Submitted by VCHS Athletic Director Jeff Gallagher

We want to wish our swimmers good luck Friday, Feb. 17 at the state championships at Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center. The doors to the event will open at 1 p.m. with the preliminaries starting at 1:45 p.m.. The finals will be held on Saturday; for the schedule, click here. Our swimmers have had a great year and we are looking forward to a great weekend. Listed below are the state qualifiers.

Girls’ Relays:

200 Medley Relay (Seeded 7th)
200 Freestyle Relay (Seeded 2nd)
400 Freestyle Relay (Seeded 7th)

Girls’ Individual:

200 Freestyle – Kathleen Shew, fresman (seeded 7th)
200 IM – Julia Anderson, junior (seeded 6th)
50 Freestyle – Hailey Moraes, freshman (seeded 12th)
100 Butterfly – Momoko Mayumi, sophomore (seeded 3rd)
100 Butterfly – Julia Anderson, junior (seeded 7th)
100 Freestyle – Kathleen Shew, freshman (seeded 5th)
100 Backstroke – Momoko Mayumi, sophomore (seeded 4th)
100 Backstroke – Catherine Lo, senior (seeded 11th)

Submitted by Lori Anne Anderson for the Charisma

The Charisma Dance team will face their biggest challenge of the dance season to date on Saturday, Feb. 18 when they travel to Parkrose High School in Portland. They will be competing head-to-head in a division with Stayton, Scappoose, Astoria, Gladstone, and Philomath, who currently hold top spots in the 4A team rankings.

“Megan and I are so proud of our team this year. While many teams avoid competing outside their own classification if they can, our athletes welcome the experience. It pushes them to improve,” said Coach Jessica Anderson. “The Charisma will have to bring their A-game to Parkrose, as the Stayton Highlights set the bar of excellence extremely high. Stayton’s nine consecutive state championships are unprecedented. This should be an interesting day in the company of the best teams in the state.”

For half of the Charisma members, this season is their first year of competitive dance team. “Our newest members have worked extra hard to rise to the level of our returning dancers. It’s phenomenal how much they have accomplished this year,” said Anderson. “As coaches, we appreciate this and continue to be impressed with this team’s work ethic and commitment.”

With less than a month to go in the season, the Charisma dancers have learned all of the choreography for their routine. “For the first time this year, the Charisma will compete with the nearly five-minute-long Ghost of a Girl routine,” said Anderson. “Aerobic conditioning is very important so the dancers can perform the complete piece with the necessary energy. We should gain a very clear understanding of what we will need to do next to make the routine state worthy and if the judges want to see us make any changes.”

The Parkrose competition is the largest of the year, featuring 24 competition dance teams from around the state, including teams from both the dance/drill and the show divisions. The festival judging system will be utilized. Rounds start at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with doors opening about 30 minutes prior to the start time. Tickets are $6 per round or $10 for an all-day pass. The Charisma is the final team to dance during first round and will be performing to the north side of the gym. The second round performance order will be announced after first round scores are tabulated.

“The Charisma dancers would love to see their supporters in the stands at Parkrose. Wear this year’s team colors of black and gray so the dancers can spot you,” said Anderson.

“Like” the Valley Catholic Charisma Dance Team on Facebook to stay up-to-date with dance team news.

Submitted by VCMS/HS Personal Counselor Kelsey MacIntyre

I am offering one last informational meeting next Tuesday, the 21st, at 6 p.m. in the high school building for any high school students or parents who are still interested in traveling with us to Italy this summer. Since the tickets will be purchased in early March, this is the last chance to sign up for this incredible opportunity!

This trip is more than an irreplaceable experience. Your children will have the opportunity to explore ancient Italy, including Vatican City, and see, in person, the history they have been learning about in their classes. Also, the travel company we will be traveling with is the only student travel agency that can offer over 40 years of experience, scholastic accreditation and the security of having offices throughout the world.

This is the opportunity for your child to be educated through an incomparable cultural experience that will change what they expect from themselves and their future.

If you would like to attend the meeting next Tuesday please let me know so that I can determine which venue will be most appropriate to hold everyone.

Thank you,

Kelsey MacIntyre
School Counselor
Valley Catholic Middle & High School
503-520-4701 (office)
503-646-4054 (fax)
kmacintyre@valleycatholic.org

Submitted by VCES parent Laura Kuhner

Interested in raising funds for your child’s school while doing everyday shopping? You can buy your grocery, restaurant, movie, coffee house cards, and much, much more!

Although we are no longer selling at the Scrip table, the Scrip team is now accepting orders on the last Monday of each month. This month orders can be submitted until Monday, February 27 at 8 a.m. Drop your completed forms including payment off at the VCEMS office, or email your order. Download the new 2012 Scrip form here or pick one up in the VCEMS office.

For more detailed information about the Scrip program, click here.

