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Advent Reflections
Growing up in Portland with a big family, the holiday season has always been a time of gatherings, laughter, excitement, and love. When attending Christmas Eve mass and seeing all four of the candles lit around the Advent wreath, I reflect on the meaning around them. The wreath itself, a circle, signifying continuous life, no beginning, no end. Then the four candles, three purple and one pink, each one representing hope, love, joy, and peace. I carry those four words throughout the Advent season and bring those words to work with me at De La Salle North Catholic. I see them in our halls, in our students, in our staff. Looking back over the last few months, here are just a few examples of where I have seen these words come to life:
- Hope—The hope that comes with our new building, a start of something new
- Love—The amount of love shown for Knight Nation at our first home game on Kelley Court
- Joy—The joy in our students' faces, being back together in person, gathering in community
- Peace—The peace that comes over the halls as I leave each day, excited for what the next day will bring
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Alyssa Frangipani
Director of Lasallian Youth Ministry
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Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month
During the month of November, we recognized Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Month by taking a closer look at two of our five Lasallian core principles—“Respect for All Persons” and “Concern for the Poor and Social Justice.” We asked students where they saw these principles in their lives and in their community. At our all-school assembly, we heard from Aja McLeggan from the Urban League of Portland and our very own Sophomore, Kynayzya Brewer, on her service experiences at City Team Ministries and JOIN Immersion.
To raise hunger and homelessness awareness in a different way, DLSNC hosted a canned food drive. This year we set a goal to bring in 1,500 cans which the whole school community rallied to meet and even surpass. All cans were donated next door to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry which operates out of St. Charles twice per week—enough food to keep their shelves filled for more than three months! Thank you to all students, families, faculty, and staff for donating!
—Alyssa Frangipani, Director of Lasallian Youth Ministry
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St. John Baptist de La Salle with his Beloved Students
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"Reflections of God"
Artist Janet McKenzie was commissioned by an anonymous donor to paint a new interpretation of St. John Baptist de La Salle for our new campus. We requested of Ms. Mckenzie that the work honor and celebrate the Patron Saint of Teachers as well as the beautiful racial diversity of our school.
St. John Baptist de La Salle considered his students to be “Reflections of God” and this is the essence of the painting. In the painting, he is the foundation around which beloved students gather — generation after generation — inspired by his enduring love of education.
President Oscar Leong shares, “The DLSNC community is honored and humbled to have a one-of-a-kind rendering of the Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, as depicted in the magnificent work by artist Janet McKenzie. Imagery of the Founder is present on every Lasallian campus throughout the country and around the world, but Ms. McKenzie's interpretation truly represents the students that bless the De La Salle North Catholic community. Knight Nation is uniquely beautiful, and Ms. McKenzie's work captures the essence of our beautiful students.”
For more information, or to purchase a print of this special portrait, please visit: www.janetmckenzie.com.
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Child Psychology Lab at DLSNC
In DLSNC´s psychology class, Juniors and Seniors spend time learning about child development, focusing on the early years. They learn about physical development (birth reflexes, gross and fine motor development), language development, and Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development. As a culmination of their learning, we invite children of many ages and their caregivers for a children's observation lab. This year, we had eight children participate who ranged in age from one month to four years.
During the lab, students have the chance to see development in action in different-aged kids. The students especially enjoy “testing” each child to determine which Piaget stage they are in. To do this, they test the babies for an understanding of object permanence with the “Ball and Blanket Test,” they test for egocentricity with the “3 Mountains Test,” and for an understanding of conservation with water, graham crackers, and quarters. Here’s what the students had to say about the experience:
“It was definitely cool to piece together what we learned with the kids. To see how on-point those stages are was so interesting. It was nice too, as it pushed me out of my comfort zone.” Esa Facchini ‘22
“I tested one kid for object permanence, but he didn’t understand it. When I hid the toy, his look of betrayal struck my very soul.” Joey McIntosh ‘22
—Pam Wood, Counselor
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Fruitful Partnership with JVCNW
Since the 2016-17 school year, DLSNC has enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership with Jesuit Volunteer Northwest/ Americorps. We are so thankful for our excellent volunteers who have supported our students during their JVCNW service and beyond!
Former and current JVCNW/Americorps members are pictured left to right:
Sara McLean (2017-18 and 2018-19) has worked in DLSNC’s administrative offices, Lasallian Youth Ministry, and is currently teaching mathematics to Freshmen and Seniors.
Alexis Aviles (2020-21) now teaches English to all Juniors and co-teaches one section of US history through the University of Portland PACE program.
Alex Ontogtokh is the current volunteer for 2021-22. He provides excellent academic support for about 50 students per day in the Academic Resource Center and is currently working on a project to build our after-school math tutoring capacity.
Thank you Sara, Alexis, and Alex, and thank you to JVC Northwest for a partnership that has brought these wonderful people to our community and countless benefits to DLSNC students! —Andy Poundstone, ARC Coordinator
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CWSP Partners Participate in Chair Design Panel Review
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming guests from three design firms (all current Corporate Work Study Program partners) to give our design students feedback on the work they produced for the Cardboard Chair Challenge. Students were asked to design a functional chair that would support the weight of someone sitting on it, using only one material—cardboard. Bas Geelen of Ziba Designs, Matt Barner of MacKenzie, and Sean Kelly of Grovemade gave the students thoughtful feedback based on their experiences with the design process. Some of our guests were even willing to take a seat!
—Tina McDermott, Art Teacher
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Las Posadas, Saturday, December 18, 6:30—8:00 pm
All are welcome to join this wonderful holiday tradition, celebrating Latine/Hispanic culture. From 6:30–8:00 pm on Saturday, December 18, there will be a journey through the school to find a “shelter” for the birth of the Christ child, followed by food, fun, fellowship, and a piñata. Please bring a potluck dish to share and an unwrapped toy for the Toy and Joy Makers donation bin. Hosted by both DLSNC and St. Charles, the event will take place in the Commons.
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Support DLSNC By Ordering Holiday Cards & Gifts From Minted
Get 20% off all holiday cards and gift orders through the end of December when you use our unique promo code FUNDRAISEDELASALLE. Minted will donate 15% of each order amount back to DLSNC. Happy holiday shopping!
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| Question of the Month
To continue our 20th-anniversary historical theme for this feature:
In 2017 and 2018, DLSNC produced two highly popular Christmas lib dub videos. Which year featured more songs? Here is the video from 2017. Click below to view the 2018 video and get the answer.
a) 2017
b) 2018
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