Knightly Informer April newsletter

The Knightly Informer
Volume 12 Number 8
De La Salle North Catholic High School
Principal's Message
SAVE THE DATES
4/19-4/21 AKWANTU. Junior
April 2013
April 2013
Retreat. Camp Howard.
4/25 Changing Destinies Luncheon.
Dear De La Salle North Catholic family:
4/26 Beverage House Catastrophe.
As you read this note, we have but nine weeks of school remaining. And a
calendar jammed up with activities and deadlines and ceremonies. It’s what
happens at every school every year’s end. There is both a lot to do and a lot to
experience.
School Talent Show. 7-10pm.
Auditorium.
4/26 END OF 5TH TERM
5/1 Parent Advisory Council
meeting. Final meeting for this
academic year. 5:30-7pm.
Library.
5/3 Senior Retreat
5/10 Founder’s Day of Service. All
students attend: NO CIP.
5/11 3rd Annual Community Dinner
(fundraiser for Class of 2013.
Cafetorium. 4-7:30pm. See flyer
inside for details.
5/17-18 District Track Meet @Catlin
Gabel
5/18 Spring Prom. 8-11pm. See flyer
inside for details.
5/22 Knight Life Awards. 7pm.
Auditorium.
5/23-24 State Track Meet @U of O
April is
Alcohol and
Drug
Awareness
Month
Around here, April carries a special meaning for juniors. In a scant week, the
Class of 2014 will step into its Akwantu weekend, one of the most meaningful
few days students here encounter. It is a time when juniors examine their relationship with God and with each other. Shortly after the Akwantu weekend,
juniors go on college campus visits throughout the Portland area, and a few go
north to Seattle University.
The juniors are but nine weeks from senior status, an occasion marked in early
May when the Class of 2014 receives the torch from the Class of 2013.
For seniors, they are feeling the gravitational tug of the next big thing – college. As they move through these remaining weeks, they encounter a series of
ritual passages: the Senior Retreat, St. La Salle Day, the CIP Luncheon and
Senior Reception, the Prom, College Sweatshirt Day, Senior Exams, Presentation, Baccalaureate and Graduation. I am especially pleased that the threshold
to their last May together is the Senior Retreat, a moment for them to reflect
on and gather up the experiences of their time together and, ultimately, make
sacred their remaining days at De La Salle North Catholic.
For all of us, we are seeing the bend in the road ahead, where this year turns in
to 2013-2014. In this second week of the Easter season, please keep your beloved school embraced in your prayers as – for a bit of time – we live a dual
life: embrace and cajole and exhort our current students, and then imagine and
create and plan for our future students.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts . . . forever!
Blessings on you and your family,
Tim Joy
Principal
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Knightly Informer
Counselors
Corner
By parents Paul Stretch, LCSW
and Alicia Richards, LCSW
THE ANTI-DRUG
Of all the topics that are difficult to talk to our teens
about, alcohol and drugs are near the top of the list. The
issue is not IF our kids are exposed to drugs and teen
drinking but WHEN. We know alcohol and drugs are
prevalent in teen circles – by age 16, 60 % of males have
tried alcohol and 62% of females; around one third of
10th graders have used pot in the last 12 months. We
could turn a blind eye to our students’ use of substances
or we could tackle this issue head on.
As always, when communicating with our teen about an
important matter, it is essential to find the right time to
talk – perhaps it is when the parent and teen are in the car
(captive audience!) or at those moments when your child
just seems more open (unpredictable as these moments
are). We want to let our kids know that their safety and
health are important to us and that we are interested how
they think about using alcohol and other drugs. By entering into a conversation with our youth, we are inviting
dialogue – not lecturing. In the dialogue process, we
have the opportunity to state our opinions and expectations regarding drugs and alcohol as well as hearing
where our kids’ heads are around this issue, so we can
truly communicate with each other.
Sharing information with your child (drugfree.org) , your
values about drug and alcohol use and negative experiences which people in your family have had involving
drugs or alcohol can be helpful starting points for conversations.
Students Against Driving Drunk has created a contract
for parents and youth which calls upon the teen to call a
parent if they are impaired and has adults agreeing to
pick up the child, no questions asked.
April 2013
We parents have more sway than we imagine with our
kids. A Roper poll stated that 76 % of youth said parents
were a leading influence in their decision about whether
to drink. Maybe the commercial was right – Parents can
be the Anti-Drug!
Potluck in the Park
This event happens each Sunday at 3pm in O’Bryant
Square in downtown Portland rain or shine. De La Salle
North provided volunteers from Ms. Polly Waibel’s junior religion classes who were on hand to serve the needy
on April 7th.
