June 2014 - The Vanguard School

Congratulations
Vanguard Class of 2014
In this Issue:
Graduation and Baccalaureate
1,3
Letter from the Executive Director
2
Roman Banquet
3
Senior Destinations
4
Tennis Field Day
4
Student Spotlight
5
Track
5
Honor Roll
6-7
Principal’s List
8
Lend a Hand and The Spring Benefit Bash
9
8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony
10
Neighborhood Clean Up Day
10
8th Grade Elitch Gardens Trip
11
The Back Page
11
Dates to Remember:
June 4, 5, 6
Mandatory Show Day
June 6, 7, 8
Kidpower
June 12
Board Meeting
June 16
Summer Programs Start
June 16
All offices will close for summer
July 12
Teenpower
July 28
All offices reopen
Aug 6 - 8
High School Retreat
Homework, exams, jobs, hail, lightning, and flooding –
nothing would stop the class of 2014 from enjoying the
ceremonies of the final week of high school. The celebration
of excellence began when the students arrived on campus in
full formal-wear for the baccalaureate ceremony after school
on Friday, May 23. After being corralled for a group picture,
the seniors were led backstage while families and friends
filled the cafetorium. Excited voices filled the room while the
storm clouds filled the skies outside. The ceremony began
at 7:00 sharp with the opening of the curtain, unveiling the
entire senior class in their splendor. The boys wore black
tuxedoes and the girls wore pure white dresses and carried
bouquets of roses. The cheering easily drowned out the
thunder.
After opening remarks by Mr. Mullaney, Sergeant Earon
Gray formally recognized Kory Hagen for joining the Marine
Corps. Mr. Schwab then gave a rousing speech, which was
followed by each high school teacher giving individual
Cont. on pg. 3
1
From the Executive Director
Dear CMCA Friends and Families,
This past month has been one of great effort, excitement, and celebration.
Over the last couple of weeks we have ended the elementary school year
and celebrated with Field Day, we have completed the junior high sequence
and marked that with the Moving Up Ceremony, and we have wrapped up
the high school year and acknowledged our seniors’ accomplishments with
our capstone ceremonies. This time of year is always particularly satisfying
as we enjoy the glow of the celebrations, eagerly look to build on last year’s
success, and anticipate the summer before us.
It is right that we take this time to celebrate, and that we have very particular
and important ways in which we highlight the successful completion of the year and of milestones
among the years. In doing so, it is also very important to note the effort that went into these
achievements. It is not simply enough to note that there was effort, but it is critical to understand the
nature of the effort, the level of the effort, and the intentional coordination of the efforts of many
different people. CMCA and The Vanguard School have been intentionally created as a unified
program with a laser focus on developing our students’ character and academic potential. Our
teachers work very hard both to provide a rigorous academic education, as well as to support along
the way all who value that attainment. This includes not only assigning and grading work designed to
develop and assess skills, it also includes significant attention to calibrate the work load and to ensure
that all assigned work is valuable towards our objectives. Our school leadership works to continually
create and capitalize on our alignment of academic content and character expectations from
classroom to classroom and across the grades. We rely on the efforts of our parents to oversee
homework, have students on time and prepared for school, and to communicate with our teachers for
the benefit of their children. And, of course, no success would be possible without the buy-in,
perseverance, and determination of our students.
An education does not just happen; it is earned. At CMCA and The Vanguard School, we are not
celebrating the end of the school year, we are celebrating the value that we have created in over 1250
lives through the combined and coordinated effort of teachers, administration, parents, students, and
many, many others. This is a value that shows itself in the scholarships won, prizes awarded, and
opportunities achieved, but it carries even greater value in the self-confidence gained, the selfsufficiency learned, and the freedom and happiness that are the natural byproducts of a classical
liberal arts education.
And so we want to enjoy this time, bask in the celebrations, and thoughtfully consider the efforts that
brought us to this point so we can continue to productively sow, and in doing, reap the best rewards.
Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Sincerely,
Colin T. Mullaney
Executive Director
2
Graduation and Baccalaureate
by Jeff Fenton and Soren Schwab
Cont. from pg. 1
accounts of students and their exploits at Vanguard. Some were serious, some were funny, but all of the
speeches were heartfelt tributes to the students. Afterwards, Amanda Jesse led the students in a salute
to the parents, and Caleb Simons presented gifts to Mr. Mullaney and the school on behalf of the senior
class. The hail outside was pelting the school, but nobody cared to notice. The audience was
mesmerized by a furious closing musical piece from Justin Luu on the piano. After a few final remarks
from Mr. Mullaney, everyone went upstairs for refreshments and fellowship.
The next morning was commencement. The time of the ceremony was moved to 10:30 this year to avoid
the heat of the day, but on this day nature had different plans. The storms of the night before had turned
the Vanguard back lawn into a mire, and it looked as if graduation would need to crammed inside the
building. Instead, Mr. Mullaney made the bold call to hold the ceremony outside and completely re-work
the seating and ceremony plans at the last minute. Pat Agee and his facilities staff flew into action and
set up a new arrangement that had never been tried before. It worked perfectly.
Jeff Wilson directed the band in the processional as the students walked out of the high school in caps
and gowns. Student Government President Larry Gill led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Miss
Judge directed the Vanguard Singers as they beautifully sang the National Anthem. Mrs. Jesse, school
board member and mother of graduate Amanda Jesse, then delivered this year’s welcome address by
walking the audience through some of the highlights the seniors have experienced over the course of 13
years of schooling at CMCA and The Vanguard School.
Justin Luu, Valedictorian of the class of 2014, then delivered a passionate and at times humorous speech,
emphasizing the coherence and strong bond of this year’s graduating class. After another presentation by
the choir, Victor Torres delivered the student body address. He talked about each of the seniors in a
funny and loving way, filling the audience with laughter and smiles. Mr. Mullaney was up next. He gave
an outstanding speech about the world “thirsting for virtue” and shared his confidence that the Vanguard
graduates will give the people the virtue and leadership they need.
After the students were presented with their diplomas, the Vanguard Seniors performed Katie Perry’s
“Roar,” which nicely sums up what these seniors will do in the future. They will roar, and the world will
notice them! The seniors then walked off to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy.” Unlike previous years, the
seniors stopped before completely exiting the ceremony and threw their caps high in the air—a perfect
ending to an exciting graduation weekend.
Roman Banquet
by Elizabeth Bowman, Latin Teacher
The Latin III and Advanced Latin classes
held a Roman banquet on May 19 in which
each student prepared and brought in an
ancient Roman dish, made as much as
possible with authentic ingredients. Noah
Taase shared with the 7th period Latin III
class an entire suckling pig, which he made
with some help from his dad, and we
enjoyed it along with many other dishes-sausage pancakes, lentils and artichokes,
grape bread, and pastry dough stuffed with
eggs stuffed with shrimp.
3
Senior Destinations
by Jill Custer, College Counselor
The Vanguard School is proud of the Class of 2014 and the achievements they have accomplished these
past four years. We’re excited for their next chapter of education and the opportunities these students will
find at the colleges they have chosen. Congratulations Class of 2014, we are excited in anticipation what
these outstanding students will accomplish in the years to come.
