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To donate by check, send to "Viking Association," c/o North Salem High School, 765 14th St. NE, Salem OR 97301
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* * * * Viking Association Mission Statement: To create, promote, and sustain a "Viking-connected" community of alumni and friends, this Association will foster a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship among alumni, friends, North Salem High School (NSHS), its students and staff, and the community to support the mission, goals, and traditions of NSHS. |
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Featured in this issue:
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Fitness Center Update
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Saturday School Volunteers Needed
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JROTC Drill Team Rocks Veteran's Day at Blazer Game (see the video)
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Holiday Concerts
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Hall of Fame Gets QR Code (use your smart phone)
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Fall Sports Roundup
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Holiday Bazaar
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Fitness Center
The efforts to upgrade our weight room which is suffering from old, unsafe equipment are finally paying off. A year-long effort to raise funds will result in the completion of the first phase of the project over Winter Break.
With a grant from the Larry and Jeanette Epping Family Foundation, a new rubberized floor will be installed by a volunteer crew led by Athletic Director Brodie Cavaille (class of '98). Thanks to donations from North High's alumni, eight weight racks will be installed, along with eight mirrors and a new, water bottle-friendly drinking fountain. Four new stationary bikes for cardio work will also be added, as well as new Bosu balls. When students return in January, there will already be a new look Fitness Center.
But this is only phase one. There is much more to do to bring this room up to standards of other high schools, to make it safe, and to make it usable for a curriculum that meets the needs of today's youth. A major misconception is that the room is only used by athletes. The reality is that it also is used for eight periods of weights and fitness classes that average over 40 students per class! Over one-third of the student body uses the room during a given school year.
By January we will be halfway there. We will still need financial help to complete the project. In December, a new campaign will be launched to raise the over $60,000 needed to finish the job. We hope that you will strongly consider making a contribution, or a further contribution, to make this dream a reality.
Saturday School
Imagine nearly 200 kids voluntarily giving up their Saturday morning to work on their geometry or an English essay. Imagine all of those kids packed into the North High Library using the two computer labs and all of the tables and chairs. This is a current reality. North High has been offering a voluntary Saturday School to students who want an optional 6th day of academic instruction and assistance with certified staff and volunteers in a nurturing and supportive environment. The focus is on core content areas such as English, math, social studies and science. Breakfast and lunch are provided the students through the Federal free lunch program. In an informal survey of students as to why they came to Saturday School had students saying they had difficulty studying in their home environments, they appreciated the help they could get from staff and volunteers, they were able to work on group projects more easily, and other factors. A few of you answered the call to help on November 5. More volunteers could be helpful for the following dates: December 3 and 10, January 14 and 21, February 25, March 4 and 18, April 15 and 22, and every Saturday in May. If you are interested in helping, contact Donovan Kim at kim_donovan@salkeiz.k12.or.us , or simply show up at the school library on any of the dates. Saturday School runs from 9 am until 1 pm, and you are welcome during any or all of those hours.
North High JROTC Drill Team Rocks Blazer Halftime
The Portland Trailblazers chose the North High JROTC Lady Viking Unarmed Drill Team, one of the nation's top JROTC drill groups, to perform at halftime for their game on Veteran's Day, November 11, this year. Their instructor, Lt. Col. Dwight Morse (Ret.) captured their routine on film. Click on it below to see how awesome these young ladies are and how well they represent our school:
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| North High JROTC Lady Vikings at Veteran's Day Trail Blazer halftime |
Holiday Concerts
The North High music department has three upcoming holiday concerts. All will be held in the school auditorium at 7 pm. The orchestra, under the direction of Larry Garrett, will perform on Tuesday, December 13. The next night, Wednesday, December 14, the band will present their concert led by director Brian Bell. Finally, on Thursday, December 15, new instructor Jennifer Kercher will direct the Viking choirs. These events are a great way to get into the spirit of the season.
Hall of Fame to get QR code
North High's unique Hall of Fame features photos of everyone inducted since 2006. The pictures are high on the wall of the entry area of the school. One problem is that few people know who the inductees are just by looking at the pictures. That problem will soon be solved. A QR code will be placed in the hall at eye level so anyone with a smart phone and an app for reading codes (most are free) will be able to scan the code and be sent immediately to the Hall of Fame page of the Viking Association website where there are short biographies of every inductee to the Hall. Try it with the photo below.
Fall Sports Roundup
The football team, volleyball team, and both girls' and boys' soccer teams ended the season in the bottom third of our nine-team Greater Valley Conference. Due to power rankings, the boys' soccer team made it to the play-in round of the State Playoffs, dropping their game 1-0 to a higher ranked squad, to end their season. The football team did have a signature win over the South High Saxons, bringing home the coveted Mayor's Trophy.
Boys' cross country placed 5
th
, while the girls' ended 4
th
in the Conference, narrowly missing a berth as a team in the State meet. The girls then traveled to Idaho for the Nike Cross Country Northwest Regional meet where they placed 4
th
in the Open Invitational 2 category, ending up 13
th
overall out of 41 teams.
In voting by league coaches the following athletes were chosen for All-Conference honors:
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Janel Urbina.
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For girls' soccer, senior Janel Urbina was chosen 1st team, while senior Carrie Ochoa made 2nd team, with two girls were selected honorable mention. On the boys' side senior Sergio Villazana and junior Adrian Maciel made 2nd team and two boys made honorable mention.
A number of football players were voted to the All-Greater Valley Conference squad: Junior Sandoval (sr) made 1st team as a safety and
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Junior Sandoval
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Alexis Valenzuela (sr) made 2nd team as a linebacker. Eleven Vikings were selected honorable mention.
The volleyball team placed three girls on the All-Conference teams. Italian exchange student Emma Moletto was voted 2nd team, while two girls made honorable mention.
In cross country, the coaches don't vote: all-league is based on finish at the Conference meet. By placing 16th overall, sophomore David Rojas earned honorable mention status for the boys. Junior Madison Willhoft placed 4th overall, earning her third straight trip
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From left: Emma Haburn, Madison Willhoft, and Abi Swain
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to the State Meet and 1st team All-Conference. At State, Maddie took 26th. Placing 11th at Conference, freshman Abi Swain, running the third fastest 5,000 meters in North history, made 2nd team All-Conference. She was the fastest freshman in the league. Sophomore Emma Haburn placed 18th, garnering honorable mention. All
of the varsity girls' cross country squad are returning next year.
Winter sports (basketball, wrestling, and swimming) begin this week. The girls' basketball program will not be running a varsity program this year, attempting to build up a strong JV team which will be more competitive next year as a varsity.
Holiday Bazaar
The North High Cross Country Teams are sponsoring a wonderful Holiday Bazaar on December 3 at the High School. See the poster below for details:
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| If you have not already done so, please send to Steve Chambers your full contact information (name, maiden name where applicable, street address, phone number, and graduating class or if your are a friend) as this will help us keep in contact should your e-mail address change. Please forward this newsletter to other Vikings so they can also stay in touch with the school. steverc@comcast.net |
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