Thank you so much for your continued support to the Scrip fundraising program!
The Scrip Team

Yamini Naidu

Submitted by Campus Life Director Mary Donovan

Yamini Naidu, a junior at VCHS, has been selected to serve on the National League of Cities (NLC) Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) Council. The National League of Cities (NLC) represents municipal governments from all over the country that encourage community leadership development in cities. There are only four high school students from the entire nation selected to serve on this council, and Naidu is the only student chosen from the West Coast. The students were selected on the basis of service in their local communities and recommendations from their local community leaders as well as on academic performance. The goal of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families is to promote youth participation in civic affairs.

Yamini has been involved with civic affairs in the Beaverton community for the past four years. She is currently one of the elected chairs of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board (MYAB). MYAB reports to the Mayor and City Council on issues of concern to youth, and their mission is to serve the common good of the community and provide a voice for youth in decisions and policies of the City. MYAB focuses on community service projects, promoting youth activism, and youth involvement. As a member of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, Yamini has helped to develop and organize major events to promote youth activism.

The students will attend a meeting in Washington, D.C. March 9 – 14. In preparation for that meeting, Yamini will participate in two conference calls every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays for all youth and adult members of the Council until they converge in Washington.

Congratulations to Yamini in receiving this honor.

Submitted by VCS Parent Analizza Lambino

Save the date for our 2nd VCS International Festival – May 19, 2012

Let’s celebrate our cultural diversity at VCS and save the date for our 2^nd campus-wide International Festival – Saturday, May 19, 2012, 2 – 5 pm! There will be lots of exciting things to learn about different cultures especially with participation from the Elementary, Middle, and High School communities! Similar to last year’s International Festival, this year’s event will have the following components: tabletop presentations, cultural presentations, multi-cultural prayer service, and potluck.

We are looking for points of contact for each of the various cultures, so if you are interested to represent your culture, please contact Analizza Lambino. We would like to see as many cultures as possible represented, especially in the tabletop presentations – one table per culture (or group of cultures). 

We are also still looking for volunteers, so if you would like to help make this event happen, Elementary School parents please register here.  Middle and High School parents please email Analizza Lambino to express your interest in helping.

Submitted by VCHS College Counselor Joe Bernard

As expected, Aiden McLeod and Jackson Neff, who were National Merit Semi Finalists, are now Finalists. That puts them officially in the top 1 percent of the country for performance on the PSAT and in the running for National Merit Scholarships of $2,000 to be announced around April.

Each student received a certificate from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Submitted by VCHS Drama Director, English and Journalism Teacher Ginnie Sutfin

“Oh, the thinks you can think when you think about Seuss!”

Seussical debuted on Broadway in 2000, and has enjoyed great success in regional theatres all over the country ever since. With music from the folks who wrote Schoolhouse Rock, Once on this Island, and the movie Anastasia, Seussical takes us into the magical world created in some of the most famous children’s books of all time.

Audiences will recognize characters like the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, the Grinch, Yertle the Turtle, and others as their stories interweave to tell a tale of friendship, loyalty, and the importance of imagination. This production is suitable for all ages, and will be enjoyed by the young, the old, and everyone in between. With infectious music, delightful dancing, bright, colorful sets and costumes, and an energetic, dedicated cast and crew of 37 Valley Catholic students, this show is guaranteed to leave audiences smiling and inspired with their own “thinks!”

Direction: Ginnie Sutfin
Musical Direction: Jeffrey Childs
Choreography: Elizabeth Esch Brown
Light Design: Bradford Johnson
Set Design: Megan Miller

To see the cast list: click here.

Music by Stephen Flaherty, Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, Book by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens

Co-conceived by Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens & Eric Idle

Based on the works of Dr. Seuss

Japanese 4 and 5, from left: Kimberly Howell, Yoko Miwa (teacher), Catherine Lo, Zack White, Leah Klaas, Shawna Vrvilo, and Elizabeth Woodruff

Submitted by VCMS and HS Japanese Teacher Yoko Miwa

At a high school assembly on Monday, Feb. 6, it was announced that for the first time in 12 years, a VCS student has won first place in a national contest sponsored by the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers.

That student is senior Leah Klaas, pictured above holding her certificate with her prize-winning card. She is surrounded by her teacher, Yoko Miwa, and her fellow students from Japanese 4 and 5.  Incidentally, Leah spent six weeks in Shizuoka, Japan this past summer home-staying and attending a local high school.

For an interesting article about the significance of New Year’s cards in Japan, click here.

As they say in Japan, omedetou gozaimasu (congratulations)!

Submitted by Communications Specialist Danielle Tomich from information provided by Steve Hoffman

Congratulations to Molly Hoffman, VCHS senior, in signing a letter of intent to play softball at Everett Community College (EVCC) in Washington. Molly, who has been playing softball since age 7 in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), received the honor of making All-League in softball as a pitcher last season as a junior. She chose Everett over other schools partly due to encouragement from a VCHS alumna currently attending EVCC (Jill Suratt).

With three VCHS state championships under her belt—softball in 2009 and dance team in 2010 and 2011—Molly has a real possibility of making that four or five championships, again in dance team and softball. She is also a captain on the Charisma Dance Team.

She plans on getting an associate of arts in fire science, and hopes to become a firefighter/paramedic.