Activities
The school offers a wide variety of extracurricular programs, clubs, and activities, including band, choir, Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, Student Government, Mock Trial, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Chess, among many others.
The school's choir program, headed by John Neubauer,director, and Cory Thompson, is the most successful extracurricular activity the school has to offer. Its concert choirs include Mixed Chorus (freshman boys and girls), Women's Choir, Select Women's Ensemble and Master Singers. The school also has three show choirs - Lights (girls' unisex), SoundFX (boys' unisex), and Sound (mixed). These choirs have received national recognition in Nashville, at FAME Orlando, and at Showstoppers New York, and compete annually at regional competitions such as Hersey's Chicagoland Showcase. In March 2007, Mundelein Lights were crowned Grand Champions of the Unisex Division at nationals, held in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Grand Ole Opry. It was the first national championship for the show choirs. Most recently, Mundelein Sound was named the 2009 National Grand Champions at an invitational held in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and Mundelein Lights won the Unisex Division.
The band program is also well-known. In the upcoming year, there will be four concert bands; the highest being the Wind Ensemble, followed by Symphonic Winds, newly added Symphonic Band, and then Concert Band. There is also a jazz program, which was expanded during the 2006-2007 school year to include Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Jazz Combo. Their marching band, known affectionately as the Marching Mustangs, plays during pregame and halftime at football games as well as serving as pep band for other sporting events. The Marching Mustangs are best known for their crowd-pleasing drumline. Keith Pitner and Adam Gohr are the band directors.
Also in Fine Arts, Mundelein boasts a wonderful theatre program. Directed by Jonathan Meier, who joined the MHS faculty in the 04-05 school year, MHS Theatre has tackled some impressive shows at the high school level. Recent productions include "Chicago," A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, and Dancing At Lughnasa by Brian Friel. Lughnasa was selected to perform at the Illinois High School Theatre Festival at Illinois State University in January 2008. Other productions include an annual student-directed one-act presentation.
Additionally, Mundelein has built a solid Mock Trial program, with numerous Top 8 in State finishes in the past 10 years. Most recently, MHS Mock Trial took 2nd in state in at the 2007 State Competition in Springfield, Illinois. The team, who had won one Best Attorney and two Best Witness awards in the preliminary rounds, finished 2nd to Glenbard East, who they squared off with in their Final 8 matchup. It was the highest finish ever by a Mundelein Mock Trial Team.
The school is also known for one of the most well known teachers. Neil McCarthy is known for his pressure on writing, but also a release on pressure with his wonderful sense of humor.
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“The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.”
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“There is, I think, no point in the philosophy of progressive education which is sounder than its emphasis upon the importance of the participation of the learner in the formation of the purposes which direct his activities in the learning process, just as there is no defect in traditional education greater than its failure to secure the active cooperation of the pupil in construction of the purposes involved in his studying.”
—John Dewey (1859–1952)