By Luke Siggins

Staff writer 

Colorado State University-Pueblo women’s basketball, with their depleted bench still playing with only 7 players, was able to pull out a 74-70 win against Chadron State, in a tough fought game where there were 51 fouls called between the two teams on Feb. 22.

Pueblo came out firing in the first quarter, scoring 21 points to Chadron’s 14. Then CSU-Pueblo’s post players started to get into some foul trouble starting with defensive stopper Lauren Heyn, who would pick up a quick couple fouls and have to sit out.

“When they get into foul trouble like that, my post has to sit down it shifts the game a little bit, which we have to play differently, and then they (Chadron) start to get a few baskets, then they came back and outscored us in the second quarter,” Coach Curtis Loyd said.

Heyn ended up with a game leading three blocks, as well a game leading 10 rebounds. She would eventually foul out in the fourth quarter.

Other players got into foul trouble down the stretch: Kansas Watts had four fouls along with Jenna Knafelc who also picked up four fouls down the stretch.

Freshman JaNaiya Davis has been coming into her own this season, hitting her stride the past few games. She achieved a triple double on the team’s last road trip against University of Colorado Colorado Springs. It was the first triple double for CSU-Pueblo in 30 years. Davis is putting up these stats as only a freshman.

“Yes I am a freshman, but on the court I just have to be as good as the defender in front of me,” said Davis.

Davis has also been logging high minutes in the past few games. During this game, she logged a game high 39 minutes. “I’m pretty young, so I can play 30 minutes and I’ll be all right,” Davis said.  

Coach Loyd has been emphasizing defense this season regarding the team’s mindset. “Defensive, all on the defensive side, we put up on the board ‘defensive pride’ so we really talked about being about that today,” said Loyd.

Senior Jennah Knafelc struggled in shooting, she was 5-19 from the field and 1-10 from the 3 point line; the one she did hit in the fourth quarter put the team up by three.

“She was able to get it going with her defense, she had 5 steals and was able to help with rebounding too, she also went 8-9 from the free throw line, so it was tough but she was able to get it done,” Loyd said on Knafelc’s performance.

CSU-Pueblo is currently in a three-way tie for third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and they are trying to make a strong playoff push in these next two games.

“I think we’ve been here, it’s just the consistency, one of my players has been out with an illness, so if I can get a solid seven or eight we are going to be fine, but I appreciate the fight, and I loved the crowd at the end because we really needed that to get over the hump” said Loyd.

By Winter Naomi Vera

Staff writer

When it comes to origin stories, many comic fans may ask “why should I care why a hero is a hero when I just want to see them beating up the bad guys and saving the world?”

“Gotham” was announced as a show following James Gordon, (the future Commissioner of Gotham City and ally to Batman) in a series that began immediately after Bruce Wayne’s parents were shot and killed and fans were up in arms.

Comments sections on the internet were up in arms over the idea, including phrases like:

 “What a stupid idea. Why would someone make a Batman show without Batman?”

“Why make a series about the least interesting part of the Batman story?”

Despite this, Gotham’s success wasn’t centered around doing what fans wanted. Its success was in doing what fans never expected.

In the comics, many of Batman’s villains became The Penguin, The Riddler, The Joker, Mr. Freeze, etc. after Bruce Wayne became Batman, if he even met them before that point. In watching the show fans can appreciate the homework showrunner Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”) and others did in bringing the comic world to life but their “Gotham” is more than just a live action adaptation of the Batman mythos.

The showrunners create a world in the vein of the 60s “Batman” TV series, Tim Burton’s “Batman” films, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” Zack Snyder’s “Batman v. Superman” and anything and everything else. The looks of the villains are familiar, and entirely new. James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) often portrayed in his fifties or sixties with a mustache starts out as a clean shaven rookie cop.

The series opened with Selina Kyle, (Camren Bicondova) the future Catoman,  witnessing the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Gordon is a newly minted Lieutenant who is dispatched to investigate. What follows is part procedural crime series, part horror, part sci-fi and everything in between as we see Gordon explore the unusual Gotham City, while Bruce begins his journey to become Batman.

Additionally the Series follows Oswald Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin (played by Robin Lord Taylor) and his devious arc of betrayal and murder, from an employee of club owner, Fish Mooney, (played by Jada Pinkett Smith) to becoming one of the most powerful crime bosses in Gotham. Taylor adds all kinds of facets to Cobblepot and portrays madness incredibly well.

