Westlake, Texas – October 22, 2009 – Westlake Academy invites the community to participate in The Westlake Baja Cross Country Golf Tournament, Monday, November 16, The Vaquero Club, 2300 Vaquero Club Dr., Westlake.  All proceeds benefit Westlake Academy’s Fund100, an endowment dedicated to developing, retaining, and recruiting “legacy teachers” – those educators who make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of students they teach.

Participants will play a round of golf at Vaquero in the morning, enjoy casual lunch at the 10^th, then tee off at 2:30 p.m. for the one-hole, cross country Westlake Baja.  Starting at the 7^th hole, players will try to reach the 16^th green in as few shots as possible, following whatever path they choose instead of playing a course.  There will be different flights according to the players’ handicaps.  The highlight of the event will be many of the local touring PGA pros participating in the Baja.  A cocktail party and auction will be held following the tournament.  It will be open to non-tournament players. A sampling of auction items includes travelling across the Northwest in a private, luxury train for 10, an exotic African safari, Swarovski “Crystal World” trip to Austria, and golf trips to several of the nation’s premier private golf clubs.

“The Baja format will give everyone a golf experience to keep the night’s post-tournament party ripe with laughs,” said Tim Brittan, golf tournament chair and member of the Westlake Academy school board.  “Even the pros will have to strategize the best route to take for our inaugural event!” 

Westlake Academy’s Fund100 will serve to promote “legacy teachers” in a number of ways.  Examples include providing advanced training and additional supplies and resources to enhance instruction; reimbursing some expenses for Academy teachers seeking postgraduate degrees; providing stipends or bonuses to recruit teachers with advanced degrees; and rewarding current faculty members who attain advanced degrees. 

Sponsors include:  Dune Buggy Sponsors ($10,000) Tim Brittan and Frosted Gear; Off Road Sponsor ($7,500) Range Resources Corporation, Lidji & Dorey, and Pieter Andries Jeweler; and Baja Sponsors ($5,000) Stellar CJS Holdings, LLC, Colleen and Bill Greenwood, Chamblee & Ryan, P.C., Leah and Rick Rennhack, Trisha and John Thievon, Southlake Equity Group, LLC/Doug and Laura Wheat, Scott & Scott, LLP, and Cook Children’s Health System.

 The entry fee for the Westlake Baja Golf Tournament is $1,000.   Those wishing to come only to the Baja Auction and Cocktail Party may buy a ticket for $250.  Sponsorships are also available.  Contact Shelly Myers at 817-490-5722 or smyers@westlakeacademy.com or Cheryl Mattila at 817-379-4555 or CMattila@vaqueroclub.com, by Wednesday, November 11, to reserve your space for the Baja. More Baja information at www.westlakeacademy.org/foundation.

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Westlake Academy is a public, chartered school that is municipally owned, offering an International Baccalaureate curriculum.  Founded in 2003, with a mission to achieve academic excellence and to develop life-long learners who become well-balanced, responsible global citizens, it is the first and only municipality in the state to receive a charter designation. Westlake Academy became an IB World School in 2006 after it was authorized for the Primary Years Programme and further accreditation followed in 2007 with the Middle Years Programme and 2008 for the Diploma Programme, making it one of only six schools in the United States to offer all three programs and the only one in Texas.  Westlake Academy is the only one of those six that does not charge tuition or require an entrance exam.  The school will graduate its first class in 2010 when it will be fully functional from kindergarten - 12th grade.  For 2009, the Academy received an ‘Exemplary’ rating from TEA for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests, the third time it has achieved this. It is located at 2600 Ottinger Rd., Westlake, TX 76262.  Call 817-490-5757, visit www.westlakeacademy.org or email info@westlakeacademy.org for more information.