Cathedral School – Living Faith Through Service, Arts & Student Life

Winter 2025 Newsletter

This winter, Cathedral continued to center service, creativity, and care for the whole student—forming young people who lead with faith, compassion, and joy.

Service & Faith in Action

Students across grade levels engaged in meaningful service that connected faith with action. In October, juniors participated in Feed My Starving Children, packing more than 150 boxes of food destined for Colombia. Later, tenth graders visited Good Shepherd Nursing Home and Country Manor, decorating Christmas trees and spending time playing games and sharing conversation with residents. Following their morning of service, students gathered for Mass and heard from individuals connected with Place of Hope, deepening their understanding of service rooted in faith.

Arts, Athletics & Student Life

Creativity and excellence have been on full display at Cathedral this season. Music filled the campus as the Cathedral Minnesingers spread Christmas cheer by visiting all five CCS elementary schools and performing at a Catholic Charities event—joined by a special guest when Fr. Doug stepped in with the bass section. Orchestra and band concerts further added to the festive spirit.

The performing arts also drew enthusiastic audiences this fall. October’s production, The Butler Did It, brought energy and laughter to the stage, followed by the middle school one-act The Rehearsal, a student-led production guided by seniors Nathan Voigt and Strider Carkhuff.

That same spirit of excellence carried into athletics. Cathedral athletes capped off the fall season with an impressive showing at the state level, earning podium finishes in Girls Soccer (3rd place), Boys Soccer (2nd place), and Girls Cross Country (2nd place), while the football team advanced to the section title game for the second year in a row.

Winter activities are now well underway, with Crusaders competing in 11 different sports. Looking ahead, the Speech season begins in January, and Cathedral Band and Choir students will represent the school at the Granite Ridge Conference Honors Music Festival on January 10 in Brainerd.

Families can find the most up-to-date schedules and activity information here: Cathedral Schedules

Cathedral Winter Gala

The Cathedral Winter Gala was a beautiful night of community—and a tremendous success! The school surpassed its fundraising goal for the Crusader Challenge, raising over $88,000. Students also reached the 50/50 raffle goal of $60,000, earning a well-deserved extra day off. The evening’s theme, Crusader for Life, set the tone for fun and fellowship.
Next year promises more excitement, as Cathedral alumni Ted Manderfeld and his duo, Deuces Wild Dueling Pianos, will return as featured entertainment.

Experiential Learning & Community Connections

Cathedral students benefited from partnerships that expand learning, foster service, and inspire future careers. Sixth and eighth graders spent a day at JA BizTown, putting classroom learning into practice through a hands-on simulated economy. Sixth graders ran businesses and practiced teamwork, communication, and time management, while eighth graders explored budgeting, credit, loans, and financial planning.
On November 14, ten students participated in LivingWorks safeTALK, a suicide-alertness workshop focused on recognizing signs of distress, asking about safety, listening with care, and connecting individuals to trusted support.
Professional speakers also enriched student learning. Josh Kapsner, with a background in aerospace engineering, spoke about his work at NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and Blue Origin, helping students explore the wide range of engineering and trades pathways—welding, machining, and more—within the growing aerospace industry.

Thanksgiving Reflections

Erika’s Lighthouse, Cathedral’s empowerment club, has promoted kindness, positivity, and gratitude for three years. This fall, club-led activities encouraged students to reflect on and share what they are thankful for, including guided discussions following the film Upstanders.

As the year closes, we are grateful for our students, staff, and families who journey together in faith and for the many opportunities to grow, learn, and serve as one community. Merry Christmas!