Please join in appreciation to these students for their generous spirits:
Nylaul Beng, Cortnee Grice, Lauren Rojas, Feather
George, Larry Kemp, Mike Fesser, Brandon Chadney,
Quincy Sarpong, Cheyenne Hilliard, Taryn Jones, Sam
Ballas, Harumi Sokau, Jessica Trinh, Henry Sissac, Vishal Narayan, Jayde Thomas, CJ Ughamba, Dayja Curry,
Tina Myers, Lizzy Evans, DaeDae Johnson, John Rudolph, Darion Smalley, ChiShayla Kimmons, Anquette
Collins-McKinney and Andrew Myers.
—Courtesy of Ms. Polly Waibel, Religion
LYM’s Upcoming Activities
April 19th-21st -Akwantu (Junior Retreat)
April 26th - Last BHC of the year!
May 10th- Founder’s Day of Service
May 18th-Prom
Service opportunities in April include Habitat for Humanity, St. Francis Dining Hall, Rebuilding Together
with Notre Dame Alumni Club.
—Maddie Kettner, Lasallian Volunteer
The Knightly Informer
Publication of
De La Salle North Catholic High School
Portland, OR 97217 — 503-285-9385
Available online at: www.delasallenorth.org/
Submission deadline: Last Friday of the prior month.
Send to [email protected]
April 2013
Knightly Informer
Chemistry Corner
—Brett ApRoberts, Chemistry Teacher
Several students recently took a field trip to an engineering and manufacturing company. Bob Peterson, the
owner of Allied Power Products in Beaverton, hosted
several De La Salle student on a “spend a day.” Leigh
Norris, Lewis Marshall, Nyilah Armstrachan, and Brandon Chadney, who are all interested in engineering and
design spent the day exploring how the products Allied
Power Products are produced. Allied Power produces
metal models of bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, and
even airplanes like the new Boeing Dreamliner. The
main part of their business is producing custom made
industrial winches for use in construction cranes and
hoists. The students learned about how computer aided
design is used to design the products and the sales and
marketing materials. They also learned how the finished
products are customized and assembled for shipment to
the customers.
My mentor students also were privileged to have a guest
speaker for a recent luncheon. Ms. Erdina Francillon
from the Notre Dame Club of Portland came and spoke
to the students about her college experience. She spoke
passionately about her childhood growing up in Miami,
Florida as a Haitian American. She shared how she was
a good student but didn’t consider an elite school like
Notre Dame until she was asked to apply for a summer
program at the school her junior year. She encouraged
the students to tell their unique stories when applying to
colleges. She also let the them know that colleges
needed students like them and the work ethic and
strength of character they would bring to the universities. She challenged them to consider summer programs
that might expose them to how colleges work and introduce them to the different courses of study. Thanks to
Ms. Fancillon and The Notre Dame Club for the great
lunch and presentation!
History Corner
—Edward Zupcic, Social Science Department
The US History classes are about to enter the 20th Century! Students are working on Document Based Essays
focused on the great debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois. They are also studying the rise
of urbanization, big business, the Robber-barons and all
the labor challenges that came with Industrialization.
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De La Salle North Catholic
Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
Please join us on Wednesday, May 1st,
2013 from 5:30-7:00pm. All parents/
guardians are welcome. We invite you to
bring your voice and viewpoints to our
conversation! A light dinner will be
served. This is our last meeting for the
2012-13 school year.
For more information and to RSVP, contact PAC Chair Dana Ingram by email,
[email protected].
Volunteers needed for the
Community Dinner!
1 or 2 more people to help with decorations
Volunteers at Bounce House 4 total (two
shifts)
Volunteers to serve food. Still need 4 from
4:30-6pm and 5 from 6-7:30pm
Need volunteers for clean-up committee
Need greeters
Need volunteers to help with children's activities
Signup sheet will be at the front desk.
— Courtesy of Micole Johnson, Senior Parent
(Class of 2013 Fundraising)
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Knightly Informer
April 2013
Notes from the Business Office
Financial Aid 2012-2013
It’s tax season once again. Financial Aid applications can be
found at the front desk, or online at
www.delasallenorth.org. Choose the Admissions Tab and in
the left column you will find the link to the online application. If you need help, please call 503.285.9385 x139 to make
an appointment with the business office and we’ll help you
complete the form.
