Stay Connected with the Knights

There are a lot of ways to stay connected with Woodward Academy. This blog is one of the most popular ways to get recent information about the happenings on campus. Updated several times a month, this is often the first place where you can get the latest in WA news. But there are other avenues to learn about what Woodward Academy offers its students as well. Our quarterly newsletter, The Knightly Knews, has a circulation of approximately 800 of which we either mail directly or can be picked up on campus. You can also download a pdf version of past issues by clicking here.

If you're new to Woodward Academy, our website is a great place to start to get an overview of campus life. You can get there by clicking here. From the site, you can watch our latest promotional video (which is embedded below) and download our mobile web application. Both of these are great overviews of WA and show things like dorm life, education, athletics, and vocations. The mobile web application in particular is a great tool because it is something you can download onto your iPhone, iPad, or Android device and take with you wherever you go. It also has the video embedded in the application so it can be viewed anywhere. So get connected and stay in touch with the Knights.

Basketball Poster 2013 - 2014

The 2013-2014 Iowa high school basketball season is fully underway at this point and we thought it would be a good idea to show off the team in the official Woodward Academy basketball poster. The Knights are led by first time head coach Dustin Sperling this season and have a lot of really talented players. The poster has a simple composite layout that has been digitally signed by all of the players. If you're on campus, grab a poster for your office and follow the Knights all season. You can check out a play by play of some of the games on Press Box Radio by clicking here.

GED Graduates

The month of May marks the end of the academic school year and is the time when we honor the senior class with a commencement ceremony. But May is not the only time when academic accomplishments are made. Many students attend Woodward Academy behind on credits needed for high school graduation. Some students are able to make up those up during the summer when most students are enjoying some time off. But for those students who are drastically behind in credits, working towards their GED is the best option.

Students study for the GED and take practice tests on campus with our testing coordinator. When they are ready, they can then try for the real thing at a DMACC, a local community college. After successfully completing the five tests that are a part of the GED, students earn their general equivalency diploma. This doesn't just happen in the spring, but throughout the year. In fact, over the last couple months, more than a dozen WA students have earned their GED.

Fall Sports Banquet // Sportsmanship

At the end of each sports season, Woodward Academy recognizes its athletes with a banquet filled with catered food and awards. On Wednesday, the football and cross country teams were honored in front of the entire student body. The football team announced that Darius Scott-Crayton was selected as a part of the 1st Team All-District Team with four players making the 2nd Team and two additional being honorable mention.

In his final comments, Woodward Academy's Athletic Director, Cade Iversen, talked about the Knight's sportsmanship. Based on a 1-4 rating, the high schools in the state of Iowa are assessed a number that indicates their character on the field. The average across the state is about a 2. For Woodward Academy, we averaged 1.17 among all sports.

Some people think that sportsmanship is important, but a novelty award at best. At Woodward Academy, it is something that we highly value because it reflects who we are and what we strive to do as a school. Each coaching staff has a goal to produce not only solid athletes, but to build character in those athletes. Without character, Woodward Academy would not have sports. Years ago when WA was building its athletic program, there was some opposition from members of other communities when our teams would compete against their school… and that's understandable. But over the course of the past 5 years, we have broken down those barriers and now parents and schools welcome us into their schools. At every event, we compete hard and at a lot of them come out victorious. When it is all over, the parents of those schools thank our kids for playing and wish us luck in the future. In the process Woodward Academy is no longer a school for juvenile delinquents. This is because of our students character and our 1.17 sportsmanship rating that we will continue to take seriously.

Powerlifting Tryouts

As the fall sports season at Woodward Academy has come to a close, the winter sports are starting to get going. High school basketball is right around the corner and this past weekend, the powerlifting team held its campus tryouts.

Head coach Guthrey Fritz always likes to get started before Thanksgiving to get his lifters comfortable with their practice routine and to get the inevitable sore out of them before December. This year, 200 students tried out for the team which beat out last year's record of 197 students. If you're unfamiliar with the sport, you may be surprised to know that bigger isn't always better when it comes to lifting weights. In powerlifting, athletes compete in weight classes and champions are determined by how well they can maximize their body's potential. Past WA champions have come from nearly every weight class including some of the lightest like the 114, 123, and 132 pound weight classes.

The powerlifting program at WA is far and away the most successful of any sport. This past spring, the Knights crowned an additional 4 individual national champions (20 total over the past 9 seasons!) and brought home its 8th consecutive USAPL High School National Championship.

