Beaverton City Library holds numerous contests for young adults to encourage young readers and budding authors. One such contest held every year is the Creative Writing Contest. This year’s theme was Fan Fiction, wherein the story uses characters and/or settings from another author’s work to create an original story though no direct passages from the original work could be used. The contests were held for Grades 6-8 for Middle School and Grades 9-12 for High School level kids. Fan Fiction stories were required to be at least two to seven pages in length. Entries were judged based on creative use of characters and settings, overall impression and flow.

This year, Valley Catholic High School students swept the Fan Fiction Creative Writing Contest winning top honors. Judged among the 33 entries received by the Beaverton Library, Valley Catholic High School winners demonstrated their creativity and flair for writing. This is strong testimony to Valley Catholic’s continued focus on reading and writing skills as part of the school curriculum.

Congratulations to the winners!

• First Place - Reborn From the Ashes by Lara Walsh (Grade 12, Valley Catholic School - Based on Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
• Second Place - An American Dream by Alisha Lorenz-McIntyre (Grade 12, Valley Catholic School - Based on The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)
• Honorable Mention - Twlight: The Musical by Brittany DeTemple (Grade 12, Valley Catholic School - Based on the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer)

Interested students and parents, watch out for an upcoming Poetry Contest from Beaverton Library in March-April 2010. Click here for more information about Beaverton Library Young Adult contests and events.

Story written by Kirti Devi – Valley Catholic School Parent

Chrisma Dancer Kelsey

The Valley Catholic Charisma earned second place at a competition at Parkrose High School on February 20th, after being narrowly edged out for first place by Scappoose. Astoria placed 3rd in the division which combined teams from the 3A and 4A classification. The Charisma achieved another team goal with a score of 70.22 which is a new team record.

“We are excited to have finally hit the 70 point mark,” said Coach Jessica Anderson. “It is a team first under the current scoring system and we hope to continue to advance from here. We have been implementing some changes to improve our routine and it was affirming to see it reflected in our scores and in the judges’ comments. While we were not at our best in our first round performance, we fortunately had a cleaner second round which allowed us to stay within striking distance of Scappoose and ahead of Astoria. We were proud of our team for coming back strong. The finish line is almost in sight and while the Charisma has accomplished many team goals this season, we need to continue to work hard these last few weeks so we can peak at State,” Anderson added.

Kelsey Pruett placed in the top 5 of the individual advanced drill down competition out of 300 competitors, while Emma Stager survived to the top 30. Drill down is an individual event held at all sanctioned dance team competitions. This “Simon says” of military commands requires extreme concentration, diligence, and knowledge of drill down etiquette. When the dancers are called to “Attention” the drill down begins, and continues as dancers are eliminated for failing to execute commands in the order they were called, executing the commands incorrectly, or flinching. There are both stationery and marching commands and it gets harder and more nerve-wracking as the competition progresses. The dancers perform the commands under the watchful gaze of the callers and spotters, and with the distraction of a gym full of spectators.

“Kelsey has excelled in drill down since she started on dance team last year “In fact, I can think of only two competitions in which she has not received the highest honor available in her drill down class. This year, as she moved into the advanced category, she continues to amaze Jessica and me with her ability to reliably achieve top honors. The Parkrose drill down was one of the hardest drill down competitions I have ever witnessed. Kelsey’s passion for drill down is evident in both her focus at competition and her desire to improve at practice. She is always begging us for “just ten minutes” of drill down practice. Her successes in this area reflect exactly the kind of dancer and team member she is; talented, devoted, and determined. Jessica and I are very lucky to have her on our team”, said Coach Megan Hoffman.

The Charisma will be in action on Saturday, March 6th at a competition at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, where they will again square off against Scappoose and Astoria, along with Banks and Portland Lutheran. The two round event starts at 11:30 and costs $6 per round or $10 for all day.

“It should be an exciting event. We plan to dance our entire state routine and are anticipating achieving more team goals” said Anderson. This is a great competition for our fans to come to since it is so close to Valley Catholic and features 26 teams in either the dance/drill or show divisions and from all classifications.”

