Beyond the Classroom

With more than 30 clubs and activities, our wide array of co-curricular programs allow you to expand your horizons and try new things together with friends and peers.

Middle School

Alpine Ski Club

The Hill-Murray Ski Club is available to any Hill-Murray students in grades 6-12.  Interested students may ride the Ski Team bus to and from Afton Alps on any regular Ski Team practice night.  Ski Club members must sign up in advance, and the bus ride is on a space available basis.  Ski Team members have priority and all students must reserve their bus spot by using TeamSnap.  There will be a fall meeting for all potential Ski Team and Ski Club members.

For more information please contact Head Ski Team Coach, Don Shipp.

Don Shipp

Cell:  612-207-3853

Email:  donaldshipp1@gmail.com

Ambassador Club

Emily Sharockman- esharockman@hillmurray.org / Krissy Pohl – kpohl@hill-murray.org

Student Ambassadors host visiting prospective students on school days, attend grade school recruiting visits, accompany the admissions staff to events, help give tours at open houses and alumni events, and call prospective students.

Art Club

Art club is a project-based club where members participate as often as they would like. Members meet monthly to decide on what fun art projects they want to work on together for the month, and then work on them when they can. Projects can be anything from a giant drawing mural, to a wire or ceramics sculpture, to an art print made with a printing press, to a digital artwork designed on the computer. Art supplies/computer equipment are provided. All are welcome.

Band

At Hill-Murray, being part of our band program means having fun, working hard, and playing well! Band members travel and participate in many fun and educational opportunities such as Solo/Ensemble Contests and large group band competitions.

Traci Youngs – tyoungs@hill-murray.org

Choir

The choral music program offers elective courses for grades 7-12 that focus on vocal technique, musicianship, reading skills, and performance practice. Students who choose choir in middle school and high school perform throughout the year at school Masses, concerts at Hill-Murray and in venues outside of the school; during concert trips in-state, and at other events/performances.

Theresa Walth – twalth@hill-murray.org

Drone Team

Hill-Murray offers a Drone Racing program to all students in grades 6-12. Drone Racing provides an educational opportunity for students to build, fly, and race drones. Students will collaborate to build the drones, practice flying the drones, and competing as a team.

Dungeons and Dragons Club

This club meets once a week to play Dungeons and Dragons or other Tabletop RPGs. There are several games running at a time, some run by staff members and others by the students themselves.

eSports

Hill-Murray offers an eSports program to all students in grades 6-12. eSports (Electronic Sports) offers students the opportunity to participate in a collaborative, competitive gaming environment while representing Hill-Murray in various competitions. Games and leagues will vary from season to season.

Robb Goetzke –  rgoetzke@hill-murray.org

Fishing Club

What’s better than spending a day on the lake reeling in award-winning fish?  The only thing better is doing that as a member of the HM Fishing team.  The team is open to all levels of ability.  Open to all boys and girls in grades 6-12.

Shannon Hejny – shejny@hill-murray.org

Flute Choir

Open to all H-M students in grades 6-12. We rehearse on Friday mornings, before school, at 7am – 7:45am. We are one of the only high schools in Minnesota with an organized Flute Choir performing group. We have been invited to perform at the Upper Midwest Flute Association events , and several other events throughout the Hill-Murray community. We perform at all Hill-Murray instrumental concerts. We have standard flutes, piccolo, alto and bass flutes. All are welcome – music is organized by skill and all will be challenged appropriately.

Jazz Band

Students in grades 6-8 are invited to participate in Middle School Jazz Band. We accept all instruments (both non-traditional and traditional jazz instruments). The group performs at multiple events throughout the school year. No audition is required.

Bjorn Villesvik – bvillesvik@hill-murray.org

Junior Achievement

The American Scholastic Achievement League extends to you an invitation to enter your students in Scholastic Challenge taking place online each February. For the past eighteen years, eighth grade students have been provided with an entertaining and challenging enrichment activity that allows them to demonstrate a variety of problem solving skills and knowledge in many academic areas. Eight years ago, we introduced a second division that is designed to academically challenge students in the sixth grade. Your students will enjoy competing in our online competition with other sixth grade or eighth grade students in schools everywhere. They will be able to compete as individuals and also as members of your school’s team in a unique, interesting and educational program.  Trophies, plaques, medals and certificates will be awarded for achievement in individual and school team categories in both the 6th grade and 8th grade divisions.

