Become a Knight // Staff Videos

We talk a lot about how becoming a Knight changes the lives of the students at Woodward Academy. But they are not the only ones who are impacted by the amazing culture on campus. The adults who work tirelessly with these students are also changed as a result of their time on campus and it is an experience that is unique and one they never forget.
   
Many staff members have made a career at Woodward Academy because they have fallen in love with the school’s mission. The work is not easy, but they know they are fundamentally making a difference in the lives of youth on a daily basis. This is the primary reason why staff continue to love Woodward Academy, but it is not the only factor. The staff highlighted here volunteered to be interviewed on camera as a part of a video series that you can see on our YouTube Channel. Through their discussions, a number of similarities arose as to why they love being a Knight and how Woodward Academy is more than just a job.
   
At Woodward Academy, no day is exactly the same and this flexibility appeals to a lot of people. Group Leader Darryl Stewart put it best when he said that he couldn’t work at a desk job. He said it’s just not him and prefers to be active with the students and fellow staff members to plan the day and come up with solutions to problems. This “family feel” approach was a common theme among these staff and they attribute much of their success to the support they received early on.
   
A lot of veteran staff members entered Woodward Academy straight out of college, knowing very little about the school. They anticipated it being a stepping stone to something larger, but fell in love with the philosophy, the culture, and how it challenged them professionally. At the time, they entered a world they knew little about, but over time were molded in the Woodward Academy way.
   
Program Director Ted Rives said it is the “best job I’ve ever had.” Case Manager Sierra Schnoebelen continues that sentiment when she says “It’s a job I wake up and want to come to work every day.” These staff make Woodward Academy successful and pave the way for the next group who decides to Become a Knight.

Inertial Guidance System

This story was originally published in Volume 40 of the Knightly Knews that you can download here.

It is Monday morning, and these group living staff members sit in a conference room around a table, planning to break inertia. Impromptu meetings are more their style, but with the balancing act of all of their responsibilities, and the fact that they spread out across campus, a formal meeting is needed. These staff members are some of the most veteran on campus and this meeting is one way that sets Woodward Academy a part from other residential facilities. Not the meeting itself, but what is accomplished.
 
In many ways, Woodward Academy prides itself on not being perfect. When your product is working with people, things go wrong and people make mistakes. With that notion in mind, change is easy to come by because it is built into the system. It is just something that naturally happens and the
culture evolves with it.
   
These weekly meetings are never the same, but have developed some consistencies over time. There is general information sharing, and opportunities to discuss calendar events. But much of the meeting is situational and addresses normative issues on campus. This team looks at what areas are lacking, how students can help brainstorm and resolve those issues, and then creates an actionable plan to work from.

When they all meet together, there is 140 years of Woodward Academy experience that helps develop the inertial guidance system that propels the school to success. Under the leadership of Group Living Director (GLD) Trent Fleshner, and newly promoted Assistant GLD Glen Miller, this group manages every student’s program at Woodward Academy, and supervises the vast majority of the staff members.

New Executive Director // Shawn Hollenkamp

In September, Shawn Hollenkamp accepted the position of Executive Director at Woodward Academy, a return to campus for a company that he has spent the last 14 years of his career. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2001 with a degree in Child and Family Services, Shawn began his career at Woodward Academy in 2002 like many others, as a youth counselor.

Over the course of his career, Shawn has held many positions on campus including operating the daily shifts on campus in a Group Leader role, to supervising a dorm as Program Director. In 2006, Shawn was promoted to Group Living Director, a position he held until 2013 when he was once again promoted to Executive Director of Woodward Community Based Services (WCBS). Located in Des Moines, WCBS was “founded in response to the growing need to serve children, adolescents, and their families in their home community.”

When Shawn took over at WCBS, they were operating five separate community based programs. Under his leadership and with a great team, WCBS expanded their services and cast a wider net across the state to serve more needs. Tracking and monitoring, out-patient school based therapy, substance abuse treatment, and family peer support services were all added. WCBS also received a grant called Community Based Interventions, and a contract to be the Boone County Juvenile Court Liaison. Most recently, WCBS had been approved to provide residential in-home services for adults who are Severly Mentally Impaired (SMI).

Upon his return to campus, he is excited to meld his group living and community based experience into one, and he is excited to be back on the campus where his career started 14 years ago. The position opened after Ryan Santi, Executive Director from 2013 - 2016, was promoted to Vice President of Operations within Sequel Youth and Family Services. He will now help build facilities across the country within the Woodward Academy model.