The Charisma will also perform at the Glencoe Exhibition on Saturday March 13th which is a non-judged showcase for local teams and is the Charisma’s final warm up for State on March 19-20 at Memorial Coliseum.

Beaverton Valley Times also has coverage, here.

- By Senior Rebecca Kravitz, Edited by Senior Lara Walsh

It’s that time of year again. Walking into the auditorium any day after school after Christmas Break you would have found both cast and crew members alike singing, dancing, acting, and working hard on this year’s spring musical. For the past 40 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has been performed by both professional and amateur groups. More than 20,000 schools have performed this light-hearted musical, and now Valley Catholic can be added to that list.

“What’s great about the spring musicals as opposed to the fall productions is that [we] get to collaborate more with the musicals,” says Drama Director Ginnie Sutfin. “There’s more opportunity for everyone, and generally more people can get involved.” That’s certainly true. Incorporating 22 high schoolers, six middle schoolers, and a chorus of 29 elementary schoolers, Sutfin describes Joseph as “The biggest musical in Valley Catholic history!”

When asked why she chose such a large musical to put on, Sutfin said, “It gives a lot of people opportunity to play fun, different roles.” And she would know. Sutfin has actually been in two different performances of Joseph playing one of Joseph’s brothers both times. “I had a lot of fun doing it, and I knew the Valley Catholic students would too,” she says.

For some, it is their first time performing on the Valley Catholic stage. But others, like Claire Lender and Sophia Brady, could be considered veterans of the stage having performed in six plays each since their freshman year. What’s the big appeal? “I like pretending to be someone else on the stage. It’s really fulfilling!” Brady says.

Nick Mannen, who plays the part of Joseph and had his acting debut last spring as Prince Charming in Cinderella, stresses the fun side of being a part of the show, “I enjoyed my first experience in Cinderella last year, and it’s great being able to hang out with friends on the stage.”

Aparna Parthasarathy has higher hopes than just having fun. When asked what her favorite part about being a part of Joseph was, she said, “My favorite part is just getting up on stage and performing. I’m actually looking to go into acting, so this is great experience.”

Many of the actors and actresses keep busy playing more than one role in the Joseph story. Someone who is one of Joseph’s brothers in one scene could be an Egyptian girl in the next. “It’s very challenging! I’ve had to stretch my boundaries. I’m always on stage. I’m always singing. I’m always dancing. It’s a lot of work, but I love it,” says Brady.

Even though they may be on the stage for almost the whole play, each actor has their favorite scene. Lender loves the sound of the song Grovel, Grovel. “It’s a really cool, jazzy part, but Nick has to be all serious in it at the same time. It just sounds great.” Others like Parthasarathy prefer Evan Tait’s performance as Pharaoh. “He sounds like a mix of Cher and Elvis. It’s hilarious!” she says.

While Valley will have the pleasure of seeing sophomores like Parthasarathy and Tait in future plays, this will be the last opportunity for seniors to perform in a VCS production. Bryn Nelson, after acting in three plays and being involved in even more behind the scenes, will “miss seeing everyone and creating new bonds with people [she] didn’t really know before.” Creating fond memories of late nights memorizing lines, participating in work parties, sharing food, and gaining new friends, the only thing the cast and crew of Joseph can hope for is that the audience has half as much fun watching the play as they did working on it.

Read more about the production here.

Join us this February 19th through the 28th at Valley Catholic School’s Kelly Auditorium for our production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical - Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Reserve your tickets today!

Valley Catholic Drama brings one of the world’s most popular musicals to Beaverton — the biggest production in campus history! Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat features high school and middle school students playing the iconic roles of Joseph, the Narrator, the Pharaoh, Joseph’s brothers, and many others. Joining them on the stage for the first time will be the Valley Catholic Elementary School chorus, bringing together students of all ages on the VCS campus in a fresh and exciting production. Featuring popular music styles and songs like “Any Dream Will Do,” “Close Every Door,” and “Song of the King,” Joseph is sure to delight audiences of all ages! Be sure not to miss this all-singing, all-dancing musical extravaganza!

