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.
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
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.
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.
NBAMS 8th graders just completed an elaborate painting where they learned about warm and cool colors and creating pattern. Students chose a sport or hobby they enjoy and had to work with two different shapes related to their idea. They used one shape for the main idea and repeated the other as a pattern to break up the space.
Students then had to use the primary colors to mix at least 5 warm and 5 cool colors to incorporate in their paintings. Some themes represented were: soccer, pets, gymnastics, motocross racing, badminton, playing musical instruments, basketball, football, softball, hockey and even outer space! Proud art teacher is Lee Ann Falen.
Hex 5 6th Grade Spanish students spent a week creating a game to teach Kindergarten Spanish students in Mrs. Coddington's class some basic conversation words. Then they walked over to the Ed Center and spent the class period teaching and playing their games!
The North Branch Area Education Foundation is hosting Designer Purse and Yeti Bingo on April 28 at Lent Town Hall. Doors open at noon, sales at 1 pm, and Bingo at 2 pm. Proceeds go to enhancing opportunities for students at NBAPS! See flier for more details.
The Viking Newsletter - March/April 2024 is now available! Click here to view: https://www.smore.com/n/7twep
Students in the NBAPS American Indian Education Program made drums by hand recently as part of the Weekly Native Culture Nights series. In upcoming sessions, students will learn more about will drum and dance and sewing.
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. Get yours today!
Due to weather conditions, after-school district events and activities are canceled for today. This includes sports and activities, parent-teacher conferences and Community Education events.
Youth Connections will remain open as regularly scheduled. Information about rescheduled parent-teacher conferences will come from each school.
School will be released 10 minutes earlier than normal to allow extra time for a safe ride home. This early release is not expected to change the time students arrive at home- the purpose is to prioritize more time in response to road conditions.
Due to weather conditions, North Branch Area Public Schools is closed today, Monday, March 25. This includes early childhood programs, school age care, Community Education programs, and all activities. Staff should not report, all buildings will be closed.
