In the News: Some of World's Best Riders Visit NHS

High school news — The ASA High School Tour brings its anti-bullying message to campus Sept. 10

It’s likely most students at Newberg High School didn’t know who Coco Zarita, Trevor Meyer, Mykel Larrin, Eito Yasutoko or Paul-Luc Ronchetti were before being surprised with an assembly Sept. 10.

But after watching the X Games athletes tear up the half-pipe on their BMX bikes, inline skates and skateboards for 30 minutes, they aren’t likely to forget their first assembly of the school year.

More importantly, ASA High School Tour organizers and Newberg High School administrators are hoping the assembly’s anti-bullying message will stay with them just as long.

ther as a school,” senior Owen Schmidt said. “We try not to do that at Newberg. We don’t want that here.”

Activities director Mark Brown agreed, saying that the subject came up in various classes during the day.

“They weren’t just involved and intrigued by the athletes, but also by the message to live your life to the best of your ability and treat everyone with respect,” Brown said. “Bullying, there’s no place for that anywhere.”

Sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps, the ASA High School Tour is in its 17th year and in the midst of a 13-week fall circuit of demonstrations at schools across the country.

As the athletes wowed the crowd with their aerial acrobatics, announcer Micah Kranz bombarded the student body with statistics about bullying.

“It’s kind of a neat idea between them getting a really good attention grabber and a really good message,” Kranz said. “We bring the world’s best talent to grass fields and it’s a great assembly. I remember growing up and not really being affected by it, but if this had come, I would have given them an ear”

Brown received a mass email from ASA Entertainment about the tour, reached out immediately and said he feels lucky to have gotten the tour to stop in Newberg.

“It was a tough decision at first just because there is so much going on already, and teachers and students getting a feel for the new year, but it was such a great opportunity, we didn’t want to pass it up” Brown said. “We jumped on it and have no regrets about doing it. It was a great experience for our students and our staff.”

For the most part, Brown was successful in making the nature of the assembly a surprise.

“We just heard there was going to be an assembly and a new schedule, so we were pretty shocked,” senior Owen Schmidt said. “It was pretty cool.”

According to Kranz, the show was one of the best of the tour so far due to the energy and enthusiasm of the Newberg student body, which, unprompted by him, began chanting riders’ names and fueling them right back.

“It’s touching and you can see the riders reacting, just going higher,” Kranz said. “Legitimately, I don’t think they can go any higher. That’s as about as high as you want to go on a ramp.”

Written by: Seth Gordon; Newberg Graphic