Volume 12, Issue 7
JASON SINGLETON NAMED NEXT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Jason Singleton, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development at The Ohio State University as well as a current Columbus Academy parent, will be our next Director of Athletics! Jason will begin his new role overseeing over 60 different Academy teams on July 1, 2019. He will replace Dominic Facciolla, who is retiring this spring after a successful 20-year stint guiding our Viking athletic programs. Raised in Detroit, Jason is a 2000 graduate from OSU with a B.A. in Communication. As a senior captain of the men's basketball team, he helped the Buckeyes reach the NCAA Final Four. After a professional basketball career in Europe and Australia, Jason earned his M.A. in Educational Administration from Central Michigan University and worked as a teacher and coach in the Detroit Public Schools. From there, he joined the NCAA compliance team and was hired at OSU in 2012 to be part of the university's compliance team. Jason's responsibilities have grown since then, and he now provides leadership, direction and oversight for the Buckeye men's basketball program.
   
SERVICE & SACRIFICE REMEMBERED ON VETERANS DAY

The belltower atop Morris Hall sounded 501 times Monday morning, one chime each for Columbus Academy's 494 alumni and seven faculty/staff members who served or are serving in the United States Armed Forces. The school began this Veterans Day tradition in 2013, and it is followed by a moving rendition of "America the Beautiful" by the upper school Camerata. To all veterans and their families, we cannot thank you enough for your sacrifices. We will never forget.
 
FIELD HOCKEY WINS 11TH STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

To provide context to Columbus Academy's most recent state title, our field hockey team has reached the Final Four 22 times in its 28 seasons since Coach Anne Horton began the program. Once there, the Vikes are 17-5 in semifinal matchups and now 11-6 in the finals. Also, this year's starters did not allow a goal all season with the only opponent's score coming late in a 10-1 blowout. Enjoy these highlights of all three Academy goals (Gurby Vaziri, Charlotte Adams and Jenny L'Hommedieu) as well as other top plays from our 3-0 win over Hudson in the state championship game and the emotional celebration following the final whistle!
A YEAR OF EXPLORING "BELONGING"

PACA's parent education events for this school year kick off on November 28 when Dr. C. Lynn Nakamura will begin to explore the intellectual, physiological and psychological foundations of emotional intelligence and mindfulness in order to help move us toward better relationships and a greater sense of belonging in a talk titled "HOW do we belong?: Thriving in Relationships." Her 7:00 p.m. presentation will be preceded by a reception and dinner buffet in Academy's dining hall. The event is free with childcare available, but RSVPs are required by Monday, November 26, to kdvaziri@aol.com. 
VIKING PAIR SIGNS NATIONAL LETTERS OF INTENT

Last week, we celebrated two Columbus Academy seniors who signed NCAA National Letters of Intent and have accepted athletic scholarships to compete on the collegiate level! Jordan Skilken will dive for the University of Texas and Jacob Eismann will swim for the University of Kentucky. Jordan, the daughter of Karen and Steve Skilken '68, is a two-time state runner-up in diving. She also placed fourth in the state as a sophomore and won the district title as a freshman by scoring a then-school-record 547.7 points. Jacob, the son of Michele and Ron Eismann, is a three-time Mid-State League Swimmer of the Year who won a state title in the 100 backstroke in addition to anchoring our state champion 400 freestyle relay squad last season. He earned state runner-up honors in the 400 freestyle relay as a sophomore and in the 200 medley relay as a freshman.
RECORD CROWD ENJOYS CHARLIE DAVID DINNER

 
Last month, our community joined together to raise over $50,000 for Columbus Academy's athletic programs at the 36th annual Charlie David Dinner! In front of a record crowd of over 900 people, the school honored Dominic Facciolla, who is retiring in the spring at the conclusion of his 20th year as athletic director at Academy. A huge amount of gratitude to the many, many volunteers who made the event such a success, especially parents and guardians who assisted during the dinner portion, all the students who organized and ran the boardwalk-style games for the younger children, and everyone behind the scenes who made it all happen. The camaraderie and school spirit throughout the evening was an outstanding example of the Academy experience!

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME TO INDUCT MARTHA FERGER '02

The Alumni Association will recognize and honor Martha Ferger '02 for her outstanding contributions to the athletic program at Columbus Academy. Martha will be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, December 14, in a ceremony in the Dining Hall at 6:30 p.m. and then recognized at halftime at that evening's varsity boys basketball game against Worthington Christian. All alumni are welcome to attend! RSVP to Director of Alumni Relations Melissa Clarke Beckett at alumni@columbusacademy.org or 614-509-2290. 
ONLINE ASA REGISTRATION COMING SOON

Winter After School Activities (ASA) will be coming to you with a new spin! Beginning with this winter season, registration will be available through My BackPack as well as the traditional paper form. You can expect registration for winter classes to be available in early December, and communication regarding ASAs to be new and much improved. Stay tuned! 
VIKING CORNER NEWS

The Viking Corner is closed the weeks of November 19 and 26. Stop by www.vikingcorner.org for 24/7 shopping and now USPS shipping for all! The last day for USPS shipping this year will be December 12. The store will reopen on Saturday, December 1, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a special sale. Be sure to stop in for great savings just in time for the upcoming holidays. Most items in the store will be 15 percent off, including some of the great new arrivals. Get 20 percent off if you pay in cash. Every purchase you make not only helps you show your Viking spirit but also helps support the school! If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Viking Corner team at vikingcorner@icloud.com.  
ARTS & MUSIC SCENE

Earlier this month, our upper-schoolers staged two powerful performances of "12 Angry Jurors" in the Schoedinger Theatre. In addition to a cast consisting of Aylah Mendenhall, Bobby Diller, Sophia Tidwell, Mira Bhasin, Sidney Edson, Cole Raiken, Michael Hoffman, Simon Iobst, Jay Whitney, Sejal Jindal, CJ Leet, Eden Singelton-Tarr and Ryan Reagan, the crew included student director Nikki Turley and stage manager/set designer Katie Anderson as well as Jack Keith, Nate Rausch Spencer Swartz, Ryan Wahl and Rehya Satish on the stage crew.
Additional Arts & Music Links 
SERVICE LEARNING

Check out this inspiring story aired recently on ABC6/FOX28 featuring Columbus Academy junior Annalise Grammel and Vietnam War veteran Jerry Pentz at an event with our seventh and eighth grades! As we shared earlier this fall, Annalise organized a successful 5K race that raised enough funds ($12,500) to help send two dozen veterans to view the monuments in Washington, D.C., through Honor Flight Columbus, one of many outstanding service learning partners with our school. 
SPORTS REPORT

After repeating as Division II champs, our golfers were honored with a traditional state championship flag ceremony earlier this month. Academy's boys golf program has won state titles in three of the last five years under Coach Craig Yakscoe and nine team state championships overall, which is second-most among Ohio high schools trailing only Upper Arlington.
 
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