The Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Magazine
Summer 2014
Cover story:
The Amazing World of Intercession article on page 2
2014 Eagle’s Eye Volume 18
Editor: Jennifer Murphy Lead Photographer: Judi Alvarado
Promise Statement Centered in the shared love of Christ, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy is the college-preparatory, preschool through grade 12 independent school that inspires and challenges students to discover, hone, and steward their one-of-a-kind gifts as they come to know themselves as distinct and unconditionally loved creations of God. CHCA’s vibrant, multi-denominational family of learners creates a sheltering—but not sheltered— environment where, supporting each other and guided by expert Christian teachers, students wrestle with increasingly complex, timeless, essential questions in order to strengthen their minds and their faith. Beginning with the end in mind, CHCA graduates young adults fully prepared to succeed in college and beyond;
Contributors: Judi Alvarado Todd Bacon Pamela Bailey Liz Bronson ‘00 Julie Carnes Cindy Coggins Julie Dietrich Wendy Easterday Christina Guggenberger Jane Haslem Susan Jung Jennifer Kaufman ‘01 Dan Ledbetter (photography) Amy Lutts Morgan Massa ‘14 Dean Nicholas Molly Packer ‘10 Casey (Sutherly) Purnhagen Mona Summers Lance Webel Lauren Wills Tracy Wolcott Eagle’s Eye Magazine Eagle’s Eye is published annually by Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Please send address changes to Rebecca.sequeira@chca-oh.org or 513.247.0900 Visit us on the web at chca-oh.org On the cover: CHCA Intercession 2014 Students experience a Safari in Kenya
to engage effectively and lovingly with different cultures, viewpoints, and ideas; and to achieve significant impact and influence with discerning wisdom, courageous curiosity, and resilient Christian faith— where others pull back, they lean into life.
Follow CHCA on Facebook facebook.com/cincinnatihillschristianacademy Follow CHCA on Twitter this Fall! @GoCHCA
From the Head of School I love that this year’s Eagle’s Eye is centered around the many stories intertwined here at CHCA. As we know, Jesus taught in parables and stories, and stories make truth and reality come to life by being placed within the context of human experience. My life is filled with countless stories of my own, and of others - stories that have taught me so much about people, the lives they lead and the God we all serve. As the ‘13-’14 school year came to an end, we said goodbye to old friends moving away, retiring, or finding a new place in which to “hang their hat.” At the goodbye parties, people shared their memories - the stories that gave meaning to their labor of love at CHCA over the years. Often these stories morph over time, but generally the heart behind the story is as solid as the day it happened. That is because we connect in a very real way with our own condition at the time: our lack, our fear, our joy, our sadness, or our amusement. This entire “extra” gets involved and creates an indelible memory. Randy Brunk, Head of School
Hence, the power of memory! Many of the books I am currently reading on brain research tie learning to emotion, engagement, failure, hope, etc. There is something very compelling to recall if there are multiple ways to accessing that memory. Emotion often powers the act of recall and is most vivid and compelling when recalled and then retold as a story.
Table of Contents Dynamically engaged
The Amazing World of CHCA Intercession Baristas Wanted Human Trafficking Awareness Week Watch How Our Garden Grows Campus Highlights
Refreshingly insightful
Theological Integration Guests and Hosts-Hospitalitly Opens Doors Experiencing Life Change through LEGOs
Boldly determined
CHCA Athletics Winning Twice with Habitudes
Exuberantly creative Children of Eden ArtBeat 2014 Fine Arts Awards
Fully prepared & boundlessly hopeful Class of 2014 Graduation Reflection
Inspiringly benevelant
What I Learned from Mr. Steitz A Story of Accountability and Love A Mother’s Legacy
Resiliently faithful
Alumni News Alumni Class Notes Alumni 2014-2015 Events Q&A with Liz (Bell) Young
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 25 26 30 31 32 34 35 36 43 44
So, we use stories in the learning process. A teacher who wants to get a point across either tells or creates a story to cement the point. We craft within the classroom, or in the school overall, moments of something surprising, out of the ordinary, or generally special to create a unique story that can be recalled and retold. Again, scripture is replete with stories to help us remember the truths behind the story. A burning bush, a donkey that talks, a short man in a tree, a touch of the garment hem, a walk on the water, a feeding of thousands with just a few loaves and fishes, a crucifixion…all are stories that drive home a myriad of truths embedded in the heart of God. This past year, we graduated our largest class in CHCA history. That is no accident and there was nothing in the water 18 years ago that made that happen. It was brought about by parents who decided not to just drop their kids off at the local prep school, but instead to build stories woven together as families. As they invested in the life of CHCA, their children and each other’s children…they created a mass of stories woven together that bonded them as families with each other and with CHCA. Along the way, friends and neighbors saw this incredible sense of community in action, found it irresistible, and soon joined into the story. We walked across the graduation stage not 128 students, but 128 friends surrounded by literally thousands of family members who did life together for many years, and who build a treasure trove of stories that will be told to their children’s children and beyond. For our current families, and those who will be coming to us new this year, it’s never too late to build your story here at CHCA with the families you see most every day in car pool, in the stands, or in the audience. Reach out and get engaged. Invite someone to dinner before the big game or performance and hear their story. Go a level deeper and do life together, making sure no one gets left out, and you will see some fabulous outcomes in the lives of your children and our school. Thanks for helping me obtain a treasure trove of memories over the years. I live on your stories and the ones I have from doing life with you. I look forward to many more together. God bless,
1
Dynamically engaged
The Amazing World of CHCA Intercession by Dave Walker, Assistant Principal, Martha S. Lindner High School
The amazing world of CHCA Intercession rewards those willing to take the initiative and try something new. This includes openness in exploring a new culture here or abroad, trying new foods, trying out fledgling Spanish skills, learning to use a swing sickle to help harvest a crop with a Peruvian family, stepping into the adult culture within a professional career, tutoring an inner city elementary student, or reaching out and taking the risk to befriend someone you haven’t known in your own group from CHCA.
Each year our students return with proof of the great rewards to be had from the amazing world of CHCA Intercession (formerly known as Students discover “J-Term” and “May-Term” experiences). Case in point: how many other schools the ability to do things have high school students who can say have: built a house from scratch; they never believed they eaten guinea pig in a home in Peru; sat they could do and their around a fire with the Massai tribe in Kenya singing Jambo Bwana; gone on a lives will never be the four-day safari photographing cheetahs, same. Students find as lions, and cobras (see cover); climbed Mount Vesuvius in Italy; explored a they give themselves Costa Rican rainforest, discovering away to change the a poison dart frog, holler monkeys, chestnut-mandibled toucans, and three world, God changes toed sloths; visited the Sistine Chapel seen Michelangelo’s frescoes on the them. and ceiling, including the most famous panel, entitled “The Creation of Adam”; heard
4
the unique night sounds of camping in the California desert; kayaked in the open waters in the Virgin Islands; spent two weeks in a judge’s chambers listening to the interaction between the defense and prosecuting attorneys in a murder trial, discovering the role of the bailiff and the clerk of court and hearing a judge share what is going through his mind as he presides over a trial and makes decisions in criminal and civil cases; shared two weeks in the marketing department of a major corporation observing the coordination between research and advertising; or worked in a company developing electric cars? For some students the most memorable part may be actually seeing the places they have studied in AP European History, English Literature, Latin Class, History of Christianity, Western Civilization, or World Studies. Personally, I have enjoyed the new relationships that develop with our own students, getting to know them outside of the regular routine of school. My appreciation stems from how amazing it is to realize how many really “cool” kids we have at CHCA, and I am talking about many who do not know how really cool they are; however, I see their coolness in the way they reach out to engage others and become the catalyst that causes others to stretch themselves outside their comfort zone. Some students just seem to make life more fun for everyone around them. Others impress by always being upbeat and positive no matter what the circumstances or how disappointing the situation. Their attitude lifts everyone else up out of the pits. So to me the most
amazing part of the world of CHCA Intercession is spending time with our awesome students. Often and surprisingly, there are frustrations encountered along the way that end up enriching the overall experience. This past year, the Kenya group got stuck in Chicago for several days due to the weather. Frustration hit, but the coolest thing wasn’t the temperature, it was the perception the students adopted that God had a purpose in the delay. Arriving days late, they were able to extend their time in Kenya. During this extended time, God’s answer came. When they would have already gone home from Kenya, they had the chance to witness a child bride rescue, and they were able to meet and pray over Emily, the girl rescued. Not only that, the students gave Emily much of what they had brought on their trip, and have raised money (and continue to raise money) to pay for Emily’s schooling. Amazing! Experiencing the amazing world of CHCA Intercession will change you. Seeing the brokenness in the world disturbs students’ souls and changes their spiritual state giving new eyes, a softened heart, and an upsized view of God. Students learn to love people in new ways and they become bothered by things they never noticed before. They discover the ability to do things they never believed they could do and their lives will never be the same. Students find as they give themselves away to change the world, God changes them. As they say in Costa Rica, this is Pura Vida! Pure life! Simply amazing!
Senior Caroline Kuremsky ‘14 reflects on her recent Kenya Intercession experience: “You learn to appreciate simplicity. Experiencing more of His creation, people and cultures was meaningful. Being able to learn about something here at school, and then to go and actually experience it is amazing.”
“The best learning is not sightseeing, but experiencing.” Dan Grantham shares as he reflects on the nearly 40 Intercession trips he’s taken in the last 16 years. Long-time relationships of building into villages and orphanages in Kenya have existed. Over the years, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised by students to provide facilities, food and even new school desks for the students in St. Nicholas Orphanage. Students have literally reshaped their definition of “wealth” after experiencing culture and community in these villages thousands of miles from home. Whether living the life of a Massai, performing in the American Embassy or simply singing, dancing and praying with teenagers from another culture, our students boldly and courageously overcome fears, make meaningful connections and truly start to understand the kingdom impact they can have – all over the world.
Dynamically engaged
Baristas Wanted! by Jason Oden, Christian Studies Teacher (Barista Extraordinaire), Martha S. Lindner High School
The golden age of CHCA high school has begun! The sights, sounds, smells and smiles of a full-service coffee shop saturated the hallways of CHCA this past year, and many a student and faculty alike found it much easier to stay awake through the most challenging of lectures and rigorous exams. The idea for the coffee cart was first birthed years ago by Dr. Nicholas, when he started as principal for CHCA. He wanted to put coffee in the library to help students form a habit—not just a coffee habit, but a library one as well. Unfortunately it wasn’t feasible at the time, and idea was shelved. Jump to years later, in the spring of 2013, like many of his colleagues (and quite frankly, students too), Todd Bacon’s love of coffee and weariness of having to make trips to Starbucks was growing greater and greater. But Bacon couldn’t make it happen alone. So, he consulted the one person who knows more about coffee than anyone in the high school: Jason Oden. Oden, despite never being a barista, was connected to the local coffee scene in Cincinnati and was more than eager to help make this caffeinated dream a reality.
4
So prior to the summer of 2013, they assembled a great student team, purchased the equipment and made a plan to commit all profits to CHCA Intersession scholarships (What is “Intercession”? See our Eagle’s Eye Cover Story). It wasn’t long, however, until the task of starting the coffee cart was left to Oden to complete. Shortly after summer break began, Bacon took a new
position in the high school directing the International Program, and had to concentrate all of his efforts on launching this exciting new addition to the high school. But Oden didn’t flinch, and worked throughout the summer to launch CHCA’s first-ever coffee cart. By the beginning of the school year, a team of welltrained upperclassmen and parent volunteers, three newly constructed coffee cart components and a slew of new equipment were ready to bring one of the only high school coffee bars in Cincinnati to the halls of CHCA’s MSL high school. The first day of operation of The Leaning Eagle was the day of the 2013 Homecoming Extravaganza. In that single day, Michael Schwabe, Will Drosos, Yimeng Fan, Clarissa Jacobs, Tian Fu, Xingmeng Ding, Alex Stevens, Emma Vincent and Caroline Lawley worked virtually nonstop to make enough drinks to go through ten pounds of coffee, over fifteen milk cartons and multiple bottles of flavor syrup and chocolate sauce. Needless to say, it was a success beyond expectations in the eyes of both customers as well as the student staff. And the same thing can be said about the operation and outcome of the coffee cart in its first full school year. By
the end of the 2013-2014 school year, the coffee cart became a new CHCA institution that gave several high school students an opportunity to learn business and leadership skills, and successfully achieved its goal of giving back to our community. Year two is looking to continue its momentum by expanding its menu and operational hours, having a presence at more student functions—including all of the home football games - and will be hosted by dedicated student leaders, like Toria Adkinson, Clarissa Jacobs, Will Drosos, Will Ellis, Michael Blair, Chris Bolsinger, David Becthold and others. The Leaning Eagle is also adding an integrated entrepreneurial class taught by Brian Gardner and Bobby Willard. In the words of Matt Coleman, it’s a great day to be a CHCA Eagle.
The Brand
Many people who have been to the cart have been impressed with its size, style and functionality. The actual layout and design of the cart itself is based on the bar layout of a Third Wave coffee shop in Over-the-Rhine called Collective Espresso. Third Wave Coffee is a movement—probably more accurately a subculture—characterized by such features as artisan crafted products, minimal environmental impact and equitable sourcing (farming and purchasing), roasting and extraction (turning beans and water into coffee) practices and quirky, retro style—if you’re familiar with “hipsters,” then you won’t be surprised to learn that Third Wave Coffee is intertwined with hipster culture. The goal of the cart’s simplistic design and functionality, its quirky and good-natured lampooning name like The Leaning Eagle (lean into life + Eagle = Leaning Eagle), and its attention to a sustainable ethos attempts to embody all of these elements. The combination of both the Third Wave emphasis on ethical sourcing as well as a biblical ethos is the reason that The Leaning Eagle partners with a local roaster called Deeper Roots Coffee here in Cincinnati. Deeper Roots ethically sources and roasts coffee, as well as outfits coffee shops with the best equipment in the industry. One of the most exciting aspects of Deeper Roots’ business model is its personal relationship with small, independent coffee farmers. Les Stoneham, the owner of Deeper Roots, has direct relationships with many of these farmers, especially in Guatemala, and directly purchases their coffee at a fair price. That means that all the coffee sold at The Leaning Eagle not only benefits CHCA students; it also benefits the independent farmers with which Stoneham directly works. This is definitely a “win twice” venture!
