Hi my name is Jess Harmon, I'm 15 years old, a freshman in my first year at VVS. I'm from Flagstaff Arizona. My hobbies include soccer, soccer, and soccer. #followmyweek
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@verdevalleyschool
Hi my name is Jess Harmon, I'm 15 years old, a freshman in my first year at VVS. I'm from Flagstaff Arizona. My hobbies include soccer, soccer, and soccer. #followmyweek
First game of the VVS soccer season and the undefeated streak continues! VVS 7 Southwestern Academy 3 #vvs #vvsfc
Getting uniforms ready for the first match of the season on Thursday - VVS versus Southwestern Academy at 3:15 on VVS's Morris Field. #vvs #soccer #vvsfc
Field Trip presentations happen Monday night. Â Here's a look back at last year's presentation on the Food & Justice trip.Â
Running For Malawi at the Sedona Marathon
Join VVS this year at the Sedona Marathon Event on Sunday, January 31, 2015. Team VVS will "Run for Malawi" this year as we work to fundraise for our MDG Malawi Program.  The event provides options for participants of all skill levels and is open to walkers, walk/runners or runners, in the 5k, 10k, half marathon or full marathon (there are also events just for kids). So far 39 students and 10 faculty and staff have committed to participating in one of the events and raising the funds toward MDG Malawi. You can join us.
 Every VVS participant who meets their fundraising goal ($50 per student and $200 per faculty/staff/parent/alum) will receive a "Running for Malawi" t-shirt. Sign up today at Sedona Marathon Event. If you are already signed up for a race, please honor us by joining our team. Contact Eileen Sedacca at [email protected] to get your Running for Malawi Fundraising Form to keep track of your donations!
Verde Valley School's Annual Fund
Dear Verde Valley School Community Member,
Verde Valley School is an institution of character. It was built to create an educational environment that instills important human traits: empathy, humility, inquiry, ingenuity, and grit. Today, those core values are alive on campus. VVS students are no doubt accomplished academics, but perhaps more importantly, they are people of character.
I'm regularly impressed by the resilience of Verde Valley people. They have faced themselves and their world in real and challenging ways. And they have risen. Again and again they have ascended into new realms of understanding and emerged as new versions of themselves. Verde Valley School, too, is characterized by resilience. We have insisted on remaining independent, importantly distinct, mission focused, and intentionally small in size. Through difficult and trying chapters of its history, this school refused to lie down. It, too, rose. Now in our sixty-sixth year, we are thriving in our execution of the same invaluable mission Ham and Babs Warren boldly laid out for us all: to change this world through shaping the character of thoughtful, talented young people. Our students know well that while they stand as powerful, capable individuals, not one of them exists as an island. Living in a community teaches the fundamental truth of connectedness and the deep value in embracing our inherent dependence on one another. We can only grow with one another's support. As is the case with our school. Verde Valley School requires the support of its community, composed of people like you. When those who believe in this school's work and values contribute to its ongoing health, its resilience can be ensured.Â
Please demonstrate your commitment to Verde Valley School and help ensure its ongoing resilience by giving today at www.vvsaz.org/donate or call us at (928) 284-2272.
Sincerely,
John Kelley
Interim Head of School
Gretchen Warren Chapel Brick Project
To continue the legacy begun by Babs and Ham, and permanently mark your place at VVS for generations to come, we have started the Gretchen Warren Chapel Brick Project. Purchase a brick and it will be permanently set in the ground on the floor of the Chapel for all who enter to see, commemorating your experience at VVS.Â
By participating in this wonderful program, you will have the opportunity to contribute to Verde Valley School's Annual Fund, helping to facilitate programs such as our scholarship fund, Field Trips, Malawi Project, sports and outdoor programs, improvements to the campus, and many other programs at the School.
 The 4"x8" bricks are available for purchase for $250. Each brick can hold three lines of text with up to 18 characters per line. If you are interested, a souvenir smaller brick is available to you at no additional charge. Bricks can be engraved with the message of your choosing.
