..

1

In this Issue: Welcome Back Students 1

Letter from the Executive Director 2

Summer School 3

High School Student Government 4

Student Spotlight 5

Junior High Student Council 5

Fall Sports at a Glance 6

College on the Horizon 7

School Clubs 7

Rocketry 8-9

Educator of Distinction 10

The Wizard of Oz 11

Dates to Remember:

Sept. 16 PTO Meeting

Sept. 17 Constitution Day

Sept. 18 K-12 Picture Day

Sept. 19 Vanguard Academic Tea

Sept. 20 PTO Community Fun Fest

Oct. 1 Colorado Count Day

Oct. 3 PTO Movie Night

Ranked 16th in the Nation! We are the 16th top ranked high school in the nation by Newsweek magazine. Newsweek’s 2014 Rankings highlights schools that do the absolute best job of preparing students for college. We received a score of 98.95 for college readiness. In our twentieth year, let us continue the tradition of excellence.

For more details on these events, and to see additional events, visit www.cmca12.com/

calendar.

.. 2

From the Executive Director The Vanguard School Elects a Student Government

3

Dear CMCA Friends and Families, This fall marks the twentieth year of our school’s operation. Obviously, this is a significant milestone for us. We are particularly proud of this milestone, not just because we have continued to exist, but because we have sustained a level of excellence over twenty years that is unparalleled. Twenty years into our existence, our student body is nearly six times as large as it was our first year, and yet the level of student achievement and growth has remained at the highest levels. Our mission statement has been borrowed by many schools that our newer than we—as well it should be—and it has remained the focus of our operation from the very beginning to this very day. The emphasis on the development of personal character and

the attainment of academic potential as delineated in our mission statement has been the driving factor in our success. We are intentional about teaching our students virtue as well as challenging them in a way that creates academic growth. The deliberate prioritizing of these two pillars of our mission statement has created enduring success for our students. Even more exciting than our twenty-year record are the opportunities to continue to improve upon our successes moving into the future. We believe, like Aristotle, that excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution. Our results are no accident. Our purpose is life-changing, our effort is heartfelt, and our approach is continuously reflected upon and improved. Each year and throughout the year we refine our approach to the curriculum, we adjust our policies, and we evolve our use of technology in ways that better capitalize on the fundamentals of our program and improve our efforts to habituate our students to a love of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. This year, we have created double dose programs in the elementary to help all students achieve grade level proficiency. We have added an in-school tutorial in math in our junior high in addition to our English tutorial, and we have added a humanities tutorial in our ninth grade to support student work in English and history. At the same time, we have added exciting electives in rocketry, Greek, and ancient warfare and are offering a college level linear algebra class that is taking students well beyond their Advanced Placement math classes. We’ve upgraded our technology so we can communicate with parents better and make our everyday processes, like the carline, much faster. We plan to overhaul our website this year to make our general information, calendar, and the myriad details of the school community more easily accessible. All of these things improve our ability to support you in the education of your child. We are very honored to be partnering with parents for the twentieth year to undertake what G. K.

Chesterton calls “passing the soul of society from one generation to the next.” We look forward to

continuing to serve our mission through the initiation of our students into adulthood and the

development of our children into men and women of virtue through our classical program. In doing so,

we will continue to build lifelong excellence that not only helps students get into the college of their

choice, but lays the foundation for lifelong purpose and happiness.

Sincerely,

Colin T. Mullaney

Executive Director

..

..

The Vanguard School Elects a Student Government

3

Speeches were given. Campaigns were held. Ballots were cast and counted. After an exciting and nerve-

wracking two weeks, The Vanguard School student body elected its student government for the 2014-

2015 school year. Winners were announced at the Friday assembly to the hearty applause of their class-

mates. Now the hard part begins.

Last year, The Vanguard School Student Government was heavily revised into a smaller and more effi-

cient organization. This group of select students took on several monumental tasks throughout the year,

including organizing all student activities such as homecoming and prom, creating community service

opportunities, drafting a new student government constitution, composing a school honor code, coordi-

nating intra-building events such as the Kindergarten Bunny Hop, and representing the students’ desires

with the administration. The government did an exemplary job last year, but Vanguard students never

rest on their laurels. This year, the government is set to take on new tasks and meet the needs of the

school’s largest-ever student body.

