The Latest from North Hills Christian School: March, 2013

Imagine...

a SCHOOL of EXCELLENCE

- Moving towards classical schooling

- AP & Honors courses

- Latin & Spanish for grades 1-12

- High School tablet PC program

Upcoming Open House Coffee and Shadow Day

North Hills Christian School's second 2013 Open House Coffee and Shadow Day is March 12. Coffee reception and check-in begins at 8:45 a.m. and the program begins at 9. Guests are invited to see campus renovations, learn more about the school's programs, including the gradual transition to classical Christian schooling, and hear a presentation from high school students.

North Hills is currently accepting applications for enrollment for the 2013-2014 school year. The school has a total student enrollment of 320 students in junior kindergarten through high school. Tiered instruction for reading and math is offered for grades 1-5. Latin and Spanish are offered for grades 1-12. Six Advanced Placement and 12 honors courses are offered. All high school students are issued tablet PCs, a program modeled after a school that has received international acclaim. Click here for more information on NHCS admissions.

Dana Salmon Recognized as Finalist in the National Achievement Scholarship Competition

North Hills Christian School (NHCS) senior Dana Salmon was selected as a Finalist in the 2013 National Achievement® Scholarship Program competition in February 2013 and was recognized as one of the most academically promising Black American students in the nation by the program. The National Achievement® Scholarship Program rewards scholastically talented Black American young men and women. As a Finalist, she will increase her chances of receiving more merit scholarships and gaining admission to some of the nation's most selective colleges and universities. Read more

Support Our Annual Fund: Progress Made So Far in 2013

2012-2013 Annual Fund Goal: $115,000
Total Pledges and Contributions to Date: $82,721
Amount left to raise: $32,278

Thank you faculty and staff for your donations! Our faculty and staff have pledged $6,293.00 in payroll deductions, an average gift total
of $125 per staff person.

Why support the Annual Fund?
Rather than selling candy, gift wrap, and other items, we request a direct donation to
our Annual Fund. Gifts are not used for operating costs. In the past, funds have been
used for our teachers to attend professional development training, visit highly regarded
schools to observe and learn from the best models for Classical Christian schooling,
innovative technology programs, and more. Funds have been used to improve our
academic, athletic, and technology programs. Gifts are also used for tuition assistance
for families who otherwise could not afford a Christian education.

Donations may be mailed to:

North Hills Christian School Advancement

2970 W. Innes St.

Salisbury, NC 28144.

All gifts are tax deductible.

For more information, contact Angie Richard at arichard@northhillschristian.com.

North Hills Student Advances to Regional Spelling Bee

Weeks of diligent preparation paid off for North Hills Christian School student Richard Parker. On Monday, February 4, Richard emerged the victor of the 2013 Western Region Intermediate Spelling Bee for Non-Public Schools. Richard began studying early for the competition in his seventh grade Honors Literature and Vocabulary class at North Hills. Utilizing all of the learning resources available to him, Richard mainly made use of the provided Spell It list and dictionary.com to strengthen his spelling proficiency.

The district spelling bee was held at Salisbury Academy and consisted of fifteen top spelling students from Pine Lake Preparatory in Mooresville, Woodlawn School in Davidson, Salisbury Academy, Sacred Heart and North Hills Christian School. The spelling battle took its time narrowing down the perspective winner with forty-two rounds of challenging words such as "paucity" and "macron." Richard clinched the win by correctly spelling "expertise", and his championship word "antibiotic."

His teacher Mrs. Shannon Vickers shared, "I was so impressed with Richard's level of preparedness and how calmly he competed. He was very steady and methodical in his approach to spelling the words."

As the district winner, Richard earned a fifty dollar cash prize and a gift bag with snacks awarded to all contestants. He will enjoy the honor of advancing to the 73rd Annual Winston-Salem Journal Regional Spelling Bee to be held on March 16, where he will compete against other district winners from public, home, private and charter schools in the region.

Middle School Girls Pac-8 Basketball Team Remains Undefeated

Congratulations to our Middle School Girls Pac-8 Basketball Team for their Back to Back undefeated seasons and Back to Back Tournament Championships!

Coaches Nikki Eagle and Talita McCain lead a team of the following irreplaceable middle school players: Dajah Glenn, Jordan Plummer, Marissa Murdock, Caroline Cody, Alyssa Shue, Cora Carmitchel, Coryn Soul, Camantha-Rea Lyerly, Catherine Johnson, and Mary Kaufmann.

"I am so proud of how the girls became a team on and off the court," says Coach Eagle. "The girls worked together and learned to trust all their teammates. Most importantly, they acknowledged the gifts that God has given them and thanked Him for the blessing He has bestowed upon them. As a result of that trust, encouragement, and obedience, every player put numbers on the board, and together they won their titles."

Intern Feature: Learning the Ropes from Salisbury's Finest

On February 13th, Kevin Mitchell, a North Hills junior, completed his first day working as an intern for the Salisbury Police Department.