To order your personalized brick, click here. Â
VVS Riders Compete at Scottsdale Saddle Club Show
The VVS girls rode exceptionally well at the November Scottsdale Saddle Club English Show in early November. Riding Director Caroline Diehl said it was, â some of the best riding I've seen from them so far. Natalie and I were truly thrilled to watch it all come together for them after so much hard work and dedication.âÂ
The ribbon breakdown looks like this:
In Hunter Hack: Â Freshman Hannah Arya took 1st for the 13 and under division. Senior Christine Effert took 4th and junior Annemarie Schnieder took 6th for the 14 plus age group.
In Crossrails: Hannah stole the show, taking a 3rd in Hunter Over Fences, a 2nd in Equitation Over Fences, and a 1st in Jumper and won a trophy for Reserve Champion of the Crossrails Division!
In the 2'3" jumping classes: Sophomore Morgan Bailey took 3rd in Hunter Over Fences and VVS swept the Equitation Over Fences class with Morgan taking 4th, senior Haley Cox taking 3rd, Annemarie taking 2nd, and Christine taking 1st. We may not have the fanciest, most polished show ponies, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that VVS students can really ride. In the Jumper class, the girls continued to shine with Annemarie taking 4th and Christine taking 2nd. Christine also won the High Point Champion trophy for this division!
In the 2'6" jumping classes:
Christine took 2nd in Hunter Over Fences, junior Lucy Warren took 6th and Christine took 3rd in Equitation Over Fences, and Christine took 6th and Lucy took 5th in the Jumper class.
All in all it was some amazing riding - even the judges commented on how much the girls have improved and how great they looked out there amidst some very tough competition.Â
Interview with Maya Shen - 11th grade international student
By: Aa Gonzales, VVS '16
As I sat beside Maya Shen during Higher Level Anthropology, we exchanged a few questions with each other. Through this conversation, I got to know her a little bit better and so will you.
A hardworking and lovely girl came all the way from Suzhou, China to Verde Valley school. She embarked on a long journey. Her journey consisted of maneuvering her way through the VVS life and classes. Maya, a junior (11th grade) felt that "people here at VVS are very nice. Most of the teachers and students help me a lot. I'm very excited about horseback riding." She currently spends her time during Sports by participating in Horseback Riding and Physical Improv. In her free time, besides taking part in the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program, she reads books, listens to music, and watches movies. Lastly, Maya Shen misses her family and the food back home in China the most.
Whatâs your name? Maya Shen
Where are you from? Suzhou, China
What grade are you in? Junior, 11th grade
What do you miss the most back home? I miss my family and the food.
Any hobbies or special talents? I love to read, listening to music, and watch movies.
What sport/s are you in this trimester? I am in Horseback riding and Physical Improv. :)
Weekend Life at Verde Valley School
By: Annise Green, VVS '17
Example of some typical weekend activities:
Fridays: movie and dinner drop / parties / events / hanging with friends
Saturday: Sleep in and brunch; Flagstaff / Phoenix / West Sedona; creek; hiking (Adventure Day); service day
Sunday: Prepare for week â Chill, laundry, store (VOC); start homework after dinner
Weekends at VVS
VVS Weekends are full of activity and fun as both boarding students and day students enjoy the many activities that take place on campus. On Fridays, the trips for the weekend are posted on the bulletin board outside of the dining hall. Students eagerly and excitedly sign up for the various events as they plan out their weekend. Friday events usually include a trip to the Village of Oak Creek or West Sedona for movie and dinner drops. If you choose to stay on campus, you can still have fun by having movie nights or just hanging out with friends. Also, campus-wide events, such as Mission Impossible and holiday themed dances, are held on Fridays. Saturdays are great for sleeping in and having an amazing brunch! After you eat, you can take a ride to Flagstaff, Phoenix or West Sedona for a day of shopping and fun. Saturdays are also âAdventure Days,â great for taking a hike to Napoleon or heading down to the creek to cool off. Opportunities for community service are also offered on the weekends. You can make a difference by doing anything from filling backpacks with goods for underprivileged kids to earning C.A.S. hours. Lastly, Sundays are âchillâ days and are meant to prepare you for the beginning of the week. This is a great time to do laundry and go to the nearby VOC for some snacks and toiletries. Homework usually begins after an early dinner or during study hall. At VVS, there are many things to do to ensure that you have a day of play!
