Focusing on Fine Arts

Some weeks there are events that remind you of how important parts of our school life are not only to our students, but also to us and our families.  This last week was one of those for me.

First, we had the performances of State Fair by our music and drama department that knocked it out of the park! I am constantly amazed by the variety of students Ms. Konecne and Mrs. Cantu enlist and the work that happens so quickly. You may not know this, but there was a significant delay in the start of rehearsals due to copyright, access, and ordering of scripts.  So not only were they on a crunch with time, but they had too many schedules to count that they had to navigate.  Despite these many hurdles, it was an amazing show for fans of all ages.

The best part about the performance I attended on Saturday was the reaction of my 7 year old. Sometimes as parents we forget that our kids find their passions early and see everything our older kids do.  When I was preparing to go to the musical, this one begged to go and was enthralled with State Fair until the last 10 minutes when his body gave up and he fell asleep.  There's a lesson to be learned in this. We have encouraged him to do many athletic things the last two years when he clearly is musically oriented. It brought me joy to finally see him be excited about an event, so thank you to all in the show and involved in the background. Bravo!







To top the week off, I had promised Mr. Adam to come and play with the band weekly once marching band was over.  This was my first week in and he had a french horn and the fingering charts all prepared for me last week when I got there.  After 25 plus years away from it, playing again was quite humbling and I apologized multiple times to the kids sitting around me and Mr. Adam as I was VERY rusty.  However, the outcome was amazing.... my entire day was improved after being able to express myself in a different way and work with a group of musicians toward a unified goal. I will continue this and hope to blow the dust off a little and get my embouchure back.  Any way I look at it, this is a win/win to be around kids doing what they do and filling a little of my inner musician needs.  Thanks NH Bands and Mr. Adam!

Pathfinder Day for Juniors and Seniors

This week, all NHHS juniors and seniors participated in a Pathfinder Day sponsored by NICC and Iowa BIG North. Students prepared for this day by completing a survey about their future plans and interests.  The goal of the was not only to bring in post-secondary colleges and universities, but also have industry options such as internships, apprenticeships, certification and straight to work representative available.  In addition, each junior met with NICC about college and certificate programs available in high school and each senior met with a representative regarding financial aid and the FAFSA process.

One of the options available was military service and many students discussed the availability of earning and education through enlistment. 

 Several NICC representatives were in attendance to talk about the variety of options both in high school and beyond with credit and certificates.

Many students were seen filling out applications and interest cards to receive more information from the institutions in attendance.

To end the morning, each representative was part of a panel discussion about what to expect after high school, how to prepare and the decision -making process of choosing a pathway.