Academy news & updates
April 2023
Celebrating the Academy Experience
Be 1 of 1,000 Vikings!
The excitement is building for All Day 4 CA, coming up April 20-21. Our goal is simple: inspire 1,000 Vikings to come together in an awesome display of spirit and support for our school! To encourage Vikings everywhere to join in, 10 alumni and school families are offering matching funds to kick off the day, and additional matches are available for Grades K, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 10 (and maybe more to come).

Look for an email on April 20 at 10:00 a.m. with the link to the special 25-hour giving day donation site. Support, watch your class’ progress, and share your Viking spirit #AllDay4CA. There will be a shoutout for the grade in each division with the greatest number of donors at the end of the event! If you have questions about this important day of giving benefiting the 2022-23 Annual Fund, please contact the Development Office.
April 20 – “All In” Spiritwear Day
Thursday, April 20, is a special spiritwear day in celebration of All Day 4 CA. All students, faculty, staff and families are encouraged to go “All In” with spiritwear on top, bottom and even accessories like scarves, hats, socks, temporary tattoos, etc. Maroon or gray items may be worn in lieu of CA logo apparel as long as there isn’t another logo on them, but no jeans or yoga pants. Have fun with it the more spirit the better! Want to add to your Viking gear? The Viking Corner store is open Wednesdays from 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. with special hours of 7:45-9:00 a.m. Thursday, April 20. Orders can also be placed online at vikingcorner.org.
Upper School Musical on April 27-29
Columbus Academy Student Theatre will stage “Something Rotten” as the upper school spring musical on April 27-29 (view cast list). Tickets for all three 7:30 p.m. shows in the Schoedinger Theatre will go on sale starting at 8:00 a.m. Monday, April 10, by clicking here. Reserved seats are $7 and are free for current Academy students and faculty/staff. According to director Whitney Eads, this show is PG-13 for content and mild language. All patrons under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets will be available for purchase online up until two hours before each performance. Tickets will also be available to purchase at the door, and balcony seats will be reserved for in-person box office purchase only. All patrons must have their tickets printed or accessible on their phones for ushers to scan.
Family Holi Event on April 30
Everyone in the Columbus Academy community is invited to celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 30. RSVP to our CAPSA (Columbus Academy Parents of South Asia) affinity group by April 23 at [email protected]. Learn more about this fun event – which will include delicious food from Tandoori Grill, frozen treats, Bollywood music and a color throw (please wear white or light colors that you don't mind getting powdered colors on) – by clicking here.
Math Night & School News
Over 200 Academy students and families in grades 4-8 attended Math Night in our dining hall in celebration of Pi Day on March 14. Organized by Math Department Chair Katie Castle and Upper School Math Curriculum Coordinator Emily Dennett, Ph.D., students made their way around to interactive stations where they explored with math art, played problem-solving games and even enjoyed a slice of pie (view photos). And that morning, students were featured on 10TV. For news on more campus events, check out the following links:
National Medals in Art & Writing
Columbus Academy junior Alivia S. (art) and senior Max Z. (writing) have received national recognition for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards! Alivia won a gold medal for her ceramics work Mr. Blob while Max earned a silver medal for his short story titled “Closing Eyes. Both students have been invited to the national ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 6-9. Also, click on the following links for more fine and performing arts news:
Wrestler Places Fourth in the State
In the OHSAA's inaugural state tournament for girls wrestling, junior Ceci Reitter became just the 10th wrestler in the 55-year history of our program to reach the state podium by placing fourth in the 105-pound bracket. She was joined at the state meet by sophomore Nina Kim, who competed at 130 lbs. Click on the following links to see their state sendoff by our lower-schoolers, yesterday's announcement of Ceci earning All-Metro honors and our other wrestling awards. In addition to the links below and our just-released Spring Sports Program, check out more sports coverage @academyvikings.
Junior Vikings Baseball Clinic
Join varsity baseball head coach Todd Dunkle, his assistant coaches and Academy JV/varsity baseball players for a five-week clinic starting April 16! Coach Dunkle and his staff will teach you the fundamentals of baseball through training the first two weeks followed by three weeks of mini-games, all on our newly-renovated turf at Stahl Field. There will also be an opportunity to attend the Michigan at Ohio State baseball game with the group on Saturday, May 20. Cost for the clinic is $75 per child. Learn more by clicking here and register by April 10.
Alumni & Faculty/Staff in the News
Stacy Nockowitz, a middle school librarian who has worked at Columbus Academy since 2003, recently traveled to New York City with her mother, husband and daughter to accept the National Jewish Book Award for Middle Grade Literature. “They treated us like royalty, it was just beautiful,” Stacy said of the festivities. “They spoke about each of our books and presented us with a beautiful award. It was just one of the highlights of my life. To have my family there was even more special.” To learn more about “The Prince of Steel Pier” and the recognition earned by Stacy’s debut novel, click here.
Also, click on the links below for more faculty/staff and alumni news: