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.