Advisor System at VVS
By: Annise Green, VVS '17
One of my favorite parts of Verde Valley School, would have to be the advisor system. Basically most, if not all, of the faculty is paired with four to five students at the beginning of the year. Together, this group of students and this one teacher make an Advisee family. Iâve recently learned that apparently lots of schools in America have teacher advisorâs but not in the same way VVS does. Here, advisors are like our stand-in parents. Once a week, we have lunch with them and catch up on what's going on with all of us. Sometimes weâll get into the heavy deep stuff, other times youâll spend the whole time laughing. Â About once a month, Â youâll have an advisee activity, like going on a campout or having tea around a fire together. At VVS, advisors and students really tend to form a bond, and get to know each other on a personal level as well as academically. Â My Advisor, Â Peter Reynolds, is amazing. So far this year, Petes other advisers and I have sat around eating cookie dough, and talking together in Peteâs backyard. We went camping out behind campus together and have had countless lunches together. I think itâs also safe to say that advisers are role models to their advisees. Theyâre someone you can go to if youâre having a bad day, if you just got the best news ever, or if you just want to hang out. All in all I think the advisor system is pretty unique and amazing.
What is it like to be a boarder at VVS?
By: Aa Gonzales
As we maneuver our busy lives in VVS, I found myself asking four lovely girls questions on dorm life and being roommates. These lovely girls are: Gracie Shoup from Flagstaff, Arizona. Kelly Uwase Rubangura from Kigali, Rwanda. Tiffany Tian from Suzhou, China. And, Lila DurĂĄn from Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador. If you are a future boarding student, this interview might answer some questions that youâve been wondering for quite some time.
What did you expect in a roommate prior to coming to VVS?
Before coming to VVS I lived as an only child so I really had no idea what it was like to live with other people. But my first roommate freshman year really was great and we got along well - Iâm still very close with her today, so after freshman year I really just expected other roommates like her. Which I got sophomore year, but we grew to be so much closer and were practically sisters. I really hope for that to happen this year too. Â - Gracie
I went to a summer school in France the summer before coming so I had an idea of what roommates are like. Everything I expected was (thank god) true. My first three roommates here at VVS were amazing. We really were like sisters, we loved and respected each other and we lived quite happily together. - Lila
I lived at VVS last year. There are three people in the room. We respected everyoneâs space and shared the common room. Since we are all in the same grade, it felt like we were twins! We almost did everything together. Sometimes we three will also hang out one bed and be close to each other. My first roommates experience was really wonderful. - Tiffany
Iâve never had roommates before coming to VVS , on my way coming here I would ask myself, how itâs going to be and ââwhat ifsââ type of question. I was a bit ââworriedââ but then it all went away when I met all of my roommates because theyâre awesome and I couldn't have asked for better people to live with - Kelly
What are the pros and cons of having a roommate?
Every once in a while I really miss my privacy, but thatâs really nothing compared to how great it feels knowing that there is always going to be someone there for you when you need them. - Gracie
The company is nice, at least for me. I like the sharing and the occasional challenges of living with others. - Lila
So far, having a roommate has been really cool. Maybe because I am so lucky - all my roommates are amazing! We respect each other while sharing. - Tiffany
To me they arenât any cons of having roommates because as long as you respect each other everything will be fine. - Kelly
How do you handle arguments/compromise?
