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Visual Arts Conservatory Seniors Serve with Heart and Style
Visual Arts Conservatory seniors have been busy all semester working in creative teams for outreach to local ministries. Two of those teams have produced a video of their experience as a way to explain how they have changed and grown while working on these unique endeavors. One group served Project Worthmore, a ministry to a refugee community, and one group served Movement 5280, a ministry serving at-risk youth and young adults in Denver. See their caption with team names and then watch their short, but beautiful stories!
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Team Project Worthmore
Each month, Project Worthmore distributes care packages filled with household and hygiene necessities to local refugee families. These items can be costly and hard for families to afford. They count on generous volunteers to help in this effort and our Conservatory seniors rose to the occasion. Our team of students, which included Reagan Robertson, Maria Pretzler, Meghan O'Neal, Liliana Kim and Sophi Ward, branded, marketed, organized and gathered everything needed for the donation drive and were able to distribute the care packages to refuge families in Denver.
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Team Movement 5280
Movement 5280 is a nonprofit organization that provides resources such as food, clothing, job skill classes, Celebrate Recovery and partners with hotels to provide shelter for homeless, street-connected youth and young adults. They not only meet the physical needs for young people and adults, but they create a safe environment where everyone who walks through their doors knows they will be met with kindness, prayer and given a sense of family.
Valor Conservatory students Eleana Wright, Paige Alexander, Maddie Boerma, Sophia Bossio and Ally Shadwick were invited into that family where they were given the opportunity to serve meals on weekends, create content for a beginning photo class to be taught during job skill classes, and they created a mural to honor and remember those who have died on the streets.
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Student Spotlight: Tal Ritter
Tal Ritter is a multi-talented Valor film student and an athlete. He has taken film classes, Valor Sports Network class and is currently on the Valor Pulse broadcast team. With the help of Pulse team members Miaya and Ciaya Washington and Julia Morgan, Tal set, directed, filmed and edited a fun 'hype' video featuring all 40 Valor student athletes who participated in 'Signing Day' last week, a celebration of their college athletic commitments.
"I love the work environment of projects and deadlines in my film and broadcast classes, said Tal. "And the hype video was a way for me to help athletes have a moment of glory in this time of Covid. This is the largest group of Valor athletes who have signed in one year, and they deserved some hype."
Tal, himself, signed to play volleyball at Pepperdine University next year, where he plans to major in business and minor in film. Congratulations Tal and all our talented athletes! Enjoy his Hype film below.
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Music teacher's hidden talent
"Many people are shocked to learn that our music teacher, Nathan Johnson, is secretly a talented travel and landscape photographer," explains photography teacher Mr. Kevin Von Qualen. "He has helped the photo program for years, chaperoning trips to Moab, Utah and Portland, Oregon. Students love his knowledge, kindness, and willingness to help their art. They are always surprised that he's not only a super talented orchestra, jazz and worship band teacher, but he's also an amazing photographer!"
When asked about his work, Mr. Johnson is humble as usual. "I love photographing and exploring the southwest because I'm reminded of beauty and eternity in ways that transfer from the visual to the musical," he said.
'Kiva Ladder' is just one of several of Mr. Johnson's photographs displayed in the Academic buildig hallway this semester.
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Performance Dance Gets a New Name!
by Senior Zola Feasel
This semester our dance teachers gave our performance dance team (known until now as Veritas) an opportunity to rebrand and rename our company. This was an exciting and team-building exercise, and after a few weeks of discussion, we renamed ourselves Meraki [may-rah-kee].
We choose this modern Greek word because it means that in whatever you do, you leave a piece of yourself in your work. As a team, we wanted this to be our purpose. God gave us the ability to tell stories and reach others through dance, and we want to put our hearts into every class, performance, and service project for His glory.
Meraki members have taken this purpose of whole-hearted pursuit of our passions beyond dance. We have become a family. Every day we have a chance to grow closer to each other and deepen our bond as a team. Dancing well together is essential, but being able to laugh, cry, and pour love into one another is the reason Meraki is amazing. Though I leave for college next year, I am so grateful that this team has been a part of my last chapter at Valor. This group of girls have so much love and passion for others and their artistic gifts. As the name reflects, I want to give my heart, soul, and love to this team because of how much they have blessed me. Meraki is beyond a shadow of a doubt, a gift from God!
Thank you to Valor junior Mollie Porch for her beautiful spirit and talent in graphic design. She listened to us, worked with our vision and ultimately created our new logo, and she definitely showed her own 'Meraki' in this project! We'll show you our new apparel next semester!
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| Songwriter Showcase Success
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Our talented Songwriting students had two very special nights of music last month, in which they performed their original songs for the Valor community, expressing their joys, heartaches and hope in God. You'll hear more from them in January at the Valor Music Awards night!
Pictured left: Emma Corsi, who sang her very uplifting song, 'Owe It All to Grace.'
Pictured right: Julia Honnen, singing her piece, 'Still Alone.'
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Who's that Blue Crew?
We have a very cool, innovative drumline/pep crew this year! They've spent tons of hours this semester crafting some unique instruments (including glow-in-the-dark drums) and practicing their cadences.
Who are these mysterious Blue Crew guys, you ask? There are many of them, but from left to right pictured below (you'll just have to trust us) are Reid Cowperthwait, Jonathan White, Hojun Do, Kai Pankoski, Campbell Palmer and Carter Benedetto. Watch for more Blue Crew news and student life to come! Interested in joining? Contact Mr. Jake Hovis.
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POMS pack and pray!
We are encouraged by the joy and gratitude displayed by our students through their service projects. They love to serve, and it also helps build team spirit and remind us of the greater good. The Competitive Jazz team had a ball with their annual tradition of packing Operation Christmas Child boxes full of toys, necessities and prayers. Thank you, ladies, for delivering tiding of comfort and joy!
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God's most glorious handiwork!(Introducing our Arts baby blessings)
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Welcome Baby Teo and Baby Theo!
Congratulations to Mr. James Gonzales, graphic design teacher, and his wife Sarah, on the birth of their 6th child, Mateo Lynn Aarón, born Sept. 2 ('Teo', above left).
Congratulations to Mrs. Jamie Geary, dance teacher and POMS coach, and her husband Joel, on the birth of their first baby, Theodore Wendell born Oct. 24! ('Theo', above right).
Praise God, from whom these precious blessing flow!
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." ~ Psalm 139:13
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