 Campion broke a record this weekend for taking the largest S.W.A.T. (Students with a Testimony) trip ever! The entire music department, which accounts for about half the school, made the journey to share their musical ministry with the Seventh-day Adventist churches and community in Durango. This was a giant task and a great accomplishment for the head of the Music Department, Yves Clouzet. He comments, “The music was really well-received, and it was an honor to worship with the Durango and Pagosa Springs churches.” We faced some challenges such as forgotten instruments and small performance stages for the large groups, however all 75 of us were able to perform two concerts in the Durango SDA Church, and the Pagosa Springs SDA Church. The music inspired the congregations and even some tears were shed. Not only did we perform music, but we also participated in the church service. Freshman Christine Eagan-Foster told of her adventures in Africa for the children’s story. Seniors Josie Reeves, Cristian Marin, Hilary Simamora and Austin Rotinsulu led-out in the song service. Freshman Shelby Waller, who is from Durango, was able to pray for her congregation. Student chaplain, Pastor Esequias Perea gave the sermon. In addition to being a blessing to another community, Campion students are always drawn closer together on trips such as these. When asked about her favorite part of the trip, junior Beverly Onsoe stated; “My favorite part of the trip was getting closer with people that I wasn’t close to before and sharing a host home with them.” Lots of laughter and life-long memories were created this weekend.
The return trip in bad weather ended up being an adventure in itself. The forecast for Sunday morning was cold and snowy, yet we still made the trek back to Campion safely. To avoid going over dangerous mountain passes in bad weather, the staff chose to drive the long-way-around through the southern part of the state. An eight-hour trip turned into a 13-hour trip, and we arrived back to Campion at 11:00 pm. When freshman Faleula Matangi was asked if she was scared on the trip back to Loveland, she replied; “No, the people in our vehicle were very talkative, so I was distracted from thinking about the snow, and even though we did skid once, I knew God was going to get us back safely.” The students would like to thank the Durango SDA Church, the Pagosa Springs SDA Church, and our host homes for the hospitality and the fantastic food! We would also like to thank all our supervisors, especially Mr. Clouzet, for all the hard work and planning. Article by Sydney Michalenko, Senior and Campion Academy Orchestra Student
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 On October 5, Music Department Teachers, Yves and Melissa Clouzet, chauffeured 12 orchestra students to the Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Campion Academy Orchestra. This performance was special because the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra (GBYO) was accompanied by the world-renowned violinist, Midori Goto. “As soon as Madi came in (all excited) to rehearsal one day and said that GBYO would be accompanying her (Midori), I knew I was going to be there to hear it,” said Yves Clouzet, Head of the Music Department at Campion Academy. “I was am so glad that AdCo was able to accommodate class and work time for the 12 students that chose to come. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity! The experience is right up there with watching LaBron James drop 65 points on the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center, or seeing Tom Brady skewer the Broncos secondary for 5 TD’s and 400+ yards, or following Tiger Woods on an epic -17 final round to win a PGA Tour event. Midori is truly and unequivocally a master violinist.” Midori, a child prodigy, performed for the United Nations Messengers of Peace at age 6. She performed with the New York Philharmonic by the time she was 11. At 14 years old, two of Midori’s strings broke during a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s “Serenade after Plato’s Symposium” under the direction of Bernstein himself. After the first string broke, she traded instruments with the concert master and remaining completely calm, continued to play. When the second string broke, she again swapped violins, this time with the associate concert master, and finished the song without missing a single note. She was given a standing ovation for her performance that night. Midori had handled it with composure and style beyond her years. The Campion Orchestra students arrived early on October 5 to attend a special session with Midori on effective personal practice. Midori suggested setting a goal, practicing without distractions, the need to have a practice plan, and to divide practice time into sections to cover all the material. “The talk Midori gave about practicing was definitely inspiring,” said Megan Michalenko, violinist in the CA orchestra. “She talked about organizing your practice time and making sure you get the best out of every time you practice.” “I’m always looking for ways to improve. Midori’s talk on practice was very applicable and has inspired me to make the most of my instrument,” said Sami Hodges, violinist in the CA Orchestra. “Going to Midori’s concert with GBYO was one the best things I’ve ever experienced!” “The concert inspired me to work on how I practice daily and to never stop improving,” said Caleb Wehling, trumpet player in the CA Orchestra. Madeline Jordan a student at Campion Academy and a member of the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra Symphony, had the