This past year, we celebrated our 20th anniversary and admitted our 5,000th student, making 2015 a truly memorable year at Woodward Academy. We encourage you to take a look back at some of the best stories from the year.
The holiday season can be a difficult time for students at Woodward Academy with memories of home and thoughts of their families that naturally creep in during the winter break. As a school, we do our best to help as many students as possible get home passes during the holidays, but not all students will be able to spend time at home. With school out of session for a week and a half, activities are organized to help students keep their minds occupied over the holiday season.
The 5 Challenges of Christmas is an all week competition between dorms that is a hybrid between RUSH Month activities and holiday festivities. The challenges include cleanest dorm, most friendly, student appearances, a PT challenge, and Knight's pride. Each will be judged throughout the week and the 5 Challenges will be interwoven during the day's activities that will also include a holiday theme. During Christmas, holiday movies, baking cookies, and calling home will be the norm on each dorm. The winning dorm will be announced on the Monday after Christmas and those students will be the first to get the new Knights gear.
The students of Navigator Hall wanted the best Knight’s Den on campus, and they were willing to get to work in order to get it. All eight dorms on campus are set up in a similar fashion, and each has a place where only Knights can go. The Knight’s Den is where students can relax to read a book, watch a movie, or compete in video game action. When the Navigator Hall students approached their staff team with their idea to revamp it, Program Director Bill Badgley knew the perfect person to head up the project.
Don Teague is Woodward Academy’s Testing Coordinator, and works with students to complete their high school equivalency. He is also assigned to Navigator Hall and is a known handyman on campus when it comes to woodworking. His work is excellent and when he was tasked with the remodel, he knew that his vision for the Knight’s Den would not be cheap.
Over the course of 6 months, the students of Navigator Hall raised approximately $2,500 to fulfill their dream. They accomplished this by organizing a 50/50 raffle, selling concessions at weekend visits, and making hoodies and t-shirts supporting the football team. They were also able to make some money by working off campus. All summer, they were responsible for prepping and managing a little league baseball complex in Polk County. They also sold concessions during Iowa State Cyclone football games inside Jack Trice Stadium, and helped clean a local church every week.
Once the money was raised, the team went to work and they spared no expense. New flat screen televisions (each with their own control) are surrounded by a 14 foot, custom built oak entertainment center. The gaming center includes a Playstation and Xbox 360 that can handle 8 players at once. To make the Knight’s Den truly a special place for viewing, new black out thermal curtains were installed that surround new couches that occupy the raised theater seating.
The entire process was a huge motivator and success for the dorm. The students responded with hard work, dedication, and a sense of purpose to fulfill their desire for a new Knight’s Den.
Rush Month is an annual tradition on campus that gives students an accelerated opportunity to be a member of the Knights Club. The campus wide initiative traditional happens over the holiday season as a motivator for students. Since its inception a couple years ago, students have responded positively, allowing for it to occur every year.
Group Living Director Trent Fleshner sees this month as an opportunity for students to unite toward a common cause. "This month gets the entire campus focused on getting students who are not a part of the Knights Club involved. It is great for students who recently lost their Knight status to prove that they want to be a part of the Club, and it's perfect for new students to get a kick start for their program."
The first week of Rush Month enlists top Knights from across campus to conduct interviews to all prospective Knights Club members. During this time, the students begin the "pledge" process and are active participants in the club. The second week they earn the privileges of being a Knight, and the third they take on many of the responsibilities that Knights have on the dorm and in the classroom. Rush Month concludes on January 3rd with a celebration of having new Knights on campus. Although this month is an accelerated opportunity for students to earn their Knight status, it certainly does not have diminished expectations. Not all students will make it to the end with their Knight. For those students, they will have a more traditional opportunity when they are ready. But for students who are ready now to prove that they are committed to positive change in their life, Rush Month benefits them as we move toward the end of the year.
After growing up in small town Texas in a suburb outside of Houston, it was football that brough Lorenzo White to Iowa. He graduated high school in 1998 and went to Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas on a football scholarship where he excelled on the field and graduated with an
Associate degree. He transferred to Iowa State University and played for the Cyclones, majoring in Sociology.
In 2002, he entered the NFL as a free agent and went to mini camp at the Jacksonville Jaguars’ facility, and later spent the remainder of the year with the Minnesota Vikings. At the end of the 2002 season, he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure. This prevented Lorenzo from continuing to pursue his football career and led him back to Woodward.
Lorenzo first started working at Woodward Academy his senior year in college. When he returned, he worked as a youth counselor and quickly was promoted to supervisor. He is currently the Program Director of Pathfinder Hall. Lorenzo has been with the football program since the beginning, serving an assistant coach for 3 years. This was his third season as Head Coach.
Wrestling Week has become an annual tradition at Woodward Academy that is full of costumes, makeup, and the ridiculous personas that occupy organizations like the WWE. For the past three years, both students and staff have paid homage to the "sport" of professional wrestling in preparation for a show put on by Impact Professional Wrestling on Saturday Night.
On its surface, the week plays right into our student body's demographic: teenaged boys. They love the spectacle and it is a good reason to get crazy. But Wrestling Week is much more than that and a reflection of the philosophy at Woodward Academy. Organized activities are a staple on campus. During the week, students attend school, participate in high school athletics, have therapy groups, extracurricular activities, clean the dorm, and get homework done. The weekends are just as structured with schedules penned out at least week in advance.
