September 28, 2023
NCLA’s New Administration
By: Kaitlyn Parker
As a school, we brought on two new administrators this year and wanted to get to know them a little bit better.
First, we have Mrs. Bass. She is the Middle School Assistant Principal. Mrs. Bass grew up in Wilkes County and went to UNC Chapel Hill as a Teaching Fellow. Mrs. Bass went on to get her Masters in Secondary Education at Wake Forest. She also went back to Wake Forest to get her masters in Educational Leadership.
Mrs. Bass was a competitive cheerleader and dancer, and still enjoys playing sports when given the chance. She is married with two children, Remi and Cohen. Some of Mrs. Bass’ favorite things are Starbucks, dogs, spicy food, and the color gold.
Mrs. Bass’ favorite thing in high school was PE, but outside of that she loved math. She then went on to teach math at High Point Central High School for 8 years before moving into a role as a Math Coach at Ferndale Middle School. She then moved into the administrative realm and then came to NCLA.
Mrs. Bass’ favorite thing so far this year has been getting to know all of the staff and students at NCLA. She hopes to be a cheerleader for her staff and students to make them feel supported so that they can reach their highest potential.
Secondly, we brought on Mr. Peascoe. He is the Assistant Principal for K-12 Leadership.
Mr. Peascoe has always lived in the Triad and he graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Criminal Justice. He then went on to get a Masters in School Administration from UNCG. He and his wife, Laura, have 3 young daughters.
He enjoys watching sports, especially the MLB team the Dodgers, the Panthers, and APP State.
Mr. Peascoe was drawn to NCLA because he was looking for a leadership role and when he saw that NCLA was hiring he reached out to a former colleague who had nothing but good things to say. He then visited NCLA and felt that it was an environment he wanted to be a part of. Mr. Peascoe’s favorite subject in high school was science, especially physics.
If Mr. Peascoe had to describe himself in one word; it would be kind. Mr. Peascoe’s goal at the NCLA is to be a positive presence on campus and to guide others and himself to become the best version of themselves. We are so glad to have both of these wonderful administrators on staff at our school, helping us to thrive and become better as a school.
October 12, 2023
Kersey Valley Through a 3rd Grader’s Eyes
By: Kaitlyn Parker
Kersey valley is an adventure park in Archdale, North Carolina. Children of all ages have gone to Kersey Valley for years as they were immersed in all kinds of fall festivities.
When someone says Kersey Valley, the first thing we think about is often Spooky Woods and all the fright that this attraction produces as we near Halloween.
However, Kersey Valley is also a nostalgic place that most of us visited as elementary schoolers. It is full of fun, from pumpkin patches to corn mazes to giant bouncing pillows.
The NCLA’s 3rd graders went on a field trip this past week to Kersey Valley. They had a full day of activities from bee shows to corn mazes to tram rides.
Kersey Valley has become a tradition for the NCLA’s 3rd graders. They have gone for the past 7 years. “We’ve done [Kersey Valley] in the past and always really enjoy it,” said Ms. Amber Parker, one of the NCLA’s 3rd grade teachers.
The corn maze is the highlight of many student’s experiences. However, they do often find it challenging. One of the 3rd grade students, Kaaraj Hunjan, reflects on the corn maze saying that it was hard because, “We didn’t have a map and we didn’t know where to go.” The corn maze is meant to be challenging because that is the part the students often learn from. Ms. Parker said, “They have to use problem solving skills in the corn maze and work together.”
The students had a lesson on honey bees in which they learned about how bees contribute to our ecosystem and ultimately our survival. NCLA’s 3rd grader, Gabby Norton, says they even, “got to take home honey,” which was a highlight of the trip for many students.
Third grader, Cora Donardt, said she thought the pumpkin patch was the best part of the field trip. Many other students agreed with Donardt and were excited that they got to explore the patch. The students all got to pick out a small pumpkin that they were allowed to take home with them.
The students had the opportunity to ride on a tram while at Kersey Valley as well. Ms. Parker said this was her favorite part of the trip because it gave her a quiet time to get to talk with the students.
The third graders got to explore many different fall activities while at Kersey Valley and they learned about working together and about the ways the different parts of our ecosystem work together.
Kersey Valley will always be a place that many of us treasure because of the memories we made there as a child and our third graders got to go on many of those same adventures this week.
November 2, 2023
October 28th Fun!