rare opportunity to accompany Midori for this performance of Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in E Minor.” “It was a dream come true to play the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and it is was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to accompany such an amazing violinist,” said Madeline. “After many hours of practice, I was super excited to finally perform this piece with the Symphony and Midori!” The third movement of the “Violin Concerto in E Minor” by Mendelssohn is a beautiful and well-known piece. It is a technical piece and is played at a very rapid tempo. “I have heard live renditions of this Concerto by classmates (now colleagues) and professors at Andrews University during my time at the Music Department there. Midori is on another level. Out of this world. We’re talking not-even-in-the-same-galaxy,” says Clouzet. “She played beautifully and effortlessly. On top of that, her tempo was at least one-third faster than anything I have every heard live. I was already in tears before she finished playing the first phrase.” Midori is unique because she is using her God-given talent of music to connect people, encourage community, and promote change. “What is most impactful is that an artist of her caliber would choose to focus this part of her career on working with young kids and youth to make sure that are exposed to excellent instruction and training,” reflected Clouzet. “It was a truly emotional, inspiring, and galvanizing experience that I will remember until I am an old man.” In a GBYO rehearsal last week, Midori spoke of “leading from the middle.” We often think of leadership as being first, but she shared that doing your best and helping others wherever you are seated in the orchestra can be a benefit to others. This is a model of servitude that Christ showed us when He came to this earth to share the love of Heaven with broken and sinful souls. It is with appreciation to the Music Department and the Campion Academy teachers, that I write this article. Thank you for supporting Madeline and granting the CAO students a rare opportunity to enjoy music! Article by Carey Jordan   Last weekend we were pleased to have so many students’ families join us for parent-weekend. On Friday evening, the seniors shared the spiritual lessons they learned from Senior Survival. On Sabbath, the Music Department provided all the music for the church service and all groups performed at an evening sacred concert. That night, the gym was packed for the annual Fall Festival. On Sunday morning, parents had the opportunity to sit down individually with each of their student’s teachers. The culminating activity was the showcase of student-projects from English, World History, Geography, Art, and Physics classes. For the first presentations, the students from Nate Marin’s Geography class performed traditional dances in costume from a variety of countries. In Geography, students are divided into groups to do an in-depth study of one specific country throughout the semester. They present their learning in multiple formats throughout the semester including dances, food, infographics, digital maps, and physical mobiles. Eloi Dos Santos, senior, commented on the work involved in creating these projects. “In my group I am responsible for providing typical food from Venezuela, I’ve been working on the 3D-Printer, the clothing for our dance, and providing some ideas for our physical mobile. Studying about Venezuela wasn’t an easy job because their culture is quite contrasting, but it was interesting to learn about their lifestyles, religions, traditional foods, and dances,” he explained.  For the second set of presentations, the sophomore class had an opportunity to share what they have been studying. English students have been reading Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and World History students studied the social classes of ancient Rome. Students shared a newspaper they had produced with articles they wrote on historical information, what daily life was like, and societal problems that needed correction. Finally, they wrote and performed satirical skits depicting some of those problems for the audience of parents and students. Their understanding of ancient Roman societal issues and their sense of humor were clearly evident in their skits!  "Fly Fishing" by Conner Cizek Creative students’ artwork from Jim Hughes’ art class was on display in the Hankin’s Hall tower. His class was asked to create visual puns; where each student chose a pun and had to communicate the idea through their choice of visual media. Their work included many thought-provoking pieces with paintings and mixed-media sculptures.    "Brainstorm" by Emily Zelaya "Think Outside the Box" by Faith Paden "Butterflies in My Stomach" by Ashley Reyes Finally, Kent Kast’s physics class tested their miniature bridge models. The students were tasked with designing a mini-bridge from wooden popsicle sticks using the laws of physics to determine their potential strength and durability. The structural integrity was tested by placing weights on each bridge until it collapsed. The winning bridge, designed by Jordi, Caleb, and Nathaniel, held up all the weights available—about 150 pounds!   Each of these projects represented hours of deep academic content learned in classes and it was meaningful for the students to have the opportunity to share a small piece of what they have been learning with their parents. As Dos Santos put it, “It was a great opportunity for the parents to spend time with their children and see the great things that they have accomplished.”