There are characters associated with Commissioner Gordon or with Bruce Wayne that play completely different roles than they do in the comics. In “Batman: Year One” which was one of a select few comics that explored Batman’s early years, Gordon’s wife Barbara is expecting their first child in a struggling marriage. She is largely a secondary character in the comics, but she has a bigger role in the TV series.

In “Gotham” Commissioner Gordon’s fiancee Barbara Kean is a rich socialite engaged to Lieutenant Gordon who struggles with the life her fiancee leads and her issues with her parents, before being kidnapped by a notorious serial killer, in the first season developing a relationship with him, murdering her parents and becoming one of the main antagonists. The whole show runs along these lines.

Leslie Thompkins, (played by Morena Baccarin from “Serenity” and “Deadpool”) in the comics becomes a sort of mother figure to Bruce, is a doctor in Arkham who develops a relationship with Gordon and later becomes the leader of Gotham’s Narrows. Ed Nigma starts out as a forensics expert before becoming The Riddler. When watching Gotham, an audience member feels compelled to expect the unexpected.

Even before the show premiered, script leaks detailed a scene where a comedian, who was performing tired jokes for first season villain Mooney. The comedian was suspected to be The Joker, but didn’t make many appearances after that.

Cameron Monaghan, who appeared as Jerome Valeska 16 episodes into the first season and his twin brother Jeremiah seasons later, has kept fans guessing as to which of his characters may take the mantle as the Clown Prince of Crime. Over the course of the series, he has channeled famous Joker actors, Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill, Heath Ledger and Jared Leto as well as a bit of himself in the madman.

“Gotham” additionally pays homage to what came before. Paul Reubens, who played The Penguin’s father in “Batman Returns” played Cobblepot’s estranged father in the series. There are visual callbacks to everything from “Batman: The Animated Series” to “The Dark Knight Trilogy” to Snyder’s series, and due to the nature of the source material and the city it’s set in, there is nothing too out of the ordinary.

“Gotham” stands apart from other series, because whatever decision the showrunners make just add to the crazy twists and turns the story takes. Kyle’s best friend Ivy Pepper, starts out as a little girl before being aged to a young woman in a plot involving genetically mutated Arkham Asylum inmates before exposing herself to various chemicals to become Poison Ivy.

Over the seasons, we have seen Gordon, Wayne and their allies face realistic threats to the city like a bomb or gang war to threats out of the ordinary like the aforementioned genetically mutated Arkham inmates, a virus that drives people mad, and in the fourth season, an ancient villain, Ra’s Al Ghul who destroyed the bridges of Gotham causing the U.S. to declare it a No Man’s Land when season five began.

“Gotham” is a series that is not easily forgotten for those who have watched it and the relationships, formed between the characters in the years, since its season premiere have taken many different roads. Friends became enemies. Enemies became friends. Mazouz and Bicondova have grown from children to teenagers and their characters from friends to much more.

As the series draws to its conclusion, each hour long episode will keep fans guessing from the minute it begins to the minute it ends. There will be a number of twists and turns in these final episodes as we meet new and returning villains, but the thing which comic fans initially railed against it for, its passing resemblance to the source material, will be what makes it so memorable when it ends.

The first four seasons of “Gotham” are currently streaming on Netflix. New episodes of the final season are currently streaming on Hulu and Fox’s streaming service.

By Kara Bertetto  

Staff Writer

Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably watched the Super Bowl. But living under a rock may have been more exciting than what America witnessed for four long hours. 

This win marked Tom Brady’s sixth Super Bowl victory and we got watch him, yet again, kiss everyone he knew on the mouth. His crowd pleasing peck on Patriot owner Robert Kraft’s lips was probably more entertaining than the game itself. 

With tensions already running high that Tom Brady was at his ninth Super Bowl, winning six of them, and the Rams beating the New Orleans Saints on a no-call, there was controversy surrounding the game from the start.

This year’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots had potential. However, it was arguably the most boring in the history of the football tradition. The game was the ninth Super Bowl in history with both teams scoring 0 in the first quarter.

