1. education
2. school

APRIL/MAY 2015
NORTH Polar Bear News
Congratulations! Des Moines North High School recently became the first and only high school to
send a team to Drake University's Enactus (entrepreneural-action-us) Expo and received glowing
reviews from a panel of Drake professors and Enactus members. Enactus is an international
nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students who improve the world through proactive
and creative campaigns. The team formally presented their Global Awareness platform about
disabilities in Somalia after running a one-week awareness campaign at the school.
Students were mentored by Drake University team
members and their North National Honor Society
advisers, Denine Taylor & Karen Wignall.
Flanked by Drake Enactus team members (in royal
blue) and from left to right: Imani Kwizera, Jacob Cox,
Brad Warren, Anna Stegall, Limmud Hill, Danielle Hill,
Arturo Hernandez, and Hatte Kelley
APRIL/MAY 2015
NHS Chamber Orchestra toured Ruby Van
Meter for their Rick Lussie Music Appreciation
Day on Monday, March 23rd.
The students were fantastic, and I couldn't be
more proud of them. Not only did they put on
a great performance, but they had a blast
helping students at Ruby try out each of their
instruments. They were great ambassadors for
North, and did a great job reaching out to
every student who was interested in learning
how to play a string instrument.
Thank you for supporting our students and our
music programs. I love giving students
opportunities to do outreach concerts like
this.
Joyce Beyer (Payer)
Orchestra Director
Check out our pictures on
https://twitter.com/northorchestra
On Thursday, April 2nd, the North Soul Gospel Choir
sang at the 54th annual Iowa prayer breakfast held
at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention
Center in Des Moines. There were over 1100
participants including Governor Terry Branstad, Lt.
Governor Kim Reynolds, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley,
U.S. Representative David Young and U.S. Senator
Joni Ernst. The choir performed for the Iowans,
religious leaders and politicians gathered Thursday
morning for the annual Iowa Prayer Breakfast to pray
for the state and its leaders. “The crowd was very
enthusiastic and it was a great
experience. We also had a great
time performing at Terrace Hill on
Wednesday night! Shout out to
our hardworking students!”
L to R: Shelby Sonderleiter (cello), Angelica Reyes (violin),
Tina Ho (violin), Stephanie Ramos (viola),
Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio (viola)
& PJ Clearman (bass).
Vanessa Brady
Choir Director
APRIL/MAY 2015
Student-cadets from across
Iowa and as far away as
Topeka gathered at North
High School on April 3rd & 4th
for their annual JROTC Drill Meet. While
soccer, tennis and track might be the spring
high school sports, for these students precision
marching and rifle drills are just as important
and competitive.
Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio recently
participated at the State Science and
Technology Fair of Iowa at Iowa State
University. She presented her project "Testing
the Viscosity of Liquid in Proportion to Weight
in Hydraulics". In the project Abby built a
hydraulic jack and found an eco-friendly
alternative to hydraulic oil. She won an Iowa
State University Program for Women in
Science & Engineering - Senior High Award
and an honorable mention for third place in
the Engineering division.
APRIL/MAY 2015
North High School journalism teacher, Jennifer Dryden,
accidentally ran into Brandon Jones, the star of ABC’s
Pretty Little Liars. She was at the Iowa Capital building
at the same time he was filming there. She talked with
him and invited him to come visit her classroom. He
accepted the invitation and visited on
March 26, 2015.
“Thank you for supporting the students
who wanted to take their lunch to meet
and speak with Brandon Jones, Pretty
Little Liars actor, in my classroom today.
Everything went off without a hitch and
the students and Brandon loved it! What a
fantastic and kind guy!” … Jennifer
Dryden, Teacher
His visit to North High School was a special
event and enjoyed by all.
APRIL/MAY 2015
DMPS News regarding North High
Student: Kwizera Imani
Kwizera Imani’s story begins a half-a-world
away from North High School, where today
he is a senior. When the Rwandan
genocide of the early 1990s spread to other
states, Kwizera’s parents fled their home in
Burundi to seek refuge in nearby Tanzania,
where he was born in 1997. Growing up
and attending school in a U.N. refugee
camp, Kwizera and his family were selected
to come to the United States in 2008.
Today (March 30th), Kwizera had the
opportunity to share his story as the keynote speaker at the 2015 Iowa STEM Summit, sponsored by
the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. Kwizera told of his experience at Des Moines Public Schools,
from meeting the language and cultural challenges of an English Language Learner student to now
taking part in everything from Advanced Placement courses to aviation technology to North’s
robotics team. What’s next for Kwizera? He plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State
University.
