Dear Friends and Families of Our Lady of Victory,

I’ve been revisiting The Odyssey in preparation for our Fireside Classics event on April 30th. Rather than reading it, I’ve been listening to an audiobook narrated by Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf!), available for free on Spotify (link below). If you begin tonight and listen for less than an hour each evening, you can finish it in time for the event:

https://open.spotify.com/show/5iChwWldKTCoLOerWeDORw?si=0c352a9ccfd7464b

As an aside, hearing a trained voice bring the text to life is, in some ways, the more classical approach, since most people in the ancient world would have encountered it through recitation. Of course, the Homeric bards would have delivered it from memory in the original Greek, but I digress.

There are many enduring themes in The Odyssey, but one has stood out to me in a particular way: the meaning of home. Odysseus longs to return to Ithaca, to the people who love him, especially Penelope and Telemachus. At the same time, he is determined to confront and drive out those who dishonor his home and threaten the order of his household.

Home has been on my mind as we enter the final stretch of our campus acquisition. What a gift it will be to have a place to call our own. What a gift it will be to turn a new campus into a new home.

In that spirit, I want to extend my personal thanks to several members of our community who have worked diligently behind the scenes to bring us to this moment: Kevin McAdam, Therese Chavez, Shawn Grady, Brian Rorick, Joshua Gideon, Tyler Kolden, Sergio and Mercy Gutierrez, and Matt and Dianna Miller. These and so many others from our community have made real sacrifices to support this effort, and we would not be at this stage without you. It has been a privilege to witness the generosity of this community in time, talent, and treasure. On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students of OLV, past, present, and future: thank you.

May Our Lady continue to bless our school abundantly.

I hope to see you all on the 30th. We have much to celebrate.

Peace in Christ,
Randy

As a Catholic school, our mission is to form young men and women of faith, intellect, and character. In pursuit of that mission, we remain attentive to the many challenges facing teens today, particularly those that arise through cell phones and the nearly unlimited access they provide to information and ideas that often run counter to the values we seek to cultivate in partnership with you.

Accordingly, on Thursday, April 23, we will hold a special Formation "Friday" event featuring renowned author, physician, and psychologist Dr. Leonard Sax. To accommodate Dr. Sax's visit to OLV, we will follow our "Friday" class schedule on Thursday, 4/23 and our ordinary "Thursday" class schedule on Friday, 4/24, with dismissal at 3:10 PM on both days.

Dr. Sax will address our girls on the dangers and challenges of social media, and in a separate session, he will speak with our boys on "Becoming a Man of Integrity and the Dangers of Pornography." Dr. Sax has shared the content of this latter presentation with us, and there are no sexually suggestive images of any kind. When not in session, students will participate in House games.

We are confident that these presentations will bear meaningful fruit in the lives, outlooks, and habits of our students. At the same time, we recognize the sensitive nature of these topics. If you prefer that your son or daughter not participate, please email attendance@ourladyofvictorydenver.com. You are welcome to dismiss your child early that day, or we can arrange for a supervised study hall in lieu of attendance.

Thank you for your continued partnership in the formation of your children.

Hi Parents,

This Friday, OLV students and faculty will lead the Colorado March for Life in downtown Denver. We will not have daily mass / classes that day. Here is the adapted schedule:

• 7:45 Parents drop-off students at St Mark's parish (9905 Foothills Canyon Blvd., Highlands Ranch, CO, 80129)

• After Mass, around 9 a.m. Students will board buses. Houses Ambrose and Athanasius will ride in one bus, captained by Valerie Haas, and Houses Augustine and Chrysostom will ride in the other, captained by Anna Worachek.

• 10-11 a.m. Programmed events (concert & rally)

• 12 p.m. March & Photo at the Capitol

• 1 p.m. Board buses

• 2 p.m. Return to St Mark's. Parents will pick up their students from St Mark's (9905 Foothills Canyon Blvd., Highlands Ranch, CO, 80129)

We will notify you if there are any schedule changes.