Brady squandered the first possession with an interception and one of the best kickers in the NFL missed a 46-yard attempt within the Patriots’ first two drives. The Rams were even more underwhelming, scoring just 30 yards in the game’s first 15 minutes.

Stephen Gostkowski has a career stat of 84.4% for field goals made, according the the NFL. For him to miss his first kick of the Super Bowl was not only a let down, but a bad omen for the rest of the game.  The second quarter didn’t get any better as the Patriots only led the Rams 3-0 at half time. The only thing to cheer about was Gostkowski’s reattempt at a field goal to redeem himself from the disastrous kick he missed in the first quarter. 

This brings us to the halftime show. Yes, we have all seen social media blowing up about Adam Levine taking his shirt off and the god-awful tank top he was wearing that seemed to match everyone’s curtains and couch cushions. But, after that performance, those two things may have been the only saving grace he and Maroon 5 had.  

It seemed as though fans were eager and expecting of a performance that would lead a voice backing up Colin Kaepernick and political injustice. But, Maroon Five may not have a single political bone in their bodies and their performance was a dull version of every song they have ever put out.  

Adam Levine told USA Today before the game that he talked to numerous people before taking the gig amongst the drama around the NFL and how they handled players, like Colin Kaepernick, taking their knee during the national anthem.  

“We got you,” Levine said. According to Levine, Maroon 5 was doing the halftime show to make sure people of color and others who don’t feel like their voices are heard can be understood. Levine made sure to emphasize a second quote, “they will be heard.” 

The third quarter was…you guessed it. Nothing more than snooze-worthy once again. The only points put on the board were from the Rams with another field goal to tie to game. This still makes this game the lowest scoring through three quarters in the history of Super Bowls.   

In the fourth quarter, Patriots fans had something to celebrate as their team scored a two-yard touchdown with seven minutes left on the clock. The Rams did what they could to redeem themselves but the game ended in a 13-3 score.  

Needless to say, this Super Bowl was underwhelming to put things nicely. It’s hard to say if the commercials even saved it this year like many years in the past. Let’s bring back our favorite Puppy Monkey Baby next year that everyone knows and loves instead of ASMR beer commercials, yeah?  

By Uri Prescott

Staff writer

Ditching the consumer holiday for an alternate celebration of love could spare your wallet

It’s almost Valentine’s Day; a day of love and romance filled with stuffed animals, boxes of chocolates and roses by the dozens. It makes me sick. 

Before I get too far into this, I want it to be clear that I am not against romance, love and especially chocolate. I just cannot get behind a “Hallmark” holiday that drains your wallet. 

Valentine’s Day was not always the Sweethearts-filled day we celebrate today. But now, it is all about the gifts and romantic gestures. The National Retail Federation survey said Valentine’s Day is part of the top four major holidays that consumers spend the most money on; only beaten out by winter holidays, Mother’s Day and Easter.  

According to Forbes, the United States spends about $20 billion on Valentine’s Day. Men will spend an average of $134 on their significant other, and women will spend about $62. That’s a lot of money being spent on a day dedicated loving each other.  

Not to mention the strain it can cause to relationships. The planning and pocket-gouging from creating the ultimate expression of love can be more stressful and costly than expected. 

There’s buying gifts, booking a reservation to a fancy restaurant, having some kind of “surprise” for your significant other and all of that comes with a lot of pressure when you know they are expecting something grand.

Forgetting the holiday altogether can create a whole new set of relationship problems. This celebration is supposed to be a resemblance of the undying love couples have for each other, and you forgot it? It happens. Unfortunately, most people aren’t as casual about it.  

Personally, I can barely remember my own Birthday. There is other important information I need to keep in mind at all times, so sometimes a money-hungry celebration with almost no real meaning behind it doesn’t always win priority in my brain space.  

To me, the way we celebrate Valentine’s Day is over the top. It seems like something we should save for our own special anniversaries or on a day we are feeling extra romantic, not when we are being queued by companies with hearts in their eyes. Plus, if we all spread out when we celebrate, we might all be able to have a nice dinner reservation somewhere.

Valentine’s Day has also become somewhat of a romantic crutch. The common thought, even if it is on a subconscious level, is that you have to have two lovey-dovey expressions a year; your anniversary and Valentine’s Day. If you really love this person, wanting to romance them should be something you want to do all the time, not twice a year.  

