Popsicle Bridges // Video

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.

Knightly Knews Vol. 35 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 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 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.

Expanded Brochure // Download the PDF

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.

Powerlifting in the News // World Championships

When Julious and his coaches returned from Prague, Czech Republic after the IPF Sub-Juniors World Championships earlier this month, the local news media wanted to get their story. They went on a mini press tour with KCCI Channel 8 and The Des Moines Register both coming to campus for the story. The KCCI video is embedded above and the Register article can be read here.

We want to thank both Mark Tauscheck (KCCI) and John Naughton (Register) for picking up the story and sharing it with central Iowa. Earlier this year, Mark came to campus to cover the Knights basketball team when they qualified for state. John is also familiar with Woodward Academy and ran a front page article in 2010 when we started our football program. 

Fall Sports Posters 2015 // Football and Cross Country

The fall sports posters for the 2015 season are out and can be picked up on campus. With a couple games and meets into the season, the Knights are getting into their stride this season. The football team got their first win in week 2 against a tough SE Warren team. The cross country team has been improving their times all year and can boast that two runners are consistently in the 18's with several more close. Both teams are looking to have a great end to the season. If you have a chance to get to a game or meet, cheer on the Knights. In the meantime, get updates on our Facebook page.

Runner Up World Champion // IPF Sub-Juniors World Championships

When Julious committed to the U.S. team in May, practice revved up into high gear again. He had already taken a month off of lifting after the USAPL High School National Championships (where he break 3 American records and became a National Champion) under the assumption that his season was over. So with 4 months to prepare for the biggest stage, Julious went to work.

 Coach Glen Miller saw a renewed work ethic in Julious when practice for World’s began. “He wanted to do more during practice because he knew the competition would be harder.” Julious started to realize that he was on the verge of being a truly great powerlifter; one of the best in the entire nation. But raw talent doesn’t get a lifter very far when competing at this level. The only way was to do lift the weight every week. He did just that and got his max squat up to 700 pounds.

The coaches changed some workouts for Julious during this time and added another day so that he was lifting 5 days instead of 4 during the high school season. Normally, the weight room is packed during practice with the entire team creating sounds of metal weights and bars banging against steel racks. But now the room was quieter with just Julious and the coaches. It was easier for them to focus on technique during this time, but it was also a good bonding experience.