Beyond keeping students engaged in positive activities, this week is a good opportunity for staff to get involved as well. When Program Directors, Group Leaders, teachers, and counselors get involved in any activity, it subtlety shows students that we can all have fun, and work hard together. The fact is that these fun weeks make the more difficult moments for students much easier to take on. They see staff invested in their life and they will be much more likely to open up and accept feedback from them. The organizer of the week, Program Director, Bill Badgely, took participation to a new level when he (and his brother) got in the ring for a final tag team event.
The above image of Group Leaders on campus says it all about the week. If you want to see all of the wrestlers from the week, and pictures from the event, visit our Knight Pics website.
At Woodward Academy, cross country is a team sport. Since 2006, the Knights have qualified for the Iowa High School State Meet three times ('06, '07, '12) and the runners from this year's team were looking to add to that legacy. Head Coach Jason Anderson has led each of those teams to State and knew this team had the potential to be very special early in the season. "This team never quit. They came to practice every day and wanted to work. They never gave up and they kept their eyes on the goal." That goal was to make it to State.
Like all sports at Woodward Academy, most of this year's runners were new to cross country, and they would need to be coached. Anderson and his assistant coach, Aric Rush, have worked together since 2012 and they have a similar philosophy when it comes to cross country. They are both positively idealistic, and this leadership is reflected in the team. It has to be. Cross country is hard work. Coach Rush was joking when he said "our sport is other sport's punishment," but he is kind of right.
Both coaches stressed that the most difficult aspect of cross country is building the mental determination in the runners. Rush commented that "cross country is always a good idea to most students… until it gets hard. Top runners overcome that and motivated runners excel." That was the kind of team the Knights had this year. Desmond Edwards was the top runner for the team much of the season, but he was surrounded by a lot of inspired runners. Even on easy days, practice often turned competitive because the runners wanted to log quicker times or beat their teammates. That level of grit was an instinct in this team and perhaps the most determining factor to their success.
All season, the Knights competed against top schools, many of which were larger than Woodward Academy and who had an established cross country program. Although they did not win meets, the Knights used the competition to increase their 3.1 mile times and they peaked at the right time. When it came to districts, the hard work paid off. Desmond Edwards and Ricky Gabbard finished 6th and 14th, qualifying themselves for State individually. But it was the second wave of runners who made the difference and pushed the team to State. Each position, and each runner counts. Many cross country teams undervalue the 6th and 7th runners on the team, but for the Knights, they are who made the difference. After edging out a couple runners at the end, the Knights placed 3rd at Districts after beating Des Moines Christian by 2 points.
On October 31, the Knights represented Woodward Academy at the Iowa High School State Cross Country meet, annually held in Fort Dodge. You can see highlights from the meet in the video above.
If you have ever been involved with the admissions process at Woodward Academy, odds are that you interacted with one of these admissions representatives. Under the direction of Admissions Director, Guthrey Fritz, these guys are responsible for balancing the steady flow of students who are both arriving for the first time, and leaving as successful graduates of the program. Last year, this team helped admit 356 students to Woodward Academy.
Because this team works so closely with outside systems, they are often tasked with helping educate and market the school as well as admissions. They arrange tours for individuals who have never been to campus, and talk about the type of care that can be provided to students. The guys in admissions serve a vital role in the daily operations on campus and keep building Knights all day long.
Trayvon Carter, a 17 year old student from Houston, had an interest and a simple idea: to write lyrics. The initial inspiration started at home, but really gained momentum from being a part of the Knights Club on campus and attending monthly assemblies (that all students attend) and the Knights Club meetings every week. For the past several years, these meetings have been given an extra boost from Jeremy Hilbert, principal at Woodward Academy. As a DJ on the side, each assembly is filled with bumping music and is run like a monthly pep rally. The students get loud and crazy and Tray, along with fellow student Chris Delasbour, found that the music moved them. So one afternoon they approached William Terry, Lead Teacher, with their idea.
William has always had an interest in hip hop music and over the past two years, has performed live at assemblies on campus. He writes when time allows, so when Tray and Chris approached him with the idea, he found it not only as a good way to work with these students, but as a creative outlet for himself. Tray and Chris chose an instrumental version of Drake's Tuscan Leather as their soundtrack, and the three went to work. Their goal was to write, and their lyrics came from campus and the behavioral change that they felt from being a Woodward Academy Knight.
The three worked for several months, writing and rehearsing the song. When complete, they approached Eric Smidt, Communications Director, to record the track. Once he heard the song, he quickly realized that more needed to be done. A New Man is Woodward Academy's first music video, written and recorded by students and staff on campus. You can check out the video above.
Besides highlighting the three stars of the song, it also showcases the campus pride that is evident in all students. This student idea became a collaboration effort that turned into an awesome music video… Go Knights!
Students in Mr. Larson's Physical Science courses studied the effect that force has on bridges. For the experiment, students were put into teams and were instructed to build model bridges with popsicle sticks and glue, simulating an actual bridge that everyone uses today. The most common types constructed in class were beam and arch bridges.
The specifications for the experimen is that each bridge could use a maximum of 200 sticks, it had to be 18-24 inches across, and 1 inch off of the ground. Once done, each bridge was put to the test by adding increasing weight to see how much each bridge could support. In the video above, the destruction of each bridge was pretty fun and some of the student reactions are hilarious. The top bridge held 78.7 pounds hanging from it. Pretty impressive for popsicle sticks.