It doesn’t have to be with expensive jewelry and a $40 box of chocolates (and let’s be honest, only four of the chocolates in the box are even any good). Small things like cooking a nice dinner or sharing a bottle of wine over Netflix are great acts of love. Best of all, they don’t need prompting from the calendar while still as meaningful as the expected date on Valentine’s Day.  

So, this Valentine’s Day, I challenge women, men and couples alike to not fall into the same, unnecessary displays. 

By Emily Montgomery

Staff writer

A study abroad fair was held in the Occhiato Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6, inviting students to participate in study abroad programs for the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

Extended Studies and the Center for International Programs held the fair to inform students who wish to study abroad of the low-cost opportunities at Colorado State University-Pueblo.

Danilo Leon will be teaching Spanish course 130 Intro to Spanish Speaking Cultures: Mexico. The duration of the course is May 27- June 15, the last week being a trip to the CSU-Pueblo campus in Todos Santos, Mexico.

Students who enroll in this course do not need any prior knowledge of Spanish language or culture. The 3-credit course provides students a further understanding of Mexican art and literature and different cultural, economic, political and social aspects of the nation.

The cost of the course is $2,400 and includes travel expenses, food, lodging, and excursions. Financial aid may be applied to this course and the deadline to register is March 7.

Education First is hosting a trip to Barcelona, Southern France and Italy. This trip has no courses required to participate, and students of all backgrounds are invited to attend for leisure. Professor Christen Picicci of CSU-Pueblo will lead this trip.

The length of this trip is 10 days, in which students will visit the cities of Barcelona, Nice, Cinque Terre, and Florence. This trip includes round-trip airfare, transportation, guided sightseeing and regional-style meals.

EF offers scholarships and flexible payments plans for this trip. Additional information can be found on their website www.efcollegetours.com/2088264wn and the last date to enroll for this trip is March 3.

Grant Weller will lead a historic trip to Europe exploring D-Day. The cities included are London, Portsmouth, Normandy Region, Paris, Bastogne Region, Cologne and Berlin.

This 13-day trip will be from June 2- June 14. Students will explore museums and see historical architecture and landmarks.

The longest Trip offered for the upcoming summer semester is a trip to Bergamo, Italy. This trip is a one-month intensive Italian language and culture program from July 1-July 26.

Picicci will teach students at the Centro Italian Stranieri of the Universita degli Studi di Bergamo. Students will earn 6 credits for the program. Students must have a GPA of at least 2.75 and the application deadline is April 26.

The projected cost of this program is $3,999 and scholarships for Italian majors or minors are available as well as financial aid.

EF will host a tour in June 2020, exploring Italy and the history of the Second World War. Weller and Picicci will lead this 14-day trip. Included in this trip are round-trip flights on major carriers, full-time tour director, transportation, superior tourist-class hotels with private bathrooms and breakfast daily.

Students will spend two nights in Rome, two days in Taormina, two days in Salerno, two days in Rome and three days in Florence. Students will sightsee the Vatican City, Ancient Rome, Salerno beaches, MonteCassino, Anzio beaches, Taormino and Florence.

This trip also includes entrance into the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Greek Amphitheater, Museaum of the Landings in Sicily, Abbey of Monte Cassino, Anzio Beach, Anzio Museum and the Museum of Deportation.

Scholarships and payments plans will be available for this trip.

By Uri Prescott

Staff writer

It is now the Year of the Pig.

The Center for International Programs at Colorado State University-Pueblo reined in the Chinese New Year with traditional food, decorations and music. The festivities started at 11 a.m. Feb. 5 in their office and lasted until 2 p.m. 

“I see that a lot of international students, they stay in their groups like in the same countries, nationalities, and so this is maybe opportunity to get more in touch with other internationals and with other American students,” said Patrick Baeumle, a German international student who works in the office.  In China, the new year is celebrated according to lunar cycles, hence the name Lunar New Year.

As with most celebrations, food is a major part of the Lunar New Year. The Center for International Programs had a buffet of traditional Chinese food for students to enjoy.  Jennifer Franklin, a psychology major who has worked in the Center for International Programs for about three years, said, “I love Chinese food, so the food is always a big part for me.”

