The 2015 Archer boys basketball season: “The power of community”
There was something different about this year. Yes, we moved up a division. Yes, we still had a winning season and a conference championship. But that wasn’t it. There was a cool intensity on the court. A focused game along with the kind of joyful sportsmanship that is unusual among high school students. It wasn’t until this report on the season from head coach, Ken Hosier, that I understood… “At the beginning of the season I told the guys that one of the overarching themes for our team would be deference. Every year I stress that we represent “the 5” well (God, Family, School/Community, Team, Self), but this year I wanted them to take that to another level. Since deference basically means to have humble respect, I wanted to make sure that, while remaining competitive, we showed humble respect while representing “the 5” on the court. Judging by the many compliments I heard from refs, opposing coaches and fans, and even opposing players, I would say, ‘mission accomplished.’ Despite some of our more definitive victories, teams still enjoyed playing against our guys. There are many basketball moments that stand out in my mind. This year we moved up to a new division (1-A D1). We finally beat Liberty Charter–not once, but 3 times. We had one of our best shooting years on record. A conference championship. A district championship. A return trip to state and a Consolation trophy (we all wanted the blue one, but the guys did finish well). We beat a 3A school (Payette) and a 4A school (Bishop Kelly) for the 1st time. Other things stand out too. Players had to overcome adversity–a broken nose, a severe calf contusion, a broken finger, a broken thumb, bad hips, bad knees, and illnesses. The community will stand out most in my mind. The Archer faithful filled our gym, Columbia’s gym, and Vallivue’s gym and cheered so loud my ears were ringing afterwards. There was the assistance of dads serving as the ‘advance scouting department.’ Many dedicated students were cheering at games and made sacrifices to be there. And let’s not forget all of the parents driving, sending e-mails, providing food, and working to collect gate fees. The AD and assistant AD spent many late nights making sure things ran smoothly. I have the privilege of working with the finest coaching staff a person in my position could ask for. Then there were the heartfelt prayers of players praying for a teammate’s mother facing a battle of her own. All of these memories will be imprinted in my mind. What will I take away from this year? Never underestimate the power of a community that shows deference to one another.” Deference. The key to winning? Apparently so, and not just on the court. SOLI DEO GLORIA.
Archer boys win district championship – on to state!
Last Thursday night was another milestone in Ambrose basketball history. Our varsity boys brought home our first-ever district championship trophy after defeating one of our toughest opponents – Liberty Charter – for only the second time. The Archers finished the regular season 20-4 and managed to hold their own against a few 4A and 5A schools during invitational play, even beating 4A state qualifier Bishop Kelly. And this all after moving up a classification – from 1A Division II to 1A Division I. The move has not appeared to slow these boys down, and has perhaps given them incentive to prove themselves in a new group of opponents. For the state tournament, which begins Thursday, Ambrose will hit the ground running by taking on last year’s defending state champion, Prairie. This will be the first matchup between the the #1 (Ambrose) and #2 (Prairie) ranked teams. The Archers are asking for the kind of fan support they received last year when Ambrose received the “Pep Club of the Year” award from Idahosports.com, who commented, “…little Ambrose is winning the Pep Club of the Year award based on how many students showed up versus how many they actually have. I guarantee you this: over 90 % of their student body was there in person.” So, Archer fans, come support your team Thursday, March 5th, at 8:00 pm at Vallivue High School. GO ARCHERS!
Ambrose breaks ground on new addition
We broke ground today on an expansion that will add much-needed classroom space in our building, which opened in 2009. Since then, enrollment has grown to nearly 550 students, creating a need for classroom space and additional teaching staff. Initially, the three new classrooms will be used for upper school classes. The addition also includes tutorial rooms, where teachers meet one on one with students to periodically assess their progress. In future phases, the larger classrooms will be converted into music practice rooms. Currently, there is only one music room but seven music groups, plus grammar school music training classes. Students can often be found practicing in locker rooms and closets due to lack of space. “This addition couldn’t have happened at a better time,” says Kirk VanderLeest, Headmaster of The Ambrose School. “We are so thankful to our generous families and key donors who have enabled us to build this space without incurring any debt. Our growing numbers of BOTH students and teachers are excited to have more classroom space we are in such need of.” The new space is slated to open in late summer to be ready for students when school begins in the fall of 2015.
Morrison Center, here we come!
