March 13, 2025

Hello Steve, Please enjoy our Saints News!

HEAD OF SCHOOL MUSING

Last year it was Remix – our 25^th anniversary celebration. This year it’s Carnival, a fun community event that will be held on Saturday, April 5^th in Grace Auditorium from 7:30-10:30 pm.

The VCHS family knows how to have fun, and the Carnival parent committee members and volunteers are making sure of that. Shout outs to:

We’ll enjoy light snacks and drinks, music, dancing, and a silent auction. All proceeds will support three initiatives.

1. Bus (Goal $80,000-$175,000). Our large blue bus was purchased in 2017 (used) and has officially been retired. A second bus (and larger one than our white bus) will be a huge help with athletic transportation, field trips, retreat, etc. The more money raised the closer we will get to the newest bus possible ensuring longevity, reliability, and greater safety.

2. Athletics (Goal $25,000). We will support volleyball by replacing the original standards and nets (almost 20 years old) and investing in the necessary technology for CHSSA’s required basketball 35-second shot clock that will officially be enforced in 2026-27.

3. Bentley’s (Goal $10,000). Bentley’s, the new student run business, is operating out of the kitchen in Rohlwing Commons and is seeking some commercial kitchen upgrades to support our student entrepreneurs.

We’re three weeks away from Carnival. There are two things you can do right now. First, buy your tickets HERE. Tickets will be limited (we’re thinking 200). Second, support Carnival by becoming a SPONSOR. Questions? Reach out to Jenn Bruno – jbruno@vchsweb.org

Steve O'Neil

Head of School

BRAVOS

Saints in Science Olympiad

Twelve VCHS students prepared for 23 events in all areas of science and engineering to compete in the 2025 Science Olympiad Competition at Colorado State University Pueblo. Events consisted of tower build, wind power, material science, helicopter build, robot tour, electric vehicle, air trajectory, chemistry, microbiology, entomology, geology, forensics, code breaking, experimental design, anatomy, astronomy, optics, disease detectives, and others. VCHS placed 10th out of 30 schools in the southern region of Colorado. VCHS was invited to the state competition to be held April 5 at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. This is a new team for VCHS led by Caden McCommons '25 and advised by Denea O'Neil, which hopes to build our team for next year.

Students involved: Sammy Moberg, Adam and Marek Labenski, Gwen and Paige Middleton, Savanna Salyer, Caden McCommons, Michael Kolczak, Annie Becker, Radije Sammour Brito, Hans Wittenburg, and Jesus Palacio.

SPORTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Senior Salute 2025!

All senior families should have received an invitation via email yesterday for your senior and their parents. If you did not receive an invite, please reach out to Shannon O'Brien

Please RSVP by Wednesday, March 19th

Senior Memory Boards

Return your completed Memory Board to the Front Desk by April 1st

PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS

We are looking for two parents to step in and take over this role for next year. The PA plays an important role in coordinating parent-led efforts that directly support our students and teachers. We coordinate volunteers and funding for things like Paint Your Parking Spots, Concessions, Parent Mixers, Teacher Appreciation Week, Teacher Christmas Gifts, Student and Teacher Grants, the Fellowship Dinner and even Food for Finals!

If you are passionate about making a difference and have some spare time you can dedicate to our school community, we would love to hear from you! Heidi and I are able to support and guide you as much as you need. Please reach out to us at vchsparentassociation@vchsweb.org if you can take on or help with this important role!

Sign your club or group up for Boys Volleyball Concessions today! Earn money and serve your school community!

ALUMNI NEWS

Christian Bohren (Class of 2014) combined academic excellence, leadership, and hands-on experience to build

a successful path from Texas A&M to a career in

cybersecurity, driven by curiosity and a passion for innovation. Click here for the article

Tommy O'Neil's (Class of

2019) journey from a small mountain town to New York’s financial scene is anything but ordinary. His curiosity about politics and markets turned into a career as a Risk Analyst at Interval Partners, where he tackles global finance with sharp analysis and a passion for learning. Click here for the article.

Congratulations to Summers Baker (Class of 2011), son of Kristin Baker, for releasing his newest bluegrass album, My Bluegrass Baby.

The vision behind My Bluegrass Baby was to test a theory that the best music - and, by extension, the best art - finds its origins in playfulness. Project leader Summers Baker wanted to create a children's album for his nieces, so he gathered a group of musicians in Denver on a weekend in June 2024. The rules of the recording sessions were twofold: first, you must wear a costume to the recording sessions, and second, you must let go of the desire to sound "good." The result is a Bluegrass album for children and the children who live inside every adult, waiting for an opportunity to get silly. Enjoy! Click here to listen.

Nominate a Distinguished Alumni

Now accepting nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award. Please visit us at VCHS Saints Alumni WebPage

to access the nomination form. Deadline is April 1, 2025.

REMINDERS

Call For Entries

Articulation Art & Literary Magazine Vol. 9 - Dreams

Seeking entries of art, photography, poetry, creative writing + more to be published in the 2025 edition.

Please email articulationmagazine@vchsweb.org with questions or to send submissions.

View past editions here:

https://simplebooklet.com/articulationvol8aroundtheworld

https://simplebooklet.com/echoesofthepastvisionsofthefuturearticulationvol7

Sleep is essential for overall health, but with balancing long hours of work, school and extracurricular responsibilities, students sleep 2 hours less than necessary, which can contribute to various health issues such as increased stress and worsened mental health. This month, in recognition of World Sleep Day on March 14th, the Future Health Professionals Club will be launching a few initiatives:

Advocating for an extra late-start day in March
Selling $5 Sleep Goody Bags for students, parents and faculty (at a reduced rate) this week to encourage relaxation and good sleep habits going into break
Sending out a sleep tracker: Students who agree to track their sleep for the week of March 8-14 and/or the week of break are eligible to join raffles and/or get FREE goody bags (check email for more details)