Elizabeth Jureckova

12 May

Campion Sophomores return to Moab to study biology

In

By Elizabeth Jureckova – Moab, Utah … The Campion sophomore classrooms and dorm rooms were empty during the first week of May as the students enjoyed spending five days of outdoor education in Moab, Utah.

The annual trip, after a two-year hiatus, was filled with hiking, swimming, and exploring.

Reflecting on the trip, Ruth, a sophomore, commented, “Moab was absolutely fantastic! We did a whole lot of hiking which was really fun, yet tiring.”

When they arrived at what was to be their home for the next five days, the first item on the agenda was setting up camp before relaxing the rest of the day by rafting. The following day the education began with identifying different flowers and plants while hiking in nature.

“We went to a delicate arch and trekked along several paths gaining many blisters along the way. We also went to Faux Falls on one of the days. On Saturday, some of us went on a sunrise hike which was quite a sight to experience,” Ruth added.

Learning and having fun weren’t the only items on the agenda as building lifelong bonds with classmates and creating memories were also high on the list, according to Ariana, sophomore. “I’m really glad I went to Moab with my class. It was a great bonding experience that I’m glad I didn’t miss out on. We had fun having water fights in the rafts and playing endless card games. We hiked so much, and it was fun to see Mr. Kast beat everyone up the trail, jogging half the time.”

Natanya, sophomore, went into the week anxious. “I have been waiting since freshman year to go to Moab,” explained Natanya; “Honestly, I was kind of nervous to go because I didn’t know what to expect.”

She added that “once I got to Moab, it was literally magical. I had so much fun with my whole class. It was truly a bonding experience our class really needed. Seeing the sunsets and sunrises on the arches was so beautiful. Camping in tents and staying up late at night was definitely the best. From exhausting hikes to eating s’mores on Saturday night, I couldn’t have made better memories with my friends and classmates.”

–Elizabeth Jureckova is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied

16 Mar

CAMPION STUDENTS MENTOR YOUNG CHOIR SINGERS AT 2022 MUSIC FESTIVAL

In

By Elizabeth Jureckova – Loveland, Colorado … The Campion Academy’s Music Festival returned to Campion Academy after a two-year absence on March 12.

The annual event was smaller than in the past out of an abundance of caution by only inviting fifth through eighth local school students. It was also the first gathering in a long while and students could enjoy seeing each other’s faces and singing without masks.

Under the direction of Campion’s music director, Yves Clouzet, the group spent Friday learning new songs and preparing for their performance for the church service.

While students got to experience performing in a larger choir, Campion students got to experience mentoring the younger performers.

“I loved working with the kids and singing with them. Music fest required a lot of dedication and hard work from both Campion students and the kids, but I’m glad our performance turned out great,” remarked Blessing, Campion senior.

The attendees learned valuable lessons about music and singing in harmony in a choir, a first for many due to the pandemic.

Reflecting on the event, Zachary, a sixth-grader at HMS Richards Adventist School, said, “The hardest part was learning to sing Jubilate Deo because we had to learn to sing all the Latin vowels correctly and to sing different notes and parts at the same time. I had never done that before, but I just listened to Brayan and Melody (Campion students) and followed what they were singing.”

While this year’s music festival was limited to local schools, Campion Academy’s music department will travel in April to provide an intensive workshop at Intermountain Adventist Academy in Grand Junction.

–Elizabeth Jureckova is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supply

10 Mar

CAMPION SENIORS TOUR UNION COLLEGE

In

By Elizabeth Jurekova – Lincoln, Nebraska … Campion seniors recently spent two days in Lincoln, Nebraska exploring the college campus and meeting with teachers at Union College in anticipation of college life next year.

Union College professors presented summaries of the large variety of majors and specialties available for the seniors (soon-to-be college freshmen) to study or to choose as a major.

“I liked that Union presented different majors and the great opportunities you can get from attending. It was an overall great trip,” said Blessing.

Madi echoed Blessing’s sentiments. “I enjoyed meeting some of the staff at the presentations. They were really nice and inviting, and you could tell they cared about all their students.”

The weekend was an opportunity for the students to think about their future and plan for college as well as gain a better understanding of the college culture.

Besides learning about academic life, students enjoyed activities such as swimming, playing mini-golf, and experiencing Lincoln’s food culture by visiting the local ice cream and coffee shop.

“What I liked about our preview days was that we got to bond as a class and spend more time with each other,” reflected Blessing.

–Elizabeth Jurekova is a senior at Campion Academy; photo supplied

03 Mar

CAMPION STUDENTS EXCHANGE CLASSROOMS FOR SKI SLOPES

In

By Elizabeth Jureckova – Copper Mountain, Colorado … Twenty-nine Campion Academy students ditched the classrooms and their comfortable dorm life for a chance to spend four days snowboarding, skiing, and enjoying the mountains of Colorado on the annual ski trip to Copper Mountain.

The excursion began with the students leading worship and the church service at Leadville Adventist church. Local members were able to experience the student praise team as well as personal testimonies. Later in the day, students swapped church wear for snow gear to enjoy the local sledding hill.

