Kolbecast

76 Study Buddies

AMDG. With the arrival of a new liturgical year and the culmination of the first semester comes finals week. That prospect might provoke some trepidation, so we call upon four ladies who address that uneasiness with sage, pragmatic advice on all things finals. In this episode we meet the student officers and lead advisor of Kolbe’s newly-formed chapter of National Honor Society and hear how the organization is already serving the Kolbe community through the peer tutoring program while actively seeking other ways to be of use. These wise ones cover all sorts of ground in signature Kolbe style. Thanks to Martina, Josephine, Claire, and Mrs. Mammola for offering their experience and advice on everything from study tips to self-care to maintaining perspective on these exams and what we can learn from them beyond letter grades.
Recommended in this episode: Quizlet
Kolbecast episodes referenced and that might be helpful:
Ep 43 The Grade Examen with advisors Everett Buyarski and Erica Treat
Ep 46 Language Lab with Jenni Mammola
Ep 22 Imagine Being Homeschooled
Ep 44 Student Spotlight: Newsletter Team
Ep 60 Mission: Possible
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    

75 Minor Victories

AMDG.  Today is all about minor victories--those day brightening graces and breaks in the clouds that give us reassurance and motivation on the homeschooling journey. And to celebrate our 75th episode since the Kolbecast relaunch, we wanted to celebrate you, our listeners! Bonnie, Steven, Brigid, and Lauren share their own minor victories as well as those sent in by parents, students, and teachers through our social media channels. Cheers to figuring out nap schedules, transitioning between brick-and-mortar school and homeschool, finding a rhythm, seeing independence and collaboration develop, growing in confidence and trust, and so much more. As a bonus, continuing the tradition of our 25th and 50th episodes, listen past the closing of the episode for a blooper reel.
 
Kolbecast episodes referenced and others that might be helpful:
Ep 12 Phone a Friend with Celeste Cuellar
Ep 68 Grace for the Nitty Gritty with Celeste Cuellar & Ashley Massey
Ep 54 Pro Omnibus Contendit with Deana Muth
Ep 61 Middle Ground with Amanda Hayes and Alex Pischke
Ep 25 Kolbecast Backstage
Ep 50 Kolbecast (Cast Party)
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery.
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org.
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    

74 Special Teams–Kolbe Dads

AMDG. Experienced dads Mike Drapeau and Greg Simia – each the father of eight children – join Jordan and Steven to talk about a father's contribution to the homeschooling dynamic. The group discusses roles as both support parent and primary homeschooling parent, the help dads can provide with things like cooking dinner and driving kids to activities, and ways for fathers to deepen their involvement with homeschooling while working or traveling a lot. They also touch on words of advice and encouragement for reluctant dads, the influence fathers have on their children’s faith lives, and the way coaching sports teams can bring an additional level of influence and involvement. 
Greg’s recommended links: 
Secret Garden Educational Pathways 
Home School Astronomy 
Quizlet.com 
Other links that might be helpful: 
Kolbecast Ep 12 Phone a Friend with Celeste Cuellar 
Kolbecast Ep 66 Bonhomie à la Kolbe with Ashley Massey & Kim Crawford discussing (among other things) the domestic church
Facebook Live presentation by Margaret Walsh of Secret Garden Educational Pathways 
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.     
 

73 Through Beauty and Technology

AMDG.  Early in the podcast comeback, we talked with Kolbe drama teacher Dolores Mihaliak about the timeless significance of dramatic arts and timely capabilities of technology.  Dolores rejoins Bonnie today to have a conversation about a new way to experience the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route in Spain which dates back to the days of the apostles.  Homeschool graduate and current Ave Maria University student Leila Castillo tells Bonnie and Dolores more about this cinematic pilgrimage, as well as how she honed her communication and media skills while homeschooling and how she chose to rise to opportunities in her path. 
Learn more about the movie and Ahava Productions via these links:  
"Santiago: THE CAMINO WITHIN" -- watch the trailer and rent the film (English & Spanish)! 
ECHO series (2016) on the US Catholic Catechism for Adults that Leila assisted with (English & Spanish) 
Music that Moves the Soul 
Consider hosting a Pilgrim Party to enjoy the film with friends, relatives, and parishioners! 
 
Follow Ahava Productions on Instagram @ahava_productions  
Follow Ahava Productions on Facebook @AhavaProductions 
 
Videos Leila produced with her siblings in 2020: 
"The Five First Saturdays Devotion" and "Visiting Jesus!" Documentary (Scroll to the bottom, under "Castillo Kids CK101 Channel) 
"Visiting Jesus!" Documentary also found here (first video on this page) 
 
Other relevant links: 
Kolbecast Episode 3 with Dolores Mihaliak  
Camino pilgrimage page on Google Arts & Culture 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 

72 Participatory Citizens

AMDG. Kolbe history teachers Anne Angstenberger and Erin Anderson join Bonnie and Steven today on a discussion of civilization from the annals of ancient Greece to the halls of modern sorority houses. As the group takes a deep dive into Kolbe’s high school history curriculum, they explore our emphasis on developing the skills of looking at context, engaging with primary sources, and being able to both ask and answer open-ended questions. They examine high schoolers’ awareness of the overlaps between history and daily life regarding challenges to authority or the status quo, protection of human rights, globalism, and politically charged societies. And they reflect on ways to develop civic responsibility and generosity in the home from field trips to relationships. 
 
