A
cademy
L
ane
Vol. 4, No. 2 • Spring 2006
Model School Provides
Solid Education After Hillsdale Academy
contributed by Nancy and Bill Phillips
I
n the summer of 2003, our family
moved from Hillsdale to the greater
Richmond, Virginia, area. Finding
a private school for our children that
would build on the excellent base
Dr. Louise Bagwell-Robinson provided to them by Hillsdale Academy
proved to be our biggest challenge in
our new home. After visits to several
schools, we settled on Millwood School, a college preparatory school
for kindergarten through eighth grade in Midlothian, Virginia.
While Millwood was not the most expensive school in the area,
the curriculum seemed similar to that of Hillsdale Academy,
including Saxon Math and many of the classics in the reading
curriculum. Small class sizes averaging 14 and a “no ceiling”
curriculum allowed for individual attention. A student-signed
“Big 10” code of self-discipline allowed a seamless transition
from Hillsdale Academy to Millwood. What we didn’t know
until almost a year after attending Millwood is that its founding
head, Dr. Louise Bagwell-Robinson, had consulted the Hillsdale
Academy Reference Guide as she formed her school and that
Millwood is considered a Hillsdale Academy Model School.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Dr. BagwellRobinson. As a parent and Millwood founder, she sought
the same attributes in a school that most parents seek for
their own children—an academically challenging, nurturing
environment that seeks to strengthen self-confidence and the
moral compass in students. We feel most fortunate to have found
that in both Hillsdale Academy and now Millwood School.
Q: Why did you establish Millwood School?
A: Shortly after relocating to Midlothian, I began to investigate
the various school alternatives in the Richmond metropolitan
area for our two daughters. While there were outstanding
independent schools in the downtown area, none were convenient
to our area. I was particularly interested in academic rigor,
coupled with high expectations for character development.
Being able to provide a small, personal and nurturing
environment was also an important criterion for me.
Q: What makes Millwood different from
other area independent schools?
A: Millwood meets students where they are on an educational
continuum and encourages them to go as far as they possibly
can. There is no ceiling to our curriculum, especially in the
language arts and mathematics. Small class size allows teachers
to work with varying ability levels within a class. Although we
are a college preparatory school with the majority of our students
being above average, we do admit average students as well.
Q: Why did you choose the curriculum that you did?
A: I sought the advice of experts in all content areas, studied Virginia
Association of Independent School Standards, and the Hillsdale
Academy Reference Guide. We seek to provide a richly textured
curriculum that integrates the beauty of the fine arts, technology
and foreign languages. The study of foreign languages, music, art
and physical education is not optional at Millwood. It is required.
We also seek to promote growth and self-confidence in our
students. We continue to be successful in this by providing
many opportunities to speak publicly, appropriately interact
with adults (self-introductions, carry on a conversation), and
conduct themselves in respectful, responsible ways. Millwood
students have many leadership and community service
opportunities as well. We challenge students to be the best that
they can be, intellectually, physically, socially and morally.
Q: Any final thoughts as to why Millwood has been
so successful in its brief 15-year history?
A: As a mom, I appreciate a school where kids are safe (literally, as well
as safe to take intellectual risks). I wanted an environment where
the adults could and would know my girls. I have learned that
there are many times in a child’s life when it is important that other
adults really know what’s going on with them outside of school. A
small, nurturing environment provides that for all kids.
As an educator, I do not believe that kids fail to learn; I believe
that some teachers and some schools fail to teach. I believe that it
is the school’s responsibility to help students make forward, steady
progress on all fronts. I feel very strongly about the philosophy we
have in place – no two children are exactly alike nor do they learn
in exactly the same way. The small class sizes allow teachers to work
individually with each
student. We are known
for small classes and
individual attention, a
challenging curriculum,
exceptional faculty, and
a principle structure
Faculty Notes
that promotes honesty,
integrity and respect for
New Families
others.
F eatures
As the founder of
Millwood, I know that
what we are providing
for families is wonderful.
Millwood School is a
great place for kids,
parents and faculty.
When all three work
together, it’s amazing
what can happen.
Guest Chapel Speaker
Accolades
15th Anniversary Highlights
Colt Corner
“Love What You Ought to Love,
and Hate What You Ought to Hate!”
