North Branch Area High School

Congratulations to Ashley Bistodeau and Jack Baker, the 2023-24 ExCEL (Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership) Award nominees for North Branch Area High School! The Minnesota State High School League ExCEL Award recognizes high school juniors active in school activities, leaders in their schools, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for FRC Team Robotics demo night, Thursday Feb. 29, at Chisago Lake High School!

Congratulations to the North Branch Knowledge Bowl Varsity 1 team! They finished 5th place with 91 points at the Subregional meet on Wednesday at St. Cloud State University. The team will advance to the next level of competition on Tuesday, March 12 at the Region 7 Regional Knowledge Bowl Meet! They must place either first or second at this meet to advance on to the State Meet, which would make this the third year in a row that a North Branch Knowledge Bowl team made it all the way to state! Pictured left to right, Elinor Tetzlaff (12), Camden Rafftery (11), Jackson Thelander (11), Hendrick Schroeder (12)

Students and members of the North Branch Area High School FFA chapter spent time learning about about public policy at “FFA day at the Capitol” in Saint Paul. Students had the opportunity to take a tour of the Capitol and hear from lawmakers and leaders in the agricultural sector. A highlight of the day include meeting with Senator Mark Koran to address the importance of career and technical education in our school as we work through our first years as an emerging Agricultural Education program. FFA is a nationwide student leadership organization available to all agricultural education students at NBAHS. FFA prepares students for careers in agriculture and beyond. The North Branch FFA Chapter was chartered this school year and is led by students and advisor Amanda Cook.

You can support the Senior All Night Party by eating at the North Branch McDonalds on March 5, between 4 and 7 p.m. Twenty percent of proceeds will go toward creating a night to remember for graduating seniors! See flier for additional details.

The Viking Newsletter - February 2024 is now available and can be accessed at this link: https://www.smore.com/wmn8j

SKOL! and congratulations to Vikings Libby Nielson (right) and Dakota Esget (left)! Dakota finished as the state All-Around champion and two-time Bars champion! She also finished 2nd on the Vault and 2nd on the Floor. Libby finished 7th on beam with a score of 9.15! Way to go!!!

NBAHS celebrated two state-bound gymnasts with a walking pep rally this afternoon. Senior Libby Nielsen earned 4th place on beam at sections with a score of 9.15. This is Libby’s first time qualifying for state. Junior Dakota Esget will be making her 4th appearance at the state meet! She was last year’s Class A State Uneven Bars Champion. This year she earned the title of Section All-Around Champion with a total score of 37.075 and will compete in all four events at state. At sections, she placed first on beam with a 9.375, 1st on floor with a 9.4, 3rd on bars with a 9.05, and 7th on vault with a 9.25. The girls compete on Saturday morning at 11am at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Good luck Libby and Dakota!

Join us tomorrow for dinner and a treat! 🍦A portion of the proceeds help fund our We Are All the Same Sock Hop.

Spring sports meetings will be at NBAHS on Monday, Feb. 26 at 6 pm. Attendees enter doors 1, 5, or 11 and go to assigned rooms. Practice start dates and room numbers for each sport are listed here: https://nbskolvikings.com/2024/02/14/spring-sports-information-meetings-3/

Take the Alexis Challenge! Miss Teen Minnesota Alexis Sway donated canned goods to the Viking Vittles program recently and now you can help too! Alexis and Supt. Paul are teaming up to ask you to take the "Alexis Challenge" and support Viking Vittles! What is Viking Vittles? For students PreK-5, Viking Vittles organizes a weekend food backpack program that provides a bag of food to any student who signs up. Every week, hundreds of students go home for the weekend with food thanks to this program. Viking Vittles also supports middle school, high school and Norse Area Learning Center students by providing access to Care Closets at each location There is more than one way for you to take the Alexis Challenge. You could attend the program’s upcoming Lenten Fish Fry fundraiser at Trinity Lutheran Church, happening every Friday, Feb. 16 through March 22, 5 - 7 p.m. Adults admission is $15, kids ages 5 - 10 are $5, and kids under 5 eat free! (See flier for details.) Or, stop by the Viking Vittles GoFundMe page and donate directly: https://gofund.me/defc8072. To learn more about Viking Vittles and the Alexis Challenge, see Supt. Paul's most recent School News column: www.isd138.org/page/contact-the-superintendent