World's Coach // Guthrey Fritz

Guthrey Fritz, Admissions Director and former Knights powerlifting coach, recently returned from Szczyrk, Poland, after a week of representing the United States team as a coach at the IPF Sub-Junior (high school) and Junior (collegiate) World Powerlifting Championships. The U.S. delegation brought four teams with 36 of the best lifters in the country to compete at the international competition.

Fritz’s history with elite powerlifting goes back more than a decade. He started the Woodward Academy powerlifting program 2003 and over the course of his tenure as head coach, won 10 consecutive USAPL High School National Championships, crowned 24 individual National Champions, and brought a total of 116 lifters to the national competition. The bookend of his coaching career at Woodward Academy occurred in the fall of 2015 when he travelled to this same competition in Prague, Czech Republic. He coached WA lifter, Julious Walker, to a runner-up World Championship.

After his experience with the team last season, U.S. Head Coach, Curt St. Romain, offered Guthrey a spot as a coach on this year’s team. He was assigned specific lifters and worked with them throughout the competition in getting checked in, setting rack heights, during weigh-ins, and calling squats for the lifters. At the end of competition, the U.S. team performed exceptionally well. The sub-junior boys were crowned World Champions, with the junior boys earning a bronze metal. Both the sub-junior and junior girls teams won silver.

Guthrey has already been asked to coach on next year’s team, with the 2017 international competition taking place in Orlando, Florida.

Listen Live! // Continuing what Chris Charron Built

Last Friday marked the beginning of the 2016 high school football season across the state. If you had a chance to be at Knights Stadium, it was an electric environment and an entertaining game to watch. We live streamed the game on our new Listen Live! website: Meridix, where you can listen to all of the Knights' football games this season as the official "home and away voice of the Knights."

If you've been a listener to the Knights online, this year will sadly sound different. The Woodward Academy family lost one of its biggest fans and supporters last March, when Chris "Megaphone" Charron, unexpectedly past away. He was the "voice" of the Knights since the beginning of our football program, and is the sole reason why we are able to continue to provide this amazing service this year. In an act generosity, when he passed away, his wife donated much of the audio equipment to Woodward Academy, and it is that equipment that will bring you all of our games.

Presidential Blueprint // The Legacy of Jerry Anderson

This story was originally published in Volume 38 of the Knightly Knews that you can download here.

More than any other person, Jerry Anderson has built Woodward Academy into what it is today. He has been here from the beginning. Literally. On July 10, 1995, when Woodward Academy opened its door to its first four students, Jerry was one of the original 13 staff members. Twenty one years later, on July 5, 2016, he stepped down as President of the Woodward Youth Corporation (WYC), leaving a legacy in tact that is comparable to none.
   
When our students walk through one of the four school buildings, they can thank Jerry. Our football team competes at their renovated stadium on Friday nights thanks to Jerry. Our baseball team runs the bases at Knights Field, and our students have jobs with Knights on the Move because of Jerry. Today, Woodward Academy has 262 students on campus and is a known industry leader… thanks to Jerry.

NSPRA Communications Awards 2016

The National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) recently announced their 2016 award winners and Woodward Academy earned honors in all three categories in which we submitted. The Golden Achievement Award was given to our comprehensive communications program. Our submission was judged based on the four steps of a public relations program: 1) analysis of the need; 2) planning to meet the need; 3) execution and communication of the program; and 4) formal evaluation. Woodward Academy was one of only 90 schools / districts across the United States to receive this recognition, and one of only two in the State of Iowa. Click here to see the entire list of winners.

Publication and Electronic Media awards were also handed out that recognize individual projects in 23 different categories. This year, we submitted in two categories and earned an Award of Merit of our 2015 film We Own the Knight: A High School Basketball Documentary Film and an Award of Honorable Mention in the Special Purpose Publication category for our Why Woodward Academy? Let Us Tell You 2015 Guide.

We feel proud and honored to have been given the opportunity to tell amazing Woodward Academy stories over the past year, and that those efforts have been recognized at the state and national level. These awards mark the end of this year's campaign, and the beginning of next year's push for great content. Below is a recap of our 2016 awards season:

Iowa School Public Relations Association (ISPRA)
     Print Newsletter - Knightly Knews – Blue & Gold Award
     Photography - State Basketball – Blue & Gold Award
     Video - I Am Building video series - Blue & Gold Award
     Social Media – Facebook Page - Award of Achievement

National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA)

     Comprehensive Plan - Golden Achievement Award

     Video – We Own the Knight Documentary – Award of Merit

     Special Purpose Publication – 2015 Guide – Award of Honorable Mention

Meet the WA Clinical Team

In 20 years, Woodward Academy has seen a substantial amount of change and growth in the treatment and clinical services that are offered to students and families. Clinical Director, Tonna Lawrenson, recalls when the team solely consisted of herself and Quality Assurance Director, Michelle Fenelon. The majority of the growth has occurred within the last 4 years, as the team has expanded and gained more valuable therapists. The days of only having a minority of students receiving therapeutic services are in the past. Today, the 13 clinicians have 11 Masters degrees and a Ph.D. degree between them as they serve the mental health needs of our students.