Kelly Donnelly- kdonnelly@hill-murray.org

Watch this video to learn the benefits of Junior Achievement. 

 

Lego Robotics

Lego Robotics is an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the world of technology, including CAD design, programming in multiple languages, and basic construction techniques. The Robotics club participates in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League.

Ben Gapinski – bgapinski@hill-murray.org

Math Team

The math team meets weekly to sharpen its mathematical problem solving skills and prepare for competitive math meets.

Jennie Sabraski (MS) – jsabraski@hill-murray.org

Orchestra

The orchestra is a string ensemble that plays a variety of repertoire.  They typically perform 4-5 times a year including masses, concerts, Mall of America Holiday Festival and more.

Bjorn Villesik- bvillesik@hill-murray.org

Quiz Bowl

Quiz Bowl is a game of questions and answers on all topics of knowledge including literature, history, science and math; social sciences; fine arts; geography; religion, mythology, and philosophy; and general knowledge. Quiz Bowl is generally played at tournaments. All students in grades 7-12 are welcome to join.

Student Council

Student Council helps build the Hill-Murray Middle School community. This group of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students help to plan a variety of activities throughout the year and all middle school students are invited to attend these activities. Some examples of activities are: cookie decorating, movie nights, service projects, and roller-skating.

Strings Ensemble

The Hill-Murray String Ensemble is a cocurricular music ensemble for grades 6-12 that meets outside the school day. No audition is required. Violin, viola, cello, and bass players are welcome to join.

Theatre

Hill-Murray Theatre enjoys a reputation in the greater community as one of the finest programs in the state, known for its professionalism, excellence, and outstanding programming. All students are welcome to audition and get involved. The Theatre season consists of several middle school and high school productions throughout the year, as well as workshops led by local theatre professionals.

View upcoming theater performances

Trap

Open to all Hill-Murray Students of any shooting ability.

Coaching & volunteer staff follow the priorities of the Minnesota High School Clay Target League in promoting safety, fun, and marksmanship in that order.  Prerequisites for joining HM Trap is the completion of a recognized firearm safety or hunter’s certification program and range tour with safety meeting by our coaching staff.

Since our first season of HM Trap in 2016 with 9 students, we’ve built up to a team of 38 students and are excited to welcome more interested students and families.

We also participate in the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championship in Alexandria, MN which is held in June.  This competition is against similar size trap teams in MN across 3 levels of competition: Novice (0-14.99 season average), JV (15-18.99 season average) and Varsity (19-25 season average).

For more information please contact Head Coach, Andy Woessner.

Cell: 651-323-0572

Email: hmtrapteam@gmail.com

Video Game Design Club

This is a Unity programming club where we try to make video games. Here we pull resources together from artists and programmers to create any video game we want to build.

 

High School

Alpine Ski Club

The Hill-Murray Ski Club is available to any Hill-Murray students in grades 6-12.  Interested students may ride the Ski Team bus to and from Afton Alps on any regular Ski Team practice night.  Ski Club members must sign up in advance, and the bus ride is on a space available basis.  Ski Team members have priority and all students must reserve their bus spot by using TeamSnap.  There will be a fall meeting for all potential Ski Team and Ski Club members.

For more information please contact Head Ski Team Coach, Don Shipp.

Don Shipp

Cell:  612-207-3853

Email:  donaldshipp1@gmail.com

Ambassador Club

Emily Sharockman- esharockman@hillmurray.org / Krissy Pohl – kpohl@hill-murray.org

Student Ambassadors host visiting prospective students on school days, attend grade school recruiting visits, accompany the admissions staff to events, help give tours at open houses and alumni events, and call prospective students.

Aquaponics Club

Aquaponics is an integrated ecosystem of aquatic animals and hydroponically grown plants. The Aquaponics Club is responsible for the set-up and maintenance of several aquaponics systems in the school. Students work together to troubleshoot problems and learn about this important form of sustainable agriculture.

