An Evening of Jazz
This coming Saturday the award-winning 14th Street Jazz Band will entertain at their annual fundraiser "An Evening of Jazz." The ensemble has already won its two major competitions of the year and now the public gets a chance to hear them. . .and even to dance to them.
The event this year (formerly known as "Jazz at the Mill") will be held at the Salem Convention Center, Saturday, April 30, beginning at 6:30 pm. The $40 admission charge includes a dinner, a silent auction, a live auction, fantastic music with a 20s-50s beat, and dancing.
Tickets may be purchased by contacting band director Brian Bell at [email protected] or phoning 503-399-3241 (North High's #). Tickets must be reserved beforehand. All proceeds go to support the North High band program.
Statesman Academic All-Stars
Every year the Statesman-Journal newspaper honors the top students in all the mid-Willamette Valley high schools as "Academic All-Stars." This year the top senior and the top junior of each school is recognized for their academics and their activities.
Kate Hultberg is North High's senior All-Star. With a 4.0 GPA in honors and Advanced Classes, Kate hopes to study clinical psychology and psychopathy in college to later work with treatment and research of mentally ill patients.
Her activities include orchestra, tennis, National Honor Society, Salem Hospital volunteer, and volleyball. She has been accepted at several colleges so far, but is waiting to hear from Stanford University. Her essay touted the value of community service, both to the community and to the student, saying that service "has made me a more compassionate, understanding, and well-rounded individual" and that it is a way for students to "give back."
North's junior All-Star is Moncerrad Barajas Gomez. Moncerrad also maintains a 4.0 GPA in top-level classes and her activities include MEChA Club, Salem Youth Symphony, Salem High School all-City Orchestra, French club, Summer Strings, National Federation of Music clubs, and the Teen Outreach Program.
She is planning to apply to Willamette University and Reed College, with a goal of becoming a veterinarian. The essay topic of what should be added to her school's curriculum led Moncerrad to suggest the need for Ethnic Studies, saying she saw a need for "creating an environment that makes all students feel welcomed and feel part of the school community, while keeping the pride in [students'] culture and roots." She is concerned that the education system, particularly in social studies, is too Euro-centric.
FBLA Leads to New Business
North High's chapter of FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) has led to the development of a growing business. 2005 graduate Hilary (Niedermeyer) Kelsey joined FBLA as a Viking freshman after being recruited by her business teacher to work in the school store. Hilary went on to become the national president of FBLA for the 2004-2005 school year.
With a business degree from Tulane University, her husband Brett, and an adopted Rhodesian ridgeback dog named Penny. Hilary was inspired to develop a virtually indestructible toy for dogs which she is currently marketing as the Penny's Loafer, named for her dog. Her story recently ran as the cover article in Tomorrow's Business Leader, the national magazine of FBLA. After extensive research into the anatomy of a dog's mouth, how dogs interact with toys, what keeps a dog's interest, how big the toy should be, the latest trends in the dog toy market, and a crash course in manufacturing and plastic injection molding, Hilary's product made it to the prototype stage. She has been working as well with the marketing angle creating her brand and dealing with people from graphic designers to lawyers to folks who specialize in rubber, plastic, and manufacturing. The product should hit the market by this summer. Follow it on Facebook at ThePennysLoafer. 2016 Prom
This year's Prom was held, last Saturday at the Reed Opera House ballroom. It was a great opportunity to be decked out in the latest finery.
Viking Association Board of Directors
We are currently experiencing a couple of openings in YOUR Alumni and Friends Association Board of Directors. Terms are for 3 years, unless filling a vacancy, and directors may serve for more than one term. Meetings are held once a month in Salem (generally at the high school) and usually last about 1 1/2 hours.
We are seeking diversity on the Board in age, gender, occupational background, and ethnicity. But the most important criterion is a commitment to serve both the school and its alumni.
If you have an interest or would like more information, please contact one of the three Board members in the left sidebar.
Nominations for the North High Hall of Fame need to be submitted by May 1 to be considered for induction in the Class of 2016. North's unique Hall of Fame has four categories: Achievement, Distinguished Lifetime, Athletics and Service, the latter open to non-graduates who have served the school in some capacity. Individuals who have been nominated in the past, but not inducted remain in the pool of candidates and do not need to be resubmitted. Information and nomination forms can be found on the Viking Association webpage (see link in upper left of newsletter) under the "Alumni"tab. Due to the numbers of nominations, it is wise to submit as much information as possible to help clarify why you feel you nominee is more worthy than the other submissions. Nominations may be submitted either by email or directly to the North High office at 765 14th St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. |