The third grade goes Greek!
What is an Ambrose third grader’s favorite day of the school year? Greek Olympics Day! As students learn about Greek culture, they get to re-enact, in third grade style, some of the ancient Greek Olympic events. The events, which include shot put, relay race, wrestling, long jump, and chariot races, are followed by a Greek feast, after the athletes have worked up a good appetite. Enjoy these images from this exciting day.
Seniors return from whirlwind trip through Europe
Every fall, our seniors obtain passports, pack their bags, and get on a plane headed for Rome. Ambrose seniors have spent many years working toward this 12-day journey, a culmination of our school’s educational experience. Their route follows the history cycle taught from second grade on: ancient/medieval/modern. They start in Rome because it is the ancient city. They begin at the catacombs then visit the Rafael rooms at the Vatican. A typical tour at the Vatican does not include seeing Rafael’s “School of Athens.” However, there is keen interest from our students since this work is reproduced on our school’s Providence Room wall. Reuben White, the seniors’ tour director, always comments how much he enjoys the Ambrose students because they actually know what they are seeing and are ready with detailed questions at each site. From Rome, the students travel to Florence and San Gimignano, a medieval village locked in time and surrounded by towers. During this leg, one stop into modern history was made when they visited a U.S. war memorial built for the 4,000 U.S. servicemen buried in a field, a sobering reminder of our part in World War II. Florence brings reminders of the birth of Renaissance. Students get to see Michelangelo’s David, and hike up to the medieval cathedral Duomo there. The trigonometry-architecture (mathematical and architectural study of buildings) students have already made detailed studies of these sites. From there, our seniors were packed like sardines on a memorable night train trip from Florence to Paris through Switzerland, which led to The Louvre, Notre Dame, and the Eiffel Tower. They traveled on into London where you can still see a few vestiges of when Romans occupied the land. The British Museum held many fascinating artifacts such as the Rosetta stone and Egyptian mummies. What is truly inspirational about the trip is that these students not only are getting a hands-on look at the forming of our world, but they have learned through the years all about delayed satisfaction. Most of our students must earn at least part, if not all, of the cost for this trip. Lawnmowing, babysitting, bake sales, and odd job earnings inevitably go toward their Europe trip fund rather than the immediate gratification of new clothes, music, or movies. Various fundraising events abound throughout the year as the current junior class scrambles to raise the last dollars needed for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. As a part of our core curriculum for seniors, the Europe trip ends up teaching our students much more than history.
Chili Fest Fun!
An Ambrose parent reports: His daughter told him that Chili Fest is her second favorite day of the year, right after Thanksgiving. Judging by the smiles and excited running, she might not be the only one who thinks so. The students have SO much fun! The carnival games, which are run by our wonderful upper school students, are a huge hit. Every game wins you a piece of candy, so who wouldn’t want to do football toss, cupcake walk, fishing hole, ring toss, sack race, or any of the other games amid shouts of encouragement from the “carnies.” Cue the dramatic Western movie music and in comes Sheriff Davies Owens, hauling a load of scoundrels (who also happen to be teachers at our school) to our “jail.” These scoundrels enjoy some tea and cookies while their students scurry about, soliciting donations to bail them out. Students and parents can again raise funds and have another arrest warrant issued, throw their teacher back in jail, and the fun begins again! And then there’s the chili. In between the carnival, teacher jail, line dancing, and cornhole tournament, chili and hot dogs are served up to all the hungry Fest-goers. Our kindergarten and first grade students close out the evening with the cutest rendition of “Happy Trails” you’ve ever seen. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard and contributed their time, talent, and dollars to this fundraising event. We are so blessed by our teachers and are excited to bless them back with the money raised from this favorite Ambrose event.
Celebrating Our Volleyball Seniors at Senior Night
Senior night is always a little bittersweet. We’re so thankful to our senior athletes for the countless hours of practices and driving to games, encouraging their teammates and mentoring younger athletes. But we’re going to miss them. The example they set for the students following behind them can be the difference between a successful, positive program, and one that flounders because other kids aren’t attracted to the culture of the team. Seniors Olivia Filicetti and Veronica Fedorchuk were honored at the varsity girls last home game of the season. Their families were also in attendance and presented their daughters with flowers. Mark Schiebout also presented them with Archer plaques to signify their dedication to their team and school. Mr. Schiebout pointed out the pelican in our crest on the gym floor which is a traditional Christian symbol of self-sacrifice and a fitting way to point out the self-sacrifice of our seniors. Thank you Olivia and Veronica!
36 Ambrose Fathers Gather to Pray for Our School
The first Ambrose Fathers Prayer group of the year brought 36 faithful men together to fellowship, encourage each other, and pray for our school. Once a month, fathers gather on a Friday morning at the school. The coffee is brewed, a short devotion and testimony is shared, and the fathers pray for the various needs of our school, students, and other fathers. “This is truly one of the blessings of being at a school like Ambrose,” says Davies Owens, Head of Vision and Advancement, and leader of Fathers Prayer. “We want all Ambrose fathers to join us, even if they can’t make it every time; even if they’re not comfortable praying in a group. Just join with us and pray silently. You’ll be encouraged and our school will become stronger.” The next Fathers Prayer meeting is Friday, October 17th beginning at 7:45 am and dismisses promptly at 8:25 am so fathers can get back on the road to work. If you have any questions, email Davies Owens.