There were egg rolls, skewered teriyaki chicken, dumplings, various sauces and teas. Many attendees said the best part of the CSU-Pueblo Lunar New Year was the spread of food and drinks, and that it was an opportunity for them to see what food is like in the Chinese culture. “It’s my first time I saw chicken in this form,” said Francisco Earreto, another student who works in the Center for International Programs.  

According to Jose Suniaga, a student working in the Center for International Programs, having inclusive celebrations on campus allows for students to learn about new cultures and international students bring a piece of their culture here to CSU-Pueblo. “It gets you closer to other cultures and I think that’s something that everyone should do.”

“It’s really inviting here, just like whenever you come it’s just nice to hang out, it’s a nice place to do homework, too,” said Juhyeok Park, a student attending the celebration. Park said he believes these celebrations on campus are a good thing. “It gets the international community involved and just brings everyone kind of together.” 

According to Franklin, the Center for International Programs encourages more people to attend their events. “I think it’s really important to spread different cultures around campus because this is a very diverse part of Colorado and so we want to welcome that,” Franklin said. “Come by and celebrate with us, we often do things like this so it’s nice to spread the diversity.”

By James Gavato

Staff writer

Colorado State University-Pueblo’s baseball team has racked up quite the resume. With many conference titles to its name, the Thunderwolves are hoping for another fantastic season.  

The baseball program at CSU-Pueblo was created 26 years ago by the Packs current manager, Stan Sanchez.  

He sees promise in this year’s team, and hopes that they will perform well in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. 

“We’ve got some power arms. If we can pitch, we’re going to be in position to win a lot of games,” Sanchez said. 

One of those arms that Sanchez is counting on is senior middle reliever Timmy Burtzloff. 

“Whenever there’s guys on or were in a big situation, that will probably be my role,” Burtzloff said. 

Last season, the Pack finished 29-23 overall, and 19-16 in RMAC play, which landed them 4th in the league’s standings.  

The Thunderwolves beat the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in the first round of the RMAC tournament, and also beat Regis University, but were eliminated with two losses to Colorado School of Mines.  

CSU-Pueblo went 22-7 at Rawlings Field, but finished 7-16 in road games. 

Sanchez also mentioned how tough the Thunderwolves schedule is, and where their pitching could really help them win games. 

“Angelo State sticks out. They’re in our region, the South-Central region, and they’re always in the national tournament. As far as league goes, Colorado Mesa has been one of the top teams in the country year after year,” said Sanchez.  

CSU-Pueblo has two-star corner infielders with Dakota Popham at third base, who was named to the preseason all-region 1st team, and Gil Sauceda at first base. 

“I definitely want to improve from last year. Defensively I want to get a gold glove. I made one error last year and I’m hoping for none this year,” Sauceda said.  

As far as the Pack’s defense goes, they shape up pretty well. Daniel Abilies, and Stone Romero, two junior transfers, will rotate behind the plate to catch for a solid starting rotation.  

Abilies, a transfer from Glendale Community College, earned a gold glove, and hit .331 in his sophomore season. 

Romero is a transfer from Lamar Community College, and hit .309 there as a sophomore.  

Two underclassmen will make up the Thunderwolves middle infield this season. Aidan Welch will start at shortstop, and Jesse Holguin will play at second, with Sauceda and Popham rounding out the infield.   

Three upperclassmen shape up the outfield for CSU-Pueblo with Adrian Martinez in left field, Connor Hughes in center field, and Rion Santamaria in right field. The Pack also have Easton Adler, a junior transfer from Northeastern Junior College to help in the outfield.  

With Northeastern, Adler was named to the all-region IX 1st team, and hit an average of .392. He also stole 12 bases in 13 attempts. 

The Thunderwolves season continues on Feb. 9 and 10 in Kansas against the Pittsburg State Gorillas.

Find the full baseball schedule at gothunderwolves.com

By Jacob Duran

Staff writer

The CW’s Riverdale third season has returned after a mid-season break in full dramatic swing.  This season has already been full of many twists and turns along with every character changing through the season.  This mid-season break wasn’t wasted, as the return is must watch and every episode matters with each one building off the other. 

The story has many advantages to keeping it fresh and engaging as the first half ended in a very open-ended fashion, leaving viewers intrigued to see where the story would go.  The characters all have their own character arcs that are separate, yet connected.  These go hand in hand as the story is well paced and limited in dull moments. 

