the december 2015 saints pulse

December 18, 2015
Special Points of Interest
 Margaret Hespen
Volume 1, Issue 1
Cross Country
Went to Districts
Maddy Steele, ended
up with her best time
of her high school
career….
 Hoop-A-Thon
 Auction Date
 Students of the Month
 Oregon All State Selected
HS Varsity Volleyball takes 3rd at State
Participants
 Soccer • Volleyball • Cross
Country • Basketball
Inside This Issue
From the desk of Tim
Tutty - Administrator
2
Faculty Feature - Mrs.
Margaret Hespen
4
What’s Up?
Upcoming Events
6
Students of the Month
Sept. • Oct • Nov
7
Classroom News
8
Preschool - 12th Grade
Music News
18
Saints Sports Live
19
Made it to the state playoffs for the 3rd straight year.
HS Varsity Soccer Team Went to Districts
In the end…we triumphed over Damascus to take 3rd in districts.
From the desk of Tim Tutty, Administrator
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in
my mouth. Psalm 34:1
“Hey Mike!” I shouted as I ran
through a throng of teammates and
parents gathering on the gym floor.
“Did you see that last shot?
Swoooosh, nothing but net…and with
only three seconds left. Man, was I
hot or what!”
Buffing my fingernails on the front of my sweaty
jersey, I patiently waited in anticipation at the foot of the
bleachers for my older brother, who was slowly making
his way down. I was so excited to hear his affirmation of
what was, arguably, the most astounding moment in my
junior high school basketball career.
As the tall, lanky 18-year-old slowly stepped
onto the gym floor, I noticed that he seemed disengaged. Rather than coming to me directly, he stopped
just a few feet from where I was standing and stared
intently across the gym floor at my teammates, who
were talking with each other
“When you play near the player’s bench. At first
I thought he must have been
hard and give
dozing and missed my big mocredit to the
ment. But then I saw the perky
other players on blonde cheerleader standing
your team, then next to him, dressed in tight
yellow peddle pushers and my
you can
brother’s letterman’s sweater
brag….just not
draped across her shoulders.
‘bout yourself”
“Could he have been sidetracked?” I mumbled to myself
in disbelief.
“Mike!” I shouted once again, wiping sweat from
my forehead. Typically, he’d be bounding over other
spectators to give me a hug and ample amounts of
praise. But tonight, I felt like I was invisible…or my
brother was blind.
Finally, after what seemed like a full minute of
non-recognition, I yelled at the top of my voice, “Mike,
didn’t ya’ see me, for cryin’ out loud? You were just 50feet from the basket! I made the shot of the century!”
Suddenly, he turned and stared coldly into my
eyes.
“Yeah…I saw ya’, hot shot!” he said with a
James Dean like curl to his upper lip. “I heard ya’ too…
along with everyone else in the gym.”
I couldn’t believe it. His words hit me like a thunderbolt on a warm summer evening. For a 12-year-old
boy who’d just played, arguably, the best basketball of
his 7th grade season, it was an admonishment that felt
more like a dagger in the heart.
I blinked hard as my eyes started to water and
looked at him in disbelief, not fully connecting with what I
Page 2
had just heard. My big brother was the one person I
looked up to more than any one else in life. Ever since
Dad left our mom when I was a baby, Mike had been my
primary role model – always giving encouragement and
advice in a supportive way.
Now, for some reason, everything had changed.
Ever since he got a car and began dating glitzy cheerleaders, Mike was acting more like a know-it-all, always
giving advice like some sort of man-of-the-world. It was
like his last year and a half of dating popular blonds,
going to drive-in movies and hanging out at Bob’s Burger Haven with his jock friends, entitled him to act like a
father, rather than a brother. Of course, I always thought
he was pretty smart, even though the only thing I ever
saw him reading was Sports Illustrated, or whatever was
on the back of a Wheaties cereal box at breakfast time.
At any rate, I just stood there looking at him,
wanting to cry, but trying to hold it together as he turned
and casually dismissed his cheerleader-of-the-week to
the snack bar for popcorn and sodas. When she left, he
turned once again and put both his hands on my shoulders.
“Listen, runt,” he said once again in his James
Dean voice. “You got this whole winning thing wrong!”
“What are you talkin’ about?” I said as my voice
began to crack. “I just made the winning basket! Why is
that a problem for you? Aren’t you proud of me?”
“That’s just what I’m talkin’ ‘bout, Bub. You
score one basket at the end of a game and then run
around, actin’ like you’re the King of Siam. You didn’t
win it on your own, you know. There were four others on
that court who helped a little…remember? And all of
‘em…I mean all of ‘em…were playin’ amazin’ defense,
scorin’ points and passing the ball to their teammates including you!”
“I know, but…”
“But nothin’, hot shot!” he interrupted. “Flappin’
your jaws and struttin’ like a peacock, just cuz you happened to score a couple of points, don’t sit well with your
team or anyone else watchin’. Without your entire team,
you would’ve never won this game...or any other this
afternoon. Got it?”
By now, my head was hanging so low I could
count the scuffmarks on the toes of my black Converse
All Stars. I began wondering if the great Bob Cousy's
older brother ever chewed him out like this after hitting a
game winning shot.
“So,” he continued, “when you can play hard
and give full credit to the other players on your team,
then you can brag…but not ‘bout yourself. If you do that,
then you’ll get the credit you think you deserve.” Got it
Squirt?”
At that moment, ‘Miss Pedal Pushers’ was making her way back to my brother with a full tray of popcorn
and sodas. Thinking it was time to exit, I mumbled an
apology and started to walk toward the locker room.
Volume 1, Issue 1
“Hey…just a minute,” he said firmly with a slight
smile on his face. “I’m not through with you yet!”
“Now what?” I mumbled again.
“You’re my brother, Knucklehead. I love ya’ no
matter what. I just don’t like ya’ actin’ like a big shot all
the time. It don’t look good for the family…know what I
mean?”
“Besides,” he said with a subtle wink to his girlfriend, “I got a reputation to protect.”
“By the way...” he said after a short pause, “you
played a great game out there. In fact, you remind me of
myself when I was your age…only not as good lookin’.”
With that, he laughed, and then without warning,
pulled my head under his armpit and vigorously rubbed
his hard knuckles back and forth over the top of my
freshly waxed crew cut.
“Now get back to your team, Squirt, and let ‘em
know how much you appreciate them making you look
like an All-Star this afternoon.”
Over the years, I’ve never forgotten that conversation with my older brother, and I never forgot his sage
advice about being humble. Of course, my NBA moments on the basketball court were far and few between
after that, but over the years, as both a teacher and principal, I’ve continued to work with many successful
teams.
Now, I’m part of a team that’s full of All-Stars –
each with a unique gift from God and working toward a
common goal. There are no single shining stars.
As Principal, I’m often approached by people
who tell me what a “great job” I’m doing and how
blessed they feel that I’m leading their school. I’m always appreciative of their kind words, of course, but also
a little embarrassed. It would be easy for me to slip into
a moment of pride and self-adulation. When that happens, I quickly reflect back to my wise older brother’s
sage advice over 50 years ago: “When you can play
hard and give full credit to the other players on your
team, then you can brag…but not ‘bout yourself.”
Now, bragging never felt so good, because I can
give full credit, not only to my teammates – the amazing
teachers, support staff, parents, students and Board
members—but also to the greatest Coach a team ever
had – our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him alone,
be all Praise.
“Now, I’m part of a team that’s full
of All-Stars—each with a unique
gift from God and working toward
a common goal.”