“...When I arrived in the United States it was hard for me and my family to adjust to our
new environment. Two weeks after our arrival we were all required to go to school. I didn’t really fit in
because of the language barrier. Our inability to speak English was one of the biggest obstacles that
we all had; we knew that it was something we were going to have to overcome to be able to adjust
to America. Over time I began to pick up bits and pieces of American culture: food, sports and
television. I began to spend most of my time at my friend’s house, where I had to speak English to
get what I wanted. This forced me to practice and of course helped me excel in my ELL classes. I
was able to pass my ELDA test for ESL students and transitioned to the traditional classes in eighth
grade.
Since arriving at Des Moines North High School, I worked very hard and by the end of my junior year,
have taken all the required classes a student needs to graduate. I was fortunate enough to apply
to, and be accepted into the Aviation program at the Des Moines airport. This experience inspired
me to pursue and continue in the STEM field. In that class I was taught the proper way to inspect an
aircraft, the regulations in aviation, and the mechanics behind aircraft systems. The aviation
program is a three year program, but I had to stop after only two because my schedule was too full.
So I created a new goal, and I’m taking five college courses: AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Physics,
AP Government, and AP Literature & Composition. I know that college is going to be challenging, so
I want to put myself in an environment that challenges me and prepares me for college.
After high school, I will be attending Iowa State University for the Aerospace Engineering Program. I
plan to be the first in my family’s generation to go to a college or university, AND to finish! Some of
my siblings have attempted college, but they were not able to continue because of financial
responsibilities. I have decided that no matter what struggles come my way, I must persevere and
be an example for my little brother. In the future I hope to be able to work with Rockwell Collins,
Boeing, or NASA and continue to enhance my ability in an Aerospace field.”
He ended his speech with a quote from Benjamin Franklin who said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me
and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
APRIL/MAY 2015
NHS Orchestra at IHSMA Festival
April 22, 2015
NHS orchestra students performed and competed in
the IHSMA Solo and Small Ensemble Festival at Lincoln
High School in a combination of solos, duets, quartets,
and Chamber Orchestra. Tina Ho, Jenna Jensen,
Shelby Sonderleiter, Angelica Reyes, Stephanie Ramos,
and Leesi Kpurukoo all received a Division II
(Excellent) rating on their solos.
Brionna Lam, Marisela Aguilar, Stephanie Ramos,
Shelby Sonderleiter, Jenna Jensen, Tina Ho, and Abby
Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio received a Division II
(Excellent) rating on their two Mozart Quartets. Brionna
Lam and Marisela Aguilar received a Division II
(Excellent) on their Mozart Table Top Duet. Our
newly formed NHS Honors Chamber Orchestra
(which rehearses at 7 am before school)
received a nearly flawless score in their first
appearance at festival, earning them a Division I
(Superior) for their work on the first two
movements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto
No. 3. Students involved in chamber
orchestra: Tina Ho, Brionna Lam, Marisela
Aguilar, Angelica Reyes, Abby EspinosaGonzalez Bellolio, Stephanie Ramos, Shelby
Sonderleiter, and PJ Clearman.
Our newly formed NHS Honors Chamber
Orchestra (which rehearses at 7 am before
school) received a nearly flawless score in their
first appearance at festival, earning them a
Division I (Superior) for their work on the first two
movements of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto
No. 3. Students involved in chamber
orchestra: Tina Ho, Brionna Lam, Marisela
Aguilar, Angelica Reyes, Abby EspinosaGonzalez Bellolio, Stephanie Ramos, Shelby
Sonderleiter, and PJ Clearman
I am incredibly proud of these students. They
took on challenging music and performed it well.
Joyce Payer/Orchestra Director
Northside Band Night
May 12, 2014
Under the direction of Scott Davis, Laura
Thieben, William Beyer and Dave Brown,
several elementary, middle and high
school bands came together and
performed at North High School during
Northside Band Night on Tuesday night.
All four elementary schools that feed
into North High, plus Harding Middle
School, participate in the Turnaround
Arts program. Every band played
together “Let’s Go Band” for the final
notes of the evening. In the words of
Principal Mike Vukovich, “the concert
was amazing!”
APRIL/MAY 2015
North's Academic Decathlon
team was the highest scoring
"medium" sized school in Iowa and has
received the honor of competing in the
Online National Competition!!
This was North's third appearance to Online
Nationals in the last 5 years. The team finished
10th place. North represented the state of
Iowa respectfully. North's team is looking very
strong for next year. We have a good
number of returning Decathletes and are
gaining some very strong incoming freshmen.
Next year's topic is on India.
Thank you North Staff for all your support . This
result is a true indicator on how well the staff is
preparing our students for high level testing.
Our team members include: PJ Clearman,
Binh Doan, Zachary Hall, James Milton,
Jasmine Moreno, Krystal O’Morrow, Ian
Penman, Wyatt Powers, and Rose WallaceSmith.