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. This Powerlifting World Championships in Prague edition includes:
- The Trip of a Lifetime to Prague, Czech Republic
- IPF Sub-Juniors World Championships
- Head Powerlifting Coach, Guthrey Fritz
- Admissions Team
- Summer Art
- Baseball Recap
- I Am Building WA Staff Profile: Lorenzo White
- Art Therapy
- Multimedia Web Updates
- Expanded Brochure Preview
We hope you have a chance to check it out and enjoy the read.
The Woodward Academy athletic program officially began in 2003 when Guthrey Fritz turned an extracurricular strong man competition between dorms into a structured weight lifting club. Two years later (’05), he brought three powerlifters to Texas where they competed in the USAPL High School National Championships for the first time and Corey Noring (SHW) became Woodward Academy’s first powerlifting National Champion.
Ten years later, Guthrey has built a pretty impressive resume with 10 consecutive team
National Championships, 24 individual National Champions, and has travelled across the country (and the world) representing Woodward Academy. More than anyone else, and any other sport, Guthrey showed what athletics could do at Woodward Academy and he gave many students an experience they will never forget.
Guthrey initially planned to step away at the conclusion of the high school season in March. But when the call came to represent the United States, he stayed on for one final competition. The IPF Sub-Juniors World Championships in Prague turned out to be the best bookend to a career that any coach could ask for. Next year, he will be passing the torch to assistant coach, Glen Miller. Although he is stepping away from coaching powerlifting, he will remain active on campus as Admissions Director and a member of the management team.
We are excited to unveil the 2015 Guide to Woodward Academy. If you want to learn more about what it means to be a Knight on campus, you can now download our new expanded brochure. As a PDF document, this expanded brochure is perfect for printing or reading on your computer or tablet. It is great way to show prospective students and families the school they will be attending because it covers nearly every aspect of Woodward Academy life including student culture, athletics, education, and clinical services.
Next time you're on campus, you can pick a handful up and share with your families, friends, and colleagues. If you want to see it right away, it can be downloaded on our website or by clicking here.
When Julious and his coaches returned from Prague, Czech Republic after the IPF Sub-Juniors World Championships earlier this month, the local news media wanted to get their story. They went on a mini press tour with KCCI Channel 8 and The Des Moines Register both coming to campus for the story. The KCCI video is embedded above and the Register article can be read here.
We want to thank both Mark Tauscheck (KCCI) and John Naughton (Register) for picking up the story and sharing it with central Iowa. Earlier this year, Mark came to campus to cover the Knights basketball team when they qualified for state. John is also familiar with Woodward Academy and ran a front page article in 2010 when we started our football program.
The fall sports posters for the 2015 season are out and can be picked up on campus. With a couple games and meets into the season, the Knights are getting into their stride this season. The football team got their first win in week 2 against a tough SE Warren team. The cross country team has been improving their times all year and can boast that two runners are consistently in the 18's with several more close. Both teams are looking to have a great end to the season. If you have a chance to get to a game or meet, cheer on the Knights. In the meantime, get updates on our Facebook page.
When Julious committed to the U.S. team in May, practice revved up
into high gear again. He had already taken a month off of lifting after the USAPL High School National Championships (where he break 3 American records and became a National Champion) under the
assumption that his season was over. So with 4 months to prepare for the
biggest stage, Julious went to work.
Coach Glen Miller saw a renewed work ethic in Julious when
practice for World’s began. “He wanted to do more during practice because he
knew the competition would be harder.” Julious started to realize that he was
on the verge of being a truly great
powerlifter; one of the best in the entire nation. But raw talent doesn’t get a
lifter very far when competing at this level. The only way was to do lift the
weight every week. He did just that and got his max squat up to 700 pounds.
The coaches changed some workouts for Julious during this
time and added another day so that he was lifting 5 days instead of 4 during
the high school season. Normally, the weight room is packed during practice
with the entire team creating sounds of metal weights and bars banging against
steel racks. But now the room was quieter with just Julious and the coaches. It
was easier for them to focus on technique during this time, but it was also a
good bonding experience.
Julious and his team of coaches, Guthrey Fritz and Glen Miller, left for Europe today to represent the United States in powerlifting on the world's stage at the IPF Juniors & Sub-Juniors World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. He is competing in the 105 kg weight class and lifts on Friday, September 4. You can watch live and see results on this website: http://goodlift.info/live.php.
Earlier this year, Julious became a National Champion at the USAPL High School National Championships in Milwaukee, WI. He set 3 American records at that event that included a 622 pound squat, 325 pound bench press, and a 573 pound deadlift, for a combined total of 1,520 pounds. As one of the best powerlifters in the entire country, Julious got the call to represent the world in May and has been training hard ever since. In the past month, he upped his squat to 700 pounds and has made progress in the other events as well.
Competing on the world's stage is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Julious and the most significant accomplishment from any Woodward Academy athlete to date. Mark your calendars for Friday, September 4 and watch Julious live. The most recent schedule posted shows that Julious will compete at 6 pm, Prague time, which will be 11 am in the United States, CST.
The following article was featured in our 20th Anniversary edition of the Knightly Knews. You can download a pdf version of the publication by clicking here.