For the following three days, students enjoyed the slopes on skis and snowboards under sunny skies. Reflecting on the event, Chase, Campion senior, said, “I had a great time with my friends. I had a lot of fun switching my skis for Owen’s snowboard and absolutely shredding the gnar.”

Fellowship time is what many will cherish most. “My favorite part of the ski trip was bonding with people I wouldn’t hang out with on a daily basis, and the food was amazing too,” said Lizzie, Campion student.

Another student, Brisa, explained that even though they weren’t in the classroom, learning didn’t stop. “It was great learning something new with people who are willing to teach while having fun and making new friends.”

Students returned to the Campion campus tired, but filled with countless memories of great experiences.

To view a video of the ski trip produced by Noah Sturges, Campion senior, please click here: https://youtu.be/ygM_oSXTfdw.

–Elizabeth Jureckova is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied

30 Nov

CAMPION STAFF TURNED INTO COMEDIANS AT TALENT SHOW

In

By Elizabeth Jureckova – Loveland, Colorado … Campion Academy’s staff didn’t shy away from the cheesy and embarrassing to provide laughter and needed stress relief before semester finals on November 20 at the Staff Talent Show.

Erin Johnson, English teacher, and Lindsey Santana, teacher and librarian, got the show started by comparing British and American English language and culture. Students enjoyed the cracking act.

The show continued with the audience being treated to the magical talents of Dean Helm, vice president of finance for Campion, aka Helmdini, in which he made props spontaneously appear and disappear and magically saved Lacy from the “lions”. The student involvement in Helmdini’s show created extra suspense and excitement among the students on stage and in the audience.

In a video episode of Miss Communication, Jill Harlow, communication director for Campion, shared some erroneous advice on communicating with teenagers, such as proper punctuation in texts, lengthy emails, and keeping up with the latest musical trends. Miss Communication even danced to ska music in her video, to the great amusement of the students.

After bringing the audience to their feet in a lively performance of an original rap song about Reeder’s mustache, McDiss (Carlos Santana) and Santana Hybrid (Molly Santana, women’s dean) made an exciting announcement: the girl’s dorm population will increase by one because they’re expecting another baby.

“The whole show was really fun and full of laughs, but my favorite part was the Santanas’ announcement,” said Jovanna, Campion student. “I’m happy for them, and it was special that we all got to be a part of that.”

During the show, Shannon Brown, guidance counselor with deadpan delivery, shared some very corny jokes with Jessica Rios, Bible teacher.

“I was nervous about my performance because I didn’t know if people would enjoy my jokes, but everyone was very supportive, so I enjoyed it very much. Overall, the talent show was well done and made for a wonderful evening,” Brown said.

The evening also featured many other stage acts such as Val Allen’s song about students’ favorite things at Campion, the pastors’ drawing contest, Clouzet’s “sheesh” harmonies, Principal Don Reeder as the puppet in a ventriloquist act led by Lonnie Hetterle, former RMC director of education who had practice with the gig with Ed Barnett former RMC president, and of course Jordan Dubini, men’s dean, who provided constant entertainment as the master of ceremonies.

The evening provided the chance to relax and enjoy some funny minutes before the students went back to studying for their semester finals.

–Elizabeth Jureckova is a Campion senior; photos supplied

15 Sep

CAMPION AND MILE HIGH ACADEMY SPLIT OPENING GAMES AS SPORTS RETURN

In

RMCNews with Love Pickle and Elizabeth Jureckova – Loveland, Colorado … After a dreadful year of pandemic restrictions, soccer and volleyball have returned to Campion Academy.

According to students, not having competitive sports due to COVID-19 negatively impacted the school experience. “It felt kinda empty without sports last year,” Jovanna, Campion sophomore, said.

Sharing the same sentiments Kendra, Campion senior, expressed, “Having volleyball back is definitely a highlight of my senior year; I missed going to tournaments last year and being with my teammates.”

With sports back, the cheers of students, staff, and families returned as Campion Academy boys showed off their soccer skills during the season’s opening game against Mile High Academy. The Campion Cougars dominated the Mustangs 3 to 1.

“After not being able to play any sports last year, it is great to finally be able to play sports again, especially soccer. It’s already been a great start to the season, and it will only get better. We have a lot to work on together as a team, but we all are willing to put in the work. I think our whole team is excited to play soccer once again, and we all want to bring the trophy back home from Union,” Karson, Campion soccer member, expressed.

While the boys celebrated the win, the girls’ volleyball opening match between the two schools was underway.  The Cougars and Mustangs both showed perseverance during the match, and, in the end, MHA ended on top, winning 3 to 1.

Students were thankful to be back on the field, win or lose.

“It felt really good being back on the field. I think sports bring people together in a way nothing else can. You could definitely tell the effect of not having [sports] last year had on everybody. We’re all super excited to play again this season, make memories and have some fun,” Collin, Campion soccer team member, said.

“It’s nice to get back into the groove and feel the energy of competition,” reflected Kylie, Campion captain of the volleyball team. “I have a good team, and I am looking forward to what this season will hold.”

— RMCNews with Love Pickle and Elizabeth Jureckova; photos by Gwyn Reeves and Jill Harlow