Finally, one of the most salient and distinguishing features of Third Wave coffee is the roasting method employed. Places like Starbucks are known for their “burnt” coffee, because Starbucks roasts most of their coffee to be bitter and “strong.” A way you can tell that coffee beans are roasted to taste this way—some say
‘over-roasted’ — is a shiny coffee bean. The shine on the bean is the oil that has been extracted from the bean during the roasting process. Third Wave coffee roasters believe that allowing oil to seep out of the bean during the roasting process causes it to lose its inherent flavors and therefore making it taste “burnt”, similar to burning something in the kitchen or on the grill. Coffee beans from Deeper Roots Coffee, and other roasters like them, never produce beans that are shiny, allowing each bean to retain its natural oils and flavors. So, when you purchase coffee at The Leaning Eagle, you can expect to go beyond “bold” coffee to begin tasting the subtle fruity and earthy flavors of the different types of coffee beans from all over the world. Trenton Pfister’s 2014 Intercession trip was spent visiting the Guatemalan plantation that provides beans to Deeper Roots.
Mission, Goals and Getting Engaged
The goal of The Leaning Eagle isn’t just centered on a self-interested need to give students and faculty the caffeine needed to complete the rigorous demands of the CHCA school year (though it does help…) Nor is it to give an opportunity for students to brag about their school’s coffee cart to their non-CHCA students—which, based on student anecdotes, also happens quite frequently. Rather, within all the noises, smells and stains generated by the coffee cart, there is an altruistic purpose to give back, not only to the CHCA community, but also to the local and global community: from its ethically-sourced beans to its compostable cups to its mission to fund Intersession scholarships, The Leaning Eagle is just as much missional as it is novel and profitable.
The future success of The Leaning Eagle, however, is solely dependent on the support of the CHCA community. There will be plenty of opportunities to engage in this fun mission in the coming year: 1) Purchase coffee beans from the coffee cart. You’ll not only get great tasting coffee, you’ll also be helping the cart and the coffee farmers. 2) Be a volunteer barista. You learn how to make great coffee and you give back to CHCA with your time and talents. (A bonus, you’ll get to experience a ‘day in the life’ with our students.) And 3) frequent the coffee cart next year for your daily caffeine fix.The Leaning Eagle plans to be open daily from 7:30am to the end of the school day. After all, wouldn’t you rather get quality and artisanal coffee at a lower price, while giving back to the greater good? Another “win twice” moment!
To stay on top of events and news from The Leaning Eagle, you can follow the cart on Facebook and Twitter. For more questions on purchasing coffee or volunteering, you can email Jason Oden at Jason.Oden@chca-oh.org. 5
Dynamically engaged
Human Trafficking Awareness Week
Artwork by Tim Hilderbrand “It is Finished”. SDG ’14 stands for Soli Deo Gloria, or To God alone be the glory
6
Every year, Martha S. Lindner High School’s Student Organized Services (SOS) comes together to bring awareness to worldwide issues such as hunger and the lack of fresh water. This spring, SOS chose to bring awareness to the fastest growing issue in our world today: human trafficking. There are 27 million slaves in the world today - 1,078 of them being children in our own state of Ohio. That’s more than the population of CHCA’s middle school and high school combined.
“We believe that it is our responsibility Karen Hordinski, Outreach Coordinator/Student Organized Service at Martha as Christ followers to challenge people S. Lindner High School shared, “ When student leaders chose human trafficking as to find ways to stop the demand for a topic they wanted to explore, I was hesitant. It felt like a hot social justice issue that’s popular to discuss, but too distant for us to do much about. Difficult issues and the perpetuation - of trafficking.” of social justice can also overwhelm and promote fear. Truthfully, it can just be too scary to think about for young women, and young men tend to think it’s not an issue that impacts them. However, the more we researched, the more we realized we had to talk about it. We realized that we needed to let people know that it’s not just far away in India, Cambodia & Thailand – it’s right here in our backyard. We learned that children in Ohio are trafficked in larger numbers than we expected. We also learned about people who were trafficked for labor in Cincinnati. And, now we believe that it is our responsibility as Christ followers to challenge people to find ways to stop the demand for - and the perpetuation - of trafficking.” During that week, students attended chapels and events where they heard speakers from organizations such as International Justice Mission (IJM) and Destiny Rescue. To balance the heaviness of the stories and statistics the students received, they were provided with opportunities to “do” something about trafficking. SOS students organized homeroom collections of items to send to local survivors of trafficking. Students and guests also had an opportunity to attend Nefarious Night, a documentary event hosted by students and student vendors, where purchased items made by survivors in a fair trade market and movie ticket sales all went to support the rescue of a person being trafficked. For perspective, it costs $1,500 to rescue one child from trafficking. CHCA’s SOS goal is to raise much more. Post event, to help raise funds to rescue a second child, MSL High School’s Fine Arts Teacher Tim Hilderbrand also auctioned off an artwork piece entitled “It is Finished”. Students at CHCA have raised over $2,000 (and counting) to fund the rescue of children from human trafficking. This is a cause that is near to the hearts of these students, some of whom have personally encountered and prayed over rescued children on Intercession trips. These students have truly taken action and pray daily over this world issue. 7
Dynamically engaged
Watch How Our Garden Grows... by Alex O’Brien ‘17
Quite simply, the CHCA Sustainable Garden by its very nature, will be able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families that cannot afford to put these ‘luxuries’ on their kitchen table.
8
The summer was hot, and the college visits were being piled on. The day was a couple of years ago; we were on a college visit at Yale for my brother, Michael. We took a tour around campus, appreciating the charm that always comes with college grounds. While we walked around the dorms, I saw an organic garden the students created to help sustain themselves and neighbors in need around them. Because my family has always been one to garden, the idea of having a garden at our own home sprung into my head. Once our small domestic garden started flourishing, I thought it would be amazing if we could expand it somewhere. Eventually, that somewhere would turn out to be CHCA. I approached Mr. Brunk about my organic garden idea during the spring of my 8th grade year, and the planning stage subsequently followed his approval and plot selection for the garden. From the Fall through this Spring, family and friends at CHCA helped to make this garden a reality. Hauling planks, building beds and planting seeds became several weekend’s worth of labor and love. According to 2007 U.S. Census data, Cincinnati is the tenth poorest city in the country with a poverty rate of 23.5%, compared to a national (and Ohio-wide) poverty rate of 12.5%. That means that approximately one in four Cincinnatians falls below the poverty line, and our city’s poverty rate is almost twice the national average. Our main goal is to grow as much produce as we can. Once the produce is harvested, we will donate it to these people in need within our city. The plan is for the food to be donated through the Freestore Foodbank, an organization in downtown Cincinnati that distributes canned and organically grown food to the poor in the local tri-state area. After a “chance” introduction at the 5K Hunger Walk in downtown Cincinnati, I recently met with Freestore Foodbank’s CEO, Kurt Reiber. He shared with us, “Since our founding 43 years ago, the types of food that we distribute to our neighbors in need has taken a dramatic shift. Previously, we provided canned goods and boxed goods to our customers - what we would call “shelf stable food items’. Today, we are distributing fresh fruits and vegetables along with frozen meats and cut meats - food items that would be considered “highly perishable”. We began our own
community garden known as ‘The Giving Fields’ three years ago, so that we could provide these perishable fresh fruits and vegetables to our neighbors in need. The CHCA Sustainable Garden will allow us to build on that foundation and expand the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that we can distribute to the roughly 100,000 food insecure children living in the 20 counties served by the Freestore Foodbank. Quite simply, the CHCA Sustainable Garden by its very nature, will be able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to families that cannot afford to put these ‘luxuries’ on their kitchen table.” Another long-term goal is for the garden to serve as an educational tool for all students at CHCA. It can be tied in to Dr. Savage’s Environmental Science class, and can also work well within middle and elementary school science curricula. Once it is well-established, we hope to even further expand the garden. Our resources for the garden have come from Dr. Savage, Mr. Brunk, and many other generous donors.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5
This garden is a symbol of CHCA reflecting its Christian morals and ideals. I believe that it is important to express love and give back to the community in which we live. As we’re all part of the story of building God’s kingdom, we should treat everyone equally and give as much help as we can to those who are in need. This work cannot be done without help. The idea is to get our CHCA students and families involved with the garden, as it is truly a model of initiative in the community. Students can even work in an SOS group for the garden, gaining leadership skills and getting service hours while having fun. If we can sustain the garden ongoing and help it to grow throughout the next couple of years, then it can become an integral part of CHCA. The garden can be a model to other schools and communities. With the help of Dr. Savage, Mr. Brunk, a few teachers at the middle school, and the Freestore Foodbank, the garden is progressing and becoming everything I imagined it to be and more. This garden is important to me because of all the potential and hope it possesses. It was hard to envision my dream being fulfilled at the beginning, and now that it has been, our goals can soon be completed. I hope you will consider joining us as the story is just beginning…
If you wish to be involved in planting, harvesting and weeding the garden this upcoming year, sign-up opportunities will be available in the Fall via Campus Connection.
9
Marketplace A.D.
Dynamically engaged
AfterProm
Campus Highlights
Celebration
Hands Against Hunger
National Honor Society
Learn, Lead and Serve Scholarships
CHCA proudly announced the winners of the 7th Annual Learn, Lead and Serve Scholarship Competition. “These merit scholarships provide a way for us to recognize students in the class of 2018,” says Wendy Easterday, CHCA Admissions Counselor. The Learn Scholarships are awarded to students who score highest on our Freshman Entrance Exam, and the Lead and Serve Scholarships recognize students whose essays and resume experiences demonstrate a commitment to leadership and service. “I’m so excited to welcome these students to the high school in the Fall. As we’ve seen from past winners, our Learn, Lead, and Serve Scholars make a great impact in the high school and beyond. And two of our winners come from outside of CHCA, so we are thrilled to welcome them into our community!” added MSL High School Principal Dr. Dean Nicholas. The scholarships will be paid out to the recipients over their four years of high school at CHCA.
Perfect ACT Score Junior Michael O’Brien earned a top composite
score of 36 on the ACT. Nationally, on average, less than one-tenth of one percent of students who take the ACT earns the top score!
National Merit Finalist CHCA Seniors Sarah Cunningham, Angela Carver and Andrew Minnich were all named 2014 National Merit Finalists in February. “We are so proud of Angela, Andrew, and Sarah on this accomplishment. Not only are they excellent, inquisitive, thoughtful students, but they are engaged members of our broader CHCA community. In their own ways, each of them have shared their unique gifts with our school,” commented High School Principal Dean Nicholas.
Learn Scholarships Front row: Susan Easterday, Lauren Rogus Middle row: Josh Braden, Jacob Koopman Back row: Sebastian Rodriguez, Dean Nicholas, Ryan Hunt
Lead & Serve Scholarships Front row: Colin Keenan, Maya Yates Middle Row: Julianna Collado, Rachel Suh Back Row: Kristopher Carnes, Dean Nicholas, Candace Pfiister
National Merit Commended Ten of our students were also named National Merit Commended students. They’re 10 of about 34,000 nationally commended students being recognized for outstanding academic achievement. The commended students are Sarah Ottenjohn, Kendall Hart, Ellie Coggins, Hannah Chait, Josh Mangels, Chris Zhang, John Wells, Kevin Bao, Kimmi Bolsinger and Morgan Shiveley.
Lindner Scholars and Susan Miller Winner Cum Laude Scholarships Alex O’Brien, Maggie Mize, Jonny Mize and Adam Rice are the newest Cum Laude Scholarship recipients for the upcoming year. To be eligible for this honor, students must be currently enrolled or accepted for admission to CHCA. Students in grades 8 and 9 qualify by taking the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) and having the scores sent to CHCA. Students in grade 10 qualify based on their PSAT score. Students must also demonstrate exceptional academic performance in the classroom.
Congratulations to these three scholarship winners who will be freshman at Martha S. Lindner High School this fall. Joy Dehner -Lindner Scholar, Darian Woods-Lindner Scholar, Paris Simpson-Susan Miller Scholarship (Pictured above with Head of School Randy Brunk.)
Cum Laude Scholarship-Distinguished level Ryan Hunt
qualified for our highest academic merit scholarship, the Cum Laude Scholarship, at the Distinguished level, which awards 90% of his high school tuition renewable for three additional years.
Hispanic Scholar Recognition Zachary Alvarado was named a Hispanic Scholar by the National Hispanic Recognition Program. He was one of 5,000 selected from over 259,000 eligible worldwide.
Cum Laude Scholarship - Distinguished
Hispanic Scholar Recognition
Refreshingly insightful
…[creating ] an environment where … guided by expert Christian teachers, students wrestle with increasingly complex, timeless, essential questions in order to strengthen their minds and their faith
Theological Integration by Dean Nicholas, PhD, Martha S. LindnerHigh School Principal
12
A New Model for Creating a Christian Mind
CHCA is indeed intentional about being academically excellent as well as Christ-centered in all we do. While academic excellence is widely understood, the term “Christcentered” is more ambiguous. This is one of our most deeply held core values in our school, yet its meaning has become nebulous. If we were to ask various people within our community what Christ-centeredness meant, the only consensus would be the initial response that Christ is the center of everything we do. But if pressed past the jargon, one would find as many different answers as those asked. And this creates an institutional dilemma, because a term that can mean anything to anyone actually means nothing for all. So how do we understand Christ-centeredness as it relates to CHCA, and how does this inform the way we instruct our students?
Church History, and Spirituality. This takes place not only in our Christian Studies curriculum; it is woven throughout all subject areas. By Heart, we mean the spiritual formation of our students through weekly chapels, worship and the expression of each student’s God-given talents. By Hands, we mean the acting out of the Head and Heart components in practical ways. This is carried out formally through service and outreach, and informally by creating an environment in which we expect everyone in the community to live out the teachings of Jesus. And while we deal with the Head, Heart, and Hands, as an academy, our number one calling is to educate our students. So it should not be surprising that our primary focus is on the Head aspect of the equation.
When we think about the role of a Christian school, we must first think about vocation. What is a Christian school uniquely called to do? This is a significant consideration and one that is too rarely considered. We must remember that a Christian school is a para-church organization, or an organization that comes alongside the church. That is an important distinction because we are different in our function or calling from a church. As we come alongside the church, our purpose is to develop Christian minds to consider how we live out a Christian life and how we engage God’s world. In order to think as broadly as possible in this arena, we have used the metaphors of “Head, Heart, and Hands”. By Head, we mean the intellectual investigation of the areas of Bible, Theology,
Theological Integration is the process by which our teachers engage the “Head” of our students on a deep level about how thinking in a “Christ-centered” way affects all areas of study and learning. Our Theological Integration is rooted in the biblical text. But we are careful to use the language of “Theological Integration,” rather than the older term “Biblical Integration,” for how we attempt to theologically enrich our curriculum. As a multi-denominational school, it is important that certain denominational interpretations are not given priority and/or preference by teachers based on their own personal interpretations. The Bible is our foundation, but we must acknowledge that we all read the Bible based on our theological presuppositions. For instance, both Calvinists
So what is “Theological Integration”?