With the season starting, the team will compete in three events before traveling to the National Championships next spring. The 2014 competition is being held in Killeen, Texas over the weekend of March 28-30.

Veterans Day

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day and Congress later passed a bill making it an official national holiday. The day recognized the end of fighting in World War I (then known as The Great War), which as Congress noted was "the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war" in human history. Years later in 1954, after World War II, the word armistice was replaced with "veterans" in order to honor those who served in a war that required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen the world had ever seen.

Today, Veterans Day is annually observed on November 11 and is a way to focus the nation's attention on those who have served the United States. It is a celebration to honor their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Woodward Academy has 25 veterans on staff out of approximately 200 employees. That is an amazing number and something that we find pride in. A lot of Woodward Academy classes spent time today recognizing Veterans Day and we wanted to take time here to honor our veterans. Pictured is Sergeant Jason Anderson with some students from his dorm, Delta Company, in an image taken this weekend. After the break, we'll recap what some classes did to commemorate the day, and look at Anderson's military experience and reflections on Veterans Day.

Macklemore in Concert!

Macklemore is one is the hottest musical artists right now, and some WA students actually got to meet him last week! The songwriting combo of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are responsible for top hits such as "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us"and their current U.S. tour made a stop in Des Moines on October 30. So how did they actually get to meet Macklemore?

The short version is the result of pure determination and persistence. Ms. Geha, a WA teacher, reached out to Macklemore's team through email and Facebook asking if he could speak at WA while in Iowa. Although he could not speak, he did offer some free tickets and back stage passes to some students. What?? Macklemore is a very socially conscience artist and chooses important topics to tackle through his music. After hearing about WA, he was excited to spend some time with the students. He is a recovering drug-addict who is proud of his sobriety and in an interview, expressed that music is his creative outlet and he wants to talk about issues that are important and have value to him.

Pictured are some students with Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis along with Ms. Geha who obtained the tickets.

Get Pink

October is breast cancer awareness month and Woodward Academy got into the pink spirit in this big campus picture. As an annual national campaign to raise awareness of the disease, pink is everywhere these days ranging from NFL jerseys to people sporting it as they participate in Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure events. This campus picture was taken earlier this week as a corporate initiative to raise awareness and as a friendly competition between sister schools of Woodward Academy. Educational programming was also a part of the Get Pink program across all of the campuses.

ISU Cyclone Melvin Ejim Visits Campus

Iowa State Cyclone basketball player Melvin Ejim stopped by campus on Tuesday to talk with student leaders on campus. Most of the time was spent in a Q & A session where students asked him questions that ranged from his basketball career to future aspirations. Ejim's visit comes at a great time with the fall sports season coming to a conclusion and basketball starting up in a couple weeks.

Ejim is entering his senior season with the Cyclones in Ames and is coming off an impressive year both individually and as a team. He averaged 11.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last year and led the Big 12 Conference in rebounding. He was also honored with the Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year last season. You can check out more about Ejim on his official Cyclone page here. We want to thank Ejim for taking time out of his schedule to come out to WA and talk with our students.

Former Army Ranger Speaks to Students

Former Army Ranger turn public speaker, Gary Horton, spoke to Woodward Academy students on Monday afternoon. Horton travels the nation and speaks to people about America and its future and in the last few years, has conducted over 7,000 school assembly programs in 46 states. He has a particular interest in Woodward Academy's student population and was excited to attend.

After completing college in Florida, Horton spent many years working with troubled youth in the juvenile courts in Miami, FL. He later expanded his work to the Florida state prisons. Mr. Horton served in the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers until 1977 when he completed his military service in the 2nd Ranger Battalion. He then returned civilian life where he renewed his commitment to the youth of America.

Google Chromebook

Thanks to the Boone County Community Endowment Fund, Woodward Academy received the Community Foundation Grant that allowed us to utilize a classroom set of Samsung Google Chromebook devices in some core content areas.

The goal of the project was to utilize additional digital equipment for educational use with the ultimate purpose of increasing our use of technology in the classroom. By utilizing these popular lightweight devices, teachers are able to better individualize instruction based on student needs, provide opportunities for deeper understanding of concepts, and provide 21st century skill building for students. Thanks again to the Boone County Community Endowment Fund for their support of Woodward Academy education.

