Congratulations to both Ryan Holt (’03) and Anna (Windsor) Kana (’02). On November 16, 2009 these two former students were admitted to the state bars of South Carolina (Mr. Holt) and Texas (Mrs. Kana). Anna Kana is a graduate of the Univeristy of Texas and the University of Texas School of Law. Ryan Holt is a garduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College and the University of South Carolina School of Law. These two alumni share the distinction of being the first attorneys to graduate from Hill Country Christian School of Austin. Our support and prayers go with them as they step into their chosen profession.
Author Archive for lmote
On Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at a special morning assembly, students, staff, parents, faculty and some very special guests gathered to commemorate Veterans Day. Head Master Bill McGee enlightened students on the history of this day, first begun in 1918 to mark the Armistice between Germany and the Allied countries at the end of World War I. To bring it more current, Mr. McGee read a proclamation given by President Barack Obama on October 30, 2009 rededicating this day to our veterans past, present and even future. In the President’s words, “I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers.”
And Hill Country took this to heart as we honored service members past and present among our learning community. Some, like Coach Scott Horne, are known and recognized while some, like Captain Browning who joined us from Fort Hood, are new to our circle of friends. After the standing ovation, Mr. McGee read a poem entitled “Because of You, Unknown Soldier” to remind us of the soldiers who are faceless but not forgotten in our hearts and prayers. After collecting donations of more than $2,000 in food gift cards for the families of those killed or wounded at Fort Hood, we moved our service to the newly erected flagpole. Because of the generosity of two HCCSA families, the school has its first flagpole and two new electronic signs to share upcoming events.
On hand were the 6th grade safety patrol and two members of the drum corps. After a quick lesson in flag respect and etiquette, our safety patrol solemnly raised the flag for the first time at this location. After reaching its full height, it was slowly lowered to half staff in honor of our fallen soldiers at Fort Hood while the drum corps struck the cymbal, once for each life lost. This was followed first by a poem read by Coach Horne entitled “My Name is Glory” and then by singing led by Mrs. Holly Loveday of “God Bless America.” It was truly sweet to hear the acapella song rising from voices ranging from preschool children through honored veterans of World War II. In closing, Mr. Edward Baptiste, school chaplain, offered a prayer for the safety of all soldiers everywhere and a reminder of the blessing we have in living in a free country because of their sacrifices. May we continue to pray for our troops, their families, and the security of our country.
HCCSA brought three teams to compete in the Cougar-tamen Certamen Tournament hosted by Hill Country Middle School of Eanes School District. We competed in Middle School, Intermediate and Advanced and took home three trophies for our efforts.
In each division, our team advanced to the final round. Schools represented at the tournament included St. Andrew’s Upper School, Westlake, St. Michael’s Academy, Hill Country Middle School, Paragon Prep, Kealing, Crockett, McCallum and Westwood.
One of our middle school teams, made up of Adam K. , Matthew R., Nathan B., Elizabeth S., Zac R. and Seth J., advanced to the final round and placed third. This was their first Certamen of the year, and for many of them the first Certamen ever! It was a strong showing and we’re proud of their achievement.
Our second middle school team, made up of 6th graders Holden B., Collin R., Jonathan I., Noah P., Grant B. and Ricky T, have been practicing with our team manager and assistant coach HCCSA junior Josh A. to prepare for their first Certamen tournament. We are proud of their first efforts and look for many years of Certamen fun for them in the future.
Our advanced team, consisting of Aidan A., Jesse J., Kyndal P. and our adopted teammate Laura M. advanced to their final round convincingly. They placed third against the St. Andrew’s team which represented Texas at Nationals in July, and Westlake whose players advanced to State in 2009. It was a great start to the year and the team is looking forward to an exciting rematch against our rivals in December at the Crusader Classic.
Our intermediate team, consisting of Jonathan M., Shane J., Sara J., Thomas E., Steven B. and Chloe P. advanced to the final round and took first place against perennial Texas and National powerhouses St. Andrew’s and Westlake. They are looking forward to friendly, but intense, competition against the excellent teams in the San Antonio area at November’s Clark Certamen Tournament.
Our region of the Texas State Junior Classical League is not only one of the strongest in the state, but also one of the top regions in the nation for secondary Latin education. For HCCSA students to have the opportunity to compete in scrimmages against these excellent programs is a great privilege and it highlights the significance of their hard work and achievements.
Certamen is the Latin word for “struggle” and anyone who has observed a tournament knows that this name is appropriate. Students compete in a Jeopardy-style quiz bowl on topics related to Latin and Classical history and mythology. There are three rounds of twenty toss-up questions. Teams can have up to four players. HCCSA students practice regularly as part of our Certamen elective, during study halls and sometimes after school. It is a big commitment for them and for their parents.
