The Owl's Gazette

Vol. 1 No. 7

Community Investment News for the Week!

Truth, Goodness and Beauty

Physical Education & Athletics

Contrary to the societal notion that physical education is non-essential or a "blow-off" class, at Great Hearts, we take our PE program seriously. Like all components of our curriculum, there is thought, logic and intention behind what we do, how we do it and why. Our approach to physical activity is different than most, yet it is deep and meaningful. We use our classical foundation to implement our PE program which lives out our pursuit of the Good, True and Beautiful.

As human beings, we have bodies. In order for people to flourish, we must cultivate and grow that body. To neglect physical virtues would mean neglecting an essential piece of our being. There is a deep unity between the body and the intellect. You cannot have one without the other and our PE program bridges the gap between the moral formation of the soul and the body. Take games and competition for example. The word competition has two Latin parts: "petere" which means "to seek" and "com-" which means "together". Competition literally means to seek or strive together. Often in traditional sports, a winner claims victory and glory for oneself. However, when our scholars play sports or compete, when a game is won, it is through determination, perseverance and camaraderie. Winning is always fun, but doing so in a virtuous and honorable way that highlights the team is a true victory.

The virtues we seek to instill in our physical education and Athletic programs are prudence, justice, temperance, courage and charity. Competition forces students to translate principles of the game (technical or moral) into specific, real time circumstances, offering real training in the virtues. There comes a time in competition which makes students confront the opportunity for cheating or savagery. Our coaches teach resistance to both, and instead we pursue the noble path of justice. Our Owl athletes know that doing the right thing and showing virtue always comes first, even at the expense of not claiming victory for oneself.

In addition to the virtues our PE and Athletic programs aim to teach, our programs highly involve play. At the end of the day, our kids are exactly that- kids. We acknowledge and encourage the idea that play is necessary, healthy and inherently good for the soul. Play is a liberating activity. It is the analog to contemplation; contemplation is to the intellect what play is to the body. It's good for you! Simple as that.

Our students will commence kindergarten with basic foundations of physical education such as agility, core strength, hand-eye coordination, balance, etc. Once our students get older and have mastered the foundations, they enter the world of sports and all it encompasses.

Great Hearts Live Oak currently offers tuition-based Athletics for fifth through seventh graders. As our extra-curricular programs develop, we will offer different sports for all ages and grade levels. Keep an eye out in the weekly family newsletter for updates on new clubs, sports team and extra-curriculars!

For more information about PE, contact Coach Gonzalez.

For more information about Athletics, contact Coach Clark.

Support our PE program here!

Why do our PE coaches love what they do?

"I teach Physical Education, and I love it! My goal is to expose our scholars to a wide variety of skills and activities so that they can find joy in movement. I truly believe P.E. lends itself to encouraging perseverance in all aspects of our scholars’ lives. I remind them often that they may not be able to do something right now or it may be a struggle at first, but with hard work, determination, and practice it will one day come much easier."

Cortney Gonzalez

K-3 Grade PE Coach

"Athletics have been an important part of my life since childhood. Being a part of sports taught me not only how to have respect for my body but it reinforced important life lessons. Leadership, integrity, and accountability were all reinforced and taught me how to become not just a better athlete but a better person."

Allen Clark

4-7 Grade PE Coach

How does Community Investment support physical education?

All PE equipment is purchased by Great Hearts Live Oak. As mentioned in the article above, we believe in the inherent goodness of exercising and taking care of our bodies. There are many costs associated with our physical education program including teacher training, sports equipment, curriculum and facilities costs. This year, we have purchased hundreds of items for PE. A few are listed below to get the idea of what sorts of equipment is used during physical education class:

Basketballs
Volleyballs
Volleyball nets
Kickballs
Gymnastics equipment
Dodgeballs
Beanbags
Soccer ball
Soccer goals
Portable basketball system
Portable speaker and microphone
Baseballs
Foam bats
Batting tee
Bases
Softballs
Cones
Frisbees
Hula Hoops
Jump ropes
Sit and scoot scooters
Parachute
Bowling sets
Flag football equipment
Stopwatches
Dry erase board

All of these items cost our school over $16,000!

Your gift to Community Investment supports our PE program by providing our school the equipment we need

The Great Hearts Live Oak Community Investment Goal for the 2020-2021 school year is $185,000. As of December 1st, we have $100,942 pledged to our campus. That is Each and every dollar given to our CI campaign stays entirely at Great Hearts Live Oak and benefits every student. Community Investment does not go towards extra-curricular activities or anything that does not meaningfully impact every single student at our school.

Contributions go towards:

Salaries for 79 staff members

Computers and projectors

Classroom libraries for every room

School supplies

Paper and copy machines

Textbooks for our 723 students

Staff benefits

Distance learning supplies: microphone, ring lights, camera stands, etc.