On July 10, 1995, the Woodward Academy opened as an all-male residential treatment facility for boys ages 12-18. The 1980’s and 1990’s saw a rise in juvenile crime across the country, and Governor Branstad wanted to address the problem. Woodward Academy was created in response to legislation passed by the Iowa Legislature calling for the establishment of rehabilitation programs for troubled youth. On that day, Woodward was one of two “boot camps” established in the state (the facility in Davenport no longer operates).
The four students and 13 staff members who started on that day had no idea that over the next two decades, Woodward Academy would become one of the best juvenile treatment facilities in the nation. Those humble beginnings have grown into a school that has a student population of 265 students and that employs 235 staff members. Every day, students receive the clinical services they deserve, are offered an educational curriculum from certified teachers, and are given opportunities to excel in high school athletics. Although Woodward Academy is labeled a treatment facility, it operates like a private prep school where students are proud to be Knights.
Mandy Moses and Bill Dean served as Executive Director for a decade from 2001-2012 and helped build Woodward Academy into what it is today. They now help build other facilities across the country as Chief Program Officer and Vice President of Operations for Sequel Youth & Family Services. They recently sat down and talked about their time on campus in the ongoing video series, I Am Building Woodward Academy.
Mandy Moses - Chief Program Officer, Sequel Youth and Family Services
Woodward Academy Executive Director 2001-2008
Bill Dean - Vice President of Operations, Sequel Youth and Family Services
Woodward Academy Executive Director 2008-2012
The annual Open House took place on campus July 9, one day before our 20th anniversary. A 5K run in the morning has become tradition with the event and this year approximately 80 runners participated in the race. Some call it a "Fun Run," others the "Iron Man," but whatever the case, if you like running through wooded areas, in creeks, and up a 70 degree mud hill with the use of a rope, you would love it. You can check out a video of the race embedded above.
The Open House is a great opportunity to spend some time with students and staff on campus and really take in the Woodward Academy experience. Many guests received tours from students, checked out a monthly assembly, and even took in a varsity baseball game on campus.
In the afternoon, an impressive milestone was reached that went largely unnoticed by most people. Woodward Academy admitted its 5,000 student. Plan ahead and come attend our annual Open House in 2016.
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. This 20th Anniversary edition includes:
- A 20 Year Look Back at Woodward Academy
- Expansion History Timeline
- Aerial Photography
- Class of 2015
- Powerlifting and Basketball Documentary Updates
- How Athletics Changed Everything
- Track & Field Season Recap
- Knight's Scholarship Golf Outing
- I Am Building WA Videos of 2 Past Executive Directors
- Staying Connected by the Numbers
We hope you have a chance to check it out and enjoy the read.
Twenty years ago today 4 students and 13 staff started our journey to where we are today. Out of those four students, the first graduate is now a successful chiropractor, married and raising a family. Yesterday afternoon we admitted our 5000th student. Truly an amazing feat we should all be proud of. Especially in a day and time where most programs do not make it 5000 days let alone being able to admit 5000 students.
When I was a TCM in 1996 I wasn’t thinking about the impact I was having every day on our students’ decisions and ultimately their lives. As I have grown in this company and seen the greatness we have achieved, that impact has become all the more important and a daily focus. Please understand that every moment on this campus matters and you are trained and prepared to meet the demands of anything that comes your way.
Thank you for all you do for Woodward Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services. We are the best residential facility in this company and I believe the best in the nation at what we do. I challenge each of you to make the next 20 years better than the first!
The 6th Annual Woodward Academy golf outing benefiting the Knights Scholarship Fund took place on June 26 at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Grimes, IA. All proceeds from the tournament help WA alumni as they move into the next stage of their life.
This year with a full sponsorship and nearly 100 golfers, the tournament raised over $6,000 with half of the proceeds going to help support Julious Walker compete at the IPF World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic. In the past 6 years, over $36,000 have been raised at this tournament and has helped students pay for tuition and books for college, furnishings for apartment living, and even to help one student long jump at the 2014 and 2015 USATF Indoor National Championships.
Here is the official poster of the 2015 Woodward Academy baseball team. Despite the seemingly non-stop rain in Iowa, the season is progressing along and there is still time to catch a game at Knights Field. The team is entering the final stages of the season and are looking to end strong. This year's poster is a composite of each player with a pretty sweet aerial shot of Knight's Field in the background. If you're ever on campus and would like a poster for your office, let us know and you can show your Knights pride.
Jerry Anderson is the only person who can say that he has been with Woodward Academy for the entire 20 years. As one of the original 13 staff members who started in 1995, Jerry has held a variety of positions on campus including youth counselor, teacher, business manager, admissions representative, and for the past decade, President of the Woodward Youth Corporation.
His commitment to students, and his desire to build Woodward Academy into a nationally recognized facility, is a primary reason why the Academy has grown so significantly over the past two decades. His perseverance and initiative has built 4 school buildings, a gymnasium, football and baseball stadiums, allowed Knights on the Move (student moving company) to take off, and has seen the Academy grow from 4 students to 263.
He was recently given the Tom Lewis Award, honoring his lifetime commitment to working with students. Kristie Oliver, Executive Director of the Coalition for Families and Children’s Services in Iowa, along with Jen Sievert, Executive Director at Forest Ridge Academy, and who currently serves as President of the Coalition Board of Directors, were present at the 2015 commencement ceremony to surprise Jerry with the honor. He was humbled with the award and accepted it knowing that it was a reflection of all of the hard work that staff have put into building Woodward Academy.