What sets our team and services apart from other facilities?  
Each therapist has found a niche or focus, and with each specialty comes education, experience, training, and motivation to create a very diverse and comprehensive treatment program at Woodward Academy. The diversity of the services that are offered demonstrates the commitment to the needs of students. The team is continuously developing new curriculum and enhancing the evidenced-based treatments available in order to ensure that students are receiving the best treatment possible.

ISPRA Communications Awards 2016

As a school, our communications naturally focus on student opportunities, achievements, and the amazing contributions that our staff make every day. We work really hard to tell interesting stories, and to make them visually appealing and engaging to our audience. On Thursday, April 7, some of our efforts were recognized at the Iowa School Public Relations Association (ISPRA) communications awards banquet. 

This was the first year that we submitted materials for awards consideration. Of the 20 events, we identified 4 categories where we felt we could perform well, which include Photography, Print Newsletter, Social Media, and Video. As a local chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), it is policy that another state score the submissions based on rubrics.

This year, professionals from the Colorado chapter scored Iowa's submissions. When averaged, if a submission scored between 7-8, they earned an Award of Merit. Scores between 8-10 earned an Award of Excellence. Out of that pool, submissions that scored 9 and above were eligible to earn the top honor of the Blue & Gold Award. Woodward Academy was honored to receive 3 Blue & Gold Awards, earning the top prize in photography, print newsletter, and video for our I Am Building Woodward Academy series. School districts from across the state submitted materials and this year was the largest to date. We are excited to be recognized for our efforts in this area and look forward to telling more amazing stories. 

Nursing "Dream Team"

This story was originally published in Volume 36 of the Knightly Knews that you can download here.

The Nursing Department at Woodward Academy has no off-season. They work every day, weekend, and holiday and their contribution is what keeps the campus safe and healthy. The quartet of Jamie Golly, Emily York, Hilliary Mahler, and Tia Hemesath have 62 years of nursing experience, and 33 of those years are at Woodward Academy. They are the only department that sees every student, not only when they enter, but when they discharge as well. Between those times, they are responsible for all of the medical needs of the 262 students on campus. It is a balancing act that this team has perfected and they love it.

When a student first attends Woodward Academy, a thorough head-to-toe examination is conducted within the first 24 hours. The 21-page standardized assessment documents any known medical issues, obtains vital signs, and also looks at a student’s past that may include substance abuse, physical and sexual abuse, suicidal tendencies, and family history.

Throughout the student’s stay, this team sets up medical, dental, and vision appointments, manages student medications, and becomes involved with crisis situations to ensure the safety of all of the students on campus. They also train staff and high school seniors in CPR, communicate with parents regarding their son’s care, and handle the small things in between that include seasonal colds, and the natural bumps, bruises, and breaks that boys get. They are able to do all of these things because they have built what they call “The Dream Team.”

I Am Building Woodward Academy // Part 4 // Videos

Every day, the staff at Woodward Academy work tirelessly to provide the best possible care to students. The three staff featured in this edition of the I Am Building Woodward Academy video series have 24 years of experience at Woodward Academy and are truly building the school for the future.

Collectively, they lead the charge in the classroom, ensure the safety of students, coach on the athletic field, and train staff to provide them the tools to be the best version of themselves. In the videos, they discuss how they have grown professionally over the years and why they have choosen Woodward Academy as their career. Program Director Shaun Mohon's video is embedded above with principal Jeremy Hilbert and Director of Nursing, Jamie Golly below.

I Am Building Woodward Academy // Staff Profile // Lorenzo White

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

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.

Meet the Admissions Team

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.

After the break, meet the team:

"A New Man" // A Songwriting Video Project

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!

The End of an Era // Guthrey Fritz

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.

WYC President Jerry Anderson Receives Tom Lewis Award

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.

I Am Building Woodward Academy // Part 2 // Videos

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.

One Conversation that Made Me Think…

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.

Read more after the break.

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.