By: Kaitlyn Parker
October 28th was a big day for the families at the NCLA. From kindergarteners to 12th graders, the day was packed with exciting activities.
NCLA hosted a trunk or treat for the elementary school students and it had a great turn out. So many kids showed up that the school went through four wagons of candy.
There were 26 trunks overall at the trunk or treat. A fan favorite trunk was the school bus, but all of the trunks were very creative and fun.
Students showed up in all kinds of costumes- from soccer players to barbies to ninjas to princesses. It was a beautiful day and the trunk or treat was a huge success. Elementary school assistant principal Mrs. Jenna Guldberg said, “The warm weather definitely was an added bonus to a great day!”
While the elementary schoolers were enjoying trunk or treat outside, NCLA’s middle schoolers were attending their first dance of the year. Students were invited to come out in their costumes and enjoy a fun afternoon of dancing with their friends. The biggest costume hit of the night was the inflatable dinosaur costumes hit of the night was the investable dinosaur costume worn by both Linley Tucker and Eden Anderson.
Photo Credits: Mr. Gonzalez
Photo Description: Senior, Panagiota Mellonas, hugging freshmen, Amy Koo, after receiving her senior gift.
When polled, the middle schoolers said that their favorite things were the food and getting to hang out with friends. For 25.6% of the students surveyed this was their first dance and it certainly did not disappoint.
The students loved everything from the food to the music. Some of the student’s favorite songs include the wobble and the cupid shuffle. The middle schoolers loved when everyone got excited and came out to the middle to dance together.
After trunk or treat and the dance, the night wrapped up in an epic battle between Landphair’s Army and the Herricanes at the 2023 powderpuff game.
The game started with the teams getting hyped up and running out to Rock You Like a Hurricane for the underclassmen and Womanizer for the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen started with the ball and the first half of the game passed by quickly. At halftime the upperclassmen were winning, but it was a tight game.
Halftime was a favorite part of the night for many people. It began with the beloved cheerleaders representing both the under and upperclassmen. Both groups were full of energy and definitely provided a source of entertainment.
The underclassmen cheerleaders won the cheer trophy, but both grades put in hard work. Sophomore Ella Moye, who worked with the underclassmen cheerleaders to choreograph their routine, said, “The boys worked so hard and I could not be more proud of them and their performance! It was definitely a hard earned win but they deserved it […] It felt amazing for us to win and that our hard work paid off. Choreographing this year’s routine was definitely a challenge but I couldn’t have done it without Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Gunnel-Beck!”
The underclassmen cheerleaders won, but the upperclassmen boys also put in hard work for their routine. Senior Monica Truhe, who worked closely with Mr. Tucker to choreograph the upperclassmen’s routine, said, “The boys did really great and I’m proud of them. I think the boys had fun and that’s what matters.”
is so important that everyone had fun because ultimately the night was all about bringing the student body together. Many students and teachers also expressed that the seniors getting recognized was their favorite part of the night. The senior girls were asked to come to the center of the field and as they were recognized, underclassmen girls surprised them with gifts.
Photo Credits: Mr. Gonzalez
Photo Description: The PowderPuff trophy sitting on the announcer table
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Underclassmen coach, Mrs. Danielle Landphair said, “There was a lot of comradery between both teams and I think having that senior moment during halftime really kind of bonded the two together. It kept everything in perspective that the whole point of powderpuff is really to bring everybody together and celebrate as a school. That was probably my favorite part, just seeing the two teams coming together”.
It was special to see the teams come together to celebrate the seniors and it was an emotional moment for many of the girls. Senior Sophia Franks said, “At halftime when all the freshmen came up and gave us our gifts it was very emotional and so sweet. I almost cried. It felt like a good way to close things out”.
As halftime wrapped up, it was time to get back into the game. Both teams fought hard to win and the game ended up being closer than many expected. Upperclassmen coach Mr. Phillip Landphair said, “The underclassmen played even better than I expected them to. They played really well on defense and kept our running game very closed in. I was surprised at how close the game ended up being, but I am happy it was a good game and everybody had a lot of fun.”
Ultimately, Landphair’s Army took the win with a final score of 20 to 18. This marked the first time that this year’s senior class had won a powderpuff game, so it was a monumental night for many.
In the end, the whole day was about the students having fun and enjoying themselves. We saw a great turn out for all 3 events and whether students were in elementary, middle or high school they all experienced a day full of friends and fun which is really all that matters.