Dorm Weekend Camping Trip

This past weekend, members of Mountaineer Hall spent a night camping away from campus. They set up camp Saturday and moved right into getting wood ready for the camp fire and getting sleeping arrangements prepped for the night. Grilling food was a top priority with several Knights taking the lead. Spending a night away from campus with fellow Knights can add a sense of normalcy to their program and as leaders on their dorm, they deserved it.  With many of the students living in urban settings, spending a night in the open air and under the stars was a first for them, and they all loved it.  To top it off, no camping trip is truly complete without smores.  To see more images from the camping experience, check out our Knight Pics website by clicking here.

Football Win // Knights Pride - Video

The Woodward Academy football team got their first victory of the season this past Friday against the Guthrie Center Tigers.  This season, the Knights experienced 3 losses by a total of 9 points and were due for a quality win in the district.  The Knights moved the ball well all night behind Andrew Caulker's 167 yards rushing. In the fourth quarter, the resolve of the team was really tested when the Knight's defense made a 4th and goal stop with under a minute left in the game to secure the 14-8 victory. Check out a couple videos after the break to see what the victory really meant.

Artwork: Surrounded by Words

It is an expectation for all of our students to become a Knight on campus. It requires a lot of work on their part, but obtaining it can be one of the most rewarding experiences while attending Woodward Academy. Over the years, WA has weaved an effective system where norms and expectations are the same regardless of location or activity.  Whether in school, on the dorm, or participating in athletics, WA students hear the same message throughout their stay. It is all around them and pushed in every aspect of their programming. They are surrounded with conversations to Join the Knights Club and to portray positive leadership traits such as Integrity and Cooperation. Over time, they start to live these messages and it becomes a part of them. It's a pretty amazing transformation and it never gets old watching it happen.

Woodworking Extracurricular

After school extracurricular activities have started again this fall with a new set of interest oriented classes.  Running in nine week segments, the topics of the extracurriculars rotate based on which staff members are organizing them.  In the past, journalism, drama club, and sports such as volleyball have been offered, among many others.  One of the more ambitious and compelling groups this time around is woodworking.  Organized by Group Leader Don Teague, this extracurricular is providing hands on experience building a variety of projects.  He has also envisioned this nine week period as the first of four with the projects becoming more complicated moving forward.  Read more after the break.  

Cross Country Poster 2012

This fall, the Knights have been running like crazy prepping for the season and competing in meets across central Iowa.  We reported on their first meet in a previous blog post and you can read it here.  Pictured is the official 2012 WA Cross Country poster, but what in the world are they carrying?  Head Coach Jason Anderson saw this log as a team building opportunity.  Resurrecting a strategy that he started more than a decade ago, the team has to work together to lift the half ton post and lift over their head.  Read more about the origins of the log after the break.

Welding Course Update

In May, we reported on a welding vocational class that WA students started taking at the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).  You can read that blog post by clicking here.  To recap, the 4 week course taught the basics of welding and served as an introduction into the field.  More students are currently enrolled in the course and are receiving hands-on experience as indicated by the image.  Students are hand chosen for the class based on interest and transitional needs.

Knightly Knews Volume 23 is now online!

The latest edition of the Knightly Knews is now online and you can access it by clicking here.  As a .pdf document, you can view or download the quarterly publication to your computer, iPad, or smartphone for easy reading. Some highlights in this edition include:

- Tee Off!  A look at the annual golf tournament to raise money for the Knight's Scholarship Fund

- Phase 5 House

- Open House and 5K

- Baseball season recap

- Educational updates

- and a WA historic section titled "Jerry's Notes"

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