ACE ACADEMY Seminole Place
November Newsletter
Dear ACE Academy Families,
As we move through a busy season at ACE Academy, we wanted to share a few important updates with you. Over the past several weeks, our team has visited middle and high schools throughout Albemarle County to meet prospective students and showcase the hands-on learning opportunities available in our Cybersecurity, Game Design, and Video & Media Technology pathways. It has been inspiring to see so many students eager to explore what ACE has to offer.
We recently enjoyed a wonderful field trip to Carter’s Mountain Orchard with our 11th and 12th graders. This experience gave students valuable time to build relationships and connect with classmates outside of the classroom—something especially important as ACE brings together students from all three high schools. We also hosted our first Family Game Night of the school year last week and were thrilled to see so many families join us. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.
As Thanksgiving break approaches, we hope each of our families finds moments of rest, gratitude, and connection. Thank you for your continued support—we look forward to everything ahead for the ACE Academy community.
Warm Regards,
Jay Thomas, Principal
Heather Corpora, School Counselor
Calendar of Events
ACPS Calendar linked HERE
ACE Academy Events
11/26-11/28-Thanksgiving Break
03/25-SAT DAY
05/14-Senior Capstone Ceremony
Group: CENTER 1 FAMILIES
Link Studio recruiting at Lakeside Middle School
Seniors working on their capstone project.
11th and 12th Graders Visit Carter's Mountain
Our Featured ACE Students!
📹VIDEO & MEDIA TECHNOLOGY📹
"Featured Student"
What is your name, what is your pathway, and how many years have you been coming to ACE Academy?
Abi Wilkinson, media and video technology, 2 years.
Why did you decide to join ACE Academy?
“I liked the aspect of a smaller school where we focus more directly on things like filming, editing, and music production.”
What are your favorite things about being at the ACE Academy campus versus your base school campus?
“Some things I like about ACE Academy are how it is a smaller community of students so you get more one-on-one time with teachers which can make learning a lot easier.”
What has been your most favorite thing you have created while attending ACE Academy?
“I really liked making the 60 Second Horror film.” (Students were challenged to write, film and act in a horror film. The only rule was that it had to be 60 seconds long and based off of a local ghost story.) “For this film, I wrote the script, directed, acted, and all of us edited it. It was a really fun experience because we got to go off campus to film it.”
What project are you currently working on?
“The ACE Academy Tour video.” (Students filmed a tour of our campus to show to rising 9th graders who are interested in coming to ACE Academy.)
How does attending ACE Academy help you prepare for the future?
“ACE Academy helps me prepare for the future by giving me hands-on experience with things like filming, video editing, and music production.”
What are your favorite things to do in your spare time?
“ I love performing at local farmers markets and open mics as well as writing songs, singing, and playing instruments like guitar and piano. I also love running, going to concerts, playing soccer, and spending time with my friends and family.”
💻CYBERSECURITY💻
"Featured Student"
What is your name, what is your pathway, and how many years have you been coming to ACE Academy?
“My name is Thomas Freire, I’m in cybersecurity, this is my second year”
Why did you decide to join ACE Academy?
“I heard from a friend because it sounded fun and for its quiet atmosphere. I have been creating since I was kid but joining ACE is where I discovered my love for coding.
What are your favorite things about being at the ACE Academy campus versus your base school campus?
“I enjoy the lenient feel of the campus where I can just do my work and not worry about other people in my space compared to the hundreds of kids at my base school making it feel tight and not very enjoyable.”
What has been your most favorite thing you have created while attending ACE Academy?
“Batch fils-a usb containing information or code that the creator has made to can bad or good depending on their program”
What project are you currently working on?
“Comptia. So I can working on get a certification
How does attending ACE Academy help you prepare for the future?
“I think it feels more like a real work space than a class room where you can get to know the small group of people which is your class and understanding them on a deeper level.”
What are your favorite things to do in your spare time?
“I take robotics class, coding a robot called java, the program codes moments for the robot, and I’ve also been working on another code where the robot can fire a shot into a basket without any input from a player.”
🎮GAME DESIGN🎮
"Featured Student"
What is your name, what is your pathway, and how many years have you been coming to ACE Academy?
“My name is Carter Earles, my pathway is game design, and this is my third year coming here– I came here sophomore year.”
Why did you decide to join ACE Academy?
“Because I wanted to do Game Design.”
What are your favorite things about being at the ACE Academy campus versus your base school campus?
“I like the freedom we get here. I like independent studying a lot so it works really well for me.
What has been your most favorite thing you have created while attending ACE Academy?