Julious Walker is 16 years old and is having the best powerlifting season of any Woodward Academy lifter. This past season, he broke 5 American records and at the USAPL High School National Championships in March, became a National Champion when he squatted 622 pounds, bench pressed 325 pounds, and deadlifted 573 pounds, for a total of 1521 pounds. He thought that was the end of his season until we received a fateful phone call a couple weeks ago.
As one of the best powerlifters in the nation, Julious has been asked to represent the United States at the IPF Sub-Junior and Junior World Championships that will take place August 31 - September 6 in Prague, Czech Republic. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for Julious and was made possible by the dedication he exhibited this season and the fact that he was a Woodward Academy Knight.
This year's Knight's Scholarship golf outing will take place on June 26 at the Beaver Creek Golf Course in Grimes, Iowa. Some of this year's proceeds will help Julious travel to Prague. If you would like to sign up as an individual or a foursome, please contact Tami Santi:
The Woodward Academy Knights qualified for the Iowa High School State Track & Field Meet in 5 events this season and performed well throughout the 3 day event (May 21-23). Terrence Lewis became only the second Woodward Academy runner in the school's history to qualify in 4 separate events (the most allowed) when he qualified in the 100m, 200m, 4x100 and 4x200 events.
On the first day of competition, Terrence and Rashawn Porter just missed the finals in the 100 meter dash with Terrence finishing 9th in the state. He went onto win his heat in the 200m and qualified for the finals after running the race in 22.27 seconds and setting a new school record. On Day 2, the 4x200 relay team set a new personal record when they ran 1:32.9, finishing 14th in the state. In the discus, Ankoma Riddick threw 137 feet in the only field event that the Knights qualified for this year. The highlight of the second day came when the 4x100 relay team looked really impressive by easily winning their heat, running a season best time of 44.05 seconds.
The finals of many events took place on Saturday and it was where Woodward Academy scored some team points. Terrence finished 6th in the state in the 200 meter dash and the 4x100 team ran a crazy fast 43.8 second race and finished 3rd in the state. The state track and field meet is where coaches want their athletes to perform their best, and this season the Knights who ran at Drake Stadium did just that. Several races set new personal records and even a school record was broken. You can see images of the state meet on our Knight Pics website by clicking here.
The graduating class of 2015 was honored at the Woodward Academy commencement ceremony today. This year's class consisted of 20 seniors who earned their high school diploma and 10 individuals who completed their Hi-SET tests (a high school equivalency). The ceremony took place in the WA gymnasium with parents and family members, teachers and dorm staff, and the entire student body in attendance. Jeremy Hilbert, Woodward Academy's principal, welcomed everyone, and then in an emotional speech, told each senior how proud he was of them and that it was a privilege to be their education leader this past year.
Governor scholar Julian Acker and Ankoma Riddick gave the senior speeches and offered some thoughts to their fellow graduates. Both have made the most out of their senior year at Woodward Academy. Julian plans to attend Job Corps in the fall while Ankoma will attend college and play football on a scholarship he earned after this season.
The keynote address was given by Jerry Anderson, Woodward Youth Corporation President. The first part of his speech gave the graduating class a history lesson about Woodward Academy. As the only staff member who has been with WA for the past 20 years, Jerry is more than equipped to reflect back and see how far the school was come. In many ways, the growth of the Academy mirrors the growth made by these students. Mr. Anderson assured them that their growing has only begun and that they have great things ahead of them.
This year, 11 students submitted pieces for competition at the West Central Activities Conference (WCAC) art show. The event was held on May 4 at West Central Valley high school and saw high school artists present their artwork in 30 different categories. This year's art show was huge and the competition impressive with many categories having over 30 entries in them.
The Knights saw two students place with two more earning honorable mention for their work. John Smothers earned 2nd place for his paper swan in the Small Sculpture category. John Escobar's desk top earned 5th place in the Graphics Hand-Done category. Beyond those two, Daniel Laurie's India Ink and water color drawing earned an honorable mention in the 2D Mix Media category, while Yerko Mena earned an honorable mention in the Black and White Drawing Objective category. Other submitted pieces from WA students included print making, self portraits, and acrylic painting.
Most of the students were able to make the trip to the art show to see their pieces on display. In addition to the competition, the day involved art workshops, and a feature presentation from local airbrush artists, Shawn Palak. Students were particularly impressed with his work and some were able to try out his equipment. You can see images of the students and their artwork on our Knight Pics website.
Having dedicated and invested staff members is our greatest asset as a school and it is a primary reason why our students have amazing opportunities for success. Trent Fleshner, William Terry, and Jason Anderson are three of those members and they sat down and talked about how they are building WA in this ongoing video series. You can see the first video embedded above with the other two after the break.
You can now watch the Woodward Academy Knights win their 10th consecutive powerlifting team national championship in the video embedded above. It follows the Knights as they traveled to Milwaukee, WI to compete in the USAPL High School National Championships that were held March 27-29. In addition to the entire team lifting, you'll also be able to see Julious Walker break 3 American records when he squatted 622.8 pounds, and deadlifted 573.2 pounds for a total of 1,521.2 pounds. He was also named Best Outstanding Lifter of the competition. Congrats to Coach Guthrey Fritz and his team of assistant coaches on 10 straight championships. This year marked the end of an era as Coach Fritz is retiring from the program that he started and passing on the keys to the weight room for next season.