School facilities

Plexiglass and safety equipment

Recess bags

PE equipment

Professional development

... and so much more!

Please consider giving to our Community Investment Campaign as we aim to close the funding gap at our school!

Donate Now

Thank you to the following families who have contributed to

the 2020-2021 Community Investment Campaign! We could not do it without you.

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Baldwin

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Cordes

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Durham

Mr. and Mrs. Albie Shaffer

Mr. and Mrs. Alex Frausto

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Aguillen

Mr. and Mrs. Alfredo Huerta

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Arellano

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Hartwell

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kremer

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Schaar

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Taylor

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Valadez

Mr. and Mrs. Ariel Lopez

Mr. and Mrs. Ashley Scott Winstead*

Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Wonser

Mr. and Mrs. Berekat Petros

Mr. and Mrs. Bradley O'brien

Mr. and Mrs. Brett Wilson

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Boudreaux

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Vranes

Mr. and Mrs. Bryce Guthrie

Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Ornelas

Mr. and Mrs. Cedric Satcher

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Gregg

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Tintes

Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Burns

Mr. and Mrs. Cody Williams

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Correa

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Mcfarlin

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Ruiz

Mr. and Mrs. Danny Uribe

Mr. and Mrs. David Diaz De Leon

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Ewing*

Mr. and Mrs. David Hastings

Mr. and Mrs. David Palacios

Mr. and Mrs. David Perez

Mr. and Mrs. David Stopper

Mr. and Mrs. David Tidwell

Mr. and Mrs. Denny Lorenzo

Mr. and Mrs. Derek Benton

Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Hardeman

Mr. and Mrs. Edward Romero

Mr. and Mrs. Elias Warndahl

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Acosta

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Farias

Mr. and Mrs. Ernest (eric) Petrowsky

Mr. and Mrs. Everett Pascual

Mr. and Mrs. Farid Meghani

Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Montenegro

Mr. and Mrs. Francisco Rodriguez

Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Rucker

Mr. and Mrs. Gerald O'neal

Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert “leon” Rogers

Mr. and Mrs. Ignacio De Loera

Mr. and Mrs. Israel Jessop

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Skelton

Mr. and Mrs. Jake Knutson

Mr. and Mrs. Jarid Schaff

Mr. and Mrs. Jarrell Flowers

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Kuiper*

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Masse

Mr. and Mrs. Jason Smith

Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Villa

Mr. and Mrs. Jeromy Lund

Mr. and Mrs. Joe D. Hudson

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Garcia

Mr. and Mrs. Joel Orton

Mr. and Mrs. John Dittmar

Mr. and Mrs. Jordan Sullivan

Mr. and Mrs. Jose Huerta

Mr. and Mrs. Jose Ramirez

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Berg

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Martinez

Mr. and Mrs. Josh Bernstein

Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Radabaugh

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Croteau

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Fults

Mr. and Mrs. Justin Mansfield

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Weber

Mr. and Mrs. Khanh Nguyen

Mr. and Mrs. Landon Rolfe

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Morales

Mr. Reed Hanson*

Mr. Harold Eberach

Ms. Karolina Donaldson

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ardoin

Ms. Shannon Cordes

Mr. Ruben Ramos

Mrs. Alexandra Boudreaux

*Denotes an employee of Great Hearts

Mr. and Mrs. Levi Jenkins

Mr. and Mrs. Luciano Ciorciari

Mr. and Mrs. Luis Leon

Mr. and Mrs. Luke Evans

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Haselden

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Board

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Langlois

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Levins