We donât really argue, every once in awhile someone does something that annoys someone else but if you just ask them, they will stop. (Unless itâs Lila always trying to hug me) - Gracie
We just talk about them! Whenever I'm doing something the others don't like, they very bluntly say so. If the majority is against it then obviously, I stop... (Unless it's Gracie not wanting me to hug her because that's just not going to happen) - Lila
We rarely have the arguments. Actually, we never have arguments and everything is so perfect! If we had an argument, we would compromise to prevent the situation from getting worse. - Tiffany
We havenât really had any âseriousââ arguments but it were to happen weâd just talk about. Communication is the key. - Kelly
Were you anxious, excited or anything along those lines before moving into a new environment?
I didnât really go very far, and I had been to Sedona many times before coming to VVS. I still go back home every weekend. So I really wasnât anxious or excited because it wasnât a new place. - Gracie
I didn't think much about it. When I came for the third trimester last year I guess I was kind of worried about making friends in a place where everyone already knew each other, but I decided to just be myself and hope for the best. I guess I was part anxious, part excited. - Lila
It both worried and excited to get know the new culture and accept it. Now, I think I have already used to this and get along with everyone here very well. - Tiffany
I was both excited and anxious because it is my first time changing environments by myself but I think it is worth it. I believe everybody needs a little change in their live - to travel to new places, make memories and, believe me, VVS is one of those places that youâll never forget because it is unique and the people here are awesome!- Kelly
What are some tips/ advice for the future boarders on dealing with having a roommate?
You really just need to be yourself. You are going to be living with these people for a whole year and they deserve to get to know the real you. Which I think is really the only way for them to respect you. - Gracie
Roommates are all about respect. As long as you respect them and they respect you, it will all turn out perfectly. - Lila
I agree with Lila. It is true that if you respect each other, then you will get used to each other and living together and have a wonderful boarding experiences.- Tiffany
Like Lila and Tiffany said, it all comes down to respect. if you all respect each other everything will be chill. - Kelly
Can you tell us any fond memories you've had with your roommates/ past roommates?
There really is a lot to choose from but I guess the funniest one is about the scorpion in Cindyâs underwear drawer. Last year during the second week of school when none of us really knew each other, Cindy came running screaming into my room in her underwear and grabbed my blanket off my bed and wrapped it around her and screamed âThereâs a scorpion in my underwear drawer!!!â After this Lola, Cindy and I all went into the closet where her chest of drawers was and dumped her underwear drawer on to the floor, where sure enough there was a giant scorpion. After we screamed and huddled for like 5 minutes we slowly went through the pile of underwear with a hanger to find the scorpion. We did this for like half an hour before we finally found it and had to kill it. After we killed it we gave it a funeral outside (no one really had anything nice to say but it was a funeral none-the-less.) Then we went back inside, Cindy was still just in my blanket. - Gracie Â
SO MANY! Last year my roommates and I learnt a song, Little Numbers by Boy, and played it together for a coffeehouse. We also had a trip to the creek once which was just priceless. Every time we had suite meetings in the bathroom floor... Although Iâve only been here for about a month so far this year, I already have nice memories with Kelly from apple picking. -Lila
We have a lot of valuable experiences. For example, once time we stayed up very late and looked for the shooting stars. This year, my roommates and I participated in Mission Impossible together which is a memorable experience.- Tiffany
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE! It was the AWESOME! We discovered places on campus we didnât know about and it was so hilarious. It felt like we were in some James Bond movie - kelly
Any bonding moments?
Every once in awhile I go on ârearranging spreesâ and have to rearrange the room. I had one this year and it was really fun to watch everyone working together. (Except Lila who realized what was about to happen when I said one morning âWe should move the chairs.â and stayed far from the room.) - Gracie
Sunday night, we gathered the four of us and two other people onto my top bunk bed for an epic cuddle puddle to talk about everything. - Lila
Yes, the same night that Lila shared was a bonding moment for me. We all hung out on one bed and it felt like we were all really close. - Tiffany
We bond over the weirdest things ever! - Kelly
What is it like living in a dorm with other girls?