God on Israel’s side in victory but also the reason for their losses fit into a modern consideration of world politics? Clearly these are not straightforward, easy answers. But they force teachers and students to consider Scripture, our theological understandings, and the world in which we live. This way of teaching demands that every teacher wrestle with how their Christian faith and worldview intersect with their academic discipline.
and Armenians read the same Bible. Yet one sees God’s predestination while the other sees God’s gift of free will, both from the same book. Dozens of other examples could be given. Theology shapes what we see. So in an attempt to find a theological common ground that aligns with our Statement of Faith and fits our theological community, we sought to find a simple, straightforward theological construct which could summarize the key points of the Bible, yet leave room for deeper mining of the depths of Scripture. To this note, we train our faculty in a basic understanding of Christian theology. If we are to be a school that claims Christ-centeredness as a core value, we must begin with people who can think in Christ-centered ways. It involves more than having teachers who love Christ and follow Him. It involves more than teachers who read and know the Bible. Our school must have a foundation of teachers who comprehend theologically how our understandings of Christ, the Bible, and the world interrelate. Only then can we begin to integrate our theological worldview into all we do and all we teach. To this end, as a school we focus on five key theological “Big Ideas” based on Cornelius Plantinga’s Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living. These five “big ideas” are 1) all humans have a longing and hope for something greater, 2) God is Creator, 3) the Creation is Fallen, 4) Jesus Redeems Creation through His Life, Death, and Resurrection, and 5) We Can Be Part of God’s Restoration through our Vocation. As our teachers engage students in their specific disciplines, we desire for them to find connections where their subject matter intersects with our theological “big ideas.” The way in which teachers engage the students is through “theological essential questions.” Theological essential questions are openended, thought-provoking questions that prod students to think theologically and deeply about the subject. These questions can continually be reconsidered at different ages and developmental levels with varying levels of sophistication. Theological essential questions require students to reflect on their knowledge and synthesize it with theological understandings from the Scriptures. Over the past year we have shared a lot about essential questions. An example of an essential question is “What is history?” If one wanted to make this a “theological essential question,” one might ask, “(How) Does God Act in History?” This question stretches students to consider what history is and how they understand the academic discipline. Then they must consider the theological issue of Divine presence and to what degree God intersects our time and space. Is history the story of natural and human cause and effect or is God also part of the equation? Students now need to understand historical analogues and biblical material to argue for their perspectives. What evidence is available? Theological essential questions can then be more specific. Was God on a “side” in the American Civil War? Does God ever take sides? How does the biblical picture of
Using theological essential questions like the ones above greatly benefits the faith development of students as they begin to construct how Christ is at the center of all things. But a question like “(How) Does God Act in History?” assumes a high level of sophistication which requires older students. What about elementary school students? This same theological essential question could be asked in a different, more age appropriate way. For instance, one might ask a grade school child, “How do you see God today?” At a different developmental level, this question is getting at the same theological construct—How is Christ in all and through all? Asking this theological essential question in various ways throughout the stages of our students’ education allows them to continually reconsider what it means for God to be at work in the world. As students acquire more knowledge and reality becomes more complex, they will be able to reimagine answers to this question with greater and greater sophistication and complexity. In this way, we believe that our students grow intellectually and spiritually in a way that fosters faith without simple indoctrination. Our task is not an easy one. But as we educate our students in a truly Christ-centered environment, we prepare them to leave our school with a faith that is thoroughly grounded, tested, and deep. They are willing to ask the hard questions that faith demands, not just compartmentalizing their beliefs into a safe category. They are willing to engage God’s world and work in His Kingdom in ways that are dynamic and life affirming. And for this reason, it is our belief that our students will “achieve significant impact and influence with discerning wisdom, courageous curiosity and resilient Christian faith.”
As we educate our students in a truly Christ-centered environment, we prepare them to leave our school with a faith that is thoroughly grounded, tested, and deep. 13
Refreshingly insightful
by Todd D. Bacon, J.D., M.A.T.S., International Student Program Director
Guests and Hosts-Hospitality Opens Doors “CHCA has allowed me to experience a completely different culture in a Christ-centered environment in which I have been able to make new friends, learn different things and overall, experience the adventure of living abroad.” CHCA International Student, Guillermo Farfán II
14
From the growing number of international students attending CHCA, one might easily conclude that our International Student Program and global emphasis is simply an act of hospitality receiving students from other countries. This is only a small part of a much bigger picture! CHCA’s network of global friends and relationships has grown steadily and is becoming increasingly reciprocal and mutually enriching. Beyond the beautiful relationship that continues to blossom between our students and children in Monterrey Mexico (supported through Back2Back Ministries) and countless international Intersession mission trips, relationships are growing around the world from Israel to Guatemala, Kenya, China, and Korea. The writer Karen Hering beautifully captures the essence of the word ‘hospitality’ as she explains its origin. Hering notes that the Latin root ghosti, contains both “guest”’ and “stranger” in “an etymology beautifully intertwined as a reminder that hospitality is born of a rich reciprocity in which guest and host are merely roles exchanged over time.”1 She notes that both Greek and Arabic also fuse the meaning of guest and host into one broad, generous word.
CHCA’s network of global friends and relationships has grown steadily and is becoming increasingly reciprocal and mutually enriching. Although there are many examples and stories of the ways in which CHCA has been both guest and host, let me offer three. First, I think of CHCA’s faculty, students, and parents who have travelled frequently to the Tent of Nations and Daher’s Vineyard, an organic farm located in the hills southwest of Bethlehem. There they have learned first-hand of the extraordinary Christ-like example of Daoud Nassar and his family who tirelessly work towards building bridges of understanding, reconciliation, and peace in Israel. The MSL High School in return welcomed and hosted Mr. Nassar at CHCA as he spoke in Chapel and helped our community understand first-hand the calling we have as Christ followers to engage in working for shalom within our world. Next May, we anticipate sending an Intersession group of students and faculty to both learn about the struggle for peace and reconciliation between Palestinian Christians and Jews, as well as to help develop and install an aquaponic system on the farm. Another example of growing reciprocity is the relationship that has emerged between CHCA and an exceptional school and community in Guatemala. CHCA has been the beneficiary of two remarkable students from MAES Modern American English School in Antigua, Guatemala, and CHCA students and faculty have also had the opportunity to travel there to learn, share, and deepen their understanding of Spanish language and Guatemalan culture. Last summer John Prado, one of our Spanish teachers at the High School, travelled with a small group of students to Antigua and were lovingly enveloped into MAES’ community, as they were immersed into their life and culture living with host families. The opportunities for deepening the relationship between MAES and CHCA in the future are only just beginning. The third example represents an exciting new development for CHCA and a natural extension of the International Student Program. Next spring, the first CHCA student will spend a semester studying at Gehzi High School of Shanghai, located in the heart of downtown Shanghai, China. Because of the mutual trust and relationships that have developed among CHCA, the Shangahi Dian Zhi Ya Cultural Exchange Company, Gehzi High School and its parents and students, a CHCA senior - whose passion is to study and prepare for an International business career in Asia - will become possible while in High School abroad. The opportunity to study and live in China for a semester will provide an extraordinary rich experience on which to draw in shaping her goals and coursework in University. In addition to our first CHCA exchange student, the growing relationship between CHCA and schools in both Shanghai and Hangzhou, will soon provide significant opportunities for collaboration and shared learning between students and programs in both countries.
“For us, welcoming Guillermo into our home expanded our family. In addition to Guillermo joining us, we have a special bond with his family in Guatemala. This has been a double blessing. Our lives are richer because our families are connected. It has been an extraordinary experience for us all.” CHCA Host Parents Todd and Natalie Pfister
Only one year ago CHCA launched the International Student Program to comprehensively meet the needs of a growing number of international students. Rather than relying on traditional agencies to recruit and support these students, CHCA designed a program that would facilitate the recruitment of excellent students, place them with CHCA families, and provide a level of academic and social support that would allow these students to thrive and succeed as integral members of our community. International Student fees, in addition to regular tuition pay for these services and the program, has been remarkably successful. Seven initial students finished their first year within the program and we anticipate welcoming an additional 16 new students from China, Korea, Guatemala, and Mexico this fall. Ever since the first international student arrived at CHCA in 2007, the presence of international students in our school has deeply enriched our academic program, lives, and community. We are profoundly thankful for their presence in our lives and to the host families who have lovingly opened their hearts and homes to these young men and women. Please consider ways in which your family might participate in the International Student Program as guests or hosts in our growing communities of friends around the world. If you would like additional information on our program and specifically on opportunities to host an international student, I would be delighted to connect with you!
Please consider ways in which your family might participate in the International Student Program as guests or hosts in our growing communities of friends around the world. Contact Todd Bacon for more information - Todd.Bacon@chca-oh.org
1 Karen Hering, Writing to Wake the Soul. (New York, New York: Atria Books/Beyond Words, 2013), 192.
15
Refreshingly insightful
What an amazing opportunity for CHCA’s Middle School students to be the physical hands and feet of Jesus – and to hear, see and feel the difference being made in the lives of orphans in Mexico.
Experiencing Life Change through LEGOs by Julie Carnes, Donor Relations/Events Coordinator and Lance Webel, Director of Student Development & Socials
The week of March 1, 2014 was an exciting time for CHCA Middle School. 54 students in 7th and 8th grade and chaperones traveled to Monterey, Mexico to experience a week working with Back2Back Ministries. This was not a resort vacation trip by any stretch, rather, it was a life changing week full of challenging work, sacrificial service and incredible fun for our students. While not every Middle School student went on the journey to Mexico, the anticipation leading up to this trip was experienced by all Middle School students. When Jared Treadway, 8th grade Christian Studies teacher, was preparing to go on this annual mission trip, he noticed that LEGOs were on a list of items that were acceptable to bring for the children in the orphanages. Putting two and two together, he realized that many of our middle school students may have outgrown their own collections (or at least had so many that they could spare to part with some), so he decided to mobilize the middle school student body to collect LEGOs to bring to the children in Mexico. Mr. Treadway challenged each advisory to bring in as many LEGO pieces as possible, then assemble a masterpiece designed around the theme, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” And our Middle School students showed that when presented with a challenge – they will deliver! The results were overwhelming...tens of thousands of LEGO blocks were donated, and the creations that 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade advisories built showcased their creativity, problem-solving, faith, and generosity.
16
Mr. Daniel’s 8th grade advisory won the LEGO challenge with a massive display, highlighted by a LEGO Wall containing a cross and the words “Our God”.
This experience gave them an opportunity to rally together to meet a need with the resources God provided them, uniting as one student body to further advance the Kingdom.
“I enjoyed seeing the wide assortment of LEGO pieces, with everything from spaceships to castles to LEGO people to horseshoes, come together.” said Mr. Daniel. “But it was even more impressive to me to witness the wide range of interests and personalities in my advisory boys converge as they worked together as a team on this project.” On the last day of the LEGO challenge, dozens of advisories came to the stage to view the finished creations, then disassemble the thousands of blocks to pack and send down to Mexico. These LEGOs were then added to the proceeds ($3,729.69) from National Junior Honor Society’s “Funding Faith” fundraiser to bless the orphans in Monterrey. (Yes, in addition to donating thousands of LEGOs, our students collected thousands of dollars in spare change!) Cut to the mission trip – where countless hours of work contributed by students doing things such as hauling concrete, building a playground wall, repairing a roof and serving meals, were paired with simply spending time with the children in Monterey. If you could see the joy in the
eyes of the children in Monterey as they played LEGOs with the CHCA students. Hours were spent around the tables of Legos, having fun building and exploring their imaginations! What an amazing opportunity for these Middle School students to be the physical hands and feet of Jesus – and to hear, see and feel the difference being made in the lives of orphans in Mexico. One of our students profoundly shared that their work was similar to a tree. The roots are “our beliefs”, the trunk is “how we see ourselves” based on our beliefs, and the branches are “our actions” coming from the trunk via the roots. You can’t make change unless you start with the roots. We did “root work” that will start the growth of many healthy trees. Ultimately, Mr. Treadway’s simple idea had a profound effect, not only upon the children who received the LEGOs, but also upon the students who collected them and delivered them. This experience gave them an opportunity to rally together to meet a need with the resources God provided them, uniting as one student body to further advance the Kingdom. 17
Boldly determined
CHCA Athletics CHCA Athletics could not be prouder of the performance of its athletic teams, athletes, coaches, parents and supporters. Our teams competed in 20 sports that are recognized by the Miami Valley Conference (MVC) and excelled in nearly every one of them! Our athletes were recognized for sportsmanship, excellence and
courageous spirit and several teams and/or athletes advanced to district, regional and state level competition. While many talented students will hang up their gloves, shoes or rackets, six special athletes committed to play their sport at the collegiate level. They include:
Kyle Davis
Baseball, West Virginia University
Kendall Hart
Swimming, Liberty Universtiy
Marissa Koob Nick Marsh
Basketball, University of Charleston
Football, Amherst College
Ricky Silvestri
Baseball, Mars Hill University
Aliza Williams
Tennis, Centre College
Congratulations and best wishes for a successful college experience!