Article by Jill Harlow Photos by Jill Harlow, Kent Kast, and Jim Hughes  This past Sabbath at sunrise, several guys from the dorm headed out for an early morning fishing adventure at the local Jay Hawker Ponds. Gabriel and Michael were hauling in the rainbows! On Sunday, 11 bike enthusiasts spent three hours at Valmont Bike Park. Valmont is a 40 acre public park with trails, pump tracks, jumps, and slaloms designed to develop rider skill. Special thanks to Matt Jordan and Merlin Wehling for hanging out with us, giving us pointers, and providing some excellent entertainment. A group from the guys' dorm is also actively pursuing building our own bike park right here on campus for the enjoyment of students.     
 As part of the Wednesday night Fusion at the end of September, students took to the streets of Loveland to offer to pray with anyone who needed it. They divided into three groups and stood on the streets in busy areas including in front of the Loveland SDA Church, Chick-Fil-A, and in front of campus. “I know that people struggle during the day, so we were hoping that we could catch even just that one person who’s ready to give up, and pray with them,” explained Pastor Esequias Perea. Milka Mendoza, sophomore at Campion, was part of the group that stood in front of Chick-Fil-A. “A lady stopped to talk with us, and she just started telling us about some of the struggles she had that day, and we were able to pray together,” she commented. “It was a really nice experience because we don’t do that on a daily basis, but we got to see God working in our lives. I got to share God’s love with someone I didn’t even know, and we got to pray together.” At Campion, Wednesday night worships, called Fusion, are a break from sports and study hall and are meant to be a mid-week time to reconnect with God. Students can meet in small groups led by different staff members or join in outreach activities planned by Pastor Perea. “This year we are trying to do more things for the community outside of campus, to help students see the need there is in the community and to broaden their view of ministry,” he elaborated. Campion’s Spiritual theme this year is “Behold and Become.” Getting out to reach people in our community is part of that. Perea commented, “We are becoming Christ to the community.” Article by Jill Harlow, Communication Director If you missed alumni weekend this year, you missed a good one. I watched as friends reconnected, hugging and laughing with each other, even if they hadn’t been reunited in decades. I observed their children becoming friends. I watched with sadness as the class of 1953 remembered their fellow classmates who are no longer around to celebrate occasions such as these and was reminded that there’s a heavenly alumni reunion coming soon when we’ll all celebrate together.
The entire alumni weekend was filled with worship. Friday evening we listened as Richard Lawry (‘73) reminded us that if we miss Jesus, we miss it all. For Sabbath School, we heard reports on mission trips Campion students have recently been on, as well as the student-led evangelistic crusade called Wildfire. It was inspiring to hear how Campion students are not only participating in but leading out in evangelism. For church, a quartet from the class of 1968 blessed us with special music. They were followed by our featured speaker Harold Alomia’s sermon, reminding us of the value in community. And really, isn’t that what Campion is all about? On Saturday night, Union College led us in worship with a variety of musical groups and selections. Their music was fabulous. Throughout the weekend, Campion students led out in praise and worship. I am always in awe of what a great job young people will do when given the opportunity to lead. Campion’s musical groups sounded wonderful all weekend; bells, choir and orchestra. Thank you to all who came and reconnected this past alumni weekend, we look forward to seeing you again soon. Codi Jahn Alumni Board President  Girls are 'Captivated' at Dorm Retreat This past weekend the ladies of the dorm experienced the annual Girl’s Dorm Retreat. We heard from speakers Mindy, Melenga, and Vivian, all long-time friends of Dean Melissa Mekelburg, on the topic of Captivated. Each young woman was faced with one question this year: what makes you captivating? The girls enjoyed breakout sessions such as bingo, crafts, a small obstacle course, and a prayer walk with each of the RA’s. “This weekend Tristan and I were put in charge of having girls reflect on captivating women of the Bible,” says RA Jessica Singon, “it really humbles me to be reminded that everything works in God’s special plan to make us His captivating daughters.” On Saturday evening we ended dorm