Sometimes it really feels like all the guys sorta just fell off the earth (especially during dorm meeting) but itâs nice because you really donât need to worry about being awkward. - Gracie
It feels like living with your very, very extended family that just happens to be all female. You get all of the pros and cons too: you love some of them, you're indifferent to some of them, and some of them sometimes annoy you... But that's all part of living together! - Lila
It just like a big family. You live together and help each other. Maybe we have sad times, but mostly our lives are full of harmony and happiness.-Tiffany
It feels like you all live in one big apartment. At times youâll fight, laugh, help each other, just like family, you know? - Kelly Â
Riding Team Competes at Central Verde Gymkhana
The riding team rode incredibly well at the Central VerdeGymkhana on October 18th. The team consisted of sophomore Morgan Bailey riding Sunday, junior Rami al Nahas riding Fiona, senior Christine Effert riding Shezaada, junior Annemarie Schneider riding Sassy, and freshman Hannah Arya riding Tumalo. It was Rami and Hannah's first gymkhana competition.
In the 15-18yr division, which had 9 competitors, VVS won the following ribbons:
Annemarie took 4th in Barrels, 5th in Pole Bending, and 2nd in Turn N Burn; Christine took 5th in Barrels, 3rd in Poles, and 5th in Turn N Burn; Rami took 4th in Poles, and 4th in Turn N Burn
In the 11-14yr division, which had 15 competitors, Hannah took a 4th place ribbon in Turn N Burn
Art at VVS by Maddie
At Verde Valley School, youâll find a lot of different people. The most notable of all the different sorts of people here would be the artist. One of my favorite things about VVS is the art program. When I came to visit VVS, (prior to committing to come here) the amount of student art (welding, paintings, ceramics, murals) on display all around the campus was astounding. When I saw the things VVS students were able to produce, I immediately thought, "I want to go here - if this school is going to teach me how to make stuff like that - this is where I want to be". Â Walking into the visual arts classrooms is like walking into an artists studio. Itâs exactly what an art room should be; thereâs paint everywhere, random jars, odd assemblage pieces, beautifully obscure indie music, bobs and bits of still lifes and almost no where to walk. The space itself is a work of art, not a permanent installation though, as Jeremy the visual arts teacher, is always moving around the setup. Just to make sure no one gets too familiar! Over the last twelve months at VVS, Iâve had some of the best times in the art room. Iâve painted in there, doodled for hours, had field trip meetings, covered Bon Iverâs Holocene (when that song was still cool), painted over-sized dears for target practice and best of all gotten to know people. Iâve had the pleasure of familiarizing myself with Seffa-Bee Klein, Mollie McElligott, Tatsuko Otagawa and Bea Kruse, four now VVS graduates, whoâve inspired me. They were all apart of VVSâs IB art program last year, and the pieces they made were absolutely astounding. Iâm sure all four graduates mentioned would deny it, but in my eyes they are artists, role models and go-getters. Best of all - they created themselves. VVS gives us this creative space and just encourages and supports us, pushing us towards greatness, telling us to cross the line and think outside the box, making artist of those students who chose to be.
Sensing a trend
The first Fast for a Meal of the 2014-2015 school year happens this Monday.
Interview with a Four Year Senior by Annise
 Up, Up, and Away!
Vlad John Hightower, a four year senior, is eager yet disappointed to leave VVS.  "I love it - the community and people," he tells me. We sit on the platform in front of the dining hall as he reminisces on his favorite memories throughout the years -  his last Cross Country meet, Movie Marathons in the library and climbing Brady Hall with his friends. He loves being a role model for underclassmen and getting more responsibility and is very grateful to have loyal friends that have his back. He sighs and stares at Cathedral Rock, a sight he sees everyday. â I just take the good with the bad,â he says in conclusion. âI wouldnât have it any other way.â