Welcome…
We began the 2005-2006 academic year with a number of new students
and families joining the Academy community. Among our new students
are children from throughout the region, Indiana, Illinois and Texas.
Please welcome:
Maura Altham (10th grade), Durand, Illinois – James and Elizabeth
Andrew Alvarez (7th grade), Jonesville, Michigan – Anthony and
Jennifer
Natalie Barry (10th grade), Fremont, Indiana – Greg and Rebecca
Colleen (10th grade) and Paul (7th grade) Burns, Britton, Michigan – Kevin
and Maureen
Antonia Busch (6th grade), Hillsdale, Michigan – Chris and Lorna
Elizabeth Bianchi (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – Charles and
Michelle
Joy Boakye (3rd grade), Osseo, Michigan – Kwasi and Veronica
Toni-Marie Gossage (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – David Gossage
and Karen Luparello
Connor (7th grade) and Thomas (8th grade) Irwin, Bloomfield Hills,
Michigan – Stuart and Sarah
Laura Jenkins (Kindergarten), Jonesville, Michigan – Rick and Rita
James Jordan (8th grade), Hillsdale, Michigan – Michael and Lindy
Gabriella Kibert (1st grade), Hillsdale, Michigan – Nathan and Jessica
Sigrid Kiledal (5th grade), Hillsdale, Michigan – Erik and Kirstin
Claire Krannawitter (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – Thomas and
Lori
Zack Lefere (9th grade), Jackson, Michigan – Chris and Anne
John McDonald (Kindergarten), Jackson, Michigan – Paul and Diane
Spencer Moeggenberg (Kindergarten), Jackson, Michigan – Richard and
Carissa
Kyra Moss (10th grade) and Sawyer Zopff-Moss (7th grade), San Antonio,
Texas – Michael Moss and Cherise Zopff-Moss
Connor Oakley (Kindergarten) , Jackson, Michigan – Todd and
Antoinette
Alex (7th grade) and Nicholas (4th grade) Payne, Cologne, Minnesota
– George Payne and Beatrice Diehl
Shannon Peterson (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – Aaron and
Kathleen
Sabeek Pradhan (6th grade), Coldwater, Michigan – Kamal and
Sabeena
Alivia Rebeck (Kindergarten), Osseo, Michigan – Robert and Danielle
Kathleen (9th grade) and McKenzie (7th grade) Schissler, Clark Lake,
Michigan – Mark and Kelly
William Smith (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – Stephen and
Laura
Gabriya Snell (1st grade), Coldwater, Michigan – David and Lola
Angelo Sorce (Kindergarten), Hillsdale, Michigan – Angelo and Natalie
Noah Sparks (Kindergarten), Jonesville, Michigan – Kevin and Teri
Taylor Thayer (6th grade), Jackson, Michigan – Timothy and Barbara
Chase Vear (7th grade), Hillsdale, Michigan – Stephen and Mary
Matt Waller (8th grade), Jackson, Michigan – Jeffrey and Rosemary
Guest Chapel Speaker Pastor Drew Woods,
Cement City Baptist Church, Cement City, Michigan
T
here is a wonderful quote by Plato on a plaque in the library
here at Hillsdale Academy. Plato said that education is to be the
ordering of life’s pains and pleasures so that one comes to relish
what he ought to relish, and abhor what he ought to abhor.
This means several things. First of all, education has to do with trying
to understand and respond to something that we “ought” to. Education
doesn’t just deal with your opinion or my opinion, but rather it aims
to understand something about what is true and right and good which
OUGHT to be recognized by all. This means that there is a point to
education! This is good news! You are not merely trying to make good
grades in order to get a prestigious job someday, in order to make a
bunch of money, in order to maximize your creature comforts here in
this world. If you are getting a good education here at Hillsdale Academy,
you will be challenged not just to keep adding to your knowledge bank,
but you will be challenged to use your knowledge to discover that which
“ought to be relished” and that which “ought to be abhorred.”