Destinations for the Class of 2014
Jordyn Arcuri – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Sarah Batchelor – University of Colorado at
Boulder, Caitlin Bower – Otero Junior College, Mackenzie Clark – Colorado Mesa University, Emily Collier
– Starting at Pikes Peak then transferring to University of Northern Colorado, Joshua Culbertson –
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Meghan Dornan – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs,
Matthew Duarte – University of Northern Colorado, Jacob Evangelista – Fort Lewis College, Matthew
Force – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Larry Gill – Carthage College, WI, Keeley Griego –
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Kory Hagen – United States Marine Corps, Amanda Jesse –
University of Dallas, TX, Erika Kazee – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Andy Kotwica –
University of Colorado at Denver, Elizabeth LeBlanc – Brigham Young University, ID, Chantel Ledbetter –
Iowa State University, IA, David Lendzioszek – Montana State at Bozeman, MT, Andriy Lutchenko –
University of Wroclav in Poland, Justin Luu – Colorado School of Mines, Baylee McGuire – University of
Pittsburg, PA, MaryLynn McIlhone – Colorado Institute of Massage Therapy, Angeleena McNulty –
University of Colorado at Boulder, Anna Mohr – Azusa Pacific University, CA, Jessica Murphy – University
of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Johnathan Nies – Red Rocks Community College, Hannah Rawson –
Colorado Christian University, Rachel Sangalang – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Caleb
Simons – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Rachael Smith – University of Colorado at Colorado
Springs, Treshaq Spence – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Perrin Swoveland-Bailey –
University of Colorado at Boulder, Victor Torres – Colorado College, Ashlyn Williams – Xavier University,
OH, Hannah Yu – University of Washington, WA
Tennis Field Day
by Krista Davis, 9th Grade
On the morning of Thursday, May 29, the Vanguard
girls’ tennis team with team manager Sully Schimek
taught 120 kindergarteners about the game of tennis
during their field day. At 7:30 A.M., they set up the
multiple stations with the guidance of girls' tennis coach
Kim Davis. Half an hour later, the tennis players and
their kindergarteners were running through ladders,
balancing on dome cones, throwing balls at Scooby
Doo’s racquet, and hitting volleys. Towards the end of
each rotation, team captain Alyx Callahan ran out onto
the playground dressed as a mean pirate. The
kindergarteners threw tennis balls at her, trying to scare
the pirate away. The kindergarten specials teacher,
Ms. Dana Hunt, said that the tennis rotation was clearly
a favorite, and she definitely wants to have the tennis
team back next year. Thanks to Coach Davis, Alyx Callahan, Danielle Herd, Annie Halterman, Rebecca
Hurlbert, Krista Davis, Juliana Wall, Megan Donovan, and Sully Schimek for making the kindergarten field day
a huge success.
To learn more about the Vanguard girls' tennis team, check out their team video on the Vanguard website.
4
Student Spotlight
Delaney Keeler has been awarded the Girl
Scouts of America’s Gold Award, the highest
award in Girl Scouts. This award has been a
part of the Girl Scout program since 1916. It is
awarded for the scout demonstrating
exceptional commitment in taking action to
make the world a better place through
community service. These accomplishments
reflect the extraordinary leadership and
citizenship that mark these scouts as valuable
contributors to their communities and the
world.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Please submit all
student achievements
to be considered for next
month’s Vanguard Voice to
[email protected]
Track
The Vanguard community is thrilled with the track team’s performance at state. The boys took a state championship in the
4x200m and 2nd place in the state in three other relays, the 4x100m, 4x400m, and 4x800m. In the process they broke two 2A
state records. The boys’ 4x800m time of 8:07.79 was the 11th best time in the state among all classifications, including 4A
and 5A. It was also our first boy’s National Elite ranking—a national standard of excellence. Words cannot do these athletes
justice. There are 74 2A track programs in the State. The boys finished 6th, and the girls finished 12th. That is the highest our
boys have finished in track and makes the third time the girls finished in the top 12.
Here is the summary of all our Coursers at State.