Character and academic achievement awards presented to highly deserving athletes Dick Snyder Sportsmanship Award: Jonah Gardner, Marissa Koob, and Matt Overstreet
OHSAA Courageous Student Award Beth Hansford
18
Army Reserve National Scholar and Athlete Award Zachary Alvarado and Benita Munnerlyn
Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award
Marissa Koob and Nick Marsh
Highlights from our outstanding 2013-14 seasons Baseball
Finished with an undefeated conference record to win MVC Championship Won Section, District and Regional OHSAA Tournaments Won OHSAA DIII State Runner-Up honors First Team MVC Players: Kyle Davis, Blake Swanger and Cameron Varga MVC Player of the Year: Kyle Davis and Cameron Varga (pitcher) Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year Award: Cameron Varga Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Cameron Varga, their second round selection from the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and the No. 60 pick overall All-Star Division III Baseball Coach of the Year: Jeff Keith All-Star Division III Baseball Player of the Year: Cameron Varga All-Star Division III Baseball First Team: Kyle Davis All-Star Division III Baseball First Team: Blake Swanger
Basketball-Boys
Clinched a share of the MVC Gray Division Championship, the first time since 2005
Basketball-Girls
First team MVC player: Marissa Koob District III Player of the Year: Marissa Koob Southwest Ohio All-District Div. III 1st Team: Marissa Koob
Football
Finished with an undefeated regular season to win MVC Championship Qualified for its fourth straight appearance in OHSAA playoffs First Team MVC players: Kyle Davis, Jacob Halter, Nick Marsh, Cameron Murray, Connor Osborne, Ryan Prescott and Tyler Renners MVC Player of the Year: Nick Marsh Anthony Munoz Offensive Lineman of the Year for Div. V: Ryan Prescott
Golf-Boys
Won the MVC Championship First Team MVC players: Sean Eslick and Noah Marshall Qualified for Districts
Golf-Girls
Track & Field
First Team MVC players: Morgan Bradley (high jump), Marissa Koob (shot put), Matthew Overstreet (400 m), Alex Stevens (pole vault) and Adam Baker, Ben Collado, Will Drosos and Matthew Overstreet (800 m relay)
Qualified for Districts in only its second year as a team
Qualified for Regionals: Morgan Bradley, Marissa Koob, Matthew Overstreet and Alex Stevens
Lacrosse-Boys
Morgan Bradley tied the school record in the high jump
First Team MVC players: Jonah James and Cam Kennedy
Soccer-Boys
First Team MVC player: Will Phillips
Soccer-Girls
First Team MVC players: Katherine Meyer and Casey Ochs Southwest Ohio All-District Girls Div. II 1st Team: Casey Ochs
Softball
First Team MVC players: Alex Ledford & Cassidy Yeomans Athletic All-Star Division III Softball First Team: Cassidy Yeoman
Swimming-Girls
First Team MVC player: Kendall Hart (200 IM & 100 Butterfly) Sectional Champion: Kendall Hart (100 Butterfly) Qualified for State: Kendall Hart (100 Butterfly & 100 Backstroke) Division II All-Area Team: Kendall Hart
Marissa Koob set a new school record in the shot put
Volleyball
Finished with an undefeated regular season to win MVC Championship First Team MVC players: Emily Beckes and Rachel Wichmann MVC Player of the Year: Rachel Wichmann District 16 All City Team DIII: Emily Beckes and Rachel Wichmann District 16 All City Team DIII Player of the Year: Rachel Wichmann
Wrestling
First Team MVC players: Carson Brooks (112), Zachary Alvarado (132), Kealii Cummings (152) MVC Player of the Year: Kealii Cummings Sectional Champion: Zachary Alvarado (126) District Qualifiers: Zachary Alvarado (126), Kealii Cummings (152) Division II-III First Team: Zachary Alvarado (126)
Kendall Hart placed 3rd at State and set a new school record in the 100 Butterfly
Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star: Zachary Alvarado (126)
Tennis-Girls
Zachary Alvarado set a new school record for number of career wins
First Team MVC players: Allie Harker, Kimmi Bolsinger and Natalie van den Berg All seven varsity players qualified for Districts.
19
Boldly determined
Winning Twice with Habitudes Habitudes is a national student-leadership course CHCA offers to freshman, sophomore and junior students who have participated in at least one sport during the school year. It is a 13-week class, held on Wednesday mornings before school begins. by Amy Lutts, current CHCA parent of Colin ‘17, Megan ‘19 and Taylor ‘22
Habitudes, a national student-leadership course we offer at CHCA, allows freshmen, sophomore and junior student athletes to learn about different aspects of leadership in team settings. The course is offered on Wednesday mornings before school begins and a rotation of speakers, including Matt Coleman, Michael Coleman, Amanda Moore and Mariah Warburton speak to the students and discuss the importance of leadership in community. Students who attend 80% of the classes or more by the end of the course receive medals for their participation. Our student athletes need a “growth process”, not just an “event”—a growth process that can engage
“This program is unique in our area. I don’t know of another school in the Cincinnati area with a dedicated program cultivating student athletes as leaders. This certainly will benefit our athletics program, but it will benefit the school in general as well. At CHCA we equip students to lead and change the world and this program is just another way to accomplish that.” – Matt Coleman, CHCA Athletic Director
20
them in dialogue and action. Habitudes calls this growth process EPIC Generation: Experiential in that they do not want a sage on the stage with a lecture for them; Participatory in that they want to participate in the outcomes of the program; Image-rich in that these students have grown to speak a language of images through exposure to television, video games and the Internet; and Connected in that they are both technologically and socially connected to the world around them. The program Habitudes consists of a 10-minute video full of images that ignites discussion, followed by experience. Freshmen in the Habitudes program spend their course learning about “The Art of Self-Leadership”. The major themes discussed include the development of character, self-discipline, personal values, responsibility, initiative, self-esteem, time-management, construction of a support network, positive attitudes regarding conflict and a personal plan for growth. Sophomores learn about “The Art of Connection with Others”. Effective leaders must build personal power before exercising positional power. This course helps students build relationship skills in communication, social awareness, handling criticism, listening, encouragement, confrontation and more. Juniors focus on “The Art of Leading Others and Changing Culture”. The third year of the program consists of major leadership principles including casting vision, setting goals, leading effective teams, handling criticism and leveraging influence to positively impact others on the team.
Coaches & Staff Eric Taylor was named Football DV District Coach of the Year Bryan Daniel, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer Coach, was named the
recipient of the OHSAA SEI (Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity) Award
Mariah Warburton was named the Volleyball MVC and Southwest District Coach of the Year Julie Dietrich was named the MVC Boys’ Track Coach of
the Year
Jonathan Williams was named MVC Boys’ Golf Coach of the Year
Jeff Keith was named MVC Boys’ Baseball Coach of the Year Adam Meyer, the Boys’ Varsity Wrestling Coach, was awarded the Frank Montgomery / James Wright Award
Joe Lucas, our athletic trainer, began serving our athletes on a full-time basis and his service was expanded to the middle school as well. For the first time in history, all football and basketball games were broadcasted, as well as other athletic events.
Baseball Goes to State It was a send-off worth remembering as students at EBL and the MS cheered them on the last week of school!
Exuberantly creative
Children of Eden “There is no journey gone so far we cannot stop and change direction.” These are my favorite lyrics from the show “Children of Eden” sung by a loving Father comforting his children after generations of bad decisions and missed opportunities. This show was filled with messages of truth and love, and those messages, along with the cast dynamics, the freedom of creativity, and the dedication of everyone involved, resulted in one of the best theatrical experiences that I have ever had. by Susan Jung, Director of Theatre
The message of Children of Eden (which tells the story of Creation and The Fall in Act I and Noah and The Flood in Act II) can sometimes be overlooked by directors and cast members who focus too much on the wrath of God (named as “Father” in the script) and the distance that is created after the Fall. For me, the message to communicate was simple: God loves us as a Father loves his children, perfectly and unconditionally. Everything we do has the potential to break His heart with sorrow, or swell His heart with pride. The choice of free will is ours; the gift of it is His. Although the message was simple, the enormity of the show was not. We had one of the biggest casts ever. Every show has a different cast dynamic, regardless of its size. Sometimes the leads and ensemble don’t have much onstage time together, or there are certain groups that inherently form because of the way the show is written. However, this cast, more than any other, was truly a family that bonded in a deep and profound way. Several times the phrase “unconditional love” was used by cast members to describe the relationship that developed
22
among them. They spontaneously prayed together for a sick cast member, they welcomed several newcomers (both freshman and seniors) with open arms and hearts, they celebrated the achievements of hitting high notes, nailing fight choreography, perfecting African choreography, and blending like a collegiate level choir. They were truly all a beautiful family, and I can see that still existing months after the curtain closed on the show. Families have to exist together, much like the production team of a show. And I couldn’t be more blessed with the team that I have here at CHCA. It’s been said around town that we do things differently here and that our shows always seem “fresh”. I couldn’t agree more. I owe it all to the people that listen to my ideas and agree to be part of the collaborative process. I can dream here at CHCA. I called this show the result of my “untamed creativity.” This team doesn’t say “We can’t do that,’ they say ‘absolutely we can do that.” (and then we have to actually figure out HOW to do that, which is a whole other article). They say ‘yes’ to the ideas, they provide their own creativity, they encourage students to explore THEIR creativity (did you see that elephant head?). And the end result is that we all experience something thoughtful, moving, and spectacular that stays with its audience and cast for a lifetime. That is the true measure of a successful production. There are other appropriate ways to measure this. To be successful in a production as a crew member is to be invisible. To be successful in a production as an instrumentalist is to heighten and clarify. To be successful as a singer or actor is to communicate truth. I honestly believe that all were excellently done in Children of Eden. The story didn’t get lost in clumsy set changes, weak musical phrases, or fake emotions. The story was focused, enhanced, and sharpened. The story was what needed to be told. We all cast, crew, and orchestra - were privileged to be chosen as storytellers. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful to win awards and have people outside your community validate your work, but I would venture to say that years from now when the students dig that video out and watch the show, they won’t remember who won what award, or what they said in their acceptance speech (unless their parents posted it on Facebook). They will watch and remember with fondness the feeling of being part of something that moved people, that strengthened faith in them and in their friends, and they will cherish all those moments that piece together the unique fabric that was Children of Eden. And for many years to come, I will be doing the same thing.
Families have to exist together, much like the production team of a show. And I couldn’t be more blessed with the team that I have here at CHCA. 23
Exuberantly creative
ArtBeat ArtBeat 2014 2014
by Mona Summers, Director of Fine Arts
ArtBeat 2014 “Created to be Creative” marked our 16th Annual Fine Arts Festival. This campus-wide event was a huge success thanks to ArtBeat Chair Tammy Pacheco, Performance Chair Michael Kuremsky, the ArtBeat Committee, CHCA’s Fine Arts faculty and staff and 300+ volunteers. It was also successful due to the support of our presenting sponsor Friends of Fine Arts, our corporate sponsor Cindy Coggins and the Coggins Group at Morgan Stanley and eight other ArtBeat sponsors – all for whom we are so thankful.
16 years ago when I originally had this vision for a fine arts festival, I certainly did not envision the spectacular that this event would become. While the entire CHCA arts program is my passion, ArtBeat has a special place in my heart. ArtBeat is that one day where our entire CHCA community has an opportunity to come together and celebrate the arts, our students and our Creator who gave us the gift of arts. Our students continue to amaze me with their talents, passion, hard work and determination for excellence. This inspires our entire Fine Arts faculty and staff to continue to grow what is one of the most outstanding Fine Arts programs in our city. 24
ArtBeat by the numbers: Over 2,300 people attended the event. The Hang Your Art Out art exhibit featured over 1,000 pieces of student artwork. Over 750 students performed on three stages. Over 640 arts and crafts projects were completed at our 8 Hands-on-Art stations. The ArtBeat 2014 poster featured 8 students’ artwork. In the MSL HS Juried Art Competition, 19 cash prizes and awards were presented in 8 different categories, which were judged by 5 community artists and art educators.
7 professional artists (including two alumni) and 4 students were featured as this year’s Demonstrating Artists. 13 different sponsors provided delicious food and drinks.
Exuberantly creative
fine arts awards
This year was another wonderful and talent-filled year for Fine Arts at CHCA! Students across all four schools earned honors and awards for their hard work and creativity in theater, instrumental music, vocal music, dance and visual arts. Although the awards are not the most important part about participation in the Fine Arts, the following students had the joy of being recognized for their outstanding creativity:
Sophomores James Rootring and Lauren Slouffman competed in the finals for the Cincinnati Arts Association Overture Awards and won! James won in the vocal music category while Lauren won in the dance category. Senior Sarah Cunningham and sophomore Hannah Donovan
each won silver medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for their artwork. Earning a National medal from this prestigious scholarship program places Sarah and Hannah in the top one percent of 255,000 participants.
The CHCA Dance Program brought home 10 trophies from the Jamfest Dance Supernationals held in Northern Kentucky this past spring!
Armleder students Jireh Burton and Mannie Tait were selected as lead dancers and MS students Doug Hansford and Peyton Bach were selected as understudies in the Cokesbury Publishing and Dunlop Productions 2015 Vacation Bible School Video Project. The video will be distributed worldwide. The MSL HS Theater Production of “Children of Eden” earned 16 Cappies Nominations and eight Cappies awards including: Best Musical, Best Song-“Let There Be”, Lead Actor-Gabe Hoyer, Supporting Actress-Merrie Drees, Featured Actress-Anna Mirlisena, Female Dancer-Hannah Chait, Creativity-Hannah Rhoads and Grace Wesson, and Best Orchestra.
Ivy Guan won Best of Show in the juried art competition at ArtBeat.
Over 20 MS and MSL HS students participated in the OMEA District 14 Honor Choir, Jr. High Honor Orchestra, Honor Orchestra and Honor Band.
Congratulations to these students and the winners of the many other awards and honors achieved this year!
What started out as a small group of students dancing competitively under the tutelage of Melissa Kidd, has evolved into something much larger. Sashaying onto stage this coming year is the CHCA Dance Academy, a dance school just for CHCA students. Classes will be available for students of all ages and experience levels—from basic technique classes in jazz and ballet to competitive dance options. Starting in Kindergarten, students can learn the technique and build up to a performance or competitive level as they get older. This new unique program makes it easy for students to learn, perform and compete in the company of CHCA friends.
25
“CHCA freed me to discover who I really am.” CHCA class of ’14 graduate
Fully prepared & boundlessly hopeful
Class of 2014 Beginning with the end in mind, CHCA graduates young adults fully prepared to succeed in college and beyond; to engage effectively and lovingly with different cultures, viewpoints, and ideas; and to achieve significant impact and influence with discerning
wisdom, courageous curiosity, and resilient Christian faith.