If you’re curious about seeing an academic struggle in action, join us at one of our upcoming tournaments to cheer on the home team and witness some amazing brainwork. Our schedule is:
Saturday, November 7 Clark Certamen, San Antonio 10:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday, December 5 Crusader Classic, St. Michael’s Austin 8:00am - 12:00pm
Saturday, January 30 Westwood Certamen, co-hosted by HCCSA 8:00am - 12:00pm
Friday/Saturday, February 20-21
Area Tournament (determines State participation), St. Andrew’s Upper School.
Pax Christi vobiscum,
Erin Davis-Valdez
Chair, Department of Foreign Languages
HCCSA Senior Caroline J. was chosen as one of 20 state finalists for the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award.
“For eight generations, the Heisman name has signified excellence, determination and prestige among college football’s elite. In 1994, the next level of outstanding achievers ensconced their names into the Heisman lore when the Wendy’s High School Heisman (WHSH) was created.
The WHSH program has set the standard for high school student-athletes, and gained tremendous prestige in its own right as the program combines the best of high school athlete and academic awards. Each fall, the WHSH recognizes the nation’s most esteemed high school senior men and women for exellence in academics, athletics and community/school leadership…
To date more than 188,000 high school students have represented their schools and been touched by the Heisman mystique. Of them, 181 have progressed to the National Finalist level, with 30 earning the designation of Wendy’s High School Heisman National Award Winners.”
Caroline J. is one of 1,020 State Finalists (20 from each state). From the 1,020 finalists, 102 State Winners will be chosen. These in turn compete for the National Finalist title, given to 12 students nationwide. One male and one female student will be chosen from the 12 to be the National Award Winners who will be honored during ESPN’s national telecast of the college Heisman Memorial Trophy presentation. Congratulations to Caroline for her outstanding commitment to excellence in academics, athletics and community service. Our prayers are with her as her name is forwarded in the competition.
Hear from our players and coaches in Hill Country News’ article featuring our football team in their August 27 issue. Check it out by clicking on the link below.
http://www.hillcountrynews.com/articles/2009/08/25/sports/sports23.txt
For Immediate Release
Re: Hill Country Athletics
June 3, 2009
AUSTIN – The 2008-2009 school year turned out to be tremendously successful for the athletics teams at Hill Country Christian School of Austin. All but one of the school’s varsity teams made its division’s TAPPS state playoff tournament, and the one that didn’t – boys’ basketball – still had a winning record.
The highlight of the year, though, was a record-setting individual performance from junior distance runner Caroline Janssen, who won three individual state championships, including the TAPPS 2A cross country title in the fall, as well as the 2A 1600 and 3200 meter races in the spring State Track Meet.
The varsity 6-man football Knights posted a 7-5 record, were district champs, and made it to the TAPPS regional finals before falling to Greenville Christian. Varsity volleyball and girls varsity basketball each made it to the bi-district round of the playoffs, and the girls basketball team won a school record 23 games.
In the spring, the varsity baseball team also won a school record 17 games, was bi-district champion, and came with one run of advancing to the regional finals.
Middle school sports also tasted great success this past school year, with the middle school football team playing its first season of 11-man ball, and posting an impressive 7-1 record. The middle school “A” volleyball team – the younger of the two middle school teams – advanced all the way to the finals of the post-season Austin Christian Athletic Association tournament. Both the boys and girls middle school basketball teams experienced wining records and strong finishes, and the middle school track team won the ACAA meet.
The stage is set with many returning student athletes for another strong run in 2009-2010.
Pete Craycroft
Athletic Director
I am pleased to share some good news about the state of our academic program at HCCSA. This summer, I have taken advantage of the opportunity to look at how our students are doing compared to students in other schools across the country. As you know, we administer the Stanford Achievement Test to all students in grades 1-8. This norm-referenced test allows us to compare the academic skills of our students with students in both public and private schools throughout the nation. I also reviewed the PSAT and SAT scores of our high school students. Below are the results of my analysis.
On the Stanford Achievement Test our students, after averaging each grade level, scored in the top 14% on the National Percentile Rankings (NPR). Three years ago, our students were scoring in the top 18%. If we narrow the comparison to students in Christian schools, a more selective group or norm, our students average in the top 28%. Three years ago, HCCSA students were in the top 34% on ACSI NPR.
You will be interested to know that the two sub-tests in which our students scored highest were thinking skills and math problem-solving. I believe this is an endorsement of our classical philosophy which emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving. In 7th and 8th grades, our students were achieving at the grade equivalency of Post-High School in these two areas.
What is most interesting to me is that I looked at individual grade performances over a three year period and I observed that the average increase in the NPR was 3%. In other words, as our students advance in grade level, their relative performance improves.
