MAY/JUNE 2014
C O L L E G E
CHCS News H E I G H T S
C H R I S T I A N
S C H O O L
Graduation 2014 CHCS graduated thirty-four students on May 18th, 2014. The occasion was celebrated with family, friends and faculty. William Conroy, our Christian Character Award recipient shared encouraging words and Mr. Tim Casey spoke to the graduates during Baccalaureate. Valedictorians, Ashley Roberts and Annie White addressed the class at commencement. There ceremony was filled with tradition with over 1,000 in attendance. This year’s graduating class will be attending 16 different colleges and universities and will be accepting scholarships ranging from $800 to $75,000.
William Conroy MATTHEW J DEWELT CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AWARD RECIPIENT William Conroy has been named CHCS 2013-2014 Christian Character Award Recipient. This honor is given to one senior each year that displays the character of Christ in all aspects of his or her life. Three students are nominated by the senior class and approved by administration. Along with William, Brianna Shores and Annie White also received the honor of being nominated. The entire high school body votes on the recipient and the winner is announced at the Annual Academic Awards Banquet. William accepted this award at the Baccalaureate and also had the honor of walking with distinguished graduates at graduation.
CHCS Graduation Selfie
Brad Copeland Selected to the ALL AREA ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE TEAM Congratulations to Brad Copeland on his selection to the All-Area Academic Excellence Team! Brad was chosen by The Joplin Globe based on his grade point average and ACT score. The teacher he selected to be honored was Mrs. Green, high school math instructor. Additionally, Brad is a Missouri Top 100 Honorable Mention student for 2014. Congratulations Brad on these outstanding achievements!
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Retirements NANCY TAHHAN RETIRES
After thirty-eight years of teaching, Nancy Tahhan, kindergarten teacher, has retired. Mrs. Tahhan taught in the public school system for 28 years before coming to CHCS in 2004 to teach Pre-K. In addition to Pre-K, she taught half-day and full-day Kindergarten at College Heights. Leaving with these words, Mrs. Tahhan said “I’ve loved every minute at CHCS. I love Kindergarteners, and it’s been a joy to teach them the Bible, how to read, and so many other things. The atmosphere at CHCS is so warm and caring. It’s such a blessing to incorporate Christ and His love into everything that goes on.” Mrs. Tahhan plans to build a house in Liberal, MO, where she taught for 24 years.
SUE SMYTH RETIRES
Sue Smyth, first grade teacher, retired at the end of the 20132014 school year. Mrs. Smyth has served in various roles at CHCS since 1978. She took a four year break during 2000-2004 but returned in the fall of 2004 to partner with Cindy Cruse teaching first grade. Mrs. Smyth has blessed this school not only through her teaching but also through consistently modeling Christian character. Mrs. Smyth will take time to travel some and do volunteer work. We will miss her but pray only the best for her.
TRACY NICHOLS RETIRES
Fifteen years ago, Tracy Nichols came to CHCS as an interim Art teacher, and we are so glad she came! Excellence and growth have been two of the hallmarks which characterize the Art program during Mrs. Nichols tenure at CHCS. After a long period of prayer and deliberation, Mrs. Nichols steps away from the high school classroom at the end of this school year to re-open her own art studio and spend time with family. We will miss Mrs. Nichols, but we pray God’s richest blessings upon her as she steps out in faith to follow God’s leading.
School’s Out!
Will Little Second in Nation Will Little, CHCS student, finished his junior tennis career in April in Mobile, AL ranked #2 in the nation in the boys 18 year old category. In the past year he won two Level 2 Nationals in St. Louis, MO and Arlington, TX. His team won the team Level 1 National in Mobile, AL in April. His teammates came from across the nation from San Francisco to Texas, Maryland, Florida among others… He started his national rise when he was 13 by placing in a tie for 9th at the Summer Nationals. In the Missouri Valley District he has been ranked number 1 in the 14, 16 and 18 year old categories. He has competed well on a national level since he was 13. He has committed to play for Baylor, a perennial top 10 men’s tennis program. Congratulations Will on your success!!!
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Celebrating Year End! Elementary students celebrated the end of the school year by participating in the annual Cougar Olympics. Students hiked over to MSSU for a morning filled with track and field type competition.