Knightly Knews Volume 27 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:

- 18 Year Anniversary
- Campus Events recap (Open House and Knights Scholarship Golf Outing)
- How education WA is different
- Knights on the Move
- I Am Building Woodward Academy: Staff  Profile
- Baseball images

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

Homecoming Week 2013

This week the student population celebrated homecoming week in style. In many high schools, it can be a crazy week with themed days and excitement toward the culminating football event. It is a way to generate school pride and just to act a little ridiculous. The week ends tonight as the Knights host the Madrid Tigers. Below is a break down of what happened each day on campus:

Monday: Comfy Monday

            Theme - Wear your comfy clothes or your PJs

            Activity - Small groups flash mobbed another dorm randomly.

 

Tuesday: Wacky Tuesday

Theme - Dress in your craziest outfit

            Activity - Make a slogan for the football game and decorate a poster to hang at the game.

 

Wednesday: Walking Dead Wednesday

            Theme - Dress like a zombie.  

            Activity - Make treats for the dorm across from you.

 

Thursday: Stylish Thursday

            Theme - Dress in your best/court outfit, looking nice and professional

            Activity - Decorate your homeroom teacher’s/teachers’ door/doors.

Friday: Knights Pride

            Theme - Wear blue and white Knights gear

            Activity - Pep Rally with dorm skits and prep with Crowd Control chants

The Woodward Academy Experience // Video

We are very pleased to unveil our new promotional video titled The Woodward Academy Experience. In 2008, we produced our first video that looked at campus life and we've been using it since then. Rather than update that video, we decided to start fresh with all new footage. Last fall we slowly started capturing footage for the video and recently edited it all together. It is a great overview of Woodward Academy and specifically looks at dorm life, education, athletics, vocations, and the Knights Club. We hope you enjoy it and feel free to share with others.

Dallas Chief Eagle

Dallas Chief Eagle visited campus today and talked with students about Native American culture. As a member of the Rosebud Lakota nation, Chief Eagle holds a master's degree in guidance counseling and is a recognized master of the Lakota hoop dance. He has been visiting Woodward Academy annually for nearly a decade, and each year teaches students the traditional hoop dance. He speaks throughout the assembly about Native American values and expresses some of his views on what it means to grow from a boy to a man. 

Chief Eagle has been performing the Lakota hoop dance for years and has gained national recognition as a result. In 2007, he was invited by the American Folklife Center to perform at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This year, he brought nearly 40 students onto the gymnasium floor and used more than 200 hoops to perform the dance with Woodward Academy students. It was a great cultural experience for our students and we have always appreciated the Chief taking time out of his schedule to visit Woodward Academy.

Listen online - Pressbox Radio

You can listen to every Woodward Academy football game live online by visiting www.pressboxradio.com. You can listen through your computer or on your smartphone and get play-by-play accounts of the game. Now you'll be able to stay in touch with how the Knights football team is doing each week. This Friday, the Knights host South Hamilton in Week 2 high school football action. Go Knights!

Football Poster 2013

Week 1 of the Iowa high school football season is this Friday and the Knights host SE Webster in the home and season opener. Last year, the Knights went on to qualify for the state playoffs for the first time in school history after rattling off 4 wins at the end the season. Head coach Lorenzo White hopes to repeat that with this year's team. He has been with the team all four years and was the team's offensive coordinator last season.

With the season kicking off this Friday, we are showcasing the team in the official season poster. The team is poised on their home field, looking formidable. If you have a chance, check out a game and Go Knights!

XC Poster 2013 // Making of Video

The Woodward Academy cross country team starts their regular season this week in Ames at the Gilbert high school meet that is held on Iowa State University's campus. We thought it would be a good time to showcase the team with this season's official poster. With the season motto being "Train Insane or Remain the Same," we took to the back woods on Woodward Academy's campus to get the team dirty. We recently did a post about the cross country team's unique practices and dedication to team building. You can read that post here if you missed it. But this poster is a great reflection of how the team really practices at times. They really do train insanely. If you're interested in learning more about the poster, check out the short video after the break to see how the team prepped for the poster.

Cross Country Practice

In many ways, cross country is an individual sport. Athletes run 3.1 miles and based on their time are individually placed. At the events, there is a team component to it, but it is accumulated based on the individual accomplishments of each runner. So does cross country have the same team mentality as other sports? The WA coaches would certainly argue that "team" is one of the largest factors to their success. They have every right to this notion, having qualified for the state meet in 3 of the past 6 years, and who are currently the defending conference champions.

The coaches believe that building a team mentality in cross country helps the team to motivate each other when running becomes mentally difficult. Most runners get sore at the start of the season, and the weather gets cold as they move into October. There are often many struggles in between, but the team carries each other all season. Pictured is some team building at Woodward Academy. After a weeks worth of hard work, the team enjoyed their Friday afternoon using this homemade slip and slide. At first glance, it doesn't look like a cross country practice at all but it sure looks like fun. All of the coaches even got involved in the action. That's building a team. Go Knights!

