Student Standouts and Staff Spotlights for May 6

Student Standouts: Niedringhaus ’22, Sjogren ’22, Zlatic ’24, Birkel ’25, Ponciroli ’28, Boys Lacrosse, and Boys Tennis

Staff Spotlight: Moser

Congratulations to this week’s standouts below. Way to go #RamNation! And as always, if you have a story to share, please email weeklynews@micds.org.

Jack Niedringhaus Pitches No-Hitter

Jack Niedringhaus ’22 was featured on Prep Baseball Report Missouri for pitching a no-hitter! Click on the link above to watch some of his strong pitches during the game. Niedringhaus is committed to studying and playing baseball at Xavier Baseball. Way to go, Jack!

Senior Earns Scholar-Athlete Award from St. Louis Chapter of National Football Foundation

Bjorn Sjogren ’22 was recently honored with the Scholar-Athlete Award at the 31st annual Scholar-Athlete banquet sponsored by the St. Louis chapter of the National Football Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to “promote and develop the power of amateur football in developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal, and the drive for academic excellence in America’s young people.” Sjogren earned 1st Team All-State Defensive Back honors in 2021 and is a two-sport captain for football and lacrosse. “Coaching a young man like Bjorn is part of what makes my job so much fun. He’s a great football player, an outstanding student, and a wonderful human being,” shared Head Football Coach Dr. Fred Bouchard. This is the second consecutive year that an MICDS student-athlete has been honored with this award. Congratulations, Bjorn!

Sophmore to Intern with NASA & Attend Advanced Astronomy Camp

Zoe Zlatic ’24 has been selected for a virtual internship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) high school internship program is a collaboration between The University of Texas Center for Space Research and NASA. Zlatic will collaborate with a mentor and a small group of interns on the Asteroid Photometry team. Her SEES virtual project will allow Zlatic to work closely with NASA subject matter experts, a unique and engaging opportunity to interact with scientists and engineers at the forefront of their careers.

Zlatic has also been accepted to the Advanced Astronomy Camp at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She will work with Dr. Don McCarthy and 19 other campers, observing a plethora of celestial objects under dark skies. These astronomers operate research-class telescopes, keep nighttime hours, interact with leading scientists, interpret their own observations, and investigate their own questions about astronomy and the universe. Depending on the specific event, campers use telescopes on Mt. Lemmon, such as a 12-inch Meade LX-200 telescope, the 61-inch Kuiper telescope, and the 24- and 32-inch telescopes on Mt. Lemmon. She may also use the 90-inch Bok telescope, the Arizona Radio Observatory’s 12m telescope, and the Submillimeter Radio Telescope on Mt. Graham. By the end, Zlatic will be intimately connected with some of the most advanced technology available for cosmic discovery.

Way to shoot for the stars, Zoe!

Freshman to Compete on US. Under-16 Women's National Soccer Team

Soccer goalkeeper Caroline Birkel ’25 has been called up to the U.S. Under-16 Women’s Youth National Soccer Team for soccer. She will travel to Sweden to face Norway, France, and Sweden this month. Of the 20 players on the roster, two are from St. Louis! Grace R., a midfielder from Visitation Academy, was also called up. Good luck, Caroline and Grace!

Sixth Grader Dives to First Place

Hannah Ponciroli ’28 recently competed at the USA Diving Junior Regionals in Chicago, Illinois. She placed first in both of her events and will compete at Nationals this summer. Let’s go, Hannah!

Boys Lacrosse Recap Video in Victory over Chaminade

The MICDS Boys Lacrosse team defeated Chaminade in a close game last week, winning 11-10. Check out this recap video by LAX.com below!

Boys Tennis Takes Second Place at Meet

West Newsmagazine highlights the MICDS Boys Tennis team in its Sports Briefs section from last week. The team came in second place at the annual Metro League meet played at Westminster Christian Academy. Justin Jan ’22 won No. 1 singles, beating the Class 2 singles champion. Also, Armann Chandak ’24 and Arjun Buri ’25 won singles flights. Go Rams!

Staff Spotlight: Joe Moser Shares Hidden Talent in Building Guitars

This week, our very own Maintenance Technician Joe Moser strummed his way into retirement! By day for the last several years, the MICDS community has mostly seen Mr. Moser hard at work helping maintain the buildings and grounds on our 100-acre campus, but did you know that by night, Mr. Moser builds beautiful guitars and is a talented guitar player?

Before officially retiring on Friday, May 6, Moser brought out his guitar and played for students and teachers alike. He spontaneously visited design students in an Upper School Arts class and told them a bit about the guitar-building process. He also strummed a few melodies. “I was amazed at his talent not only in building the guitar but in playing bluegrass,” chimed in Denise Douglas, Upper School Fine Arts Teacher & Gallery Director. “What a talent!”

Moser plans to build guitars during his retirement. Check out one of his guitars below! While we will miss having him at MICDS, we have no doubt that retirement will start out on a high note for Mr. Moser!