs more space for science labs, student residences and sports fields. Read More...

Monday, November 14, 2011

UNL Math Day Class "B" Champions 2nd Place All Classes!


Class B Champions UNL Math Day Mount Michael Benedictine
104 schools and approximately 1500 students participated in the 23rd annual UNL Math Day.  For the Probe I written exam, Mt. Michael placed first in class B and second in all classes.  This is the seventh year in a row that Mt. Michael has placed first in its respective class.  Young-Joon Park placed 2nd (highest finish ever for a Mt. Michael student), Eun Woo Jee placed 18th, Sung Han Yoon placed 31st, Yun Sik Oh placed 37th, Ji Hoon Park placed 42nd, and Mike Collins placed 49th. Mt. Michael placed 3rd in the class B quiz bowl.  More Photos....

Class B
1.Mount Michael Benedictine
2.Elkhorn
3. Duchense

All Classes
1. Lincoln East 80
2. Mount Michael Benedictine 75.4
3.Westside 74
4. Creighton Prep 73

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Twenty Named as 2011 AP Scholars by the College Board


The AP Program offers several AP Scholar Awards to recognize high school students who have demonstrated college-level achievement through AP courses and exams. Although there is no monetary award, in addition to receiving an award certificate, this achievement is acknowledged on any AP score report that is sent to colleges the following fall.





AP Scholar
Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Behr, Adam C.
Dewald, Patrick C.
Engelkamp, Alexander G.
Hendricks, Tanner R.
Holloway, Lucas
Hotovy, Joel B.
Huss, Paul S.
Jung, Jae Hoon
Kang, Kyung Mo
Kritenbrink, Peter A.
Parr, Grant
Taylor, Clayton

AP Scholar with Honors
Granted to students who
receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Bohnhoff, Michael K.
Chew, Darren Q.
Hankins, Joshua R.
Koch, Kevin J.
Van Haute, Vincent R.

AP Scholar with Distinction
Granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Kellar, Michael R.
Kim, Gunhwan
Zhou, Yuan



Friday, November 4, 2011

STEVEN ANDERSON ’09 INTERVIEWED BY ESPN RADIO

Steve Anderson '09
Steve Anderson, a 2009 Mount Michael graduate, shares his experiences of playing college football and of attending Mount Michael during his ESPN radio interview.

Steve is the place kicker for Nebraska Wesleyan University and last week kicked a game winning field goal for his NWU team. 2011 graduate Jake Rauterkus joined Steve this fall on the NWU football roster.

Listen to ESPN Radio interview