Volume 12, Issue 8
PAIR TO BE HONORED AT HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

Niles Overly '69 will be honored as Columbus Academy's 2018 Distinguished Alumnus and Gail Olson will receive the Alumni Service Award during the annual Holiday Luncheon on Friday, December 21, at the Westin Downtown. Refreshments will begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon and a program that will include remarks from Head of School Melissa Soderberg and Alumni Board President Lauren Hilsheimer '02. All are invited, but the deadline to register is Friday, December 14.    
YOUR ANNUAL FUND QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Have you ever wondered why the school needs an Annual Fund, when to give or how much to give? Find the answers in this Parents' Frequently Asked Questions info sheet. Also, our Annual Fund webpage includes information about the new options for directing your gift to an area of the school that is meaningful to you. If you haven't already, please make your Annual Fund gift or pledge before December 31 to help the school reach its midyear goal and plan for a successful remainder of the school year. Thank you!  
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, during 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 are welcome to attend! RSVP to Director of Alumni Relations Melissa Clarke Beckett at alumni@columbusacademy.org or 614-509-2290.
EMPTY BOWLS/SOUP FOR SHELTER THIS FRIDAY

 
For the third-straight year, Columbus Academy is participating in the Soup for Shelter fundraiser for the Westerville Habitat Partnership taking place on December 14 inside the Campus Center at Otterbein University from 5:00-7:00 p.m. This community-wide event involves our ceramic students' Empty Bowls Project as they and several volunteers created bowls to be used as gifts for attendees during the upcoming event. Under the direction of ceramics instructor Charity White, a total of 370 bowls were made over the course of October's "bowl-a-thon." For $15, you can choose from an array of handcrafted bowls, along with a meal featuring several soup options, a cookie and drink. Tickets can be purchased in advance on campus at the reception desk inside Academy Hall or online for $16 via the Westerville Habitat Partnership website, with these tickets being held at the door the night of the event. Any questions can be directed to Service Department Chair Christy Bening at beningc@columbusacademy.org.  
ADMISSIONS APPLICATIONS MOVED ONLINE

If you plan to apply for another child in your family to attend Columbus Academy, please consider completing the application process online by clicking on the button below. You will also be able to send the teacher recommendation form(s) to his/her current teacher and schedule a screening date. While the admissions office still accepts paper applications, online applications are encouraged. This process is new, so feedback to the admissions office would be appreciated.
ACADEMY MAGAZINE FOCUSES ON FACULTY

In the latest issue of Academy magazine, you'll find an informative cover story by middle school librarian Stacy Nockowitz about CA's award-winning professional development efforts, a preview of ongoing and upcoming campus facility enhancements, a recap of our memorable 2018 Commencement, a heartwarming tribute to teachers by junior Mackenzie Smith, the 2017-18 Annual Report of Appreciation, a bevy of class notes and photos galore from recent school and alumni activities!
FOURTH GRADE DELIVERS SWEETS WITH WILLY WONKA

From the colorful costumes to the familiar songs to all of the smiles both on stage and in the audience, the recent performance of Roald Dahl's "Willy Wonka KIDS" by our Class of 2027 was just heartwarming! Thank you to all of the students, parents and faculty involved (especially directors Amy McLaughlin and Michelle Schroeder-Lowrey) who made it such a memorable show. 
COLLEGE COUNSELING'S UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Columbus Academy's College Counseling will be hosting three parent coffees in January, all from 8:00-9:00 a.m. on the fireplace side of our dining hall. These discussions are designed for upper school parents and guardians but anyone is welcome to attend.
  • Standardized Testing on Wednesday, January 16
  • Planning College Visits on Wednesday, January 23
  • Athletic Recruiting on Thursday, January 31
Also, our campus will be hosting ACT/SAT Workshops conducted by BWS Education Consulting on January 20, March 1 and April 7.   
ONLINE ASA REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

Registration for our Winter ASA (After School Activities) is now available through My BackPack as well as the traditional paper form.
WEEKEND EVENTS ON CAMPUS

If you happen to visit campus this weekend, you may notice a lot of visitors so we would like to make you aware of two separate events. Our swimming pool will be hosting the Greater Columbus Swim Team of Ohio (GCSTO) Holiday Cheer Meet that begins with a 5:00-8:00 p.m. session Friday and continues from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday and 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Also on Sunday, the Audubon Society of Central Ohio will have members walking around our outdoor areas in the morning as a part of an annual Christmas Bird Count. According to resident "birder" John Wuorinen, Academy's campus provides one of the best spots in the area for barred and great horned owls. They will be reporting the number of birds of different species they hear/see to the local Audubon chapter in order to aggregate it with groups all over North America. 
ARTS & MUSIC SCENE

PACA is excited to announce two "Backstage Pass" events to Celebrate the Arts on campus in 2019! How about dinner and a show on campus? Your family is invited for food and drinks prior to the middle school musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" on Saturday, February 2, to hear from our talented faculty for a behind-the-scenes look at the production. This family-friendly event will take place on the fireplace side of the dining hall from 6:15-7:15 p.m. and will include a pizza dinner (vegetarian option available), snacks and drinks for $5 per person. 
 
Then on Wednesday, May 1, join us for an adults-only "Director's Circle" with our talented faculty in the Morris Hall Art Gallery prior to the last orchestra concert of the year. Appetizers, beer and wine will be available for $10 per person as our instructors will spotlight the endeavor of developing student ensembles as well as the creative process. Peruse the Senior Art Show display while there and mingle with fellow arts lovers. Childcare through CASE will be available for $5 per child with dinner provided for them.
 
RSVP details to come after the New Year regarding both events! 
Additional Arts & Music Links 
SERVICE LEARNING

Another successful Kids 4 Kids schoolwide service learning project was completed this fall. Under the direction of Service Department Chair Christy Bening and Service Board President Caroline Mallory, the Academy community came together across all three divisions to lend a helping hand to accommodate 32 sponsored families with winter clothing and food. Our lower-schoolers made trips to Meijer to purchase toiletries and non-perishable food items while the middle-schoolers helped Dorothy Dell sort and then shop for the individual families using a pantry-like display in the Barton Room lobby. The upper school advisories also brought in over 4,000 non-perishable food items throughout the drive while also participating in "Begging for Cans" on Halloween night throughout their various neighborhoods. Our upper-schoolers then teamed up with the Ohio Junior Classical League Executive Board to set up a clothing and toy store with the donations for the parents and families to shop before capping off the event with deliveries of food to the sponsored families just before Thanksgiving. 
Additional Service Learning Link  
SPORTS REPORT

We recently honored our field hockey team with a state championship flag ceremony. In what was arguably the best season in both school and state history, the Vikings went 21-0 while outscoring their opponents 138-1. On the national level, this year's Vikes were ranked 6th in the country by Top of the Circle and also finished in MAX Field Hockey's national Top 20.  
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