Leading Lives of Impact and Influence
• 80% completed Advanced Placement (college level) classes during their high school career
44% are recognized with High Honors • 11% earned National Merit recognition • Seniors fulfilled over 27,000 hours of service, averaging •
200-250 hours per student •
•
100% traveled abroad, participated in an internship, explored
a personal passion or talent, or served on a mission trip through Intersession, CHCA’s unique experiential learning program
90% competed in athletics or participated in fine arts
• Students launched CHCA’s first student-run enterprise, The Leaning Eagle Fair Trade Coffee Shop #leaningeagle
Leaning into the Future •
127 students will attend 64 colleges and universities in 23 states & the District of Columbia
• Students received over $12 million in college scholarships • Over 75% received merit scholarships/grants •
16% plan to compete in college athletics
Graduation weekend kicked off with the student send-off, Diaspeiro. Alumna Rebecca Chait ’05 encouraged the Class of 2014 to stay connected to CHCA after graduation, and reminded them that God is always making their journey beside them. Sarah Ritter, a member of the Class of 2014, shared ‘the gift of time’ with her fellow classmates. At graduation on Sunday afternoon, Salutatorian Kimberly Bolsinger celebrated the “overwhelming sense of community and spirit” she experienced at CHCA and shared how thankful she was to find “a perfect fit” in the Class of 2014. Valedictorian Hannah Chait reminded her fellow classmates to serve their purpose. “Living to serve Him in that purpose,” she shared, “will bring you true success.” Commencement speaker Dr. Santa Ono expounded on the importance of purpose. “You are each a gift of God. You have a purpose,” he encouraged the graduates. “My hope is that you will live your life purposefully. Do not leave character or integrity to chance. Live purposefully, just as Jesus did.”
Q&A
with our Val and Sal Interview with the Class of 2014’s Kimmi Bolsinger, salutatorian & Hannah Chait, valedictorian by Morgan Massa ‘14
How would you describe the relationships you’ve made at CHCA? K I honestly can’t imagine going to any other school. The
What was your most impactful experience at CHCA? Kimmi: Through the various sports teams that I’ve been in-
volved with and the other student organizations like student government and even the classes I’ve been in, I’ve loved being able to form a sense of community with the people around me.
Hannah: My freshman year, I went on a mission trip to Nash-
ville, Tennessee serving the homeless living there. This inspired me to lead a service group serving the homeless here in downtown Cincinnati with City Gospel Mission. Leading this service group has greatly impacted me, teaching me about homelessness and what I can do to serve them.
How has CHCA prepared you? K Because I’ve had to balance playing three varsity sports along with the workload involved with taking multiple APs, I have learned a lot about compartmentalizing and managing my time.
H My 13 years at CHCA have shaped me into a person eager to
accept a challenge. I feel more than prepared to study chemical engineering after learning to balance a busy schedule in high school, taking on a rigorous academic schedule with multiple AP classes while still pursuing what I love--community service, piano, dance, and musical theater.
friends that I have made at CHCA are people that I hope to keep in contact with my whole life. They have both helped me in my faith and made me a better person. Furthermore, I have to give a ton of credit to my teachers for being so great to me. It’s amazing how much they care about not only how we’re doing in class but also how we’re doing outside of school. I definitely hope to get involved in the alumni program after I graduate, and stay active in the CHCA community.
H The friendships I’ve made at CHCA are so special to me. Many of my friends I’ve known since kindergarten, so they are like family to me, always supporting and encouraging me in anything I do. Not to mention, the teachers I’ve built relationships with have impacted me immensely. For example, it was my AP chemistry teacher who inspired me to study chemical engineering in college. In short, the relationships I’ve made both with my peers and teachers have shown me firsthand how meaningful the community of CHCA is, and how grateful I am to be apart of it. What are your plans for the future? K I’m planning on attending Dartmouth in the fall and hope to
major in Economics. Afterwards, I would love to go on to graduate business school and then see what happens from there.
H I am attending University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in
the fall to study chemical engineering in the James Scholar Honors Program, and then I’ll see where God leads me from there! 27
300 Service Hours
200 Service Hours
Fully prepared & boundlessly hopeful
2014 Service Awards
400 Service Hours
500 Service Hours 200 Service Hours
700 Service Hours
Students who performed 200-299 service hours: Mackenzie Ackerman, Cole Eisenhauer, Tim Fuller, Becky Hammond, RD Hofferberth, Sabrina Kazee, Mindy Kong, Emily Martin, Conner Osborne, Delaney Scott, Nathalie van den Berg, Mikey Collins, Jess Elder, James Gravely, Sam Hayes, Tom Jester, Conner Kirbabas, Maggie Lahti, Conner Murray, Caroline Schutte and Jason Simpson.
300 Service Hours
Students who performed 300-399 service hours: Charles Andrews, Cole Conley, Raelyn Klusmeyer, Morgan Massa, Will Phillips, Sidney Young, Hannah Chait, Rachel Finch, Alex Mashny, Daniel Morgan and Kyle Steidle.
400 Service Hours
28
1000 Service Hours
Students who performed 400-499 service hours: Sarah Cunningham, Benita Munnerlyn, Ellie Parker, Alex Stevens, Sarah Morgason, Sarah Ottenjohn, Trenton Pfister and Grace Strader.
500 Service Hours
Students who performed 500-699 service hours: Casey Ochs, Chandler Huffer, Michael Schwabe and Ellie Coggins each logged more than 500 service hours during their high school careers.
700 Service Hours
Olivia Lee performed more than 700 hours of service over four years.
1000 Service Hours
Caroline Kuremsky performed over 1,000 hours of service during her high school career.
Presidential Service Award
Olivia Lee (Bronze), Morgan Massa (Bronze), Morgan Shively (Bronze), Caroline Kuremsky (Gold)
SOS Leadership Award
Caroline Kuremsky, Olivia Lee, Morgan Massa, Ellie Parker, Michael Schwabe, Sidney Young
Mayerson Service Leadership Caroline Kuremsky
44% of our seniors were recognized with High Honors at this year’s Academic Signing event
“CHCA challenged me to think about the kind of person I want to be and the
impact I can have as an individual.”
CHCA class of ’14 graduate
Lifers Picnic
(L-R:) Hannah Chait, Sarah Ottenjohn and Sarah Cunningham reminisce with CHCA first grade teacher Mrs. Suzanne Collins.
“Our teachers taught us there are no easy answers. They made us wrestle with hard questions in every subject. It’s much more rewarding to think deeply.” Mr. Bagby and Zachary Alvarado greet each other.
CHCA class of ’14 graduate
CHCA seniors flip through yearbooks from their elementary and middle school years.
CHCA third grade teachers Mrs. Holly Getter and Mrs. Nancy Anderson catch up with students from years past.
29
Graduation reflection Fully prepared & boundlessly hopeful
How CHCA Shaped My Life by Ellie Coggins ‘14
For the past thirteen years of my life, I have been at CHCA. Although it feels like only yesterday that I was stepping off of the yellow school bus for my first day of kindergarten with Mrs. Johnson, I can without a doubt in my mind affirm that CHCA has fully prepared me for my future, in college and beyond. From kindergarten to my senior year of high school, I have been prepared both academically and spiritually to be able to go out into the world and be an active citizen. A tremendous thank you must go out to the many teachers I have been blessed with for instilling in me a love of learning. I have without a doubt received a quality education that has prepared me to move into my next level of learning. But more important than having a good education, I have received incredible encouragement. When I was in kindergarten, I was given encouragement when I was learning how to read and words on a page still looked like a foreign language to me; in fifth grade, I was encouraged in my band class when every other note I played was a squeak; and in high school when I was delving into my love of writing, my English teachers worked extra hard to show me that my love of writing was a true talent that should be continued. All of this encouragement played out to make me passionate about learning - something that will be vital to me as I continue to college and into my career down the road. Far more important than academics, CHCA has prepared me spiritually, and I am fully confident that I can move into my next phase of life grounded in what I believe. My faith journey began because of CHCA, when I accepted Jesus into my heart as a five-year old during Spiritual Emphasis Week. From there, my faith has only grown. Throughout all thirteen years, I have learned not only Bible basics, but I have also discovered my own views on various Christian viewpoints – from theological issues presented in my Christian thought class to bioethical issues from my Bioethics class. By far, I am most thankful for the spiritual lessons I learned on my most recent Winter Term Intercession trip to Kenya (cover story). I spent those two weeks playing with kids at St. Nicholas’ Orphanage, experiencing Masai culture, going on a safari, and playing band concerts, among many other things. We had the unique opportunity to meet a girl named Emily 30
while at the home of Masai woman Peninah, whose God-given mission is to rescue child brides - a form of slavery which is a continuing problem among the Masai. Emily was a child bride who ran away from an arranged marriage to Peninah’s home while we were there. Had we not been there when we were, we would never have had the opportunity to meet Emily and see the true impact of Peninah’s mission. In our own small way, too, we hope we showed God’s love to Emily just as Peninah showed love to all of her rescued girls and even to us visitors. Most importantly, I learned the lesson of trusting in God’s plans and in His unfailing love in a way far more impactful than any class could ever teach me. As I am about to embark on the next huge phase of my life, the lessons I have learned at CHCA – both academic and spiritual – will stay with me the rest of my life. I know I am fully prepared academically to excel in college, where I will be attending The Ohio State University to study environmental science and business. I also know I am fully prepared spiritually to defend my faith in the future, wherever that future takes me.
Even if I cannot answer all of the difficult spiritual questions, I am confident because I know I have a God who loves me and who I can trust. Ellie has received the honor of being named an Eminence Fellow as she attends OSU this Fall. The Eminence Fellows Program and Scholarship is Ohio State’s premier merit award, offered to just 25 stellar new first-year students admitted to the Columbus campus for Fall semester. The honor includes full cost of attendance at Ohio State for four years, plus a $3,000 enrichment grant accessible after the first year of successful study. Recipients of the Eminence Scholarship typically rank in the top three percent of their graduating classes and have an ACT composite score of 34 or higher or combined SAT Critical Reading and Math score of 1520 or higher.* (*information provided by The Ohio State University)
Inspiringly benevolent
What I learned from Mr. Steitz by Molly Packer ‘10
I learned a great deal from Mr. Ed Steitz when I had him as a math and science teacher in the fourth grade nearly 13 years ago. I learned that practice makes perfect when it comes to long division. I learned that the difference between “may” and “can” is crucial when asking to go to the restroom. I even learned that the solar system can be fun when our whole class put on the annual Penelope Planet play for our parents. The most important thing I learned from Mr. Steitz was that he not only cared about my education, but also for my happiness and well-being. After 25 years of faithful service to CHCA, Ed Steitz retired this spring and plans to move to Colorado with his wife where he can be closer to his family. Having been at CHCA since the beginning, Ed Steitz has touched the lives of nearly every student to pass through the school’s doors. He worked as a fourth grade teacher at first and then moved up to the Middle School where he taught fifth grade math. “I am honored to say that all four of our boys had Mr. Steitz,” CHCA mom Shelley Hoyer shared. “We are so grateful for the amazing math foundation he instilled in them all.” Don Faimon, a CHCA father, commented “Mr. Steitz was a fabulous teacher to our kids. He made math fun and learning a pleasure.” But Ed Steitz’s influence was not only educational. Students, parents and fellow teachers alike remember the prayerful attitude Mr. Steitz had concerning his students. “For all his masterful teaching abilities, what impacts children the most is the Christian role model he provides,” Nancy Buckman, Upper Elementary Principal and mother of one of Steitz’s former students, stated. “Ed loves his students and prays for them and their families on a regular basis.”
Students Abigail and Elliott Armstrong who both had Steitz for fifth grade math remember the comical way Steitz related to his students. “Mr. Steitz always told funny puns,” Elliott said. “I understood the way he taught.” Other students remember the large collection of rubber ducks that stood for more than what it seemed. Each duck that Steitz displayed in his room stands for the person from whom he received it and stands as a daily reminder to pray for that person and his/her family. Fellow teacher Nancy Isenberg who taught at the Elementary School with Steitz spoke of his constant representation of Christ-like love at the school. “Ed has always been such a positive and upbeat influence on the environment of CHCA, both in the Elementary building and the Middle School,” she said. “Ed carries with him a deep abiding faith and joy that seems to always spill over into laughter - helping to put any student at ease and any situation into perspective.” CHCA families, teachers and administrators will always be thankful for the impact that Steitz has had on our school. Congratulations for 25 years of excellence and impact, and enjoy your retirement, Mr. Steitz!
CHCA families, teachers and administrators will always be thankful for the impact that Steitz has had on our school. Congratulations for 25 years of excellence and impact, and enjoy your retirement, Mr. Steitz! 31
Inspiringly benevolant Principal Cammie Montgomery,
A Story of Accountability and Love by Pamela Bailey, Executive Assistant, Armleder
“Accountability with a deep sense of love…” are the choiceful and meaningful words Randy Brunk used to described Armleder’s Principal, Mrs. Cammie Montgomery, at this year’s faculty and staff closing assembly. The vision of CHCA states that “Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy will unleash each student’s God-given gifts through Christ-centered academic excellence. We are devoted to developing the whole person, and instilling a lifelong passion for learning, leading and serving”. Principal Montgomery takes this vision very seriously, and believes the start of the day is critical to each student’s success. 32
So let’s begin with the start of the day. On any given school day, you’ll find Principal Montgomery prominently waving in the carpool line, at the door, or in the lobby waiting to greet each and every student and parent with an enormous smile, a hug, high-five, or fist bump. She often follows that with a personal comment about a recent accomplishment, happy birthday, field trip reminder, well wishes for a test or quiz that is being given later that day, or even an inquiry on an ailing sibling or family member (yes, she knows all of this). For that student who
students who dedicated themselves to being timely to school, having perfect attendance, and stellar behavior. She came up with a Principal’s Lock-In for the first quarter of each year and a STAR Luncheon for the second quarter of the year. These are highly coveted invitations, and students are extremely honored to be treated to these special events that are always fun and filled with surprises. CHCA parents Dan and Kim Meador have been supporters of Cammie’s annual events. Kim sums it up this way, “I love that in all things she brings God’s love to all of the students.”
You can’t help but be energized and encouraged by this amazing woman whose love of God shines through and permeates the air.
shuffles in a little sleepy-eyed, Principal Montgomery’s booming voice and enthusiasm wins him over and puts a bounce back in his step. You can’t help but be energized and encouraged by this amazing woman whose love of God shines through and permeates the air. As nurse Kathy Zabbatino states “Principal Montgomery has such a heart for Armleder”.