Here is the official poster of the 2015 Woodward Academy track & field team. The Knights have started the season strong and have some high aspirations as they move into the second half. They are certain to have some athletes competing at the Drake Relays next week and then they will prepare for districts after that in order to have a good showing at the state meet, held May 21-23 at Drake Stadium.
This year's team has shown a special ability to unite as a team. They push each other in practice and that is evidenced in the practice video below. Earlier this week, the team got worked as they ran hills on the bomb shelter. It is just one example of what their practices are like.
When the Knights basketball team qualified for the Iowa High School Athletic Association State basketball tournament, the state media took note. We Own the Knight is a short documentary film that follows the Woodward Academy basketball team in the week leading up to playing at Wells Fargo Arena and the positive media attention that they generated. It was the first time that any residential treatment facility has qualified for state and the Knights quickly became the "feel good" story of the tournament (as you'll see in the film). It is written and directed by Eric Smidt and we hope to share it with more people this year.
Thanks to WHOTV Channel 13, KCCI Channel 8, LocalABC 5, The Des Moines Register, and Iowa Public Radio for covering the Knights this season.
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. This State Basketball edition includes:
- A Historic Athletic Day
- State Basketball at Wells Fargo Arena
- Post season basketball honors
- Powerlifting Nationals in Milwaukee, WI
- A look back at 10 years of powerlifting
- American Record holder: Julious Walker
- How Students Represent Woodward Academy
- Facebook update
- I Am Building WA video bonus
We hope you have a chance to check it out and enjoy the read.
John Sears of the Des Moines news channel,WHOTV Channel 13, visited campus on Monday to do a story on the Woodward Academy powerlifting team that aired on March 31 on the 10 o'clock news. You can see the news segment in the embedded video. Head coach Guthrey Fritz along with lifters Julious Walker and Hector Espinoza were interviewed for the segment that highlighted the Knights 10 straight powerlifting National Championships and Julious' 5 American records. This story continues the string of positive publicity that the Knights have received in the past month when many news outlets reported on the Knights basketball team.
Many of the past Woodward Academy powerlifting championships have relied on the feats of some of the smaller lifters (114 – 148 pound weight classes). This year, it was the bigger guys that came to lift hard and bring the 10th consecutive USAPL National Championship home for the Woodward Academy Knights.
The 2015 USAPL High School National Championships were held in Milwaukee, WI on March 27-29. The lifting was split into two sessions with 6 of the 9 WA lifters competing in the morning. Out of that group, the team gained three 3rd place finishes, and a couple 4th place finishes. The points gained by those lifters were good additions to a team total, but more was needed.
We are pleased to announce that we have expanded our communications and the Knights are now blowing up the internet through Facebook. If you're active on the site, we would love for you to Like our page and follow all of the daily happenings at Woodward Academy. We plan to bring some amazing content to you and we encourage everyone to interact with us by leaving comments and liking our posts. We just launched the page earlier this week but have already generated a great following and have loaded the page with some good stuff. You can click here for a direct link to our Facebook page.
On March 9, 2015, the Woodward Academy Knights played in the Iowa High School Boys State Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history. For many Des Moines news outlets, the Knights were the "feel good" story of the tournament and they paid a lot of attention to them. In case you didn't have a chance to see them all (and how could you being they were on at 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 on 4 separate stations), we have them all here so you're in luck.
This year's annual Knowledge Bowl marks the event's 10th anniversary. The all day contest pits dorms against each other in a battle of the minds and is truly one of the best events on campus all year. At stakes is an day trip to Des Moines for the entire dorm. They will spend it at the Science Center of Iowa where they will check out all of the attractions including a sweet IMAX documentary. Afterwards, they will be eating tons of pizza at CC's. In addition to both of those things, the winning dorm gets an additional $100 to spend on it's students. Hosted by teacher Christopher Levi, the morning session saw all of the dorms answer 10 rounds worth of question that provided the seeding for the bracketed afternoon sessions. In the end, Navigator Hall came up just a little short and Victory Hall won the 10th annual Woodward Academy Knowledge Bowl.
In preparation for the start of the Iowa high school boys state tournament, a couple media outlets ran stories on the Woodward Academy Knights basketball team and their unprecedented entrance into the tourney. The Des Moines Register ran a cover story on the Knights with senior guard Preston Brittain on the cover. You can read the article by clicking here or we have posted the entire story after the break. Also, Iowa Public Radio ran a feature story that aired Monday morning. You can listen to that story here. Go Knights!
WOODWARD, Ia. – Woodward Academy's biggest upset has been keeping its team together.
The residential center for delinquent boys is experiencing unprecedented success in high school basketball this season, with players brought together by the happenstance of assigned treatment and a love of sports.
Behavioral programs and basketball playoffs have joined in harmony.
Mark Tauscheck of the Des Moines news channel, KCCI Channel 8, visited campus on Monday to do a story on the Woodward Academy basketball team that aired on the 6 o'clock news. You can see the news segment in the embedded video along with some behind the scenes shots of the interview. Head coach Dustin Sperling along with players Ivan Johnson and Preston Brittain were interviewed for the segment. Since the news story aired on Monday in Iowa, we have received word that it has also played in other states including Texas, Pennsylvania, and Alabama.