Mitchell says that his main job at the station is to work in the Records Section answering phone calls and providing assistance to those who enter the front office. (For those squeaky-clean civilians who don't know - the Police Records Section serves as the central repository for reports to the Department made by phone.) Mitchell hopes that in the future, he may be given more ways to help out the officers, and maybe be taken along for a ride in a squad car.

When asked how he got the internship, Mitchell highlights the ease of the process. "I just thought it would be awesome to intern somewhere like the police station. I asked Mrs. Pullen [NHCS Co-Head Administrator] and she thought it was a great idea as well, so we talked to [Salisbury PD Officer] Tad Ogg and he hooked us up."

Though his first day among the uniforms of Salisbury was nerve-wracking, Mitchell is confident that he has already learned to be a better listener and faster learner, and has high hopes for the rest of his semester working with the Department.

Rowan Regional Displays Artwork by North Hills Students to Cheer Up Patients

Rowan Regional Medical Center has asked NHCS art teacher Ann Bourque for artwork created by her students to be put on permanent display in the hospital. The purpose of the student artwork would simply be to bring a smile to the faces of patients staying in the center.

The idea started last year, when the hospital foundation approached Bourque for some of her own work to be donated and hung at the new Hospice center on Statesville Boulevard. What was originally a donation of only Bourque's artwork soon included collaborative pieces of student artwork from all grades, which are now hanging in different areas of the hospital, including the cardiac wing and pediatric wing.

The artwork has been noticed and is so well-received that the foundation has approached Bourque once again in an effort to attain more student-produced artwork for their facilities. The students will begin working on various canvases for the Radiology department in the coming weeks.

Rowan Regional has funded the project by purchasing the supplies. Bourque and her art classes cherish the relationship they have developed with the hospital - one that is providing a wonderful community outreach opportunity for North Hills students.

"I am so happy to be leading our students on such a wonderful, gratifying artistic journey as they participate first-hand in making the lives of patients and staff members a little bit brighter," says Bourque.

All-A Honor Roll for Second Quarter

The following North Hills Christian School students made the All-A Honor Roll during second quarter:

First Grade: McKenna Anderson, Corbin Bailey, Isabella Banish, Collin Cape, Megan Clifford, Audrey Corriher, Tayla Davis, Olivia Everhart, Rachel Johnson, Bella Keck, Tyler Kepley, Carlee Latva, Andrew Mead, Landon Merrell, Taylor
Mitchell, Josue Nunez Montalvo, Jenna Plummer, Dakota Roseborough, Selah Smith, Lily Sparks, Jonathon Spillane, Rylan Talbott, Ethan Wilson, Samuel Wilson, Kasey Wippenbeck.

Second Grade: Jeremiah Crisco, Olivia Herrin, Andrew Huffman, Kane Talbot.

Third Grade: Mallory Link, Anna Teague, Sam Vincent.

Fourth Grade: Bethany Hogan, Elisabeth Houghton, Stephen Johnson, Austin Latva, Caroline Nance, Harris Sparks, Abigail Zunk.

Fifth Grade: Brianna Hargrove, Elyssa Moysan, Destini Phifer.

Sixth Grade: Olivia Dagenhart, Audrey McGrail, Klara Ogg, Hannah Ottinger, Macy Woody.

Seventh Grade: Caroline Cody, Brittany Gaddis, Mary Kaufmann, Breanna Miller.

Eighth Grade: Dajah Glenn, Carter Love, Avery McGrail, Jordan Plummer.

Ninth Grade: Brittney Hogan.

Tenth Grade: Maddie Sweitzer.

Eleventh Grade: Emily Boggs, Elizabeth Farmer, Jordan Moore, Natalie Whicker.

Twelfth Grade: Taylor Foster, Paige Gregoire, Autumn Hatley, Abby Lane,
Madison Link, Mary Scott Norris, Katherine Paul, Nathan Wyatt.

NHCS 5th Grade Reading Projects On Display in Rowan Public Library

Leslie Hunsucker's 5th grade class is learning how it feels to be recognized for hard work. The class recently read Elizabeth George Speare's Sign of the Beaver, and was given the assignment of making miniature log cabins based on the cabin in the book. The children worked diligently on their detailed creations for about two months. The project entailed notching sticks, chinking gaps make a three-layer detachable roof, adding furniture, perfecting the miniature landscaping, and so on.

"I started taking them to the main branch of the public library about three years ago because I hated for the kids to do so much work and no one get to see it," says Hunsucker.

The projects will be on display in Rowan Public Library, in the glass cabinets located at the front entrance, for the entire month of February.

New North Hills Web Video Highlights a Mission

The new NHCS highlight video featured on the "About Us" page of the official website was published on January 9th ("WhyNHCS" on YouTube) to broadcast the mission of the school by featuring brief commentary by students and teachers. Watch the video here!