USC High School December Newsletter

This time of the year has a mystical feel. Cookies are baking, trees are being decorated, and gifts are being wrapped. Families are planning time to celebrate the holiday season during a busy time of the year. Often we forget to take time to slow down and enjoy the season and the ones we love most.

The month of December is certainly a busy time at USC as well. Winter sports are in full swing with games and matches filling our calendars. The Speech and Mock Trial teams are preparing for their first competitions. Senior high Knowledge Bowl will also attend their first competition next week. Add in open gym and sports practice to make any student's day quite busy.

It is easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the season. Remind your child to find some time to relax and unplug from it all. For the adults, the same is true. We are so busy trying to keep all of the activities organized and be at student events. Thank you for supporting students at USC and giving them the support through all of their activities. However, from time to time it may seem overwhelming to find balance in our busy lives. It is important to take care of yourselves and those you care about during this hectic time of the year. Please find time to enjoy the wonder of the season with those you cherish most.

With Gratitude,

Jen Bye

High School Principal

jbye@unitedsouthcentral.org

Congratulations to Brylee Neubauer, the December Renaissance Student of the Month. Brylee will enjoy a reserved parking spot and first in the lunch line privileges for the month of December. Her dedication to her studies, involvement in tennis, band, and softball along with her hard work is a positive example for our students. USC is proud to celebrate Brylee!

USC VEX Robotics Team has been working hard on their designs for this season. This year's challenge involves moving mobile goals and stacking oversized "donuts" on the goals. Proficient robots can climb a tower at the end of the match for bonus points. The first tournament of the season was in Adams on November 16th. Rankings for the weekend were as follows. Team 55301C placed 14/39 and ended up as a Quarterfinalist. Teams 55301B with 22/39 55301A finished with 28/39 placements in the ranking matches. Teams are hard at work with modifications in our next tournament in Mankato on December 20th.

Article contributed by Mr. Sahr.

Mrs Alm works as our USC reading intervention teacher in both the high school and the elementary. She helps students build skills towards reading comprehension and fluency. Students who have the opportunity to work with Mrs. Alm also gain the benefits of self confidence and self esteem while they are learning to become more confident and fluent readers.

Mrs. Alm and her husband, Mitch, live on an acreage east of Blue Earth. They have three daughters, two dogs, and a Betta fish. Mrs. Alm has taught reading intervention for grades 3-5 in Blue Earth as well as a being 3rd grade teacher at GHEC and a 5th grade teacher in Minneapolis.

While growing up, her favorite teachers were passionate about the content that they were teaching. In the classroom, she strives to have that same energy and make sure that what she is teaching is something that she values and is passionate about.

She became a teacher because she wanted to do something that would have a direct impact on a person’s life and trajectory. She wanted to make sure to do something that gave value to humanity. She has found that in teaching.

Mrs. Alm chose USC because of the community, board, and staff’s dedication in working together to build improvement in all areas in order to benefit their youth.

We welcome Mrs. Alm to USC!

Is your information up to date on JMC? Please login to JMC to update phone numbers and addresses as they change. If you indicate "call first" on the contact information for one individual, that is the first person the health office calls in the event that your student is ill. It is also the first parent that is called by the high school office for concerns or questions.

Keeping your current information updated is important and helps us to connect with parents more easily.

On December 3rd, USC students in grades 7-12 presented their Holiday Concert under the direction of Mrs. Rame in the USC Auditorium.

The 7th grade choir began the evening with cheerful selections. Next, the 8th grade choir took the stage to sing several familiar tunes with new twists. Lastly, the grades 9-12 choir performed beautiful selections that filled the auditorium with joyful music. During the concert, Emma J. sang a beautiful solo, "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Carter S. and Mason S. also sang a wonderful "Jingle Bells" duet. During the last selection, Aiden E. and Abigail H. also shared their musical talents as featured soloists.

The fundraising team for USC seventh grader, Audie Olsen, is proud to celebrate a successful benefit held on December 2nd in the USC Commons. Audie was diagnosed with Leukemia in the winter of 2024. Thank you to everyone who generously contributed to the benefit, purchased meals at the pasta bar, participated in the silent auction, and bought tickets for the raffle drawing. All proceeds go directly to the Olsen family as Audie receives chemotherapy and medical care at Mayo Clinic.