100m
8th
4th
5th
400m
3rd
14th
800m
5th
5th
12th
18th
1600m
7th
14th
3200m
17th
13th
15th
100m hurdles 10th
Girls Relays
4x400m
8th
200m
4x800m
9th
800m SMR
18th
Boys Relays
4x100m
2nd
4x200m
1st
4x400m
2nd
4x800m
2nd
Jonathan Jerry
11:42 (School Record)
Rachel Hough
Caleb Simons
Rachel Hough
Tyler Gard
Jenny Smith
Miles Hatton
Tyler Gard
Jacob Evangelista
Jenny Smith
Miles Hatton
Jenneah Lenzini
Jacob Evangelista
Alex Hawkins
Jordyn Arcuri
26.44
22.99 (School Record)
58.97
53.17
2:24.29 (PR)
2:01.08 (School Record)
2:03.25 (PR)
2:08.50
5:35.26
4:40.49
13:21.59
10:40.84
10:43.46
17.28 (PR)
Jenny Smith, Aubrey Milroy,
Jordyn Arcuri, Rachel Hough
Aubrey Milroy, Jenneah Lenzini,
Jordyn Arcuri, Jenny Smith
Aidan Mullaney, KaAni Sweatman,
Jordyn Arcuri, Aubrey Milroy
4:18.76
10:41.43
2:00.78
Robert Huthoefer, Jonathan Jerry,
Tyler Williams, Brandon Holmes
Robert Huthoefer, Jonathan Jerry,
Tyler Williams, Caleb Simons
Tyler Gard, Jonathan Jerry,
Andrew Lee, Caleb Simons
Tyler Gard, Jacob Evangelista,
Caleb Simons, Miles Hatton
44.55 (School Record)
1:31.09 (School Record)
3:23.34 (Broke State Record)
8:07.79 (Broke State Record)
5
4th Quarter 2013-2014
Honor Roll
4th Grade
Hunter Adams
Jeff Ashby
Isabella Barnard
Sarah Barry
Christina Binns
Kameryn Bond
Joey Borchert
Sophia Bredder
Aiden Clark
Josh Collier
Davis Dallin
Krystian Fiedor
Carder Frazee
McKenzie Garcia
Anna Garibova-Shcherbina
Mary Gomez-Osterbuhr
Kyra Hackenberg
Caleb Hanson
Gracie Harless
Austin Harris
Austin Jacobs
Alison Jones
Max Jordan
Lily Kurtz
Brandon Le
Becca Lewis
Aaron Lopez
Maleah Losey
Abigail Major
Kaitlin May
Logan Mayne
Sahaja Montoya-Delgado
Henri Mueh
Ella O'Harra
Trevor Okker-Berry
Riley Owens
Herb Schreib
Stephen Schulz
Zion Sewell
Dylan Steiglitz
Lorena Valdez
Brady Wilson
Isabella Yeazel
Liam Zirkle
Siena Zumpf
5th Grade
Andie Blair
Rhylee Bramhall
Cedric Brown
Camille Clark
Lillea Cole
Aurora Collazo
Catie Defosses
Angel Farina
Bryson Frazee
Jaden Fuqua
Alexis Garcia
Chase Johnson
Milan Katalin
Savannah Kenyon
Amber Khederian
Zach Lathen
Rebecca Linn
Jalea MaGraff
Ezra McGlothlin
Tyler Nelson
Connor Pinero
Ian Ramirez
Elly Redd
Jack Rigdon
Ashleigh Sanders
Nicholas Sells
Mason Shandy
Elizabeth Sniezek
Reine Spar
Nicholas Stasiuk
Guillermo Taico Urrutia
Alec Toney
Emma Viera
6th Grade
Aaron Argueta
Elena Binns
R.J. Book
Ella Dallin
Tacey Davis
Macy Day
Christopher Gilbert
Aidan Hanson
Kayla Harris
Bria Johnson
Ryan Kelepolo
Spencer Mundt
Erin Omas
Loren Ruckmich
Audrey Safer
William Smith
Patrick Sniezek
Vanessa Svihla
Bryce Tanner
Sydney Tanner
Raif Wolford
The Honor Roll recognizes students who earned
an equal or greater number of A’s than B’s
6
Vanguard School Survey
4th Quarter 2013-2014
Honor Roll
7th Grade
Carolyn Chatham
Alizabeth Clay-Del Rio
Bridger Frazee
Hayden Frear
William Geoffroy
Brandon Herd
Madison Jones
Caleb Knierim
Cameron Lang
James Le
Duncan Lewis
Connor Nelson
Darian Nguyen
Vivian Nguyen
Adam Novak
Madeline Palmer