Page 3
Margaret Hespen
One of the most respected members of our
NCCS instructional team is someone who grew up in the
Philippines and worked for ten years in Mexico as an
educator to children of all ages. Her name is Margaret
Hespen and she has been the art and Spanish teacher
at NCCS since 2008.
Margaret was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but lived
from ages 8 -17 in the Philippines with her missionary
parents, who were with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Her
school in Manila had
well over 600 stuAt the young age of
dents, most being miseight, Margaret’s father sionary kids whose
were serving
and mother were called parents
throughout Southeast
Asia.
by God to serve in the
For Margaret, these
Philippines, and it was early years were
memorable and would
there that Margaret
eventually mold her
lived and went to
perspective on life and
school from the ages of give a greater depth of
understanding about
8 to 17.
Christian service. Faith
Academy in Manila
was filled with two important subjects for Margaret: music and journalism. She played the flute in band and enjoyed writing for the school newspaper. She also loved
being in a school with such a diverse population of students.
“Life in Manila was wonderful,” she said. “Kids
were given lots of freedom to travel around on their own
by public transportation. There was roller skating, swimming in the compound, going to the markets, visiting the
local ice cream factory and looking at World War II
sights.”
One drawback was that there were very few, if
any, fast food restaurants in Manila, which provided an
opportunity for Margaret to try the local cuisine, which
was quite unusual. One of the strangest foods she tried
was called balut – a developing duck embryo, or fertilized duck egg, boiled and eaten in the shell. “It was a
food,” she said, “that everyone had to try at least once
while living in the Philippines.”
While at Faith Academy, Margaret had the
Page 4
privilege of performing for Pope John Paul II, who was
visiting Manila in 1981, and then at the opening of the
first MacDonald’s Restaurant in the Philippines. Hamburgers were not very common there, so it was a big
deal. She also modeled in a couple of commercials.
“They wanted American looking kids,” she said.
When asked if she ever had a job as a teen,
Margaret said that Americans were not allowed to work,
but the local parent committee set up internship experiences for teens, which paid all of $1 an hour. As part of
this experience, Margaret worked in a computer company, although her only recollection is that it was a really
cold place. Later, she got a job in an advertising agency
doing photo shoots and writing copy and print ads.
Another vivid memory was being able to see lots
of different churches representing the broader world of
Christendom. She was able to observe and experience
diverse theological styles and practices, which cured her
of any reticence to visit different churches.
Because Margaret’s father was blind from birth,
he started an organization to train public school teachers
for the blind, record scripture in Philippine languages,
and work to prevent blindness. Margaret often assisted
her dad in this endeavor by reading aloud and typing
documents for him. It was not something she particularly
enjoyed at that time, although in hindsight, it was a big
part of her growth as a young Christian.
Interestingly, Margaret states that she never
had the opportunity to learn the Philippine language during these early years. “English was so widely spoken,”
she said, “that there was never a need to speak the local
language.”
Margaret was eventually able to move back to
the states at age 17 after graduating from Faith Academy, and immediately enrolled at Wheaton College, a
private four-year Evangelical Christian liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois.
“College was more fun than expected,” she said,
“especially having grown up in a serious environment for
much of my life. Every weekend, there was so much to
do and so many activities, although I did keep up my
grades.”
One thing about Wheaton, she quickly realized,
was that it was a challenging academic environment.
Margaret had been at the top of her high school class
when she graduated, but realized that many other
Volume 1, Issue 1
people were also at the same level or above. At first,
she didn’t know what to major in, but eventually settled
on art. “I took something I enjoyed,” she said, “and
made it into a vocation.”
While in college, Margaret helped a friend start
a business, designing and selling sweatshirts. Her friend
eventually moved to Portland, Oregon to expand the
business, and Margaret followed.
After graduating from Wheaton, she substitute
taught for two years before landing her first regular position at Rex Putnam High School in 1988. These were
not easy years, teaching art half-time, subbing and going to PSU for a standard teaching license. It was during
this that she met and married her husband, who was the
youth leader at their church.
In 1991, Margaret and her husband were asked
to start a Christian Community Center in Morelia, Mexico, where kids could come and learn English. During
the first year of their ten-year stay, they took extensive
Spanish language lessons in order to converse fluently
with the locals. The school they began started with just
34 students and quickly grew to 500 before they left ten
years later. Today, serves over 800 students and their
families.
During the time that their two children were born
(Daniel in 1993 and Benjamin in 1996), Margaret stayed
home and worked part-time at the NOE
(Nuevas Oportunidades Educativas) Center in Morelia.
In 2000, the family finally made their way back
to the United States for good, where she became a stayat-home mom, and then worked part-time as a substitute
teacher once again.
In 2008, after years of travelling, working in foreign countries, and raising a family, Mrs. Hespen finally
settled in as the full time art and Spanish teacher at
North Clackamas Christian School. “My background prepared me well for NCCS,” she said during our interview.
“I enjoy a variety of jobs, kids and the freedom to be
creative and to integrate my faith into the classroom.”
We are thrilled to have Margaret Hespen as one
of our wonderful Christian teachers here at NCCS. It is
because of her, and many others like her, that our
school is able to provide one of the best private Christian educations around. God has blessed us with Mrs.
Hespen’s wonderful expertise and gentle spirit.
Dedication of the NOE
(Nuevas Oportunidades Educativas) Center in 2014.
Founders of NOE left to right: Brian and Mireya Overcast,
Laurie Henkle, Margaret and Brett Hespen
Page 5
rebounders and counters. Also needed are 3-4 adjustable height kids basketball hoops to use for the
day. If you have a hoop we could use or would like
to volunteer for this event, please contact Candice
Holman at 503-655-5961 ext. 102 or via email at [email protected]
Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the top shot makers and
“fund” raisers from PK-5thgrades and 6th-12thgrades.
Let’s join together as an NCCS family
HOOP-A-THON 2016!
What is a Hoop-A-Thon?
A Hoop-A-Thon is a fundraising event in which participants shoot free throws for 3-6 minutes, making as
many baskets as possible to earn pledges.
When is the NCCS Hoop-A-Thon?
The NCCS Hoop-A-Thon will take place in the
NCCS gymnasium on Friday, January 15thduring regular
school hours. A schedule will be sent out prior to the
event so you may attend and cheer on your favorite participants!
Fundraising Goal - $15,000
Our PK-12thgrade enrollment is just under 260 students
right now. When you add that to staff participants, the
funds each participant would need to generate would be
less than $80 to reach our goal! Participation is the key
and with nothing to purchase to run the Hoop-A-Thon,
all funds raised will go directly to NCCS!
Fundraising and Pledge Information
Participants are responsible to obtain sponsors prior to
the Hoop-a-Thon event. You may be sponsored for
each basket made (from dimes to dollars) or by a flat
donation ($10, $25, etc.). Flat donations are best since
a participant might make between 0 and 130 shots.
Pledge sheets will be sent home with students on Friday, December 18th so they may obtain sponsors over
Christmas break. Please help your children assemble a
list of possible sponsors and help them fill up their
pledge sheet. It is important, for collection purposes, that
the pledge sheets be filled out completely. Donations
are tax-deductible and sponsors will receive a receipt
from the NCCS business office for tax purposes. Checks
should be made payable to NCCS.
Further information & directions will come along with the
pledge sheets on December 18th.
Volunteer Opportunities
We will have 4-6 baskets in use during each round
of the Hoop-A-Thon and each basket will need
Page 6
to help make this a fun and successful
event!
