How does one get an opportunity to be a “ball person” for the U.S. Open?  If you’re Nick Konen, a senior at Valley Catholic High School, you get awarded a scholarship/grant from the USTA (United States Tennis Association) of the Pacific Northwest.

In New York City, every year about 600 competitors of all ages vie for an opportunity to be a ball person for the U.S. Open, which is held in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.  In other areas of the country, such as the Pacific Northwest, candidates are chosen on the basis of their submitted essay, interview, and performance at an amateur tournament, where a U.S. Open representative evaluates their abilities.  The grant that Nick received was an award of $1,500 to help pay for transportation and/or lodging during the Open. While he was working at the open, he was also paid.  He got to chase tennis balls and pick up sweaty towels for all the professionals in the main draw and some in the junior tournament.  The players are picky about which balls they use.  “They’ll ask you to throw them six and they’ll throw all but one back at you.”   But he loved every minute of it.  He got to see, up close and personal, so many professional players.  The players’ lounge is right next to the ball persons’ lounge.  His favorites were Jack Sock and Melanie Oudin, both Americans, who won the mixed doubles competition. 

Nick stayed in Flushing, Queens (his parents each took a turn spending a week with him).  Even though the tennis center is also in Queens, each day he took the subway to “work” with all the other commuters.  He liked the feeling of being a New Yorker.  “I really think I could get used to it,” he said, when asked if he thought he could live in the city.  His older sister attends school in New York, so this was not his first visit; he’s already seen all the tourist attractions. In his spare time, Nick enjoyed hanging out with his mom or dad at Bryant Park near the library and people-watched. 

Interestingly, Nick didn’t begin playing tennis until the winter of his freshman year of high school.  He took a class at the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD) and decided to join the Valiants’ tennis team the following spring.  This year he is the top singles player at Valley Catholic, where he also plays doubles.  Nick’s experience echoes the school’s philosophy of encouraging its students to try new sports and activities in high school. 

In the off-season, Nick plays soccer for the Valiants and practices tennis at THPRD.  His Valley Catholic coach, Michael Kilbury, is his instructor during the season.  Nick says his coach has made a huge impact on his game.  “He’s a good coach,” he says. 

Looking to the future, Nick is still deciding whether he wants to attend a smaller university and play on a school tennis team or attend a medium-sized school and play club tennis.  He is looking at institutions in the Washington, Oregon, California and Montana.  He thinks he might like to pursue a degree in education and teach English or history to high school students.

Good luck, Nick.  Come graduation, the ball’s in your court.

Submitted by Communications Specialist Danielle Tomich

Campus Staff Well Represented at a Premier Northwest 10k

Campus employees, teachers, and coaches continued to set a healthy example for our students  as they competed in the Great Columbia Crossing 10K on Sunday October 2nd.  The race started in Dismal Nitch, WA and ended in Astoria, Oregon.  The last stretch of the race was run on the uphill incline of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, which connects Oregon and Washington.  Eric Berge (Religion/Social Studies , XC and track coach) led the way for our participating faculty finishing 4th in the open division with a time of 34:54.  Thomas Manning (Social Studies,  XC and track coach) finished shortly after his high school teammate in 6th place.  It was a very busy weekend for our XC coaches as Coach Berge and Coach Manning spent the previous day coaching at the Sunfair Invitational in Yakima, WA. (see below).  Pat Thomas (Social Studies/English, assistant girls’ basketball coach, head baseball coach) finished in 11th place of the open division as well.  Ross Thomas (Principal, assistant baseball coach) took home 4th place for his age group, and Kathy Johnson (English) took home 7th place in her age group.  The Development Office was represented by our new Associate Director of Development, Sharlayne Buuck, who took part in the walking portion of the race.

Cross Country: Sunfair Success Last Weekend; Regis Invitational on Thursday

The Valiants competed in the 38th Annual Sunfair Invitational in Yakima, Washington on Saturday; one of the most competitive meets in the Pacific Northwest. The boys finished in 2nd place out of 25 teams in the small school classification (enrollment under 1000 students), finishing just one point behind first place Bellingham High School. Seniors Connor Garcia and Andy Holstrom and sophomore Cooper Roach all finished in the top ten of their respective flights. Connor led the Valiants with a time of 16:24 for the challenging 3 mile course. Seniors Anthony Alfieri and Danny Hernandez also finished in the top-20 in their flights.

