Wentworth Military Academy and College http://wma.edu Military High School and College en-us Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:55:16 -0700 Hand coded goodness webmaster@wma.edu Academic Excellence and Honor Roll  

Hi Folks,

We just completed grading period number 7 for the school year. Your students will be bringing their grade report home for spring break so make sure and ask for the results.

With very few exceptions we performed beautifully, we always have a few who could have done a better job and it is my responsibility to help them achieve at a higher level.  Although these kids do not enjoy the extra attention they are going to receive we all know this will pay off in the long run.

As a reminder Academic Excellence is 3.5 GPA or higher and Honor Roll is 3.0 to 3.5

Academic Excellence:

Armando Aguilar               Alex Albaugh               Alia Al-Yahya

Romarico Arroyo              Mackenzie Barnett        Brett Clement

Ricky Cornett                   Ryan Crawford             Matthew Dandorf

Evan Davis                       Luis Defreitas               Jade Jackson

Brice King                       Sean Lawless               Tristan Liddy

Kailen Lust                      Euginio Medina            Kido Orona

Daniel Owens                  Genevieve Read            Luke Schroeder

Joseph Schumacher         Chandler Sharp            Marco Siabatto

Rex Teachenor

Honor Roll:

Nizar Al-Mamari              Ahmed Al-Shanfari          Nicole Baker

Ryan Brugioni                 Ben Daugherty               Zachary Gardner

Bobby Gay                     Grant Gee                      Brennan Harms

Dylan Hill                       Michael Houck                Rakeem Levy

Daria McGahan              Chris Meeks                   Jonathon Ratliff

Alex Rodriguez               Hugo Rodriguez              Robert Sherman

Caleb Sorrells                 Amber Tiller

I hope everyone enjoys the time over spring break with your kids. I am anxious for a little free time as well but can assure you I will be bored and ready for the excitement that only kids can bring to a school house.

I will have my cell phone with me all break; if there is anything I can do for you in this time just give me a call.

I know our kids will want to sleep alot but remind them that Coach says "sleep is overrated"

Coach

]]> Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:23:02 -0700 Parents Newsletter - March 5, 2010

Hi Folks,

We are 5 days and a wake up (WEWO speak for time before spring break starts) and the weather is starting to change; spirits are high and everyone  including the teachers are ready for some well deserved R&R.

Today marks the end of the grading period; we are officially half way through the semester and all indications are the kids performed very well again.  We will be sending the kids grade cards home with them so make sure and ask to see their results.

When we return from break the mentality of the kids is really challenging as their minds have turned to a soon to be summer of fun.  How well I remember those days and I must admit I sometimes yearn for a summer of fun and not work; as I tell the kids "welcome to the real world".

We have completed sign ups for the last ACT test that we will be offering on campus this year; the test date is April 9.  Once again we will be offering tutorials for those who need an additional boost.  We find most of the kids want additional help in their math and Coach Grosso does a wonderful job in assisting the kids in their preparation.

As we approach the last two grading periods the faculty will be tightening the screws just a bit as the importance of focus and higher level thinking skills will have even more importance for all of the kids. We typically see some of the best scores this time of year because of the added emphasis on achievement, obviously there are some who need an additional push and we try and stay vigilant in identifying these kids and giving them the proper support and encouragement to stay the course and finish strong.

In the course of my recruiting travels I recently returned form a quick trip to Cancun.  In visiting some of the schools in Cancun I was introduced to a very interesting lady who runs a 1 room school house out of her home (which is not very big) for kids who cannot afford even the bare necessities.  This angel of a woman is named Sonia and I have personally committed to helping find and deliver the most basic of supplies.

To tell you how desperate these kids are there are 2 little girls 8 and 9 years old who only come to school on different days.  When I inquired why I was told they only have one pair of shoes and they must share them.

Should you have a old book bag, extra pair of shoes or anything in your house that would apply to youngsters from the age of 6 to 18 and would like to donate these items to some kids really in need just send it back with your kids and I will assure you we will get this to Sonia in Mexico.