Emily Sandvik
Grant Shandy
Reanna Snyder
Hannah Sours
Max Stieglitz
Kayla Teel
Lilliana Tomanini
Thomas Walsh
8th Grade
Nicole Alderman-Barba
Matthew An
Jessica Bye
Madeline Campbell
Caleigh Daugherty
Jonathan Drosendahl
Fletcher Erskine
Krysten Gard
K.J. Kearns
Sophia Kelly
Sammy Kilimann
Eric Le
Hannah McReavy
Caitlyn Mlodzik
Caolinn Mullaney
Mylan Pham
Trey Redd
Eunique Sanchez
Kelsey Van Demarr
Meagan White
Tristan White
9th Grade
Krista Davis
Megan Donovan
Matthew Herbert
Brandon Holmes
Grant Hughes
Valentyn Katsman
Lucas LeMaster
Sydney Mobley
Cody Moen
Angie Nguyen
Samantha Oldfather
Halle Schmitt
Sullivan Shimek
Andrew Sintas
Dotson Sykes
Ellen Ware
Ian Wisniewski
10th Grade
Brittany Bargers
William Chaney
Katheryn Clifford
Christena Dinsmore-Nassar
Eoin Doherty
Miles Hatton
Ryan Hughes
Matresa King
Laura Koop
Darby Linn
Aidan Mullaney
Daniaru Qureshi
11th Grade
Joseph Adducci
Nour Ben Hmieida
Zachary Donovan
Mariah Doom
Leslie Duggin
Amanda Eubanks
Zachary Henline
Danielle Herd
Joshua Leasure
Andrew Lee
12th Grade
Jordyn Arcuri
Keeley Griego
Erika Kazee
Chantel Ledbetter
Andriy Lutchenko
Anna Mohr
Jessica Murphy
Hannah Rawson
Rachel Sangalang
Rachael Smith
Perrin Swoveland-Bailey
Victor Torres
Hannah Yu
The Honor Roll recognizes students who earned
an equal or greater number of A’s than B’s
7
4th Quarter 2013-2014
Principal’s List
4th Grade
Ahli Alvarado
Nahli Alvarado
Madalin Autry
Kaitlyn Book
Kate Britton
Mia Chavez
Kent Chien
Alan Davis
Asher Garvens
Sophia Guevara
Sam Hagen
Grace Hanni
Kateri Harrison
Amber Hofmeister
Grace Jenson
Ella Johnson
Jason Kehm
Zoe Kilimann
Aubree Lang
Juan Lozano
Andrea Melgr
Madison Morin
Tailynn Patterson
Mikaela Pearce
Joel Simons
Mia Smith
Jaden Spatafora
Emery Vincent
Lindy Zhang
5th Grade
Tristan Barken
Owen Beute
Nasiya Bruno Munn
Juanito Bustamante
Paige Carlson
Micah Colodny
John Dallin
Brooke Earnest
Raina Fagans
Jazmin Finley
Emma Palmer
Breanne Raley
Isis Rivera
Kyle Schoonover
Cedric Underwood
Carson Wolff
Bennett Ziegler
6th Grade
Shannon Campbell
Dominique Clifford
Quinn Corry
Ally Hall
Payton Hanni
Sydney Heffernan
Alyssa Jimeson
Maya Kohlhepp
Rebi Melgr
Madi Moen
Rylie Morrissey
Nicole Orphan
Joseph Padilla
Chloe Polette
Luke Sperber
7th Grade
Erika Chien
Harrison Huthoefer
Mikaela McLean
Culin Peddada
Molly Quesnell
Allen Shim
Lucy Shimek
Alexandra Wolff
Konrad Ziegler
8th Grade
Jeremy Allgood
Hayden Armos
Aspen Blair
Janet Breckenridge
Lydia Henline
Gina Kwak
Lauren Lee
Veronica Malkin
Shelby Mathis
Kinsey Neuner
9th Grade
Alec Argueta
Joshua Breckenridge
Alexander Cadman
Ryan Chatham
Sabrina Cohen
Joshua Hanni
Jaymison Johnson
Harley Morgan
Jia Ying Peng
Juliana Wall
Mary Walsh
Tristan Ziegler
10th Grade
Jacquelyn Drosendahl
Slade Kelling
Morgan McIntosh
11th Grade
Carrie Bieganek
Alyxandra Callahan
Rachel Hough
Justin White
12th Grade
Matthew Force
Kory Hagen
Elizabeth LeBlanc
Justin Luu
The Principal’s List recognizes students who earned all A’s.
