Last week I wrote about Teacher Appreciation Week on our campus and what a great opportunity it presented to thank the wonderful faculty and staff at our school. This week I would like to shine the light on another very deserving group on our campus: our parents.

Valley Catholic School would not be where we are today without the support of our parent community. Parents on this campus rise to the occasion in so many ways that it is difficult to name all of them. However, here is just a sampling from the past week of parents in action on our campus that I observed:

• In walking through the Elementary and Middle School this week, I saw many parents reading to our Elementary School students in small groups.
• I heard from some of our parents this week about this Saturday’s International Festival. This community event will be made possible by the hard work of many parents who are helping spread cultural awareness to our school community by making traditional foods and sharing traditional customs.
• I spoke to parents from various school levels on campus who are actively involved in VALOR Parent Group activities, including helping plan for end-of-the-year activities.
• And, as always, I see many parents on campus each day attending athletic contests, drama productions, music concerts and more to show support for their students and other students in our school.

These examples are just from this week, but they represent a typical level of commitment by our parent community. Our parents have invested in the future of their children by choosing Valley Catholic and those same parents are investing in Valley Catholic through all of their actions of support.

One big area of support that we receive from our parents is their willingness to participate in the various fundraisers that we have each year. Whether it is the ES Jog-A-Thon, the annual Gap pledges or our biggest annual fundraiser, the auction, many of our parents come out and support our fundraising efforts in a variety of ways. I am grateful for the support of those who have been able to participate in these activities in the past and hopeful that all of our parents are able to participate going forward.

Several folks have asked me in the past few weeks, “How did the auction go?” We are wrapping up this year’s auction as the final bills are coming through and the results are being tabulated. Overall, there are a lot of positives to take away from the event. We were pleased to have more than 365 guests attend the auction this year, and we believe that there were quite a few positives in moving the event offsite to the Embassy Suites. Having said that, we also discovered some drawbacks, and further evaluation will have to be done before a decision is made about the location of next year’s event. As far as the numbers go, we were blessed with the results in the area of “Light a Fire,” which raised more money for financial aid this year than it has in the past few years. At the same time, some of our other results were lower, such as the raffle and the silent auction. Overall, the revenue for the entire event was not at the level of some of the previous years, but we took many positives away from the event that continues to be our biggest annual fundraiser. I am pleased that more than 100 people have taken time to share their thoughts on the event by completing the recent online survey. I plan on working with our Foundation to review the results of that survey and to strategize how we can make next year’s event even better. I want to publicly thank our auction staff and all of the parents, teachers, students, and friends of our community who came together to put on such a special event.

I wanted to let our community know about one of our families that is facing a difficult situation.  Rudy Oakes, father of Valley Catholic freshman Brian Oakes, recently had surgery for lung cancer. Please keep the Oakes family in your prayers.  For more information, click here.

It looks like another Valley Catholic weekend full of great opportunities to take part in community events. Saturday’s International Festival is sure to be a great event, and Sunday brings about two more activities with the Mother-Son Bowling for the ES and the retirement open house to honor Sr. Juliana Monti for her 40+ years of service to music on our campus. If that is not enough, there are HS athletes participating in the State Track Meet and Tennis Championships as well.

Enjoy this beautiful weather and your weekend.

Respectfully,

Bob Weber
President
Valley Catholic School

Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 that provides wigs to children across the country who suffer from long-term medical hair loss. This hair loss can be a result of many things, from radiation therapy to an chronic, incurable condition in which a patient loses their hair for no known reason. At a cost of least $3,000, wigs are unobtainable for many children.

Thanks to Locks of Love and the support of people like you, over 2,000 children have received the custom fitted hairpieces they need free of charge.

In the past 11 years, Valley Catholic students and adults have donated over 4,000 inches of hair and close to $9,000 to Locks of Love.

Thank you to the Jazz Band for providing music during the event last Friday, a special thanks to all of the participants who donated hair or had their heads shaved. All who took part in this event have impacted the lives of children across the country.

