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Colleges and Universities
I just finished reading a book by Frank Bruni, entitled Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. In this book, Bruni writes about America’s passion for a few, highly selective colleges and universities, and how the college admissions process with its emphasis on test scores often ignores students with unique abilities. More importantly, he speaks about the outsized importance of the U.S. News and World Report college rankings in college admissions and how these rankings can be manipulated by schools to ensure higher placement.
Admittedly it is easy to get caught up in the rankings game, and as a private college preparatory school, it is important that we are able to demonstrate our ability to get students into competitive schools. But we also work hard to develop college lists for our individual students that reflect their interests and geographic preferences. This year, the result is a senior class that is attending an eclectic mix of schools. Let me take you through a tour of our senior class.
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Calendar Reminders
Thursday, May 19: Fat Pencil Ceremony
The Fat Pencil ceremony has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 19 at 8:30 a.m. in Fishburn Auditorium.
Tuesday, May 24: Spring Instrumental Music Performance
The concert originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 24 at 7 p.m. in Lemon Dining Hall.
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One more host family!
The North Cross Community always shows its generous spirit of hospitality to our international guests. We have seven amazing families who will be opening their homes to our own students from China next week. We need one more family to take two students, who arrive next Wednesday night. Generous compensation will help families cover the costs of feeding these rising seniors, who will graduate with North Cross diplomas next year and attend U.S. universities. All the students will be busy prepping for the June SAT. They will be attending classes and all the big events of the upcoming weeks on campus. Multiple college visits will preoccupy them before they depart on June 5. There will be a meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday in room 15 of Willis Hall. Please contact Robert Robillard at rrobillard@northcross.org or Lauren Horner at lhorner@northcross.org. Thank you!
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Cook Field Construction
We’re excited to announce that Cook Field construction will start Monday morning at 7:30 a.m.. Please be alert to construction vehicles beginning Monday, and consider using the front entrance to avoid possible delays as equipment arrives throughout the week.
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 Summer Staff Changes
After eight years in the Admission Office, Amy Jackson, Director of Admission (left), is excited to return to the classroom in an increased capacity. Amy, who led the department for two years and was instrumental in creating our Tailored Tuition program, will teach art in the upper school and will focus on taking our studio art program to the next level. She will work with the Admission office staff to ensure a smooth transition for the new families coming to North Cross next fall, and she will continue to manage the Tailored Tuition program.
David Lake, Associate Director of Development (right), has agreed to become Director of Admission effective July 1. David has been an active contributor to events, fundraising, marketing, and campus life, including coaching football, at North Cross for the last four years. He also has a strong background in sales and a genuine passion for our school which makes him well-suited for this position.
Please congratulate Amy and David, and wish them well as they transition into their new positions this summer.
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 Final Reminder for North Cross Strong T-shirts
While the first set of shirts has been delivered, the school is placing a second order for families who were not able to order t-shirts to support the Buddy Bench project memorial for Patrick and Logan McKinnon.
We currently have six orders in the second batch, but we need a minimum of 12 orders. If you missed the chance and want to order a shirt, please place your order this weekend so we can make the minimum and place our final order on Monday.
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Support Girls’ Education in India
 Shermeen Imam ’16 is hosting a fundraiser on Thursday, May 19 from 5-8 p.m. at Taaza Indian Cuisine to support girls’ education in India.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children age 5-10. Proceeds from the evening will go to support the Urdu Girls’ High School located in India.
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Girls Night Out
Join Ellie Proctor on the patio at Billy’s Ritz in downtown Roanoke for a “Girls Night Out†on Thursday, May 19th at 7 p.m. The evening is a dutch treat, and tickets are not required.
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Big Check from Big Flea
This year, the Development Office made the decision to split the proceeds from the Big Flea Sale with our Parents’ Association in appreciation for the hard work of the many PA volunteers, their leadership, and all the effort to make this event happen. The Development Office's goals this year have been to build community and to increase parental involvement and volunteerism. The success of the 2016 Big Flea Sale illustrated the power of the school and PA working together to accomplish our shared objectives. PA does so much for the school by providing things to enhance student experiences that fall outside the school's annual budget. Yesterday afternoon during the PA meeting in the Cartledge Multi-purpose Room, Dr. Proctor (right) presented PA President Susan Card (center) and Big Flea Chair Elise DeMoss (left) with a check for $15,384.31.