Students have an opportunity to sign up for WINN sessions each Monday and Thursday. The students are able to choose sessions that interest them or help them fulfill homework goals. Last week, several students participated in a yoga session in Mr. Gorski's room where they learned to practice several yoga poses.

Each year, the students in grade 5 have the opportunity to invite their parents and some high school students to help them decorate their December gingerbread houses. Parents and helpers join their student to work together to create beautiful candy embellished houses. We are fortunate to be a K-12 building where students in the high school can assist elementary students in projects and experiences.

On Thursday the Deputy Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education, Stephanie Graff stopped at USC to see the exciting things happening with our students and staff. Throughout her visit, Commissioner Graff had the opportunity to engage with students, visit classrooms, hear from educators, and tour our facility. We are glad for the opportunity to express what is going well, and also for the chance to politely draw attention to some areas of difficulty that would be helpful to have MDE’s assistance in addressing.

USC students are holding a hat day fundraiser for Audie Olsen and her family for specified Fridays during the school year. Students can donate $1.00 to wear a hat during the school day. All donations go to Audie and her family as she battles leukemia.

USC Holiday Week begins on December 16th featuring dress up days for staff and students. The week ends with holiday movies starting at 1:30 PM for grades 7-12.

Dress Up Days

Monday Dec. 16: Comfy and Cozy PJ Day

Tuesday Dec. 17: Ugly Sweater

Wednesday Dec. 18: Whiteout Wednesday

Thursday Dec. 19: Santa vs Grinch (red v green)

Friday Dec. 20: Holiday Day (Be as festive as you can!)

Seniors

Finish your college applications as soon as possible! If you need additional help, please stop into the counseling office to set up an appointment.

Next, we will start focusing on how to pay for college. There are many ways to pay for college, such as: scholarships & grants (free money!), loans and your savings. The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which will open up a wide variety of options for you, including federal Pell Grants, the Minnesota North Star Promise Program, and federal student loans. Visit MyHigherEd to learn more.

The FAFSA opened December 1st. Before you will be able to access the FAFSA, both the student and parent will need a FSA ID. If a parent has a FSA ID already, they do not need to make a new one.

Make a FSA ID Please use a personal email for this account.

Access the FAFSA Current Seniors will be completing the 2025-26 application.

Scholarships Information

Information on local scholarships are found online on the Counseling Website. This is not an all-inclusive list; looking for and applying for scholarships falls on the student. Local scholarships that come through the counseling office will be updated on this website, along with an email to Seniors about the scholarship.

• Southern School of Agriculture and University of Minnesota, Waseca Alumni Scholarship- DUE January 6, 2025
• Milford O. Larson and Lois M. Larson Scholarship Foundation: DUE January 7, 2025 RENEWABLE scholarship! Need to have a 3.2 GPA and going into one of these areas: Science, Engineering, Business, Technology, Accounting, Pre-Law
• MSHSL 'AAA' Award Application (One Female and One Male winner from USC!)- Due to Mr. K by January 9. Application materials found here.

Juniors

Junior Scholarship Opportunities:

• MSHSL ExCEL Award- Due December 9 to Mr. K

-Involved in MSHSL activities, volunteers and is in leadership positions
-Information found here

• Horatio Alger Scholarship- Due March 1. This will open December 1. Application materials found here.

Upcoming Dates and Activities:

February 28: 9th grade Career Navigator @ South Central College (all day)

March 12: 11th grade Career Day @ South Central College (back before early dismissal)

April 8: Testing Day for 10th, 11th & 12th graders! Pre-ACT (10th), ACT (11th), WorkKeys (12th)

April 16: 10th grade Career Fair @ Mayo Clinic Event Center in Mankato (Early leave time of 7:45 AM)

• Mon. Dec 9. Ag Contest in St. Cloud
• Thurs. Dec 12. Jr. High Knowledge Bowl Meet
• Monday Dec 16. Mid quarter.
• Dec. 23- Jan 1. Winter Break
• Jan 2. School Resumes
• Jan 17. End of Quarter 2, End of Semester 1