This year we were able to give 230 inches of hair and almost $800 to Locks of Love! (These numbers are in addition to the above numbers.)

Thank you, Valley Catholic Community!

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It’s been a terrific spring for all Valiant teams. Below is a brief overview of the season. More details can be found within the spring sports area of our website under each individual sport. Here’s where we stand:

GOLF
Our golf teams finished their seasons yesterday. The boys–Greg Ong, Mitchell DeSantis, Jacob Kachmarek, John Woodruff, and Ryan Schmidlin–qualified as a team for the State Tournament at Quail Valley. This was the first State Tournament for all our golfers except Greg, who was playing in his fourth. He shot two fine rounds of 76 and 78 and finished 4th among individuals.

Lindsie LaBonte qualified as an individual, shot an 84 in the first round (at Eagle Crest), which put her in 11th place after the first day, and came back with a 78, her lowest round of the year, to finish 7th as an individual.

Congratulations to all our golfers and to coach Aaron Harris on one of the best golf seasons in school history.

TENNIS
In tennis Kaitlyn Lomartire, who two years ago won the State Championship, and Connor Picken have qualified for this weekend’s State Tournament at the University of Oregon.

BASEBALL
Our baseball team plays Warrenton at Valley Catholic tomorrow for a State berth. If we win the first game we’re in; a second game will not be played. If we lose, we play again for the berth.

SOFTBALL
The softball team yesterday beat Corbett 8-5 in a loser-out game and plays Ranier tomorrow in a loser-out, winner-to-State game.

TRACK
Our boys’ track team just won their first District Championship in school history. The girls also ran well, finishing a close 2nd after five consecutive District Championships. We will send fifteen athletes to the State Meet at Western Oregon University this Friday and Saturday.

Here are our qualifiers (athletes must place 1st or 2nd to qualify on place; they may also qualify if they meet automatic standards; asterisks denote District Champions):

Girls:
• Claire McLoughlin-100 meters, 4×100 relay
• Mikaela Bernards-100 meters *, 200 meters *, 4×100 relay, 4×400 relay
• Mckenzee Cleveland-400 meters *, 800 meters, 4×100 relay, 4×400 relay
• Maddie Bernard-100 hurdles, 4×100 relay, long jump
• Rachel Feldhaus-pole vault *
• Addie Flemmer-4×400 relay
• Meg Rapp-4×400 relay

Boys:
• Josh Cole-400 meters, 4×400 relay *
• Anthony Alfieri-800 meters
• Andy Holstrom-1500 meters, 3000 meters, 4×400 meters *
• Connor Garcia-1500 meters, 3000 meters, 4×400 relay *
• Cooper Roach-1500 meters, 3000 meters, 4×400 relay *
• Aidan McLeod-4×400 relay *
• Dylan LeMay-110 hurdles, triple jump
• Reachana Chan-pole vault *

LACROSSE
Our lacrosse team ended their most successful season with a pair of fine wins over Central Catholic JV’s (5-0) and Southridge JV’s (4-1). The Southridge win demonstrated how much we improved-they’d clobbered us early in the season. Congratulations to the team and coach Peter Morgan on a season very few could have expected from such a young program.

A LITTLE MORE ATHLETIC NEWS
We’re thrilled to have hired Miguel Guante as our boys’ soccer coach. Miguel was Arizona State High School Player of the Year and a perennial All West Coast Conference midfielder at the University of Portland; he played for the Puerto Rican National Team and the American National U-17 and U-18 teams; he was selected after his junior year at UP in the first round (8th overall ) of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft by FC Dallas and then played for the Portland Timbers. Miguel holds a B.A. in Spanish from UP.

All head-coaching positions for next year are now filled except volleyball’s. We hope to make a volleyball announcement in the next few days.