Volume 1, Issue 1
Once a month, teachers are given the opportunity to choose one student that best represents the current character trait for the Student
of the Month award. Throughout the month teachers observe their students during their school days with the characteristic in mind. At a
special Wednesday chapel, one student from each grade level is revealed while the teacher describes what that character trait looked
like in the life of the student. This encourages and teaches other students in a tangible way what "love, joy peace, etc." looks like. The
students chosen for that month get to enjoy a special lunch date with Principal Tutty, compliments of our local Oregon City Burgerville!
Character Trait - Love
A feeling of affection and concern toward another person,
as that arising from kinship or close friendship.
“...love your neighbor as yourself. There is no
commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31
Congratulations to these outstanding students!
September’s 2015 award winners are:
Gabe Talleur, Emery Stuckey, Elyse Kim,
Emersyn Johnson, Abigail Weise,
Rylee Shore, Markian Miller
Character Trait - Joy
Sharing is distributing or letting someone else
use your portion of something.
“And do not forget to do good and to share with
others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16
Congratulations to these outstanding students!
October’s 2015 award winners are:
Kyle Hixson, Karis Thornton, Zoey Estes,
Eli Hayes, Ashlyn Watt, Katelyn Hixon
Character Trait - Peace
Freedom from disturbance;
quiet and tranquility.
“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule
in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15
Congratulations to these outstanding students!
November’s 2015 award winners are:
Addison Porter, Savannah Crumrine,
Cynthia Butler, Brayden Lambert, Kassidy
Sigler, Emily Howell, Daniel Yankee
Page 7
Preschool - Mrs. Stark
Kindergarten – Mrs. Maroni
The preschool year is off to a fantastic
start! They have already learned so much (their teacher
tells them how smart they are at least once a day), including that the Bible is God’s word and everything in it
is true. They are also learning the letters A-I and numbers 1-9. A highlight of the year so far was when our
gingerbread cookies escaped from the oven! We had to
chase them around campus and all of the NCCS students and staff were so helpful in showing us clues
they’d left behind. Yet we
thought we’d lost them for
good when they didn’t show
up. We couldn’t believe our
eyes when we returned to our
classroom and there they
were . . . simply delicious!
Our curriculum is activitybased (play is a child’s work
and our classroom is intentionally arranged so that the
environment itself serves as a
third teacher), developmentally appropriate (meets the
needs of the individual child),
emergent (stems directly from
the children’s ideas), and integrated (all types of learning
styles and academic areas are incorporated together
which is based on Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple
Intelligences).
Our curriculum philosophy is designed to support the development of the whole child, individually, in
the areas of social/emotional, spiritual, physical, and
intellectual development. The children learn in a handson-manner through exploration and play. Children have
the opportunity to learn developmentally appropriate,
cognitive concepts in a carefully designed, center-based
literacy enriched environment. All of our curriculum is
immersed in Christian principles. Children learn about
God and forgiveness of sin through Jesus, hear Bible
stories, sing praise songs, learn about and say prayers,
and memorize scripture.
The Kindergarten students have had some very
busy days and time seems to fly by. You are likely to
hear one of them say, “Where did the day go?” as they
pack up their belongings at the end of the day. Here are
a few things the Kinders wanted me to share with you
about their days and events.
Writer’s Workshop is a favorite time for the children! Students can be found writing narratives, which
are true stories, illustrating their work and reworking the
writing so it can be published in a finished book of their
own! You can look forward to seeing their books, and
the children will be delighted to share these books with
families and their third grade buddies.
Speaking of buddies, the third graders in Mrs.
Switzer’s room are our buddies and we enjoy meeting
with them at
least once a
week. It’s a great
time for both
classes. We
read together
and recently,
have done some
science and
math using
pumpkins as the
topic.
Another highlight
of this term was
a trip to the
Pumpkin Patch
with the preschool students.
Choosing a
pumpkin, feeding the animals,
having fresh cider and doughnuts for a snack made it a
memorable trip. And of course, gave us much to write
about.
Page 8
Volume 1, Issue 1
First Grade - Mrs. Engelman
The first grade classroom is filled with 20 fabulous,
eager to learn first graders. When asked to write an article about first grade, this is what they wrote:





“We learned math. We know minuses and
plusses. It is cool math. Do you know math? I
love math; it is fun!” ( Levi)
“Recess! I play with friends!” (Lily)
“PE is when we exercise our bodies. It is fun for
first grade because we exercise.” (Emery)
“When we are in first grade we have recesses. It
is really fun! How it happens is when we need a
break and we do it when we have free time. My
favorite part of recess is playing with my
friends!” (Payton)
“Listening from our teachers who went to college and learning about teaching kids so that we
can learn.” (Fason)

“One day we went to the pumpkin patch. We
petted goats and pigs and we went through the
maze. After lunch we went to the playground.
The whole class loved it so much!” (Savannah)
 “I learned at math corner. I love math corner
because I learn there. You get smarter at math
corner. I love math corner.” (All)
 “Our class is a good class because we listen to
our teachers. Our teachers are good in our
classroom. We learned math a long time
ago!” (Lilly)
Our firsties sure love school! Additionally, we have
an incredible student teacher from Warner Pacific College, Miss Chupp, who we all love. Miss Chupp will soon
become a college graduate and a state licensed
teacher!
First grade is the place to be! What a joy and privilege it is to teach first grade.
Second Grade - Mrs. Horak
Second grade is off to a fantastic start this
year! The students have been busy becoming better
readers, writers, and critical thinkers in our new math
curriculum. In addition, we have been busy learning
about temperature and the water cycle in science. That
has begun the transition into the study of plants and
their life cycle.
The pictures shown are of the 2nd graders planting ground cover seeds in the plant beds at NCCS,
which will grow to control the weeds in the spring and
even fertilize the soil for planting new plants.
This in-house field trip was led by Mrs. B (former
NCCS 3rd grade teacher).








“I like to do math and reading. I love the teachers. I love to read to self. I love the whole class.
That’s all that I love.” (Nathan)
“Learning how to read is awesome. We love it! I
want to do it some more!” (Raegan)
“We exercise in first grade at PE.” (Marc)
“We learn how to read. We read to get smarter.
We listen to our teachers. Reading is fun! I love
reading books!” (Evelyn)
“In first grade we have been learning spelling. At
school our teachers have been helping us
sound out words. We are learning how to spell
so we can go to college!” (Ryan)
“Me and Payton found a worm at recess and
then we learned about worms and recycling in
our class.” (Isaiah)
“Phillip Foster Farm was our first field trip! We
went up on a hay bale! We unloaded a covered
wagon!” (Kyle)
“I love soccer at recess so so so
much!” (Garrett)
Page 9
Third Grade – Mrs. Switzer
4th Grade - Mrs. Ford
Third grade is off to a great start this year and I
am thrilled to be part of all they will learn! One of our
greatest joys has been partnering with Mrs. B. to measure and inventory a garden, buy plants with a grant from
This fourth grade year started its move forward
by blasting us into the past. This helped the students
develop a better understanding of history, its affect on
the present, and its potential for influencing the future.
Traveling back in time impacted several subject areas.
In social studies, our class engaged in an
imaginary journey across the Oregon Trail. Each student
represented a pioneer family and belonged to a wagon
train. They faced many trail situations requiring decisions that impacted their travel both positively and negatively. Along their journey, they learned about our developing nation and Oregon history. Their education extended to field trips beyond the walls of NCCS. They
visited Ft. Vancouver, Champoeg Historical Center, the
Oregon History Museum, Wells Fargo History Museum,
and Mt. View Pioneer Cemetery. They discovered the
importance one animal pelt made to the economy of the
past. They understood why John McLoughlin was
named the Father of Oregon. They grasped how difficult
travel on the Oregon Trail would be and realized what
Thrivent Financial, and plant those beautiful Oregon natives into the River Restoration Garden in front of the
preschool building. We learned about what plants need,
about drawing to scale, and gained some new plant vocabulary. Also in science, we were blessed with mealworms from the fabulous curriculum director Mrs. Roher,
which we have been studying and caring for throughout
the week. We’ve watched in fascination as something
new happens each week – be it a beetle coming out of
its pupa stage, noticing the stripes on a meal worm
body, or realizing that adult beetles not only have three
body segments, but some are either red or black.
