American Powerlifting Record // Video

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.

Open House 2015

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.

600 Pound Squat // Video

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.

Exit Planning at WA

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.

I Am Building Woodward Academy // Videos

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.

The Dedicated Staff of Woodward Academy // 546 Years of Service

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.

Knightly Knews Vol. 32 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. 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.