At 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 10, Columbus Academy will be celebrating five seniors who have committed to continuing their athletic careers on the collegiate level. All are welcome to attend the signing celebration in our dining hall for Justin Alpert (football at the University of Pennsylvania), Arya Chabria (tennis at Stonehill College), Lauren Golden (field hockey at Babson College), Morgan Halpern (lacrosse at Lafayette College) and Ryne Whitt (lacrosse at Denison University).

The faculty and staff at Columbus Academy are so grateful to PACA and all of our families for making last month's Sweet Celebration so wonderful. It was truly a smorgasbord of deliciousness in the athletics lobby as each teacher and staff member was able to select a dozen festive treats and enjoy an amazing hot chocolate bar. And a special shoutout to all the volunteers and PACA’s Faculty Appreciation Committee consisting of Aaliyah Arif, Dr. Gabby Babbar, Tiffany Edwards, Ellie Merritt-Zeiger, Kristen Ricart, Michelle Singh and Suzanne Tempelhof for organizing and spreading some joy to us all! View photos by clicking here and on the following links for more holiday cheer.

• Explorers Caroling & Gingerbread Hunt
• Holiday Sweater Day in MS & US
• Academy Tree at COSI Season of Celebrations

Academy fourth-graders performed "Finding Nemo KIDS" in mid-December. The costumes, stage set and performances were all stellar! "This annual tradition is an incredibly important milestone experience," stated Amy McLaughlin, who co-directed alongside Michelle Schroder-Lowrey. "We are so proud of the hard work, determination and effort displayed by these students!" Visit columbusacademy.org/photos for a complete gallery and on the following links for more arts and music coverage.

• Lower School Winter Closing Program
• "Auld Lang Syne" Sung by Lower-Schoolers
• Justin Roberts Concert at LS Assembly
• Lower School Strings Performance
• Orchestra All-Region & All-State Selections

Launched in 2019, the Columbus Academy Internship Program partners with local businesses and organizations to provide upper school students with school-year and summer internship opportunities. Parents and guardians of upper school students interested in learning more about our Internship Program are invited to attend an informational meeting on Wednesday, January 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the dining hall (fireside). Please contact Director of Internships and College Counseling Testing & Data Jennifer Conti with any questions.

Junior swimmer Lillian Bailey broke our school record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:05.83 at last month's Ned Reeb Memorial Invitational. In girls wrestling, senior Ceci Reitter (105 lbs) and junior Nina Kim (135 lbs) competed in the Central District All-Star Meet, and both are ranked at the top of their weight classes in Central Ohio. Follow @AcademyVikings for more athletics news and place these upcoming senior nights on your calendars:

• Ice Hockey (6pm on January 7)
• Bowling (4pm on January 12)
• Swimming (5:30pm on January 23)
• Wrestling (5pm on January 31)
• Girls Basketball (6:15pm on February 6)
• Boys Basketball (6:45pm on February 9)

Need better-fitting dress code clothing for the upcoming second semester? Check out the Clothing Exchange Closet popup shop currently set up under the awning of Morris Hall until Tuesday, January 9. Normally located on the bottom floor of the Middle School just down the hallway from our nurses' office, the Clothing Exchange Closet offers gently used dress code and spiritwear items that are free for the taking. Feel free to drop off donations there as well!

All Academy alumni and friends of David Block are invited to a reception from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 17, celebrating a special art exhibit in honor of his 50th year of teaching. Alumni artwork from over 40 former students of David's will be on display inside our Morris Hall Art Gallery from January 18 through March 15. RSVP details for the "Chip Off the Ol' Block" reception coming soon!

Last month, international speaker and psychotherapist Lynn Lyons visited Columbus Academy over the course of two days and met with faculty, parents and students to discuss strategies to combat anxiety. There was a fantastic turnout at her evening talk with parents, where she presented new ways to talk and think about anxiety and mental health issues in order to help children normalize stressful situations, learn to limit the power of them and build resilience for future challenges. View photos from her visit by clicking here.

Before winter break, Head of School Melissa Soderberg and members of our Development Office hosted a special breakfast in honor of the facilities team and SAGE dining hall staff at Columbus Academy. These employees put in countless hours behind the scenes and are often on campus well before and after typical operating hours. We cannot thank SAGE enough for the yummy meals and multiple food options they provide on a daily basis for our faculty/staff and students as well as the many events, special projects and unexpected tasks that pop up for our facilities crew! View more photos by clicking here and on the following links for additional faculty, staff and alumni news.

• Christy Bening Quoted in Habitat Article
• Trio of Math Teachers Recognized
• Cat Gerst '23 & Robert Gerst '23 NBC4 Story
• Facilities & SAGE Staff Thanked by Explorers
• Mandy Mallott '03 Talks Networking with Seniors
• Marketing Class Presents to Michael Corey '01
• Viking Vantage with Ted Lin '00
• Joel Zalesky Hired as Boys Lacrosse Coach
• Rob Kaler '83 Hosts Alums at MLS Cup
• Alumni Play Soccer at Annual Turkey Bowl
• Ryan Hunker '20 Video Makes SportsCenter
• December Alumni Newsletter
• Job Openings at Columbus Academy