Each morning we practice our cursive handwriting, noticing the similarities and differences between
print and cursive and finding the artistry in making flowing, cursive letters. And each day we work hard to become flexible, reasonable mathematical thinkers, focusing on strategies for noticing patterns, checking for
sense and, ultimately, becoming fluent, persevering,
mathematical problem solvers.
In writing, we’ve been telling the stories from our
lives that matter to us. We’ve written about games we’ve
played and toys we’ve received. We’ve also written
about riding a bike, getting a new pet, or moving to a
new house. In this narrative process, we’ve learned from
authors, stretched ourselves as editors, and worked toward finding our story-telling, right-there-in-the-storynext-to-you voices.
At the end of our days, we can’t wait to read and
apply new comprehension, accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary expansion strategies to become stronger readers every day. Each student has their own individual
goals as readers, their own successes and struggles,
and it is a joy to come alongside them and guide them to
take charge of their own learning in that way.
We already have learned so much, and we have
so many joys and excitements still to come. I look forward to the end of this school year when we will reflect
and see just how far we’ve come, how much we’ve
learned, and how much we’ve grown.
Page 10
hardships and blessings the settlers would face when
reaching the Oregon territory. They discovered how different cultures interacted and lived among each other.
They even experienced a pioneer diet by preparing
foods from that time period and sharing them with each
other in class. Their learning was further enhanced
through a class novel study about one child's view of
Oregon Trail travel.
The study of history involved the integration with
science and math. The unit on energy and electricity
found them building telegraph machines to discover
about early communication. They also took an excursion to three businesses to see additional machines at
work. After discovering how creative the U.S. founding
fathers were with their inventions, they followed their
examples. They became individual inventors and engineers by designing their own machines on paper. This
spring, they will take this learning further when they embark on a study of architecture and move beyond a paper design to build their own structures.
Volume 1, Issue 1
This fall, the students also began their year-long
journey through God's word. September found them
reading about the teachings in Genesis, and May will
find them discovering the future through the book of
Revelation. During the year, the 4th graders will experience all of the books of the Bible both in their standard
order and chronologically, developing an understanding
of each of them. They will discover the story of God's
people, and recognize how their Christian faith is a part
of His loving plan for them.
Throughout this first semester, the students
have been engaged in even more areas of study. In
math, they have been developing their skills as problems solvers while deciphering unknown variables. They
integrated math and science during a study of pumpkins
as they made predictions, tested hypotheses, and both
calculated and graphed data. In science they also studied insects, learning to navigate the internet to complete
research. They shared their research findings, brought
in insects to study, and ate chocolate covered crickets.
Yum!
The 4th graders have learned so much this fall
and will continue to grow in their knowledge through
June. Experiencing the world through their eyes and
watching their excitement over new discoveries has
been a joy for me. Being their teacher has been such a
blessing.
Fifth Grade - Ms. White
Sharing God’s Love One Orange at a Time
“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we
love each other; let us show the truth by our
actions.” ~1 John 3:18.
This verse has always been one of my favorites,
not only as a reminder in my own life, but also as a
framework for teaching my students about serving others. At ages 10-11, it is hard to comprehend Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew
22:39), let alone put it in to practice, yet I have found
that when given the opportunity to serve, kids are
hooked! With this in mind, I make it a priority every year
to give my 5th graders experiences to put others before
themselves and share God’s love by serving.
On November 17th, the 5th grade class volunteered at the Oregon Food Bank in Portland. Before we
got started on our project, the students learned that 1 in
5 kids in Oregon is food insecure. Food insecurity is the
state of being without reliable access to a sufficient
quantity of affordable, nutritious food. That bit of information definitely fueled a desire in my students to do our
job and do it well!
Our first project was to fill bags of oranges.
These bags would then be put into food boxes and sent
to local food banks to distribute. The Oregon Food Bank
gets donations of large quantities of produce that are not
necessarily the “best looking,” but are still fresh and
edible. My 5th graders worked hard as they sorted
through the oddly shaped citrus to fill the bags as quickly
as they could. They worked together as a team and
developed strategies that helped
them fill the bags
faster! There was
so much excitement in the room
when we finished
a large box of oranges. Not only
did it give my class
the sense of accomplishment, but it also motivated them to persevere
and finish the job! After the oranges were all bagged,
we moved on to oats! The students created an assembly line to fill 2 lb. bags of oats that would be another
healthy meal for the food boxes. Scoop, bag, weigh,
twist, tie, pack, repeat.
One of my favorite parts of volunteering at the
Oregon Food Bank is that at the end of the shift, they
give you the “stats” of your efforts. In two hours, our
group (as well as 2 other 5th grade classes from a Vancouver school) packed 8,032 pounds of oranges and
1,707 pounds
of oats, which
created 7,283
meals for people in need!
That rounds to
about 107
meals per volunteer.
For two full hours, my 5th graders did not complain, argue, or think about their own needs, but instead
smiled joyfully as they put God’s love in action, one orange at a time.
Page 11
6th Grade - Mrs. Nelson
th
This fall, the 6 grade class completed an indepth study of bridges in a unit that combined social
studies, science, and math. The class began by investigating the history of bridge designs, the purposes and necessity
of bridges, and the development of
increasingly stronger materials and
designs for bridges. Next, we
looked at the economic and social
importance of bridges to our community. We took an exciting field
trip on a jet boat to see the bridges
from Portland to Oregon City up
close. We even walked across the brand new “Tilikum
Crossing” bridge near OMSI. Armed
with new information and experience, the 6th graders got to work
building model bridges in small
groups, using only 100 Popsicle
sticks. In only two days of classroom construction, our small groups
built bridges that could support up to
75 pounds of weight!
Next, the class was assigned their
final project – building an original
bridge, based on designs we’d studied, to solve a specific problem. The students’ beautiful, creative, unique
bridges were on display for a week
before we “load tested” them to see
how much weight each could support. The process of “load testing”
included determining an efficiency
rating for each bridge, which reflected the weight each bridge could
support, divided by the weight of the
bridge itself. Along with some seriously impressive efficiency ratings,
the students’ bridges boasted impressive load bearing capabilities, including a few
bridges that were able to hold our system limit of 175
pounds!!
In the end, our 6th graders learned quite a bit
about the
history, importance, and
development
of bridges.
They also
unleashed a
great deal of
creativity and
flexed their
problem solving muscles.
Page 12
Library News - Pam Harris, Librarian
There’s never a dull moment in the NCCS Library.
How can there be with all these adventures to be had and
books to read?
We are almost back to “normal” after hosting the annual fall Scholastic Book Fair. The fair was great fun, and students and parents alike had a “monster” of a good time. Instead of students answering the
traditional questions of the day,
they got to come into the library
each day to play Monster
Plinko and see if they could win
the monster of the day. Winners got to put their name into
the hat for drawings for book
fair gift certificates. We ended
our book fair with a family
movie night. It was apparent
that all who attended had a
great time… and they left asking for more evenings like that
one!
Teachers were blessed by so
many donations to their classroom libraries through the
Teacher Wish List program. Thank you for your extraordinary
generosity to our teachers! Did you know that your purchases
at the book fair enable our library to buy additional laptop computers to be used throughout the classrooms? It’s true!