“Probably what me and my friend have made so far of our capstone project. It is a multiplayer type game. It’s like some medieval sword fighting stuff.”
What project are you currently working on?
“Our capstone project.”
How does attending ACE Academy help you prepare for the future?
“Well I can work on something for a career that I am interested in which is something that is not as easy to do at my base school.”
What are your favorite things to do in your spare time?
“Well I like programming a lot as well as nature; so like hiking, running, motorcycles and stuff, climbing trees….”
Golden Apple Nomination
Beginning today Wednesday, October 29th, the nomination window for the 2025-2026 Golden Apple Awards will be open. Anyone can nominate a teacher for a Golden Apple: students, families, community members, or other educators.
Golden Apple webpage: https://www.k12albemarle.org/our-division/golden-apple-awards
Nominations will close on Monday, January 26, 2026.
Ms. Travis’ English Classes
English 10
In 10th Grade English, students explored the complex themes of identity and community. By reading a diverse collection of short stories, poems, and non-fiction articles, they learned how individual experiences are shaped by—and shape—the groups they belong to. The quarter culminated in a significant analytical essay where students explored the concept of stories functioning as "mirrors" (reflecting their own lives) or "windows" (offering a view into a different world). This project challenged students to argue how literature performs this vital role in conveying universal human experience.
English 11
In 11th Grade English, students read a variety of articles, short stories, and poems authored by Native Americans, highlighting the history and experience of indigenous peoples in America. Students explored powerful themes of identity, tradition, and cultural interactions through these texts while also developing their understanding of literary devices and elements such as symbolism, irony, tone, plot, theme, and figurative language. The unit ended with an analytical essay in which students examined how authors utilized literary devices to convey their thematic messages.
English 12
Seniors in 12th Grade English read the classic Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice. We focused on the way human experiences such as love, pride, prejudice, and wealth transcend time and place. We conducted analysis of the characters, setting, tone, theme, and irony. We explored various contemporary adaptations to see how the story can translate to other time periods and cultures. The unit culminated in a project in which students were challenged to develop and create their own adaptation of Pride and Prejudice – as a short story, a movie trailer, a song, or other creative medium – demonstrating their understanding of the story’s theme and literary elements. ~Ms. Travis
Physics
This month in freshman physics we are diving into the concepts of forces, Newton's laws, and projectiles with energy soon to follow.~Mr. Bertram
PVCC Government:
In PLS 135 students are wrapping up their units on civil liberties, civil rights and the judicial branch of government. Throughout this unit we have examined personal liberties protected under the Bill of Rights, the history of the fight for civil rights in America, and the interplay between those rights and our judicial system. After the Thanksgiving break students will complete the Fall semester learning about the legislative branch, which will lay the foundation for our upcoming model Congress after the first of the year.
World HistoryII/AP World History
In World History II students are completing their unit on land-based and transoceanic empires. In this unit we focused on the age of exploration and colonization of the new world by European empires during the 16th and 17th centuries, the triangular trade, and impact on enslaved and indigenous peoples. We have also focused on the changing imperial landscape of Europe and Asia with the rise of the Ottoman, Qing, Mughal, Russian and Japanese empires. After the Thanksgiving holiday we will begin examining the causes and effects of the Reformation and Counter-reformation in Europe and around the world.
U.S./VA History:
In U.S. history students completed their SOL assessments on the American revolution, and are now examining the challenges of building a new nation. They first learned about our early attempts at self governance under the Articles of Confederation, the failures of which led to the need for a new governing structure and resulted in the drafting of the Constitution. We are now analyzing early presidential elections and the rise of the political party system in the United States in the election of 1800. Our current unit will continue with a close look at the impacts of the Louisiana purchase and the causes of the War of 1812.~ Mr. Peck
Cybersecurity Pathway Update
Our Cyber students had an incredibly productive month as they expanded their technical knowledge, practiced hands-on skills, and prepared for the upcoming CyberPatriot Round 2. Across all grade levels, students built on foundational cybersecurity concepts while tackling real-world tools and challenges.
Cyber 1
Cyber 1 students focused heavily on system vulnerabilities and hardening techniques throughout November.
They began by learning how to research real-world vulnerabilities using the NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD) and completed a project analyzing CVE-named vulnerabilities to understand how threats are documented, scored, and mitigated.
Students then transitioned into practical defense work through System Hardening Parts 1 & 2. Using the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), they performed vulnerability scans, evaluated their results, applied mitigation steps, and confirmed improvements through follow-up scans. This hands-on experience helped students develop foundational system security skills.