Aaron Glancy – aglancy@hill-murray.org

Art Club

Art club is a project-based club where members participate as often as they would like. Members meet monthly to decide on what fun art projects they want to work on together for the month, and then work on them when they can. Projects can be anything from a giant drawing mural, to a wire or ceramics sculpture, to an art print made with a printing press, to a digital artwork designed on the computer. Art supplies/computer equipment are provided. All are welcome.

Lindsay Hunkins – lhunkins@hill-murray.org / Sam Dahl – sdahl@hill-murray.org

Band

At Hill-Murray, being part of our band program means having fun, working hard, and playing well! Band members travel and participate in many fun and educational opportunities such as All-Conference Band, Solo/Ensemble Contests, large group band competitions, jazz festivals, and perform at the Target Center, Xcel Energy Center, and the Mall of America.

Traci Youngs – tyoungs@hill-murray.org

Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry helps to form Hill-Murray students and staff in our Catholic, Benedictine and LaSallian identities.  The role of Campus ministry is to educate, inspire, and provide ways for the community to live out their faith through celebration of the Sacraments, prayer, retreats, opportunities for service and justice activities, and pastoral care for those who are experiencing difficult times.  The goal is for students and staff to experience the love of Jesus, deepen their relationship with Him, and become instruments of His love in our world while also gaining a better understanding of the Benedictine and LaSallian charisms that our school was founded on.

Christopher Ranweiler – cranweiler@hill-murray.org

Caring and Responsive Empowerment (C.A.R.E.)

C.A.R.E. is the peer empowerment group at Hill-Murray with a goal of promoting healthy choices. The group sponsors several activities throughout the school year around the topics of overall wellness, healthy relationships, safe driving and avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Tracy Gist- tgist@hill-murray.org

Choir

The choral music program offers elective courses for grades 7-12 that focus on vocal technique, musicianship, reading skills, and performance practice. Students who choose choir in middle school and high school perform throughout the year at school Masses, concerts at Hill-Murray and in venues outside of the school; during concert trips in-state, and at other events/performances.

Theresa Walth – twalth@hill-murray.org

Coding Club
DECA

DECA is an international association of marketing students that prepares students for the business world. Open to students in grades 9-12, the DECA Club meets weekly and students participate in a number of competitive events such as Merchandising Promotion Plans, Virtual Business Challenges and Entrepreneurship Business Plans.

Kelly Donnelly – kdonnelly@hill-murray.org

Watch this video to learn about the benefits of DECA. 

Drone Team

Hill-Murray offers a Drone Racing program to all students in grades 6-12. Drone Racing provides an educational opportunity for students to build, fly, and race drones. Students will collaborate to build the drones, practice flying the drones, and competing as a team.

Dungeons and Dragons Club

This club meets once a week to play Dungeons and Dragons or other Tabletop RPGs. There are several games running at a time, some run by staff members and others by the students themselves.

Environmental Health Club

The Environmental Health Club helps raise awareness about environmental and mental health issues and how being in nature has a positive impact on stress, anxiety, and depression. Open to grades 9-12, the club meets about twice a month to do outdoor activities, yoga/meditation, volunteering, and much more.

Melissa Dan – mdan@hill-murray.org

Abby Haldorson – abigail.haldorson@hmstudents.org

eSports

Hill-Murray offers an eSports program to all students in grades 6-12. eSports (Electronic Sports) offers students the opportunity to participate in a collaborative, competitive gaming environment while representing Hill-Murray in various competitions. Games and leagues will vary from season to season.

Robb Goetzke –  rgoetzke@hill-murray.org

Fishing Club

What’s better than spending a day on the lake reeling in award-winning fish?  The only thing better is doing that as a member of the HM Fishing team.  The team is open to all levels of ability.  Open to all boys and girls in grades 6-12.

James DeRosa – jtdarosa@gmail.com

Flute Choir

Open to all H-M students in grades 6-12. We rehearse on Friday mornings, before school, at 7am – 7:45am. We are one of the only high schools in Minnesota with an organized Flute Choir performing group. We have been invited to perform at the Upper Midwest Flute Association events , and several other events throughout the Hill-Murray community. We perform at all Hill-Murray instrumental concerts. We have standard flutes, piccolo, alto and bass flutes. All are welcome – music is organized by skill and all will be challenged appropriately.