The Dairy Farmers of Oregon Academic All Stars for spring athletics and activities were announced recently; Valley Catholic students shined across the board. Each Valley Catholic program that qualifies for the Dairy Farmers Awards earned at least a 3.0 grade-point average for their program. All teams that earn a 3.0 GPA or higher are awarded 25 points for their school in The Oregonian Cup standings. Through the completion of the winter season, Valley Catholic was in first place for this year’s Oregonian Cup standings for all 3A schools in the state.

Valley Catholic had team GPA’s above 3.0 for the following groups: Baseball, Softball, Boys and Girls Golf, Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Track, Band, Choir, and Orchestra. The groups listed in bold were among the top GPA’s for any 3A school in their activity.

As we announced a few weeks ago, Joel Sobotka has been hired as the new AD and boys’ basketball coach. Joel was on campus last week to be introduced to some of our students and staff. He will begin work on campus June 1. Jeff Gallagher has completed his work at Valley Catholic and is pursuing other opportunities. Kelly Alfieri will be handling the AD duties during this transition period.

Congratulations to the following athletic teams and music programs for making the top-10 list for the
Dairy Farmers Academic All-State Spring Awards in Oregon this spring:

Girls’ Golf – 2nd place
Girls’ Tennis – 6th place
Girls’ Track – 8th place

Band – 2nd place
Orchestra – 2nd place
Choir – 4th place

This program, sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Oregon, recognizes outstanding achievement in the classroom. The boys and girls team in each OSAA-sanctioned activity with the highest team grade point average (GPA) earns the Academic All-State Award. Each member of a winning team receives a much-coveted “got milk?” sweatshirt, commemorative pin and a certificate. The school receives a plaque in honor of its team. Members of top-10 schools in each activity at each classification are also recognized with a commemorative pin by the Dairy Farmers of Oregon and the OSAA.

Penny Wisener, mother of Valley Catholic students, is working to find host families for many of our visiting students. She is the VCHS Student Liaison for the American Education and Exchange Association (AEEA), and she helps with the International Students (students that will actually stay at Valley to graduate, not just come for a year). AEEA pays families a monthly stipend to help cover costs and provides medical insurance, plus Penny is on campus to meet with the students and to assist when needed.

If you are interested in hosting a student, or just finding out more about the process, please email Penny or call her at 503-524-4953. Thank you!

Submitted by VCS Parent Analizza Lambino

It’s this Saturday, May 19!
Didn’t RSVP?  That’s okay—come anyway!

VCS International Festival
Saturday, May 19, 2-5:30 p.m.
Eagles’ Gym and High School Cafeteria
There is no charge to attend this event!

Festival Schedule:

Many countries/regions will be represented in tabletop presentations and/or performances by our campus community: China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Slovakia, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

Reports on various cultures by middle school students in Sr. Denise’s Music Appreciation Class will also be featured in the tabletop presentations. In addition, a few middle school students will report on France, Italy, and Scotland during the cultural presentations.

Plus, the SSMO Sisters will be representing the “Culture of Religious Life.”

The potluck will showcase delicious cuisine from the different cultures, but should your child have a limited palate, some pizza will also be offered. Prizes will be raffled off to students who “travel” to many countries during the event.

Check us out on Facebook! We look forward to seeing lots of pictures and posts about the festival on our page. Thanks to Garima Gautam for setting this up. Contact Garima if you have questions or suggestions about our Facebook page.

The following communities and their Chairs/Leads are currently working hard to make this another memorable event for us:

Thank you for your participation in celebrating diversity with us!

Ong, competing in the OSAA Class 3A/2A/1A Boys State tournament for the fourth consecutive year, carded a 78 at Quail Valley Golf Course in Banks.  His two-day total of 154 (+10 for the tournament) earned him a tie for fourth place in the individual competition.  Meanwhile, LaBonte, competing as the lone Valley Catholic representative in the OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls State Tournament at Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon, improved from her Monday score of 84 to post a 78 in Tuesday’s final round.  Her two-day total of 162 was good enough for a 7th place overall individual finish.

