the academy journal
ANC Boys School
Jeremy T. Irwin, Principal
T
he goal of the Boys School is to provide excel-
lent spiritual and secular education. It is our
responsibility to teach and study the truths of the
natural and spiritual worlds in light of the Word
so that we can assist our students in the develop-
ment of their civil, moral, and spiritual lives.
Our core purpose is to prepare our students for
a principled and useful life in this world and the
next which we support by laying the foundations
for the judgment of rational wisdom and the jus-
tice of moral wisdom.
The Boys School enrollment on the first day of
school was 134 boys, 33 of whom resided in Stuart
Hall. We started the year with a welcome back pic-
nic provided by the Parents Association and our
Back to School Event which was very well attended
and received positive reviews from a large number
of attendees.
In October we held our annual Open House
which welcomed and informed 55 families about
the many great things ANC has to offer and how
we are unique in our efforts to provide practical
spiritual growth coupled with rigorous academics
and supported by varied extracurricular opportu-
nities. This is a slight increase over the 50 fami-
lies we welcomed in October of 2015. During the
course of the year, in addition to the 55 families
that visited the Open House, we hosted 85 shadow
students and provided 74 private tours to potential
students and their families.
Our Distinguished Alumni for the 2016-17
academic year were Bruce Henderson and Randy
Gyllenhaal who spoke to the senior boys about im-
portant lessons they learned while attending ANC
and how those lessons have influenced the course
of their life as useful members of society. It was
a particularly interesting pairing as both of these
gentlemen have had extensive experience in jour-
nalism and were able to provide complementary
perspectives from that vantage point.
From an athletic standpoint, the soccer pro-
gram made a statement during the fall season
by becoming the first ANC soccer team in the
school’s history to win a Friends League play-
off game. Although we lost a heartbreaker in the
overtime shootout, ANC claimed 2nd place in the
league against tough competition.
Heading into the Christmas break, we enter-
tained audiences with a fun production of A Char-
lie Brown Christmas and another excellent Winter
Performing Arts Concert showcasing our students
in Choral Music class, Performing Arts Portfolio
class, and the Dance Program.
Coming out of Christmas Break, the ANC fam-
ily suffered a tremendous loss with the death of a
beloved teacher, mentor, and coach, Marah Boye-
28