Last Friday, 8th graders heard a presentation from Know the Truth, through MN Adult and Teen Challenge. The program focuses on preventing youth substance abuse. Speakers educated students on the dangers of drugs and alcohol and shared personal stories of addiction and recovery.
YOU'RE INVITED: NBAPS 2nd annual Drum and Dance Exhibition, May 17, at NBAHS (38175 Grand Ave)! Meal served at 5:30 pm with events to follow. Guests enter door 11. All are welcome! See flier for additional details.
High school mentors and middle school mentees along with 8th grade student leaders took a trip to Base Camp at Fort Snelling. They participated in many team building activities throughout the day. A special thanks to NBAEF for their support and making this trip happen!
Students from Sunrise and the Middle School competed in different field events at the DAPE challenge Rush City yesterday. The middle school DAPE (Developmental Adapted Physical Education) helpers were a big reason the event went so well. These 8th grade students are pillars in creating all inclusivity within our schools and we couldn’t be more proud.
DAPE student leaders: Kloe Bilek, Ellie Brenneman, Jackson Kelly, Apollo Leija, Bryce Raine, Jacob Gilles, Zack Giese, Colton Marvin
NB Middle school DAPE students: Noah Bodsberg, Bailee Wiese
Photos from this morning's Walk and Roll to School event are all posted at Facebook. Thanks for coming everyone! It was a beautiful morning to be outside!: https://www.facebook.com/nbapschools/posts/pfbid0er3FoE76cV6nQCVsunsDQsMcmbyT7cVzJxkBYrDz2FAVw9y4FSa3A22FtsKAGVvcl
YOU'RE INVITED: NBAPS 2nd annual Drum and Dance Exhibition, May 17, at NBAHS (38175 Grand Ave)! Meal served at 5:30 pm with events to follow. Guests enter door 11. All are welcome! See flier for additional details.
Wow! SKOL! and thank you to all those who took a few moments to complete the Staff Appreciation Form over the last couple of weeks. If you missed it, here is further explanation and a link:
NBAPS alumni and current families, we want to hear from you! Most of us can look back on our time in school and identify one or more staff members that had a positive influence on us, or helped us find our way in the world. If you or your child have had such an experience at North Branch Area Public Schools we'd love to hear about it. Tell us about it and we will pass it along to that special person: https://forms.gle/UtJ7ikvCvaRYraST8
The weather Wednesday morning is looking great for Walk and Roll! NBAPS, the City of North Branch, and Chisago County SHIP are hosting Walk and Roll to School on Wed., May 8, at 7:05 am. We meet at the NB Library and head out with our friends from the NBPD and the NBFD. Join us!
Tomy Cummings, an alumni of NBAPS and current mentor in the FTC Robotics program, received the Compass Award at a recent competition identifying him as one of the top mentors in Minnesota. Congratulations Tomy, FTC Mentor since 2013!
Tryouts for the NBAPS Dance Team are May 15, 16, and 17, from 3-5 pm in the NBAHS west gym. Middle school and high school students are welcome. High school students use this link to register: https://activities.edutrak.com/. See flier for additional details.
NBAHS is pleased to announce the hiring of head coaches for both the dance and girls hockey programs!
Chloe Kavanagh has been hired as the new Head Dance Team Coach for the North Branch Vikettes! Chloe (Triggs) Kavanagh is a former Vikettes captain and graduate of North Branch Area High School. Chloe runs her own dance studio in North Branch and looks forward to sharing her knowledge and passion of dance with our high school team.
Northern Tier Stars (Cambridge-Isanti, North Branch, St. Francis co-op) is pleased to announce that Joe Fredrickson has been selected as the new Head Girls Hockey Coach. Please join us in congratulating Coach Fredrickson in his new role with the program. Coach Fredrickson started the St. Francis girls hockey program in 1997 and coached them until 2012.
At Sunrise this week, the 8th Grade Band performed for the 5th Grade. Fifth graders will soon have the opportunity to sign up for 6th grade choir and band. Here is a Google Form link for incoming 6th grade families to register for their music choice: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6qKGblvctrb2fMxSeuCoYPxsFEPCyvX0OsfoYooNCaAbEvg/viewform?usp=sf_link
THIS JUST IN: A huge Viking congratulations to Amelia Bjerketvedt, who has placed 2nd in the world at the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, CA - the pinnacle of DECA competition. North Branch DECA has its first ever piece of DECA glass! Way to go Amelia!
Sister Act is the feel-good musical comedy smash based on the beloved hit 1992 film! A woman hiding in a convent helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she rediscovers her own. Filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing and a truly moving story, Sister Act will leave audiences breathless. Don't miss your chance to see Sister Act this Thursday through Sunday!
A HUGE thank you to an ECMC Foundation Grant for giving current and future North Branch 8th grade art students the opportunity to learn how to weave on inkle looms. The word inkle means "strap", so these wooden looms are designed to weave long, thin, belt-like creations. Over $2040 of grant money approved by the North Branch Area Education Foundation was used to purchase 18 inkle looms, wooden shuttles and 50 spools of Maysville 8/4 cotton warp in a rainbow of over 40 different colors!
Students worked in teams of 4-5 students per loom. They learned weaving vocabulary like: warp, weft, shuttle, heddles, shed, selvedge, fringe and tension bar. They also learned about different patterns you can make on an inkle loom. Each student had the opportunity to "string up" their chosen color of warp string on their team loom, heddle the top warp strands in place, and take turns weaving on their loom as well. Many students were surprised at how many steps are involved with weaving and really enjoyed how "hands on" the weaving process is. Some groups had a tough time deciding who would be the lucky winner to keep the souvenir team weaving and bring it home. We are very grateful for the funds to make this special project happen in art class! Proud NBAMS art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.
Grade 6 Continental Math participants have finished another successful season of competition! The future of our Math Team looks bright!
Students in 8th Grade World Cultures learned how to play Dara, a traditional Nigerian strategy game played across all of Northern Africa.
Students learned about how traditions are passed on through storytelling, and that's how this game has been passed from generation to generation. This game is believed to have been created to teach children critical thinking, strategy, and observation skills that could be transferred to hunting and trading situations.
In Africa, kids dig a grid in the ground, find some stones and sticks, and play against each other that way. Our students played with paper and colored blocks.
It was a hit with everyone!
REMINDER: North Branch Area High School presents "Sister Act - A Divine Musical Comedy" on May 2-4 at 7 p.m and May 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at https://nbskolvikings.com/. Look for the "tickets" link at top right.
NBAMS 7th grade art students just completed a Nearika yarn project. They were challenged to draw an idea inspired by the theme of transportation, using liquid glue to attach yarn to a thick backing. Students learned about “spiral technique” and “strip technique” to aid in keeping the yarn flat and cover the backboard as much as possible. Some ideas students chose include: animals, vehicles, landscapes/weather and even feet on a scooter.
Ms. Horsfall's 7th grade US History scholars broke out of The Great Depression last week by using their knowledge to crack codes, answer questions, and solve puzzles to get ready for their unit summative.