retreat with a fun game of capture the ring and slowed the rest of the night down with a movie that had everyone laughing. “It’s really nice to have a fun weekend off of a busy schedule,” comments Josie Reeves, “It’s easy to get busy at Campion so just it’s nice to enjoy the time off.” Dorm retreat was an overall wonderful experience and on behalf of the Girl’s Dorm thank you to all who contributed such as Mrs. Fagan, the Helms, both Dean Mekelburg and Dean Johnson, the RA’s, and our awesome speakers. To all of you reading this I leave you with one last question: what makes you captivating? Article Written by Faith Paden, Senior Guys' Disconnect from Distractions in the Outdoors The Guys' dorm headed out to Mills Springs Ranch in Wyoming for their annual retreat. At the camp, they spent time together having worship and church services together in addition to enjoying outdoor activities. The speaker for the weekend was Head Dean, Daniel Force's father, Gary Force, pastor of the Durango and Pogosa Springs churches. After church on Sabbath, they went on a hike, went repelling, and practiced slack-lining. "The best part was being able to grow closer as a dorm and getting to know everyone a little bit differently," reflected Connor Coe, RA. Check out Connor's slideshow from the retreat! Campion’s Outdoor Club spent the weekend camping above tree-line encircled by three of Colorado’s famous “fourteeners;” mountain peaks that rise above 14,000 feet. They were rewarded for braving a cold night in tents at a high elevation by glorious hiking weather and the opportunity to summit all three peaks in a full-day’s hike.
Starting from the Kite Lake trailhead outside of Alma, Colorado, the group went to the summits of Mt. Democrat, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Bross. For many students, taking on the challenge of reaching all three summits was the highlight of the trip. Freshman, Judah Hammond commented, “It was a great feeling of accomplishment completing all three fourteeners.” While some students were seasoned mountain-climbing veterans, several students were attempting the feat for the first time. Cynthia Alvarez, sophomore, reflected, “I went on the trip to put myself out there, because I’m not usually a nature-loving person. This was the first time that I’ve actually enjoyed something like this. I was able to climb up to the saddle and I was proud of myself because I’m afraid of heights.” Perhaps a highlight for the sponsors involved was that no one seemed to notice or care that there was no cell phone service or WIFI available. Students were able to relax and connect with God and each other while enjoying the beautiful scenery. “It was really cool to step outside my tent and be surrounded by the mountains,” said Grant Velbis, junior. “The view was phenomenal.” Outdoor club events are open to all Campion students and are designed to encourage students to get active in God’s nature. They are looking forward to day-hikes, snow-ski trips, rock climbing and more throughout the school year. Article by Jill Harlow Photos by Jill Harlow, Yves Clouzet, and Ashley Reyes This past weekend, the class of 2019 went on the annual Senior Survival trip to Glacier View Ranch. The trip consisted of various team activities, survival skills, and worships every morning and night. Although it may seem like a nice break from classes, the trip required hard work; we made our own shelters, cooked our own breakfasts and dinners, used an outhouse, and hardest of all, learned to trust our entire class.
“My favorite activity was the nitro-crossing,” said three-year senior Conner Cizek, “we all had to come together and think about how we were gonna get across, but eventually our team got it accomplished.” Other activities such as the spider-web, where a group had to get across a “spider-web” without touching the string, taught our whole class how to work as a team. The spiritual theme for senior survival was memories. Each senior had the chance to tell his or her favorite memories, how God has used us, and a prayer that God has answered. Jessica Singon, two-year senior, responded that the most important lesson she learned through the trip was, “My broken history shouldn’t shape my future.” Overall, Senior Survival was a great opportunity to grow closer to God, and to learn more about our classmates. All the seniors would like to give a huge thank you to our class sponsors, Dan Philpott, Zeca and Cindy Santana, as well as Pastor Esequias, Kent Kast, and Steve and Wendy Eickmann for all the hard work they put into the trip. We wouldn’t have been able to survive without you! Article written by Sydney Michalenko, Senior at Campion Academy |
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