I am also pleased with the academic performance of our high school students. Looking at the last three years of 11th graders taking the PSAT, HCCSA students improved their Selection Index from an average of 162 to 173. The Class of 2009 had a mid 50% range of 1140-1350 on the two-part (verbal and quantitative) SAT compared to a range of 1030-1300 two years ago.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic about our high school, however, was the amount of academic scholarships awarded to our senior class as they matriculate into college next year. 12 of the 18 graduates (2/3 of our senior class) were offered a cumulative total of $811,350 in merit-based (non-financial aid) scholarships. This is an average of over $67,000 per student. The cumulative amount of academic scholarships accepted by these 12 students amounted to $445,650, or an average of $37,138. The value of scholarships accepted by our students ranged from $1500 to $110,000. These scholarships were offered by highly selective colleges and universities such as Trinity University, Austin College, Baylor, TCU, UT-Dallas, Texas A&M, and University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Furthermore, two of our graduates recently tested out of 16 and 10 (respectively) credit hours for Spanish placement in college. Clearly, the investment these families made in HCCSA has paid great dividends!
Thank you for taking time to read this lengthy update. I hope you are as proud of our school and its academic excellence as I am!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Bill McGee
Head Master
HCCSA Latin Team Wins 3rd Place in the Nation
Hill Country Christian School of Austin’s chapter of the National Junior Classical League attended their first National Convention this year. The 56th Annual National Junior Classical League Convention was held July 27 – August 1 at the University of California, Davis. It was an exciting week, filled with competition, camaraderie, and classics. HCCSA’s eleven students performed extraordinarily well in contests as diverse as Certamen (Latin Quiz Bowl), Graphic Arts, Costume, Academic Tests, and Olympika (sports). This year’s convention was held on the beautiful campus of the University of California at Davis. Over 1500 students from around the nation attended, along with their teachers and chaperones. A summary of the accomplishments of HCCSA students in every area of competition is included below.
Certamen Team
One of the many events that occurs at the National Convention is called Certamen, Latin for struggle. It is a quiz-bowl style game in which three teams of four players each buzz in to answer questions on Latin grammar, Latin vocabulary, Classical Mythology, and Roman history and culture. A combined Certamen team, consisting of players from both HCCSA and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, won State in the Novice Division of Certamen to advance to Nationals. HCCSA has had a Latin Club and Certamen Team since October of 2006. St. Andrew’s has a long and illustrious history as one of the best Certamen programs in the nation. The teams combined after the Regional competition to create only Novice Division Certamen teams in the Central Texas since 1987 to represent Texas at Nationals.
The team consisted of four players and four alternates, all of whom earned their positions by points challenges during the thrice weekly summer practices. The HCCSA players, whose specialties are listed after their names, were Jonathan Mitchell (captain and language skills), Shane Jasek (mythology), and Laura Mahaney (history and culture). HCCSA’s alternate player was Jack Horton, the language skills alternate. St. Andrew’s players were Connor Butler (all-around), Trace Turner (mythology alternate), lSt. Andrew’s all-around alternate was Rachel Dimston (all around alternate) and Robert Luke (all around alternate).The HCCSA coaches were Madalyn Roth and Erin Valdez, and the St. Andrew’s coaches were Lauren Dill and Nathan Michaud.
In the preliminary rounds at Nationals, the Novice team was one of fifteen teams from across the nation to compete for enough points to advance to the Semi-Final round. Having accomplished this, the Novice team faced elimination in the Semi-Finals against Louisiana and Tennessee. In a very exciting twist, HCCSA’s mythology player, Shane Jasek, was disqualified on a technicality before the round could begin. As a result, mythology alternate Trace Turner, was subbed in the last minute. Tennessee and Texas kept Louisiana scoreless. Texas led Tennessee by a margin of ten points going into the final question, which was to be mythology. Each correct buzz is worth ten points, and players can earn up to twenty by answering correctly bonus questions. Thus, Texas had to beat Tennessee on the last question or most likely be eliminated. Connor Bulter buzzed in before the question could be finished to score the last buzz for Texas, thus advancing the team to the Finals.
In Final Round of the Novice Certamen Division, Texas faced the perennial powerhouses of Florida and Virginia. The Texas line-up was Jonathan Mitchell, Shane Jasek, Laura Mahaney, and Connor Butler. It was an exciting and hard-fought round in which Florida in the end prevailed over Virginia and Texas. HCCSA’s players represented the state of Texas and their school with honor and excellence and are determined to claim the Intermediate Division National Championship next year. The team and their coaches encourage spectators come to the Certamen tournaments held through out the school year. Information on this season’s line-up can be obtained by contacting Erin Valdez.