The Woodward Academy Knights are headed to the Iowa High School Boys Basketball State Tournament for the first time in school history after defeating the Panorama Panthers in the Substate final on Saturday night. The game was tied at halftime but as the third quarter came to a conclusion, the Knights were down 11. Head coach Dustin Sperling preached defense at halftime and the Woodward Academy team dominated the 4th quarter by outscoring Panorama 21-0. You can check out the final moments of the game in the embedded video. Warning: it may give you goosebumps.
In the video, you'll also see the entire team, student body, and staff members reciting the Knights Creed at the end of the game. This has become a tradition all season long and shows the dedication that both staff and students have in being a Woodward Academy Knight.
The Knights are 1 of 8 remaining teams in 2A and play Monday, March 9 at Wells Fargo Arena in the first round of the state tournament.
This past Saturday (February 28) was the most historic athletic weekend in Woodward Academy history where 3 separate events were taking place across the United States and where Woodward Academy students were performing at the highest level. In Des Moines, the Knights basketball team was playing in a Substate final to qualify for the State tournament for the first time in school history. The Knights of Iron powerlifting team was competing in Nebraska in a meet as they continue to prepare for the USAPL High School National Championships, and a WA alum was long jumping in Boston, MA at the USATF Indoor National Championships.
The specifics to each event are absolutely amazing and you can read more about each one after the break. If you just want the details, Cal Lane (WA alum) finished in the top 10 in the long jump event, the powerlifting team won the competition and Julius Walker continued to break his own American Record by squatting 625 pounds in this meet, and the basketball team made a historic comeback to qualify for the state tournament.
On Tuesday night, the Knights basketball team (15-7) was crowned District Champion when they beat Roland-Story (16-7) on a neutral site 61-58. The Knights got off to a slow start in the first half and were down 16 at one point. But second half adjustments allowed the Knights to go on a 19-1 run in the third quarter that erased the deficit. The momentum changing highlight came when Ivan Johnson dunked for an "and one" three point play. He finished the game with 24 points and has been for the Knights all season along with Dontre English, who finished the game with 16 points. Perhaps the biggest bucket of the game came when Preston Brittain (who finished with 15 points) hit a three pointer to tie the game with 16.7 seconds left in the game.
The team now moves onto Substate this Saturday where they will play Panorama (18-4) and an opportunity to qualify for State. This is the furthest that any Woodward Academy team has advanced in the post season since the varsity basketball program began in 2008. You can read a Des Moines Register article on the game here and check out a video below.
This video is really a result of testing out some new equipment, but it's cool and we thought we should share it with you. The aerial shots were launched from the courtyard between our education buildings. From there, you can see our Education Center and eventually it overlooks our main campus area that includes Knight Base. Expect more of these shots in the coming months as well as a more comprehensive aerial tour this summer.
Every day, the collective staff at Woodward Academy works with students to help them make positive decisions in their life. Whether it be guiding students in phase work, teaching them how to add fractions, or confronting their negative behavior, it can become very easy for these things to become common place and to lose sight of the impact that we have on these students. Over the past 11 years, I have seen a lot of things, yet I am reminded about the work that we do here at Woodward Academy. One of those conversations happened last week.
I was in my office when a student told me how he was frustrated that he was being asked to stay at Woodward Academy for a few months longer. This was a student who had attended WA for about a year and he had been performing well. He is a Knight, active in athletics, and has good relationships with students and staff. But he had it in his mind that he would be able to go home and didn't handle the news the best that he could have. Part of me was sympathetic toward his feelings of wanting to go home because he deserved it.
Here is the official poster for the 2015 Woodward Academy Knights of Iron powerlifting team. The lifters already have 2 meets under their belt this season and have 2 more coming up in preparation for the USAPL High School National Championships, March 27-29 in Milwaukee, WI. This year's team won their second meet (there was no team competition during the first meet) and several lifters have earned individual honors including one who is now the American record holder in the squat and for his three-lift total.
The poster is a combination of individual shots of the lifters with images from practice in the background. If you're an campus, pick up a poster of the team and put March 14 on your calendar to attend Woodward Academy's home meet held in the Knights gymnasium.
Very rarely do we report on a loss, but the Woodward Academy vs. Earlham game on January 30 set a record for the most combined points scored in a high school game in Iowa history and we thought it was worth noting. The game went into 4 overtimes and accumulated 247 points. The previous record of 245 points was set in 1999 in a 7 overtime game. The Knights were 11-5 going into the game and had already secured a #1 ranking in the upcoming district tournament. The Earlham Cardinals are also a playoff bound team and came into the contest with a 13-2 record.
Earlham led most of the game but the Knights were never out of it. In the final moments of regulation, the Knights pressed more than usual and rattled the Cardinals into turning the ball over and allowed the overtime periods to begin (which is where the video highlights start). A lot of times, over time periods can be sucked up with conservative play, but both teams went on the offensive and it made for a great atmosphere (even though the Knights ended up on the losing side in the 125-121 contest). Woodward Academy was led by Ivan Johnson (#1) who scored 37 points and Dontre English (#3) with 31 points. That amazing tandem has been outstanding lately and scored 66 combined points just a week ago when the Knights defeated a highly regarded Des Moines Christian team.
Home court advantage is something that is often talked about in athletics. If you have a chance to attend a Knights basketball game, you'll be able to see one of the most supportive student bodies in the state. In addition to watching the Knights on the court, check out all of the Knights in the stands as well when you watch the video. Finally, you can see some pictures of the game if you visit our Knight Pics website.
