CHCS News September 2014

SEPTEMBER 2014

SUMMER ADVENTURES

C O L L E G E

CHCS News H E I G H T S

CIARA GIBSON Hello, my name is Ciara Gibson, and I have the privilege of being the director of the extended care program. I am currently attending Missouri Southern State University, as I am interested in Elementary Education and French.

I have experience as a children’s minister and a nanny. I love to travel and have studied abroad in France for two summers. I grew up in Colorado Springs and Chicago with my parents, two siblings, and terrier dog. I have a deep appreciation for music, art, and food. I love to ski, swim, go to the beach, and watch football.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve at College Heights Christian School this year. It is an honor and a privilege.

MARILYN STEWART Elementary Art and Extended Care has a new instructor this year. Marilyn Stewart received her first B.S. in Psychology at MSU in Springfield, MO in 1998.

She has worked with children and youth in a number of educational and social service related settings. She obtained her second B.S. from MSSU in 2013 receiving her degree in K-12 Art Education. She and her family attend Impact Life Church in Joplin, MO.

DEANA FANNING We welcome Deana Fanning as our Middle School Science instructor. Deana received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Missouri Southern State University and is actively pursuing her Master’s of Arts in Teaching at Missouri State University. She and her husband Shaun are actively involved at Destiny Church. They have been married since 2004 and they have two children, Libby and Jack.

EMILY BEAVER A big welcome back is extended to Emily Beaver, a College Heights Christian School alum of 2009. She graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in English and is teaching Preschool and also coaching High School cross-country.

C H R I S T I A N

S C H O O L

KEVIN MYERS I grew up in the resort town of Grand Haven, Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Although my homelife was considered a good, it was not that of a Christian family. During the Spring of my Senior year in High School, I became a believer in Jesus Christ mostly through the influence of my sister who had become a Christian a couple of years before I did.

I attended a State University for my first year of college and transferred to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I completed a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Art and Education. I began teaching part time at a small Christian School along with doing some substitute teaching, after which I moved to Virginia to fill a full time K-12 Art position at another Christian School.

After living for four years in Virginia, I decided to attend Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Two years later, a part time art teaching position at Westminster Christian Academy turned into a full time offer and I settled for a basic Graduate Certificate from the Seminary.

My time of teaching Art and CAD at WCA came to a close in 1996 when I felt called to move back to Grand Haven to become the primary caregiver for my ailing mother. During that period, I was able to provide some art instruction for a couple of Home School Co-ops, concentrate on developing my own art, and spend some time playing music with band members from my younger days. Twelve years later, when my mother passed away, I sold her house, settled matters with my sister and embarked on a 14 month adventure peddling a bicycle 14,000 miles around the US and EU. Upon arrival back in the US, I moved to Paducah, Kentucky to start an art business selling my art through the art festival circuit. Success with that business was growing at such a slow rate that I could no longer justify the effort and expense. I was able to return to the teaching field as an adjunct professor at the Paducah School of Art. However, even when combined with part time art instruction with some Home School Groups, continued production and sales of my art, and part time framing at a local Michaels craft store, the income was inadequate and inconsistent.

This brought me back to a job search for full time art teaching, and in particular within Christian Education and my preferred State of Missouri. When finding the CHCS opening in Joplin, and discovering the quality art program that existed there, I thought it to be a perfect opportunity. I am truly blessed to become a part of this Christian school family.

CHCS News

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A Mission Trip to Thailand

by Brady Bishop

This summer I went on a Mission Trip with my church to Bangkla, Thailand. This was an amazing experience for me. While I was there I went to 7 different schools and taught them English by telling them about Jesus and teaching them different family words. My favorite part was teaching kids about Jesus. It was convicting to know that some of them had never heard of Jesus.

We go to a Christian school and sometimes take getting to hear about God everyday for granted. Most of the kids in Thailand were Buddhist or Muslim. While we were there several kids asked to receive Christ. While I was there I also got to experience fun things like going to an elephant show, riding a jet ski in the ocean, and walking around the cities. The hardest parts of the trip was the language barrier and how terrible the food was. Overall my trip to Thailand was an awesome life changing trip that helped me realize how important missions are.