Links mentioned and helpful resources: 
National Archives 
National Constitution Center 
Catholic Textbook Project's This Week in History  
The Smithsonian 
National Geographic Education 
Kolbecast episode 15 Asparagus Moments with Therese Prudlo  
 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 

71 A Sight for Sore Eyes

AMDG. Plato once observed that true beauty is a healthy shock, and Kolbe's recently-debuted “Mary and Max” logo is a striking example of evocative illustration. Today Bonnie and Steven visit with the logo’s creator: Chris Lewis of Baritus Catholic Illustration. Chris describes the symbolic connection of proclaiming and defending the truth through artistry; the idea of graphic design as both problem solving and storytelling; and the way art is a conduit for hope and conversion. He shares the road he’s traveled to develop a masculine, reverent, modern, realistic style in his artwork, as well as the challenges and rewards of transitioning from secular graphic design to full-time sacred subjects. Ultimately, the group reflects on the idea of creativity as a search for God and the idea that a new renaissance is developing as the world longs for beauty. 
Links referenced and that might be helpful: 
Kolbe Academy on Instagram and Facebook  
art contest winners 
Duncan Stroik  
Related Kolbecast episodes and appearances 
Ep. 20 Head, Heart, and Hands with Rebecca DeVendra (art and drawing) 
Ep. 2 Patron Saints 
Kolbecast Convention Finale FB Live with Chris Lewis & Jordan Almanzar 
Get your own Mary & Max sticker in the Kolbe bookstore. 
Check out the Baritus Catholic website and shop. 
Christopher Columbus (Lives of Catholic Heroes and Heroines Volume 1) by John O’Kane Murray and Phillip Campbell, cover art by Chris Lewis 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 

70 First Draft – A Parent In-Service

AMDG. We talk a lot on the podcast about the importance of eloquence for people regardless of whether they’re in the liberal arts, STEM, or other professions. With that in mind, writing is an important part of the Kolbe curriculum across subject areas in keeping with principles of Ignatian pedagogy that listeners can learn more about on the Kolbe blog (see below).So how do we develop that art on a day-to-day basis? Bonnie and guest co-host Erica Treat (a Kolbe advisor and friend of the Kolbecast) endeavor to answer that today with the help of Kolbe instructors Chrissy Almanzar and Michelle Kim. We also hear more about Kolbe’s Homeschool Plus and Self-Paced Plus programs and get a preview of the Kolbe Academy Virtual College Fair on Friday, October 29, 2021. 
Kolbe Academy blog posts referenced: 
The Basics of Ignatian Pedagogy and subsequent posts in a six-part series by Stacey Jarzynka 
‘Mottoes’ by Willa Ryan  
Sign up here for Kolbe’s Virtual College Fair on October 29, 2021. Check out this blog post for how to prepare for the day. Related Kolbecast episodes include  
Ep 38: Substance Matters with CLT Founder Jeremy Tate 
Ep 40: Windshield Time with Dr. Donald Prudlo of the University of Tulsa 
Ep 59: The Secret Whiteboard with Everett Buyarski and Erica Treat 
For more information about Kolbe’s career planning services or to connect with an advisor, click here. Kolbe is proud to partner with a number of authentically Catholic colleges and universities to aid in the post-secondary school discernment process. 
For more information about Kolbe’s grading services, check out this section of the Kolbe website. To sign up for Homeschool Plus or Self-Paced courses, contact your child’s grade level advisor.  Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.    
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
 

69 Temperature Check

AMDG. The change in seasons brings a great time to stop and look at how things are going with the new school year. Today we do just that, with Bonnie and Steven joined by Everett Buyarski, Megan Lengyel, and Nicole O’Connor. The group discusses midterms season, organization for elementary schoolers, Kolbe’s new National Honor Society chapter and the service opportunities involved, the similarities and differences between this school year and last year’s pandemic year, and the ever-expanding menu of club options available to Kolbe students. Listen to the end for a preview of the Christmas concert too. 
Sign up here for Kolbe’s Virtual College Fair on October 29, 2021.  
Kolbecast episodes mentioned and related: 
Ep 11: Truth, Wisdom, and Virtue with Everett Buyarski
Ep 14: We Don’t Think Those Words Mean What You Think They Mean with Nicole O’Connor
Ep 21: To Live Fully Alive with Elizabeth Hoxie
Ep 30: Guiding the Ship featuring Megan, Everett, and Nicole
Ep 33: Show Your Work with Kelly Powers
Ep 38: Substance Matters with CLT founder Jeremy Tate
Ep 43: The Grade Examen and Ep 59: The Secret Whiteboard with Everett and Kolbe advisor Erica Treat 
Ep 47: Among the Pots and Pans with Chris Bates and Kelly Powers
Ep 50: Backstage (Cast Party) with Everett and Megan in attendance
Ep 64: Stricken by Ideas with Dr. Carl Hasler
Ep 68: Grace for the Nitty-Gritty with Kolbe advisors and deans Celeste Cuellar and Ashley Massey
Look for the Kolbecast in your favorite podcast app and subscribe for effortless episode delivery. 
Have a suggestion or question for the Kolbecast team? Write to us at podcast@kolbe.org. 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.