The month wrapped up with continued work on Training Round 2 Projects as students prepared for CyberPatriot Round 2.
Cyber 2
Cyber 2 students broadened their understanding of enterprise networking and cloud technologies.
They began the month by configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP) in Packet Tracer, learning how accurate time synchronization supports authentication, logging, and overall network stability.
Next, students explored Corporate and Datacenter Network Architecture through a combination of notes, an Iron Chef research activity, and review games. They examined how large organizations design secure, scalable networks.
To wrap up the month, students entered Cloud Concepts and Connectivity Options, where they investigated public, private, hybrid, and multi-cloud models. The Cloud Scavenger Hunt helped reinforce key ideas as they prepared for their Unit 1 Summative Project.
Cyber 3
Cyber 3 students continued advancing through the CompTIA Security+ CertMaster Learn and Labs curriculum, focusing on key security operations and risk management competencies.
Over Weeks 10–12, students completed:
7.1 Asset Management
Including asset tracking, data protection concepts, backup strategies, and secure handling of organizational resources.
Students also completed the 7.1.6 Applied Lab, demonstrating their ability to implement and verify backup processes.7.2 Redundancy Strategies & Physical Security
Covering continuity of operations, capacity planning, high availability solutions, environmental controls, and the physical safeguards that support cybersecurity.8.1 Device & OS Vulnerabilities / 8.2 Application & Cloud Vulnerabilities
Students examined operating system weaknesses, common vulnerability types, zero-day exploits, and the security considerations across cloud and application environments.
These modules strengthened students’ understanding of organizational resilience and secure system design.
IT Fundamentals
IT Fundamentals students shifted into a creative and communication-focused unit this month: Unit 4 – Crafting Compelling Stories.
The first part of the unit, The Art of Storytelling, introduced students to narrative structure, visual storytelling, and communication techniques. Students practiced planning and expressing ideas by completing both a Video Script Planning Form and a Video Editing activity using WeVideo, where they applied technical and creative skills to produce short video content.
Students then moved into Film Appreciation & Understanding Screenplays, where they studied film structure, character development, and how screenplays translate to on-screen storytelling. Using the original Star Wars screenplay, students completed a series of four journal entries comparing the script scenes (1–59) to their film counterparts. This exercise helped students analyze how visual storytelling differs from written narrative while practicing critical thinking and media literacy.
These storytelling and film analysis skills will support students as they continue developing digital projects throughout the year.
CyberPatriot Update
With Round 2 taking place November 13–16, our teams have been hard at work preparing for image security, networking tasks, and packet tracer challenges. Students are applying their skills in system hardening, vulnerability mitigation, and network configuration to strengthen their performance heading into State Round placement.
Once Round 2 scores are released, we will share updated rankings and next steps as we prepare for the State Round in December.
Video Media & Technology
Media 1
Media 1 students collaborated with Media 2 and 3 students to edit a promotional tour video designed for prospective students interested in the Link Studios program. Through this process, students continued to gain experience with basic editing workflows while learning the post-production process.
Media 2 &3
Media 2 and 3 students partnered with Media 1 students to complete the Link Studios tour video. These students took responsibility for planning, filming, and editing the project, applying production techniques (like creating a “oner” film sequence) while demonstrating strong collaboration, communication, and time management skills. This project emphasized teamwork and the ability to move efficiently through each phase of the production process.
Capstone
Capstone students continued developing their year-long projects, focusing on refining their concepts, producing new work, and documenting their progress. They are continuing to complete their journal entries to track milestones, reflect on their creative and technical decisions, and ensure consistent growth throughout the school year.
Game Design 1
The students have been learning how to incorporate audio and programming into Unity.
Game Design 2
The students have been learning how to create animations and materials and adding them to their roll-a-ball project.
Digital Visualization
This month the students have been working on texturing 3D models that they have made.
Entrepreneurship/Capstone
The seniors have been hard at work on their capstone projects this month.
We are approaching cold and flu season. We need to have a signed copy of the medication release form on file to administer any medication to students. If you would like the option for us to administer medications to your student, we need a signed copy of the medication release form. Please have you student pick up a form from the nurses office or you may print off the attached form. Parents will need to provide medication with students name and DOB on bottle . ~Zina
Dear Families,
We’d like to share a list of local community resources that offer support in a variety of areas, including mental health services, food and housing assistance, and opportunities to give back through donations or volunteering. We know that everyone’s needs—and ways of supporting others—are unique, and we hope these resources are helpful for you or someone you know.
Help Happens Here- Mental health services
Street Sheet Resources for Charlottesville and Albemarle- Comprehensive list for all kinds of resources