Students must:

• Wear jeans (no sweats) and OLV spirit wear

• Bring a winter coat as there is a chance of snow on Friday

• Pack a lunch to eat on the bus.

Parents, please:

• Send your student with tip money for the bus driver

• Call your student(s) out of school if they are not attending the March with OLV. Even if they are attending separately, we encourage them to wear their school uniform.

Dear Families,

We are excited to share that Archbishop Golka will be coming to celebrate Mass for us on Friday, May 8th at 7:30am! All are welcome to attend and greet our new Archbishop and welcome him to our community.

In Christ,
Emma Barham
Office Administrator

Don't forget to purchase the school's 2025-2026 yearbook! The due date for this is TOMORROW: Friday, April 17.

Here is the link to purchase!
https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016749272042285

The senior play is looking for stage crew May 4-9! Rehearsals are May 4-6 from 3:10-7 pm. Performances are May 7-9: call at 5pm, shows 7-9:30, with strike immediately after on May 9. Please consider getting involved in drama as stage crew and earning your house some points! Signups will go up next week. Thank you!

To celebrate the many accomplishments of our students and to honor the beauty of all of our families, we will be running our second annual Celebration of Culture event prior to our awards ceremony this year!

For this event, we would like students and families to bring a special dish, dessert, or drink (non- alcoholic) from their family tradition or heritage to share with the community. OLV will provide plates, cups, utensils, and napkins, but please plan to bring your own serving spoons, if necessary. A Sign Up Genius link will be sent out next week, so please begin to think about what your family could bring to enhance our celebration!

The celebration will start at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8th, with the awards ceremony following at 1:45. The awards ceremony will feature individual academic awards and the announcement of the winner of the White Horse Cup.

Dear OLV Community,

Christ's peace! I wanted to share with all of you that bittersweet news that I won't be returning as office administrator at OLV next year. I have decided to move back into speech therapy and will be working for Mountain Top Therapy Services. I am excited that I will still be connected to the community through Mountain Top and hope to still be a part of the OLV extended family! I wanted to share our poster with our listed services and how to reach out if you'd be interested in any of your children receiving speech services! I am grateful for this year at OLV, and I look forward to continuing working with some of you through Mountain Top!

In Christ Our Hope,
Emma Barham

The Lord has blessed our school abundantly with new, mission-driven and exceptionally talented faculty and staff. You can read their biographies here.

While we are still hiring for several key positions, we are deeply grateful that He has brought each of these women to our community and for their generous “yes” to that call. Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for this important work in the fall.

The Archdiocese of Denver is hosting the Priestly Convocation next week from Monday to Thursday. Because of this, there is a shortage of priests this week. We will not have daily Mass on Monday, 4/20 or Thursday, 4/23.

OLV freshmen and sophomores will take the CLT 10 (or the practice CLT) the morning of April 22.

The CLT or Classical Learning Test is a college entrance exam accepted at hundreds of colleges across the United States as an alternative to the SAT® and ACT®. At OLV, we also use it as an assessment test to measure how our students are performing academically. Each year, the CLT recognizes top performers across the U.S.. Distinguished Scholars are those who earn the top score at their school; Regional Scholars are those who score in the top 5% in their respective region; and National Award Recipients are the top 50 high school sophomores across the U.S. National Award Recipients are also awarded a $2,500 scholarship to use at any CLT Partner College to help cover the cost of tuition and room and board. Students are automatically considered for these awards simply by taking the exam.

The seniors are attending and performing at the Denver Shakespeare Festival on Friday, April 24 at the Denver Center for Performing Arts. Students will depart from school in the morning and return at the end of the school day. We hope to arrive at 9:30 a.m., our performance is at 1:23 p.m., and we will start heading back at 2:30 p.m..

You can view the schedule of the day using this link.