Through book fair profits over the last few years, we have
been able to purchase a total of 23 laptops. Of course a few of
those laptops are no longer operational (our laptops are very
well loved and used!). Your donations to the library and future
support at our book fairs will allow us to replace the broken
laptops and purchase additional ones. All of our student and
teachers appreciate the use of these laptops – and it’s all because of your generous support. Thank you!
Have you ever wanted to help with the book fair – or
just help out in the library? If so, please talk with Mrs. Harris in
the library to see how you might make a difference on our fun
Library Ladies team. We are a creative but casual group that is
always looking for fresh ideas and help. Come join us!
If you are one of those planner people and would like
information about upcoming library events, here is the scoop!
January, 2016 – we will start meeting weekly on Monday
mornings from 8:30-10:00; everyone is welcome! Watch your
email for more information.
March 7-11 Spring Scholastic Book Fair
March 7
Wish List day; lots of helpers needed
March 9
Parent Day at the book fair; discounts,
prizes and treats
Grandparents Day at NCCS; special music
program, lunch provided for grandparents,
time in classrooms with students
March 11
It has been a great year in library
so far, and we are looking forward to many
more happy memories being made in this
small but MIGHTY place. Stop by and check
out a good book… you never know where
reading will take you!
Volume 1, Issue 1
Junior High English, History, Bible,
Literature - Ms. Gallup
Middle School Math, Science & Bible Mrs.Thornton
A strange byproduct of my profession is that I
tend to get an immediate reaction from people when
they learn what I do. These can range from “I hated
English in school!” to “Oh, history, I loved that subject.”
Sometimes, however, I get the reaction I like least of all,
which is “Oh, you teach junior
high? I’m sorry.” Well, you
might be sorry, but I’m really
not.
Junior high is an intense,
busy time for students. They
are learning not only academic material, but social
and life skills as well. Junior
high students are emotive,
reactive, and sometimes a
little crazy in the absolute best way. They, themselves,
will be the first to tell you this, and I absolutely love it.
I love the way they react to narrative. Nothing
grabs their interest like using “I’ve got a story for you” as
an opener to a lesson, whether that lesson is about
Genghis Khan or why you should always proofread your
essays. Both of my current junior high classes also love
silent reading time. I can’t seem to keep books on my
classroom library shelves. And I love it.
I love their enthusiasm for everything, from Doctor Who, to anime, to gross history facts. Some of my
favorite classroom moments have been when a student
bounds up to me excitedly with some real-world connection to our lessons (“Ms. G! There was a case of the
plague in Oregon” or “Ms. G! I heard someone on TV
use one of our vocab words!”). My greatest hope is that
they keep this enthusiasm for live and learning into
adulthood.
I love the way they care about others. Adolescence, it's true, can be a time when people can be focused on themselves. And my junior high students are
very human. But I also know that there have been moments that I’ve shed actual tears over the way their
hearts can be moved to great kindness too. They have
the potential to be amazing men and women someday,
and another of my fondest hopes for them is that they
will always take the difficult path of radically demonstrating Christ’s love wherever they go.
So, the next
time someone tells
me they’re sorry that I
have to teach junior
high, they had better
have a moment to sit
down. Because boy,
do I have a lot to tell
them.
There are so many things I could talk about from
Science, Math, and Bible this year, I don’t know where
to begin. So instead of trying to write it out, I decided to
talk about Science in song! Here are some highlights
from all three grade levels (7th, 8th, and 9th) in Science
so far this year. Ask your student to tell you about a few
of them!
On the first day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me...hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
On the second day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me...two solar tubes, and hydrogen peroxide
with some yeast.
On the third day of Christmas Mrs Thornton gave to
me…three Punnett squares, two solar tubes,
and hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
On the fourth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…four spoons of lard, three Punnett
squares, two solar tubes, and hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
On the fifth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…..five Bose-Einstein Condensates…..
four spoons of lard, three Punnett squares, two
solar tubes, and hydrogen peroxide with some
yeast.
On the sixth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…six science notebooks…..five
Bose-Einstein Condensates…..four spoons of
lard, three Punnett squares, two solar tubes,
and hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
On the seventh day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…seven aha connections, six science note
books…..five Bose-Einstein Conden
sates…..four spoons of lard, three Punnett
squares, two solar tubes, and hydrogen perox
ide with some yeast.
On the eighth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me...eight Erlenmeyer flasks, seven aha
connections, six science notebooks…..five
Bose-Einstein Condensates…..four spoons of
lard, three Punnett squares, two solar tubes,
and hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
Page 13
On the ninth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…nine observations, eight Erlenmeyer
flasks, seven aha connections, six science….
notebooks…..five Bose-Einstein Condensates…..four spoons of lard, three Punnett
squares, two solar tubes, and hydrogen peroxide with some yeast.
On the tenth day of Christmas Mrs. Thornton gave to
me…ten Monster Labs, nine observations,
eight Erlenmeyer flasks, seven aha connections,
six science notebooks…..five Bose-Einstein
Condensates…..four spoons of lard, three
Punnett squares, two solar tubes, and hydro
gen peroxide with some yeast.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, Mrs. Thornton gave
to me…eleven Science Logs, ten Monster
Labs, nine observations, eight Erlenmeyer
flasks, seven aha connections, six science note
books…..five Bose-Einstein Condensates…..
four spoons of lard, three Punnett squares, two
solar tubes, and hydrogen peroxide with some
yeast.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, Mrs. Thornton gave to
me twelve Grumpy Cats, eleven science logs,
ten Monster Labs, nine observations, eight
Erlenmeyer flasks, seven aha connections, six
science notebooks…..five Bose-Einstein
Condensates…..four spoons of lard, three
Punnett squares, two solar tubes, and hydrogen
peroxide with some yeast.
Page 14
High School History, Government/
Economics, College Prep, Computer
Apps. - Mrs. Drake
Heading into my fourth year of teaching here at
NCCS, I felt very much like a first year teacher all over
again. While I didn’t have to pack up and move rooms, I
was faced with the challenge of only one repeating class
in a brand new schedule. At the end of last year we
evaluated the areas we felt could use improvement and
took student opinion into account. Since I am licensed to
teach Social Sciences, I kept the senior level Economics and Government course, and decided to tackle
some of the new courses. Students were asking for a
“computer type” class so we decided to add Computer
Applications to the schedule. We also noticed a need
for a designated time to teach students about college
and how to feel prepared for whatever that next step
may be so we designed a College Preparatory class
for students in 11th grade. And then there were Advanced Placement (AP) level requests, which lead to my
most daunting task of teaching thus far, A.P./Honors
U.S. History. We could not find a way to fit a separate
AP level course in, along with the regular U.S. History
course for student graduation, so we combined the two.
While this is my most difficult class, it is also my most
exciting!
In AP/Honors U.S. History, students are
pushed to develop critical thinking skills that will help
them no matter what field
they choose enter into.
We read primary sources,
secondary sources, and a
college textbook, not only
looking at what is directly
stated, but finding the
author’s purpose and
intended audience. In researching for curriculum, I consulted with my old college professors as to what they
would recommend. I wanted to be sure to secure textbooks that would not only teach our students well, but
also integrate Biblical truths. We ended up selecting the
textbook that Corban University uses in their American
Thought and Culture course, America: The Essential
Learning Edition by David Shi and George Tindall. Students grapple with college-level reading and are learning
essential skills needed to succeed in college.
I am constantly looking for ways to challenge
our students and keep them engaged. Some of our days
contain college style lecture (admittedly not their favorite, but a necessary skill, nonetheless), while others, a
Socratic seminar format where they share interpretations of assigned readings. Other days involve questions, competitions and a mini basketball hoop to show
grasp of knowledge.