Tuition
The final monthly tuition bills will be sent out mid-April and
due May 1st. Please make sure to have ALL tuition and fees
paid as soon as possible. Thank you for your prompt attention
to this. SENIOR FAMILIES: Please remember that ALL
tuition and fees must be paid and all textbooks, library books
and sports uniforms must be returned prior to June 1st, 2012 in
order for your student to receive their diploma on graduation
day. Please contact 503.285.9385 x139 if you have any questions or concerns about meeting this deadline.
Mealtime Lunch Accounts
In response to parent request, we’ve upgraded our system to
send out a weekly ‘Low Balance Alert’ when your student’s
cafeteria account has less than $12 in it. When you receive
this email, please send in a payment to prepay for your student’s meals. Cash and checks are accepted at the front desk.
Credit or debit cards can be processed in the business office or
called in to Sandi Mottau at 503.285.9385 x139.
—Jill Stanclift, Director of Finance
April 2013
Knightly Informer
CONTRACT FOR LIFE
A Foundation for Trust and Caring
This contract is designed to facilitate communication between young people and their parents about potentially destructive decisions related to alcohol, drugs, peer pressure and behavior. The issues facing young people today are often too difficult to address
alone. Effective parent child communication is critically important in helping young adults make healthy decisions.
Young Person
I recognize that there are many potentially destructive decisions I face every day and commit to you that I will do everything in my power to avoid making decisions that will jeopardize my health, my safety and overall well being, or your
trust in me. I understand the dangers associated with the use of alcohol and drugs and the destructive behaviors often associated with impairment.
By signing below, I pledge my best effort to remain alcohol and drug free, I agree that I will never drive under the influence of either, or accept a ride from someone who is impaired, and I will always wear a seat belt.
Finally, I agree to call you if I am ever in a situation that threatens my safety and to communicate with you regularly
about issues of importance to us both.
____________________________________________
Young Person
Parent (or Caring Adult)
I am committed to you, and to your health and safety. By signing below, I pledge to do everything in my power to understand and communicate with you about the many difficult and potentially destructive decisions you face.
Further I agree to provide for you safe, sober transportation home if you are ever in a situation that threatens your safety
and to defer discussion about that situation until a time when we can both discuss the issues in a calm and caring manner.
I also pledge to you that I will not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, I will always seek safe, sober transportation home, and I will always remember to wear a seatbelt.
____________________________________________
Parent/Caring Adult
____________________________________________
Date and Time
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April 2013
College Fairs
Portland Spring College Fair will be held Sunday, April
21, 12:00 – 3:00pm, at the University of Portland – Chiles
Center. Over 100 colleges from across the country will be
participating in the program. This is an excellent opportunity for students/parents to find out more information
about majors, scholarships, and financial aid. Register in
advance at www.gotocollegefairs.com. There will be no
onsite registration, so it is important for participants to pre
-register.
The Pacific Northwest Jesuit Excellence College Tour
(JET) will be held Monday, April 29, 6- 7:30pm, at Jesuit
High School. This is an opportunity for juniors to get information on many Jesuit colleges. Some of those colleges are: Creighton University, Gonzaga University,
Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Chicago University, Loyola New Orleans University, Marquette University, Santa Clara University, Seattle University, University
of San Francisco, and Xavier University.
Summer Opportunities for Juniors:
Essay Contest open to all students
2013 High School Essay Contest with prize amounts of
$500, $350, $250. The Oregon State Bar’s New Lawyers Division is sponsoring the contest for students
grades 9 – 12.
This year’s topic is about the Fourth Amendment to the
United States Constitution and Case Law. Deadline to
apply is May 9. The first, second and third place essays
will be chosen based on the following:
(1) Each essay must reflect the student’s writing and
original thinking.
(2) Each student must thoroughly, thoughtfully and persuasively explain his or her argument.
(3) Each essay must be organized and typed using appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Details are available on the Oregon State Bar’s New
Lawyers Division website.
https://www.osbar.org/onld/essay/
essaycontest.html
Two juniors from De La Salle will have the opportunity to participate in a college planning and exploration program to be held
at Fairfield University (Connecticut) on July 7 - 13. The program is free except for a $200 commitment fee to insure that the
students follow through. Minimum gpa to apply is 3.25. Applications are available in the Counseling Office. Return the completed application to Mrs. Ward by April 24. Selected students
will be notified by April 30.
St. Mary’s College of California Summer Institute “Talk Back
to Socrates!” – for rising high school seniors. Session 1: July 28
– August 4 or Session 2: August 4 – August 11. Students engage great books in seminar discussion, laboratory and field
work, and tutorial analysis. Each week-long session also includes a day trip to cultural offerings in the San Francisco Bay
area. Application deadline is July 1.