This is to say that there is such a thing as truth, and such a thing as
goodness, and as beauty, which things ought to be loved; just as there
are such things as falsehood, and evil, and perversion, which ought to be
hated. Therefore, when you are busy doing your math lessons, or your
literature essay, or your history questions, or your science lab report,
remember . . . the point in it is for you to discover what is ultimately
lovely or worthy of relishing, and what is worthy of abhorring and hating
and then to get at the great work of relishing and abhorring.
This leads to a second important observation about Plato’s definition
of education. We were meant to be passionate people. There are great
and noble and good things that are meant not just to be analyzed and
discussed, but also loved and prized and cherished. Also, there are things
that ought to be hated and detested. Therefore, we were meant to be
lovers...and haters! Our own experience tells us that we naturally tend to
be lovers and haters. It seems good that we not only admit to this, but
also actually and purposefully cultivate this impulse through education,
such that we learn to direct our passions toward worthy objects.
Plato also said that all lesser loves are to be stepping stones toward
loving God. This means that everything that is truly lovely in some
way points us toward God. If you saw the sunrise this morning, you
witnessed a thing of beauty and design. The point of the sunrise is to
point you to the good and wise designer who created it. In enjoying
the beauty and consistency of the sunrise, you should seek to love and
enjoy the great Creator who was pleased to design it. So it is, when we
encounter truth, or beauty, or goodness in our lives, we ought to follow
the stream, so to speak, up to its source, which is God, and then we
ought to love God.
This is at the very heart of what God requires of mankind in the Holy
Scriptures. God commanded His people through Moses to be lovers
of God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your strength.
6 And these words which I command you today shall be in your
heart.
Gail Nelson
Music Teacher
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall
talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk
by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
This very command was repeated by Jesus Christ.
Mark 12:28-31
28 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning
together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him,
“Which is the first commandment of all?”
29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:
‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
30 ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
This is the first commandment.
31 “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Often we tend to hear this as something that sounds burdensome. When
we are commanded to love God, we tend to hear that as a command to be
committed to God, or to do things that will demonstrate how important
He is to us, but I think that God has something more fundamental in
mind when He commands us to love Him. I think what we are supposed
to hear in that greatest of all commandments is that God commands us
to enjoy Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength!
I went to college in Chicago. One of my fondest experiences of living
for several years in Chicago was the wonderful variety of great food. I
remember one particular pizza restaurant in Chicago. I was convinced
nobody had a better tasting pizza than Giordano’s. When I say, “I love
Giordano’s pizza!” everyone knows that what I mean is that I greatly
enjoy Giordano’s pizza. I think this is what God had in mind when He
commanded us to love Him. Using Plato’s expression, we are to “relish”
what ought to be relished, so we are to relish God, for He is the most
relish-worthy being. This is another way of saying we ought to delight in
Him, enjoy Him and savor Him as the most excellent of all beings.
But here we have a problem. We do not always love what we ought to
love and relish what ought to be relished. In fact, our own experience
teaches us that many times we love what we ought to hate. Human
history also proves to us that education doesn’t cure this problem.
Someone has well said that most of the time we are free to do what
we want, but we are not free to want what we ought. At this point, we
need something more than education to help us.
Education should lead us to recognize what ought to be loved and what
ought to be hated, and it can help us become convinced that we really
ought to love that which is worthy of love and to hate that which is not,
but education cannot make us do as we ought. This is where God must
help us. This is one of the greatest of all truths – that God, the great
architect of the universe, is eager and willing to come to the aid of all
who humbly cry out to Him for help. This great reality is demonstrated
in that God sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay
the penalty of justice for our sin, and to provide the life-transforming
Holy Spirit to come into those who trust Him, so that they may love
what they ought to love and hate what they ought to hate.
So then, as you study here at Hillsdale Academy, seek to understand
those great things that ought to be loved (especially God), and ask God
to help you relish what ought to be relished and abhor what ought to
be abhorred.
Miss Gail Nelson, Hillsdale Academy’s parttime music teacher, has been sharing her love
of music with the school’s students for two
years. She grew up in Jacksonville, Florida,
and graduated from Hillsdale College in
2004 with a degree in music. She came to
the Academy with experience gained from
teaching flute at area schools and from
private music tutoring. She is currently
working toward a master’s degree in music education at the Boston
Conservatory.