The bell soon rings for the “official” start of the day. On Mondays, Principal Montgomery has a popular segment in the Channel 7 news “Manners are Magic” and as soon as she can, she heads off with her famous rolling desk-- on a mission. She has extremely high standards for her students, and she’s on a roll, literally. She may have a student that has his second tardy of the week, so she’s emailing the teacher to inquire, follow-up and reiterate the importance of being timely to school. All the while, she is en route to the fourth floor where middle school students have recently taken a test and a couple have scores that reflect well below what she knows their ability to be. Savvy students now know the sound of the cart and expect to have a personal meeting in the hall about the score, their plan for correcting, and a hug; but don’t give her any excuses—this is a mistake clearly to be made once and once only! However, “cart” meetings are often more celebratory. Favorite meetings are those of congratulations and kudos for jobs well done. What students can count on day-to-day is their Principal’s unconditional love and support. Principal Montgomery wants every student to own their education and to be fully accountable and responsible for their learning - and she makes sure they all know it. In her first year as principal, Mrs. Montgomery determined she had to acknowledge the
For those students in grades 3-8 with all A’s, they receive an invitation in Chapel for an event with Principal Montgomery. These events tend to be unique and different each year, such as a Cincinnati Cyclones game, a newly released movie with popcorn, a lunch at a downtown location or a private tasting tour of Findlay Market, to name a few. She does like to have fun, so she will always make sure the fun factor is high for these special events!
After three years of sending faculty and staff to leadership seminars, Principal Montgomery will be extending leadership opportunities formally to the students as well. This is the next step in her vision of students owning and being responsible for their education. The students will be offered leadership opportunities on various teams supported by staff members to include areas such as: communications, technology, news team, events, recycling, and more. Most, if not all of these initiatives will be planned and supported by student teams. With ownership, comes pride in knowing not only are you trusted with an important role, but you accomplished something meaningful! The Bible verse that comes to mind for Principal Montgomery’s plans for Armleder in the coming year comes from Habakkuk 2:2-3, Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Mrs. Montgomery and her staff are boldly determined to help students discover, hone and steward the God-given gifts and talents of each student, and to fold each individual into the story that is CHCA - - a story in which each child owns and is responsible for his and her education and a story where those gifts are used to serve God’s purpose in His kingdom. 33
A Parent’s Legacy by Cindy Coggins, CHCA Alumni Parent of Patrick Coggins ‘04 & Ellie Coggins ‘14
Sometimes God presents us with opportunities to serve in the most unlikely places. In 2001, my son Patrick was playing football for CHCA, and no one was planning pre-game meals. That just didn’t sit right with me, and God was nudging me to do something. So I began working with CHCA’s trainer, Bill Shomaker, on the “ideal” pre-game meal. Along with other dedicated moms who were for the most part parents of our sons who played for an undefeated 8th grade season, we began the fantastic journey of “mom meals.” We were an enthusiastic set of Football Moms! And what a blessing – we saw our sons before the games and had the fantastic opportunity to serve them as well as pray for their safety. Hence – my marvelous journey took a unique turn in supporting the CHCA football team. Fast forward to the fall of 2010 when Ellie entered high school. Now this child was not an athlete – rather, an avid musician. Ellie couldn’t get enough of it – Lab Band, EJO, Sacred Music Concert, and of course, Pep Band. So now, football was back in my life in a completely different way, and I was presented with how to support the Pep Band in order for them to encourage and support the football team? During Ellie’s Freshman and Sophomore years, I would bring treats and waters when possible. Then in 2012, the stadium renovation happened in the stands and around the press box, which now offered a patio and enabled the pep band to sit in the stands again with the crowd and other students. As I found myself more and more involved with Dan Grantham in organizing various needs for the instrumental program, an idea came to me. And when I have an idea I just have to get on with it (recall, ‘mom meals’). There God was, tugging at me again with that still, small voice – do something to support and encourage these kids. And that was all I needed to push forward. That was the beginning of the patio grilling. At first, the plan was to grill only at half time for the pep band. But God had something bigger in mind. We soon birthed what is now known as the ‘student patio’. For the past two football seasons, CHCA family and friends have enjoyed the wonderful aroma of the patio grill for each entire game, serving all CHCA students and pep band members free food and drink. Many volunteers – all pep band parents – willingly and
34
joyfully served the entire student body. What a fabulous “gift” to see the instrumental department bridging with the athletic department! I believe bringing together the two worlds of athletics and music is the legacy I leave the school. At CHCA, we say that we believe in the ‘whole child’ - that we are trying to develop well-rounded Christians to enter the world with varied experiences and with an appreciation of each person’s talents. In this one small way, I hope I have modeled that respect for each unique student. I pray that others continue to carry on the tradition and pour love on all of our students, celebrating all of their talents. Everything I have ever done over the years at CHCA - from football to fine arts - has been grounded in verses from I Peter 4:10-11… “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms…If anyone serves he should do it with the strength God provides so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen” The student patio was fully funded by the Coggins family and other generous volunteers and donors. Now that the last Coggins child has graduated, our prayer is that other families will work to carry on
the tradition of not only the ‘student patio’ experience, but of legacies that celebrate our children’s gifts and carry on traditions that will serve CHCA for the next 25 years and beyond!
Alumni News by Casey (Sutherly) Purnhagen ‘00
Resiliently faithful A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the newest class agents. They are impressive on so many fronts, and I can’t help but smile at the stories they tell, because they sound so much like my own. They leave CHCA with lifetime friendships, full of questions, their faith resilient and ready to engage with a hurting world. They are humble enough to serve and fully prepared to lead. The class of 2014 is the twentieth to graduate from CHCA – can you believe it? They join over 1600 alumni around the globe, and we look forward to how we can support them as they shine their light and soar into this next season of life. Our Alumni Committee works hard to connect alumni back to CHCA, to each other, and to the greater CHCA community. Here are just a few of the ways alumni connected during this past year...
To CHCA
Academy Nights Live: April 25-26 alumni joined faculty and current students on stage for a fun Saturday Night Live-style performance of sketches, skits, and improv. Rob Fahrmeier (’98), Jenn (Reynolds) Schmidt (’00) and Logan Lally (’12) took advantage of this first-time opportunity to re-engage with the parts of CHCA they loved the most. Alumni Chapel: May 7 worship was led by our talented alumni Will LoVellette (‘10), Jen Kaufman (’01), Ellen Hodges (‘11), Matthew Alvarado (’11) and David Snyder (’97) who gave an inspiring message that focused on being genuine and engaging humbly with the world, knowing you don’t have all the answers. In an effort to engage our alumni not able to be with us in person, chapel was streamed live online for alumni around the globe. Homecoming Extravaganza (formerly Fall Festival) Despite the pouring rain, many CHCA alumni and their families joined in the combined festivities including listening to the live performances from our MSL High School EJO and Steel Drum Band while sharing in fellowship and building community as we cheered the Eagles to a shutout against New Miami.
Alumni Cookout: May 19 Dan Grantham and other faculty hosted alumni for a cookout back on campus. It was a great chance for some of our local alums (and especially those finishing a year of college) to grab a burger and catch up.
To each other
Regional Alumni Events: March 11 we had our most well-attended event to date! More than 30 local alumni plus teachers and faculty enjoyed time reconnecting at Keystone Grill in Clifton. These regional events are growing in popularity and we’re looking for locations outside Cincinnati for future events. CHCA Football: November 17 we faced Hamilton-Badin in the second round of playoffs at Mason High School. Alumni football players and fans from as far back as 1998 met to reconnect and cheer on the Eagles.
To the greater CHCA community
Alumni Business Network: Quarterly networking events are held for those in the greater-Cincinnati business community. ABN exists to create connections, support job searches and career advancement, and ultimately to impact current students as experienced professionals and mentors.
CHCA Business Roundtable: Alumni are joining parents and business-owners to develop a roundtable of trusted professionals and network of peer businesses in the CHCA community.
Looking ahead, we have work to do. We want our alumni to connect with us, but we know that begins with how we connect to them. Here’s a glimpse of what we’re working on: • Developing an Alumni Association • Streamlining our communications • Sharing more of what alumni want to know • Engaging older alumni as spiritual, academic, and professional mentors for younger alumni In closing, a quick note to the class of 1995, 2014, and all those in between: Please come back to visit! Stay connected with us. Share your ideas and thoughts on how we can better support and engage you as you impact the world. You matter to us. We are proud of all you have and all you will accomplish. There’s nothing that proves the value of CHCA like you!
35
alumni Class notes Class of 1996
Isaac Gould and his wife Christy celebrated the birth of their fourth son, Toby on January 6, 2014 and Isaac’s ordination in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church on March 23, 2014. His brother, Aaron Gould ’95 visited from Washington state for the ordination service. Isaac currently serves as the assistant pastor of Evangelical Community Church in Cincinnati. Their other children are Levi (5 years old), Owen (3½ years old), and Silas (2 years old).
Class of 1997
Katie Robinson Smith and husband, Jeremy answered God’s call to foster children. Aubreigh came to them in November of 2011 as a two-week old infant attached to oxygen and a monitor for about three months. Immediately, they knew they wanted to adopt and after many bumps in the road with her birth parents drifting in and out of the process, they were able to formally adopt her on April 1, 2014. Nick came to them from another family as a 4-year old in 2012 and they adopted him last summer. Katie is a stay-at-home mom and Jeremy is a Cincinnati firefighter. They reside in Anderson, Ohio.
Class of 1999
Samuel Schottenstein is developing his own company called Scholar Compass. His company is designed to help students find scholarships and assists them with getting into college. Scholar Compass has been featured in Cincinnati Magazine, as well as being the cover story for the Annual School Guide. Recently, his company hosted a joint conference with Star 93.3 and Indiana Wesleyan University.
36
Class of 2000
Karen Hewitt graduated from the Ohio State University receiving her M.A. in Educational Administration on May 4, 2014. She is currently working with Ohio Girls Basketball Report as a consultant. She is also looking to work in Human Resources or administration moving forward. Kourtney Klendworth is on staff with OceanPointe Christian Church, a brand new church plant that launched on April 6, 2014! She hosted eight visiting churches and college groups this spring as they came to serve their brand new church. She’s the tech producer on Sundays, oversees their missions and summer intern programs, among other administrative duties. Kourtney is currently living in Newport, Rhode Island.
Chris Koenig and his wife Sarah welcomed their second son, Henry Christopher, on June 12, 2014. Chris currently works for the Ohio State University in New Ventures - which commercialize world-class research through start-up companies, entrepreneurs, and capital. They also have 2 year-old son Jack. Both Chris and Sarah will be busy this summer running their Ohiolina Music Festival which celebrates the music and culture of Ohio and North Carolina. For more info: ohiolina.com Chad Leland and his wife, Allison welcomed Aurora “Rory” Jane into their lives last winter and she has changed their lives in every way. “Being a dad is amazing!”
Chad will be starting his 8th season as the head coach of the CHCA middle school football team this summer. “Coaching, working and family leave little time for anything else. But God has blessed us and we are passionately pursuing Him!” Michelle Pembaur is engaged to be married in July, 2014 to Michael Pater. Michael is one of eleven children, so between wedding planning, work and family events, there has not been much time for anything else. After their honeymoon in Hawaii, they will be living in the Kenwood area. Casey Sutherly Purnhagen and her husband, Brad will celebrate seven years of marriage on September 1. Casey says “I am awed at how God has blessed us, as partners and parents.” She stays very busy with her most important job- raising two world-changers. Her son Tommy will be 3 years old in August and her daughter Penny will be a 1 year old in August. “Parenting provides me the clearest picture of the perfect love He has for us, and there’s nothing like it to teach me how absolutely dependent I am on Him!” Shana Stull got engaged on November 16, 2013 to Dan Eling and they were married on June 21, 2014. They held their ceremony at the Chapel at Crossroads Church in Oakley with a reception at Maketewah Country Club. Dan is a doctor of physical therapy, and Shana and Dan met because Shana had a knee injury in 2011 and was referred to his clinic. After knowing each other for about a year and a half, they started dating, and the rest is history! “Dan is the most kind, gentle and hilarious man I’ve ever met, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.”
Resiliently faithful Class of 2002
Lindsay Adam, MD completed her Ophthalmology Residency at The Ohio State University Havener Eye Institute in June 2014. She will then relocate to Wilmington, North Carolina to join Coastal Carolina Eye Clinic. Lindsay was diagnosed with a very serious, rare and often disabling autoimmune disease her senior year at The College of William and Mary. Despite years of active disease and treatment requiring major medications and IV infusions, she has persevered through the rigors of medical school, internships, and her three year post-graduate residency on schedule and without special consideration-truly a miracle for even the most determined. May God continue to strengthen her to do great things as she begins her career! Phil Glotfelty and Elizabeth Cesler Glotfelty and their son Rudy are excited about the changes in their lives. Elizabeth graduated May 17, 2014 from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She will be practicing employment and labor law for a national transportation company located in Cincinnati. Phil continues to fly Blackhawk helicopters for the Ohio National Guard and is the Company Commander for the 1-137th HHC. Phil is also fixed-wing flight instructor out of Lunken airport. Rudy is 4 years old. He loves the Reds and practices baseball and tennis nonstop.
Manager for the Stouffer’s business at Walmart. He and his wife, Chloe, currently live in Bentonville, Arkansas. Katey Dowd Gonzalez and her husband, Rene welcomed in their second child, Sofia Kate on October 25, 2013. They also have a little boy, Santiago Rene who is 2 ½ yrs. old. Katie works for Back2Back Ministries as a graphic designer. Danny Stull started an apparel and gift company called Be Ohio Proud (www.beohioproud.com). His deep roots and love for this state led him to create a brand that designs creative yet simple ways to show state pride. His products can now be found in over 60 retail locations around the state. His company has also expanded into Kentucky and Michigan under the company My State Threads (mystatethreads.com). “I am very thankful for the CHCA community who helped form my love and appreciation for Ohio. We have something special here. Truth, loyalty and love are stitched deeply into the fabric of Ohio. My hope is that everyone can feel this same sentiment and want to express it through our gifts and apparel.”
Class of 2004
Valerie Herrmann Galbraith recently made a big move from Cincinnati to Charlotte, North Carolina where she currently acts as the Research Monitor and Educator for the Carolinas Healthcare System. Valerie and her husband, Louie with their three pugs moved into their new Charlotte home this year.
Class of 2003
Jason Bellan has worked for Nestle since he graduated from Miami University in 2007. He is the Key Account
John Barnhart is working on completing his PhD at the University of Kentucky by 2015. He currently has his MBA and Masters of Economics. He is also a Research Assistant for the University of Kentucky.