Back to School

The fall semester official started today, marking the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic school year. Even though the title notes "back to school," that sentiment does not necessarily apply to our residential students. They attend school year round, with core subjects being taught by the same accredited teachers during the summer as during the traditional school year.

Why do we have school year round? For one, the students benefit greatly from not having a gap in their academic learning. Secondly, they can earn important credits that apply towards graduation. For those who enter WA behind in credits, these summer classes can help get them back on track to graduate with their class. Lastly, what else would we do all summer? School provides a positive and predictable structure that students can understand on a daily basis. So as everyone around the country is getting the back to school feel, the students at Woodward Academy are simply transitioning to a different schedule with new classes.

Knights Creed // Video

Every other week, all the Knights on campus get together with the Executive Knights leading the Knights Meeting. They talk about upcoming events and new students are brought to the meeting to be introduced to the rest of the student body. They use it as one way of showing how cool it is to be a Knight because everyone is there. One of the best parts is at the end when all the Knights recite the Knights Creed. Enjoy the video:

Knights Club: Dorm Report

The Knights Club is the positive student leadership organization at Woodward Academy. It is a primary component of our success on campus and every student is expected to be a member of it. When students come on campus, they are considered a "peer." While demonstrating consistent positive behavior, they earn their pledge packet and over the next couple week, work to earn their Knight status. For many, however, that is not the end of their rise in the Knightly ranks.

Each dorm (there are 8 of them) have student government positions and many of those students attend a weekly "Dorm Report" meeting where they summarize how their dorm is functioning. It is student run and serves as a powerful communication piece for the Knights. It is one time during the week where all of the student leaders on campus are together in one room to talk about how the campus is running. They hold each other accountable for their dorms and come up with plans to fix any problems. It also allows them to get on the same page and to come up with the campus focus for each week.

Sports Review: 2012-2013 // Video

With the high school fall sports seasons right around corner, we thought it would be pretty cool to take a look back at last year and recap all of the athletic accomplishments of the 2012-2013 seasons. To put our athletic programs in perspective, we often times operate at a disadvantage from traditional high schools in that we start over each season with new athletes and a new game plan. Each season is a new team that has never played together before and in some cases, notably in powerlifting, the athletes have never participated in the sport at all. Through all of that, the Knights continue to compete at an extremely high level and have been fortunate enough to see the word "champion" next to their season. Here are some of the highlights from the seasons:

Football - Qualified for State for the first time in WA history.
Cross-Country - Conference Team Champions. WCAC Individual Champion. Qualified for the State Meet as a team.
Powerlifting - 8th consecutive team National Championship. 4 individual National Champions.
Track and Field - District Champions. Qualified for State Meet in 7 events.

After the break, check out all of the short videos from the 2012-2013 athletic seasons:

Soccer at the Iowa Summer Games

This past weekend, a team of Woodward Academy students played some soccer in Ames, competing in the Iowa Summer Games. Considering this is not an organized high school sport that WA competes in, they finished remarkably well getting fourth in their division. The Knights put together a very unique team consisting of current WA students, some recently discharged students who are living in Des Moines, and a former WA student who is attending Iowa Central Community College where he also plays soccer. The team was later awarded the Iowa Sportsmanship Award.

Ja'Heil Francis Showcased in Local Newspaper

Ja'Heil Francis if from the Virgin Islands and was recently profiled in his local newspaper, the Virgin Islands Daily News. You can read the complete article online by clicking here, or after the break we have scanned a copy for viewing.

The article touches on how Ja'Heil was "one of the many misguided youth we hear about daily" in the Virgin Islands, but his story on how he arrived at Woodward Academy is a little different. Ja'Heil's father was the one who pushed the juvenile court program in the Virgin Islands to send Ja'Heil to Woodward Academy. In fact, when some WA staff went down to interview him and other students, Ja'Heil's father wanted them to take him back to Iowa that day.

Ja'Heil has had a very successful stay at Woodward Academy. He is a top student on his dorm and athletically has excelled. This spring, he traveled to Denver as a part of the National Champion powerlifting team, qualified in the shot put at the State Track & Field Meet, and played baseball this summer for the Knights. After the break, you can see the article that profiles Ja'Heil.

