May Patriot Newsletter
North Pole High School
601 NPHS Blvd • North Pole, AK 99705
www.k12northstar.org/northpoleH • 907-488-3761
Greetings,
Wow! It’s hard to believe the school year has ended. As we say goodbye to our
graduates of the Class of 2016 it’s important that we acknowledge that their future
is full of possibilities. Next school year our doors will open for the class of 2020. We
are excited for this Freshman class. The first day of school for Freshman and students
new to our District is August 17th. All returning students and upperclassmen first day
of school is August 18th.
Congratulations to Macy Ke, as a recipient of the 2016 Scholastic Art and Writing
Award National Medalists. There were over 320,000 works of art and writing
submitted and only 2,400 medals were awarded at the national level. Macy has
been invited to New York to attend the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall.
Our Future Farmers of America (FFA) represented us well at the State competition
held earlier this month. As a school, we won several top individual and team
awards.
Classes Resume at
NPHS on:
August 17, 2016
For FRESHMAN AND
NEW STUDENTS
All other students
report for the first
day of school on
August 18, 2016
The AFJROTC program was recently recognized with Outstanding Instructor Awards
presented to both Colonel Rauenhorst and Chief Spilinek from the Department of
the Air Force.
We are so fortunate to have community members that care. Day in and day out
volunteers from the local churches show up daily to support our students. Thank you
to our PTSA for all your hard work and dedication that you have shown throughout
the year to the staff and students at North Pole High.
If your child is planning on participating in any Fall sports, please be sure that their
fines and fees are paid. This information is seen on their PowerSchool account.
On behalf of the staff at North Pole High, we would like to wish everyone a
refreshing summer!
Regards,
Clarice Mingo
Volume 30 Issue 9
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SCIENCE
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CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION NEWS
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SPANISH NEWS
Spanish I:
The students in Level I prepared a book using the mini presentations we created during this semester. The
themes were: sports, describe yourself, vacation, birthday and shopping. The students presented on May
10, 11 and 12 and the audience was the students from North Pole Elementary.
Spanish II:
The students in Level II prepared a book using legends from Spanish speaking countries. The students
presented the legends on May 10, 11 and 12 and the audience was the students from North Pole
Elementary.
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Spanish I and II; To celebrate ‘5 de mayo’: The students danced with Felix Bambury on ‘6 de mayo’.
Mrs. Misty Jensen from AFS USA, Alaska www.afsusa.org gave
a quick overview of the Exchange Programs. If you are
interested in the exchange program, you may contact Mrs.
Jensen by email at [email protected]. or by phone at 907–
202–0323 or 800-AFS-INFO.
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NPHS LIBRARY SERVICES:
The NPHS Library is open for students from 7:15
AM until 4:00 PM school days.
NPHS Library
May 2016
The students may use the library at lunchtime, and
may visit during school hours with a pass from
their teacher.
STUDENT SERVICES INCLUDE:
Book Checkout
Computer Access
Printers
Copy Machine
eBooks
Kindles
Test Makeup
Password Reset
Research Assistance
______________________
Contact Us: North Pole HS
Librarian:
Cayla Armatti 907-488-3761 ext 19200
Library Assistants:
Becky Dustin and Stephanie Niesen
____________________
Noel Wien Public Library
SUMMER READING
PROGRAM
for TEENS
The public library program offers teens the
opportunity to read books during the summer, write
a brief review for each book, and be entered in
drawings for weekly prizes. Both the Noel Wien
Library and the North Pole Branch Library offer
young adult programs during the summer reading
program. We also present a popular Young Adult
Mystery Night in late August for the teens who have
participated during the summer. Sign-up for the
summer reading program begins on Monday, May
23rd, and is ongoing through Saturday, July 23rd.
Volume 30 Issue 9
The Importance of Summer Reading
Summer reading has been a topic of discussion
by educators for decades. “Summer slide,” where
students lose the gains they made during the
previous school year, is a topic of conversation
this time of year. This learning loss has a
cumulative effect and impacts students as they
continue to move through school. There does not
seem to be one solution for this problem, but
educators can agree that we have to keep trying.
Up for a challenge? TRY THIS
THIS SUMMER:
11 CHALLENGES, 12 WEEKS,
UNLIMITED ADVENTURE!
•
•
a book published this year
a book you can finish in a day
•
•
•
a book recommended by your local library
a book that has been made into a movie
a book that has been banned someplace at
sometime
•
•
a book published before you were born
a book that a friend has recommended
•
•
a book you’ve already read once
a book that intimidates you
•
a book about a different culture than your own
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INTENSIVE RESOURCE NEWS
Patriot Partners Club News
The Patriot Partners Club has taken off on a good start this year. This is an organization sponsored by
Special Olympics to encourage students with special needs to be involved with non-disabled peers. The
students will eventually be involved in Unified Sports, to include bowling, floor hockey, and track & Field.
Katie Christensen has been the President for this year, but has been active for two years, helping to get the
Club off the ground. Today the Club welcomed incoming President, Gavin Plunk, who will help to insure the
Patriot Partners Club continues to grow over the next two years.
We did have the opportunity to go bowling earlier this month. We had three of our Partners go with the
Intensive Resource class. We had lunch at the Eielson Bowling Alley and enjoyed ½ a day of fun. Once
student, Stanton Parker, bowled 5 strikes in a row! That was very exciting. All students did very well and had a
great time.