Congratulations should go out to all of the candidates who ran for office in the first two weeks of school.

Each composed a speech and stood up in front of his peers, offering himself and his service to the com-

munity. It takes guts, stage presence, and ideas to present yourself in that way because Vanguard stu-

dents vote based on credentials, not popularity. Each student who brought himself forward in this way

should be commended for his courage and performance. With the process complete, the students have

elected a government of outstanding individuals who will no-doubt make this a fantastic year at Vanguard

while gaining invaluable leadership experience.

The Vanguard School Student Government for 2014-2015:

President: Graham Myers

VP/Secretary: Ryan Hughes

Treasurer: Zach Donovan

Senior Senators: Joshua Leasure, Andrew Lee, Christian Sucher

Junior Senators: Slade Kelling, Shaye Kilimann, Josiah Simons

Sophomore Senators: Aaryn Callahan, Skyler DiGirolamo, Matthew Herbert

Freshman Senators: Benjamin Harrison, Lauren Lee, Caolinn Mullaney

by Jeff Fenton

.. 4

Summer School

5

The Wizard of Oz Cast List

The summer program for 2014 at Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy and The Vanguard School fea-tured academic courses, athletic sports camps, and art and theater classes. The elementary school offered fifty-five minute classes in math and reading over a three-week period. Math teachers reinforced basic math facts and vocabulary, enriched students’ conceptual understanding of math, and developed problem-solving skills. Reading teachers advanced students’ reading fluency and accuracy. Reading comprehension was gauged by in-class reading, discussions, and teacher-directed questions. In addition to classes in math and reading, the elementary school offered a new class to incoming stu-dents. Prep for Success: CMCA 101 covered foundational skills students need to flourish in the class-room, including cursive, Shirley grammar, and organizational skills. Interest in the class was so great that an additional class had to be offered. Elizabeth Schalchlin, the Director of Summer Programs, commented on the success of the new class, “We are excited to see the positive response to Prep for Success: CMCA 101 because it shows how invested CMCA parents are in helping their children start the academic year with a solid foundation of skills.” Elementary students also had the opportunity to attend a Lago © camp hosted by Play-Well TecKnowl-edgies. Students developed engineering skills while having fun creating masterpieces with moving parts and motors. In the junior high summer program classes included math, English, and East Asian history. Mrs. Crystal McDaniels supported incoming 7th graders by strengthening their math comprehension. She was especially impressed by the effort put forth by Heaven Humbert. “Heaven jumped into summer school blazing. She never stopped asking questions and finished the course an amazing success.” Mrs. McDaniels also said that she saw marked student growth. “Students came in to summer school shaky and nervous, but by the end, they were ready to take seventh grade by force.” Mr. Lucas Augustin taught an interactive history course on East Asian history. The course addressed topics such as life in shogun-era Japan, the assem-bly of California rolls, and the deadliness of a Japanese katana (demonstrated on a watermelon). The junior high also offered a preparatory class. In Prep for Success: Junior High 101, Mr. Lane Tande introduced students to the campus buildings, explained the importance of making healthy choices, and taught students note-taking skills. Students learned the Cornell Note-taking System, an invaluable skill that will prove useful from junior high through college. An incoming 7th grader said he felt confident and prepared for junior high because of the preparatory class. Sports camps and artistic classes were also conducted over the summer. Boys and girls basketball and volleyball were held in the Vanguard gym. The sports camps allowed dedicated athletes to hone their skills while also letting interested students try a new sport. Mrs. King and Miss Judge led a musical theater camp which concluded with fantastic performance of skits and musical numbers. Mr. Custer taught a drawing class where students learned how to draw by looking at the negative of a picture. The summer program was an exciting and enriching experience. Elizabeth Schalchin sums up the pro-gram, “The expansion of support and enrichment opportunities at CMCA and The Vanguard School dem-onstrates our commitment to our families. These excellent opportunities are not relegated only to the aca-demic year, but are offered in the summer months as well. I look forward to seeing what next summer has to offer our families!”

by Elizabeth Schalchlin

..

