NORTH Polar Bear News - North High School
Transcription
NORTH Polar Bear News - North High School
APRIL/MAY 2015 NORTH Polar Bear News Congratulations! Des Moines North High School recently became the first and only high school to send a team to Drake University's Enactus (entrepreneural-action-us) Expo and received glowing reviews from a panel of Drake professors and Enactus members. Enactus is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students who improve the world through proactive and creative campaigns. The team formally presented their Global Awareness platform about disabilities in Somalia after running a one-week awareness campaign at the school. Students were mentored by Drake University team members and their North National Honor Society advisers, Denine Taylor & Karen Wignall. Flanked by Drake Enactus team members (in royal blue) and from left to right: Imani Kwizera, Jacob Cox, Brad Warren, Anna Stegall, Limmud Hill, Danielle Hill, Arturo Hernandez, and Hatte Kelley APRIL/MAY 2015 NHS Chamber Orchestra toured Ruby Van Meter for their Rick Lussie Music Appreciation Day on Monday, March 23rd. The students were fantastic, and I couldn't be more proud of them. Not only did they put on a great performance, but they had a blast helping students at Ruby try out each of their instruments. They were great ambassadors for North, and did a great job reaching out to every student who was interested in learning how to play a string instrument. Thank you for supporting our students and our music programs. I love giving students opportunities to do outreach concerts like this. Joyce Beyer (Payer) Orchestra Director Check out our pictures on https://twitter.com/northorchestra On Thursday, April 2nd, the North Soul Gospel Choir sang at the 54th annual Iowa prayer breakfast held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. There were over 1100 participants including Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, U.S. Representative David Young and U.S. Senator Joni Ernst. The choir performed for the Iowans, religious leaders and politicians gathered Thursday morning for the annual Iowa Prayer Breakfast to pray for the state and its leaders. “The crowd was very enthusiastic and it was a great experience. We also had a great time performing at Terrace Hill on Wednesday night! Shout out to our hardworking students!” L to R: Shelby Sonderleiter (cello), Angelica Reyes (violin), Tina Ho (violin), Stephanie Ramos (viola), Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio (viola) & PJ Clearman (bass). Vanessa Brady Choir Director APRIL/MAY 2015 Student-cadets from across Iowa and as far away as Topeka gathered at North High School on April 3rd & 4th for their annual JROTC Drill Meet. While soccer, tennis and track might be the spring high school sports, for these students precision marching and rifle drills are just as important and competitive. Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio recently participated at the State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa at Iowa State University. She presented her project "Testing the Viscosity of Liquid in Proportion to Weight in Hydraulics". In the project Abby built a hydraulic jack and found an eco-friendly alternative to hydraulic oil. She won an Iowa State University Program for Women in Science & Engineering - Senior High Award and an honorable mention for third place in the Engineering division. APRIL/MAY 2015 North High School journalism teacher, Jennifer Dryden, accidentally ran into Brandon Jones, the star of ABC’s Pretty Little Liars. She was at the Iowa Capital building at the same time he was filming there. She talked with him and invited him to come visit her classroom. He accepted the invitation and visited on March 26, 2015. “Thank you for supporting the students who wanted to take their lunch to meet and speak with Brandon Jones, Pretty Little Liars actor, in my classroom today. Everything went off without a hitch and the students and Brandon loved it! What a fantastic and kind guy!” … Jennifer Dryden, Teacher His visit to North High School was a special event and enjoyed by all. APRIL/MAY 2015 DMPS News regarding North High Student: Kwizera Imani Kwizera Imani’s story begins a half-a-world away from North High School, where today he is a senior. When the Rwandan genocide of the early 1990s spread to other states, Kwizera’s parents fled their home in Burundi to seek refuge in nearby Tanzania, where he was born in 1997. Growing up and attending school in a U.N. refugee camp, Kwizera and his family were selected to come to the United States in 2008. Today (March 30th), Kwizera had the opportunity to share his story as the keynote speaker at the 2015 Iowa STEM Summit, sponsored by the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. Kwizera told of his experience at Des Moines Public Schools, from meeting the language and cultural challenges of an English Language Learner student to now taking part in everything from Advanced Placement courses to aviation technology to North’s robotics team. What’s next for Kwizera? He plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State University. “...When I arrived in the United States it was hard for me and my family to adjust to our new environment. Two weeks after our arrival we were all required to go to school. I didn’t really fit in because of the language barrier. Our inability to speak English was one of the biggest obstacles that we all had; we knew that it was something we were going to have to overcome to be able to adjust to America. Over time I began to pick up bits and pieces of American culture: food, sports and television. I began to spend most of my time at my friend’s house, where I had to speak English to get what I wanted. This forced me to practice and of course helped me excel in my ELL classes. I was able to pass my ELDA test for ESL students and transitioned to the traditional classes in eighth grade. Since arriving at Des Moines North High School, I worked very hard and by the end of my junior year, have taken all the required classes a student needs to graduate. I was fortunate enough to apply to, and be accepted into the Aviation program at the Des Moines airport. This experience inspired me to pursue and continue in the STEM field. In that class I was taught the proper way to inspect an aircraft, the regulations in aviation, and the mechanics behind aircraft systems. The aviation program is a three year program, but I had to stop after only two because my schedule was too full. So I created a new goal, and I’m taking five college courses: AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Physics, AP Government, and AP Literature & Composition. I know that college is going to be challenging, so I want to put myself in an environment that challenges me and prepares me for college. After high school, I will be attending Iowa State University for the Aerospace Engineering Program. I plan to be the first in my family’s generation to go to a college or university, AND to finish! Some of my siblings have attempted college, but they were not able to continue because of financial responsibilities. I have decided that no matter what struggles come my way, I must persevere and be an example for my little brother. In the future I hope to be able to work with Rockwell Collins, Boeing, or NASA and continue to enhance my ability in an Aerospace field.” He ended his speech with a quote from Benjamin Franklin who said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” APRIL/MAY 2015 NHS Orchestra at IHSMA Festival April 22, 2015 NHS orchestra students performed and competed in the IHSMA Solo and Small Ensemble Festival at Lincoln High School in a combination of solos, duets, quartets, and Chamber Orchestra. Tina Ho, Jenna Jensen, Shelby Sonderleiter, Angelica Reyes, Stephanie Ramos, and Leesi Kpurukoo all received a Division II (Excellent) rating on their solos. Brionna Lam, Marisela Aguilar, Stephanie Ramos, Shelby Sonderleiter, Jenna Jensen, Tina Ho, and Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio received a Division II (Excellent) rating on their two Mozart Quartets. Brionna Lam and Marisela Aguilar received a Division II (Excellent) on their Mozart Table Top Duet. Our newly formed NHS Honors Chamber Orchestra (which rehearses at 7 am before school) received a nearly flawless score in their first appearance at festival, earning them a Division I (Superior) for their work on the first two movements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Students involved in chamber orchestra: Tina Ho, Brionna Lam, Marisela Aguilar, Angelica Reyes, Abby EspinosaGonzalez Bellolio, Stephanie Ramos, Shelby Sonderleiter, and PJ Clearman. Our newly formed NHS Honors Chamber Orchestra (which rehearses at 7 am before school) received a nearly flawless score in their first appearance at festival, earning them a Division I (Superior) for their work on the first two movements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3. Students involved in chamber orchestra: Tina Ho, Brionna Lam, Marisela Aguilar, Angelica Reyes, Abby EspinosaGonzalez Bellolio, Stephanie Ramos, Shelby Sonderleiter, and PJ Clearman I am incredibly proud of these students. They took on challenging music and performed it well. Joyce Payer/Orchestra Director Northside Band Night May 12, 2014 Under the direction of Scott Davis, Laura Thieben, William Beyer and Dave Brown, several elementary, middle and high school bands came together and performed at North High School during Northside Band Night on Tuesday night. All four elementary schools that feed into North High, plus Harding Middle School, participate in the Turnaround Arts program. Every band played together “Let’s Go Band” for the final notes of the evening. In the words of Principal Mike Vukovich, “the concert was amazing!” APRIL/MAY 2015 North's Academic Decathlon team was the highest scoring "medium" sized school in Iowa and has received the honor of competing in the Online National Competition!! This was North's third appearance to Online Nationals in the last 5 years. The team finished 10th place. North represented the state of Iowa respectfully. North's