Wyvern Tales VQV-(Vincit Qui Se Vincit) The school’s motto? Yes-but there’s more to it!

For those of you who were freshmen back in the fall of 2014, you may remember a new course that was added to the curriculum-VQV. Celebrating 10 years, the VQV course continues to offer not only freshmen, but now students in the middle school through Form 6, the opportunity to learn life skills. The initials stand for the school motto- “Vincit Qui Se Vincit” (“One conquers by conquering oneself”.) The course replaced what was originally the health class and was scheduled to take place only through the first quarter but was extended through the first semester. With X-Periods (remember those?!!) no longer offered, freshmen would attend VQV during a study hall period. Of course, this did not sit well with some students as they were not fond of giving up a study hall. VQV offered a range of topics for discussion, including current events (back then the Ebola virus), Internet Safety, Academic Dishonesty, and Academic Skills.

The VQV course has evolved over the years to include middle school through Form 6. The title has since changed to KO Life Skills Program. The following is the course description from the Curriculum Guide 2024-2025. 

“All KO students are required to take a social emotional life skills course each year 

 during their 6-12 career at KO. The classes are kept small (roughly 10-12 students each)

 and meet regularly throughout the entire year. Considerable time is spent in the  

 beginning of the year doing team building exercises in order to develop trust and  

 camaraderie within the group. In the Middle School, the classes are taught by the mental 

 health counselor. In the US, the class will be co-taught by two KO faculty members 

 trained by the Wellness team or by college counselors.”

Form 3-Wyvern Health

Sample Topics-service learning in the community, academic strategies for success, peer pressure, 

                         equity and inclusion

Form 4-Lead and Learn

Sample Topics-building community, leadership, healthy relationships, anatomy and hygiene

Form 5-Junior Seminar

Sample Topics-goal setting and planning for college, financial planning, time management, 

                         networking, reflection and advocacy in the college process

Form 6-topics yet to be discussed, but most likely centering around career opportunities

How fortunate that our KO Wyverns have the opportunity to dive into these topics and graduate being well prepared for what awaits them in the future!

A special thank you to everyone that returned for reunion and to those of you that visited archives! It was great to see all of you. And, as always, the stories that you shared about your experiences here were a highlight!