DA Today
Special points of interest: •
S p r i n g
Get to know more about Progressive Teacher, Bev Ball
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Learn more about DA’s Summer Program
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Read more about the recent Student Health Fair
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Catch up on what DA Alumni have been up to
Inside this issue: Get to know...
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DA Summer Program Info
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Symposium a Success!
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Student 9Health Fair
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DAFFY 9
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Alumni Reunions
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Alumni Updates
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w w w . d e n v e r a c a d e m y . o r g
DA Honors Debbie Phelps You know her as the enthusiastic mother who cheered on her son, Michael, during the 2008 Olympics, a middle school principal in Baltimore— and now as the 2009 recipient of Denver Academy’s Reach for the Stars Award! She joins an esteemed group—past honorees are Henry “the Fonz” Winkler and child psychologist, Nancy Gary. Members of the Reach for the Stars committee traveled to Baltimore on March 16 to present Ms.
Phelps with the award. The Reach for the Stars Award recognizes an indi-
The “Reach for the Stars” committee traveled to Baltimore in March to present Debbie Phelps with the 2009 award. vidual or organization that through example, philanthropic endeavor, advocacy or a professional
body of work, raises the community’s awareness of the educational needs of children with learning differences. Ms. Phelps was chosen because of her work as an advocate for people with ADHD. A video of the award presentation will be played at the Denver Academy Gala on Saturday, April 25 at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center Hotel. For more information on the gala, visit www.denveracademy.org/ gala.
Experiential Education Week at DA Students traveled near and far during Experiential Education Week at DA. The trips capture the essence of the DA program: a differentiated, innovative, individualized and engaging way to learn. Students ventured to Costa Rica, Disney World, Arches National Park and Chaco Canyon, Pine Ridge in South Dakota and New
Orleans where they studied culture, explored new landscapes and participated in service learning. Some students stayed closer to home and followed the footsteps of Beat Generation writers, chased ghosts as part of Haunted Denver, studied Shakespeare, practiced Zen meditation, created murals, improved their photography
skills and learned how to drive. Other local trips included visits to museums, a foray into urban orienteering, working with animals, trying out new sports, improving avalanche awareness and some were even willing to “try anything.” Click here to view pictures from Experiential Education Week.
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Get to know… In each edition, we will ask the same five questions to a DA staff or faculty member. Let’s get to know...Progressive Teacher, Bev Ball: How long have you worked at DA? This is my eighth year in the Progressive Division. I came here from the Adult Programs department at the Denver Museum of Nature and Sci‐ ence where I designed courses and workshops for our members.
Bev Ball, Progressive Teacher and Metal Arts Instructor
What is your most memorable DA experience? That would be the day we cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of the Saipe Family Metal Arts Shop. The shop is a place of creativity, confi‐ dence, industry and team‐ work. We’d hoped for seven years to bring it onto campus, and the Saipe’s gift made that possible. When I was a kid, a psychiatrist told me my
pyromaniacal tendencies could be put to good use – as the welding teacher, I see now that this is true.
What led you to pursue a career in education? Two reasons: 1) teaching is a place where my odd assortment of skills has real purpose, and 2) there is simply no luckier life than spending day after day with kids. Who is your charismatic adult*? Corny but true: my father. The world was a place of constant wonder and abundant beauty to him. He was my guide and teacher and co‐conspirator in all things inventive and mis‐ chievous. He believed in me through my gawky and uncer‐
tain puberty, my hideous teen years, and all the rest of the discomfort of growing up.
What life experience has influenced you the most? Being witness to my mother planning dinner parties in our ugly kitchen in suburban Chi‐ cago profoundly shaped who I am. She was (and still is) a quiet, elegant, modest woman (I share none of these qualities) who set the scene for vibrant people to gather and eat and be at their social best. Without self‐ congratulation or conceit, she created something from noth‐ ing, made pure theatre from the plain ingredients of life – vegetables, lighting, people. That guides me in all I do.
*Charismatic Adult: From “Raising Resilient Children,” individuals from “whom children and adolescents gather strength.” These adults, most often parents and teachers, play a critical role in modeling resiliency and furthering the emotional development of children.
Summer Fun at DA: June 8—July 10
Welding is among the classes offered during DA’s Summer Program.
DA Today
Registration is now open for DA’s Summer Program! Whether you are looking for academic courses or want a summer camp environment, DA’s Summer Program has great options for students of all ages! The Summer Program is open to current DA students as well as non‐DA students.
Academic Courses A diverse choice of academic courses are offered during the summer, including Spanish, reading, writing, math and his‐ tory. Students can enroll in up to four classes and receive a half credit per class. Camps and Experiential Education This summer we are offering
welding, photography and rock‐ etry classes as well as an ele‐ mentary summer day camp . Students can also participate in experiential education trips around Colorado, to Williams‐ burg, VA and to Peru! For more information or to download the course guide and registration materials, visit www.denveracademy.org/ summer.