Academy Lane:Tell us about your musical background.
Gail: My principal instrument is flute, but I play many more. In high
school, I worked at a music company, so I was fortunate to be able to
take instruments home over the weekend and learn them. I play pretty
much everything but bagpipes (I don’t think I have the interest for
bagpipes). I did choir and orchestra in college, played in operas and in
the orchestra pit for musicals. Right now I’m playing the French horn
in the community band, and I play and sing in various ensembles and
organizations around Hillsdale.
Academy Lane: How are you able to work on your master’s degree while
teaching at the Academy?
Gail: The Boston Conservatory master’s in music education program is a
summer study program that allows me to teach during the year. You study
for two summers, and the fall and spring in between the two summers
you study as well, but at a much less intense level. Because I’m not living
in Boston, I’m doing all my courses as independent studies. After next
summer I will receive a master’s in music education, with certification
from Massachusetts.
Academy Lane:W hat are the current music programs at Hillsdale
Academy?
Gail: In the elementary-level music classes, I focus on singing and
beginning music appreciation. I teach a blended version of many types
of music education. I use the Dalcroze Eurythmics system of musical
education, and I also teach the Kodaly System and use the Gordon
methodologies of music. I’m giving the elementary students the
foundation to go into a music ensemble. In my music classroom, we
try to have a lot of fun. This year we started a “composer of the month”
feature, where the students learn about a different composer every month.
This provides an opportunity to learn about specific composers as well
as different aspects of classical music.
At the middle school level, we start focusing on choir and singing as
an ensemble. On all grade levels we also work on preparing for the
school’s Christmas and spring music concerts. The concerts are the only
opportunities during the year that parents get to see what the students
have learned.
In the Upper School, we have a choir group. We talk about concert
etiquette, and I give concert review assignments. We have listening days
where we critically evaluate music on much more than a surface level.
I also implement music appreciation where we learn about composers
and different musical time periods.
We started a band this year, for fifth grade through high school. The band
is made up of Academy students, and includes a Will Carleton Academy
student. I’m directing the orchestra this year as well, which is made
up of Hillsdale Academy, Will Carleton Academy and homeschooled
students.
Academy Lane:What are your goals for the music program at the Academy?
Gail: By the time they leave here, our students know music and have
a sincere appreciation for it. They should be familiar with important
composers and the different sounds and characteristics of various time
periods.
Faculty Notes
Mrs. Katy Caspar and Mrs. Melissa Holm, who both are expecting
their first children, will be leaving their full-time Upper School
teaching posts at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Mrs.
Caspar will continue to coach in the Academy’s cross-country and
track programs, and Mrs. Holm will continue to teach tenth-grade
literature.
Academy Headmaster Dr. Kenneth Calvert has announced that two
new teachers will join the Academy staff for the 2006-2007 year.
Mr. Chris Heckel has been hired to teach biology and mathematics.
Chris and his wife, Pam, are Hillsdale County natives and graduates
of Hillsdale College. Chris holds a master’s degree in biology from
the University of Georgia and is working toward a Ph.D. in biology
at the University of Pittsburgh.
Miss Helen Lasseter has been hired to teach English and assist Mr.
Andrew Holm in the teaching of first- and second-year Latin. She is
working to complete her Ph.D. in literature at Baylor University, and
received her M.A. and B.A. from the University of Dallas. She has
taught courses in literature and writing, and has a good background
in Latin.
15
A nniversar
C ele
th
Dr. Calvert leads rededication ceremony
H
Fourth graders enjoy reception
illsdale Academy opened its doors in August 1990 with 45
students in Grades K-8. Today’s student body has more than
tripled in size, with 165 students enrolled in Grades K-12.
Hillsdale Academy marked its 15th year of existence with a two-day
celebration that featured an evening reception on September 23 and
an open house, school rededication ceremony, picnic and soccer game
on September 24.