The Valley Catholic boys team placed 10th overall by shooting a combined 372 in the final round and a two-day team total of 752.   The 2nd round scores for the Valiants included Ryan Schmidlin (87), Jacob Kachmarek (111), John Woodruff (106)  and Mitchel DeSantis (101).   St. Mary’s (Medford) won the team title with two-day total of 631.

Ong took advantage on the longer holes Tuesday, recording a birdie on three of the four Par-5 holes on the course.  During his four years at Valley, Ong has finished T-41 (2009), T-8 (2010), T-12 (2011).  Kevin Murphy of Rogue River claimed the 2012 Individual Title with a two-day total of 141.

LaBonte put the rest of the state on notice that she will be a factor in the next two years with her strong showing to conclude her sophomore year.  Last year, competing as an individual, she tied for 26th place with rounds of 95-93 for a two-day total of 188.  This year’s two-day total of 162 demonstrates the marked improvement in her overall game.  Her round on Tuesday started slow with a double bogey 6 on the opening hole.  However, Lindsie quickly rebounded with a birdie on the second hole and played steady golf the rest of the way.  Freshman Kaitlin Collum of Henley was the Girls Individual Champion with a two-day total of 144.  Kaitlin’s twin sister Kylie finished in fourth place.  Molalla won the 4A/3A/2A/1A team title with a two-day total of 720.

The Valiant boys team sits in 10th place overall after the first round with a team score of 380. Freshman Ryan Schmidlin shot an 86 on Monday, which included two birdies. The other Valiants in action included sophomore Jacob Kachmarek (108), freshman John Woodruff (112) and senior Mitchel Desantis (110). Tomorrow in the final round, the Valiants will tee off just after Noon at Quail Valley as they attempt to move up the team standings.

In the girls 4A/3A/2A/1A State Golf Tournament at Eagle Crest Resort, sophomore Lindsie LaBonte is tied for 11th place after a first round 84. LaBonte, competing in the State Tournament for the second consecutive year, carded three birdies in her round at Eagle Ridge Golf Course at Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon. The lone Valley Catholic competitor in the tournament, LaBonte will look to improve her standing during tomorrow’s second round. She tees off at Eagle Ridge at 8:54 a.m. on Tuesday.

2012 VCHS Girls’ Tennis Team. Back row, left to right: Morgan McDougal, Sophia Anderson, Tori Kemper, Coach Laura Unger, Jordan Heselwood, Momoe Seta, Tin Tin Luu. Middle row: Chelsea Ozuna, Karina Karlin, Kaitlyn Lomartire, Danielle Lomartire, Sarah Karlin, Tori Johnson. Front row: Megan Co, Momoko Mayumi, Becky Peng, Joy Lin, Allyza Concepcion, Kelli Hoang. Not pictured: Lavanya Backshi.

Submitted by VCHS Girls’ Tennis Coach Laura Unger

The VC girls’ tennis team did an excellent job in districts, getting six teams past the first round:  Kaitlyn Lomartire (junior); Tori Kemper (senior); Lavanya Bakshi; Danielle Lomartire (freshman) & Megan Co (sophomore); Jordan Heselwood & Tin Tin Luu (both freshmen); Momoe Seta (sophomore) and Sarah Karlin.

In their second match of the day, Danielle Lomartire & Megan Co played an intense match against a team from Tillamook High School. Lavanya Bakshi also played an intense match in her second round against an athlete from Riverdale that lasted well over two hours. The two that went on to playing in the third round are Tori Kemper and Kaitlyn Lomartire in singles. Kemper put up a great fight against the number four seed from Riverdale High School and Lomartire won her third round and will be representing us at the State Tournament in Eugene on May 18 and 19. After placing 2nd in districts, I believe Kaitlyn is completely ready to take on a new challenge in just a short week.

On the weekend of September 28 – October 1, 2012, (next school year) students from Shukutoku Yono High School, an excellent all-girls school in Tokyo, will pay their annual visit to Valley Catholic. We will need 30 families to host two girls each for three nights: Friday, Sept. 28, Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30. (Each family is given $60 to help defray their expenses.)