On Saturday the Patriot Partners Club will participate in the Autism Walk. A group of 14 students and adults
are planning on walking to support those with Autism and help make others aware of how common it is.
The Partners Club meets once a week during lunch in room 159. We have Christmas luncheons, celebrate
birthdays, and enjoy each other’s company. This is open to anyone who would like to make a few new friends,
be involved in community spirit and help students with disabilities. If you think you would like to participate,
stop by next year and have lunch with us.
The Patriot Partners Club would like to thank the following people: Betsy Rogers, Kris Tachney, Kerri
Hickman, Gaylene Evans, Claire Swisher, and the administration at North Pole High for their support in
getting this club started. We would also like to thank the Teamsters for their generous support.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hopper or Kris Tachney.
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ART NEWS
This month was an exciting one for art students. Seventeen students were recognized by the
Borough Mayor for their artwork, which was produced as a result of participation in The Memory
Project. The Memory Project is a non-profit organization which pairs student artists with children who
are orphaned or live in extreme poverty. The children we made portraits of were from a remote
village in Bolivia. Each artist chose a child’s photo and made a portrait of a child, which was then
sent to the child. The students from Art II, III and AP each made a beautiful portrait, copies of which
are hanging at the Borough building for the next six months. Students worked on the portraits
throughout the fall and they were mailed in April to the children, where they were hand delivered
in Bolivia. We in turn received a video of the children opening their portraits, showing the joy and
gratitude they felt for these very special gifts. For some children, this is one of very few personal
belongings and something they will cherish from their childhood, and a reminder that someone
cared enough about them to make this portrait. The video can be seen on the NPH website or by
clicking on the link below. The artwork can be seen at the Fairbanks North Star Borough Building.
This was truly one of the most rewarding projects our students have done, it was really meaningful
to them, and they all worked very diligently to produce their best work.
Laurel Hebeck, Art Teacher
http://www.k12northstar.org/Page/5777
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Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) News
The Air Force announced three Air Force JROTC level unit and instructor awards this week. The North Pole High School
AFJROTC Unit AK-941 received, for the first time in our unit’s history, all three awards in the same year. The three awards
are:
DISTINGUISHED UNIT AWARD with MERIT. This award is presented only to units that earn the highest rating possible
(Exceeds Standards) during a HQ AFJROTC inspection. An Air Force inspection of our unit at North Pole High School occurs
once every three years. The Distinguished Unit Award with Merit is awarded to the top 10% of 887 AFJROTC units. This
award recognizes the personal growth and accomplishments of the cadets, contributions of the instructors as mentors,
and the support of the school and local community. Each cadet that was a member of our unit for both semesters will be
awarded the Distinguished Unit Award with Merit ribbon.
SILVER STAR COMMUNITY SERVICE Award. This prestigious award recognizes the top 5% of all AFJROTC units based on
community service in support of schools and local communities. The mission of AFJROTC is to “Develop citizens of
character dedicated to serving their nation and community.” The importance of service and understanding how it
positively impacts our cadets, schools, communities, and our nation is a critical component of what we strive to teach
through our program and is a central part of our mission in AFJROTC. The award is earned by units with the highest per
cadet average of community service hours that are planned and conducted by cadets under the supervision of AFJROTC
instructors. This award also recognizes the personal growth and accomplishments of the cadets, contributions of the
instructors as mentors, and the support of the school and local community. The NPHS AFJROTC cadets provided more
than 3,300 hours of community service to the school and local communities over the last 12 months.
OUTSTANDING AFJROTC INSTRUCTORS OF THE YEAR: The Outstanding AFJROTC Instructor Award winners were
selected from all of the received nominations and nominations made by the AFJROTC Regional Directors. These winners
represent the very best of AFJROTC instructors. North Pole AFJORTC instructors Chief Master Sergeant Bradley S.
Spilinek and Colonel Michael J. Rauenhorst were both awarded the Outstanding AFJROTC Instructor of the Year award
for the 2015-2016 school year.
North Pole High School AFJROTC Unit AK-941 Cadet Corps Photo for the 2015-2016 school year.
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Students of the Month
ANE/ELL
Mabel Yumang
Metals/Welding
Stephen Chase
Automotive
Don Whisel
Office Practice Specialist
Abby Wright
Counseling
Meghan Geese
Performing Arts
Meghan Geese
Integrated Programs
Haley Flores
Physical Education
Sarah Bixby
JROTC
Breanna Jones
Science
Dylan Latham
Language Arts
Brooklyn Harvison
Social Studies
Susan Glade
Math
Anna Green
Spanish
Jakobe Boyd
Visual Arts
Alea Dixon
Congratulations
Margaret May
North Pole City Council
Student of the Month
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North Pole High School
601 NPHS Blvd
North Pole, AK 99705
The Patriot Newsletter is published monthly during the school year
Submit articles by email to [email protected]
PATRIOT STRONG!
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color,
religion, creed, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, marital status, changes in marital status,
pregnancy, parenthood, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex in violation of Title IX
of the Education Amendments of 1972 in the educational programs or activities which it operates.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in violation of
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This includes admission or access to, or treatment or
employment in its programs, services, and activities.
Individuals requiring further information should contact the designated compliance director:
Ms. Doreen Oliver
Employment and Educational Opportunity Director
520 Fifth Avenue 4th Floor, Suite A, Room 410
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
(907) 452-2000 ext. 11466
Fax (907) 452-3172
[email protected]
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