NCSD Stories

North Clackamas School District student artists recently shined at the 10th annual Clackamas ESD Regional Art Show, earning multiple honors in artistic styles ranging from sculpture to photography to illustration.  Students from Alder Creek Middle School and Adrienne C. Nelson High School were recognized in grade-level and medium-specific award categories, including first-place honors and top awards for ceramics and sculpture and mixed media.

Empowerment and heritage took center stage as student leaders from Adrienne C. Nelson High School hosted the fourth annual Leleka Ukrainian Youth Conference. Named after the white stork that symbolizes home and hope in Ukrainian folklore, the event was established four years ago when a small cohort of Nelson’s Ukrainian students asked ELD Paraeducator Nataliia Zybachynska to help them form a club dedicated to navigating their cultural and educational journeys together.

Search through any vocabulary list, and there are dozens of word pairings to describe something showcasing a significant cultural impact: cultural tradition, cultural significance, cultural experience, or cultural understanding to name a few.

But through an amazing showcase of their own now on display in the school library, Ceramics students at Alder Creek Middle School have created a brand-new word pairing that’s catching the eyes of every student and staff member who walks by. After kneading together long hours of research with a small lump of clay, each student artist proudly constructed spectacularly stunning cultural creatures.

When athletic seasons culminate at NCSD high schools throughout the school year, it’s a rare honor for an NCSD student to receive all-state recognition, especially with thousands of students competing statewide for limited slots. 

Yet nearly 50 North Clackamas students recently earned that coveted ultimate recognition…not for an outstanding performance playing a sport, but for an equally impressive performance playing an instrument or showing off their vocal range.  

Kindergarten staff members have a gift for making students feel warm on the inside, but for nearly two decades, Lynda Delk’s heartfelt handiwork has helped Seth Lewelling kindergartners also feel warm on the outside. Learn how the retiring paraeducator has created such a “close-knit” bond with Lewelling’s youngest students year after year.

It’s less than a half-hour before the Friday afternoon dismissal bell rings at Sunnyside Elementary, and while teachers shuffle around their classrooms organizing end-of-week routines and students busily put the final touches on late afternoon assignments, one group of volunteer fifth graders is doing some weekly weightlifting up and down the hallways.

But these tireless 10- and 11-year-olds aren’t lifting dumbbells.  Instead, they’re flexing their muscles to make recycling a top priority at their school.