Upon their return to Waco on Monday evening, they were ready to launch right into the activities that will mark their Senior year.On Saturday, August 21, 26 of Vanguard’s Seniors made their way to Mo Ranch in Hunt, Texas for a bonding experience they will not soon forget.  From the Big Gulp to the Mo Pole, the students encouraged each other and generally had a wonderful time.  Upon their return to Waco on Monday evening, they were ready to launch right into the activities that will mark their Senior year.

Mentoring and landscaping replace calculus and chemistry as students and staff volunteer their skills

Students, faculty, and staff traded books and backpacks for dust pans and mops on, as they headed out to volunteer their service on Vanguard’s annual service day. Officially known as Emma’s Day, the event memorializes Emma Welter, a student who died in a car accident in February of 2000. The goal of Emma’s Day is to teach the both the responsibility and the joy of volunteerism.

All students and teachers met at school on Wednesday, April 14, for their volunteer assignments and instructions. Middle school students stayed on campus to help the Vanguard Parent Organization set up for its annual garage sale in the gym. Middle schoolers also spent hours cleaning flower beds on school grounds.

Older students departed on buses for a morning of service in the community. The majority of high school students volunteered with the Communities In Schools program, a national dropout prevention program. They traveled to Cedar Ridge Elementary and Provident Heights Elementary schools, where they spent their time mentoring, tutoring, and reading to younger children. Other high school students traveled to the Family Abuse Center-Second Chance Thrift Store and Family Abuse Center, where they read to children, helped with indoor housekeeping, worked with outdoor landscaping, and assisted with social activities for the elderly.

The Mwangaza Children’s Choir stopped in Waco to perform in concert in the Jaworski Center. The choir includes 22 children from western Uganda and is associated with the Africa Renewal Ministries. They performed original and authentic Ugandan music and dances to a packed house. The 2010 world tour embodies the theme of Hope for the Nations, which also serves as the title for their new album. Each musical track weaves together the theme of uniting cross-cultural communities.

Vanguard students and sponsors enjoyed a week in London, Oxford, Stratford on Avon, and Cambridge during Spring Break, 2010.

Students did all the London sites, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower and the Crown Jewels, Westminster, the Globe Theater, Covent Garden, and Buckingham Palace.  Our guide, Linda, showed us the sites and escorted us to two live shows, “39 Steps” and “Oliver.”  Students claimed both shows as “awesome” and enjoyed the experience.

British literature teacher, Kristin Woods, shared her love of Oxford University, where she studied.  John Perdichi enjoyed the Ashmolean Museum with a group of students.

The whole group had a great time at Stratford on Avon at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and the newly renovated museum beside Shakespeare’s Birthplace.

After a short bus trip to Cambridge, students explored the university campus and famous eatery, “The Eagle,” then returned to London.

Students and sponsors returned home after only a short delay in Atlanta due to weather.

Designed for 4-year-olds through 8th grade, Vanguard Summer Adventure Camps promote creative learning in a relaxed environment. Each camp is a one-week session, and campers are divided by age groups and interests. Session leaders are specialists in their fields.

Three sessions are offered with a variety of age appropriate classes including Musikgarten, science, theater arts, art, outdoor adventures, athletics and more.

Session I is June 7-11, Session 2 is June 14-18, and Session 3 is June 21-25. Classes run 8:30 a.m. to noon. The cost is $90 per session. Current Vanguard students will serve as camp counselors and will assist with hands-on activities.

Vanguard College Preparatory School is located at 2517 Mt. Carmel Drive. For more information, call the school at 254/772-8111, visit Vanguard’s website at  www.vanguard.org or email camp director Ashley Stephens at ashleys@hot.rr.com.