Thank you to all of the families that joined us for our Hmong Open House on Tuesday, Feb. 13, from 6 - 7:30 pm. If you were unable to attend and have any questions for North Branch Area Public Schools please be encouraged to contact Director of Teaching and Learning David Treichel at 651-674-1055 or dtreichel@isd138.org .

Good Luck to North Branch FTC Robotics Teams as they gear up for the state tournament on Saturday, Feb. 17, at River Center/Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul. Opening ceremonies begin at 8:15 am and competition starts at 8:45. Championship rounds begin at 2 pm. Way to go FTC!

NBAEF announces grant recipients! On Monday, Feb. 12, representatives of the North Branch Area Education Foundation (NBAEF) made their annual trip through the hallways of North Branch Area Public Schools (NBAPS) to deliver good news to staff - grants have been approved! This year the NBAEF, with a generous donation of $10,000 from ECMC Foundation (Educational Credit Management Corporation) Foundation, awarded nine grants to staff at the Sunrise River School, North Branch Area Middle School, the Norse Area Learning Center, and North Branch Area High School, totaling over $17,000. The 2023-24 NBAEF grants will provide a wide variety of opportunities for students, including a “Zen Den” calming room and Outdoor Adventures field trip at North Branch Area High School, a classroom set of ukuleles, and a set of Sphero Robotics at the Sunrise River School, a mentoring and leadership program and behavior incentive items at North Branch Area Middle School, exercise equipment at the Norse Area Learning Center, classroom “clickers” for classrooms K-5, and recreation and field trip opportunities for the Chisago County Schools’ Life Work Center. “We are so grateful, and so fortunate, to have the North Branch Area Education Foundation providing these incredible opportunities for our students and staff year in and year out,” said NBAPS Supt. Sara Paul. “Viking innovation is at the heart of how we become better every day, and the foundation provides the opportunity for creative ideas to be put into action!.” Since 2010, the NBAEF has raised over $509,000 and awarded grants over $231,300.

Taher and NBAPS are proud to present Display Chef Tony Menk! Chef Tony will be at the high school on Feb. 28 to do prep work with Pro Start and serve his delicious Mongolian Grill. On Feb. 29, Chef Tony will be at the NBAEC sampling fresh fruit with students. Welcome Chef Tony!

How're we doing? Taher wants to know what families think of school lunch. You can take Taher's brief school lunch survey by scanning the QR on the poster, or by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/48YLyiI

The NBAHS Snow Court visited buildings on Friday with the new Vikings mascot, and wrapped up with a pep fest at the high school. The only thing missing from Snow Week was snow!

Interested in being an umpire? Do you have a passion for the softball game and want to stay involved? Join us to help grow our softball umpiring team. This 6 week Course will center around the basics of umpiring and why they play such an important role. We'll learn the rules and mechanics of the game. Ending the session with behind the plate action with live pitching. Upon completion of this session, all participants will have the connections to connect with assignors, have some fun and make a little money. This course is broken into 6 Sessions and are as follows: Intro to Officiating MN State High School League Rule Book Specific Rules Mechanics Get behind live pitches Register at https://isd2144.ce.eleyo.com/course/2162/winter-2024/umpiring-101

Interested in FTC Robotics for next year? If so, come to our scrimmage on Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 6-7:30 in the Middle school south cafeteria. Come check out our state bound robots and get questions answered. Eligible students must be entering grade 7 or higher - Fall 2024.

We Are All The Same Sock Hop is back this year! Check out the flier for the details of this great event, along with wonderful fundraising opportunities. T-shirt sales close February 13. Scan the flier QR or visit this website to order!: https://sockhopdance2024.itemorder.com/