PERFORMED BY:

• SENIORS: Sophia Brady, Claire Lender, Abbie McLean, Nick Mannen, Bryn Nelson, Emily Walsh
• JUNIORS: Veronika Kiss, Daniel Lin, Allie Pierce, Marcela Ramirez
• SOPHOMORES: Erin Coffman, Mary Margaret Kelly, Arthur Kim, Katherine Kraemer, Aparna Parthasarathy, Stephen Pierce, Jana Purcell, J.P. Rivera, Lavanya Sridharan, Evan Tait
• FRESHMEN: Kelsey Baker, Ria Dela Rosa, Elizabeth Woodruff
• MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: Sannah Braun, Jordan Lacandazo, Connell Morantte, Collin Pierce, Megan Piggott, Hannah Wilson.
• The show also features the Valley Catholic Elementary School chorus, directed by Sister Denise Klaas. Stage manager is junior Evangel McVicker, and assistant stage manager is Katey McLean.

The Charisma dance team achieved two goals on Saturday, January 16, 2010, at a dance competition at Thurston High School in Springfield. The dancers came home with the first place trophy in their division, which included Santiam (2A) and Sweet Home (4A). Charisma’s score of 65.67 exceeded the required Qualifying Score (SQS) and earned Charisma an automatic berth into the championship final round at state, making Charisma the first, and so far the only, 3A team to do so for 2010. Nine teams competed at Thurston and the Charisma were ranked third overall behind 4A Stayton (72.39) and 5A Marshfield (69.39) and just 0.12 of a point above fourth place Marist (4A). Congratulations, Charisma Dancers! We are off to a great start.
Read the rest of this entry »

Swimming - Boys win district title
After a few near misses in the last couple of years Valley Catholic has regained the district championship in boys’ swimming. The district championships were held in LaGrande on February 12th and 13th and a determined boys team outscored second place North Marion 234-237. Head Coach Abe Gleason earned his first district championship with this talented group of swimmers. Just as impressive was the girls’ team improving three overall spots from last year to take home a 7th place finish. The state championships will be held this Friday (2-19) and Saturday (2-20) at Mt. Hood Community College. All of the state championship information can be found here.

Here is a list of our state qualifiers:

• Gavin Burgess – 200IM, 100 Butterfly (*District Champion in both events)
• Josh Hammes – 100 free style (*District Champion), 50 free style
• Julia Anderson – 100 butterfly (*District Champion), 200 IM
• Daniel Or, Alex Byers, Gavin Burgess, Holden Richards- 200 medley
• Daniel Or, Nick Mannen, Rothnak Chan, Josh Hammes – 200 free style (*District Champions)
• Holden Richards, Nick Mannen, Josh Hammes, Gavin Burgess – 400 free style (*District Champions)
• Julia Anderson- 100 Butterfly (*District Champion), 200 IM

We will be taking a rooter bus on Friday morning leaving Valley at 8:00 am. Permission slips can be picked up in the main office and need to be turned in by Thursday morning at 8:45.

Dance - Charisma entertains the crowd Friday then wins first place at Stayton on Saturday
The dance team worked overtime on Friday (2-5) and early on Saturday (2-6) to earn their second consecutive first place finish. Charisma, with the help of some of Valley’s finest student dancers, dazzled the crowds at the boys and girls games last Friday night with their “Dancing with the Stars” performances. Charisma had an early turn around with a 6:00 am departure from VC on Saturday (2-6) to compete in the Stayton Invitational. The long night and early rise did not seem to slow Valley. The Valiants secured their second consecutive first place finish in competition (VC finished 1st at Thurston on ) by taking home first in the 2A/3A division. Valley will compete this Saturday (2-20) at Parkrose High School.

Girls Basketball - First place tie will be broken on Saturday
Valley Catholic secured a spot in the district championship game as a result of their fourth consecutive West Valley League title. The Valiants finished the year with a 14-2 league record and tied with Willamina. The two teams will square off this Saturday (2-20) at Sherwood High School to determine the #1 and #2 seeds to state. The game will be at 5:00 pm and playoff prices will be charged ($5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students).