We are still in need of more families. Please do consider hosting two students for these three nights. The visits have always been enriching and memorable both for guest students and host families.

If you would like to host, or if you would like more information, please email Yoko Miwa, who is coordinating the visit, and leave a phone message for her via the high school office at (503) 644-3745.

Thank you!

This week we have celebrated National Teacher Appreciation Week throughout our campus by honoring our teachers and staff members with cards, notes, small gifts, and, of course, food.  It is one of my favorite weeks of the year as it allows us to reflect on the significant contribution that our teachers make each and every day on our campus.

I have said many times before that our teachers have the hardest and most important jobs on campus and at Valley Catholic, they are the true heroes.  The success of Valley Catholic School is the direct reflection of the determination, dedication, and talent of our faculty from those who teach our youngest Valiants in the Early Learning School all the way through to those who teach our seniors that are a just a few weeks from graduation.

To teach is to dedicate your career to helping children learn to be successful in so many ways.  The best teachers are here early, stay late, and use every moment in between to enhance the lives of their students.  After their “work day” ends, teachers are grading papers, writing lesson plans, and writing emails to keep up with the progress of their students.  There are so many examples on our campus each day of teachers who go the extra mile to make a difference.  I see it in all of our buildings at all of the levels and it is inspiring.

As a former classroom teacher, I am always energized when I hear of former students who have chosen the same career path and are now teaching.  I know of at least eight students in the four years I taught and coached at Valley Catholic High School who are currently teaching and/or coaching.

Although May 7-11 is set aside this year as National Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to encourage all of our families to join me in thanking our teachers for all they do to make our school successful and help improve the lives of our students.

It was great to see so many of our families at last Friday’s Music Jamboree.  Thank you to all of the families who were able to attend and enjoy the student performances.  I was especially appreciative of the standing ovation given to Sr. Juliana Monti.   As we announced previously, Sr. Juliana is retiring from her position as MS/HS Choral Director and Fine Arts Department Chair at the end of this year.  We will be honoring Sr. Juliana on May 20 with a special event.

Happy Mother’s Day this weekend to all of our mothers.  If we are to believe the weather forecast, it looks like we will be blessed with beautiful weather.

Respectfully,

Bob Weber
President
Valley Catholic School

To Our Beaverton Area Neighbors,

This letter is to introduce our Veterans & Family Center to you.  We are a program that provides transitional housing and a therapeutic environment for 68 homeless veterans and their families at a time. We are passionate about providing intensive case management and the tools necessary for our clients to become self-sufficient. We have recently relocated to the Beaverton area to better serve the needs of our veterans and to offer services to Washington County.

Being a nonprofit, we operate on a minimal budget and rely heavily on volunteers, sponsorships and donations.  We are organizing our major fund raiser, a Classic Car Cruise In, to be held June 16 at Valley Catholic School adjacent to our facility.  Because we are serving many more families, and our contract dollars partially cover the veteran only, our funds are stretched even thinner.

The funds we raise will be entirely used for client assistance which includes bus tickets, hygiene items, ID cards,  licenses, better nutritious food, and just sufficient basic needs.  Our children are in need of school supplies, books, outdoor play equipment and access to computers.  We would like to provide gardening tools, craft supplies, workshops and classes.  The list is truly endless.

We are asking for your help by sponsoring our Cruise In.  Please see the Sponsorship Form for the details. For additional information,

Any sponsorship or contribution you can make to assist us in serving those men and women who have served our country through their military service, will be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely

Rick Stoller
Executive Director
Richard.stoller@usw.salvationarmy.org
Tax ID number 94-1156347-07

Performers for "A Comedy Tonight": Front (kneeling): Richard Yates and Katrina Espey. Others, from left: Genie Genetiano, Jason Sage, JP Rivera, Evan Tait, Molly Hoffman, Monica Vinson, Lorene Berthelier, Anna Corazza, and Stephen Pierce. Katherine Kraemer is not pictured.

