Colorado Academy

Colorado Academy
Spiritus Vitam Vivificat ("Spirit Enlivens Life")
Address
3800 South Pierce Street Denver, Colorado, 80235 United States
Coordinates	39°38′52″N 105°4′9″W / 39.64778°N 105.06917°W / 39.64778; -105.06917Coordinates: 39°38′52″N 105°4′9″W / 39.64778°N 105.06917°W / 39.64778; -105.06917 [1]
Information
Established	1906
CEEB Code	060393
Head of school	Michael G. Davis, PhD
Faculty	90
Grades	pre-K to 12
Enrollment	890 (as of 2008-09)
Average class size	17
Student to teacher ratio	9:1
Campus size	94 acres (380,000 m2)
School Colour(s)	Red/black/white
Athletics	CHSAA 3A, 5A
Athletics conference	Metro League, Southern League
Mascot	Mustang
Average SAT scores	626 Critical Reading; 628 Math (mean for 2006-2008)
Average ACT scores	27.3 (mean for 2006-2008)
Website	http://www.coloradoacademy.org/

Colorado Academy (commonly known as C.A.) is an independent nonsectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The school's 94-acre (380,000 m²) campus is located in Denver, Colorado and provides educational opportunities for approximately 900 students.

History

Colorado Academy was established in 1906 as the Hill School for Boys in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Between 1906 and 1919, the school went through several name changes before settling on the Collegiate Military School. Military training was incorporated into the curriculum and the school changed name once more to Colorado Military School in 1923. The school outgrew its space during World War II and in 1947 moved from its location near the University of Denver to its present location in southwest Denver. Enrollment declined after the move and the school was reorganized in 1951, this time as Colorado Military Academy.

In 1955 the school began shifting its focus away from military training. Under the leadership of F. Charles Froelicher, Colorado Academy emerged as a college preparatory school for boys. The school became coeducational in 1971 and has experienced steady growth since.

In the 2011 school year, Colorado Academy graduated 86 seniors, its largest class since its founding in 1906.

Campus

The school's present campus was purchased in 1947. Then known as the Kirk estate, it had been the country home of Jesse Welborn, president of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. The campus has 12 main buildings, Knowles Upper School, the Lower School, Chowdry Middle School, Raether Library, Newton Athletic Center, Froelicher Theatre, Schotters Music Building, Welborn House (administration), Smith Center (administration), Stevens Arts Center/photography lab, Pre-Kindergarten, and the Campus Center/Bookstore. The CA campus also has a number of athletic fields, such as Stuie's Courts (8) (Tennis), Wright field (lacrosse/soccer), East field 1 (practice/ultimate frisbee), East field 2 (practice/ultimate frisbee), Simms Field (soccer), Firman field (soccer/practice), Slater Field (turf)(lacrosse/soccer), and the baseball diamond.

Curriculum

At CA, academic rigor, small classes, and strong individual attention are the core of the curriculum. The strong relationship between students, parents and teachers is central to CA’s mission and culture. Sharing the methods and goals CA uses to educate the students is one way CA enhances this relationship. Curriculum maps provide an overview of each class in the school. Because of this, CA sends 100% of graduating seniors to the nation's top colleges and universities and more than 125 admission officers from around the country come to recruit CA seniors every year.

Extracurricular activities

Activities unique to Colorado Academy include annual overnight trips—third grade students to the Plains Conservation Center, fifth grade students visit Crow Canyon, and eighth grade students go on an Outward Bound Leadership and Communication Retreat. Week-long experiential programs, known as Interim, are available every spring to Upper and Middle School students.

The Upper School club Students HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) puts on a holiday party on the school's campus (transportation included) for nearly 1,600^[2] homeless Denver residents, serving food and giving out toys.

The Upper School club Mustang Monthly releases a monthly newsletter on many current student-related news topics, including book reviews, current local and international happenings, and personal editorials.

The CA Mock Trial team, founded in 2008, qualified for the state tournament in its first, second, and third years of competition. Always placing in the top ten, CA Mock Trial has done very well for such a small school. Also in the third year of competition, CA Mock Trial sent its all freshman team to state. The students made up a vast majority of the freshman there and did fairly well placing 16th overall and lost only to teams that had both competed at nationals, one of which (Glenwood Springs) placed third in the 2011 national championship.

Other Upper School clubs include Yearbook, AfricAid (founded by alumna Ashley Shuyler), and Faces of Diversity.

Athletics

Colorado Academy fields Colorado High School Activities Association-sanctioned competition teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. These teams compete in 3A and 5A classification in the Metro League and Southern League. Additional competitive sports available to students include rock climbing and ultimate Frisbee. Non-competitive options include conditioning, cross-training, racquetball, and yoga.

State championship titles won by the school's teams include men's soccer (1998, 1999)^[3], women's soccer (1999^[4], 2003^[5]), women's field hockey (1997)^[6], women's lacrosse (2000), women's golf (2007, 2008), women’s track and field (1983), women's ultimate frisbee (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) and men's ultimate Frisbee (2008)

Notable alumni

• Teel Bivins, US ambassador to Sweden, 2004–06, Tulane University^{[citation needed]}
• Ashley Shuyler, Humanitarian, Harvard University^{[citation needed]}
• Paul Wylie, Olympic figure skater, Harvard University^{[citation needed]}

Former headmasters

• F. Charles Froelicher (1955–1975)
• Frank Wallace (1976–1990)
• Christopher H. Babbs (1991–2008)^[7]

References

1. ^ "Colorado Academy". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:182210. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 
2. ^ "Founder of Students H.O.P.E. Returns to CA Event", Colorado Academy, 2010-12-24, http://www.coloradoacademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&tn=Founder+of+Students+H.O.P.E.+Returns+to+CA+Event&nid=560422&ptid=131637&sdb=True&pf=pcl&mode=0&vcm=False 
3. ^ "Colorado Academy may again gallop away in 3A". Rocky Mountain News. 1999-09-02. "It's amazing, really, what Colorado Academy did on their way to the 1998 Class 3A boys soccer state title. Playing in the Metro League..." 
4. ^ "Colorado Academy wins 3A soccer crown". Rocky Mountain News. 1999-05-16. 
5. ^ "Mustangs win in shootout". Rocky Mountain News. 2003-05-20. 
6. ^ Jackson, Tony (1997-10-24). "It's official: Mustangs win field hockey title". Rocky Mountain News. "Colorado Academy's 2-1 victory over Fountain Valley amounted one small step for the Mustangs, one giant leap for high school field hockey. In a sport that has awarded its own state championships for years, this one came courtesy of the Colorado High School Activities Association, which only this fall began to sanction it." 
7. ^ Meyer, Jeremy P. (2008-06-09). "Babbs ends 27 years at prep school". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_9524114?source=rss. "After 27 years at Colorado Academy, the last 17 years as headmaster, Christopher Babbs is stepping down and moving with his wife to Mancos." 

External links

• Official Website of Colorado Academy
• Satellite view of Colorado Academy (Google Maps)