Knights on the Move // Video

Knights on the Move (KOTM) is Woodward Academy's student employed moving company. The company was started in 2007 with the idea behind it being that it would be a great job opportunity for our students and a great way for them to acquire employable skills. Since then, it has blossomed into a formidable moving company in central Iowa.

With the fiscal year ending in June, numbers are in about KOTM and they are pretty impressive. Last year, they had a total of 115 moves, logged over 1,200 student hours with $8,000 in student wages. Check out the video after the break that shows some WA students working for KOTM in a recent commercial move in Des Moines, IA.

Washing Firetrucks for Community Service

This Saturday is Friends and Neighbors Day, an annual town celebration in Woodward. The day is filled with a variety of activities for families and kids and ends with a fireworks display at night. To prepare for the event, some WA students helped the local fire department wash up some of their trucks that will ultimately be used in the town's parade. It was a pretty fun experience for the students and a great community services project.

Happy 18th Birthday Woodward Academy

This morning, Executive Director, Ryan Santi, sent out an email recognizing the date that Woodward Academy opened. In the email he reflected at how far we've grown over 18 years. We thought that we'd share that email with everyone.

From Ryan Santi:

On July 10^th 1995 the Woodward Academy Gators opened the doors to our first four students and 13 staff into a brand new highly structured program for the state of Iowa.  Eighteen years later the Woodward Academy Knights have grown to 251 students in residential treatment, ended the school year with a record 70 students in our day school, and 224 staff working on campus. 

Our growth and excellence in treatment is a testament to the quality staff we have on campus and the commitment we show to our kids and customers.  Doing the right thing for our kids, customers, and staff will continue to pay big dividends for WA! 

If you run into Jerry Anderson, our Woodward Youth Corporation President, please take the time to thank him for all he and the Youth Corp Board do for Woodward Academy.  Without them Woodward Academy would not be what it is today.  Take some time today to think about our history and what role you will play in our future.  

Happy 18^th Anniversary Woodward Academy!    

Picking Cherries

Last week was summer break from school so the students spent a lot more time cleaning up the dorms and having recreational time outside. Most of the students did not have the opportunity to spend time at home with over the Fourth of July holiday, but this image was sent to me and seemed like a very appropriate and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. Pictured are students picking cherries off of a cherry tree that is located on campus.

NFL Player Dedric Ward and Panel of Friends Talk to WA Students

Dedric Ward and a panel of his NFL friends were on campus today and talked to the entire student body about how their experiences and choices led them into successful NFL careers. Ward is the nephew of WA staff member and football coach, Preston Ward. After growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and playing at the University of Northern Iowa, Ward was drafted in the '97 draft as a wide receiver. After retiring in 2004, he coached at both the NFL and collegiate ranks, most recently as a Panther back at his alma mater as a wide receiver's coach at UNI. Ward talked about how each step in a person's life can be the next step towards success. It is a motto that he lives by every day and one that he encouraged WA students to adopt as well.

Check out after the break what some of the other panelists had to say.

Knightly Knews Volume 26 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:

- Graduation 2013
- State track & field recap
- How to install Woodward Academy's new mobile web application
- Family Fun Day
- Who are Executive Knights?

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

WA Students Visit Job Corps in Denison

Last week, four WA students visited Job Corps in Denison, Iowa and took a tour of the facilities. Job Corps is the nation's largest education and training program for young people 16 to 24 years of age to learn skills that will be valuable in the workplace. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and free to students who qualify as low income. There are 125 centers across the nation including several in Iowa.

Pictures are WA students on the Denison campus in an area called HBI. It is where students learn the basics of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, and other skills necessary in the construction industry. The Denison center also has courses in brick masonry, tile setting, as well as in health occupations including a certified nursing assistant, and pharmacy technician. The trip was planned as an opportunity to expose students to what options are available to them as they begin to transition away from WA.

Baseball Poster 2013

Pictured is the official Woodward Academy Knights baseball poster for the 2013 season. At this point, the season is well underway so we're a little late getting it out, but it certainly shows off the team. We went with a colorful vintage feel to the poster using classic style baseball pennants as the background. Additionally, the players have a posterized filter on them that gives it a little bit a comic feel. If you're on campus, grab a poster and check out a game.

Iron Man 5K Run // Video

The annual Woodward Academy Open House took place last Thursday, June 6. The event is traditionally accompanied in the morning with a 5K run around campus that a number of students and staff participate in. As the most colorful event of the year, the race is not for the weak hearted. It challenges its runners to tackle the infamous "Iron Man" hill twice and has a section through a creek. In actuality, it is less of a traditional run and more of a race of grit and determination.