Submitted by Drama Director and English and Drama Teacher Ginnie Sutfin

Valley Catholic High School’s drama department closes out its most successful season ever with the annual drama showcase on May 30, which this year is titled “A Comedy Tonight.” The evening will feature scenes written by the drama students, as well as pieces from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the tradition of Commedia Dell Arte, and scenes from playwright Don Zolidis. The showcase will be performed by members of the drama class.

For seniors Evan Tait, Anna Corazza, Katherine Kraemer and Stephen Pierce, this will be their final performance on the Valley stage after being involved in productions since their freshman year. Seniors Jason Sage, Genie Genetiano, Molly Hoffman, Katrina Espey, JP Rivera, and Monica Vinson will join them, along with junior and French exchange student Lorene Berthelier and freshman Richard Yates. “A Comedy Tonight” is free to the public.

This one-time performance is on May 30 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. All are welcome for an evening of laughs and performances from our talented students.

Health & PE Teacher Herb Lommen holds the Safer Communities Award, joined by TVF&R Fire Chief Mike Duyck and VCMS Principal Jennifer Gfroerer. Photo courtesy of TVF&R.

On May 5, 2012, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) held its annual Meritorious Awards Ceremony at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. In addition to recognizing over 40 firefighters and staff, this year’s ceremony presented its first-ever Safer Communities Award to Valley Catholic Middle School. The Safer Communities Award goes to members or businesses whose actions are instrumental in protecting life, property, and the overall safety of our community.

Valley Catholic Middle School was recognized for their partnership with TVF&R to train the community in Hands-Only CPR. The partnership began last summer following a meeting between Valley Catholic Middle School Principal Jennifer Gfroerer, TVF&R Fire Chief Mike Duyck, and Valley Catholic Health and PE teacher Herb Lommen who, as a champion of CPR for decades, has trained thousands of students in traditional CPR.

Valley Catholic agreed to not only teach their eighth-grade students CPR, but also make them Hands-Only CPR instructors. Over the 2011 Thanksgiving weekend, 75 students used special CPR kits to teach approximately 600 friends and family members Hands-Only CPR. The students continue to seek opportunities within the community to train individuals—including Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle and his city council. To date, over 1,000 people have been trained in Hands Only CPR! Moreover, Principal Gfroerer and Mr. Lommen have also prepared curriculum and supporting materials to help other schools easily implement this program.

Fire Chief Mike Duyck stated, “This is Oregon’s first partnership between a fire department, a school, and the American Heart Association to teach Hands-Only CPR, and will undoubtedly save countless lives. The efforts of Valley Catholic Middle School embody the true spirit of our Safer Communities Award.”

Photo courtesy of TVF&R

VCMS students (in navy blue sweatshirts) help teach a Hands-Only CPR class at Beaverton City Hall. From left to right: Joshua Cheng (standing), Shivani Dhingra (wearing glasses), Ermina Lee (center), and Zaria Parvez (back to the camera).

The “Be an Advocate” program offers incentives that reward the shoppers and your store!

Here’s how it works:

• When you refer a friend or family member and they join our community, they receive 500 Reward Points-a $5 value, redeemable at checkout—and your organization receives 100 points.
• When that friend or family member makes their first purchase, you receive 500 Reward Points and your organization receives another 900 points. Everyone wins—click on the Be an Advocate link on your main page to learn more and sign up.

Happy Shopping!

Thank you to the students, parents, and guests who took part in the Music Jamboree Friday evening. It was a great evening of wonderful music. I also want to thank all who helped with the set up and the clean up afterwards. God bless you!

Photos by SSMO Ministries Communications Photographer Casey Braunger

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Valley Catholic Music School is looking to bring some additional independent contractors aboard to teach private lessons on the string bass and saxophone. If you know any professional music teachers who would like to increase their lesson load, please have them contact Sr. Juliana Monti. 

Pictured are some members of the VCS Women Build Team for May 12. Standing, left to right: Monique Ierardi, Mary Donovan and Kristen Durbin. Seated: Allison Ierardi and Lauren Bartholomew.

