In it’s seventh consecutive year, the Knight’s Scholarship Golf Out benefiting the Woodward Academy Lifetime Commitment Fund took place at Beaver Creek Golf Course in Grimes, Iowa on June 24. This year, 79 golfers attended the four-person best-ball tournament that raised $2,500 money for Woodward Academy alumni as they move onto the next stage of their life. In the seven years that this tournament has taken place, over $39,000 has been raised, all of which has gone toward helping WA students. Whether it is college tuition, books, apartment
furnishings, or helping a past student with travel expenses to compete at the USA Track & Field Indoor National Championships, the tournament has made a significant impact on students lives and will continue to do so for years to come. A special thank you to the 27 generous sponsors who helped make this year's event a success.
What does it mean to be a Woodward Academy Knight? For many students, they would tell you that they have changed. That they are more mature and polite. They listen to feedback and are open to ideas. They are respectful, kind, caring, have empathy, and they have reflected on their past. They know what they did, and they now understand the ramifications of those actions.
As staff members, we initiate this difficult change and delight in watching it take hold in students. But that change happens on our campus, in isolation to the rest of the world. Few people see it happen, and even less think that it can. Eventually, many of our students must confront the fact that some people still think that they are criminals… that they are lazy and lack self-discipline, that they cannot amount to anything. So perhaps the greatest characteristic of a Knight is having grit and the desire to overcome those obstacles, because "those people are wrong."
Over the course of their stay at Woodward Academy, these students have come to that conclusion honestly. Their change is authentic, and now they see their future as bright as ever. Months ago, these students were on a collision course toward incarceration, or an even worse fate. Now they can say "I am a Woodward Academy Knight. I will never accept negative behavior. I will never quit."
What is the ripple effect of this change? The goal is to help every student who attends Woodward Academy with their immediate micro-behavioral needs. We want them to be kind and respectful, and be able to listen. They must suppress some of their immediate behavioral urges, and get rid of others all together. For many students, this can happen very quickly (within weeks), and it starts them on the path toward the real benefit of being a Knight. On a macro level, this change takes hold to course correct their life. It serves a long term purpose so that they will be able to share their wisdom with their brothers, sisters, cousins, and friends. Being a Knight means that our students have an opportunity to be a quality student, a great son, and eventually a good employee, spouse, mentor, and father. That is what happens when you Become a Woodward AcademyKnight, and that is how you change tomorrow.
Now that the baseball season is in full swing, here is the official poster of the 2016 Woodward Academy Knights team. This year's squad has been performing well this season and there is still time to catch a game at Knights Field. The poster is a composite image of each individual player and a sweet aerial shot of the home field. Be sure to pick up yours today on campus to add to your collection.
If you would like to see additional pictures of the baseball team in action, you can visit our Knight Pics website and after the break, we have embedded a highlight video from one of the team's home games.
Woodward Academy’s annual Open House was an event filled day that took place on June 2nd. In many ways, the day serves two purposes: it is a fun day full of activities for students and staff, and a great way to showcase the school and campus to anyone interested in the school and new to the Woodward Academy way.
Guests who attended the day were treated with expanded events for this year’s event. For years, the day kicked off with a 5K “fun run” that is more grueling than enjoyable. Part of the course has participants running through a chilly creek, and then finishing by going up what campus calls the “Iron Man,” a 70 degree muddy hill that is only more difficult with wet shoes. This year’s staff and student winners were teach Tyler McCubbin and newly crowned school record holder in the 400m, Ashton Putzier.
In an attempt to get more people involved, all of the events were given point values to determine which dorm performed the best. As a traditionally colorful day, full of themed customes, points were also awarded in this category. Once the 5K concluded, dorms assembled their teams for the tug-o-war contest, as well as the outdoor basketball and bags tournament. After lunch, the monthly assembly concluded the day by announcing the Student and Staff of the month, and the monthly awards of Silver Apple, Golden Dustpan, and Knight’s Achievement Award. Once tallied, Delta company became the dorm winner of the day.
Why should you attend next year? The Woodward Academy culture is on full display. Many guests who took campus tours with students were blown away by their ability to explain the school, programming, and how it has changed their life. It is also pretty fun to watch and get a sense for how all the students and staff interact on a daily basis. If you’re interested in seeing more pictures from Open House, visit our Knight Pics website.
The 2016 track & field season came to a close May 19-21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines at the Iowa High School State Track & Field Meet. It was an end cap to a remarkable season where the Knights won 4 team titles, numerous individual events, and broke 2 school records.
Head Coach Shaun Mohon pushed the phrase "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" all season. He reflected that this year's team, from a pure talent standpoint, was not where previous WA teams had been. "We did not have the top end speed that we have had in the past. The reason this team was so successful was due to hard work, practicing well, and the work of all the coaches."
Read more about how the season progressed and the state meet after the break.
