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It’s not often that North Technical students get the opportunity to travel beyond their U.S. borders to “see the world”.  This past summer, a handful of North Technical students, parents, and teachers did exactly that, traveling to the historic and beautiful cities of London, England and Paris, France.  The trip was arranged by Education Tours (http://www.eftours.com/), a provider of affordable educational tours to over 40 countries around the world. Mrs. Jeanne Robinson organized the effort to put together the group from North Technical High School.
          The 9 day tour began in London where students explored some of England’s most well known tourist sites including Grosvenor Square, the House of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, London Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Windsor Castle.  A quick day trip to Canterbury and Dover led to other attractions including historic Canterbury, the Canterbury Cathedral, the majestic white Cliffs of Dover, and Dover Castle. 
          On the second half of the complete tour the NorthTech group crossed the famous English Channel via ferry to Calais, France.  From Calais, they were transported to what is often called the “city of lights and romance” Paris, France.  Here they passed through many points of interest while the tour guide gave insightful looks into many of France’s historic figures including King Henry, King Edward, King Louis, and Napoleon Bonaparte.  Of course no tour of Paris would be complete without a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral and a photo shoot near the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower. 
          Although they were in Europe, students were surprised and even happy to see many well recognized American icons like MacDonald’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Coca Cola.  If European cuisine was not to their liking, an occasional American burger made in France was just fine. In all the 2010 European experience was a great success, and some of North Counties own residents, young and old alike, will have a lot to talk about and remember for years to come.
          Next summer’s educational tour will be a 10-day trip (June 14-23) through the cities of Paris, Florence, and Venice.  If you are a North Technical student, teacher, or parent interested in next summer’s 2011 education tour, please contact Mrs. J. Robinson in room C-125 or call 314-989-7651.  The current price for next summer’s trip is $2,495.  A $95.00 enrollment fee will secure this price.  Prices for this 2011 tour will go up on August 31, 2010, so please don’t wait. 
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aSee a slideshow of the London to Paris 2010 European trip.

In May of 2010, seniors of North Technical High School’s Cosmetology program walked across the graduation ceremony stage to accept their high school diplomas.  What many were unaware of is that some of those Cosmetology program graduates had already earned another coveted certificate to go along with that diploma, their Missouri State Cosmetology License.  North Technical Cosmetology graduates buckled down in early May to try and pass the Missouri Board of Cosmetology examination.  To qualify for this two part exam students must be at least 17 years of age, have 1220 hours of training from a public vocational technical school like North Technical High, maintain a C or above grade point average, and pay an examination fee of $135.  With financial assistance from the SSD school district, students who felt prepared to sit for this two part examination visited the cosmetology exam center in the first week of May.  In total, nine NorthTech 2010 cosmetology graduates passed the Missouri Board of Cosmetology exam, with 4 others scheduled to complete the second half of their respective exams. Congratulations to the following cosmetology students from the class of 2010 who worked so hard to attain their Missouri Board of Cosmetology licensure:

Certified and Licensed

On Saturday May 22nd, North Technical High School held its Second Annual Car and Motorcycle Show fundraiser event.  Almost 50 cars and motorcycles registered for this second annual event held in the North Tech parking lot.  On this day the weather broke through and provided sunny conditions, blue skies, and temperatures in the 80’s; perfect for an outdoor car show.  Spectators got a chance to check out an array of beautiful cars and bikes sporting custom paint jobs, stylized custom accessories, impressive sound systems, and some shear horsepower.  Among the collection of motorcycles were street bikes, cruisers, choppers and even an ATV. Cars included some beautiful classics, muscle cars, trucks, sports cars, convertibles, and stock cars. One of the six car show sponsors, Paul Cerame Ford Lincoln Mercury of Florissant, also brought a few new cars and trucks to put on display.  Besides automobiles and bikes, there was lots of food, entertainment, raffles, a book sale, and pet grooming services. In the end, the second annual car show was a great success and will continue to be a featured highlight here at North Technical High School.  All proceeds from this fundraiser benefited North Tech’s Mentoring Program (TEAM).  Special thanks to Ms. Gina Bell-Hill who organized and coordinated this outdoor event.  To see pictures taken at the Second Annual Car and Motorcycle Show click the link below.

aClick here to view the 2nd Annual North Technical Car Show 2010 Photo Gallery.