Submitted by Director of Campus Life Mary Donovan

Valley Catholic School is sponsoring two mother/daughter build days at Beaverton’s first-ever Women Build.    The first build day, Saturday, May 12, is full.  The team from Valley will include two alums, three high school girls and one middle school girl and their mothers, Mary Donovan and VCHS Religion Teacher Mrs. Durbin.

The build day on Saturday, May 19th, the weekend after Mother’s Day, still has a few openings. Moms and daughters 14 and older, please contact Mary Donovan to sign up.  See additional information here. 

The house they are building is located in the Huntting Park neighborhood at SW Hall and Sussex Streets. Women Build, part of Willamette West Habitat for Humanity is, according to their website, “…not about excluding men; it is about including women. Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program enables women to discover for themselves that they can build Habitat for Humanity homes with NO construction experience necessary!  Women Build brings together women from all walks of life to address the housing crisis facing millions of women and children worldwide. Women Build events have helped to construct more than 1,900 houses.”

As May begins, the pace on our campus picks up a notch as we make the final push toward June and the completion of another school year. Throughout the month, our students will take part in many exciting activities including tonight’s Music Jamboree. Oftentimes it is the academic or athletic programs on our campus that garner the most attention. However, our music program on campus continues to be a shining star for our school community.

This past Tuesday, our Music School was honored by the City of Beaverton for the contributions in the area of teaching music. Sisters Denise, Juliana and John Therese received the Performing Arts Educator of the Year award on behalf of Valley Catholic Music School from the Beaverton Arts Commission at this month’s City Council meeting. The award is very well-deserved and is especially gratifying this year with the announced retirement of Sr. Juliana who has played such a critical role in the development of our programs on campus for the past 40 years. I look forward to seeing many of our students perform at tonight’s Music Jamboree and hope to see many of you on campus to honor Sr. Juliana on May 20.

I also want to give a plug for a couple of other events coming up this month. On Saturday, May 19, we will hold our 2nd annual International Festival. This event debuted last May to rave reviews and many of our VC families came out to experience food, culture, and customs from all across the globe. It was a great day filled with fantastic performances, delicious food, and plenty of information for Valiants of all ages. I highly encourage our families to come to campus and enjoy this great community event.

Last week I mentioned our pilot program for an online bookstore at the Middle School and a list of FAQs that would be forthcoming. I’m still working on those questions and answers and will have that information out shortly. Thanks for your patience.

I want to ask our community to keep a couple of families in their prayers. We received news this week that Henry Joyaux has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Henry is the husband of Pat Joyaux, who serves as the secretary/registrar at the high school. We also received news that Kermit Stine passed away. Kermit taught in our Elementary School during the 1990s and has remained a true friend to the campus since that time. On behalf of the Joyaux and Stine family, please keep both these strong supporters of Valley Catholic in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Bob Weber
President
Valley Catholic School

Nominated by their peers and selected by the Board of Directors for the BAC, the individuals and businesses represented were honored for their important contributions to the arts locally and regionally.

The specific award given to the music school is called “Performing Arts Educator of the Year.” The following information was provided by the City of Beaverton:

The Sisters of St. Mary, who operate the Valley Catholic Music School, offer quality music lessons to aspiring musicians of all ages and abilities, six days a week. They currently serve 225 children and adults throughout the region with their staff of 14 talented music instructors. The Sisters of St. Mary recently expanded their number of music school studios to accommodate the opening of the K-8 grade school on campus.

Two senior students, Elizabeth Shew and Katherine Kraemer, also received arts awards at this ceremony.  You can read about it here.

Please enjoy the photos taken by Sr. Charlene Herinckx, SSMO at the awards assembly:

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Submitted by VCHS Orchestra Director/Teacher Travis Hatton
Photo by Communications Photographer Casey Braunger

For the first time in a couple of years, a Valley Catholic student has brought home some metal from the OSAA State Music Competition. Junior David Rogers is now officially the third best high school bassoon player in the state.  This is quite an accomplishment.  Congratulations, David!