The following link will take you to the Institute website, and to
complete schedules for each session, to readings lists, class descriptions and application materials:
www.integralprogram.org/summerinstitute
Scholarship Opportunities
The Nordstrom Scholarship is available online at
www.nordstrom.com/scholarship. It is open to all juniors.
Based on school/community activities; community service; financial need; teacher recommendation; and GPA of 2.7 or
above. Deadline to apply is May 1. Eighty scholarships
($10,000 each) will be awarded.
—Mrs. Ward, College Counselor
April 2013
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Towards their Destinies
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT:
a short film by Ashlea Frison, Class of 2013
The DLG Viral Video Scholarship Contest™ sponsored
by the Davis Law Group was created as a community
service project to help educate the public on safe driving
practices by awarding a scholarship to the film student or
video production enthusiast who creates the best public
service announcement video. Our own Ashlea Frison
who is a Caldera Arts Program participant has submitted
her film to this competition. The talented Ashlea explains her work in her artist statement.
The film Think Before You Act gives a detailed example of how people can be easily persuaded to go
against their will. The woman in the video starts off
with the right idea, which is to wait until her weekend
to party. She knew if she went with her friends she
would be drinking, but instead of going with her conscious she convinces herself that she will be safe.
When she arrives at the club with her friends she gets
distracted by the fun and energetic crowd. She forgets
about her responsibilities for she has now lost her
focus. She ends up having too many drinks. Her
friends notice this as they all arrive at their home.
They advise her not to drive by offering her a ride
home, a taxi, and to stay a night with them. She
passes up all of these offers, because she feels she is
well enough to drive. She drives home not understanding how drunk she really is and she shortly dies
in a car crash on her way home.
While she is unconscious she sees her children she
will no longer be with and can no longer take care of.
She wakes up and she realizes this was only a revelation. She is grateful and she takes her second chance
cautiously. She makes the wise decision and passes
up the opportunity to hang out with her friend. When
she looks at her children she visualizes what could
have happened and she knows now why it is impor-
tant to think before you act.
See her work at http://dlglawfirm.com/vvsc-2013/think
-before-you-act-vvsc. Leave comments as that counts
towards the public judging. “Public voting will consist
of views, comments, likes/dislikes, etc on the contestants
unique webpage. Voting will end on May 1, 2013.”
Ashlea’s work Who do I see was featured in the Fresh
Film NW 2012. Check it out on vimeo.com/53655866.
People to People
Student Ambassador
B ound fo r Eu rop e
Come and help support 5 local Portland students including De La Salle North junior (Class of 2014) Sequoia
Patterson who were chosen to be Ambassadors for the
US, as they embark on a trip to Europe to promote
“Friendship and World Peace.”
Join Sequoia and friends for a Pasta Dinner and Silent
Auction. On Saturday April 27th 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Location is Odd Fellows Lodge, 4834 N Lombard, Portland, Oregon 97203. Tickets may be purchased at the
door. Prices are $5 for Child, $10 for Teen, $15 for Adult
and $25 for Couples. More information on People to
People Ambassador Programs can be viewed on their
website (www.peopletopeople.com).
Heading for
Down Under
De La Salle North Catholic junior (Class of 2014)
Mariah Agnew has been invited to spend a week this
summer participating in Australia’s Down Under International Games. She would represent Oregon on the
West Central Conference Volleyball Team.
Mariah is looking for community support to pay her expected expenses of $5,000. This Australia trip would be a
powerful experience for her future. She hopes attending
the tournament will open the opportunity to be noticed
by college coaches and attain scholarship offers. It is also
Mariah’s goal to make it to the Olympics.
If you would like to sponsor Mariah go to the website
DownUnderSports.com, click sponsor athlete and fill out
the required parts.
If you have further questions, you may call her or her
mother Lana Agnew at 503-432-8772.
De La Salle North Catholic
High School
7528 North Fenwick
Portland, OR 97217
DLSNC has need of the following items:
The Clothes Closet can use some skirts and
young ladies slacks in good condition and in the
appropriate school colors.
Have you upgraded to a tablet computer? Our
IT department is looking for additional laptops
for classroom cart and for loan to students.
Do you have Spanish language books, especially easy readers? Our library needs to boost
the Spanish collection.
Your generous donations accepted at the front
desk. And thanks!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Have some unused or outgrown items?
Featured in this issue
Spring Cleaning?
Principal's Message (1)
Counselors Corner (2)
Teacher Reports/Family Groups(3)
Business Office/Community News (4)
Contract for Life/Prom Flyer (Insert)
3rd Annual Community Dinner Flyer(7)
Upcoming Student Opportunities (8)
Towards their Destinies (9)
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