The scholarship committee will be meeting over the spring break to establish the rubric we will use for next fall in awarding academic scholarships.  Should your child be in this category we will contact you on the availability and amount of award your child is eligible to receive.

Once again I might remind you about Camp Lead should you need an alternative for your summer plans.

Looking forward to the break and then the rush to the end of the school year.  The Military Ball is just around the corner and for those who have never attended this gala affair you are in for a great time; our kids look great and the atmosphere is super.

Have a great time with your kids.

Coach

660-232-1109

 

The sun is out and everyday is really like

Christmas morning.

]]> Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:18:46 -0700 The Band Returns The Wentworth Marching band returned safely and in great spirits albeit very weary from their trip to Mardi Gras.
 
The weather while in New Orleans was not great but way better than the snowy land of Missouri.
 
Col. Cottrell reported this morning that the estimated crowd for Saturday's parade was over one million people.
 
We had no injuries (last year our bandmaster broke an elbow falling on beads) but some very sore feet.
 
Congratulations to everyone who helped make this another wonderful experience for our kids.
 
Coach

]]> Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:07:05 -0700 Dragon Sports The Red Dragons lost a real heart breaker at home this past Friday to Calhoun High School by 5 points.  We came into the game in second place in the conference with Calhoun leading the pack.  Our kids played really well we just got beat by a better team this night.
 
We still have a chance to be co-conference champions as Calhoun has yet to play  the number 3 team in the conference Leeton High School, we beat them by 3 earlier in the year.
 
The Red Dragon wrestling team will be sending two kids to the state meet.  Chris Evans will go as the number one seed in his bracket as he was the district champion.  This will be the second time Chris has qualified for state with the Dragons and will be a legitimate threat to medal at state.
 
Chattan Goodson was also a state qualifier and will be representing WMA for the first time and it is also his first time qualifying for state.
 
We will have a special send off for these kids as they chase their dreams of a state medal.
 
We are very proud of all our athletes as they face special challenges above the typical student in public school.
 
Go Dragons !
 
Coach Levy

]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:46:39 -0700 Parent's Newsletter Hi Folks,
 
We just completed a very productive week of academics.  I was very pleased with the effort from the kids as well as the faculty.
 
What I found this week in my duty with the cadets during CQ's was we were just a little short of assigning homework.  One of the real difficult pieces to get our hands around is how much homework to assign; often times it is too much and then not enough.  I found this week that we did not have enough to do during CQ's.
 
During our faculty meeting this past week we discussed bringing more attention to the body of work that is expected in each class.  The results of this discussion were evident in the number of kids not qualifying for Smart Friday as we had a larger than normal of students completing work. Accountability is a key word and a action we expect from all of our students.
 
We had a very productive meeting this week with all of our senior students.  I developed a rubric that all the teachers used to help all of our seniors in their college bound applications process.  Pam Grohs will utilize this data to assure we have not left any opportunity or form not completed.
 
In addition to the homework emphasis I am not sure we are taking full advantage of our nightly tutorials; the faculty will be assigning students rather than choice to these nightly enhancement opportunities.  This nightly program is really a plus and not many schools regardless of size and structure can boast of these additional learning opportunities; we will do a better job of improving skills through these labs.
 
We had a very successful week of athletics as our boys basketball team continues to win in a big way and the wrestlers though  missing some weight classes have performed beautifully.  Ccongratulations to all of our student-athletes.
 
This coming week is the half way point of the grading period so we will have a much better indication on our progress and what actions we need to take to assist those in need.
 
Hope you have a great week; send us some sunshine.  I tell the kids that "everyday is like Christmas" and now I am starting to believe this too with all the snow and fog.
 
Always a Dragon,
 
Coach
 
660-232-1109
 
Call anytime if I can help

]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:58:10 -0700 Parent's Newsletter Hi Folks,
 
We are now in full scale academic mode for the second semester.  All the schedule changes, email accounts and other miscellaneous items are now put to bed and we are moving full steam ahead.
 