Parents are welcome to attend and watch the performance. We will also have the opportunity to watch other schools' performances.

We are looking for parent drivers to take 17 students to the DCPA, and we will also need 2 chaperones for the day. Please reach out to Mrs. Ouyang if you can help!

Here’s the lineup of priests celebrating Mass the next week of school.
(4/20 - 4/24)

Monday, 4/20: No Mass, Due to Arch Den Priestly Convocation
Tuesday, 4/21: St. Mark’s Mass, Fr. Bierbaum and DiLoreto
Wednesday, 4/22: Fr. Joe Hartmann
Thursday, 4/23:‍ No Mass, Due to Arch Den Priestly Convocation
Friday, 4/24:‍ Fr. Joe Hartmann

As part of OLV's evening speaker series, the Common Sense Forum, Dr. Leonard Sax, a renowned clinical doctor, psychologist and best-selling author, will present "How to Raise Resilient Children: Evidence-Based Parenting" on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30pm at St. Mark's Catholic Church in Highlands Ranch.

Come enjoy drinks, hors d'oeuvres, fellowship and an opportunity for Q&A. This not-to-be-missed event is open to the broader community - invite friends, neighbors and prospective families! Please RSVP at www.ourladyofvictorydenver.com/rsvp.

Tickets for the OLV spring formal will officially go on sale on March 1! Tickets are $20 per person to help us cover the cost of food & drink.

As a reminder, the spring formal will be held on Saturday, April 18th at 7pm at the St. Agnes Center at Holy Name. All juniors & seniors are invited! Come enjoy signature mocktails, delicious desserts and wear your best dancing shoes. A photographer will be on hand to take student portraits and we will have a special gift for our seniors. Formal attire. Come celebrate the close of the school year with your classmates!

You are invited to join our Headmaster, Randy Aust, for an evening where you will taste the riches of the great books our students read every year. Each gathering offers a guided reflection on a classic text, along with a lively look at why it has endured, what a busy parent might profit from knowing, and how it can spark conversations that bring truth and wonder into your home. This night’s chosen text will be Homer’s Odyssey. No preparation needed; just bring your curiosity.

Bourbon, wine, and hors d'oeuvres will be served.

RSVP and learn more information here.

The final STEM club meeting of the year will be Saturday, May 9th from 9-11am in Room 203.

Breakfast burritos will be served! No materials required.

Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory joyfully invites you to celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2026 on Saturday, May 16 at 12:30 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton. Reception directly following in Marian Hall.

We are incredibly proud of our graduating seniors and all they have accomplished during their time at OLV. This special ceremony marks an important milestone as they take their next steps beyond our school.

We are also honored to welcome Nikki Kingsley as our commencement speaker, who will share her powerful story of faith and conversion.

Please join us in celebrating this joyful occasion!

The OLV student body and parents are warmly invited to join a special inter-parish gathering at the beautifully renovated All Souls Parish (Logan & Belleview).

On Thursday, April 16, the Thursday following Divine Mercy Sunday, beginning at 6:30 p.m., All Souls will host an Evening of Mercy.

The evening will include:

• Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament

• Praise and worship

• Opportunities for confession

• Prayer teams

• Guided meditation

This promises to be a beautiful and prayerful time together, offered in thanksgiving to the Holy Trinity. All are welcome—we hope you can join us!

On Tuesday, April 21, high school students and their parents are invited to attend our next Newman Guide Virtual College Fair.

Families can learn more and register at this link: newmansoc.org/fair.

By attending this free online event, families can:

• Learn about potential scholarships to faithful Newman Guide Recommended colleges.

• Discover personal recommendations for Newman Guide Recommended colleges that match students’ unique interests.

• Chat with college admissions representatives.

• Hear from renowned speakers on navigating the college search.

Students and their parents can choose between sessions starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern or 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Recordings of the sessions will be sent to those who register, even if they can’t attend.