Students intern with League of Women Voters

Three Como AP Government seniors are serving as interns this fall with the League of Women Voters St. Paul (LWVSP). PaNra Lee, Chikamso Chijioke and Lucy Hebble have developed a voter advocacy project with a goal of increasing political awareness and participation among youth.
“I think it helped me gain more political efficacy,” Lee said. “Developing our ideas to share voting information and how to participate is important, and it let us see how we can make a difference.”
The LWVSP is non-partisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or parties, but always working on vital public issues.

Student election judges
Over 20 Como students served as Ramsey County election judges in the Nov. 2 election. The non-partisan service to the community is an excellent opportunity to promote the democratic process and help ensure fair administration of elections. Students received training from Ramsey County officials in October and were assigned to local precincts to serve alongside a team of veteran judges on election day.
“It’s valuable to see how voting in our democracy really works,” said Como senior John Oo. “I wanted to challenge myself with a new experience and welcome people into the political process.”

Accelerated Programs Night
Como’s Accelerated Programs Night is Tuesday, Nov. 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. The event is an opportunity for prospective students and families to learn about the many options for accelerated coursework at Como including Advanced Placement (AP) and College in the Schools (CIS) courses, plus Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO).
Middle school students and families will be able to hear from a panel of current AP/CIS/PSEO students and teachers. The event will take place in the school library and light refreshments will be provided. No reservation is required, but any questions can be directed to Como AP Government teacher Eric Erickson (eric.erickson@spps.org)

Cross country team advances to State Meet
For the first time since 1981, the Como boys cross country team qualified for the State Meet. The Cougars won the Section 4AA Meet on Oct. 27 in impressive fashion, beating second-place Mahtomedi by 16 points and nine other teams by even larger margins.
Como junior Charlie Power-Theisen ran the 5K course at Highland Park in a blistering time of 15:59 to also earn the individual title. The top five finishers for each school make up the team score. In a field of 75 runners, Como juniors Mason Aarness and Liam Schwie were 7th and 8th place respectively, while seniors Soren Sackreiter and Owen Finlay finished 11th and 16th – all in the 17-minute range.
The team effort is a byproduct of committed training that the boys have put in for years, including disciplined summer workouts.
“It’s nice to see all the work pay off,” Finlay said. “We thought we had a chance to make state, and to get there feels good.”
The team finished 14th in the State Meet. It was a challenging day for the Cougars and no personal bests were set, but it was a wonderful season concluding at the place and event where they strived to be.