Junior Sophia Chau led the girls with a top-25 finish, completing the course in a time of 21:04.

The Valiants return to action on Thursday at the Regis High School Invitational in Stayton, featuring over 30 3A/2A/1A teams from around the state.

Boys Soccer: Valiants Host Vancouver Christian on Wednesday and Return to League Play on Friday

The Valiants dropped their league opener to Faith Bible Last Friday by a score of 2-0.  VC is currently ranked 19th in the OSAA RPI Power Rankings.  Valley will step out of conference and host Vancouver Christian on Wednesday at 4:15 pm.  The Valiants defeated Vancouver Christian earlier in the year by a score of 7-0.  Valley will resume league play on Friday when they travel to Riverdale on Friday for a 6:30 pm start.  The game will be played at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. 

Girls Soccer: Valiants Alone in 2nd Place in Conference; Host Riverdale on Thursday

Valley Catholic bounced back from a loss to Catlin earlier last week to beat Westside Christian by a score of 6-1.  Sarah Connelly (3), Chelsea Alsdorf (2), and Sarah Vames (1) contributed to the scoring for the Valiants.  Meg Rapp assisted on three of the goals.  The Valiants will host Riverdale on Thursday at 4:15 in another league match.  VC will celebrate senior day on Tuesday October 11th with pre-game introductions and a free BBQ for everyone in attendance.  Kick off for the match against OES on October 11th is set for 4:15 pm.

Volleyball: Another Tournament Victory Vaults Valley Catholic to 1st place in the State Rankings

For the second weekend in a row Valley Catholic’s varsity team won a tournament championship.  The Santiam Christian Invitational is considered by many to be the premier 3A/4A tournament in the state.  It was the fifth consecutive year that the Valiants competed at this event, and it is Valley’s first championship.  Valley Catholic defeated Sweet Home, Blanchet, and Burns in the tournament portion of the event to claim the championship.  Valley Catholic is currently ranked number one in the OSAA RPI Power Rankings, and will host Rainier on Thursday.  VC will honor their seniors before their final home match next Tuesday October 11th when they host DeLaSalle.  The JV match will be a later start at 5:30 pm and the varsity match will follow.  

Football: VC Opens up League Play on October 14

Valley Catholic is gearing up for their first league game of the year on October 14th.  The Valiants will host Warrenton at Liberty High School at 7:00 pm as Lewis and Clark League play begins. 

Winter Sports Begin November 14

Please check in with the athletic department that you have a current physical on file to begin practice on November 14th.  If you have not played a winter sport and plan on playing a winter sport we need to make sure your paperwork is current.

The VCHS National Honor Society will host a Red Cross blood drive on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The Bloodmobile will be situated in the back parking lot of the high school. 

Though our high school students tend to make up the majority of the donor numbers, we also rely on parents, siblings, and campus employees to meet our donor goal.  Please contact Mrs. Brenna Brown at bbrown@valleycatholic.org to schedule your donation time.

Monday, October 10th is the kick off for the Canned Soup Drive that is sponsored by the fifth grade Girl Scouts at VCS. This year they are working on their Bronze Award and have chosen SSMO as their area of service. They decided to work on a canned soup drive because of the Sisters’ interest in helping people who are hungry in Beaverton.  The canned soup drive will complement the Sisters’ event to benefit the Oregon Food Bank, “Soup’s On,” on October 22 .

Oregon Food Bank barrels will be placed in the Early Learning School, Elementary/Middle School and High School from October 10th until the 21st. Their goal is to collect 1,000 cans of food. One scout added, “that would be 1,000 smiles!”

Please bring in your cans of soup and help support the girl scouts’ efforts while benefiting the Oregon Food Bank and supporting the efforts of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.

Submitted by Girl Scout Troop 40222 Leader Jesscia Senecal

All sophomores will take the PLAN exam on Wednesday. Oct. 12.  Students are asked to report to school at 8:30 a.m.  The test will begin at 8:45 and should conclude around 12:15. 