North Academic Decathlon Coaches,
Anna Brown & Mark Schmidt
The following students won medals at the Tech
Ed State Competition. North entered various
categories in
Graphics
Communications.
Medal winners listed
below:
Illustration Drawings:
Avir Basanez Gold
Dawn Gallardo Gold
Yaritza Pleitez Silver
Joseph Noble Silver
Kenzie Schnathorst
Bronze
Computer Graphics:
Renz Caducoy Gold
Yer Lee Gold
Kanji Yang Gold
Edwin Ramos Silver
Alissa Cavanh Silver
Kenyatta Foster Silver
Selina Solis Silver
Other Graphics:
Alejandra Hernandez Gold
Renz Caducoy Gold
Autumn Miller Silver
Kenzie Schnathorst Silver
Screen Printing:
Avir Basanez Gold
Tiyanna Jackson Silver
Tech Ed Coaches,
Bryan Butcher & Mark Schmidt
Polar Bear Debate Team
On Friday, March 27th, the North High School Speech and Debate Team
traveled to Iowa City for the 2015 Great Midwestern Novice and JuniorVarsity Debate Championship Tournament at Iowa City West High School.
Six North students attended Novice Nationals: Carlos Ostorga (senior),
Renz Caducoy (junior), Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio (sophomore),
Krystal O’Morrow (sophomore), and Deyonna Carroll (sophomore).
These brave trailblazers competed against 131 students from 24 different
schools, and 6 different states. In the student congress division, Renz
Caducoy was awarded 4th place overall, and Carlos Ostorga was
recognized as 7th speaker and received an additional award for serving as Presiding Officer of his
chamber. In the Lincoln-Douglas division, Abby Espinosa-Gonzalez Bellolio received 16th place
overall. In Public-Forum Debate, partners Krystal O’Morrow and Deyonna Carroll placed 11th overall.
This tournament marked the end of the North’s first speech and debate season in over a decade.
North’s team, after their first year of competition, is ranked in the top thirty-percent of teams in Iowa.
Practice will begin again in August 2015 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Interested students
should contact Mrs. Amanda Dreier.
Coaches; Becky Hall, Katy Roat, Steven Schappaugh, Amanda Dreier
APRIL/MAY 2015
Over a month ago, English 1 students dipped their hands in red paint
to draw attention to the fate of child soldiers in response to learning
about these grievous circumstances while reading the memoir of
Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone, himself once a child
soldier in Sierra Leone. Through their research, students have become
dedicated, as a class, to raise awareness and money to contribute to
UNICEF, an organization committed to ensuring human rights for
children. Because English 1 can’t keep their excitement to
themselves, other curricular areas including history and English
Language Learners, as well as outstanding extracurricular groups like
Movement 515 have been adding their own nuances to this rigorous
project to deepen and strengthen understanding and empathy of
children around the world. The Red Hand Rally that was held on April 24th is a celebration of this
cross-curricular learning and work as well as a kick-off for additional fundraising events to follow.
North’s last pep assembly was Friday, April 24th. We honored seniors involved in spring sports and
revealed who was on the prom court. The students also sang a Kelly Clarkson’s song to Principal
Vukovich in honor of Principal Appreciation Day. Teachers and Principal Mike Vukovich were then
“pied” in the face in support for UNICEF.
al M
cip
Prin
i ch
kov
u
V
ike
APRIL/MAY 2015
APRIL/MAY 2015
May 18
May 19
May 20
May 21
May 22
May 23
May 25
May 28
June 2
Senior Finals begin
Northside Orchestra Concert, 7:00 PM, Auditorium
Nat’l Honor Society Induction Ceremony, 6:00—8:00 PM, Library
MJROTC Awards Night, 6:00—8:00 PM, Auditorium
Class Day, 8:45 AM, Gym
Graduation, 9:30 AM, Drake University Knapp Center
Memorial Day, No School
Underclassmen Finals begin
Last Day of School
Aug. 26
First Day of School for 2015-2016 year
Thursday, May 21st – Last day of classes for seniors
Senior finals are May 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st
Thursday, May 21st – Mandatory graduation rehearsal at 12:30 – 3:00 PM
 Students must be present to participate in graduation.
Friday, May 22nd – Class Day (all school assembly) is at 8:45 – 10:30 AM
 Students must be present to participate in graduation.
Students must arrive by 8:00 AM
Saturday, May 23rd
Knapp Center (2601 Forest Ave.) at 9:30 AM
Graduates must arrive by 8:00 AM
All fees must be paid prior to May 20th.
This is three days prior to graduation.
ID fees Technology fees Fees from Junior High
Lost Books (please return all lost books)