.. 5

The Wizard of Oz Cast List

Junior High Student Council

Following a tough race, the Junior High has elected its student council for the year! The group is excited and brimming with ideas as the year gets started. Be on the lookout for dances, spirit week, a dodge ball tournament, and various activities coming soon! President Seth Adams Vice President Quinn Corry Treasurer Christopher LaLone Secretary Hans Mueh The 8th grade homeroom representatives are Brandon Herd, Madison Jones, Adam Novak, and Korey Winter. The 7th grade homeroom representatives are Ally Hall, Sydney Heffernan, Victoria Hughes, and Sydney Tanner

The cast for the Wizard of Oz has been finalized. Aunt Em/ Glinda: Alyx Callahan Zeke/ Cowardly Lion: Ryan Hughes Uncle Henry/ Emerald City Guard: Aaryn Callahan Hunk/ Scarecrow: Drake Gray Hickory/ Tin Woodsman: Dominic Jackson Dorothy: Annie Halterman Almira Gluch/ Wicked Witch of the West: Kailey Nickel Professor Chester Marvel/ Wizard of Oz: Cody Kelepolo Ensemble: Danielle Herd, Elle Sandvik, Lilia Stingerie, Dieudonne Chea, Ben Kelepolo, Cody Kelepolo, Katelyn Mulquiny, Emma Card, Mary Walsh, Krysten Gard, Lauren Lee, Caolinn Mullaney, Ellie Ware, Meagan White, Megan Donovan, Chambliss Schneider, Isabella Lane

.. 6 7

Fall Sports at a Glance Vanguard School Survey

7

by Dina Fuqua

Vanguard athletics are starting their 9th year. We have made so much progress in the last eight years. This fall alone we now have 150 athletes competing in four high school sports and three junior high sports. Our coaching staff is first rate and has never been better. All teams are competing at very high levels. This is our first year competing at the 3A level in the Tri-Peaks League (TPL). The high school boys soccer team is coached by veteran Josh Starnes and new assistant coach, Jack Woodbury. The boys team made it to the playoffs for the first time in school history last year and this year the team will be even stronger. Their first game was September 9, and they will play a full fifteen game schedule from September to the end of October. Look for them to make the playoffs again this year! The junior high boys soccer program is coached by new Vanguard coach, Stephen Wilklow, and re-turning assistant coach, Brent Fuqua. The team has started strong again this year. They are having a fantastic season and are currently undefeated at 3-0. They still have twelve games left in the sea-son and are trying to beat last year’s record and go undefeated for the season. The junior high boys team is now part of a newly formed soccer organization called Rocky Mountain Soccer League, so they will have playoffs and league champions for the first time since the inception of junior high soc-cer at The Vanguard School. This is a very strong team and they will have great successes this fall. Steve Read and Kelly Chermack, as always, have their athletes running all over town to train for their tough meets. The team continues to compete in 3A in many meets and continues to dominate in their sport. They have upcoming meets in Florence and Pueblo Central. Greg Custer is returning as the coach of the junior high boys and girls cross country. The team has grown since last year and has eighteen members running. Coach Custer is grooming those runners to be stars in Mr. Read’s high school program. They have just started their season and will run in nine meets this year. The girls high school volleyball team is currently 1-1, beating Peyton and losing a battle with CSS. They have just started their season with veteran coach Andrew Soeldner and new assistant coach, Allyson Lloyd. They still have twenty-one games to play in the season. Veterans on the team in-clude Julie Snively, Kira Renfro, Alyx Callahan, Kaylee Frear, Brady Gray and Morgan McIntosh. Playing in 3A will be a great challenge for this team, but I predict they will surprise a lot of those new teams. Coach Rene Chatham and Keisha Davis have taken over the junior high girls volleyball team. They are both in their first year of coaching. The teams have started the season with several wins. The B team is undefeated at 2-0, and the A team is currently 1-1. They are improving daily and still have fifteen more matches to play and plenty to win. The boys tennis team, led by Head Coach Dina Fuqua, is made up of seasoned veterans and new rookies. The singles players are all upperclassmen with a vast amount of experience. The new play-ers are learning the game quickly and improving daily. Seniors Joseph Adducci and Robert Huthoe-fer remain undefeated at 4-0 this season and are ranked first and second singles players, respec-tively. Both are poised to qualify for state this season. Vanguard sports continue to grow each year. Eight years ago we started with 25 high school stu-

dents and only a couple sports. This year we have more than 260 high school students amd 210 jun-

ior high students who participate in over 11 sports. The transition to 3A this year will be a wonderful

challenge. Come along for the ride!

