February 2nd is known to most as Groundhog Day. But to the Austin Tennis Academy family, it is the birthday of the one and only Chase Charles Curry. This week, Curry turned 18 years old.

As most already know, Curry was in a very serious car accident on Thanksgiving Day, disabling him from the game he loved and the life he lived. He was in a medically induced coma, encountered two facial surgeries, and within a month of the accident began his rehab to get back to the life he lived before.  

Currently, Chase is doing very well. He is walking, eating, drinking, and conversing all on his own. He has been moved from the Baylor Rehab Center in Dallas to a smaller “rehab condominium” in Dallas. This is where he lives with his father, Curtis, and relearns all of the everyday activities we encounter in our home lives. Since this big move, Chase has been able to reconnect with his friends both in the ATA community and in his hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas.  

During lunch on his birthday, ATA College Prep students skyped Chase to wish him a very happy birthday. Once the video chat was working, and we could see each other, Chase’s eyes got bright and he said, “Hey guys! It’s my birthday today! I’m 18 years old!” With chuckles all around, Chase went on to remember and say “hello” to each of the school members. He was very conversational, informing us that he, his father, and uncle were going to see True Grit that night in celebration of his 18th birthday.

All in all, Chase has made tremendous progress from what was a life-threatening situation. We, the ATA family, and everyone else who is part of Chase’s life are glad to see him alive, aware, and happy.  

RED’s Hot Cooking at ATA

  (photo by Molly Fisher)

Student-prepared Top Chef lunches and Ms. O’Malley’s Pancake Fridays are regular (and favorite) occurrences at the ATA Ranch House, but this week, students were introduced to another soon-to-be-favorite tradition.

A new restaurant is scheduled to open in Lakeway next month.  Owned and operated by ATA family, Chris and John Dokos, RED’s Fresh Food will feature an array of delicious, healthy food…fast. This week, ATA students got a sneak preview and taste-tested a few recipes: Monday’s mid-morning snack was prepared by Chef Chris, and everyone enjoyed a full-fledged hearty breakfast of hot biscuits and honey, bacon-egg-cheese biscuits and sausage biscuits.   Thank you Ms. Dokos! 

Make note: RED’s is coming soon to Lakeway!  

ATA Round Table  

This month’s Book Club heard from Coach Estevam as he brought his thoughts and energy to the round table discussion of Bill Bryson’s travel account of the Appalachian Trail.  Laughter (and tears) filled the room as students read aloud their favorite excerpts.

Film Analysis class embarked on the western series and viewed High Noon.  Moving from mise-en-scene to cinematography, students are learning to view movies not only as entertainment but also as artistic and critical interpretations.  Next Wednesday at 12:30PM is Clint Eastwood’s, Unforgiven.   Seminar is scheduled for Feb 28.

Community reading for February: The Secret Sharer and Heart of Darkness. The entire ATA community is encouraged to read along and welcomed to join our monthly discussions and analytical seminars.

Snow Day at ATA

Well, it happened again.  This is the second year in a row that a February snow fell on the grounds of ATA.  February 23, 2010, students frolicked at the ranch house; this year, on February 4, they stayed home and (hopefully) stayed warm.

(Photo from Feb 23, 2010)

(Photo from Feb 4, 2011)

Exploring Across Disciplines

The ATA curriculum strives to develop citizens of compassion and significance by connecting meaning and exploring ideas across disciplines.  Last week, Ms. Hagar and Ms. O’Malley accompanied ATA students to the Carver Museum and Cultural Center for a screening of Tattooed Under Fire, presented by Texas Performing Arts and Co-Sponsored by the Humanities Institute.  Quoted from the website: Filmed in a tattoo parlor in Killeen, “Tattooed Under Fire” records the experiences of soldiers both deploying to and returning from Iraq, as they describe why they chose the tattoos that are inked onto their bodies.  After viewing the film, students shared their thoughts and emotions about how the film impacted them.

Potpourri

Bon Voyage to Marina as she leaves to train in Spain.  We have enjoyed having her as part of the ATA activities during the past few months and we wish her luck. 

Cheers to the O’Malley family as they take off for a Disneyworld family adventure!  Have a safe journey.  We look forward to pictures.

Valentine’s Pancake Friday is February 18.

Jonah and Adam create musical fusion
during an afternoon jam session.

M & M

(Photo taken by the other M)

Good Luck to all the
tournament-bound players!