8
Lend a Hand and
The Spring
Benefit
Bash
Vanguard
School
Survey
by Jonathan Dooley, Development and Marketing Coordinator
In late December, CMCA’s annual Lend a Hand fundraiser began in conjunction with Colorado
Gives Day. This event raises much needed funds for our students and teachers to offset cuts in
state funding to the public school system. The Spring Benefit Bash is the culminating event of the
Lend a Hand Campaign. This year it was held on May 2, and it was a huge success. The Lend a
Hand Campaign raised over $65,000 for the school this year through donations, sponsorships and
the Spring Benefit Bash. We would like to thank our sponsors, contributors, and families for
supporting CMCA and our mission of guiding students in the development of their character and
academic potential through academically rigorous, content-rich educational programs.
Premier Event Sponsor
Morgan Legal
Offices, P.C.
Our Family of Supporters
Mary Noelle Aesoph
Barb Ashby
Ramsey Baker
Nichole Barnard
Ward Barr
Megan Beute
The Bieganek family
The Bonicelli family
Joanna Bower
Eric Boyer
The Bustamante family
Lisa Cadman
Teresa Cain
Kelly Campbell
Bryan Campbell
Rene Chatham
The Chavez family
Samantha Chavez
Calvin Chien
The Cohen family
Becky Collier
The Colt family
Ben Coons
Susan Cowan
Jeff Cramer
Jonathan Davis
Tracy de Nieves
The Deeds family
Jonathan Dooley
The Drosendahl family
Christopher Duff
The Duncan family
The Eads family
The Earnest family
Louann Eubanks
Georgia Eivens
Jeff Fenton
Bernadatte Fiedor
Bill Fillion
The Fisk family
The Garner family
The Geoffroy family
Deena Gerber
Mary Gonzalez
Patti Gottwein
The Green family
Jerry Guevara
The Hall family
Karlyn Hampton
The Hanson family
Carolyn Harrand
Jennifer Heffernan
Diane Hines
The Hofmeister family
The Hough family
The Hufnagel family
The Hughes family
The Huthoefer family
The Jesse family
Jayme Johnson
Tina Johnson
Maggie Johnson
The Jordan family
Patricia Jordan
The Kiliman family
The Koppisch family
Yong Lee
Kim and Joseph Lee
The Levesque family
Eric Lewis
Rayann Lund
Laura Marth
The Mathieu family
Kayla Matos
Joanne Mayne
The Mays family
Frederick McDaniel
James McLean
The Miller family
Doris Mitchell
Alan Monroe
7
9
Jane Morgan
The Mueh family
The Mullaney family
Diana Myers
Jocelyn Nelson
The Neuner family
The Nickel family
Celeste Osburnsen
The Parsons family
The Pavasars family
The Paxton family
Sharon Pighetti
The Pruitt family
Clint Randall
The Reddy family
The Rigdon family
Ray Roth
Lara Rowell
The Saxton family
The Schoonover family
The Schreib family
Amy Scriven
JiYoung Shim
The Schuck family
Amy Smith
Liz Smith
The Sniezek family
The Sperber family
The Stephens family
Carolyn Strong
Emerald Studebaker
Kimberly Swartz
Alicia Tangeman
Michele Thompson
Wayne Timura
Carol Tripoli
The Van Demarr family
Melissa Wagle
Nora Ward
Michele Williams
The Williams family
Debbie Wiseman
Jan Wisniewski
Hartmut Wright
The Zirkle family
8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony
by Katy Metzger, 8th Grade Teacher
On Thursday, May 29, the eighth
grade CMCA students were honored
for their achievements and formally
“moved up” to the ninth grade.
Although the ceremony was originally
planned as an outdoor event, when
the rain began to fall, staff worked
quickly to bring the class photo into
the high school and the ceremony
into the gymnasium. Despite the
change of plans on short notice, the
event was a great success.
The ceremony began with Hannah
Harris, the Moving Up Coordinator,
welcoming the parents and then
continued with the pledge. A boys’ a
cappella group, including Dieudonne
Chea, Drake Gray, Ben and Cody
Kelepolo, and Trey Redd, sang the
national anthem, and then Lauren
Lee gave a delightful, humorous invocation.
