Valley Catholic’s reputation for turning out well-rounded students is more than just lip-service:  How many schools do you know that can boast of an Artist-in-Residence?  Valley Catholic High School English teacher Marty Karlin took on the art classes at Valley this school year. She recently arranged for an ALA Notable Book winner, Nancy Coffelt, to bring her unique gifts to our school for a three-day workshop.

Nancy is a writer and illustrator of children’s and young adult books and has been honored with awards from Kirkus Starred Reviews, School Library Journal Starred Review, and a 2008 Mom’s Choice Award.  Her art is primarily oil pastels on black paper.  She has works in galleries nationwide and her clients include Starbucks, The Nature Company, Second Nature Software, Harcourt, Mud Puppy Press, Gango Editions, The Canvas Company and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Valley Catholic High and Junior High students attended lectures on design and composition, as well as working on their own drawings under Nancy’s supervision.  The workshop also focused on color and texture, as well as the layout of the students’ own work and using the border as a visual narrative.

Nancy spoke to students about the steps needed to create characters, stories and illustrations for picture books. She also shared a drawing presentation with students, making sure each class got an original drawing to keep.

-Story Submitted by Jill Pruitt, VCES Parent

Watch Valley students make a personal delivery of food and toys on our school-wide Web channel valleycatholictv.com

Beaverton, Ore. – December 17, 2009 — Valley Catholic School held its annual food drive Friday, Dec. 18. More than a hundred students left campus the Friday before Winter break to deliver two week’s worth of meals and Christmas toys to 25 local homes.

Since mid-November, students in grades 7-12 have been collecting food and holding several grass roots fundraisers in hopes of making as big a difference as possible in the lives of the 25 families. Each homeroom adopts a family whose names are given to the school from LifeWorks Northwest located in the Beaverton Community Center. Students make personal contact with the family to learn their needs as well as find out what kinds of toys for which their children are wishing. The benefiting households range from a single parent with one child to five adults with six children.

Students found many creative ways to bring in cash to maximize their ability to purchase more food and toys for the families. All the proceeds from the fall, semi-formal dance, more than $1,600, were donated to the effort. They even borrowed a beloved history teacher who owns a Santa suit to pose for Santa photos and charged everyone a sitting fee. Excitement for the annual food drive has also spawned an annual tradition of VC students spearheading a mini-auction that brings in nearly $1,000. Student Body Officers entice their friends to bid and purchase great items like monthly deliveries of home-made pie or cookies, reserved parking spots, dinner for four prepared by the Student Body Officers, and offering their time to be someone’s personal assistant for the day.

With the money raised, the Valley Catholic Food Drive is able to provide three meals a day for two weeks to 25 families, purchase ingredients for a special Christmas dinner (turkey, ham, potatoes, pumpkin pie, vegetables, margarine and gravy), as well buy eggs, milk, bread, apples and oranges for each family. Students also provide all recipients with toys for each child in the family and give a $90 gift certificate to Fred Meyer for the parents.

WatchValleystudents make a personal delivery of food and toys on our school-wide Web channel valleycatholictv.com