Fall Sports Begin

The Iowa high school fall sports season is upon us and the Knights are now in full swing competing in cross country and football. This week marks the beginning of official competition with the XC team running at the Iowa State University course on Thursday and the football team hosting Earlham tonight.

If you're hoping to check out a cross country meet or attend a football game this season, here are the schedules. You can also listen to every football game online at www.pressboxradio.com.

Cross Country 2014:
8/28 @ ISU Course
9/4 @ WCV
9/9 @ Winterset
9/11 @ Marshalltown
9/20 @ Carroll
9/25 @ Roland Story
9/30 @ Denison
10/2 @ Perry
10/6 @ North Polk
10/7 @ South Central Calhoun
10/16 @ WCAC Meet, Panora

Football 2014:
8/29 vs. Earlham
9/5 @ SE Webster
9/12 @ South Central Calhoun
9/19 vs. St. Edmond, Fort Dodge
9/26 vs. Manson NW Webster
10/3 @ Ogden
10/10 @ South Hamilton
10/24 @ Panorama

Football Team takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been sweeping across the United States to help raise money and awareness for what is known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease." The WA football coaches have accepted the challenge and enjoyed a nice icy bath.

Locating a Knight on Campus

In the upcoming edition of the Knightly Knews, we're going to take a look at the Knights Club as our cover story. In advance of printing, we're going to run part of that story now by taking a look at how you can locate a Knight on campus and how the club impacts every student regardless of how they are performing at the time.

If you ask a student if he is a Knight, you’ll get one of two responses: an enthusiastic “yes” or an embarrassed “no.” When you ask a student why he doesn’t have his Knight, you’ll probably receive a list a reasons that focus around his behaviors. This is a step in the right direction. Although it would be great if that student was performing better, it is important to understand that the Club has played a role in identifying areas where he has to improve. For the eager student who answers “yes,” be warned that you might get something that sounds like “a Phase Four, positive Knight, in student government,” indicating all of the positive aspects of his program.

Besides asking students whether they are Knights or not, one of the easiest ways to identify them across campus is by what they are wearing. Knights receive “Knights Gear” which is fashionable Woodward Academy clothing. The most prized position of that being their jacket. Wearing a jacket is a status symbol on campus and something students wear with pride. So next time you're on campus, check out all of the Knights Jackets walking around and stop and talk with a Knight.

Chewie // Therapy Dog in Training

This is Chewie, a 7 month old Golden Doodle and Michelle Sandusky's therapy dog in training. This is Sandusky's second second therapy dog with her first now nearly retirement age. Therapy dogs cannot be certified until they reach one year old, and for Chewie, that will be next March.

     

Until then, Chewie is an assistant to Sandusky and goes where ever she does. Together, their main focuses are working on socialization and obedience. Besides being at Woodward, Chewie also does obedience training with Des Moines Obedience Club on a weekly basis. In March, Chewie will be tested by Therapy Dogs International. To be certified, Chewie will have to pass 13 tests that are administered in 2 phases. When complete, he will be able to go anywhere Sandusky does. The goal is that he will also be able to serve others including at the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. 

Research has shown that individuals are able to stay calm and open up about difficult subjects when in the presence of an animal. It has also been show that progress happens more quickly. For this reason, Chewie has been a big hit at Woodward Academy among both staff and students. 

National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)

The NCRC is a standardized test that is designed to assess workplace employability skills in a person. It comes from the makers of the ACT, a standardized test used for college admittance, and is being readily utilized at Woodward Academy.

Once a month, 10-15 students take the three, 45 minute tests and can earn a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum rating if they pass. About 80% of students at WA who have taken the test have earned one of these ratings. Samantha Sperling (School Counselor) and Jon Shelness (Educational Liaison) have been certified to be proctors of the test, and it has served as a good portfolio building component for students.

The three individual tests are in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information, and Reading for Information. The assessments measure "real world" skills that employers believe are critical to job success, and the test questions are based on situations in the everyday work world. After receiving their certificate, students are encouraged to use it in interviews for employment. Past students have used it and reported back that they truly believe it helped them secure employment. So far, the test has been administered 6 times on campus, and will continue to be utilized in the future to help students transition away from WA.

Summer School 2014

This time of year, most teenagers are enjoying their last days away from school as the fall semester is quickly approaching. This isn't the case at Woodward Academy, where educational programming runs year round. There are the two traditional semesters in the fall and spring, with an additional semester that runs during the summer. Both core and elective courses are offered to students and curriculum is designed and assessed based on the standards from the Iowa Core Curriculum.

There are several reasons why school operates year round. The most obvious is that it keeps students engaged in an activity throughout the summer. Staying busy is a big contributing factor in why students succeed at WA. Additionally, many students involved in the juvenile justice system are academically behind either in content knowledge or in credits. This is the case at Woodward Academy and attending school addresses both. On campus, behaviors are consistently addressed because they are visible. Academic deficiencies such as in mathematics or writing are much more difficult to see on a daily basis… unless students are in school. Rather than take 3 months off, students are working on these skills in the classroom. A lot of students are also behind in credits compared to typical students. Being able to earn credits during the summer can in many cases rectify that problem and get those students back on track to graduate with their class.

Alumni Visit Campus // Knights Pride

The four years in high school are formative years in a lot of young people's lives, and ones that are often remembered forever. For two Woodward Academy alumni, they were so powerful that they helped shape who they are today. Kevante Jackson and Tony Stocker attended WA during the 2010-2011 school year and left an impact on the school that continues today. They were both members of Woodward Academy's first football team, and were also on the powerlifting team that was featured in the documentary, Knight of Iron.

They are now on their own in Kansas City, MO and Flint, MI respectively, working in the auto industry, and both are engaged to be married. Tony's fiancé is originally from Iowa and he wanted to show her his path through high school that included a stop at Woodward Academy's campus. He called Kevante up, and together they made the trip. Tony admitted to staff that he never thought he would ever return to campus, and was regretting his decision as he approached campus. But once he saw and talked with some staff he knew, he said it "felt like home." During their time on campus, they presented their story to a lot of Knights during Dorm Report meeting and both are extremely proud to be Knights.