Overall, the Open House is a great event on campus and allows visitors to get first hand experience of Woodward Academy life. This year, our new web application was also unveiled at the Open House. You can read more about that here. In the meantime, you can see some pictures on our Knight Pics site by clicking here, and check out the video after the break to see the race unfold.

Install WA's New Mobile Web Application // Video

At the Open House yesterday, Woodward Academy's new mobile web application was unveiled and you can install it today. The web app is the next step in helping communicate to those outside of Woodward Academy's campus of all of the opportunities afforded to students. Titled "The Woodward Academy Experience" the app showcases WA's different programs, dorm life, athletics, vocations, and educational opportunities.

The cool thing is that it is something that you can always take with you. Once installed on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, you can access the information anytime. The app also links directly to our blog and has icons where you can directly contact WA by phone or email. After you take a look at it, there are also icons that help you share the app with others.

We are really excited about the new app and hope that you take time to get it installed today and share it with others. We would love to get it on as many phones as possible. After the break, you can watch a video that presents the the purpose behind the app and how simple it is to get it installed.

Knights Meet NBA Star Harrison Barnes

Some Knights made the trip to Ames, Iowa this past weekend to meet and spend a little time with Harrison Barnes as he was signing autographs at the local Hy-Vee grocery store. Barnes just finished his rookie NBA season with the Golden State Warriors after making it to the playoffs. He is an Iowa native and attended Ames High School where he won two state titles and was the #1 rated senior in the nation before moving on to play college basketball at the University of North Carolina. He decided to forego his final two eligible season for the Tar Heels and entered the 2012 NBA draft where he was drafted 7th overall. You can read more about Harrison Barnes at his wikipedia page by clicking here.

Class of 2013

The graduating class of 2013 was honored at their commencement ceremony last week Thursday, May 23. The seniors paraded into the gymnasium to receive their diplomas, making them official high school graduates.

The keynote speaker was Jared Klimowski, a recent graduate from the University of Northern Iowa who majored with a degree in Finance and an emphasis in investments. Years ago, he was also a member of the student body at Woodward Academy and spoke to the graduating class about making choices when they leave WA and surrounding themselves with positive influences.

After Klimowski, three members of the graduating class addressed the crowd. Luis Sandavol-Avalos, Princeton Little, and Irving Vivar talked about what it means to be graduating high school. For some of them, they are the first in their families to earn a diploma. Luis feels as though he has "broken the cycle" and looks forward to moving onto college later this fall. Congratulations to the Class of 2013.

State Track & Field Meet // Video

Hot off their District victory, the Knights participated in the Iowa State Track and Field Championships this past weekend, May 16-18, and set a new bar of excellence for the springtime sport. Held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, the co-ed meet is one of the largest in the country and an awesome experience for both spectators and athletes. The Knights qualified for the State Meet in 7 events (shuttle hurdle, long jump, 400 m, 4x200, 100 m dash, 110 high hurdles, shot put) and competed against other 1A schools all three days.

Early on Thursday, the long jump competition got underway and the Knights had two athletes competing. Team leader Darius Scott-Crayton and recently crowned two-time powerlifting National Champion Dedrrick Johnson both qualified for the event and after the first round, moved onto the finals. Jumping 20'10.5", Dedrrick finished in 4th place with Darius finishing 6th, both scoring points for the team. This marked the first time that two WA athletes have scored points at the State Meet in the same event.

After the jump, check out more about meet along with a video from the meet.

New Admissions Director - Guthrey Fritz

Over the past year, Woodward Academy has seen a lot of promotions and career advancements in many of its supervisor positions. As WA has expanded its reach to more students through the Phase 5 house and now providing services through Woodward Academy Community Based Services (WACBS), additional positions have been needed.

Back in February, we introduced Ryan Santi as the new Executive Director of Woodward Academy after Bill Dean moved into a Vice President of Operations position at Sequel Youth Services. At that point, Shawn Hollenkamp took over as Admissions Director on an interim basis and is now Executive Director of WACBS. Today, we're please to introduce WA's new Admissions Director: Guthrey Fritz.

Guthrey Fritz started his career as a Youth Counselor at Woodward Academy in 1997, after graduating from Buena Vista University with a degree in Criminal Justice. Since then, he has held several roles in his sixteen years at Woodward, including Youth Counselor, Training Officer / Admissions Assistant and Program Director as has experience in all three of the Academy's programs. Mr. Fritz has been Head Coach for the Woodward Academy Powerlifting team since 2003 and holds 8 National Championship titles. In June 2013, Mr. Fritz became the Woodward Academy Director of Admissions.