AP/Honors U.S. History is challenging, but exciting and is helping our students move toward college
preparedness, whether they choose to take the AP test
or not.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Junior High/High School Art &
Spanish - Mrs. Hespen
Young Artists Explore the Value of Art
When is the last time you stood six inches from
an item worth eighty-eight million dollars? That is what
our junior high and high school artists got to do at the
Portland Art Museum on October 29th.
Forty students and ten parents bussed downtown to see the special Paul Allen “Seeing Nature” collection, which is open through January 10th. They got the
once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing works spanning
the centuries by artists such as Canaletto, Turner, Sargent, Monet, Cezanne, Klimt, Magritte, Hopper, Benton,
Ernst, O’Keefe, and Hockney. They also toured the
regular collections of portraiture, abstract, and Asian art.
One purpose of the trip was to
connect students with famous
landscape paintings before they
embarked on painting their own.
Each student decided what style to
adopt in creating their own masterpiece, using
descriptors
like realist,
romantic, impressionist,
expressionist,
and abstract. As we looked at so
many interpretations of landscape,
students were able to infer what
historical events might have influenced each artist’s outlook and style. They also saw
how many artists dedicated their entire lives to reflecting
God’s artistry in nature.
Junior High students chose an object to write
about in conjunction with their unit on Asian history –
from Samurai armor to ancient bowls. Several said this
was their favorite part of the museum.
A few student comments that made the excursion “worth it” included…
“Mom and Dad, can we go again? Kids are free!”
“My favorite was the Grand Canyon.”
“Art is cool.”
After all that art, we walked the Park Blocks to
the famous Portland food carts for some culinary art and
another kind of cultural experience.
Many thanks go to the parents who accompanied us with the all-important
job of keeping track of their
group of excited kids.
Although we had discussed the monetary value of
art in class, the real value of
this trip was the new found
awareness of original art and
its place in our world.
High School – Mr. Kim
Ninth Grade
The freshmen English class has read Of Mice and Men
(Steinbeck), Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway), numerous poems from such poets as Robert Frost and
Langston Hughes, and several of Edgar Allan Poe’s
short stories. We continuously focus on organized writing, whether literary or persuasive.
Tenth Grade
The sophomore class recently completed Tale of Two
Cities by Charles Dickens. Even though it was difficult,
our class persevered with their unique sense of humor
and unrivaled competitive spirit (ClassDojo participation
points). We covered a variety of speeches along with a
mock interview including their personalized curriculum
vitae. Numerous essays have been organized and edited in preparation for their upcoming research report.
Eleventh Grade
The junior class has begun intensive writing in preparation for college. This involves writing in response to college entrance prompts, Advanced Placement Literature/
Language prompts, and a research report on an international social issue. The Class of 2017 has already read
Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, and provided an analysis of theme and genre. They enjoyed the film somewhat since some were unaware that it was a musical
prior to viewing. The class was so inspired by the music
that they provided an impromptu rendition of one of the
songs in class, complete with flags and banners.
Twelfth Grade
The seniors have spent the first 9 weeks predominately
on college preparatory writing, including literary essays,
college entrance/scholarship prompts, poetry analysis,
and a research report involving an issue affecting the
Portland metro area. The Class of 2016 read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and provided an
analysis of theme and symbolism. The seniors also incorporated the highest order of learning by “teaching”
their research for a 25 minute lesson to their peers.
Yearbook
Our first submission for Yearbook has been completed!
Staffers have been grouped by Content, Layout, and
Photography. The first submission comprises class pictures for all grades Pre-K to
12th, Staff pictures, Cover
page, and a Table of Contents. Our Editor-in-Chief is
Isaac Watt, 7th period Editor
is Monique McClaire, Layout
Editors are Sarah Lenhardt
and Lydia Bard, Photography Editors are Isaac Watt
and Christian Yoo, and Content Editor is Natalie Sale.
Page 15
High School – Mr. Thomas
When I became part of the NCCS family, the
only thing that I was certain of was my calling to be here.
My friends from California were certain of that calling as
well. With six preps, it is the most challenging schedule
that I have ever had in my 43 years of teaching. However, when God calls one into His service, He also
equips you with everything that you need to accomplish
the task.
NCCS is an amazing school! I have not seen
such a unified student body. The students I have become acquainted with have treated me far better than I
deserve. Their love of the life that God has given them
is most impressive. They are unified and support one
another. They are like family. I am especially impressed with the freshmen. They are caring, academically sound, and desire to learn.
I am motivated to teach by two things: the certainty that God holds me to a more strict judgment in
teaching, and my love for my students. I covet their success! If I achieve that, then God is glorified.
Geometry
A great class. We are moving right along.
Algebra II
I was moving too fast and covering material that I
thought was review when the students had not covered
it in previous classes. I have made adjustments with
their help, and great progress has been made.
Chemistry
I started this class just as I did in Algebra II and, again,
with the help of the students, great progress has been
made.
Biology
The study of life! This is a very important class. Since I
was once an evolutionist, I will teach the students evolution! They must learn it! However, I will also teach them
Biblical Creation. Ultimately,
they will come to their own
Page 16
conclusion regarding the matter. I do not indoctrinate
my students. I show them how to make decisions in
their search for Truth. Modern objective science alone
destroys evolution.
Stem
The raw course is Meteorology. This subject contains
all of the elements required for a stem class. The first
project is called Robot Wars. The students wanted to do
this and I think it is a great idea. You will hear more
about this as we make progress.
Physics
I believe that Physics is the most important class in the
high school science curriculum. Physics is the capstone
of modern objective science. My students will be prepared for the next level. Our textbook is a Christian text.
It has been approved by the University of California! I
will teach the Honors course. My Honors course, at Forest Lake, was approved for Duel Credit and I have been
vetted by Colorado Christian as a teacher of Physics.
(Duel Credit means that my class will receive college
credit at some schools).
Volume 1, Issue 1
Art & Choir – Mrs. Steele
Elementary Art Corner
Here are just a few samples of the amazing elementary
art projects our students have produced so far this year.
We work with a variety of mediums and have had some
tremendous results. This newsletter will feature kindergarten, third grade, and fourth grade art projects.
Kindergarten Art
“Autumn Portrait” featuring tempera paint using both
brushes and songs. I encourage mixing and blending of
the colors for the sky as well as ground and leaves. The
Kindergarten class did a great job of experimenting with
fall colors. The differing levels of dexterity create such
diverse paintings. I love the personality in each piece.
Curry Halland
Sophia Shtogrin
Reese Ramage
Third Grade Art
“Hydrangea Still Life” was a still life study using Hydrangeas as the focal point. We used sponges and
tempera paint as well as chalk and oil pastel for
this project.
Parkrose, Tualatin, etc. The afternoon was filled
with classes to improve our engagement and
breathing.
The conductors worked separately with our choir to
bring out the best choral tone and heart of the individual piece we performed. We performed “Oh My
Love’s Like a Red, Red Rose”.
At the end, our choir was chosen as the one to
watch for expression and tone. That was quite a
compliment, coming from the collegiate level and
with very large public choirs there, as well.
Here are some reactions to the summit from some
of our choir members:
“We are learning quickly as a whole choir. It is
fun to be a part of it.” (Josh Martenson)
“The summit was such an amazing environment being able to hear and interact with
people.” (Jordan Pitzl)
“It was a great experience working with the two
great directors, Mark Stover and Anton
Armstrong. I learned a lot of new and fresh
ideas that helped me grow as a performer.”
