Santa visits WA

After making stops at 132 million homes and carrying over 600 million pounds of toys and gifts to children across the world, Santa decided to make a stop at Woodward Academy on Christmas day to visit some of the students who couldn't make it home for the holidays. In a pinch, Admissions Director Ryan Santi donned his elf outfit while they visited the dorms together. Pictured it Mountaineer Hall excited to see the dynamic duo. It looks like the "Nice List" got a bit longer over the past year. Thanks Santa.

Basketball Poster 2011-2012

The new WA basketball poster was unveiled today, showcasing the players on the team. The poster was shot, editing in Photoshop by students, and printed on campus.

The season began in November and thus far the Knights have 4 victories under their belt and are led by two seniors, Dallas Jackson and Kadeem Hendon, who played for the Knights last year. Head coach Trent Fleshner noted that "every game is getting better" and he really values the two leaders on the team. As three sport athletes, Kadeem and Dallas helped the Knights win their first District track championship last year and both were named to the All-District football team this past season with Kadeem earning 1st Team honors and Dallas an Honorable Mention.

To view more WA posters and images from across campus, visit our Knight Pics website.

Mentoring Program update...

The Mentoring Program at Woodward Academy links WA students with businessmen in the community who offer real world insight into real world issues. Last week, four senior students sat down to discuss what they called the "college process."

Currently, a handful of WA students are preparing to attend college starting in the spring semester with more getting ready for next fall, which includes several in the mentoring program. During the meeting, they talked about setting "realistic expectation" regarding college and hit on a number of topics that included the admissions process, FAFSA, and what it means to be a student-athlete. By February, all of the students involved need to set goals and make contacts with their various schools. For those who will be playing sports, contacting coaches is also high on the priority list.

The mentoring program is breaking for the holiday and will resume in February.

12 Challenges of Christmas...

The holiday season can be a challenging time for some students at Woodward Academy. For many, thinking about home and missing time with family and friends can be difficult to comprehend. Home pass visits are very popular this time of year for students who have continually performed well, but not all students are eligible or adequately prepared for this step in their transition process. Starting December 22 and running through the New Year, school is out of session... so what do students do during the holiday break?

One of the more popular things to do during any extended break is to initiate dorm renovation projects such as painting and deeper cleaning. But those things can fill a limited amount of time and although necessary, are not always enjoyable. This year, headed by Program Director Scott Clouser, a fun dorm vs. dorm competition titled "The 12 Challenges of Christmas" is added to the list of holiday activities. Dorms will compete in 6 challenges that will all take place on Friday, December 23 and will be judged on 6 additional challenges throughout the break with the top dorm earning $500 in dorm expenses. Below is a breakdown of the 12 Challenges:

1. Fastest - Team of 6 students in a "lap style" race competing in a single elimination tournament.
2. Strongest - Team of 5 students doing reps of 135 lbs. on the bench press.
3. Smartest - Team of 5 students asked trivia questions in game show format on topics ranging from sports to pop culture.
4. Smoothest - Team of 3 students writing lyrics and songs about their dorm.
5. Tastiest - Team of 4 students making homemade pizza. Bon Appetite!
6. Proudest - Team of 5 students who will be responsible for creating a banner for their dorm. WOW factor counts!

7. Kindest - What have you done to help other dorms?
8. Cleanest - Dorm inspections throughout the week
9. Sharpest - Looking good makes you feel good!
10. Friendliest - Share your holiday cheer!
11. Knightliest - Most Knights @ end of Rush Month
12. Overall Completest - Most Wins!!

Knightly Knews Volume 20 is now online!

Volume 20 of the Knightly Knews was recently published and is now online at www.wwacademy.com.
As a .pdf document, you can view or download the quarterly publication to your computer, iPad, or smartphone for easy reading. This edition used a comic book theme and features articles on:
- Football
- Cross Country
- Mentoring Program
- MAP Testing
- E-readers in the classroom
- Anatomy class
- Ansell Casey assessment
- and a comic on the "Blue Knight"

We hope you have a chance to check it out and enjoy the read.

Welcome to the Knightly Knews blog

Welcome to the newly established Woodward Academy blog. If you're visiting this site, then you must be familiar with the WA Knights. The purpose of this blog is to share all the opportunities with you that are provided to students when they attend Woodward Academy. Many of you see our quarterly newsletter, the Knightly Knews, that highlights happenings on campus and how are students are doing in the programs. But due to the limits of a quarterly newsletter and the abundance of opportunities, much is missed. That's where this blog comes into play.

With a team of staff and students, we hope to keep you current on many of the things that are happening on campus and the amazing accomplishments that our students are experiencing. We welcome your suggestions and enjoy.

Eric Smidt
Knightly Knews
Editor-in-chief
esmidt@wwacademy.com