The North Technical High school class of 2010 commencement ceremony was held May 20th in the University of Missouri at St. Louis (UMSL) gymnasium. Over 180 students from 26 technical programs entered the auditorium marching to the beat of “Pomp and Circumstance” in anticipation of receiving their diplomas. Seated upon the platform was this year’s valedictorian Sandi Bowers, salutatorian Chanel Taylor, senior counselor Ms. Davina Reid, lead counselor Mr. Jeff Chandler, principal Mr. Michael Powers, director of technical education Mr. Randy Dillon, assistant principals Ms. Gina Bell-Hill, Ms. Kimberly Ford-Beals, and Mr. James Taylor. District board member, Ms. Zella Williams, was present to certify this year’s North Technical senior class. Overall the class of 2010 amassed nearly $350,000 in scholarship offers from varying colleges, with the most substantial awards going to seniors Robert Turner ($84,000), Rasheen Taylor ($73,200), valedictorian Sandi Bowers ($48,000), and Natoshia Bates ($24,000). After outstanding speeches from Chanel Taylor, Sandi Bowers and principal Mr. Michael Powers, it was time for all the graduates to finally accept their diplomas. Counselor Jeff Chandler introduced the names of each graduate as they walked across the platform and shook the hands of administrators and honored guests. When the final senior walked across the stage and was seated, Mr. Powers called upon the graduates to commence the “turning of the tassel” from right to left symbolizing the transition from candidate to graduate. The momentous occasion was concluded with a roar of cheers, blue and gold caps being tossed into the air, and the final exit march from the auditorium to meet with family, friends and well-wishers. Special thanks go to senior sponsors Karista Koehler, Kenedra Gibbons, and all staff members in attendance. Thank you also to the family, friends, and guests of our graduates for joining us in celebrating this wonderful occasion. Finally, congratulations North Technical senior class of 2010, may you find success in all your future endeavors.
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aClick here to see photos of the graduation ceremony.

Marquis White, like many high school seniors, is out of school and only days from receiving his diploma. On Saturday May 15, Marquis decided to add a few track and field medals to that high school diploma by putting on a dominating individual performance at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 3 District 3 Championships held in St. Louis.  Marquis’ first event was the 100-meter dash (Class 3) where he was clocked at 10.97 seconds; the only runner in the field of sprinters to break the 11.00 second mark.  Ryan Dickson of Berkeley was second with a time of 11.10 seconds.  The next event of the day, the 400-meter dash (Class 3), was expected to be White’s greatest challenge.  The North Technical sprinter who has comfortably dominated the 100 and 200-meter distances only recently picked up the 400-meter event this year.  The 400-meter dash, unlike the shorter sprints where runners just explode out of the starting blocks, requires a combination of endurance, speed, and strategy.  To add to the challenge, Marquis was given the inner lane number 2 spot; the middle lanes 4-6 are generally the more desirable starting positions.  Nevertheless, White burst out of the number 2-block with enough speed to steadily close in on the other favorites who seemed to be pushing the race.  White could not be seen in the pack of leaders for almost 300 of the 400 meter distance, but as the runners made their final turn, White had clearly positioned himself to take over the final 100 meters of the race.  The final turn stretch had White in third, trailing runners Alfred Larry (Jennings) and Jordan Wood (Berkeley).  White passed Wood immediately after the turn and proceeded to run down and overtake Larry in the remaining meters of the race.  White finished with a time of 49.86, the only time below the 50 second mark.  Although White was not considered the favorite in this event, he made it clear that the 400-meter is a race he can also dominate as he has the 100 and 200-meter.  The final event of the day was the boys 200-meter (Class 3) where White finished with a winning time of 22.04 seconds.  Marquise Hill of Trinity was second (22.19).  With the District Championships behind him, Marquis can now look ahead to the upcoming sectionals competition this weekend, as well as receiving his high school diploma on Thursday, May 20th. As White walks across the graduation ceremony stage on Thursday, he will have three shiny gold medals to go along with that diploma.
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aClick here to see photos of Marquis running the 100-meter dash.
aClick here to view video of Marquis running the 100-meter dash.
aClick here to view video of Marquis running the 200-meter dash.
aClick here to view video of Marquis running the 400-meter dash.