November 30, 2023

Hello Steve, Enjoy our Saints News!

HEAD OF SCHOOL MUSING

Over Thanksgiving Break, I plowed through two books –both were page-turners – Elon Musk (Walter Isaacson) and Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon (Michael Lewis), the life of Sam Bankman-Fried. With both men, I wanted to learn more about what life was like for them during their childhoods and teenage years. What types of schools did they attend? How were their values shaped? What early life experiences molded who they became?

That led me to reflect on our work at VCHS and the importance of a school’s philosophy. For us, that philosophy is grounded in Holy Scripture and even more particularly the teachings of Jesus. Jesus boiled it down to a few words – love God and love others. Another way I look at it is through the lens of John Milton (1644) – The end then of learning is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him…

There should be a meaningful ‘end’ to learning with a purpose behind it. Academics without purpose, without moral and ethical anchors, is frightening. For us at VCHS, academic preparation is far more than college preparation or laying the groundwork for successful college placement, although those are both very important. Our academic program is exceptionally strong and demanding, but it is far more important for us that our students (and graduates) have moral compasses.

I have long admired a 100+ year old Christian school – The Stony Brook School. For decades, maybe from their founding, their motto has been ‘Character Before Career.’ And that sums my thoughts well. Character, rooted in the Christian faith, is the ‘why’ behind what we do, and my prayer is that it will become the ‘why’ for our students.

Why are academics so important to us at VCHS? Why is excellence so important? Why do we do what we do? The final sentence of the VCHS vision statements answers our ‘why’ this way – Graduates make the world a better place through their personal and professional lives. By God’s grace, they will ‘repair the ruins’ through their character and lives, and make the world a better place.

Steve O'Neil

Head of School

BRAVOS

SPORTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ART OF BUSINESS CLASS IS SELLING CUSTOM CHRISTMAS WRAPPING PAPER

Wrap your gifts with photos of your loved ones, pets and more!

Click here to download the printable order form

Contact artofbiz@vchsweb.org with any questions

Yearbook Cover Page Contest

DEADLINE IS TODAY!

VCHS Students,

This year we are doing something new and have decided to get more students involved in creating our yearbook. We want to incorporate student art into the yearbook and use it as our 2023-2024 yearbook cover. There is a $50 prize to the winner!!! (and bragging rights of course).

This year's theme is Through Our Lens. Things like vintage cameras and digital cameras are what we are looking for. (See below for inspiration pictures.) Anyone can enter! The only requirements are as follows: submissions must be student drawn or digitally created (on ipad, computer, or adobe), submissions are due no later than November 30! Please upload your file below.

Please reach out to Shannon Lyle or Maggie Rothenberg for any clarifying questions or help.

Yearbook Cover Contest Flyer

PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS

Next Parent Association Meeting

12.6.23 | 5:30 pm | Senior Lounge

Click here to sign up for

Basketball Concessions

Click here to become a

member or sponsor

Click here get involved & volunteer

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT NEWS

INTERESTED IN BEING A HOST FAMILY FOR ONE OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Applications are coming in from around the world for the 2024-2025 school year and we can’t have International Students without the VCHS families who open up their homes and hearts.

To get more information or to just see what our International Program is all about, please contact Stacia Brasington at sbrasington@vchsweb.org

ALUMNI NEWS

VCHS Alumni, Amanda Lingle '16 spoke to Women in Engineering Club students and other Engineering students on Tuesday.

Amanda is a Cal Poly 2020 graduate with a Bachelor of Biomedical/Medical Engineering and currently works as a Research and Development Engineer - Product Development for BD, a global medical technology company.

Thank you for visiting with our students, Amanda!

SERVICE MATTERS

FRESHMAN CLASS SERVICE DAY

Freshmen Saints enjoyed a great community service afternoon before Thanksgiving Break. They voluneered at the Vail Valley Salvation Army in Avon.

The First Priority Deadline for Shoulder-to-Shoulder programs is December 15. Apply by this date for the best chance of getting your first choice program. All programs allow students to learn about ethical leadership while working alongside trusted partners and being immersed in the communities they serve. Community service hours are available for all programs.

As a partner school, students can access a tuition discount, financial aid, and priority admissions.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but programs are limited to 12 students and fill quickly, so Apply today. You can learn more about their 2024 program themes here.