The PLAN is a practice ACT exam that tests students on their reading, math, science and writing skills.  Students are not expected to cram or necessarily even prepare for this exam, except for learning well and doing well in their regular, daily classes at Valley.  Students are encouraged to get a good night’s rest, eat a good breakfast, and bring a small snack, a few sharpened pencils, and their calculator to school the morning of the test.   Colleges will not see the results from this exam.

Students will receive the results in mid-January.  The score report contains a great deal of useful data.  You will receive more information about how to use the results when the score reports are sent home.

The PLAN is a fine tool for assessing how a student might perform on the types of standardized tests colleges use in the admission process.  These tests do not reflect a student’s self worth or even the likelihood of college admissions.  A student with a high test score and low high school grades is far more at risk of encountering admissions difficulty than a student with strong grades but low test scores.  Many sophomores simply do not take the PLAN exam that seriously, as no college will see the results.

Next year, as a junior, your student will take the PSAT.  The PSAT is a fine practice tool for predicting a student’s potential on the SAT.  I do not recommend that students pursue testing preparation exercises or outside courses at this time in their high school career.  There is ample time for test prep courses, if they are even necessary. 

Sincerely,

Joe Bernard
College Counselor
Valley Catholic High School

All juniors will take the PSAT on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Students are asked to report to school at 8:30 a.m..The test will begin at 8:45 and conclude around 11:30 am.

The PSAT is a practice exam for the SAT. Students received an extensive packet containing a practice test and study tips two weeks ago during their class meeting. You may access the booklet online at www.collegeboard.org if your student no longer has the packet of information.

Traditionally the PSAT results are available right before Christmas vacation. Students will receive their scores at school. Parents will be notified when the score reports are distributed.

Students should familiarize themselves with the test by looking at the packet of information or the web site. The PSAT is a fine test that suggests how a student may fare on the SAT. I do not encourage families to spend a great deal of resources preparing for the PSAT. I do encourage students to do well in school, which is the best preparation possible for exams such as these. Students should get a good night’s rest before the exam and bring to the test a snack, some sharpened pencils, and a non-keyboard calculator.

Sincerely,

Joe Bernard
College Counselor
Valley Catholic High School

Students in the MS and HS Choirs were busy auditioning for All-State Choir this week.

Six Middle School students were recommended by Sr. Juliana for the MS All-State Choir:

1. Grace Tanner
2. Emily Gfroerer
3. Teddy Senecal
4. Thomas Quiring
5. Neha Hazra
6. Sarah Gram

Six High School students have sent auditions:

1. Genie Genetiano
2. Sannah Braun
3. Tara Osburn
4. Kimberly Howell
5. Ceilidh McCallum
6. Evan Tait

They are awaiting the final acceptance by the screening chairman and notification will be sent in early November. We wish them all good luck.

Submitted by Music Assistant Melinda Mannen

The high school is starting a new Fan Punch Card for its students highlighting certain sporting events, plays and concerts in order to increase attendance at these wonderful events. We will be highlighting events in all three seasons throughout the school year.  High school students who attend these particular events and bring their punch card with them will get their card punched.  These cards will be turned in before our Spirit Week competition in April with spirit points awarded to the classes for each punch.  The first event will be a Boys’ Soccer game at home at 4:15 on October 5.

All events will be listed on a calendar displayed in the main school lobby.  The punch card events that have been identified so far are listed below:

Submitted by Director of Campus Life Mary Donovan

Many thanks to the parent volunteers who helped choose the new theme for the 2012 Valley Catholic Auction.  (Drumroll please…) 

The theme is: Mardi Gras! 

Save the Date!
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Valley Catholic Auction: Mardi Gras

Submitted by Development Associate, Auction and Events, Sharla Tinsen

All Band Parents: Please submit your child’s band instrument registration form. We have had one lost instrument so far and it is very important to have the serial number, model, and contact information in order to get it back to its owner.  The forms were handed out on Back to School night, and students were given a form this week.

Submitted by VC Music School Assistant Melinda Mannen