“It was my great joy to accompany the Class of 2030 to D.C. this spring. This trip provided many opportunities for us to learn about what happened well before any of us were born. Our students found beauty on an evening on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They were moved by the painful but necessary truths of the Holocaust Museum and were restored by the transcendental truth of ‘Evensong’ at the National Cathedral. Just as importantly, these young men and women forged stronger ‘bonds of charity’ through the highs and lows of five days of intense togetherness,” Eighth grade Latin and History teacher Lance Higdon said.

Each new member was encouraged to fan the flame in the coming years for what God gives each one to do in leading and serving the Boerne community and Geneva. Each member is expected to lead with character and help with ongoing projects at Geneva as well as to perform 20 hours of outside community service throughout the year.

Only one senior at each Boerne high school per year may be honored as a DAR Good Citizen. This program and scholarship contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. The program is open to all senior class students enrolled in accredited public or private secondary schools. DAR Good Citizens who enter the scholarship contest are eligible for the awards beyond the chapter level.

At the second part of the competition, the Concert and Sight-Reading portion, the Orchestra earned Sweepstakes by receiving a rating of 1 – Superior on Concert and a 1 – Superior on Sight Reading. The Mariachi ensemble earned a rating of 1 – Superior as well.

The Cello Choir earned a rating of 2 – Excellent for their ensemble. Combined points from both parts of the competitions left Geneva 84 points ahead of their nearest competitors, clinching their win for the State Title.  An extra congratulations goes out to the Cello Soloist Koen Huebner.

The production included 16 students including cast, crew and production who worked together to make the play possible. Auditions were held in early January and rehearsals began soon after. All roles were played by Rhetoric School students who portrayed the rich cast of characters.

The role of Macbeth was played by sophomore, Samuel McPhail and junior, Sofia Ramirez played Lady MacBeth. Other key roles were performed by sophomore Christopher Siller (Macduff), junior Catalina Lozada (Lady Macduff), senior Jonathan Taylor (Banquo), freshman Lucas Lozada (Duncan), sophomore Jack Ranhofer (Malcom), sophomore Ashley McCollough (Witch), junior Rosie Troyer (Witch), senior Megan Luffy (Witch), freshman Katelyn Lindquist (Lennox), freshman Sophie Crews (Ross) and freshman Katie Chapa (Doctor).

The production was directed by Jesse Brown with a leadership team including Fine Arts Director Ben Vis, Audio Engineer Luis Arizpe, Costume Director Holly Williams, Artistic Director Megan Luffy and Fine Arts Executive Assistant Becca Kuhlmeier.

“This production of Macbeth was a special one for me. Many of the students reached depths I had not previously seen from them. While dark in theme and content, the actors found a great balance of having fun while also giving the necessarily weight to what they were portraying onstage. I could not ask for a finer cast, and it got the team and me excited our next big project! After William Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy, I’m confident they can take on anything we throw at them,” Brown said.

CSPA stated: “Your school’s staff exemplifies the type of journalism and storytelling that CSPA is proud to recognize and feature during its annual awards program.”

“It was an incredible experience to be at Columbia University with my students to receive our 9^th Crown and 7^th Gold Crown Award! Geneva Quarterly continues to pursue excellence in writing, design and photography. To God be the Glory!” Geneva Quarterly Adviser Emily Rawls said.

Fifteen students in each category (scripture and poetry) advance to the Speech Meet Finals where they present it before a panel of judges, their Grammar School peers, teachers and parents. Students are awarded either a first, second or third place medal for their efforts.

“At Geneva, our ‘Portrait of a Graduate,’ among other aims is a graduate who can ‘present engagingly articulate and winsome arguments.’ In Grammar School, we train students to become orators who speak with confidence and boldness, in front of their classmates and large audiences,” Grammar School Headmaster Jessica Gombert said.

The Speech Meet competition is an avenue for students to hone their memorization and communication skills. Logic School builds on this through the Eighth Grade Oratory Contest and culminates in Rhetoric School with seniors presenting a thesis which is a 20-minute oral presentation followed by a 20-minute defense as they answer questions by three panelists.

This year, more than 160 students competed in the Grammar School Speech Meet and 28 advanced to the finals.