Campion Academy

Twenty current and former Campion students wrapped up their six-week study abroad program in Sagunto, Spain, coming home not only with fun memories, but with a greater perspective of the world, themselves and God.

The students took a five-day tour of the Madrid area, including visiting the historical cities of Segovia and Toledo.

Josh Profir, junior, commented, “My favorite part of the tour in Madrid was touring the Royal Palace. From the very first room you’re met with jaw dropping views of intricately painted ceilings, grandiose wallpaper, and carefully crafted furniture.”

The last two and a half weeks were more academically focused, digging deeper into the language and getting more serious about homework and tests.

Natalie Bryant, junior, reflected, “The classes were hard at first, mostly because teachers only spoke in Spanish, which personally overwhelmed me a bit. But once I got the hang of it, it was exciting to see improvements in myself.”

One of the greatest opportunities of the trip was to make friendship bonds not only with our Campion group, but also with students from around the world, and the Spanish college students who worked for the program.

“All the friends I was able to build made my trip extra special because I got to meet amazing and funny people that I would have never been able to meet in any other circumstance,” shared Dayanara Zuniga, senior. “My new friends would get me to do things that I would not normally be willing to do like sing up front or dance flamenco for the talent show."

Finally, the time away from family and our home country was a catalyst for personal and spiritual growth.

Annalise Gomez, 12, recalled, “The experience in Spain made me want to connect with God more and let Him guide me in the right way.”

Teagan Phillips, 12, furthered, “The trip to Spain was a big growing experience for me. Being away from my family and country challenged me to look at myself from a different perspective. The personal intentionality to go to church and other events helped me be more responsible for my spiritual growth.”

Campion Academy is pleased to welcome Denison Sager as the new Director of Recruitment and Marketing.

Sager spent the last year teaching math at Maplewood Academy in Minnesota. Before that, he served for 14 years as the Director of Youth Ministries for the Iowa-Missouri Conference, where he led Camp Heritage and oversaw year-round youth programming.

Sager grew up in Illinois and Iowa and attended Sunnydale Academy as a boarding student. He later earned bachelor's degrees in Physical Education and Business Education from Union Adventist University and a master's degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from La Sierra University.

Throughout his career, he has served at several Seventh-day Adventist academies as a math and physical education teacher, as well as a vice principal and boys' dean. He is also a strong supporter of Pathfinders and Adventurers and serves on the leadership team for the North American Division Pathfinder Bible Experience.

Although Sager has held many different roles throughout his career, recruiting has always been one of his favorite responsibilities. "One of the parts of my job as youth director that I really enjoyed was recruiting camp staff and campers," he said. "I enjoyed getting to meet lots of people and tell the stories of what happened at our camp. I'm looking forward to doing more of that here at Campion."

Sager and his family are already familiar with Colorado. He previously taught at Mile High Academy, and his wife, Jennifer, is a Campion Academy alumna whose parents served for many years in the Rocky Mountain Conference.

"We've heard good things about Campion, and I'm looking forward to seeing what God will do moving forward," Sager said. "We're also excited for our children to be attending Campion this fall."

"I hope to be an encourager for students here. There were people in my life who saw potential in me and helped me develop it, and I want to do the same for our students while sharing the unconditional love of Jesus."

Jill Harlow, Communication Director

Please welcome Gisele Brown, joining Campion Academy’s staff as our new Registrar and Pre-Algebra teacher!

Originally from Saint Martin, Brown continued her education in France, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science along with graduate studies in Languages, Literature, and Foreign Civilizations.

Over the past several years, Brown has served in a variety of educational roles, including teaching, academic support, and school administration. Most recently, she worked in Saint Martin, where she taught, developed a student tracking system, and helped improve administrative processes.

For Brown, joining Campion Academy was an opportunity to combine her passion for education, organization, and service in a Christ-centered environment. As registrar, she looks forward to supporting students throughout their academic journey while also teaching pre-algebra.

"I was especially drawn to the registrar position because it plays a vital role in supporting students throughout their academic journey," she said. "I enjoy creating accurate systems, solving problems, and helping people. Knowing that my work behind the scenes contributes to students' success and allows teachers to focus on teaching is very rewarding to me."

As a lifelong Seventh-day Adventist, Brown values the mission of Adventist education and its commitment to developing the whole person.

"I believe Adventist education is unique because it seeks to develop the whole person academically, spiritually, socially, emotionally, and physically," she said. "I appreciate the opportunity to work in an environment where faith is naturally integrated into learning and daily life. My desire is not only to support students academically but also to contribute to a school culture that encourages them to grow in their relationship with Christ and prepare for lives of meaningful service."

Outside of work, Brown enjoys continuous learning, reading, hiking, studying mathematics and computer science, and exploring new ways technology can improve education. She also enjoys developing organizational systems, but says her favorite pastime is spending time in Bible study and prayer.

Campion Academy invites you to join us for a work bee on Sunday, August 9 from 8:30am-12:30pm. There are projects for cleaning, landscaping, moving heavy objects, and preparing the new Agriculture Department. Join us in preparing our campus for the arrival of our students.

Spain trip update: Students get into a rhythm of classes, beach, and excursions

We are halfway through our time in Spain, and the students have spent the last two weeks taking intensive college-level Spanish courses with summer adventures in between.