Budd, Ducher Participate in Liberty Fund Weekend
In February, eighth-grade teacher Mrs. Julie Budd and 12th grade
advisor Miss Deanna Ducher traveled to Savannah, Georgia, on
behalf of the Academy as part of a Liberty Fund weekend. Liberty
Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to
encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible
individuals. The Academy teachers, along with 15 other middle and
high school teachers from around the country, participated in the
seminar in a colloquium/discussion format. The topic was “Liberty
and Responsibility in America’s Manifest Destiny.” Mrs. Budd and Miss
Ducher prepared for the seminar by reading approximately 200 pages
of primary source material on the topic.
Each year, Liberty Fund conducts conferences throughout the United
States, Canada, Latin America and Europe. The Liberty Fund also
publishes as many as 20 or more books each year.
Evening Reception Draws a Crowd
More than 200 parents, students, faculty and friends of the Academy
gathered in the Academy’s Commons on Friday evening for a program
that included speeches, the debut of the new Hillsdale Academy video,
student performances, a reading by longtime Academy supporter Dr.
Irina Pabst, and remarks by Academy Headmaster Dr. Ken Calvert,
Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry Arnn and Dinesh D’Souza, the
nationally known speaker and author of Illiberal Education.
Dr. Calvert thanked the school’s friends and donors in attendance and
absent, among them Charles and Irma McIntyre, Bill and Berniece
Grewcock, Clinton and Maryanne Ward, Tom and Virginia Rogers,
and Maria Dotterweich of the Weatherwax Foundation. He praised the
faculty and staff of Hillsdale Academy, saying, “They are able to bring
into the classroom an excitement about learning and a purpose.” Dr.
Calvert thanked the students and the parents for their support, and read
notes of congratulations from admirers, including Hillsdale’s Mayor
Doug Ingles, Annette Kirk of the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural
Renewal, and President George W. Bush.
Hillsdale Academy Parents’ Association President Al Philipp said,
“For over 15 years the students at Hillsdale Academy have been given
an excellent education” and mentioned the families from across the
U.S. – Alaska, California, Minnesota and Texas – who have moved to
Hillsdale so that their children could attend the Academy.
Accolades
ry
ebration
Anna Leutheuser
Student choir performs
Senior Anna Leutheuser was one of two
Hillsdale County high school students to
qualify as state finalists in Wendy’s Restaurants
“High School Heisman” program. Leutheuser
received a bronze medal for being among the
top 10 female candidates from Michigan.
The national program recognizes outstanding
student-athletes for their achievements in
athletics, academics and community service. Anna also has been
named a National Merit Finalist. In addition, Anna received the
Michigan High School Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Award
for her outstanding work in the classroom and on the playing field.
Anna was one of 32 scholarship recipients chosen from over 2,100
Michigan entries. On her application essay, Anna summed up her
views on athletics: “Athletics are at their highest level if a spirit of
sportsmanship prevails; the athletes perform better, the coaches
contribute more, and the fans are more animated and encouraging.
Sportsmanship ennobles any contest, and therefore must be welcomed,
encouraged, and expected.” Anna will attend Hillsdale College on an
academic and athletic scholarship.
Sabeek Pradhan
Keynote speaker Dinesh D’Souza
n
Arnn, D’Souza Cite Academy Example
Dr. Arnn talked about the good work that the Academy has done in
educating its students, from its modest beginnings to its current success
as a national model for learning. He evoked the wisdom of the framers
of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which stated, “Religion, morality,
and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness
of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be
encouraged.” He also introduced Dinesh D’Souza, the Robert and Karen
Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
Mr. D’Souza said, “Students today are often forced to choose between
an education that emphasizes academics and one that emphasizes
character – it’s not often you find one school that has both.” What seems
impressive about the Academy, he continued, is that it is “pursuing
multiculturalism in a true sense – trying to look inward to see how
you got where you are.”
After the speeches, performances and the video premiere, the school’s
students, parents, faculty and guests received Academy lapel pins and
copies of the video on DVD, then enjoyed some refreshments.
Saturday Activities Complete the Celebration
Saturday, September 24, began with an open house to showcase the
Academy to visitors and prospective families. At noon, a rededication
ceremony was held that featured the school’s regular opening ceremony
– the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, student recitations and brief
remarks by Dr. Calvert. Next, students, families and guests enjoyed an
outdoor picnic held behind the Academy. To end the day’s events, the
Hillsdale Academy Upper School soccer team played Hillsdale High
School’s team in a rousing match.