Julius Walker replicated his 600 pound squat at the Capital City Clash this past weekend in Lincoln, NE and is now the American record holder for his age (15) and weight class (231). The previous record of 551 pounds lasted for nearly a decade before Julius came along. You can see the actual American record squat above. He continued his dominance at the meet with a first place victory and a near American record in the deadlift as well, which will be next on his list of amazing accomplishments for this season. He finished the competition with 1,440 total pounds between the squat, bench press, and deadlift, also an American record.
Even with the amazing accomplishments that the Knights have achieved over the past 10 years (9 team championships, 22 individual National Champions, and 106 qualifiers to Nationals), Julius is having a historic season. Julius and the Knights will travel to Nebraska again in February for a meet at Peru State. They will then lift at their home meet on March 14 before traveling to Milwaukee, WI for the USAPL High School National Championships, March 27-29.
This summer, Woodward Academy is celebrating its 20th anniversary and you're invited to participate with us during our annual Open House event on July 9. The day will kick off with a 5k run around campus that both staff and students participate in. The day will continue with a combination of food, campus tours, opportunities to meet with students, presentations, and a look back at all of the great things that Woodward Academy has accomplished over the past two decades. Whether you've been to campus multiple times, or never before, it is a great opportunity to see the pride that both students and staff have in being a Knight. So mark your calendars and RSVP by email or calling at:
Chris Koch
chris.koch@sequelyouthservices.com
(515) 438-3142
Here are some videos of what happened in 2014 and 2013.
Have you ever seen a 15 year old squat 600 pounds? Not many people have, but that is exactly what happened when Julius Walker, a lifter on the Woodward Academy Knights powerlifting team, competed at the USAPL Iowa Open this past weekend. After getting his first two lifts, he went for 600 pounds and set a new personal best. He now has his sights set on being the American record holder. For his age group and weight class, the American record is 551 lbs., which he destroyed. But at this event, not all of the judges were certified to award American records, so he'll give it another shot later this year.
The team has been training since November, but this was their first meet of the year. They travel to Lincoln, NE next weekend and Peru State in February. In March, Woodward Academy will host an event on the 14th and it will all lead up to the team traveling to the USAPL High School National Championships, March 27-29. This year, the event is being held in Milwaukee, WI. The Knights have won 9 consecutive team National Championships in the freshman/sophomore division.
When a student first attends Woodward Academy, the focus is on their behavior and what they had done to get themselves adjudicated. As time goes by, and the student works their program, the focus of what they had done in their past shifts to what they are going to do after they leave campus. Exit planning for students often begins months before the student is actually ready to leave. It can include helping them rebuild relationships with family members, equipping them with problem solving skills for scenarios that may take place, and establishing an academic plan for their arrival. Sometimes students do not return home, but rather go on to live on their own after WA. For these students, exit planning is particularly important to help them get positioned for success. This was the case with Jaime who recently left.
It was anticipated that Jaime would attend Woodward Academy until he discharged into the real world. He was fantastic on campus, a leader in a lot of ways, and he gained many of the benefits that positive Knights receive. Because of his hard work, Jaime accomplished a lot and set himself up for success upon leaving. During his time on campus, Jaime earned his high school diploma, and afterwards worked on campus. As a student worker, he was able to earn a couple thousand dollars that he took with him when he left. He set up a bank account and gained an understanding of how to manage money and use a debit card. He also attended a 30-hour welding class at the Des Moines Area Community College during his stay, which qualified him to be a welding assistant.
When it was time to go, Jaime received some bonus exit planning. Jon Shelness, Educational Liaison at Woodward Academy, drove him to Ohio and together they spent a couple days getting this set up. They visited the Job Corps recruiting office in Columbus as well as the Columbus State Community College where they met with an adviser. They filled out some job applications and together toured the neighborhood to get him acquainted with the area. Whatever happened in his past, Jaime was a great student on campus who exhibited sincerity and a strong work ethic. We are happy to have helped him pave a road toward his bright future.
The latest edition of the Knightly Knews focused on the dedicated staff of Woodward Academy. As a bonus to that edition, some staff members sat down for an interview and talked about how they are building Woodward Academy. The first is embedded here with the others after the break.
In a field where high staff turnover is often the norm, Woodward Academy has excelled in building a solid team of dedicated staff. In fact, at the end of 2014, WA had 58 staff members with 5+ years of experience (pictured). That equates to 546 years of service, an unprecedented amount of experience that very few facilities across the United States would be able to claim.
Many started their career working with students at Woodward Academy and they have found that they love what Woodward Academy provides. This image was created as the latest spread in our quarterly publication, the Knightly Knews. In that edition, Ryan Santi, Executive Director, said that "a program can only be as good as the staff that it employs… [we] have taken great steps in allowing our staff to make Woodward Academy a career destination. We provide great training and experience to our staff… [and] have always done our best to identify the up and comers, those who have the 'it' factor."
This summer, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary. Over the past two decades, Woodward Academy has built a team who strives to serve as the standard for how juvenile residential care should operate. This team is responsible for building what exists today at WA, and many will move on to help guide the infrastructure for tomorrow.
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. This I Am Building Woodward Academy staff focused edition includes:
- A note from Ryan Santi, Executive Director
- Royal Rumble Wrestling Week
- How WA is different
- Fall sports recap
- How coaching changes the student / staff perspective
- Image of all the staff who have served 5+ years at WA
- YouTube video bonus
We hope you have a chance to check it out and enjoy the read.