Cade Carlson’s Baseball Adventure Joplin South Little League 11-12 year old All-Stars won the Missouri State Championship on July 21st, and advanced to the Midwest Regional Tournament that is held in Indianapolis, IN. Cade Carlson is a member of this winning team. He has played with a core group of boys since he was seven years old where he has been the second baseman and lead-off hitter for most of that time. In order to make it to the Regional Little League World Series the Joplin South Little League team had to win the district and state tournaments. Cade along with his teammates set a goal when they were eight years old to make it to the Regional Series and they accomplished that goal. Indianapolis was an incredible experience. The team stayed together at a hotel with all the other teams, there were a minimum of five TV cameras at each game and Cade was interviewed by a newspaper reporter after a game. The first four games were on ESPN3 and the final game was on ESPN2 which allowed Cade’s extended family to see him play. Cade’s team’s Little League record is: 8 yr. old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-0 9 yr. old. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-0 10 yr. old. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-0 11 yr. old. . . . . . . . . 5-3 (played in 12 yr. old division) 12 yr. old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5 43-8 OVERALL Cade said he feels playing sports is important because “they are fun and God wants us to enjoy the things we love. It also teaches me many traits such as hard work, determination and if you want something bad enough you will do what it takes to achieve that goal! It was really nerve racking but incredible seeing all the cameras there and everything! It was awesome to look at my phone after each game and see all the texts from friends and family! It was also cool to stay in the same hotel with everyone so we could just go talk to any of the 16 teams, if we wanted to. This summer was definitely the best summer of my life.”

CHCS News

A Visit to Belize

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by Paige Reagan

The past six years our family has gone on a medical mission trip to the country of Belize. It is very fun, but a trip that involves a lot of sweat and hard work. A typical day starts with the unloading of a big moving truck in the sticky, humidity of a Belize morning. The truck holds all of the medical supplies needed for that day and a lot of fans. The clinic starts with registration where they take the patients name and ask if they need to see the dentist, doctor, etc. This is the part where my job comes in. I am what they call at the clinic a “Runner� which means that I handle all the paper work and make sure the patient is in the right spot. From registration they go to triage. At this station they take vital signs, record medical history and complaints the patient may have. Peri had the opportunity to perform this task. She was the youngest person on the trip to ever do triage! After they saw Peri the patients would move on to see the doctor. The doctors would prescribe medication and send them on their way to see the eye clinic. Everyone that went through the eye clinic was given a pair of sunglasses because the sun is so harsh. The dentist is one of the last stops of the clinic. My Dad was able to do a lot of restorative work. In the past we could only do extractions but now the procedures have become more advanced. Pharmacy is the last stop of the entire clinic. Every patient that comes through the clinic gets vitamins and worm medicine. After we had seen all the people that time allotted for, it was time to pack everything back up for the next day in a different village and go back to our hotel. This July we saw about 1,075 people in the time span of six days.

While the clinic was going on the local preacher of the church we partner with was talking with the people and showing Christ. As he was there he would share the gospel through pamphlets and by simply talking to them. He was even able to set up some bible studies for people who were looking for spiritual healing as well as medical healing.

Early on in our trips to Belize we had the mindset that we were going down to help and bless the Belizean people. But now my family and I realize that they bless us as much, if not more than we do the blessing! The reoccurring trips that we take have changed how my family and I think. It has also changed how I view the world. My words cannot describe the impact these trips have left on me.

If you have any more questions or would like to donate contact Bob Wolfert , North Belize Medical Mission Director at Bob@centralchurchofchrist.com

CHCS News

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Creswells Go to New Mexico

by Carmen Creswell

On July 18, my family and 17 other members of Mt. Hope Church of Christ left for New Mexico. A day later, we arrived at the Shiprock Church of Christ, which is located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico.

The next day was Sunday and after worshipping with the congregation, we started working to get our VBS set up and ready for the first night. We had a pretty good turnout the first night and we went to some neighborhoods and handed out fliers the next day so our numbers grew the next night and all through the week. On the last night we gave all the kids backpacks filled with school supplies and a Bible.

I was in charge of the 4 and 5 year olds. They were a handful, but it was fun. Each day, there were new kids coming to the VBS. If their parents or grandparents came with them, they went to an adult study that some of the men from our church taught. Many of the kids came with older siblings or cousins.

The class that was supposed to be for 5th and 6th graders had mostly girls that ranged from 14 to 18 years old. Some of them had not been to church before.

While we were there, we did some sightseeing and went to Four Corners, Aztec Ruins, and Shiprock Mountain. We took some of the older girls with us and they hung out and ate with us all week. We heard from the preacher at Shiprock after we left that some of them had come back to church the next Sunday and wanted to do a Bible study. It was very encouraging to know that we made a difference just by being nice to people.