Academic Contests
Students were able to take eighteen individual Academic tests on subjects related to the classics, such as Latin Grammar, Latin Vocabulary, Latin and Greek derivatives, Classical Mythology, Greek and Roman history, and many more. Individuals received ribbons or certificates for scores in the top ten places of their category.
Aidan Aannestad, Level II:
· Greek Derivatives, First Place
· Latin Derivatives, First Place
· Academic Heptathlon, Third Place
· Reading Comprehension, Third Place
· Ancient Geography, Fifth Place
· Hellenic History, Sixth Place
· Latin Literature, Sixth Place
· Latin Vocabulary, Sixth Place
Aidan Aannestad, Level III:
· Advanced Grammar, First Place
Dacien Barnes, Level ½ :
· Greek Derivatives, Fifth Place
· Hellenic History, Ninth Place
Nathan Brown, Level ½ :
· Classical Art, First Place
· Latin Vocabulary, First Place
· Mottoes, Fifth Place
· Ancient Geography, Seventh Place
· Roman History, Seventh Place
· Reading Comprehension, Tenth Place
Jack Horton, Level ½ :
· Reading Comprehension, Second Place
· Latin Vocabulary, Fourth Place
· Latin Grammar, Seventh Place
Jesse Jasek, Level II:
· Mythology, Tenth Place
Shane Jasek, Level 1:
· Mythology, Sixth Place
Jonathan Mitchell, Level I:
· Latin Vocabulary, First Place
· Latin Grammar, Eighth Place
· Latin Literature, Tenth Place
Graphic Arts
The Creative Arts division includes competitions in classically themed photography, posters, greeting cards, mixed media, games, sculpture, dolls, and many, many more. HCCSA’s impressive results are listed below. Individual sweepstakes points are assigned for each fifth place or better award. Chloe Policke, who spent her summer in arts classes and creating her entries, won HCCSA’s first overall sweepstakes award, Sixth Place in the Graphic Arts. For more information on the Graphic Arts competitions and how to get involved, contact Madalyn Roth.
Joshua Andrews, Grade Ten
· Greeting Cards, First Place
· Computer Photo, Fifth Place
· Traditional Photo, Sixth Place
Laura Mahaney
· Traditional Scrapbook, Small, Ninth Place
Chloe Policke, Grades 7-9. Overall Graphic Arts Sweepstakes Award, Sixth Place.
· Jewelry, First Place
· Games, Second Place
· Glass, Second Place
· Textiles, Second Place
· Acrylic/Oils, Third Place
· Charcoal, Third Place
· Posters: Drawn, Third Place
· Charts: Drawn, Third Place
· Mosaics, Sixth Place
· Maps, Sixth Place
· Watercolor, Sixth Place
· Illustrated Quotes, Sixth Place
· Colored Pencil, Ninth Place
Creative Arts
The Creative Arts division includes competitions in Costume, Dramatic Interpretation (memorization of a Latin passage and dramatic oral delivery thereof), Latin Oratory (delivery of an Latin speech), and many more. For more information on how to take part in Creative Arts competitions, contact Madalyn Roth.
Joshua Andrews, Level II
· Costume - Boys, Third Place (Pluto)
Lindy Martin, Level I
· Costume – Girls, Second Place (Ceres)
Laura Mahaney, Level I
· Costume – Girls, Eighth Place (Ceres)
· Costume – Couples, Second Place (Antony and Cleopatra)
Jonathan Mitchel, Level I
· Costume – Couples, Second Place (Antony and Cleopatra)
Olympika (Athletics)
Olympika contests included swimming and track events this year. HCCSA had several impressive athletes who competed in this events with students from around the nation.
Dacien Barnes, Junior Boys:
· 50-yard Butterfly, Third Place
· 50-yard Freestyle, Third Place
Laura Mahaney, Junior Girls
· 50-yard Breaststroke, Sixth Place
Chloe Policke, Junior Girls
· 200 Meter Track, Forth Place
· 100 Meter Track, Fifth Place
Congratulations to our HCCSA Seniors who reflect their academic excellence by garnishing over $800,000 in scholarship dollars for their college education. The exact scholarship number as determined by the Office of Student Services is $811,350. An impressive amount for a senior class of 18 students.
HCCSA students continue to place extremely well among other private and public schools in a number of areas. The area of scholarship dollars awarded is just one of several areas where HCCSA students excel.
Congratulations Seniors!
1st- Hannah Parsons
2nd-Rachel Pokorney
3rd-Jake Pokorney
4th-Zach Day
5th-Will Wilson
6th- Ashley Luker
7th- Madison Benkovic
5th grade Science Fair Winners-
1st-Madelyn Morneault
2nd- Noah Policke
3rd-AJ Ybarra
4th-Marian Herring
5th-Hannah Brooks
6th-Elissa Myers
Tie-7th-Cade Cottrell
Tie-7th- Grace Tinsley