Our annual Christmas program is an Ambrose tradition. The entire school prepares throughout the fall to present a beautiful tribute to the birth of the world’s Savior. The entire school is represented through grammar school singing groups, chimes, orchestras, and choirs. Each year, our school grows a little more, and finding a venue becomes more difficult. For the last two years, the kindergarten through second grades have not performed due to space limitations. We received an exciting Christmas present when we found out that Ambrose is going to perform at the Morrison Center Friday, December 11th for our Christmas program! We are thrilled and humbled to have received a generous grant from the Velma Morrison Foundation, allowing our community to hold our traditional Christmas celebration in this stunning setting and the #1 University presenter in the nation. In addition to more seating, we hope to bring the K-2 grades back into the program this coming year. So mark your calendar for December 11th, and plan to join us for a very special night of Christmas celebration at the Morrison Center!
Ambrose Leadership Forum: Dean Klein, VP at Micron Technology
The Ambrose School is committed to training up great leaders. What better way than to learn from the best. Once a month, upper school students are invited to a lunchtime session with local leaders from a variety of backgrounds. This month, we were honored to welcome Dean Klein of Micron Technology. Dean Klein is Vice President of Advanced Memory Solutions at Micron Technology. Mr. Klein joined Micron in January 1999, after having held several leadership positions at Micron Electronics, Inc., including Executive Vice President of Product Development and Chief Technical Officer. He also co-founded and served as President of PC Tech, Inc., previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of Micron Electronics, Inc., from its inception in 1984. Mr. Klein earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. He holds over 250 patents in the area of memory and computer architecture. His wife of 35 years, Theresa, is really the key to his success. They have three sons and one daughter-in-law. Mr. Klein also promotes math and science in local schools, and is a mentor to the FIRST Robotics Challenge team the Bullbots (www.bullbots.org).
Stained glass, flying buttresses, and gargoyles – Oh my!
Ms. Anna Gibson, upper school math teacher, created a course for our school called Trigonometry & Architecture, which fuses both the history of the evolution of architecture as well as the math that underlies the subject, as an alternative for seniors to take instead of calculus. CapEd chose Ms. Gibson’s application to fund the hands-on learning experience provided during the Gothic architecture unit. Ms. Gibson has students build a four-foot replica of a Gothic cathedral, complete with real stained glass windows, flying buttresses, and gargoyles. This is done using massive sheets of styrofoam that are carefully cut out, glued together, and covered in putty, to mirror the stonework. Glass windows are modeled after authentic gothic-era windows, gargoyles are carefully carved out of clay, and even the interior must match that of a traditional cathedral’s layout. Says Ms. Gibson, “This project requires skills of all kinds and involves every kind of student; it involves creativity as to the décor and realistic ornamentation, leadership for the direction and oversight of the project at large, engineering to design the blueprint and manufacture the raw structure, and teamwork to do this as a class. Additionally, it cements the finer details of gothic architecture almost subconsciously, as the students spend six weeks in intense focus on this one project. Skills in blueprinting, ratios, trigonometry, and geometry are used constantly, to insure the structure stays standing (or to correct mishaps along the way!). The students love to work with their hands (and power tools!), and since we do not have a shop class here, this is as close as they get to that. It is the highlight of many students’ year, and the lead architect from last year’s class was so inspired by his own investment in the project that he chose to go into civil engineering. I believe that math should not only be logical but should be beautiful. This gothic cathedral reminds the students of just that every year.” Congratulations Ms. Gibson!
Third grade students like to throw stuff
Our third grade “engineering” students recently completed their Archimedes projects and presented them to their class. Archimedes was an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Judging by the number of catapults and trebuchets lining the hallway outside the classroom, structures that can hurl objects were the most popular project choice! There were many other fascinating projects as well, such as an Archimedes screw – a device that can bring water up out of a reservoir or river to water crops by utilizing the properties of gravity, air, and water pressure. Great job third grade!
Mrs. Gammon wins CapEd Teacher Grant for “Trout in the Classroom” project
Our 4th graders will learn first-hand just what it takes to hatch and raise rainbow trout, thanks to a grant from CapEd. Mrs. Gammon, who teaches 46 4th grade science students, applied for and won a grant that will help pay for the supplies needed to complete an Idaho “Trout in the Classroom” project. The chiller is the most expensive piece of equipment and is necessary to keep the water consistently cool at about 52 degrees. Mrs. Gammon will work with Trout Unlimited and Idaho Fish and Game to complete the project. Biologists will interact with the students for fish dissections and other projects. Students will also trade information and tapestry squares with other schools. Mrs. Gammon has attended trainings and has been assigned a mentor from Idaho Fish and Game. Ultimately, her class will receive the trout eggs from the Heyburn Hatchery on January 27th. Students will keep track of nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, pH levels, and temperature on a daily and weekly basis. After the fish hatch, they will be fed for a while and then the class will release them into the Boise River. Students will learn about water quality, fish habitats, fishing, and more.