team is looking very strong for next year. We have a good number of returning Decathletes and are gaining some very strong incoming freshmen. Next year's topic is on India. Thank you North Staff for all your support . This result is a true indicator on how well the staff is preparing our students for high level testing. Our team members include: PJ Clearman, Binh Doan, Zachary Hall, James Milton, Jasmine Moreno, Krystal O’Morrow, Ian Penman, Wyatt Powers, and Rose WallaceSmith. North Academic Decathlon Coaches, Anna Brown & Mark Schmidt The following students won medals at the Tech Ed State Competition. North entered various categories in Graphics Communications. Medal winners listed below: Illustration Drawings: Avir Basanez Gold Dawn Gallardo Gold Yaritza Pleitez Silver Joseph Noble Silver Kenzie Schnathorst Bronze Computer Graphics: Renz Caducoy Gold Yer Lee Gold Kanji Yang Gold Edwin Ramos Silver Alissa Cavanh Silver Kenyatta Foster Silver Selina Solis Silver Other Graphics: Alejandra Hernandez Gold Renz Caducoy Gold Autumn Miller Silver Kenzie Schnathorst Silver Screen Printing: Avir Basanez Gold Tiyanna Jackson Silver Tech Ed Coaches, Bryan Butcher & Mark Schmidt Polar Bear Debate Team On Friday, March 27th, the North High School Speech and Debate Team traveled to Iowa City for the 2015 Great Midwestern Novice and JuniorVarsity Debate Championship Tournament at Iowa City West High School. Six North students attended Novice Nationals: Carlos Ostorga (senior), Renz Caducoy (junior), Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio (sophomore), Krystal O’Morrow (sophomore), and Deyonna Carroll (sophomore). These brave trailblazers competed against 131 students from 24 different schools, and 6 different states. In the student congress division, Renz Caducoy was awarded 4th place overall, and Carlos Ostorga was recognized as 7th speaker and received an additional award for serving as Presiding Officer of his chamber. In the Lincoln-Douglas division, Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio received 16th place overall. In Public-Forum Debate, partners Krystal O’Morrow and Deyonna Carroll placed 11th overall. This tournament marked the end of the North’s first speech and debate season in over a decade. North’s team, after their first year of competition, is ranked in the top thirty-percent of teams in Iowa. Practice will begin again in August 2015 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Interested students should contact Mrs. Amanda Dreier. Coaches; Becky Hall, Katy Roat, Steven Schappaugh, Amanda Dreier APRIL/MAY 2015 Over a month ago, English 1 students dipped their hands in red paint to draw attention to the fate of child soldiers in response to learning about these grievous circumstances while reading the memoir of Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone, himself once a child soldier in Sierra Leone. Through their research, students have become dedicated, as a class, to raise awareness and money to contribute to UNICEF, an organization committed to ensuring human rights for children. Because English 1 can’t keep their excitement to themselves, other curricular areas including history and English Language Learners, as well as outstanding extracurricular groups like Movement 515 have been adding their own nuances to this rigorous project to deepen and strengthen understanding and empathy of children around the world. The Red Hand Rally that was held on April 24th is a celebration of this cross-curricular learning and work as well as a kick-off for additional fundraising events to follow. North’s last pep assembly was Friday, April 24th. We honored seniors involved in spring sports and revealed who was on the prom court. The students also sang a Kelly Clarkson’s song to Principal Vukovich in honor of Principal Appreciation Day. Teachers and Principal Mike Vukovich were then “pied” in the face in support for UNICEF. al M cip Prin i ch kov u V ike APRIL/MAY 2015 APRIL/MAY 2015 May 18 May 19 May 20 May 21 May 22 May 23 May 25 May 28 June 2 Senior Finals begin Northside Orchestra Concert, 7:00 PM, Auditorium Nat’l Honor Society Induction Ceremony, 6:00—8:00 PM, Library MJROTC Awards Night, 6:00—8:00 PM, Auditorium Class Day, 8:45 AM, Gym Graduation, 9:30 AM, Drake University Knapp Center Memorial Day, No School Underclassmen Finals begin Last Day of School Aug. 26 First Day of School for 2015-2016 year Thursday, May 21st – Last day of classes for seniors Senior finals are May 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st Thursday, May 21st – Mandatory graduation rehearsal at 12:30 – 3:00 PM Students must be present to participate in graduation. Friday, May 22nd – Class Day (all school assembly) is at 8:45 – 10:30 AM Students must be present to participate in graduation. Students must arrive by 8:00 AM Saturday, May 23rd Knapp Center (2601 Forest Ave.) at 9:30 AM Graduates must arrive by 8:00 AM All fees must be paid prior to May 20th. This is three days prior to graduation. ID fees Technology fees Fees from Junior High Lost Books (please return all lost books)