Spring 2009
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2009 Symposium a Success! Over 200 people—DA families and staff, local educators and community leaders—attended Denver Academy’s Symposium on Learning Differences and Unique Learning Profiles on March 6. Dr. Robert Brooks of Harvard Medical School wowed the crowd with his keynote and clos‐ ing sessions, and we had a roster of impressive breakout sessions
led by local presenters and Den‐ ver Academy staff. For those of you who were not able to attend, you may hear some of the main points of Dr. Brooks’ presentations in an inter‐ view he did on 850 KOA’s "Colorado’s Morning News" pro‐ gram. Click here to listen. Finally, at the end of Dr. Brooks’ presentation, he recom‐ mended that attendees read
three articles on how to effectively deal with difficult and seemingly stressful situa‐ tions. Click here to Dr. Robert Brooks spoke access the articles. about resiliency in his key Dr. Brooks also note and closing sessions. held a book sign‐ ing at the event, and a few signed copies of his books are available for purchase in the front office.
9Health Fair for Students Comes to DA More than 400 students at‐ tended a student health fair on campus on Thursday, April 7. The fair was part of the 9News In the Classroom pro‐ gram, a peer‐to‐peer health education initiative. Fourteen student senators worked with 9News to organ‐ ize the fair, which was chaired by students Mark Norin and
Hannah Crawford. Former DA student Andrew Lieberman, who is now a Reg‐ istered Nurse at Rose Medical Center, served as the on‐site health professional. He was on hand to answer any health questions the students had. The fair featured many interactive stations, where students had the opportunity
to learn more about nutri‐ tion, physical activity, the harms of smoking and drug use, the importance of Sportscaster Susie Wargin good mental stopped by the 9News health, and much Student Health Fair. more.
Student Films to be Showcased at DAFFY Could there be a fu‐ ture Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese roaming the halls at DA? In its ninth year, the Denver Academy Film Festival for Youth (DAFFY) offers student filmmakers from DA and schools across Colorado the chance to com‐ pete to win awards in a vari‐
ety of categories including Best Documentary, Best Public Service Announcement, Best Animated Film and Best Music Video. In addition to the category awards, entrants will have the chance to win a $500 scholar‐ ship to the Colorado Film School. The films are judged by a panel of local cinematic gurus including instructors from the
Colorado Film School and Uni‐ versity of Colorado, Denver. Come out and support these aspiring filmmakers at the awards program on Thurs‐ day, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. in the King Center at CU Denver. Some of the top student films will also be shown at the event. For more information, visit: www.denveracademy.org/ daffy.
Alumni Reunions Coming in 2010 Connect with old friends and network with other DA Alums at the upcoming Alumni Reunions in June 2010! The reunions will be open to all students who attended DA, even if you did not graduate from here. Here are a few ways that you can help us make these reunions a success! 1) Volunteer to be an organizer: Organizers will be
responsible for working with the Alumni Association to plan the events for their class, help contact classmates and be enthusiastic and creative! 2) Provide us with your current contact information: We want to make sure these events are well attended! Please let us know how to reach you to share information about the reunions and other DA Alumni events.
You can reach us in a number of ways: - Contact Karen Lozow, Alumni Coordinator: klozow@denveracademy.org or 303-777-5870 x 218. - Send us a message on the DA Alumni Facebook page. We are looking forward to seeing you next summer!
Alumni Updates The 2000s 2007 Alicia Ferber is planning to attend Harvard University in the fall where she will be enrolled in the pre-med program. Remmington Messinger is studying at the Lorenzo de’ Medici School in Florence, Italy.
2003 David Fier is the Assistant Varsity Basketball coach at Netherland high school, which competes against DA. 2002 Noah Eaton resides in Oregon. He graduated from Portland State University in 2008. Since graduation he has been building his resume by devoting his time to the community, including producing the evening news and a public affairs program on the local community radio channel and tutoring Somalian refugee children. 2005 Kathryn "Mo" Miller Chavez, is married to Michael Chavez from Peru. They live in Aurora and have a
one year old son, Joaquin Sebastian Chavez.
Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and is also on the bomb squad.
The 1990s
1985 Rob Pattison currently lives in Beijing, China and is teaching English as a Second Language. He is engaged to be married in April.
1990 David Messenger lives in Arizona, where he works in the machine trade. He is a dad to an 11 yearold daughter. Jerry Back was a boarding student at DA in the “old days.” After graduation he returned to Iowa and joined the workforce. 1999 Alexandria Nyland has been married to her college sweetheart since 2005 and they live in Colorado where her hobby is showing her horses across the country.
The 1980s 1988 Greg Lang is a regional trainer for Panera Bread. He has lived in Colorado Springs for 17 years. 1986 Jenny Zborowski is married and has two high school age children, Brandon and Paige. Her husband Brad is a detective for the
The 1970s 1978 Jay Vandertoll lives in Kentucky, where he was originally from. He attended Murray State College, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. He is a supervisor at the largest scrap metal recycling plant in Kentucky. We would love to hear what you have been up to since graduating from DA! Send your updates to klozow@denveracademy.org. Ways to connect fellow Alums: 1: Read alumni updates and find events on the Alumni section of the DA Web site. 2: Connect with former alums on DA’s Alumni Facebook page!