Once the welcome was issued, the teachers rose one at a time to introduce the students who had
achieved the highest academic grades in their subjects for the full year. Vic Dallin gave the math award to
Aspen Blair, and Cathy Pia followed with the English award, which was given to Gina Kwak. Then, Ann
McAlister awarded the science certificate to Aspen Blair, and Lane Tande followed with a history award for
Gina Kwak. The Latin award, given by Morgan Grey, also went to Gina Kwak, leaving no one surprised
that this year’s valedictorian was Gina Kwak. Her speech inspired her class to appreciate their
accomplishments as they head into the challenges of high school. The salutatorian, a new award this
year, was given to Kinsey Neuner. All academic award winners received gift cards and appropriate
acknowledgment.
The Presidential Awards were then distributed to the students who earned straight A’s in all of their
subjects throughout the year. These students included Hayden Armos, Aspen Blair, Krysten Gard, Lydia
Henline, Gina Kwak, Lauren Lee, Shelby Mathis, Caolinn Mullaney, and Kinsey Neuner. After Clint
Randall, the junior high assistant principal, read a letter from President Obama, Janet Breckenridge
performed a lovely song.
Perhaps the most prestigious award of the evening, the Spirit of CMCA award, was, for the first time, given
to two students rather than one. Teachers could not come to a consensus when comparing the quality of
work ethic and character between these two individuals, so the honor was awarded to both Drake Gray
and Caolinn Mullaney.
At the end of the ceremony, students came forward one at a time to receive their certificates and a rose.
Once the ceremony was finished, students had thirty minutes to socialize with their friends and families
and to take pictures before the eighth grade dance began at 8:30. Students ate cake, danced, sang along,
and enjoyed one last hurrah together as CMCA junior high students.
CMCA staff, students, and parents especially thank Hannah Harris for all of her hard work organizing and
perfecting such a wonderful ceremony. Special thanks also goes out to the maintenance staff for all their
hard work in setting up and for switching locations at the last minute.
10
Neighborhood Clean Up Day
by Pat Agee, Facilities Director
On May 3, a beautiful Saturday morning greeted over 100
volunteers of all ages for the third annual South Corona
Neighborhood Clean Up Day at 8 A.M. Initially meeting in
The Box, participants enjoyed some morning refreshments
provided by CMCA, The Villas and Amy’s Donuts.
Jeff Leasure gave an overview of the cleanup project to the
assembled volunteers, highlighting goals and all safety
considerations. Street and alley assignments were
distributed to five-member teams. Everyone then put on
free t-shirts before heading out.
Emily Collier, Starla Deeds, Justin White,
Matthew Force, Kory Hagen, and Ben Motaei
Armed with garbage bags, garden
tools, and even chainsaws, the
volunteers eagerly attacked their assigned areas. This dynamic volunteer force
collected over 350 bags of trash and several truck loads of branches and tree debris,
focusing on the Arvada Street area.
The hardworking participants were
treated to a hotdog lunch at
Calvary Baptist Church to round out the morning.
Growing every year, this is a true neighborhood event,
including volunteers from Calvary Baptist Church, St
Joseph’s Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, the United
States Air Force Academy, Hershey’s Horses and
Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy and The Vanguard
School.
Danielle Herd, Velmarie Kotwika,
Kira Renfro, and Julie Snively
8th Grade Elitch Gardens Trip
by Katy Metzger, 8th Grade Teacher
Eighth grade students and teachers
On Wednesday, May 28,
eighth grade CMCA students
enjoyed a warm, rewarding trip
to Elitch Gardens in Denver
before their Moving Up
Ceremony. Ninety degree
weather propelled the students
into the water park or onto the
water rides, but clothes dried
quickly. Staff and students
experienced the thrills of the
Mind Eraser and the
Boomerang, competed on
Ghost Blasters, or, as in the
case of Mr. Tande, dared to
defy the horrifying whirls of the
teacups. A great time was had
by all.
11
Lauren Lee, Caolinn Mullaney,
and Krysten Gard
Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy
1605 S. Corona Ave
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
Auditions for The Vanguard
School’s Fall Musical will be
August 25 – 29.
Auditions are open to all students
in grades 9-12. Students should
prepare and memorize a oneminute monologue that
showcases their acting skill and
potential, as well as a one-minute
song to be sung a cappella.
Rehearsals for the musical will begin on September 2. The dates of the
fall musical are November 14, 15, and 16. Please direct any questions to
Ms. Judge at [email protected].