All the tutorial labs are functioning according to plan.  We have Math, Language Arts, Foreign Language and a Writing Lab Monday thru Thursday nights.  These labs are meant to help meet the needs of those who need additional instruction or as a compliment to the work the students are attempting to complete for their assignments. With the amount of writing we require we find the writing lab to be very beneficial.  Additionallly not a night goes by that we do not have a number of students in the Math lab.  The Foreign Language lab is also a frequent stop for many of our students.  As a reminder for those who do not have lap top computers we use the dest tops in the library and save data to a flash drive to be printed either in the library or in the main office.

 
We try to be very cognizant of the work reuqired in every class and watch carefully to make sure we are not falling behind.  Typically at the start of a new semester you will hear that this class is not very hard and then all of a sudden the body of work is due and we are in big trouble.  Thus we utilize the system where if an assignment is not completed the student is mandated to come to the high school building and complete their missing work that same night. This system of checks and balances has proven to be very successful for us over the past 4 years.
 
This coming Thursday we will be working with all of our seniors on their future plans and particulary helping with college applications and scholarship opportunities. We have been working with our seniors since the first day of school on this topic but we need to close the window on any of those still needing assistance. Beleive it or not spring and graduation are very close and we do not have much time to spare so we work this piece with our seniors very agressively. If you have some definative ideas on college choices please contact us and we will assure we are working in concert with you.
 
I am very pleased with our new cadets and how quickly they have adapted to a new lifestyle and study system.  I would love to tell all the new parents some intersting stories about your kids and their transition to WMA.
 
The Snow Bowl was a gas! I think I can still play and Brett Favre has nothing on me but I think after some of the "ducks" I threw the kids would disagree.  All those who braved the elements enjoyed pizza with the "old" coach the following night at supper.
 
We have recently upgraded email services and although the new system is much faster and efficient we are having some minor glitches with email to the outside world.  Hopefully we will have all the bugs worked out soon.

-Coach

]]> Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:27:12 -0700 Parent's Newsletter Hi Folks,
 
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed your kids being home.  I am pretty sure there were some damp eyes upon saying goodbye to your precious one but I must admit to you how happy I was to have their smiling faces back on campus.
 
It is amazing how much energy there is in these halls with the kids moving about and exchanging their daily banter.  I think I may shoot some video clips and put it on the net so you can see some really cool interaction.
 
Finals began this morning and I can tell you without reservation that our kids worked hard in their preparation. I have been conducting CQ's this week and the attention to detail and the desire to "ace" their finals is indeed rewarding.
 
I sometimes think I have many of the answers in education  at least after this many years you would think I have learned something about kids.  Well maybe not so much; my intent in sending work home over the holidays was to keep the kids somewhat engaged and not experience so much boredom (at least that is what they say).  Well I was wrong in that regard because there were but a handful of kids who completed all their work and I have had a large number of kids with me each night getting all their work finished.  I could easily have blown off this work and let them slide but I do not believe in excuses.  On the other hand I did learn a valuable lesson; when the kids go home for furlough in the future they will not have even one assignment as this seemed to cause a great deal of anxiety for them as well as you.  I continue to learn something daily about the psyche of kids.
 
We will be dispersing the second semester schedules tomorrow; these schedules have been completed for some time but I have learned it is better to have a realistic idea of their completed grades before any dreams of grandeur appear.  Any last minute changes will be made over the weekend.  We have several youngsters whose grades are imperative for them to proceed to taking college classes so we want to give them every benefit if possible.
 
At the start of the second semester we will be utilizing our grammar lab for the first time.  I think we will find this added tool to be very beneficial to our kids as they progress through the curriculum and in their preparation and completion of the college entry tests.  I have done quite a bit of research and have not found any other school either making this available to their students or who are using the format we have intended.  I am sure this will take some time for the faculty as well as the kids to make this necessary adjustment but the faculty was totally in favor of this direction.
 