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Second Grade Africa Program
Second grade students performed their annual Africa Program on Tuesday afternoon in Fishburn Auditorium for parents. Under the direction of Mr. Richard Rudolph, they performed musical selections with an African theme. Between songs, individual students recited facts they learned about Africa.
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Fifth Grade Science Fair
Fifth grade science students presented their science fair projects in the Carter Athletic Center on Wednesday. Students presented their findings on interesting topics like “Can you blame burnt cookies on the cookie sheet?,†“How much baking powder is needed in quick bread?,†“Does storage temperature affect the popping of popcorn?,†“Is it worth paying eight dollars for a baseball?,†and “How salty does water have to be to float an egg?.â€
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World Language Exam Awards
Monday morning in Fishburn Auditorium, World Language students were recognized for their achievement on national exams for Spanish, French, and Latin.
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Blue Ridge Institute
Continuing their studies of colonial Virginia, the third grade class traveled to the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College this week with teachers Kate Clark and Meade Martin. At the Blue Ridge Farm Museum, students participated in a variety of tours and programs, including “day on the farm†hands-on activities.
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Teacher Feature: Amy Bagliani
Hometown: Elizabeth, New Jersey
Education: Roanoke College—B.S.
Current Position: Upper School Math and Computer Science
Year Appointed: 2014
​What's one thing your students don't know about you?
Between the ages of 8–15, I was a competitive sailor. I also had my own catering business from the age of 16–21.
In photo: The Bagliani family (from left): Abigail, James ’14, Ed, and Amy.
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Spring Chorale Music Clips
On Wednesday evening, choral music students from all three divisions performed in Fishburn Auditorium under the direction of Mr. Andrew Miller. The concert was dedicated to the memory of Patrick and Logan McKinnon.
Thanks to our new audio system, selected songs from the concert were recorded and are available on the Crossties Blog.
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Athletic Physicals Tomorrow
All athletes on Raider teams are required to have a sports physical in order to qualify for participation. Tomorrow at 2 p.m., athletes can get their sports physicals for next year at the new Carilion Institute for Orthopaedics and Neurosciences at 2331 Franklin Rd. SW, Roanoke, VA 24014. The center is located at the corner of Wonju and Franklin Road. The cost of the physical is $20. Athletes must sign in with Blair Trail upon arrival, bring payment, and a blank copy of a VHSL physical form with page 4 filled out by the parent or legal guardian.
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Varsity Baseball Senior Day
On Monday afternoon, the Varsity Baseball team recognized (from left) Jack Cranwell ’16, Tanner Smith ’16, Justin Jensen ’16, Raymond Clarke ’16, and Nate Richardson ’16 on Senior Day. The Raiders went on to defeat Fuqua School 12-6. Justin Jensen ’16 went the distance on the hill and Josh Greenway ’17 led the Raiders with three doubles and six RBIs.
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Girls’ Varsity Soccer Senior Day
On Friday, April 29 before their match against Roanoke Catholic, the Girls’ Varsity soccer team recognized (from left) Campbell Lake’16, Mary Kate Graeff ’16, Lissa Smith ’16, and Meagan Pruitt ’16. The team lost a close game to VES yesterday, losing in double overtime 1-0 in the BRC tournament semifinal match.
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Boys’ Varsity Tennis Senior Day
On Tuesday afternoon, the Varsity Tennis team recognized (from left) Vincient Arnold ’16, James Card ’16, Jaime Dooley ’16, Zander Theoharis ’16, Joseph Cartledge ’16, Michael Fleming ’16, and Jack Fishwick ’16 before their match against Miller School.
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Spring Athletic Scores on Twitter
Athletic team results submitted by team coaches are available on our Twitter account with the tag #NCSAthletics. Highlights from the previous week are included below. |
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Stay Connected on Social Media
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