French Club

The mission for French Club is to promote the French language, as well as French and francophone culture, to students and the greater community. French Club is a great opportunity for students to increase their knowledge and appreciation of other cultures.

Liz Marin – emarin@hill-murray.org

Jazz Band

Musicians who play the alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass, guitar, or drums are invited to participate in Jazz Band, which performs at multiple events throughout the school year. An audition is required for the high school level jazz ensemble.

Bjorn Villesvik – bvillesvik@hill-murray.org

LINK Crew

Link Crew is a national organization devoted to creating a smooth transition from middle school to high school for all students. Upperclassmen are linked in pairs with a small group of freshmen for the year to provide a safe, friendly, positive year-long transition program and encourage freshmen to get involved in the Hill-Murray community.

Rebecca Fandrich – rfandrich@hill-murray.org

Literary Review

The Hill-Murray Literature Review is an opportunity for students to submit their written or artistic work to an online magazine. Students may also choose to join the staff of the magazine and help make creative student voices heard. All student short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photographs, and art are acceptable submissions.

Ben Pieper- bpieper@hill-murray.org

Marching Band

All Band students in grades 9-12 participate in the Marching Band, which performs at the Homecoming football game, an indoor concert and other events. No audition is required.

Traci Youngs – tyoungs@hill-murray.org

Math Team

The math team meets weekly to sharpen its mathematical problem solving skills. The team competes in five math meets sponsored by the Minnesota State High School Mathematics League; the top scoring high school team and the top scoring high school students in each division are invited to the state tournament in March.

Jason Fisher – jfisher@hill-murray.org

Mock Trial

The Minnesota High School Mock Trial Program is an exciting law-related education program that introduces students to the American legal system and allows them to build critical thinking and teamwork skills, as well as the basic skills learned in the classroom. Ideal for students interested in the law, the criminal justice system, and public speaking, Mock Trial competition cases take place in real courtrooms in front of real judges.

Music Ministry

Students in Music Ministry are chosen by the Campus Ministry Department to lead and perform music for school Masses.

Chris Ranweilier – cranweiler@hill-murray.org

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society promotes enthusiasm for academics, encourages community service, promotes leadership, and develops character. Members are selected based on an objective, anonymous process, taking into account the accomplishments of students in the areas of leadership, character, and service.

Olivia Rodriguez – orodriguez@hill-murray.org

Orchestra

The orchestra is a string ensemble that plays a variety of repertoire.  They typically perform 4-5 times a year including masses, concerts, Mall of America Holiday Festival and more.

Bjorn Villesik- bvillesik@hill-murray.org

Pep Band

Band students participate in Pep Band, which performs at sporting events and other events. Pep Band is a good opportunity to make some new friends, have fun, enjoy the game, and be part of a group that sounds great. No audition is required.

Peer Listening / Peer Tutoring

Peer Listeners are juniors or seniors who have completed an intensive training session and can meet with fellow students who would like to talk confidentially about school, personal or interpersonal issues. Peer Tutors meet with fellow students who would like help in any subject area during study hall, lunchtime, before or after school.

Jodi Hurley-  jhurley@hill-murray.org and Doug Schwartz dschwartz@hill-murray.org

Peer Ministry

Peer Ministry is a group of students who have heard the call to faith leadership and have come forward to lead. These students have a passionate faith in Christ and a desire to encourage others in their walk of faith. They receive training in ministry skills, plan and assist at Mass, share their faith on retreats, lead service outings, and provide leadership throughout the course of their daily activities in and out of school.

Pioneer Investors

The Pioneer Investors club seeks to teach and inform the basics of money management, the stock market, and current economic topics to young students. With a real-money portfolio valued at over $10,000, students are able to make decisions with the club’s money and look at the risks/ rewards of such trades and actions.

Kelly Donnelly – kdonnelly@hill-murray.org

 

Pioneer Performers

Pioneer Performers is a small vocal ensemble of select high school singers who perform at Hill-Murray concerts and community events, including Minnesota Twins games and Minnesota State High School League tournament games. An audition is required.

