A Weekend of Possibilities

Last weekend from Thursday through Sunday, over 150 students left Woodward Academy's campus to participate in school activities and community service projects across central Iowa. With the spring season here, the Woodward Academy student schedule is ramping up and students are having opportunities to get involved in a variety of ways.

The bulk of the travel started Friday when students from the track & field team traveled to Ogden High School, 18 miles north of Woodward, where they won their 4th meet of the year. Back on campus, a number of beautification projects were underway in preparation for the upcoming graduation and Open House events. Flowers were planted, shrubs were trimmed, and rock was laid as landscaping around several campus buildings.

The next day, students helped a local church in Madrid (6 miles east), others took care of little league softball fields in Perry (11 miles west), and others got an agricultural lesson when they helped out at a local grain silo just outside of Woodward. But the majority of students traveled north to Ames (29 miles) and the campus of Iowa State University. Fifteen students worked for Knights on the Move, the Academy's local moving company, and moved furniture for a sorority on campus, while 65 students helped ISU by working at Jack Trice Stadium during their commencement ceremony. This year, Iowa State had a record number of graduates (5,093 candidates), and Woodward Academy students provided their families and friends with concessions during the event.

For many facilities, juggling the track event, community services projects, Knights on the Move, and helping with the ISU graduation, could turn into a logistical problem when considering staff coverage and transportation. But for Woodward Academy, the more opportunities for students to get off campus and to engage with the community, the better it is for the students, and Woodward Academy as a whole. Our students consistently demonstrate what it means to be a Knight, and that is worth it. Go Knights!

Culinary Arts Major

Victor Fuller recently participated in his orientation day at Iowa Central Community College as he prepares for college life later this fall. He spent time signing up for classes, worked on his financial aid, and was exposed to what campus life has to offer such as computer and support services. As a Culinary Arts and Restaurant and Hospitality Management major, Victor also took an extended tour of the culinary arts program.

The head of the program is Chef Michael Hirst, who led the tour of this area and laid out what he expects from his students. One of the most interesting things was the "daily evaluation" rubric he presented the students. After looking at the document, it was amazing at how accurately it married the values that are taught at Woodward Academy every day. Students in his program are evaluated on their acceptance of instruction, dependability / punctuality, initiative / enthusiasm, overall attitude in the work place, personal appearance, and quality of work. These are the characteristics that he views as valuable in the classroom and workplace. For Victor, it also cemented the values that he has been exposed to while attending WA.

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.

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.

Students Welding

This past weekend, three students started a 30 hour welding course offered by the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).  As an introductory course, students are learning the basics of welding, including how to handle and operate equipment properly.  Over the next three weeks, students will go hands-on with safety equipment and begin welding.  It is Woodward Academy's first attempt at the course, and we hope to utilize DMACC's facilities and resources more in the future.  More will be reported on this in the next edition of the Knightly Knews that will be published in June.

Meet the Mowing Crew: A Vocational Update

With the spring season fully upon us, that means lawn care... and Woodward Academy has a lot of campus to keep up and keep looking nice.  For the last couple years, WA students have had the opportunity to work on the mowing crew and are responsible for the mowing and landscape maintenance of the surrounding WA campus.  Currently, the students working on the crew are high school or GED graduates, with more job opportunities opening up this summer for those still in high school.

Read more after the jump.