The central characters of the show are anything but static and go through multiple developments.  Archie Andrews has gone from Riverdale’s favorite son to an outlaw on the run with a new purpose.  Veronica Lodge has also went from the spoiled rich girl to owner of Pop’s the local diner while also making it a speakeasy.   

Veronica’s best friend Betty Cooper has simply become a chameleon.  The comic books that this show is adapted from had these same characters for nearly eight decades and they pretty much always stayed the same along with the plots never truly progressing. 

This show has done what the comics hadn’t dared to do: evolve the story and characters and take them to bold new directions. Riverdale is a show that does all this and more while also being genre flexible, going from mystery one episode to the next one being a thriller or horror themed episode. 

This has been a strength of the show since season one as the show began as a mystery with elements of horror.  Then after this, season two was a mystery season that also had crime go along with it.  Season three has continued this as well with many episodes going full on horror. 

The tone also can be molded to whatever the episode needs as this show doesn’t fully commit to one solidified note.  This can go from an optimistic and hopeful tone to one that is dark and more mysterious with some grittiness but the proper amount so that it’s not gloomy.  This show is one of the few that can appeal audiences as the tone can fit a wide audience. 

The original comics, though, they are what the show are adapted from, were fun for what they were but never evolved or let anything or anyone develop.  The characters whether it was Archie or Betty would always have the same personality along with character traits and this was the status quo for decades.  Riverdale has changed this for the better as that isn’t a problem at all for the show. 

Riverdale season 3 started off strong and has only continued this since.  This season has truly had next to no dull moments with every scene counting along with the characters being likable and developing.  

Riverdale Season 3 trailer; spoiler free
 

By Tiffany Underwood

Staff writer

This spring, the El Pueblo History Museum, the Fort Garland Museum and the Trinidad History Museum will be collectively hosting a series of events to celebrate the Borderlands of southern Colorado exhibits in Pueblo.

The events are free and open to the public in hopes to expand the understanding of the Southern Colorado’s extended history through a variety of visual mediums, hosted by scholars, artists, writers and activists from around the world. The museums plan to discuss topics including indigenous slavery of the Southwest, land rights and dispossession, historical settlement patterns of southern Colorado and healing practices.

These events are sponsored by Colorado State University-Pueblo and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area.

“It is such an amazing opportunity to bring these incredible speakers to our communities in southern Colorado,” said Kirby Stokes, director of Trinidad History Museum. “The community stories we will share in our new Borderlands exhibits will certainly be enriched by the speakers who are coming.” These speakers includescholar Maria Montoya, Ute Mountain Ute leader Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk and more.

A full list of speakers can be found at h-co.org/BorderlandsTalks or by texting “Borderlands” to 474747.

For further information, visit the El Pueblo History Museum website.

By Victoria Jimenez

Assistant editor

From CSU-Pueblo officials and Villa Bella Expeditionary officials;

Villa Bella Expeditionary, Pueblo’s first Expeditionary K-5 charter elementary school will officially break ground Jan. 21 at 10:30 a.m. at 2390 Rawlings Blvd., located south of Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl.

The ceremony will include brief statements from Scott Robertshaw, VBE Board President; Logan Gogarty, founder and director; Ed Smith, superintendent for Pueblo School District 70; and Mohamed Abdelrahman; provost for Colorado State University-Pueblo. They will be followed by a ceremonial groundbreaking and picture taking.

After the reception, a fundraiser for Villa Bella will be held at Thunderzone Taphouse & Pizza and with Lobos Tacos & Tequila between 11:00 a.m. to noon. Ten percent of all purchases from these locations during that time will be donated to the charter school.

According to officials, the charter school aims to cultivate a strong synergistic relationship with CSU-Pueblo by offering opportunities for K-5 students to use university resources, while internships and field experience at the elementary will be available for university students’ professional development.

Evidenced-based, hands-on curriculum is being offered for students beginning K-3, and the school aims to grow with their students into grades 4 and grade 5 and be fully built out by year 3 of operation.

The school is introducing a teaching model with emphasis on “more doing and less lecture.”

The goal for Villa Bella is to increase hands on experience for their students, allowing them to integrate traditional subjects simultaneously, such as literacy, reading, writing, character development and teamwork, through exploration and personal research.

More information on Villa Bella Expeditionary School can be found at www.villabellaschool.org