Ben Ballentine – bballentine@hill-murray.org

Pit Orchestra for Theatre

Some of the Theatre department’s productions call for a pit orchestra or other musicians – we encourage high school students to audition for productions, with positions selected by the Theatre teaching staff.

Prom Planning Committee

Beginning in January, a committee of juniors and seniors meet to determine the Prom theme, decorations, and invitations. The committee brainstorms decoration ideas, creates invitations, and sells tickets two weeks before Prom. The committee also suggests ideas for the Grand March community event.

Quiz Bowl

Quiz Bowl is a game of questions and answers on all topics of knowledge including literature, history, science and math; social sciences; fine arts; geography; religion, mythology, and philosophy; and general knowledge. Quiz Bowl is generally played at tournaments. All students in grades 7-12 are welcome to join.

Radio Broadcasting Club

Students will learn about the components of radio broadcasting, including the hook-up of components and operations of the radio station. Students will learn the importance of good communication and the roles of the individuals involved in studio: producer, program director, talk show host, music DJ, podcast, promotion and journalism. Students will create music mix, adding promotion material, as well as other broadcasting protocol for Hill-Murray School’s WZHM radio station.

Robotics

Robotics is an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the world of technology, including CAD design, programming in multiple languages, and basic construction techniques. The Robotics club participates in For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition for our high school students.

Ben Gapinski – bgapinski@hill-murray.org

Ski Club

The Hill-Murray Ski Club is available to any student in grades 6 -12.  On a space available basis, students can ride the Ski Team bus to and from Afton Alps on any regular practice night.  The more students we have going skiing, the more fun it is for everyone.

Spanish Club

The Spanish Club helps students use their emerging language skills with native speakers in our community, assists students in exploring the rich Hispanic culture we have right here in Minnesota, and gives students an understanding of culture through arts and crafts and celebrations. Spanish Club members also have an opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

Michelle Corrales – mcorrales@hill-murray.org

String Ensemble

The Hill-Murray String Ensemble is a cocurricular music ensemble for grades 6-12 that meets outside the school day. No audition is required. Violin, viola, cello, and bass players are welcome to join.

Student Council

The Hill-Murray Student Council is a group of student delegates who are committed to improving the Hill-Murray experience for all students. Members of Student Council engage in service projects, work to improve student life, and encourage school spirit through the organization and planning of events throughout the year.

HM Students 4 Change

HM Students 4 Change is a student-led group working toward creating and sustaining an inclusive school environment where all feel a sense of belonging. HM Students 4 Change seeks to educate students, celebrate culture and diversity, and promote respect. The club is open to students in grade 9-12 and meets during WIN time.

Theatre

Hill-Murray Theatre enjoys a reputation in the greater community as one of the finest programs in the state, known for its professionalism, excellence, and outstanding programming. All students are welcome to audition and get involved. The Theatre season consists of several productions throughout the year, as well as workshops led by local theatre professionals.

View upcoming theater performances

Trap

Open to all Hill-Murray Students of any shooting ability.

Coaching & volunteer staff follow the priorities of the Minnesota High School Clay Target League in promoting safety, fun, and marksmanship in that order.  Prerequisites for joining HM Trap is the completion of a recognized firearm safety or hunter’s certification program and range tour with safety meeting by our coaching staff.

Since our first season of HM Trap in 2016 with 9 students, we’ve built up to a team of 38 students and are excited to welcome more interested students and families.

We also participate in the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championship in Alexandria, MN which is held in June.  This competition is against similar size trap teams in MN across 3 levels of competition: Novice (0-14.99 season average), JV (15-18.99 season average) and Varsity (19-25 season average).For more information please contact Head Coach, Andy Woessner.

Cell: 651-323-0572

Email: hmtrapteam@gmail.com

Video Game Design Club

This is a Unity programming club where we try to make video games. Here we pull resources together from artists and programmers to create any video game we want to build.

WEB Leaders

W.E.B. (Where Everybody Belongs) is a group of 10th and 11th grade high school students who help our middle school students adjust to life at Hill-Murray starting with Middle School Orientation Day and continuing throughout the school year to help ensure the year goes well.

Cole Chapman – cchapman@hill-murray.org