- Jack Lundy
Here is a link to Warner Pacific University’s promotional video. Our choir is featured quite a bit.
Choral Summit Link
Timothy Van Sickle
Lacey Nelson
Fourth Grade Art
“Sunflowers” featured art work of sunflowers using
oil pastels and chalk. We especially focused on
blending to show depth in this composition and feature the focus of the light source with shading.
Sophia Shtogrin
Kody LaCrosse
Megan Austen
Excelsior Choir
Excelsior choir was invited to participate in Warner
Pacific’s Community Choir Summit in October. It
featured master choral conductors Anton Armstrong and Mark Stover. Eight students were featured in the honor choir, performing with a large
group of some of the states’ best choral musicians
from neighboring public schools like Clackamas,
Page 17
Band - Ms. Bodnar
Over the past 4 years, I’ve been thrilled to see
our band program grow. One of the things I am proud of
this year is our participation in the Veteran’s Day
Chapel. It has taken some time for the band to grow
enough to prepare for an event near the beginning of
the school year. In fact, we began learning the music at
the end of last year. For this performance, the Junior
High Band had the opportunity to collaborate with the
High School Band. Our rehearsals together have been
a fun time of relationship building and mentoring. I am
proud to see our high school students come together
and take responsibility for encouraging and challenging
the junior highers. The first time we all played together,
we were surprised at how full and mature our sound
was. Coming together to play for Veteran’s Day Chapel
was an exciting moment for
our band.
Collaboration is one of my
biggest goals for our band
program. I want to build a
program where our more
experienced band students
are connecting with our
youngest band students,
encouraging them and
helping them to grow as
musicians. One of the avenues I am using to build
our band family is the Band
Extravaganzas. We tried our first Band Extravaganza
event at the end of last year, and it was a huge success.
The Band Extravaganza is an hour after school when all
band students are invited to join the High School Band
class. We play music that each band has been working
on as a combined band. This helps to foster relationships among sections and across grade levels. It challenges the younger band students to see what they have
to aim for, and it challenges the older band students to
pay attention to details, even with ‘easy’ music. The
older students also have the opportunity to answer
questions or teach new notes as they come up. It’s rewarding for everyone involved to hear the music played
by a large and full ensemble. This year we will hold a
total of six Band Extravaganzas. All band students are
invited to join us in the Music Room at 2:40pm to play
music from our concerts and sight read together. This
time can be counted on practice sheets.
Speaking of concerts, our elementary band performed on Friday, December 11th. Fifth Grade Band
played songs for their band book. Sixth Grade Band also
played from their band book, as well as a piece of band
literature depicting the Christmas Truce of 1914. Our
secondary concert was Monday, December 14th, and
featured some cross-band collaboration. The Junior
High Band performed a couple of songs, and then they
Page 18
were joined by the High School Band for their last piece.
Our junior high students have learned a lot as they have
worked with the high schoolers. They have been challenged to deepen their maturity as musicians, as they
express emotion through phrasing. The High School
Band then played a few pieces of their own. I hope that
you were able to come and share the progress we’ve
made this fall.

Congratulations Emmalyn Kerekffy, Ashlyn Watt,
and Maddy Pitzl for being selected to participate in
the Oregon All-State Elementary School Choir!

Congratulations Ian Watt for being selected to participate in the Oregon All-State Middle School Band!

Congratulations Jacob Roman for being selected to
participate in the Oregon All-State Middle School
Orchestra!

This event is the backbone of OMEA’s efforts to
provide quality experiences for music students and professional development for music educators. OMEA congratulates your student and recognizes the diligence and
the devotion of our NCCS music staff in making the time
and effort to assist our students through the audition.
NCCS High School Choir at the 2015
Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree
Volume 1, Issue 1
High School Volleyball
Coach Nelson
After losing most of our starting lineup from last year’s
22-3 state playoff team, it would have been easy to write
this season off as a rebuilding year, but we did far more
than that. We battled hard and had a chance going into
the last match of the regular season to win a 2 nd consecutive league title. Unfortunately, we came up a little
short. We then met up with a surging Columbia Christian
team at the district tournament and had to settle for 3rd
place – still good enough to make it to state playoffs for
the 3rd straight year. In the state playoffs we fell to Perrydale, a team that ended up taking 4th place overall at the
state tournament.
For our efforts during the season we put three girls on
the all-league first team; junior Sarah Lenhardt, who led
the Lady Saints in kills and blocks, junior Lydia Bard,
who led the team in assists and was 2nd in aces, and
freshman Jenna Lay, who was an all-around stellar
player. We also placed two girls on the all-defensive
team; junior Sarah Lenhardt and junior Maddy Steele,
who was the team libero or defensive specialist.
This year’s freshmen class is as talented as any I have
had in my 14 years as varsity volleyball coach at NCCS.
Given our success this year and our youth, I am very
optimistic about the upcoming years.
2015 Varsity Roster
#3/12 Maddy Steele
#4 Jenna Lay
#5 Monique McClaire
#6 Haley Spurgeon
#7 Morgan Walter
#8 Kylie Felix
#9 Kelsie Pitzl
Jr.
Fr.
Sr.
Sr.
So.
Fr.
Fr.
#10 Esmaya Hendrickson
#11 Lydia Bard
#13 Amelia Eldredge
#17 Natalie Sale
#18 Jordan Pitzl
#19 Sarah Lenhardt
Fr.
Jr.
Sr.
Fr.
Jr.
Jr.
Junior Varsity Volleyball
Coach Minne - Coach Austen
I had the privilege, along with Julianne Austen, of coaching a great group of girls on the JV volleyball team this
year. The team was led by captains Esmaya Hendrickson and Amelia Eldredge. As the team's setter, Esmaya provided strong leadership on the court, while
Amelia was a constant encouragement to her teammates. As a first time player, Danica Dale stepped in
and became an invaluable hitter for the team. Lindsay
Zook's powerful serves were sure to intimidate opponents, while Kelsie Pitzl and Lauren Brown's consistent hitting kept them on their heels. Kylie Felix's ability
to get to any ball and put it on the floor earned the team
many points, as well. Though we lost her to the varsity
team early in the season, Morgan Walter was a huge
asset in every aspect of her game. The JV team finished
the season with a strong record of 10-6.
Varsity Volleyball
Coaches: Grant Nelson, Suzy Minne, Julianne Austen
2015 Jr. Varsity Roster
#4 Kylie Felix
#6 Kelsie Pitzl
#10 Lindsay Zook
#11 Esmaya Hendrickson
#13 Amelia Eldredge
#16 Lauren Brown
#18 Danica Dale
Page 19
High School Soccer
Coach Brown
Junior High Soccer
Coach Buse - Asst Coach Matias
The high school soccer season really began this year
with the open fields in July. Twice a week, most of the
team would meet for a few hours to scrimmage and fellowship. By the end of August, we began our soccer
camps and conditioning. This year’s challenge was that
we had such a young team and were facing a year of
growth and learning. As it turned out, we played very
well and showed that, even though we were young, we
could still compete. We ended up losing our first 2
games against Columbia/PC and Columbia Adventist,
but the team fought back to win in Trout Lake. Our first
big win was against Livingstone 6 to 0, but we had a
hard game against Horizon, Hood River and suffered
our first league loss. Cross Hill, Central Christian and
Umpqua Valley brought us big wins and then our first tie
against Damascus. We beat Open Door at home then
lost against #1 ranked (at the time) CS Lewis. We
ended the regular season with a victory over SW Christian and moved on to a playoff game against CS Lewis
to see who would vie for the championship. In the end
we triumphed over Damascus to take 3rd in district.