..

7

Vanguard School Survey

.. 7

Educator of Distinction

Student Clubs

The Vanguard School offers a great variety of clubs and activities for student enrichment. Chess Club – Sarah Bearden (Wednesday) Forensics Club – Kevin Dick (Tuesday and Thursday weekly) History Club – Lucus Augustin and Gary Bazer (Wednesday weekly) Matchwits – Starla Deeds (Monday and Tuesday weekly) Musical – Melissa Judge, Jeff Wilson, Morgan Grey, Starla Deeds, and Gwen Buchhop (Every day through mid-November) National Junior Classical League – Morgan Grey (Monday monthly) Rocketry – Jeff Lane, Monte Meals, Ivan Middleton (Weekly Friday) Recycling – Monte Meals Cultural Exchange Club – Christina Lochow, Rachel Sellers (Thursday bi-weekly) FCA – Brent Fuqua (Monday semi-monthly) Outdoor Skills Club - Nathan Hoepner (Monday monthly) Current Events – Danusia Prior and Lucus Augustin (Mondays) V-Fit – Jake Dicus (Wednesday weekly) Drum Line – Jeff Wilson (Thursday after school) Math Club – Ivan Middleton (Weekly, day TBD) Refuge – Ryan Hughes and Carly Stevens (Tuesdays weekly) National Honor Society – Sören Schwab (Tuesday or Thursday bi-weekly, Wednesday tutoring) Student Government – Elizabeth Bowman, Jeff Fenton, and Class Advisors (Monday weekly)

Lucas Augustin Named Cleas Nobel Educator of Distinction Lucas Augustin was recently selected as a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by The National So-ciety of High School Scholars (NSHSS). Lucas Augustin was nominated by Velmarie Kotwica for outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence in the classroom. Student members of NSHSS have the opportunity to nominate an educator who has made the most significant contribution to their academic career. The Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction award recognizes role models who have made a lasting difference in their classroom by encouraging stu-dents to strive for excellence.

“Dedicated educators who exhibit a commitment to excel-lence deserve our highest praise and appreciation,” said NSHSS President james W. Lewis. “We’re excited to provide an ongoing means to do so, and we encourage our student members to nominate teachers and counsel-ors who have contributed to their academic success.” Formed in 2002 by James W. Lewis and Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes, The National Society of High School Scholars recognizes academic excellence at the high school level and encourages members of the organization to apply their unique talents, vision, and potential for the better-ment of themselves and the world.

Mr. Augustin demonstrates to students how to cut a watermelon with a samurai sword.