Rachel Shepard Bowen is currently a pharmacist and patient care manager for Kroger Pharmacy here in Cincinnati. As part of her job, she acts as the primary direct patient care preceptor for one of their pharmacy practice residents, and is able to serve as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Practice at the University of Cincinnati. She and her husband Chad were married in 2011 and recently welcomed their first child, Ainsley, on April 8, 2014. They are enjoying their new roles as parents and spending time with Ainsley and their dog, Daphne. Rachel Chait got engaged to Brian Whims on December 2013. She and her fiancé, met during their senior year at Miami University at a Christmas party hosted by his fraternity. Rachel was a member of the Christian sorority, Kappa Phi, and Brian was a member of their brother fraternity, Sigma Theta Epsilon. Brian works for Macy’s as a software developer, and Rachel currently works with Mercy Health Physicians. Since they met around Christmas time, they found it fitting to become man and wife on December 13, 2014! They are currently planning their winter wonderland wedding in Cincinnati with the ceremony at Tri-County Baptist Church and the reception to be held at the charming and historic Glendale Lyceum. They plan to live in the Cincinnati area after they are married. Salen Churi received his Juris Doctorate from the University Of Chicago Law School in 2011. He is currently employed with the University of Chicago Law School as a Lecturer in Law and Assistant Director for the institute of Justice. Sal is engaged to fiancé, Jessica Merel and to wed on September 2, 2014 in California.
37
alumni
Class notes
Rachael Herrmann Martinez completed her PhD last year in Social Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and continues in her position as a Social Science Analyst in health research for the Department of Veterans Affairs. She and her husband, Ian, with their 2 mini Huskies, still reside in Chicago.
’07
RyanAtkins ‘07
Class of 2005
Tommy Andrews on July 1 started his 5th year of working for Speaker of the House John A. Boehner (OH08) in Washington, DC. In October 2013, he was promoted to the title of Special Assistant to the Speaker, serving as the Speaker’s personal aide.
38
Rebecca Chait on May 1st, 2014, received her doctoral hood, graduating with honors from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her dad, Robert H. Chait M.D., accompanied her on stage to bestow the doctoral hood. Becca will continue her medical training at her two top programs, The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati for one year of internal medicine, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for three years of training in ophthalmology. In January 2014, Becca traveled to rural Kenya near the Maasai Mara to serve at two community health centers. Global missions have long been a passion of Becca’s and will be a fundamental component of her career in ophthalmology. She plans to return to Kenya as a resident to initiate projects in community eye health and also hopes to complete an International Fellowship in Ophthalmology after her four years of residency training. Finally, Becca is SO proud of her little sister Hannah for graduating from CHCA this year at the top of her class, and she would like to congratulate the entire, very special, Class of 2014 - Work hard and never give up! God will give you the tools you need to accomplish His work.
Joseph Polzin finished his second of four years at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, where he is in the M.Div. program, studying to be a pastor. He will be spending the 20142015 on a vicarage assignment at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, MI. He and his wife Jennifer are expecting their second child at the end of June. Their son, Miles is 2 years old. Teddy Siegel is employed by Catholic Health Partners as a Specialist in their Advocacy and Government Relations department. She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lauren Rasmussen Sparks is working fulltime as a graphic designer and in childcare at Peoples Church in Clifton. Besides that, she is also currently illustrating a short story for Cincinnati company Assailant Comics which should be published by the end of 2014 (issue #2 of the series “Open Tree”, written by Chris Charlton) as well as miscellaneous album designs and other illustration work. Lauren and her husband Matt are both passionate about reducing the amount of waste in their lives. “We’ve succeeded in reducing a LOT of waste in our small apartment by cutting out unneeded packaging, paper products, cleaning chemicals, appliances and miscellaneous clutter. My “next big dream” is to be able to get around with just public transportation and a fully-electric car to majorly cut our carbon emissions. We’re doing our best to follow God’s first commandment and take care of our Earth.”
Class of 2006
Tyler Anderson and his wife, Abby welcomed a little girl, Theodora Jane Anderson, born on April 2, 2014. Tyler is a Financial Planner and recently moved to Omaha, NE from Chicago, Illinois.
Alumni spotlight Ryan Atkins launched FlatOnMyBack.com, a blog detailing the lessons learned on the road God has taken him on since a car accident led to paralysis in 2009. Each Sunday, Ryan also leads a bible study with a dozen CHCA high school boys, all who met Ryan as freshmen in 2012 at Outback America. At the time, they were looking for a structured environment to meet in a small group with their friends. Ryan provided that and has been meeting with them as a group and one-on-one ever since. He shares, “Jesus sets an example of hanging out with 12 guys for three years as a model for discipleship and calls all believers to make disciples in Matthew 28:19. Investing in other people on a one-on-one basis goes further than most teachings, sermons, or classes. I want these guys prepared to step onto a secular college campus, know the reason for the hope that they have (1 Peter 3:15), be able to share it with others, and begin to disciple people in their dorm and college campus themselves living out the verse 2 Timothy 2:2-‘what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will also be able to teach others.’” After launching his blog, Ryan received various invitations to speak at churches and other events, including chapel at CHCA high school in February (pictured above with sister Laura ‘12). “It may be cool to speak in front of thousands at a place like Crossroads,” Ryan shared, “but what I enjoyed most was returning to the high school in February 2014, when I was able to share and interact with students afterwards. I sat in those same seats nearly a decade ago and know what it’s like to be in that environment. I have a passion for seeing teenagers get serious about their faith.” He continues to share his message of “Seeking the Healer, not just the healing”. He is also currently working on writing a book.
Resiliently faithful Class of 2007
Bryn Clark married Mollie Trager in January 2014 a fellow Packer fan and Wheaton College graduate. The two of them live just north of Boston where they are both attending graduate school at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. They will be spending this summer in Iceland conducting an internship with a pastor and church planter in the capitol city of Reykjavík. If that doesn’t work out, Bryn would consider studying Cryptozoology.
Epiphany Elease Davis completed her second contract as a Performer on the Norwegian Sky Cruise Ship. Since graduating from NYU Tisch School of Arts in 2010, she has performed around the world with dance companies and appeared in many TV and film projects, most recently Spider-Man and Girls. She will visit home to relax for a few weeks in May and head back to New York City in June to pursue her performing career as a triple threat dancer, actor and singer.
Amy Stevens Hendley and husband, Tanner are currently living in Virginia Beach, Virginia while he finishes up his enlistment as a US Navy Submariner. Their beautiful daughter, Mary Evelyn Grace was born on October 30, 2013. She is named after Mary Housh, Amy’s best friend of twenty one years whom she met in Mrs. Kloster’s first grade class. She was her co-maid of honor in their wedding and is now the Godmother of her daugh-
ter. Amy and Tanner enjoy watching Mary Evelyn roll over, pick up her toys and stand (with their help of course!). “I am so blessed right now to get to stay home with her so I don’t have to miss a moment.” They are currently planning to move to join family in Wilmington, NC and begin civilian life again.
Brian Thomas Hunter is currently an agricultural Extensionist in the District of Caazapa, Paraguay. He lives in a small community of about 140 people and works with the people of the community. His work entails projects that help to improve food security, help to improve the nutrition of the community and helping to educate the people of the community how to better improve the yield from their crops. Tom also spends a lot of time working with children/ people in their personal gardens teaching them about different vegetables and how to prepare them and teaching English to children in the community. He will be working and living in the countryside of Paraguay until his 27 months of service is up in December of 2015.
is currently employed by Key Bank World Headquarters as a Credit Risk Analyst. Thomas resides in Strongsville, Ohio. Ameila Glenchur is currently working at Mason Christian Village as an Activity Assistant. She thoroughly enjoys being around the residents and coming up with creative and interactive type activities. She recently started a custom jewelry business called Mia Ramona Designs.
Class of 2009
Graham Gilmer graduated from University of Cincinnati on April 16, 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning. He finished 2nd in his class with a 3.752 GPA. He has 2 job offers with which he is currently in negotiations and hopes to make a selection very soon. He married Lauren Moushey from Mason, Ohio on August 9, 2013. She is a Pharmacy Major at the University of Cincinnati and expects to graduate in May, 2015. They are currently living in East Walnut Hills, Ohio. Paul Tepfenhart, III is working in the Medical Technology sector marketing biometric solutions to hospitals throughout the US. The company he works for is CrossChx. He resides in Columbus, Ohio.
Class of 2010
Kyle Smith and Rachael Arington Smith ’09 had a son, Roman Gabriel Smith born on March 14, 2014. “Roman is a great baby! He looks just like his daddy. He is very mild mannered and loves being held. Mommy and Daddy love spending time with him and getting to know his unique personality. He has brought so much joy into our lives in such a short period of time”. Matthew Siewny is currently in his third year of his PhD program at the University of Colorado. He is loving life in the mountains!
Class of 2008
Thomas Barnhart received his MBA in Finance from Xavier University in 2012 and
Morgan Feeney graduated this year from Miami University and is seeking a job in Atlanta. She is interviewing currently with Teach for America – Atlanta. Teach For America (TFA) is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting high-achieving recent college graduates and professionals to teach for at least two years in low-income communities throughout the United States. Doyen Harris graduated from the Citadel on May 10, 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information.
39
Alumni spotlight
’10
Class Notes
Amanda Mary ’10
After Amanda graduated from CHCA, she went to Evangel University to study elementary education. She assumed that she would be living the normal college life for the next four years: living in the dorms, eating cafeteria food, going to school, studying into the late hours of the night, hanging out with her friends, going to football games, and finding her husband. But God’s plans for her were different than that typical four to five year college experience. During the second semester of her sophomore year, the Lord gave her dad a vision of her taking a semester off of school to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). After praying for six weeks, she made her decision the day before spring semester started. She would take the semester off. The first part of her dad’s vision was for her to spend forty days removed from all of society. So for forty days she removed herself from friends, church, and social media. She would spend her days worshipping God, reading the Bible, and just being still in His presence. It was the most intimate forty days with her heavenly Father she had ever experienced. Though some days were tough, she was able to truly see and experience the Holy Spirit being the best teacher. She was able to experience God’s peace during stressful times, and a new hunger and passion for her Bible arose. The Holy Spirit showed her that the Old Testament can still apply to us today, and she became comfortable with being quiet and still. If there were questions she had either within seconds, minutes, days, or weeks, the Lord would eventually reveal them to her. After the forty days, she began to pray about next steps for the fall. Within that week of her praying, the President of The Agora School for Global Leadership, Randy Young, came to her church and spoke about his “one-year gap school” with the motto: “The World is Our Campus”. Feeling a nudge, she spoke with him after church, went home, spoke to her family, and prayed for confirmation. Within a day, the Lord confirmed it. Agora is a school for students who want to make a difference in the world while still getting a college education. The purpose and passion behind Agora is for students to be in the marketplace day in and day out, while getting a solid education, doing communal living together and being discipled. She took 15 credits each semester with 12 hours of cross-cultural ministry a week. The second semester she did the same things, but the last month of school she went on a one-month mission trip. Last year, in 2013, she went to Thailand and Vietnam. There her group worked with the nationals, ran kids’ programs, went into the slums of Bangkok and traveled into the northern villages of Chaing Mai where they worked with a Thai pastor who took the Gospel to unreached villages. In Vietnam, they worked at a conversational English-speaking coffee shop where nationals would come and chat for five to six hours a day to practice their English. In their free time, their new Vietnamese friends would take them all around the city (Karaoke, the movies, dinner, and so on). They also went to an orphanage where they played with infants and disabled children. She was then asked to come back to Agora for a second year as a junior staff member. This past school year she has done all of the same things as the year before, but this time she helped lead the outreaches, mentored the new students, was a teacher’s assistant, and was a leader on their overseas trip. This year her team went to Myanmar. While they were there, they went to unreached people groups, worked at orphanages, taught conversational English to Burmese students and were able to establish relationships with young Burmese Buddhists. “The Lord has done so much changing and shaping in my life, but His plans are always so much better than mine. I thought I would be graduating this spring from Evangel University, but instead He has taken me on a journey that is far beyond my wildest dreams.” This summer she has been asked back on as a part-time staff with Agora. Her job will entail: administration, recruiting prospective students, and investing in the current students’ lives as well as promoting Agora at churches/events and going on one mission trip a year. This summer and next year, her focus will be to finish getting licensed as an Assemblies of God minister, acquire her TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certificate, and pray about going overseas to be an English teacher!
40
Stephanie Harris graduated from Calvin College in May, 2014 with a double major in Business Marketing and Sociology. She has accepted a position as Account Analyst at Adtegrity, an online marketing firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She continues to be the Membership chair on the board of the Habitat Young Professionals for Habitat for Humanity. Rachel LeCompte and Alec Swartz ’10 were married on June 14th, 2014. She will be graduating from Penn Foster as a Veterinary Technician in the fall of 2014. Alec will be graduating from Mercy Hurst on May 18, 2014 with a degree in Business. Initially, they will be residing in Loveland, Ohio. Erin Lloyd graduated from Wittenberg in May. She has been accepted to and will be attending Medical School at Oakland University, beginning in the Fall of 2014. While at Wittenberg, she played two years of basketball, was VP of her sorority, and was named to the Dean’s List every semester.
Resiliently faithful John Lloyd graduated in April 2014 from UC. He is now attending graduate school and will be playing football again for the University of Cincinnati in 2014. John Led the American Athletic Conference in punting in 2013 with a 44 yards per punt average. He has also been named to the Big East and American Athletic Conference All Academic Teams the past 3 years. Mallory O’Connor graduated from The Ohio State University in May, 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She will continue at The Ohio State University pursuing her Doctorate of Pharmacy.
Andrew Philip graduated from The Ohio State University in May, 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Ethnic Studies. He will be continuing his involvement with his campus fellowship at OSU, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, for the year of 2014-2015 as a campus minister. Specifically, he will be working with South Asian and Asian American students, continuing to plant a new ministry reaching South Asian Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and others. After his internship with InterVarsity, Andrew will be attending The Ohio State University’s College of Medicine to pursue an MD. Chris Taylor graduated from Duke University this May, 2014 with a double Major in Economics and Public Policy and a Minor in Political Science. Chris will begin a job with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, DC. He was recently became engaged to Andria Merkel ’10 who also graduated this May from the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Mar-
keting and Operations. She will be working for Kraft Foods in Tampa, FL.
Class of 2011
Meredith Allgood completed her junior year at Wake Forest University in the Honors Psychology program, and will be spending her summer studying in Europe and beginning her Honors research in Stress and Resilience before beginning her senior year. She is a Research Assistant to Dr. Christian Waugh, a member of the Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology and the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, and serves with Wake Forest’s service outreach program.