Myles "The Fury" Jury Speaks on Campus // Video

In what has become a recent trend, top Knights on campus today had a great opportunity to listen to another top athlete in his profession when Myles "The Fury" Jury came on campus. Jury is currently an ultimate fighter in the UFC and to date has a professional record of 12-0 with his most recent win coming in April of this year. Early in his career he entertained fights in California when was selected to be a part of The Ultimate Fighter television series that eventually launched his career into the UFC.

Jury spoke about how he made choices early in his life to stay focused on his career and not to be distracted by negative things. Considering he is active in a very challenging, and potential dangerous profession, he commented that he needs to continue to be focused on his training and career every day. That focus is a choice, and not something that always comes easy.  After speaking, Jury took some pictures with all the Knights and signed some cards for them to take. Thanks to the Polk County Juvenile Court Services for helping arrange for Jury to speak at WA. After the break, you can see a video of Jury talking with WA student.

Track Districts Champions

For the second time in three seasons, the Woodward Academy Knights have been crowned track and field district champions. With a total of 128 points (which was a new meet record!), the Knights beat out rivals Madrid and Woodward-Granger to take the title. The entire team performed ridiculously well and earned a ton of medals, with three events earning first place finishes (shuttle hurdles, long jump, and 400 m).

The district meets across the state are also State Meet qualifying events. In Class 1A, the first place finishes in each event automatically qualifies for State, along with the top 12 times from across the state. With several second and third place finishes, the Knights waited until Friday to find out that they qualified in 7 events. Here is the list of events who qualified: shuttle hurdles, long jump, 400m, 4x200, 110 high hurdles, 100m, and shot put. The State meet is held later this week, Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Student Photographer

Photography is a powerful tool that is used to capture emotions and specific events. When used effectively, it creates memories forever and can be amazing pieces of art. At Woodward Academy, select students have access to professional grade equipment and photo expertise. This past semester, one student has excelled above the rest and now has merits to back up his photography. Caleb Johnson scored two honorable mention awards at the West Central Activities Conference annual art show. One was the track poster that he created from scratch (you can view it by clicking here), with his other being a portrait of a WA student with a literature feel to it. This semester, Caleb was put on payroll to work as a photographer at Woodward Academy and has attended a number of WA events.

Family Fun Day 2013

Woodward Academy's Family Fun Day was held on Saturday with an amazing turnout despite the marginal weather. A total of 236 guests came to campus to spend time with WA students and to take part in the planned activities. For many family members, it was their first time on campus and it gave them an opportunity to see what happens at Woodward Academy.

Guests could split their time between various presentations, games in the gymnasium, or just talking with their son. Tours of dorms were organized in the morning and stations set up in the school buildings to educate visitors about WA vocations, athletics, education, treatment, or community based services. The grill was fired up for lunch and the drum line performed in the afternoon for some entertainment. Overall, it was a great day for many of the students and their families to spend some time together and for those families to have a better grasp of all of the opportunities that are offered to students. You can check out more images of the day by clicking here to visit our Knight Pics site.

WCAC Track & Field Results

On Tuesday, the Knights participated in the West Central Activities Conference Track & Field meet in Guthrie Center. They finished 2nd as a team and were conference champions in two events. Messiah Couthen won the 200 M dash and was a part of the 4x100 team along with Stephon Haskins, Cordarro Pearson, and Tevin Nickens that won at the conference meet. The team will run at districts next week with the State Meet at Drake Stadium the week after. Pictured is the official track poster for the season that shows many of the athletes in action throughout the season.

NASW Greg Gaul Shining Star Award Winner // Video

On April 19, the Iowa Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) awarded Woodward Academy's Jon Shelness the 2012 Greg Gaul Shining Star Award. The award that honors Gaul sheds light on the importance of working with troubled youth and the sacrifices that some have paid as a result. In 2004, Gaul was killed by a teenager he was working with and the event rocked the social worker community and the State of Iowa. The NASW has an article here on the impact that this tragedy, and others like it had on the nation. Since then, the Iowa Chapter has honored his legacy with this award. The awards ceremony and luncheon took place in Des Moines with each recipient taking time to do an interview with Mediacom that played at the event. Thanks to Mediacom for providing this video to us. After the break, you can see Jon Shelness talk about his experiences at Woodward Academy and his dedication to his career.