Boys Basketball - Valiants will host first round game on Wednesday
The Valley Catholic boys’ basketball team got a last second three point shot from Christian McDonald (off of a Nolan Cassidy pass) to defeat Amity last Thursday. The win secured a 4th place finish for the Valiants in the tough West Valley Conference. Valley Catholic will host Westside Christian this Wednesday (2-17) at 7:00 pm in t loser out game. Playoff prices will be charged ($5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students), and VC will not be able to honor any family or season passes. A win for the Valiants will send them to Horizon Christian on Friday (7:00 pm) for a rematch with the state’s top ranked team.

Spring Sports
Please make sure you have an updated physical on file and your fee of $100 is paid to the main office prior to practice next Monday. Baseball, tennis, track, and softball will meet on their fields/courts at 3:30 next Monday. Golf will meet in the athletic center lobby at 3 p.m.

Please respond to Jeff Gallagher with any questions.

For Catholic Schools Week, the children at VCELS took part in a very special service project to benefit other young children in our area. We collected bags and bags of new and gently used baby, toddler and preschool clothes for the Shelter at Orenco Station (SOS). The boys and girls were so excited as we talked about how they could help others and how Jesus loves each and every child.

On pick-up day, the children helped Sheila Seger (VCS parent and St. Matthew’s coordinator) load all the bags of clothing (and donated food) into her car. One five-year-old boy proudly said “these are my clothes that I brought to share with all the little kids who need them.” We are so blessed to be a part of teaching the children about faith, knowledge, discipline and morals. This service project planted seeds that will have dividends for life!

The Shelter at Orenco Station, SOS, is located in Hillsboro, Oregon at Sonrise Church. It is run cooperatively by the local faith community. Last year Sonrise, Hillsboro Presbyterian and St. Juan Diego churches worked together to operate the shelter. This year, Hillsboro United Church of Christ , St. Matthew, St. Pius X, Laurel Community, Brookwood Baptist and Community of ChristChurch congregations are also working with the Shelter. For more information about SOS, please visit their site here.

Congratulations to the Middle School Girl “Cadet” Team for strong finishes in both the CYO Combined Team Championship on Jan. 23 and 24 and All-Star meets on Jan. 30. The 12-member team easily came in first in their age division, outscoring Our Lady of the Lake by close to 30 points. The girls’ strong performance helped lead the entire co-ed Valley Team to overall victory, again easily outscoring CYO Salem by a similar amount for the 1st place team trophy. The girls’ team performance was capped off by outstanding individual performances on Jan. 30 at the All-Star Invitational, including a new All-Star record by 8th grader Zosia Zdanowicz in the 200-yard freestyle, breaking the old record by over three seconds. While seven members of the team will be graduating this year, look out for next year. The five returning 7th graders are set to do it all again!! Go Eagles!!

Story submitted by Vicki Finn, Assistant Coach VC Girls CYO Team

Click on a thumbnail to see the photo larger.

Students of all ages on campus are having a great time finding creative ways to celebrate Catholic Schools Week — the annual celebration that focuses attention on the good work done by the nation’s Catholic schools. The annual celebration is a joint project of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The NCEA observes this year’s week Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 with the theme “Catholic Schools - Dividends for Life.”

According to Karen Ristau, NCEA president, “Catholic schools provide good things for students and families—high expectations and daily experience of faith. In these challenging times, the theme also reminds parents that the dividends of a Catholic school education—students prepared in faith, knowledge, morals and discipline—last a lifetime. There is no better way to invest in a child’s future—or the future of our world.”

Students are holding special dress days like wearing clothes from a certain decade, pajama and Snuggie Day, Hawaiian day, dress like a teacher day, patriotic themed and heritage dress. Students are also collecting Pennies for Peace and cans of food to help the needy. Several spirit assemblies will be held and an all school Mass takes place in the Valiant Gym Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 9:25 a.m.