Andrew Wallace graduated in May, 2014 from Butler University with a Bachelor degree in Accounting. He will be pursuing a Masters in Accounting at Butler University in the Fall. Andrew completed his four years of running track at Butler University by being named All Big East 1st team and Big East Academic Team. He also was team captain for his sophomore through senior year.( pic) Matt Williams graduated from the University of Cincinnati in April, 2014 He played his 200th game for The University of Cincinnati Bearcats Baseball program on May 4 against West Point. He is just the 11th player in UC Baseball history to do so. During his senior year as a Bearcat, he tied a career high with four hits against Temple (4/4), collected two hits and scored one run versus UCF, led the team with four hits, three RBIs and two runs scored in a win over Youngstown State, knocked 11 hits in a span of four games had four hits in a win over Wake Forest with one double and a run scored and scored two runs in the season opener against Elon. Matt completed a total of 211 games and earned All-Conference honors for the American Athletic Conference! Kristen Zabbatino began her freshmen theater experience at Mount St. Joseph College as the Wicked Witch of the West and is ending her senior year at the Mount performing Alice from Alice in Wonderland! She graduated with honors from Mount St. Joseph in May 2014. She has started her graduate studies toward a Master’s Degree in Nursing.
Abby Brown is coming into her senior year at Ohio Northern University, with a major in Advertising Design and a minor in Marketing. She currently serves as president of Kappa Pi and as vice president of Ohio Northern’s AIGA chapter. She also works as the Art & Design Editor for Polaris, a student-run undergraduate journal of art and literature. Abby plans on studying abroad this summer in Florence, Italy. Her design work, photography, and illustrations are available at abbyvbrown.wix.com/abbybrowndesign. Madeline Drees just completed her junior year at Kent State University as a BFA Musical Theatre major. She recently starred as Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, for which she won the Leading Actress award and the 2014 Outstanding Performer award at the Kent State School of Theatre and Dance’s annual banquet. She was also the recipient of the Cynthia Stillings Scholarship (Department of the School of Theatre and Dance Award/ Scholarship). Next year, Maddie will serve as Vice President for both Alpha Psi Omega, an honorary theatre fraternity, and to the School of Theatre and Dance’s student organization, Roundtable.
41
alumni
Class notes
Amy Mirlisena is working with Teach for America and very active in education field work in the greater Cincinnati area. Recently, she was cast in the Miami University fashion week to model for the brand new Fashion Design Majors this spring. Former CHCA student Michaela Owen ‘12, is a designer for the show - two different CHCA alumni on both ends of the Miami Fashion Show this year! This fall Amy will also be playing a featured role with the Miami University Drama Workshop in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”. The production will take place during the first few weeks of November in Cheviot, Ohio Andrew Paroz completed his Junior year at The Ohio State University. He will be interning at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan this summer in Supply Chain Management. Brad Tepfenhart completed his Junior year at Miami University. He is pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering and will have a summer internship working for HEB as a Process Engineering Intern in San Antonio, Texas.
Sidney Zimmerman graduated from Liberty University in July, 2014. Sidney will be getting married to her fiancé, George Dirling on November 1, 2014. They will be moving to Florida after the wedding.
Class of 2012
Amanda Barry spent her first semester of college in Ireland and will be graduating with her four year degree in Communication from the Indiana University-East in only two years. She will be graduating in December, 2014 and then plans to pursue a Masters degree in the spring of 2015.
42
AnnMarie Kadnar completed her Sophomore year at the University of Kentucky pursuing a degree in Equine Science. She is also a member of the UK Equestrian Team and competes throughout the year. Tanner Kuremsky will spend this summer before the start of his Junior year at Virginia Tech University working as a Chemical Engineering Intern for P & G in Cincinnati. His work will be in Research and Development within the Personal Care Division supporting brands like Old Spice and Secret. Tyler Tepfenhart completed his Sophomore year at Baylor University where he is pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology. He plays lacrosse for the university and joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Josh Thiel was recently honored by the Robert Morris University School of Business as recipient of the Dean’s Scholar Award. The honor recognizes students with superior cumulative grade point averages for at least three consecutive terms. Josh has been named to the School of Business Dean’s List for each of his four semesters as a Marketing Major at RMU. Josh is a member of the Colonial’s football team, where he has moved from the Left Tackle position he anchored at CHCA to win a spot on the offensive line’s first team as Right Guard. He has been honored all four semesters as a member of the Northeast Conference Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. Josh represents RMU’s 550 Division-I athletes as Vice President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and is one of ten students in the Class of 2016 that have been selected for the Colonial Leadership Academy—a three-year leadership development program. Josh remains active in the Pittsburgh community as an outreach leader for the Children’s Hospital Pediatric Cancer Center, Coraopolis Community Foundation, and Best Buddies. He is working in Pittsburgh this summer as a marketing research intern with Manchester Bidwell Corp. and the National Center for Arts and Technology.
Eli Vizcaino completed his junior year at St. Edwards University in the Honors Program while pursuing a Bachelors in Business Administration and has recently decided to also get a Bachelors in an Economics. Last summer he interned at Aerospace Industries Association and this summer he will be taking summer classes at the College of Mount St. Joseph while working in the Cincinnati Area. While at St. Edwards University he has been active in the development of the St. Edwards University TV channel, Topper TV, and has been active in the Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity. He is looking forward to completing his education at St. Edwards University and for what the future holds.
Class of 2013
Abby Bowman just finished her freshman year at Wheaton College and loves everything that college has to offer. This year, she joined the Wheaton Improv Team, and also developed a new hobby for exploring Chicago and navigating the train systems. In April, she ran the Nashville Rock N’ Roll Marathon, which was her first marathon ever! This summer, she will be studying abroad with Wheaton in London, England, and will also be returning to Hyderabad, India with Back2Back Ministries to continue short term mission work there. In the fall, she is planning to declare a double major, studying Spanish and Anthropology.
Resiliently faithful Wes Braden is backpacking throughout Europe this summer for 10 weeks. He will be traveling to the Netherlands, Sw i t ze r l a n d , Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Germany and the Czech Republic. Wes completed his Freshman year at Wheaton College and is pursuing a degree in International Relations/Business.
Natalie LeCompte received a 4.0 at Miami University this year. She also accepted an Art Scholarship/Award through the Miami University Art Department. She was nominated by one of her current Art professors.
Jonathan Churi completed his freshman year at Arizona State University pursuing a degree in Business. He plans to travel to Israel this summer.
Kaity Venters enjoyed her first year as a freshman at Saint Mary’s College. One the many highlights was playing college tennis. She is pursuing a degree in Global Studies.
YiLi host daughter of the Hilderbrand family for three 3 years, was selected from the top 5% of her class at MSU to be a member of the MSU Beaumont Tower Guard, a very select sophomore honorary that helps special needs students at MSU succeed. The Hilderbrands surprised her the morning of her initiation (6:00 a.m.) as is the tradition of all of the new members’ parents. When YiLi checked in that morning she was told, ‘your parents are out of the country and your “other” parents are out of state so no one will probably be here.’ Hilderbrand shared, “One of the best moments EVER of having YiLi in our lives was seeing the look on her face when she saw us walking toward her through the crowd of other students and parents. She and my wife hugged (and cried) for the longest time!” What a great memory and congrats to YiLi for finishing her freshmen year in the top 5% of her class and being accepted into the MSU Beaumont Tower Guard.
2014-2015
Alumni Events Schedule August 9, 2014
Alumni Soccer Game *October 3, 2014
Homecoming Extravaganza and 25th Anniversary Celebration Weekend 3:00 pm
Homecoming Football Game
November 28, 2014
Class of 2004 10 Year Reunion
MSL HS Musical, “West Side Story”
January 7, 2015
April 11, 2015
MSL HS Alumni Chapel 10:00 am
ArtBeat Fine Arts Festival
February 7, 2015
April 17 - 18, 2015
7:30 pm
Celebration Dinner & Auction
October 10 - 12, 2014
March 2014 TBD
MSL High School Play, “Little Shop of Horrors”
*March 6 – 8, 2015
MSL HS Theatre “Academy Night Live”
College 101 Panel Discussion with Class of 2015
Check the www.chca-oh.org/alumni website for updates for additional alumni events throughout the year
*These events feature special alumni-only discounts or freebies. Contact Alumni Coordinator, Julie Carnes via email at julie.carnes@chca-oh.org to learn more.
43
Being a writer myself (and having loved In the Wide Country of Love), I couldn’t pass up a chance to interview Liz for Eagle’s Eye.
Resiliently faithful
First, I have to ask: why a bakery?
I started Haven with my friend Becky Norris— Becky’s an incredible pastry chef. She was looking for a place to bake; I offered our kitchen. We’re both entrepreneurs with a similar design taste, so it felt energizing to join forces. It’s turned into a wedding cake dreamland (happy and chaotic), and together we do styling for magazine and video shoots.
When did you discover your love for writing?
by Liz Bronson Rosenau ‘00
Q&A
with Liz (Bell) Young ’95 Liz (Bell) Young (pictured above) graduated with CHCA’s first class in 1995, attended Furman University in South Carolina, Lee University, then back home to Xavier—and eventually went on to get her master’s degree in creative writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and UC. Along the way, she fell in love with Ryan Young—an ROTC cadet at Furman who’d actually grown up in the same church as Liz—and later asked Liz to marry him and journey to Italy for his first, four-year military assignment. Between raising two sons (Moses, 5, and Tommy, 3) with Ryan, working part time as a writer and creative at Crossroads Church, serving as half of Haven (a bakery and studio run out of her home) and doing the occasional freelance writing job, Liz somehow found time to write a memoir. Her book, In the Wide Country of Love, is a story about her young marriage in another country, grieving through a war-time separation, and finding what it means to be home. 44
When I was about seven, my mom created a box. Inside were scraps of paper with creative prompts, things like “Draw your favorite room in the house” and “Write a story about a girl who gets surprised.” My mom’s an artist and teacher; she has a keen way of pulling creativity out of people. I loved this box—it was all I wanted to do for the summer. I was fairly reserved as a child, so this box was a powerful way for me to express myself and stir up imagination. My CHCA English teacher, Karen Smeltzer, was fantastic, too. She played a big part in me choosing writing as a profession. The way she approached literature was smart and creative all at once, and that’s what I was craving. She kept asking for more from me, challenging me. It was daunting and I loved it.
What inspired you to write your memoir, In the Wide Country of Love?
I felt unmoored. Ryan had just been deployed by the Army for a one-and-a-half year assignment to the Middle East, and I was lost in the grief and confusion of it. At that point, I was in a writing program at the University of Cincinnati, so the book started as a collection of stories for my thesis. And my professors were incredible. They understood that me writing about that present-day experience was almost a necessity. It gave me an anchor.
What was it like to write a book?
At first, it was fast, and came out raw and unhinged. When I finished that first draft, my professors saw promise in that mosaic of stories and encouraged me to find an agent. I had no idea how much work it would take to get it from that hodgepodge of stories to bookready—there were a few years when I had an agent, spent time connecting with publishers, worked with an editor. It was exciting and exhausting at the same time. I loved it, but realized going through that process means you often are asked to make compromises and it can take years to find the right way to tell a
story. For example, my agent wanted my book to be more emotive and commercial—like Eat, Pray, Love, which was really big at the time—so I tried to take it in that direction and didn’t like it at all. That just wasn’t the style or format I was going for. We parted on good terms and I shelved the book for about a year and a half. Finally, about a year ago, I pulled it back out. I gave myself the freedom to reshape it, with no pressure of impressing an audience. I finally felt like I found my footing, so I went the self-publishing route to have the most creative control, and invested in a short run of printed books. I’m still kind of shocked it’s out there.
You were pretty vulnerable in this book. How difficult was that?
I initially didn’t write it with publication in mind—I wrote it with a thesis in mind, so in my head, the general public was never going to see it. I’m not someone who goes around talking a lot about who I am and what I feel. Honestly, I’m still a little surprised that I wrote some of it. And there were times when I erased whole blocks of text. One thing I learned about memoir in grad school is that it’s not a journal—you direct it at something, or else it loses the power of story. I skipped whole sections of our lives because some experiences weren’t right for this memoir. I’m also surrounded by people who constantly model vulnerability for me, so that had an enormous influence. And I prayed that God would push it in the right direction, and into the right hands.
How involved was Ryan?
He was a backseat encourager, and it turns out that’s exactly what I needed from him. He’s always believed in me as a writer, but this book brought out a new level of support.
What do you want people to take away from this book?
The best books I’ve read are the ones that have made me feel understood—maybe they’re conflicted in the same way as me, they love in the same way as me, or
they share a similar experience—that’s the kind of book I wanted to write. I want it to feel like a gift, and feel like comfort.
What advice would you give to any CHCA students or alumni who think they want to be a writer?
I think if it’s a driving force in you, you’ll find your way. You’ll read and write as if it’s instinct. You’ll take any writing assignment you can get, no matter how trivial. You’ll find writing workshops, study sound, follow the best writers and learn from a place of humility. I’ve also noticed that the writers I’m drawn to are the ones who really live in the present—they don’t stay holed up in a cabin in the woods. They study science, social work and their neighborhoods. They have children. They write at night or before everyone else wakes up.
What was it like to be at CHCA from day one?
It was exciting for my family to rally around something. I remember once when I looked out the classroom window, and my dad was out lining the soccer field—in the middle of his work day. My parents sacrificed a lot to help establish the school and get us there, and my sister and I felt deep gratitude. It was also fun that it was brand new—we could sense that we were part of something big and exciting.
What’s next on the horizon?
I’m trying to take it day-by-day, because I have the tendency to scurry in many directions. But a publisher read my memoir and contracted me to write a book of fiction, so that’s my current book project and I love getting to do it. I’m also starting a magazine that I’m wildly excited about, and I leave for India this month to get that off the ground. We’re also having another baby this winter—so that’s easily the best part of the horizon. Interested in reading Liz’s book? Buy a print or digital copy of In the Wide Country of Love at www.lizbellyoung.com.
Liz (Bell) Young’s book, In the Wide Country of Love, is a story about her young marriage in another country, grieving through a war-time separation, and finding what it means to be home.
45
25
years
...a light to the world
Matthew 5:16
11525 Snider Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45249
Please save the date!
CHCA’s Homecoming Extravaganza and 25th Anniversary Celebration will be held on October 3rd at the Martha S. Lindner High School starting at 3:00 p.m.