We lost a part of Campion Academy history yesterday, November 13, 2022, when Dr. John Wheeler Boyd unexpectedly passed away. He taught music at Campion Academy from 1986-1996. His wife Helen taught music and business ed during that time as well.

We were so blessed to have him be a part of our Alumni Weekend 2022 music features. He played in the Reunion Brass Ensemble. His composition, Fairest Lord Jesus, was played during Sabbath School by Dr. Devon Howard, '99. Dr. Boyd was a mentor, teacher, and friend to many. He will be greatly missed.
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Here is a clip of Devon playing at Alumni Weekend from the live feed - apologies for the video quality.

Around 700 alumni gathered at Campion Academy this last weekend to reconnect with their classmates and support their alma mater.

Kicking off the event on Wednesday, the 26th annual Reeder Golf Classic featured 62 golfers, 20 more than previous years. More than $10,000 was raised towards our counseling and mentoring program. This year’s tournament was in honor of Lance Turner, ‘85-’86, an alum and beloved community member who was known for being exceptionally supportive of his classmates and neighbors. 

On Friday evening, alumni and current students gathered for a vespers concert presented by Prisma, a local group of musicians. 

The main event on Sabbath was the church service, featuring Dr. Andrew Harewood, the first Adventist and African American chaplain to reach General rank in the US Army reserve. In addition, Campion Academy’s music ensembles performed for the first time this school year. 

The weekend also featured the reunion of 5 music directors and host of brass players - performances by the Alumni Reunion Brass Ensemble graced us throughout Sabbath. A choir sing-a-long was also a weekend highlight for everyone who used to sing in the choir. 

Following the service, some of the honor classes were provided with a meal of lasagna served by the Campion senior class. The honor classes gathered in the halls of the Ad Building after lunch looking at pictures of their class and seeing how much things have changed.

Celebrating 70 years since graduation, Betty Ready, Class of 1952, reflected on her feelings when she first came to Campion Academy: “I was just always so excited to come to Campion because it was a bigger school with more people. I was coming from a school of six or seven people.” 

The students enjoyed being around the alumni and talking about how the school has changed since they were here. “I thought it was really cool getting to meet some of the people that graduated years ago and seeing all of the many faces on campus,” commented Daneil Camas, junior at Campion Academy.

Current students got to see some of their friends that graduated recently. Sandra Arlt, Class of 2022 commented, “It’s really cool coming back as an alumni this year because it was fun to see all of my friends, talk to the teachers, and update everyone on my life. I really appreciate being able to come back, seeing friendly faces, and having a family to say hi to.” 

On Saturday evening, in a new feature this year, the alumni and students came together to perform in a brass ensemble and a choir sing-a-long that featured five former choir directors. 

The alumni closed off the weekend by playing volleyball and soccer against Campion Academy’s varsity teams. In typical fashion, the alumni defeated the current students in both games. 

The livestreams of the programs are available on Campion Academy’s Facebook page and Youtube channel. 

Haley Beckermeyer, Student News Team


Additional photos available here.