Once again we are getting more than our share of snow.  The only way to make this more bearable is to play a SNOW BOWL football game so if the temperature is not unbearable we will venture out tomorrow afternoon for some big time fun.  I am full time quarterback for both teams as I don't move near as fast as in my younger days.  I still think I have a big wing so most of the pass plays will be "go long".  I hope to get some real good pictures and will share these with you soon.
 
Plans are now under way for our annual Super Bowl party; we are going to add a few little twists to this occasion. Thanks to the Parents association and our cheerleaders who will be doing the vast majority of the the preparation.  I will spend the evening watching the game and eating as much as possible and I think I will have plenty of company.
 
Have a good week and bleed DRAGON RED.
 
Coach
 
660-232-1109
 
Call if you need me; time makes no difference.  Sleep is overrated.

]]> Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:47:56 -0700 Christmas is coming! Hi Folks,
 
If you listen to our kids in the morning you will know it is "8 days and a wake up" which is WMA speak for the day we leave for the Christmas furlough. 
 
We have had a little difficulty in readjusting to our academic rigors since the Thanksgiving break and truthfully I have not been that happy with our performance.  We have had some missing assignments and not quite as sharp in the classroom.  I have visited with our students about this readjustment period and the only way I know to get kids back on track is to focus on the little things (basics) of education.  Make sure all materials required are brought to class, teachers increase visibility in the classroom (you cannot teach on your seat), double check in the course of the class period that kids are on task, keep students engaged and do not let up on homework or classroom expectations as we approach the furlough. My address to the kids was very succinct and I do not think thei is any doubt in my reslove to provide you and your kids the very best product possible.
 
Just as a reminder the teachers will be emailing you with work that will be due upon return to campus after the Christmas break.  There is a two fold purpose behind this assignment.  Number one it will keep our students somewhat engaged in the educational process and number two should help eliminate boredom (there is nothing to do).  Remember the window for having all work completed is very short as we only have a few days of review before finals; your assistance in assuring this work is completed in a timely and complete fashion will be of help to everyone.
 
This coming Tuesday and Wednesday nights we will be Christmas Caroling in Lexington.  Over the years we have some families who would be terribly disappointed if the kids did not stop by their house to sing and wish Holiday cheer.  The weather forecast is for very cold temperatures so the hot chocolate and cookies at the end of the night will be appreciated by all and especially me; the cold  air and my bad knee make for some moments of discomfort but "it is a long way from my heart".
 
We have just completed a very in depth analysis of 4 years of ACT test data and have found some very interesting and thought provocking results. We have found that students who have been in our program for two years have made significant gains in Math, Reading, Writing skills and Science.  However the gains in Grammar have been very disappointing.  I am not sure how many schools even teach this critical skill anymore or how much emphasis is placed on grammar in the regular classroom outside of the Language Arts curriculum.  The computer and spell check have not done our kids many favors in this regard.
 
We have studied this problem and have come up with what I beleive is a very simple yet effective means of improving our students Grammar skills in all disciplines. Beginning second semester all papers will be handwritten until the final draft has been reviewed by our Language Arts department for Grammar mistakes.  It will be the students responsibility to come to the writing lab at night and work with the tutor to make the necessary corrections.  This program will require some tweaking as we go but I am very excited for our kids and the faculty has bought into this concept as well as they too see the need to prepare our kids for their futures.
 
I hope you have your Christmas shopping completed and if not we will be sending your Santa helper to you in a few short days. I am not sure they all understand we are in the midst of a recession but I bet they figure this out pretty quick when they try and shop with a small pocket book.
 
Once again I will talk to our kids before they leave for furlough on making good decisions over the break.  I remind them often that if you have to think about a decision it is probably wrong and we need to avoid this situation.  I also tell the kids I can be almost anywhere in 4 hours so if they feel uncomfortable in a location or situation they can call and I will come support them and they know I am not kidding.  I am in the "kid business" and this business is 24-7-360.  If I can help you support your youngster in a tough time please do not hesitate to call.
 
