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Updates from the Alumni Board:
- On February 3, Harry I. Johnson III '86 returned to campus to receive the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus(a) Award. Harry gave a presentation to Middle and Upper school students at an assembly, spoke with an Upper School government class, and spoke to the entire school at our Founders' Day ceremony. Click here to hear remarks from the assembly.
- The Annual Symposium is scheduled for Friday, February 24. This unique opportunity provides Upper School students with a glimpse of several career opportunities from local professionals. If you are interested in participating in Symposium, reach out to Josh Kier at jkier@northcross.org.
- We are now accepting nominations for the Alumni Service Award. The Alumni Service Award is presented annually to one outstanding alumnus/a who has made significant contributions to his/her community. All North Cross School alumni are invited to make nominations to the Alumni Association Board before March 31, 2017. The award will be presented at commencement on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Click here to submit a nomination.
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Studio 540 Was Outta Sight!
We are pleased to report on the success of the Annual Winter Gala and Auction. This year's disco theme, Studio 540, brought a new level of energy to the event. Quite a few attendees raided the back of their closets for their favorite outfits from the glory days (see for yourself), and we saw all the classic dance moves when RSP started playing disco hits.
Above and beyond the fun atmosphere of gala, our community was extraordinarily generous, allowing us to meet our financial goals. After all, that's why we host the gala each year—to provide more funding for student programs, teacher resources, and operational needs of the school.
We owe a special thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who brought Studio 540 to life! The Gala and Auction committee was co-chaired by Amy Lowman and Robin Sells, and they had a great team by their sides.
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State of the School Message
Dr. Proctor gave his annual address on the State of the School on January 25. In the video presentation, he outlined the successes of our past year, the improvements our facilities require to keep pace with our accomplished programs and an overview of the outcomes of our VAIS Accreditation visit this past December.
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Argentinian Students Visit for Four Weeks
For four weeks, four Argentinian students studied at North Cross. The sophomores and juniors are from Corrientes, Argentina, the hometown of Spanish teacher Marianna Hermosilla. They took courses in history, sciences, English, and current US affairs, all while becoming more familiar with American culture. They also assisted in all levels of Spanish classes.
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Honoring Dr. King's Legacy of Kindness
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a special assembly for Middle and Upper School students was held where Director of Community Programs Alex Hash spoke about why he believed we celebrate Dr. King's accomplishments to this day: the unwavering kindness that he bestowed upon all people, not just those who agreed with him and his beliefs.
Kindness is sometimes against human nature, Mr. Hash pointed out; when we see difference in others, often, our tendency is to separate ourselves from that difference. True kindness is the act of compassion in spite of difference and challenge; something we can all try to emulate and honor.
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What's In A Letter?
Fifth-Grade Students Reach out to Friends in Zimbabwe
By Lindsay McKinnon
I just have to brag about how amazing our kiddos are. They did something really good.
When I approached Mr. Lamas and the 5th grade teachers about my idea for creating Pen Pal relationships between North Cross students and 5th graders on the other side of the ocean, they were all about it. I was on my way to Zimbabwe and looking forward to sharing my experience and building bridges between youth in both of these drastically different countries. The process of it all was quite amazing and continues to teach me—and our students and teachers—some of the biggest, most essential life lessons.
Thirty-three 5th graders from North Cross School worked diligently on their letters to peers they have never met, in a country they have never been to, nor did they know much about. This is no small task, yet we asked them, and they rose to the occasion. Reading these letters on the day long airplane ride warmed my soul. I fell in love with our students all over again.
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Middle Schoolers, wherefore art thou?
Young love was reborn in Mrs. Garrett's eighth-grade English classes. Students performed scenes from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and with costumes! Granted, the costumes were yesterday's news, literally, but the students had a great time rehearsing and performing one of the play's famous fight scenes, complete with foam swords and costumes made of newspaper.
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Teacher Features, Staff Stories, and Board Bios
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Play of Thrones: Henry V
Upper School students staged a production of William Shakespeare's Henry V last month. The play, originally staged in the 1500s, featured challenging dialogue—some even in French—but our students made it seem natural. We applaud all of the cast and crew, and Mrs. Polly Jones for her guidance in this production. For a full gallery of photos, available for download, visit the link below.
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Upper School Student has the Write Stuff!
We want to give a standing ovation to Victoria Riego de Dios ’19 for her winning submission to Mill Mountain Theatre's young playwrights competition, Write Stuff! Her play is entitled: "A Letter Explaining Everything," illustrating the trials and tenacity of a young friendship between two girls. This past weekend, NCS students Mariah Eakin ’22 and Jacob Wadstrom ’20 performed her play "A Letter Explaining Everything" at the theatre's stage.
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Two Seniors Commit on National Signing Day
On National Signing Day, two of North Cross School's standout players from this year's 2016 VISAA Div II State Finalist football team formally committed to play football next year with their respective colleges: Davis Call ’17, to College of William & Mary and Miles Lowman ’17, to Hampden-Sydney College, surrounded by their parents, friends and coaches.
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Moore Family Grows
Preston ’02 and Maria Moore welcomed their second child, Rebecca Lacy Moore on March 11, 2016. After her first eleven months, she is just as busy as her older brother Preston Jr. They are living in Virginia Beach where Preston oversees nearly 1,000,000 sf of commercial property.
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Johnson '86 Accepts Award
 Leigh Huff ’76 presented the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus(a) Award to Harry I. Johnson III ’86 (left) at Friday's Founders' Day ceremony. Leigh Huff serves as the Alumni Board's Awards Committee Chair. Also in attendance was Harry's brother Scott ’91 (pictured in inset). Afterwards, Mr. Johnson was joined by past teachers (among them Gates DeHart, Margaret Grayson, and Richard Cook; and Jerry Maycock, not pictured) and friends at a reception hosted by the school.
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Welcome back, Sam Sawyer '16
Sam Sawyer '16 made his way back to North Cross last month to talk with Mrs. Landry's science class about his interest in space engineering at the University of Colorado. He shared a slideshow on a project he completed in his space engineering class. Throughout the semester, he and a group of classmates worked to plan, create, and test a satellite whose function was to perform an experiment of the group's choosing.
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Roanoke Named Top City for New Grads
GoodCall names Roanoke the best city for new grads. To our college-aged alumni, we're sure your parents have already not-so-subtly sent you this article. Don't forget about the place you call home as you consider your opportunities post graduation.
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