Hands-On Fun at STEAM Night

Knight Nation’s first-ever STEAM Night was an absolute hit, with many students bringing their families and loads of community members in attendance. The nearly 50 student volunteers took great pride in their roles, and their enthusiasm brought true sparkle to the event. A sampling of the many interactive activities offered were cows' eye dissections, operating a robot, bath bomb and jewelry creation, laser engraving, and spectacular interactive chemistry presentations. It was a very high-energy night, and many participants left asking, “When is the next one?”

Amy Lacks, STEAM Director and Science Department Chair, led the organizing team for STEAM Night. Here’s her take on the event: “It was really fun seeing people of all ages in our school here to take in all of the exciting things happening in the areas of STEAM. It was so great to share our new Maker Space, redesigned Art Room, and wonderful science labs since we are particularly proud of these spaces. It’s a testament to how immersed in STEAM our school has now become that people as varied as our principal, a math teacher, a member of our CWSP office, as well as several science teachers, were all leading activity stations.”

What do the students of Knight Nation think about STEAM? Here’s a smattering of thoughts: “I think it’s really important for building your character, and it helps you make friends with people who share a common interest. (Ben Fitzgibbon ‘24) “ It helps us tap into our creativity whether that’s with things outside or in the classroom or making art.” (Mia Rhodes ‘24) “It gives students the opportunity to try something new.” (Joshua Hardiman ‘26) “It helps you build a passion and build the mind.” (Vontre'vious Lamy ‘24)  “Without STEAM, you can’t really get very far in life, can you?” (Kandyce Brown ‘26)

For the twelfth year in a row, DLSNC’s Men’s Basketball Team was part of the top eight teams in the 3A Lewis & Clark League and attended the State Championship Tournament held in Coos Bay. Coos Bay (population 15,907) has hosted the tournament for the same number of years and prides itself on personalizing the experience for the visiting teams. 3A teams are all assigned local hosts which is a lovely touch, and somehow DLSNC has lucked out with hosts who go completely above and beyond—Julie and Steve Woodman and Kathy and Mike Rose (with backup over the years from Roberta and Keith Bowers and Joe and Claudia Slack). 

James Broadous II, Head Coach of DLSNC Men’s Basketball since 2011, explained, “The base model for team hosts is to meet the team at the gym and show them the locker rooms, wash the team’s uniforms a couple times, and maybe provide one restaurant dinner. But DLSNC is treated to the luxury model! Our hosts take the whole team out to a gourmet meal after we arrive the first night and provide the players with tournament warm-up shirts (generously donated by long-time supporter Dale Sause) as well as goody bags stuffed with snacks, candy, and Gatorade. At the end of each of the subsequent game days, we are invited first to the Rose home and then to the Woodman home, and the spread of food is just amazing. And it’s not just the players, managers, and coaches who are invited; it’s all of their families, too—probably more than 50 people.”

Over the decade plus of annual visits, the Coos Bay hosts have developed a lasting bond with Coach Broadous and team members. A lovely example of that connection happened recently when Mathias Billings ‘22 was playing in Coos Bay for his college team and made great efforts to make sure the Woodmans and Roses were informed so that they could attend the game. And go they did to cheer Mathias on!

"The tournament is huge for our community,” shared Kathy Rose. “We really want to make sure people come back and that they get a taste of the coast while they are here. Over the years, the De La Salle kids and the Broadous clan have become like family for us. The kids are so phenomenal, so appreciative. We love doing it!” As Coach Broadous observed, “Getting into the State tournament is great, but having the Woodmans and Roses as our hosts makes it special.”

There are many ways that local companies can be part of Knight Nation’s mission, the most substantive being hosting our students in the workplace through our Corporate Work Study (CWS) program. Bottom line, our school would not exist without our CWS partners! 

However, there are several impactful, short-term opportunities for individual professionals as well as corporations to participate with us. A key opportunity is on the horizon—the CWS Summer Training (June 24—28) required for all incoming freshmen and transfer students. The purpose of the training is to allow students to connect with CWS staff, understand workplace expectations, and learn job skills such as the power of first impressions, email etiquette, and communication in a business setting. At the end of the training, there is a field trip downtown to review security and office basics.

Leah Fox-Lewis, Executive Director of Creekside Village Retirement Residence, a CWS Partner, volunteered last year for the CWS Summer Training. Leah recently reflected on the Professionalism in the Workplace session she taught. “I shared how the basics of email and communication and meeting participation are the same across any industry. A main theme of that day was to be open to the possibilities and rewards at any employer. It’s been amazing watching our Student Associates blossom at Creekside, and we definitely are not a typical career choice.”

For the training, we welcome volunteers at any stage of their careers to help us prepare our new students to be valuable workers as they launch into this special part of their DLSNC education. Among the opportunities to participate are being a mock interviewer or teaching a class (for example, DEI, Intro to Microsoft Office, or Confidentiality & Ethics). We also welcome catering donations for the week and downtown field trip hosts. The CWS summer training is sponsored this year by PwC Charitable Foundation to whom we are most grateful.

For the first time in several years, all four grade levels at De La Salle North Catholic are working five days per month in local businesses across the gamut of industries. To celebrate this exciting development in our integral Corporate Work Study (CWS) program, we’re taking a regular peek into the experience, from both a student’s perspective as well as that of his or her supervisor.

University of Portland partnered with us for the first time in our inaugural year, 2001, and for many years thereafter. It returned to hosting a team of students this year, one of whom is sophomore, Jayson Gibson. He’s there on Tuesdays (plus one rotating Monday per month) working with Sarah Nuxoll, Administrative Assistant at the Clark Library. 

How are you growing this year as a supervisor to a DLSNC Student Associate?

It’s been a good opportunity to develop my supervisory skills, particularly with feedback. I invite Jayson’s feedback regularly, and I think we can both learn from each other. He shared recently that he’s excited about getting customer service experience. So we trained him for the front desk to help him pursue that interest. 

Working with Jayson has helped me shift from always being task-oriented, like I’ve got to get this, this, and this done, to being more people-oriented. It’s been really enjoyable having more human interaction. It meant a lot to me that he asked me to be a job reference for him when he applied for a job. It’s been positive for both of us, I think. (Sarah Nuxoll)

What’s been the coolest thing about working with Jayson?

One of the best things about working with Jayson is his radiant smile. And his infectious good spirits! Jayson is just fantastic. (Sarah Nuxoll)

How are you growing this year working as a Student Associate at University of Portland's Clark Library?

I’m learning how to work with people, especially at the front desk for circulation. It helps me learn how to handle situations. And to be more organized. There’s a system of how the library shelves are organized; you can’t just put the books anywhere. The biggest thing I’m getting is how to be consistent. They teach me that when you start something you need to finish it. At 100% accuracy. (Jayson Gibson ‘26)

What’s the coolest part of your job at University of Portland?

The coolest responsibility I have is the circ desk. I like it a lot because I like talking to people, and I like solving problems. I ask a lot of questions there when I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Like how to be checking out books, or checking where a book is so that someone can go down to get it off the shelf, or knowing the systems for checking out computers and chargers. It makes me enjoy it more when I want to know more about it. (Jayson Gibson ‘26)