Members of a Woodlands Academy independent math study class have passed the first round and are now semi-finalists in the Modeling the Future Challenge sponsored by the Actuarial Foundation and Institute of Competition Science. The team, known as Charlies Angles, completed a qualifying scenario and wrote a project proposal to clear the first round of the competition and are now working on their project, "The Financial Risks of a College Education," in the semi-finals. “This is the first year that Woodlands has participated in this challenge, so becoming a semi-finalist team is exciting,” math/chemistry teacher Valerie Rickert, Ph.D., said. The Modeling the Future Challenge is a real-world competition for high school students combining math modeling, data analysis and risk management into a single challenge. Pictured: Charlie’s Angles (from left) seniors Ann Kelly and Sophia Gammel and juniors Aanya Sahu and Gianna Keuer.

Woodlands Academy’s 50th annual Congé fundraiser will celebrate this milestone by “Going for Gold” Feb. 25 to benefit student athletics and wellness. Those attending will hear from an alumna who’s currently a United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) executive. They’ll also hear from a retired NBA and college coach whose lifelong dream of coaching high school basketball has finally come true at Woodlands Academy. Kate Hartman Rosenzweig, a 2000 Woodlands Academy graduate, is the USOPC’s chief external affairs officer. She leads the committee’s public, media, international and government relations efforts while also rallying enthusiasm and support for Team USA. Larry Farmer was a member of the three-time NCAA national champion UCLA Bruins basketball team coached by the legendary John Wooden. Farmer’s coaching credentials include the NBA, where he was an assistant for the Golden State Warriors. At the collegiate level, his head coaching stints included UCLA and Loyola/Chicago.

Before they could close the book on the first semester and begin their Christmas/New Year’s break, students at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart faced four days of final exams. Enter Paws for Patrick as one method of helping relieve the stress of finals week at the all-girls high school in Lake Forest. Paws for Patrick, a non-profit organization that uses therapy animals as a way of providing support to young people, brought Penny, an English Lab, and Piper, a Labradoodle, to interact with Woodlands Academy students for a while on Dec. 14. In addition to this, a hot chocolate bar during lunch on Dec. 12 was another de-stressing activity planned by the student government group WACOR (Woodlands Academy Council of Representatives) that was well received by students.