Spring Sports Summary TRACK
Middle School girls were conference champions in track. MS girls 4x200 broke the school record (Navy Thompson, Marlee Lett, Emily Sanders, Taylor Ross). Navy Thompson broke the MS triple jump record and Ashlyn Griffberg broke the HS triple jump record. HS Girls 4x800 qualified for sectionals. (Lydia Buford, Rosie Stewart, Karissa Lieb, Kolleen Gladden)
BASEBALL
Navy Thompson, Marlee Lett, Emily Sanders, Taylor Ross
Navy Thompson
Baseball finished 10-11. We had a school record of 8 consecutive wins. 3rd place finish in the SRVC. All Conference players were 2nd team Drew Kilgore and Josh Woodmansee, Honorable mention Brad Copeland. All-District players were 1st team – Drew Kilgore and Josh Woodmansee, 2nd team Brad Copeland and Ben Chaffee.
GOLF
The CHCS golf team completed its spring 2014 season with two golfers, senior Michael James and sophomore. Alex Edge advancing out of districts and into the sectional tour. We competed in 6 matches and did not win one but improved throughout the season. Other golfers were Ashley Roberts, Matthew Gao, Matthew Roberts, Hunter Burnett, Ethan Bolte.
Ashlyn Griffberg
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State Music Competition Saturday, May 5th many CHCS musicians traveled to Columbia, Mo. for the State Music Competition. The following students received a “1” rating on their performances. FLUTE SOLO • Lydia Buford
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National Scholar Bowl The CHCS Varsity Scholars Bowl Team competed in at the Missouri State Championship. They finished fifth in the State Class 2 division with a record of 38–8 for the year. Congratulations team!!!!
SAXOPHONE SOLO • Ethan Bolte •
Annual Fund
Austin Martin • Annie White ENSEMBLES • Annie White • Casey
Garman • Courtney Byrne • Katelyn Jackson • Annie Ashwell • Mikah Getchell • Alex Bruey • Rachel Laws • Caroline Miller • Paul Chambers • Drew Kilgore • Logan Lewis SOLOS • Casey Garman • Annie
Ashwell • Annie White
CHCS kicked off the 2013-2014 Annual Fund in December. This year’s fundraising effort, Opportunity & Excellence, will focus on three main areas. Technology, Tuition Assistance and Furniture & Equipment. It is our hope, that with God’s will, we will be able to raise $52,000 toward improvements in these areas. To date, we have received contributions totaling $35,150 from 60 different donors. If you would like to contribute to the Opportunity & Excellence Annual Fund, please see our website at collegeheights.org or call Anita Zarrabi at 417-782-4114, ext. 227.
Summer of 2014 is here and many have COLLEGE CORNER already switched gears into relaxation and quality family fun. This is a perfect time to coordinate some of the vacations and activities with college visits. Visiting the campus of any prospective college is vital and age appropriate for students in high school and particularly encouraged for next year’s seniors. Only through visiting the campus can the true feel of the atmosphere be experienced. The visit will be much more informative if an appointment with the admissions office has been made in advance. Be sure to request additional appointments with representatives from the departmental majors in which there is interest. Please make note of college and scholarship deadlines for schools of interest. Summer is the perfect time for Seniors to also be preparing their resume so they are ready to hit the ground running when school begins in August.
Renweb Parents, don’t forget to take advantage of Renweb, our online school management system. You can check homework assignments, lunch menus, student grades, school calendar, etc. If you are having problems accessing Renweb or have not set up your account, please contact the school. A Renweb phone application is now available. This is a great tool to use to stay informed about your students’ progress.
ECFA ACCREDITED – On November 12, 2012, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability announced the accreditation of College
Heights Christian School. Accreditation is based on the ECFA’s Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance, and ethical fundraising. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability.
MISSION STATEMENT
CHCS glorifies God through excellence as a Christ-centered learning environment that produces servant-leaders with a Biblical worldview.
COLLEGE HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL n 4311 E. NEWMAN ROAD n JOPLIN, MISSOURI 64801 n 471-782-4114 n WWW.COLLEGHEIGHTS.ORG