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season.  You have give us a very special gift and we thank you for sharing these wonderful kids.
 
Talk to you after the break or if needed before-just call.  660-232-1109
 
Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Coach

]]> Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:46:49 -0700 Parent's Newsletter Hi Folks,
 
I am a few days late getting this out to you but I was out of town  Friday afternoon seeing some really cool kids that will be coming to school at semester. I have found that almost all of these visits have one recurring theme and that is my child is not achieving and we are not happy with their associations.  I tell these parents the exact same thing I relate to you and that is " we can change the academic mentality much quicker than their social habits".  I have yet to find a better cure than the constant reiteration of making good decisions and that if these were truly your friends they would not expose you to behaviors that are dangerous.
 
This past week was unique in that we experienced the flu for the first time this year and we really took a big hit.  We were as considerate as possible with all the kids and have made arrangements with everyone to get their missing work accomplished before the break.  Additionally we are not holding the kids hostage for a huge body of work that was missed last week with the flu. 
 
Additionally because this past week was the end of the grading period we have had to make some accommodations for the kids in their final grade for the end of the grading period.  We are going to take their scores up to last week with consideration for the work that could be completed.  All the faculty were in agreement with this mentality as this is the only way to be fair to the kids and still hold them accountable for their body of work.
 
We will NOT be sending work home for the Thanksgiving break; break is just what this time of the year is for and that is family and friends and I think if you ask your child they will readily tell you that their plate has been quite full the since their arrival in August.
 
We will discuss finals after the break but quickly we will have the broad base of work completed and finals will be adjusted accordingly because we do not have a large window of time upon the kids return form the Christmas break. Capt. Grohs will be working with all the kids upon their return on second semester scheduling issues so we should not have many issues facing us after the break.
 
I will be visiting this week with each student independently about their time away from school and the relationships that we have developed.  Also in this conversation will be the high level of expectation that that will have upon their return to their homes.  Again our kids are very accustomed to a structured lifestyle and accountability; I am sure some will have a sense of development and individuality that they have gained upon their living away from home and this may take some conversation on the expectations at home but this should be rather seamless if you have this visit with them.  These kids have adapted to getting up in the mornings and making their bed, cleaning the bathroom and having their rooms in order not to mention being in the proper uniform.  A little extra sleep the first few days will be great but as we all know "idle time is the Devil's workshop" so keep them engaged and with a useful purpose.  Our kids know how to check in if they are running late and to explain there whereabouts, I don't think I would change this in any way.  They know the drill.
 
Enjoy your time with your kids and again thanks for sharing this precious gift with us; we are proud of every one of these great kids and I can tell you personally I have seen dramatic changes in their lives in the short time they have been on campus.
 
I will be out of town for a few days over the break but will have phone accessibility; if you need me call. I am in the kid business and you will not be disturbing me an any way.
 
Enjoy your kids and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
 
Coach
 
660-232-1109
 
Sleep is over rated(:
 
 

]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:23:35 -0700 Coach Levy's Prep Talk This Friday marks the end of our third grading period so we are now well over half way through the semester.  We are enjoying some very talented and focused young students who are demonstrating that it is never too late to turn your academic career around.  Wentworth offers a variety of academic rigors but also includes the personal development component and leadership development.  The 130th Corps of cadets has a plentiful supply of determined youngsters who are illustrating that if you eliminate the negatives in your life that anything is truly possible.

This week the Academy as well as the entire United States will recognize our men and women who have served in the Armed Forces.  There will be numerous stories written of tremendous heroism and personal sacrifice and yes the tragedy of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice that we might enjoy the greatest freedom in the world.

Wentworth has many of its family that has served our country with distinction and yes our family has lost men and women in the course of preserving our freedom.

As we pay tribute to these gallant warriors let us not forget that each night as we go to sleep some young soldier is standing guard over the very freedoms that we enjoy daily.  Say thank you to the men and women in uniform as they are the reason we can live in this magnificent country.

God Bless America.

 

]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:14:55 -0700