The 2015 NCCS Jr. High Soccer season was a combination of hard work, fun, and competitiveness. For the
first time in school history we had enough players for
two teams – a 6th grade team and a 7th/8th grade team.
Both teams played hard each time they took the field,
and both teams experienced victory and defeat over the
course of the season.
It was a year of tremendous learning and growth for the
6th grade team. After many hard fought battles, a few
beautiful goals, and hours dedicated to practice, we’re
looking forward to an experienced group of 7th graders
ready to take the field next year. Great season 6th graders!
The 7th/8th grade team was
captained by 8th graders
Braden Young and Hadden
Stark. Young was the leading
scorer for the Saints, and
Stark was the emotional
leader, often helping keep the
team focused and encouraged. The 7th/8th team qualified for the consolation playoff
bracket, and after winning in
the first round, ended up losing in an epic overtime shootout. Thanks for an awesome season.
Cory Lay was awarded first team all-district while Myles
Nelson and Lane Ehigh made second team all-district.
Jack Lundy and Ethan Brown had honorable mentions.
2015 JH Soccer Roster
2015 Varsity Roster
Ethan Brown
Allen Donovan
Lane Ehigh
Ethan Ferguson
Anthony Filippello
Sara Gill
Taylor Gill
Seth Holman
Cory Lay
Jack Lundy
Kim Peitz
Eli Perse
Lincoln Miller
Myles Nelson
Jeremy Drake
Jake Van Lieu
Andrew Whalen
I’m proud of the way we came together as a team and
how we achieved so much this season. Back in August,
I was only hoping to be completive with most of the
teams, but in the end, we showed a vigorous spirit and a
will to win.
Page 20
6th Grade
Andy Austen
Kaden Brent
Hannah Holman
Skyler Landis
Simon McKean
Mark Miller
Luke Nelson
Abbey Setter
Josh Smith
Breanna Steele
Luke Van Sickle
Danny Yankee
7th/8th Grade
Connor Filippello
Caleb Matias
Ryan Smothers
Tyler Burch
Anna Curtis
Chevy Estes
Nick Lambert
David Pavlenko
Jacob Roman
Hadden Stark
Toby Yankee
Braden Young
Volume 1, Issue 1
Cross Country - Coach Steele
The 2015 NCCS Cross Country season contained some
fun and challenging experiences for the two runners,
Maddy Steele and Brady Stapleton.
Maddy, a junior at NCCS, and in her third year of Cross
Country, ended up with her best
time of her high school career at
this year’s District Championships
(21:28.0). With a District Championship finish of 15th place in her
freshman year, a 9th place finish
her sophomore year, and an 8th
place this year, Maddy has the potential to make a run for the top 5
finishers for next year’s District
Championships, which would send
her to the OSAA State Cross Country Championships.
Brady, a sophomore at NCCS and
first time runner of Cross Country, had an incredible
season. Brady started out slow but
progressively improved throughout
the season. His time at the PreDistrict Meet compared to the District Championship time at the end
of the season, showed a 5 minute
and 25 second improvement!
Brady improved his time at each
meet throughout the season posting five consecutive PRs!
Besides the District Championships, the highlight of the season
was the Ultimook run near Tillamook, and the Nike Portland XC
meet. The Ultimook run was set up at a Hydrangea farm
that took runners through a gooey mud pit and across a
nearby shallow river. The Nike
Portland XC meet was held at the
old Portland Meadows horse race
track where runners ran a course
set up in the infield. With over
1,000 runners coming from as far
as Alaska and California to compete in the four divisions of varsity, the Nike Portland XC meet
proved to be a very fast race that pushed Maddy and
Brady into PR times.
High School Boys’ Basketball
Coach Nelson
The high school boys’ basketball season is just getting
underway and I am excited about all of the good young
players that we have on our roster this year. It looks like
we will have right around 20 players, which is a great
number for a school our size. The varsity team lost most
of its scorers and height from last season, but we do
return stellar point guard Cory Lay, who will be a 4th
year varsity player and should be the leader of the
Saints offensive attack. A strong group of younger players will surround him and as we learn to play together,
wins will come.
I’m also very excited to have NCCS Alumni and former
head coach Ken Drake, as my new JV coach. His son,
Ben Drake, an all-league performer at the end of the last
decade, is joining our team, as well, as an assistant
coach. Not only will the young men be learning a lot
about basketball, but they will be given great guidance
by our coaching staff, especially with the addition of the
Drakes. Please come and support us every chance you
get!
High School Girls’ Basketball
Coach DeVries
The Lady Saints are expectant and hopeful for this upcoming season. With last year's unexpected run to the
state playoffs, the girls are aiming to improve upon last
year's results by using a fast paced, attacking offense
and an aggressive pressing defense.
Returning from last year's squad are: Sophia
Datria, Kim Peitz, Jordan Pitzl, Maddie Steele, and
Eva Yankee. There are also seven newcomers to bolster the ranks: Taylor Gill, Lindsey Zook, Kylie
Felix, Esmaya Hendrickson, Jenna Lay, Kelsie Pitzl,
and Natalie Sale. The increased numbers should provide a lot more team depth than last year, hopefully adding to the team's success.
The girls and coaches are aiming for excellence and
expecting good results to follow. Go Lady Saints!
5th & 6th Grade Girls’ Basketball
Coach Miller
The 5/6th girls' team is already in full swing with some
early success highlighted by a game where they allowed
no points to be scored against them.
This team is a mix of four girls with experience, and the
rest playing for the first time.
Sixth Grade Players:
Kaiah Gackle
Emily Lambert
Abbey Setter
Breanna Steele
Fifth Grade Players:
Emmy Howell
Elsie Marineau
Hanna Stark
In addition, we have had valuable contributions from
three fourth graders who practice with the team and fill
in when 5/6th graders are missing.
Fourth Grade Players:
McKenna Brent
Elia Kollias
Keiya Young
All of our young players are using this season to improve their basketball and life skills every day. It’s plain
to see the growth in both areas for these girls.
Page 21
Welcome to North Clackamas Christian School!
As a student or the parent/guardian of a student at NCCS, you
are part of a long tradition of pursuing education excellence that
is bible-based, academically rigorous and student-centered.
It is Christian education at its best!
Mission Statement
North Clackamas Christian School partners with Christian
parents in providing our students with a biblically-bases
education that pursues excellence in spiritual, academic,
artistic, and athletic programs, training them to serve
Christ daily.
19575 Sebastian Way
Oregon City OR
97045
503•655•5961
We’re on the Web!
NCCHRISTIANSCHOOL.COM
Special Days to look out for...
Christmas Break
Dec 21 - Jan 4
Choir Dist. Competition
Feb 24
Back to School
Jan 5
CCC Competition
Feb 25
New Years Day
Jan 1
GFU Choir Festival
Feb 26
Homecoming Kings Court
Jan 8
ACSI Speech Meet
Feb 26
Sleighbells Winter Formal
Jan 9
JH Honor Band
Mar 3
Hoop-A-Thon
Jan 15
K/1st to Children’s Theater
Mar 3
MLK Day/No School
Jan 18
Book Fair Week
Mar 7 - 11
No School
Jan 29
Seniors to Ashland
Mar 8 - 10
Begin Semester II
Feb 1
Grandparents Day
Mar 11
ACSI Spelling Bee
Feb 11
Daylight Savings
Mar 13
Val-O-Grams/Half Day
Feb 12
David Douglas Choir Fest.
Mar 15
HS Honor Band
Feb 13, 14
Half Day
Mar 18
Presidents Day/No School Feb 15
Spring Break
Mar 21 - 25
HS Solo/Ensemble
Good Friday
Mar 25
Feb 20