Our Campion students are divided into various levels, from first-timers to advanced, and they are receiving six semester hours of college credit at different levels during their time here. Each day they rotate through four classes of conversation, grammar, composition, and art and culture.

In the afternoons they enjoy trips to the beach or extracurriculars such as art, playing interactive games, or learning worship songs in Spanish. In the evenings they can have free time to play sports, workout in the gym, or simply relax. Every evening a joint worship is led by local college students who work for the program.

For our excursion day last Wednesday, the students visited Peñíscola – a place famous for both its beautiful beach and historic castle that juts out above the sea on a peninsula. The castle was built as a residence and fortress for Papa Luna - a pope supported for a short time by France and Spain during the Western Schism when there were three popes in the early 1400s. Papa Luna lost support for his Papacy and fled to Peñíscola, still claiming to be the Pope and holed up in the castle, even surviving poisoning by a group of nuns! We think he certainly had a beautiful place to reside.

The students live in the dormitories on campus, and while they find them generally well-appointed, they are having to get used to life with no air conditioning in their rooms! Spanish summers are known for their heat, and while the temperatures are mostly in the 90s, the humidity and warmer nights make it a bit more intense for those of us from Colorado. However, everyone is adjusting to the new normal.

We have also caught the futbol spirit and have enjoyed cheering on Spain and seeing them win their last two World Cup games!

Please continue praying for our students and staff on this trip!

Currently, we are on the longest excursion of the summer, a four-day tour of Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia. More updates on that next time!

Twenty Campion Academy students, led by Jill Harlow and two other sponsors arrived in Spain last week to begin their six-week journey learning to live in a new culture and communicate in the Spanish language. The group will primarily be staying at the Seventh-day Adventist campus in Sagunto, Spain near Valencia, attending the college-level classes at Escuela Superior de Sagunto (ESDES).

They began the trip in Barcelona where they spent a few days touring before starting their studies in Sagunto. In a tour that involved many miles of walking and public transportation, the group learned to navigate the city as they experienced famous sights such as the Sagrada Familia cathedral, Park Guell (with the iconic mosaic walls and city views), the museum at Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’s stadium), and much more.

Josh Fresse (12), commented, “A highlight of Barcelona for me was visiting the Sagrada Familia because it was so big, and very detailed and symbolic. It was cool to be in the presence of God in such a big space with fellow believers.”

Sabbath stood out as one of the most memorable experiences as our group led out in the church service at the Barcelona International Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church of about 40 attendees, mainly immigrants from Ghana and the Phillipines, welcomed the group with open arms and many delicious potluck dishes.

Lilly Resz (Class of ‘26) shared, “It was a very welcoming environment. Everyone was so friendly and happy to have us. They seemed so sincere and just wanted to praise God with us. And of course the potluck was great!”

A group of Campion students led out in the song service for both Sabbath School and church and good naturedly went along with leading hymns that were sometimes not even on the preselected list. Other students were involved in special music, children’s story, scripture reading and prayer. Jill Harlow gave the sermon.

After the tour, they arrived at the school in Sagunto and have been settling into a new routine here: morning classes, beach or extracurriculars in the afternoon, and open gym in the evenings.

The Campion Academy community proudly presented the Class of 2026 during graduation weekend, honoring 37 seniors for their achievements, spiritual leadership, and dedication throughout their high school years.
MORE PHOTOS at Campion.net/news
Academic excellence was celebrated throughout the graduating class. Nine seniors graduated with Honors, earning cumulative GPAs between 3.5 and 3.749, while 15 seniors graduated with High Honors, achieving GPAs of 3.75 or higher.
Sixteen seniors earned a College Preparatory Diploma, completing rigorous coursework including at least seven credits in core math and science classes. An additional nine seniors achieved the Advanced College Preparatory Diploma, which requires advanced coursework, college-level classes, and strong academic performance.
The graduating class also included 16 members of the National Honor Society, recognized for excellence in scholarship, leadership, character, and service.
Seventeen seniors were celebrated for attending Campion Academy all four years of high school, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to the school community. One senior received special recognition for spending a total of twelve years on the Campion campus, attending both HMS Elementary School and Campion Academy from first grade through graduation.
Speakers at the event included Class President Lillian Resz and Erin Johnson, English and Drama teacher at Campion.
The Class of 2026 was full of talented academics, musicians, athletes, and they have left their legacy on each of these areas of campus. But most importantly to the mission of Campion Academy, the class members demonstrated their faith and commitment to Jesus as spiritual leaders on campus. Each one will be greatly missed, but the faculty and staff look forward to seeing the impact they will make in their communities, colleges, and careers as they follow God’s guidance.

The Senior Class of 2026 conducted the church service for the last time at Campion Academy. Marc, Alexa, and Justin shared the special music, Addison and Clara teamed up for the children's story, and Mr. Oliver Bragg gave an inspiring sermon. The main commencement will be on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. on Campion Academy's Youtube. View more photos at campion.net/news

The graduation events for the Class of 2026 started out Friday evening with Parent Tribute. After a special music by Izuchi Nwankwo, Davi Vieira, and Josh Matabaro, each senior took a stand at the podium and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to their parents and others who have helped them in their journey.
On Sabbath, the students will wear their cap and gown and lead out in the church service. Finally, Commencement will be held on Sunday at 10 a.m. All services will be streamed live on Campion Academy's Youtube channel.
View more photos at Campion.net/news