Sixth grader Sabeek Pradhan has won the
Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Young
Composers in Concert Competition, in the
kindergarten through sixth grade category.
Sabeek, 10, and the other members of Mrs.
Somerville’s fifth- and sixth-grade class traveled
to Kalamazoo on March 1 to hear a full
orchestra rendition of his piece, “A Patriot’s
Call,” as part of the KSO Youth Concerts series. The competition has
two categories: kindergarten through sixth grade and seventh through
twelfth. Because he has moved through school at an advanced pace,
this was Sabeek’s last year to compete at the younger grade level.
Sabeek, who has played the piano since he was 4 years old, says he
has been composing songs for about four years.
2001-2006 National Merit Standings
Class of 2001 (5 seniors)
Elizabeth Wolfram, Commended
Class of 2004 (10 seniors)
Nicholas Hayes, Finalist
Class of 2002 (12 seniors)
Erin Somerville, Semifinalist
Aimee Clark, Finalist
Veronica Whalen, Finalist
Class of 2005 (12 seniors)
Jessica Marsh, Commended
Monica Craig, Finalist
Class of 2003 (6 seniors)
Toby Knighton, Commended
Class of 2006 (12 seniors)
Katie Stacey, Commended
Anna Leutheuser, Finalist
Academy Students Excel In Area Quiz Bowl Competitions
I
n February, Academy teams from fifth and sixth grade competed in The Upper School participated in a separate Hillsdale County quiz
the Hillsdale County Elementary Quiz Bowl in Pittsford, Michigan. bowl with both arena and buzzer competition. The Academy’s
buzzer team (composed of Anthony
The fifth grade competition
Alvarez, James Gensterblum, Clara
was arena-style with rounds of
Leutheuser, Gaby Ruchames and
12 questions. Approximately
Lisa York) won the Hillsdale
30 teams of five students each
County competition, qualifying for
participated from area schools;
the state tournament in late April,
Hillsdale Academy entered two
held at Michigan State University
teams. The Academy’s Team B
in Lansing. The four buzzer teams
won first place: Andrew Ruchames,
finished in first, third, fourth and
Victoria Owusu, Hannah Smith,
fifth place (a Will Carleton team
Hunter Murray and Sigrid Kiledal.
finished second). The Academy’s
Academy Team A won second place:
first-place arena team was composed
Christina Craig, Elyse Lisznyai,
of Alice Arnn, Sarah Blackstock,
Dillon Murray, Chip Blood and
Gwen Buchhop and Kristen
Alex Vann.
Foust. In all, 22 upper scholars
The sixth grade team this year
participated at the county quiz
consisted of Sabeek Pradhan
bowl competition.
(captain), Joel Calvert, Christopher
In March, Academy seventh and
Potts and Anders Kiledal. Team
eighth graders participated in the
member Aaron Detmers was out
Fifth-grade quiz bowl teams proudly display their first- and
county arena competition (seventh
sick. They played two matches,
second-place trophies from the County Quiz Bowl competition.
grade) and buzzer competition
losing the first to a Litchfield team
(eighth grade). The seventh-grade
and the second to a Will Carleton
team took first, second and third
team. The team was not at full
place in the arena competition, and the eighth-grade team took second
strength due to a girls’ volleyball tournament the same day.
place in the buzzer competition.
Guest Language Teacher
and Business Consultant from Brazil
Rossana Samanamud visited Hillsdale Q. What other schools will you visit while here in the U.S.?
Academy during the week of January 9 to A. I’m also visiting an elementary school in Muskegon, and schools in
observe Upper School classes and also taught
the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Then I’ll go back to
a Spanish class.
Muskegon to visit friends – I hope to go ice fishing and snowmobiling!
Ms. Samanamud, a native of Peru, earned her degree in language from
Argentina Technical School in Lima, Peru, in 1983. She speaks English, Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge to teachers?
Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. She moved to Brazil in 1985 A. In Brazil, the students aren’t as responsive in the classroom. The teachers
try hard to motivate the students to participate in discussions. Another
and started teaching English and business classes. Her experience
issue is discipline.
includes teaching business classes for managers and working for an
online English language instruction company. She currently works for
Q. How is the Academy different from schools in Brazil?
Yazigi Internexus, an educational company in Lorena, a municipality
in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She oversees an English and Spanish A. Hillsdale Academy is very impressive. The Upper School students have
great discipline and respect for their teachers, and they participate
language program for 800 students from fourth grade through high
easily in classroom discussions. Another difference is that in my school
school.
in Brazil, the teachers change classes, not the students. I am impressed
that the students change classes in such an orderly fashion. In Brazil,
Q. Why are you visiting the United States?
the students have more breaks in their day – every two classes they have
a 15-minute break. During the breaks, the students play their favorite
A. I first came to the U.S. in 2003 and visited Indianapolis, where my
music in the classroom!
company has an office. As an educator and an English teacher, I am
here to observe students in several American schools.
Q. How did you hear about the Academy?
A. Traditional schools are of great interest to me – I did an Internet search
and found it online.
Championship Season
T
he Colt athletic program soared to new heights this year with
great success in the state tournaments. Coach Katy Caspar’s girls’
cross-country team won the regional championship, becoming
the first team in school history to qualify for the state meet. The girls
finished 16th in the state and also earned academic all-state honors for
their success in the classroom. For the boys’ team, senior Josh Risner
qualified individually for the state meet for the second year in a row.
Risner was named to the academic all-state team. The girls’ team also
won the SCAA conference title and the boys were runner-up.
U
Chelsea Detmers at varsity
cross-country meet
nder the direction of Coach Jeff Hubbard, the girls’ varsity basketball
team finished the season with a 19-4 record highlighted by a
district title. Junior Stacy Risner made a basket in the final second
of the game to give the Colts the victory. The team also won the Mid-South
Conference with a perfect 10-0 record.
Girls’ varsity basketball team huddles
I
n addition to cross-country, the boys fielded a golf and soccer team. The soccer
team enjoyed its third winning season in a row and finished second in the MidSouth Conference. The boys’ golf team continues to improve and for the first
time entered the district tournament.
Anthony Alvarez hits a shot
O
n March 4, the girl’s varsity volleyball team hosted and
won the district tournament against the favored CamdenFrontier team. They bested Camden-Frontier in four games
for the Academy’s first district volleyball championship. The Academy
(34–6–5) then lost to defending state champion Battle Creek St. Philip
in the regional semifinal at Mendon. Academy coach Matt Miller was
pleased with the team’s winning record.
Varsity girls’ volleyball team
Photo Credit: Hillsdale Daily News
“The Hillsdale Academy girls’ athletic program has now won an MHSAA
trophy in each sport it has participated in this season — a regional
championship in cross-country and district trophies in basketball and
volleyball,” said Academy Assistant Headmaster and Athletic Director
Mike Roberts. “This outstanding achievement is bringing our teams the
recognition they deserve.”
Spelling Bee
Congratulations to Academy students James Jordan, Mallory
Erwin, Alex Payne and Sabeek Pradhan for their excellent
performance in the Knights of Columbus Spelling Bee, which was
held in Hillsdale on November 12th. Sabeek placed first and Mallory
placed fourth in the fourth through sixth grade rounds. James placed first in
the middle school rounds, and Alex performed well but finished just out of
range for further competition. Sabeek, James and Mallory traveled to Lansing
in January for a statewide competition.
James Jordan (8th grade), Mallory Erwin (4th grade),
Alex Payne (7th grade) and Sabeek Pradhan (6th grade)
2006 Commencement Speaker
Hillsdale Academy is pleased to announce that Congressman Phil Crane of Illinois (retired) will speak
at this year’s commencement ceremony, scheduled for June 4 at 2:00 p.m. in the Academy Commons.
Congressman Crane’s career includes service as a teacher and principal as well as a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Rep. Crane served in the House from 1969 to 2005 as a Republican representing the 8th District of Illinois
in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago. He earned the distinction of being the longest-serving Republican
member of the House. He was born in Chicago, was educated at Hillsdale College, the University of Vienna,
and Indiana University (where he received a Ph.D. in history) and served in the United States Army.
Congressman Phil Crane
A cademy L ane
Vol. 4 No. 2 Spring 2006
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