This year was a historic and exhilarating year for the athletic department of Air Academy High School! Between the girls cross country team winning the Colorado state championship and the football team going to playoffs for the first time in seventeen years, the student athletes of AAHS have really put their school on the map. These exceptional accomplishments make everyone proud to be a part of the Kadet community.

Triumphs such as these should not go unnoticed, which is why history teacher, Andrew Longhenry, is currently creating a documentary that is highlighting the history of AAHS sports. Believe it or not, the Kadets were not always such a powerhouse in athletics. These accomplishments over the past year have taken years of hard work and a long period of trial and error. 

“In 2019, [the football team] played Rampart a couple times and they just seemed unorganized. They never gave up though,” parent of a Rampart High School graduate, Craig Brown, outlined. 

Progress is all a team can hope for over time. This not only instills positivity, but also allows student athletes to grow both as an individual and as a team player.

“[The football team] has definitely improved since then, and it’s been fun to watch,” Brown said.

By shedding light upon the history of AAHS, it makes the current faculty, students, and alumni appreciate the athletic department and all of the hard work it took to get it to the now thriving and strong state that it is in today.

With this being said, a documentary centered around AAHS athletics would be a film that provides a factual record or report of the general history. However, creating a documentary in general is not an easy task.

“To engage in documentary filmmaking you must brave the unknown, and capture a story that unfolds in its own unpredictable way,” an unknown author from the film company StudioBinder described. 

The idea that Longhenry believes in, is one that is not only informative, but also very entertaining. His inspiration for the documentary will be prevalent throughout this film.

“I want to shed light on the lesser covered sports and spread the good news about AAHS athletics,” Longhenry explained. 

Not only will this documentary be informative to the people involved with AAHS, but it will also reach others who are wanting to learn more about what AAHS has to offer.

“In today’s D-20 athletic landscape, students and their parents are looking to “choice” into schools with successful programs. Air Academy is building on a legacy of athletic success and we need to be better about getting that picture out into the world,” Longhery continued.

So far, the progress that has been made for this documentary is exceptional. It has taken a lot of hard work from several people in order to create something that everyone is proud of. 

“Since the AAHS Sports Broadcasting class is still in the nascent stages, I’ve had to do a lot of recruiting on my own for students involved in Kadet-TV and the Jetstream Journal. The response has been great and we are currently collecting game footage and interviews with players and coaches,” Longhenry described.

The goal is for this documentary to showcase all the amazing things AAHS has to offer. 

“AAHS has so much to offer students, from an incredible business DECA program to a championship-level band department…AAHS athletics is another feather in that cap!” Longhenry noted.

Be on the lookout for this project since it is planned to be ready by the start of the 2023-2024 school year!