Drum Line Superior at the IHSMA

Earlier this month, five drum line members performed at the Iowa High School Music Association's solo and ensemble contest. Justo Gonzalez, Princeton Little, Warren Krieg, Ryan Mackey, and Jalen Gary scored "one" ratings on both of the performances during the contest. The superior rating is the highest possible at the IHSMA and requires precise playing among the members. Students from across the state compete at this annual event and to score a "one" is a significant accomplishment. As we move into spring, drum line season will begin to pick up with the full line up getting ready to play at community events.

Powerlifting Nationals // Video

Track Season Update with a Win and Records

The weather does not feel like spring out this year, but track season is in full swing at WA. The season is nearly half over at this point, and the Knights have hit their grove as they begin to run down the final stretch of the season. Last week marked the high point thus far on the season where the Knights won the Oskaloosa meet with an impressive 59 points. According to the coach, "nearly every athlete set a personal record at the event," which contributed directly to their victory. The team has also grown over the course of the season after refining their practice routine and work ethic. One attempt to rejuvenate the runners in practice was to force them to work together. On a snow covered afternoon, the team worked up a snowy hill, grappling with every step. As it turned out, the team loved it and it helped create this year's motto of "Separate Ourselves," which is exactly what the Knights are beginning to do. Check out after the break more of what the coach had to say about the team along with some other notable accomplishments from the season.

Knightly Knews Volume 25 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:

- New Management Team

- Knowledge Bowl

- Dorm Life for students

- Powerlifting Nationals in Denver
- Basketball recap

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

Former ISU Cyclone and NFL Star Visits WA Campus

Leonard Johnson stopped by WA on Wednesday to talk to some of the top Knights on campus. Johnson was a former Iowa State Cyclone player and is now entering his second season in the NFL. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and was considered a top prospect by many NFL teams. In 2012, he started 12 games with the Bucs and recorded 41 tackles playing cornerback. His connection to WA is that he grew up and played college football at ISU with WA staff member, and football coach Jason Harris. After the break, check out the video of him speaking to the Knights.

USAPL Nationals // Part 3 // Celebration at the Red Rocks and Rocky Mountain National Park

After winning the team National Championship, the Knights took the next day (Saturday) to take in the beauty of Colorado. The team toured the Red Rocks Amphitheater and then travelled to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The snow covered mountain tops were spectacular and there was even time for a snow ball fight. They saw elk, and rams on the side of a cliff. Before returning to the hotel, the entire team stopped downtown to load up on some Boney's Barbecue. The entire trip was a success and much more than just powerlifting. The students earned a memorable trip and they received just that. After the break, check out a couple more images from the last day and a recap of all of the events that took place over the week. Check it out after the break.

USAPL Nationals // Part 2 // Competition and Domination

The Knights competed on Friday in the USAPL National Championships and... dominated the rest of the field. WA brought 10 lifters and each one placed within their weight class. In fact, the Knights crowned 4 individual National Champions, 5 lifters earned second place finishes, along with one fourth place finish. That might be the definition of domination for one team. But the success goes beyond just the pure numbers. This year's team may have been the most consistent of any of the other National Championship teams.

Two-time National Champion, Deddrick Johnson, scored a perfect 9 for 9 on his lifts, which has never been done before at Nationals by a WA lifter. He also broke his own WA record for total weight in the 132 pound weight class with 1,041 pounds. Five lifters set new personal max records at the Nationals meet. Some of those led to substantial placement changes in the competition. The most significant was in the 181 pound weight class and Bomani Busby's final deadlift. Currently in fifth place, Bomani successfully lifted 500 pounds, which was 25 pounds over his previous max. That vaulted him into second place. All that lifting earned the Knights their 8th consecutive team National Championship. They recorded a perfect score in the team event, the first time ever for a WA team. This year's individual National Champions were Danyal Anguey (114 pounds), Florentino Contreras (123 pounds), Dedrrick Johnson (132 pounds), and Quartney Parker (165 pounds).

USAPL Nationals // Part 1 // Travel, Sight Seeing, and the Harlem Shake

The road to Nationals is finally here with this being Part I of several installments to outline the happenings in Denver, CO. If you need to get caught up, here is the quick version. 1) Woodward Academy has won 7 straight USAPL team National Championships in powerlifting. 2) The event rotates venues each year with this year's competition being held in Denver, CO. The trip is always a great time for the lifters and provides a lifetime of memories. Prior to competition on Friday, the team made some time for sightseeing, an NBA game, and even some locales for the Harlem Shake. Check out more after the break.