It’s time for the annual Ambrose Chili Fest on September 26th
Our annual Chili Fest is great fun for the whole family! Every year we come together as a school and eat chili, play carnival games, line dance, put our teachers in “jail” and generally have a great time together, all to benefit our Teacher Appreciation Fund. This year we’re adding a Cornhole tournament to the fun, so be sure to join us. Bring friends, neighbors, and extended family with you! This is a big event and we’d love to have your help. There’s lots of ways to volunteer that still give you time to enjoy the evening with your family. Go to the Chili Fest website and click on the ‘Volunteer’ tab to sign up. Click on the Chili Fest logo to learn more!
Ambrose Parents Learn History at “Back to School Night”
This year’s Back to School Night was a special one. To kick off our 20th year as a school, parents old and new learned The Ambrose School history and saw how God’s merciful providence was at work through all of it. Davies Owens, Head of Vision and Advancement, used real stones to represent each significant moment, much as how Joshua did when he built a monument of stones so the people would never forget the powerful hand of the Lord. From the vision begun back in 1994 by three families, to the “Costco Miracle” (a checkout line conversation that led to a new space in Garden City), to financial struggles and miracles, our first graduating class in 2006, and a beautiful new building in 2009. David Goodwin, Headmaster, and driving force behind the school’s growth for the past 10 years, explained how God worked in his life the last few months to lead him to a new position as president of the Association of Classical Christian Schools beginning November 1. We are all excited to see what David will do to grow the ACCS schools nationally to its goal of 1200 from its current count of 300. The good news is that Mr. Goodwin and his family get to stay right here in Boise and he will remain on the board of directors. Mr. Goodwin recounted that one “fleece” he set out in determining his decision to take the ACCS helm was that a suitable replacement be found for the Headmaster position. There was really only one that David felt confident could take on this task, and that was our current Chairman of the Board, Kirk VanderLeest. Mr. VanderLeest addressed the crowd of parents and assured them that our school remains committed to the vision and the mission, that we are financially stable, and that we have an incredible roster of talent teaching in our classrooms. Mr. VanderLeest hopes to continue to foster an environment where we provide support to these teachers. Says VanderLeest, “The classroom is the crux where grace is given, where learning happens, and where lives are touched.” Mr. VanderLeest also exhorted our entire community to be one that is known for grace and joy. Our new Grammar School Dean, Carl Warmouth, who moved his family from Alabama to come to Ambrose, shared with the parents his excitement at being a part of a school that is well-known and well-regarded in classical Christian school circles. Chris Browne, who has been a part of Ambrose for several years, was introduced as the new Dean of the Upper School as Davies Owens transitions into full-time marketing and development for the school. The remainder of the evening was an opportunity for parents to visit their child’s classroom and hear presentations from the teachers on what they will be learning this year, and how the parents can support their classroom efforts. Back to School Night is a critical event for Ambrose parents to learn more about the goals of both the administration and teachers.
The Upper School Retreat: ‘The Hope in Our Brokenness’
Some of the comments made about this year’s upper school retreat: “Best ever.” “My kids loved it.” “The House leaders really stepped it up.” “The skits were amazing!” “My daughter came home feeling like she is an important part of this school.” At the beginning of the school year, all of our 7th – 12th grade students board buses and head north to spend three days together. The retreat is instrumental in setting goals, orienting new upper school students, and building unity among the school’s six houses (click the link below or watch the video to learn more about our House program). House governor and 9th grade teacher, Anna Gibson, had this to say: “This year proved to be another meaningful and enjoyable upper school retreat at Quaker Hill Conference Center in McCall. Amidst creative initiation ceremonies and fierce Capture the Flag games (of whom the most enthusiastic player was current Headmaster David Goodwin!), the students had the opportunity to hear from their new headmaster, Kirk VanderLeest, and new upper school dean, Chris Browne, as they addressed this year’s House theme of ‘The Hope in our Brokenness.’ It was a privilege to watch students respond to the exhortations they were given, and love and serve each other in a way we haven’t really seen before. To see a house president staying an hour after dinner to sweep the dining room floor is to see true servant leadership in action; nothing is more convincing of the nature and purpose of House. The retreat reflected a new chapter for the house program, which seems to have shifted from the initial phase of creation to a phase of deepening, solidified commitment and intentionality.” At its core, House is about students caring for and mentoring each other, and this year the House leaders worked extremely hard to set an example for their members. Serving and sacrificing as Christ did, even in the face of our current “me first” culture, is contagious among the students as they see this displayed by their student leaders. We as a school are thankful for the many hours of work and sacrifice that these leaders put in, and all the ways they bring unity to our school. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOUSE PROGRAM AT AMBROSE