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Litwin

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Paiz

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Thompson

Mr. and Mrs. Micheal Titus

Mr. and Mrs. Miguelangel Acevedo

Mr. and Mrs. Gretchen Williams*

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Hastings

Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Butterworth

Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Garcia

Mr. and Mrs. Pablo Torres

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Metoyer

Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gazda

Mr. and Mrs. Rey Sanchez

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hernandez

Mr. and Mrs. Rigoberto Hernandez

Mr. and Mrs. Rob Rye

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bethea

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Guzman

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Alexander

Mr. and Mrs. Roger Ruiz

Mr. and Mrs. Roman Velasquez

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Vest

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Zoromski*

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Nolte

Mr. and Mrs. Ruben Ramos

Mr. and Mrs. Russell John

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Schutter

Mr. and Mrs. Sean Conklin

Mr. and Mrs. Starin

Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Roth

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Berryman

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Dunn

Mr. and Mrs. Todd Welch

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Espinosa

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Fong

Mr. and Mrs. William Jacobs

Mr. and Ms. Chris Alvarado

Mr. and Ms. Emanuel Reyes

Mr. and Ms. Ernesto Trevino Iii

Mr. and Ms. Ivan Tirado

Mr. and Ms. Jade Caballero

Mr. and Ms. James Watts

Mr. and Ms. Joel Perez

Mr. and Ms. Joseph Rendon

Mr. and Ms. Josue Lomeli

Mr. and Ms. Lorenzo Reyna Iii

Mr. and Ms. Luis Pichardo

Mr. and Ms. Rene Bautista Gutierrez

Mr. and Ms. Sean O’connor

Mr. and Ms. Suman Shrestha

Mr. and Ms. Vishnu Borra

Mr. Aude Gonzaga

Mr. Basil Franz

Mr. Benson Sainsbury

Mr. Brandon Davison

Mr. Brian Hale

Mr. Brian Pena

Mr. Christopher Reyes

Mr. David Marsh

Mr. David Turcios

Mr. Domingo Gutierrez

Mr. Francisco Cruz

Mr. Gerardo Leon and Ms. Maria del Carmen Sosa

Mr. Greg Billa

Mr. James R. Lewis

Mr. James Saenz

Mr. Jose Gonzalez

Mr. Joseph Berg

Mr. Joshua Hayes

Mr. Mafe Moore

Mr. Matthew Munguia

Mr. Miguel Saldana

Mr. Miguel Zepeda

Mr. Peter Alvarez III

Mr. and Mrs. Eric Petrowsky

Ms. Kate Cherubin

Mrs. Cynthia O'Brien

Mr. and Mrs. Agus Kwok

Ms. Crystal Torres

Ms. Rebecca Penny

Mrs. Meghon Gipson

Mr. Sean Hall

Ms. Agnes Ojo Ogunsede

Ms. Aimee Blanco

Ms. Alexis Jenkins

Ms. Amanda Alexander

Mr. and Mrs. Abram Dick*

Ms. Angie Rendon

Ms. Ashley Trevino

Ms. Audrey Wilson

Ms. Ayanna Banks

Ms. Barbara Johnson

Ms. Bonnie Guajardo

Ms. Caroline Pegis

Ms. Claire DeBakey

Ms. Clarrissa Mercado

Ms. Crystal Jarrett

Ms. Cynthia Audelo*

Ms. Cynthia Olivas

Ms. Dana Griffin

Ms. Deborah Billa

Ms. Deborah Kruciak

Mr. and Mrs. Josh Bernstein

Ms. Gavrielle Cavazos

Ms. Herlena Huang

Ms. Jaklyn Taylor

Ms. Janet Pennock

Ms. Janette Martinez

Ms. Jessica Correa

Mrs. Jessica Smith-Perry*

Ms. Johannah Slykhuis

Ms. Karen Munguia

Ms. Karina Sanchez

Ms. Kate Cherubin

Ms. Kathryn Gillespie

Ms. Kathy Holt

Ms. Kelci Jagge

Ms. Kim Bratcher

Ms. Kimeisha McCullum

Mrs. Kristen Villalvazo

Ms. Kristin Gonzales

Ms. Laura Alvarez

Ms. Laura Brent

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Jackson*

Ms. Lauren Billa

Ms. Lee Ann Huff

Mr. and Mrs. Allen Clark*

Ms. Linda Davis

Ms. Linda Whitaker

Ms. Lisa Fitzpatrick

Ms. Lisa Shelton

Ms. Lizette Perales

Ms. Lupe Ornelas

Ms. Margaret Pegis

Ms. Maria Johnson

Ms. Maria Ramon

Ms. Martha Lopez

Ms. Mary Pegis

Ms. Megan Morris

Ms. Meghon Gibson

Ms. Micheline Cruz

Ms. Monica Corral

Ms. Monika Chavez

Ms. Nora Diaz de Leon

Ms. Patsy Rendon

Ms. Rosalinda Leyva

Ms. Sabrina Mena

Ms. Samantha Fletcher

Ms. Sandra Jackson

Ms. Sara Swift

Ms. Sharon Swisher

Ms. Sheela Lakhani

Ms. Sonia Subia

Ms. Stacey Beasley

Ms. Stefanie Paradis

Ms. Stephanie Woods

Ms. Susanna Nixon

Ms. Thelia Brown

Ms. Tricia Davila

Ms. Veronica Cardenas

Ms. Victoria Sandoval

Ms. Yeny Elston

Ms. Yuka Andrade

Ms. Zenobia West

Mr. Robert Hand

Ms. Casey Thompson

Ms. Laura Sergent

Mrs. Abigail Kuiper *

Mr. and Mrs. John Blanco

Mr. Hector Zavala

Questions about Community Investment? Contact our Director of Academy Giving, Amelia Villalvazo-Dick