.. 8 7

Vanguard School Survey

9

More than 700 student teams representing 48 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands are preparing for the 2015 Team America Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest student rocket contest and a key piece of the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The competition challenges each team to design and build a model rocket that can travel to a height of 800 feet and back within 46 to 48 seconds. Each rocket must also deploy two parachutes carrying precious cargo — a raw egg that must return safely to the ground undamaged, and a separate section for the motor and fins. Scores are determined by how close they come to the required height and time; damaged eggs disqualify the flight. TARC poses a different challenge each year, and 2015’s requirements combined with the tight timing window and other structural criteria make this contest the most difficult in the competition’s 13-year history. Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, the National Association of Rocketry and more than 20 industry partners, the contest aims to bolster U.S. student engagement with STEM. In a 2010 survey among TARC alumni, approximately 80 percent of respondents said they planned to pursue a STEM-focused college major. “We are proud and grateful for the influx of talent TARC has injected into the aerospace and defense industry’s workforce development pipeline since the program’s inception,” said AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey. “During a time when America struggles to match our international counterparts in producing sufficient graduates in STEM education fields, TARC has helped thousands of skillful and knowledgeable young people get started on challenging career paths.” Last year’s diverse cohort included several teams that are utilizing 3-D printers to develop rocket components. A team from Hawaii and a team from Alaska spent the winter launching test flights in sub-zero temperatures. The program has also experienced a two percent growth in female participation and a number of all-girls teams compete for the chance to go to national finals. Teams have until March 30 to launch and submit their qualifying flight scores. Those within the top 100 will advance to the National Finals on May 9 at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA. Participants compete for scholarships and prizes totaling $60,000 as well as bragging rights for winning the world’s largest student rocketry competition. The winning team will travel to the Paris Air Show in July courtesy of the Raytheon Company to compete in the International Rocketry Challenge. The American team will face off against teams from around the world in hopes of winning the international championship won by France last year. For more information about TARC 2015, please visit www.rocketcontest.org. The following aspects of rocketry will be covered: history of rocketry, safety rules from National Association of Rocketry, TARC competition and rules, physics of rocketry, aerodynamics, motors (black powder, composite, liquid, plasma, microwave, hybrid) staging, computer controlled ignition, air start, and clustering, launch systems, guidance systems, recovery systems (parachute, glider, streamer, flutter, featherweight, backslide, helicopter), simple rockets (air, water, match), simulation software, tools, materials, craftsmanship, onboard video, photography, mapping and surveillance, onboard electronics, trigonometry, the future of rocketry, and careers in aerospace engineering.

by Jeff Lane, Photography, Yearbook, Art, and Rocketry teacher

World’s Largest Rocket Contest Launches the Next Generation of

Aerospace Leaders

.. 7

Vanguard School Survey

.. 9

The Vanguard School Teams The Vanguard School teams were started in 2006. We placed 5th in 2008, our best performance so far. Our 2009 NASA rocket is in the Vanguard library, and there may be an opportunity again to build a science payload rocket with NASA grants. We have gone to finals six of eight years. Our goal is an outright win in 2015. Teams have between 3 and 10 members. We will have two or three teams. A launch meeting was August 29 where we discussed major issues like team rosters, meet-ings, and the launch schedule. Our proposal is to build great multi-year TARC teams. The benefits include experience in aerody-namics, engineering software, computer programming, craftsmanship, physics, fund raising, and teamwork. We have an onboard flight computer system that is by far the most sophisticated control device in the entire country, and this is its fourth year in development. It monitors the thrust of the main motor, followed by the altitude being achieved, and finally takes action to fire additional auxil-iary motors if needed to achieve the precise altitude. This year, we plan to add the capability to con-trol the rate of descent. Last year at finals, we won the Mission Design award. Teams get support from local experts, including scientists who are currently working in the aero-space industry, and from retired rocket scientists. At finals they speak to recruiters from top compa-nies like Boeing, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Pratt & Whitney. The Vanguard School rocketry program has resulted in several stu-dents moving into aerospace engineering fields. A New Rocketry Class The Vanguard School is excited about using rocketry to teach hands-on STEM in a practical and exciting way, so for the first time this year, in addition to the after-school TARC teams, we have an actual single-semester science elective class in rocketry for 7th and 8th grade students. The idea is to introduce each student to rocketry through the use of history, STEM, building techniques, and professionals who work in the field. Our goal is to create a learning environment that will heighten the student’s enthusiasm for the world of science. Each student will be equipped from the start with proven tools and techniques to create real rockets and engage in hands-on science, thus engen-dering a sense of pride and confidence. We work with a variety of simple and practical experiments to provide each student with broad ex-perience in science. An acute understanding of the scientific process with critical thinking content will transfer into a better appreciation for all of the related fields. We have a contest on construction quality. The winner(s) will have their work displaced in the junior high building. Winning rockete will be entered in the National Association of Rocketry National Meet which is set for August 2015 with the possibility of a national award in craftsmanship.

Cheyenne Mountain Charter Academy 1605 S. Corona Ave Colorado Springs, CO 80905

..

The cast of The Wizard of Oz has been finalized! Please join us in November for a fantastic show. The dates of the fall musical are November 14, 15, and 16. Please direct any questions to Ms. Judge at melissa.judge@cmca12.com.