Four Rowmark/Rowland Hall alums qualified for the 2016 NCAA Alpine Championships in Steamboat, Colorado. Qualifying is based on individual season-long performance and is a huge accomplishment, especially because the current NCAA circuit is dominated by world-class European racers. Bryan Cookson '13 enjoyed a career best while competing for the University of New Hampshire. He placed 12th in the slalom and helped his team take 10th place! Carter Dowd '12, a senior at Babson College, is a six-time All-American!

Thanks to players for their dedication and families for their support throughout this fun winter season. Thanks to the Middle School Boosters for providing every athlete with a sport specific T-shirt showing school spirit. Rowland Hall is fortunate to have such a dedicated group of coaches who put in countless hours to develop the skills of student athletes. Read on for a recap of each team's season.

Upper School athletes enjoyed a successful winter season. The swim team and boys and girls basketball teams qualified for and took part in post-season competition.

Several Winged Lions were recognized with accolades this fall and winter. Each season, the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News honor athletes with All-State and All-Region titles.

Rowmark Academy's Junior Program led by director Troy Price had one of its most successful years to date. Close to 60 Rowland Hall students make up the Junior Program, which ranges from kindergarten to eighth grade. Students competed in many local, regional, national, and international competitions throughout the season. The main focus, as always, is improving skiing skills, having fun with classmates, providing professional coaching, and fostering a lifelong appreciation for skiing and the outdoors.

The first half of the season consisted of great accomplishments and personal bests. It's been nice to have good powder back in Western U.S. this year, but Rowmark's U19s in particular have faced the challenge of racing in snow, rain, and fog all year long. This group has a very demanding travel schedule and the level of competition is always top notch. The U16s have a comparatively less demanding travel schedule, but the level of competition on this circuit has also been high. The athletes have stepped up to the plate to perform exceptionally well while keeping current with their schoolwork. As a team, 69% of the Rowmarkers made the Headmaster or Honor Roll list first semester. This is the highest percentage in the program's history. Congratulations!

Rowmark Ski Academy alumna Breezy Johnson snagged a U.S. Ski Team nomination upon graduation in 2013, and has since been diligently working her way up the international ranks. But few people could have predicted her meteoric rise this winter.

Join Rowland Hall's dancers, band members, visual artists, poets, and dancers in a gallery stroll of collaborative exploration, it is an all-sensory interactive art experiment. Join us at the Larimer Center for the Performing Arts, March 31 – April 2 at 7pm. Adults: $8 • Students: $5 • Kids Under 8: Free.

Steiner Community Garden, which is located on the Steiner Property just behind McCarthey Campus, is a Wasatch Community Network Garden. Steiner Community Garden is seeking new gardeners for the 2016 season! The cost for plot rental and water for the entire season is only $35.00! If you would like a plot please contact Jensen Morgan at jensenmorgan@rowlandhall.org.

Rowland Hall's Upper School Rag and Bone Theatre presents "It's A Wonderful Life"—a modern take on a classic story. Performances are free and will be held at the Larimer Center for Performing Arts Thursday and Friday, March 3-4, starting at 7 pm.

On February 12, the Rowland Hall debate team won the elite College Prep Debate tournament College Prep Round Robin in Oakland, California. Only the top 16 teams in the country were invited to compete and on Friday night, Rowland Hall seniors Jaden Lessnick and Emily Gordon won the tournament and were recognized as the first and second speakers.

If your son or daughter is planning to participate on one of the Upper School fall sports teams in the upcoming 2016-17 school year, please carefully review the Upper School Fall Athletic Information sheet as all teams begin practicing and competing early to mid August.

The first qualification race of the season was a great success! The coaching staff is more than pleased with the athletes performance and sportsmanship conducted throughout this past weekend. We would like to congratulate Tommy Hoffman for winning the Sean Nurse Memorial Men's Overall! His name will be showcased on the Sean Nurse Memorial Plaque along with many World Cup skiers including Ted Ligety and Resi Stiegler. As well as some of our amazing coaches, Kiley Staples and Hailey Duke, both former US Ski Team members. Congrats!

Rowland Hall's Winter Admission Open House events are scheduled, and we are excited to welcome new families to our school. Prospective families will learn more about our philosophy and programs, take a tour, and meet administrators, teachers, students, and parents who can share their personal experiences. We look forward to meeting you and your family!

We see the effects of your referrals every day and thank you for sharing what you love most about Rowland Hall with your friends and family. Admission season is upon us, and we encourage you to let all your friends, neighbors, and colleagues with children know that Rowland Hall's Winter Admission Open House events are scheduled!

The Lincoln Street Campus Home and School Association invites all parents to a Parent Forum on Tuesday, January 26, at 8:30am in the Lincoln Campus Library. Nationally recognized psychologist Dr. Sam Goldstein will speak on how to raise self-disciplined children.

In lower school chapels, middle school advisories, and upper school chapel this month, as we celebrate the legacy and lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students are talking about positive identity development, cross-cultural curiosity, being an upstander (opposite of bystander​ - someone who intervenes on behalf of others​) and ally for each other, and the benefits, for everyone, of being a member of a diverse and inclusive community using the slogan: Who am I? Who are You? Who are We? Why are We Better Together?

The Dec 23 Holiday Food Giveaway was the capstone of Rowland Hall's comprehensive season of service, Director of Ethical Education Ryan Hoglund said. The season started with October's Crossroads Canned Food Drive, which raised 4 tons of canned goods and over $2,200. The next month, 30 Spanish-speaking Rowland Hall community members volunteered at the Crossroads Thanksgiving Giveaway, which garnered 3,900 turkeys.

You are invited to enjoy the Lower School Third Grade Bird Art Exhibit on display at Discovery Gateway Children's Museum during the month of December! This month, students found birds as their inspirational subjects. In this art project, students were inspired by the bird art of John James Audubon. The students drew the bird images by using the 'upside down' drawing technique. This technique allows an artist to draw what the eye sees as shapes rather than as a recognizable image. It stops the logical mind from taking over and attempting to make you draw what the brain thinks a bird should look like. Students then used watercolor paints to capture the lifelike colors of the birds.