Fall 2024 Club Season Success

Our Academic Clubs have been very busy over the past months! ESports, Model UN, DECA, Speech and Debate, and Math Club have been actively competing this semester, proudly representing Valor with great success. TSA and Mock Trial have been preparing for an exciting competition season this coming spring semester. 

Esports

Esports Playoffs started November 18 with six of our seven Valor teams qualifying! Our returning Rocket League state champion team got to participate in an invitational with Air Force Academy, CSU, and School of Mines. They prepare to head to in-person finals on December 10 where they hope to repeat last year's success with our current senior captain Evan Hackard leading the team. In Super Smash Bros, our Valor Eagles sent two different teams into the playoffs, a first for the program. Our A team who was ranked #28 upset the #5 seed to tie the school record for the deepest in playoffs they have ever made. Additionally, Chess, Fortnite, and Splatoon all qualified for our regional competitions for the first time ever! Cheers to the teams as they keep battling in the playoffs.

Model UN

Model United Nations allows students the opportunity to compete academically in simulations of the real United Nations while promoting international cooperation and understanding. Our delegates develop knowledge of international affairs, global issues, and diplomacy while growing in their ability to speak and negotiate confidently. So far this year, Valor's Model United Nations club has participated in three conferences covering contemporary topics like the global conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as well as historical issues like the Cambodian Genocide and the Great Recession. As one of the state's leading Model United Nations programs, we hosted over 250 students from 22 schools at our conference on November 18. Through our efforts to find solutions to global issues, our club has worked hard to put into practice Christ's declaration: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9).

This coming March, our Valor Model UN team will be representing the Republic of Malta at the national competition held at the United Nations in New York. With a rich history heavily influencing European politics from the Punic Wars through the Crusades and the Second World War, Malta has remained one of the world's most Christian countries since its visit by Saint Paul in the Bible (Acts 28). Today, though a small nation, Malta remains at the forefront of human rights advocacy and Christian cultural identity. Our opportunity to represent Malta is thus a perfect opportunity to see our club live out the vision and mission of Valor in the field of international diplomacy.

DECA

Our DECA competitors have truly shined brightly at competitions this semester! At the Buffalo Stampede, out of the 24 students who competed, an impressive 10 placed at the top of their categories, and six achieved the highest overall test scores. At the Wolverine Invitational, 15 students placed at the top of their categories, with 4 students taking first place in their categories. At the District 4 Championships, Valor continued to excel with 36 out of 110 students qualifying for State Championships in Role-plays. We couldn't be prouder of our DECA members and their remarkable performance. Their dedication and talent have set a high standard, and the future looks incredibly bright for this talented group.

TSA

Valor TSA (Technology Student Association) has been busy and productive so far this year. More than 40 students show up on Friday mornings to work on events in preparation for the Colorado TSA State Conference in mid-February. We are excited to have Valor students preparing to compete in 27 different events, including Animatronics, Architectural Design, Fashion Design, Coding, Robotics, and more. Additionally, we had our first Social Event in October, a Scavenger Hunt that sent students all over campus solving riddles and completing challenges.  It has been a terrific year so far and we look forward to attending the conference in February!

Speech and Debate

October brought the conclusion of the Novice Speech and Debate season. We had 18 students competing as pairs in Public Forum Debate. These students had a truly terrific season. Our students battled (with words, of course) students from all over the state and managed to achieve an impressive 32 total awards by winning their debate rounds! They did a tremendous job and have learned a lot along the way. November marked the beginning of the Varsity season where our students have been hard at work crafting their debate cases and speeches, and gaining an overflow of knowledge on various topics so that they can speak confidently and clearly. They have competed at two tournaments so far and have achieved excellent marks! Many of our debaters have only lost one round and numerous speakers are placing in the top positions in their rounds! There is great excitement for the season and our next venture will be competing at Princeton in December as we wrap up the fall semester.

Math Club

The Mathematical Association of America leads the nation in strengthening the mathematical capabilities of the next generation and fosters a love of mathematics through a series of friendly competitions. Today, the competition has grown to over 300,000 students participating annually, in over 4,000 schools. This year Valor had 30 students try their hand at this challenging competition, our largest group to date! We had some very high scorers in both AMC 12 (juniors and seniors) and AMC 10 (freshmen and sophomores). Great job to all who participated! 

We look forward to continued success in all of our Academic Clubs, and are excited about upcoming competitions this spring semester that will include Mock Trial, TSA, and more. Go Eagles!