CHCS News

Cruising with the Robertsons

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by Mikah & Mackenzie Getchell

Over the summer we got to do many fun things, but the thing that we all liked the most was going on a Duck Commander cruise and spending time with the Robertson Family. Let me tell you a few of our many adventures and then focus on one that was an absolutely awesome experience. Our vacation started with a week and a half vacation to our favorite condo near Sarasota, Florida. As usual it was so much fun, but we both had our minds focused on the second part of our vacation. The cruise ship sat sail on July 17th. We were very fortunate to be able to have some of our very close friends, Reid and Mattie Beard and Mike and Melissa Eastman to be setting sail with us. The four-day cruise was on the Carnival Victory from Miami and made stops in Key West and Cozumel.

As soon as we got on board, the Robertson’s welcomed the guests on board and then we were off. We were so excited when we heard the horn sound. The first big thing we were able to see was the Scotty McCreery concert. It was really interesting to be able to see him in concert because our whole family loves country music and we had never seen him in concert before. The last thing we did that day was see the midnight movie God’s Not Dead with Reid and Mattie. That was the end of the first day but we knew we still had more adventures the next day. We were so tired!

The next day we went to Key West to see the sights. We took a tour around the island on a bus and ate Key Lime pie. When we got back on the ship Phil preached and 200 people got baptized, in the pool on the ship, because his sermon was so powerful. Phil, Jase and Jep did the baptisms.

The last stop was Cozumel, Mexico we got to swim and interact with stingrays it was a really cool experience. One of the neat things this day was to be able to see the Robertson Family just walk around the ship. We ran into them many times and got several pictures with them.

We also got to get a family picture with the whole Robertson family! I (Mackenzie) also got to ride on the elevator with Miss Kay and my dad took my picture with her. When we were walking back to the ship, I (Mikah) got to get a picture with John Luke and Reed (Jase’s son) was also standing there with us!

The last day was the day at sea. It was the best day of the cruise. It started out with a church service with Jep and Jessica. Then, in walked John Luke, Willie and Korie’s oldest son. We had an unplanned, all-day Bible study. We both thought that it was a great reminder of why we are here on this planet and what our mission is as Christians. He was a great example of how we should act as Christians: kind, strong in faith, and willing to serve. Instead of swimming, playing games, eating, or doing whatever else there was to do on a cruise ship, he spent the day ministering to a group of kids his age. There were only about 10 people in the room with us, so John Luke really opened up to all of us. We truly felt that God was present where we were. We got kicked out of our rooms all day, but we finally ended up in a suite, right next to Uncle Si’s cabin! It reminded us of the one room churches that they had forever ago. One of the great things about it was it showed that there doesn’t always have to be a stage and chairs, but we can worship God in many different ways and places. We both really felt like in that moment we felt something different, and both of us definitely think that it was the presence of God. That was the highlight of our trip. Mackenzie and I walked into the Bible study just liking John Luke because he was famous and on a hit television series, but when we came out we really felt like we knew John Luke as a person, and liked him as a person and not just another famous person. We almost forgot to mention something! When we got back to our cabin on the last night, the cabin steward had just delivered a Robertson Family picture and the entire family autographed it, including Godwin and Martin!

We went on the cruise, thinking it would be an awesome experience to meet famous people who star in our favorite television show. Little did we know that the Robertson’s would be very friendly, and more importantly, faithful and loving people that made a huge impact on our walk with Christ. It was a once in a lifetime experience, but not only that but it was a time where Mikah and I got to know John Luke and the other ones better and for them personally to teach us about why we both are here and what our mission is as Christians. I hope that someday, we can be as humble, and make a great impact on someone else’s life, just as they did on our lives.

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Boston Bound

CHCS News

by Nancy Ohmart

On Monday, June 2nd, early in the morning, a group of 47 middle school students, parents and teachers flew to Boston to begin a great adventure including Mrs. Ohmart, Mrs. Kitchen and Mr. Johnson. In Boston we walked the Freedom Trail, saw Paul Revere’s home, and (one of the students’ favorites) participated in a workshop at the new Boston Tea Party Boat Museum where they were able to reenact the event. After two days we rode to New York City, the city which never sleeps, and spent four days. We walked many miles daily, visiting historical places such as Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty (on a rainy day which turned out to be a gorgeous day), Wall Street, China Town and Little Italy. We ate lots of fantastic food and watched the wonderful play, WICKED, on Broadway. One of most memorable activities was our service project; tutoring of students from inner-city New York City. Overall, life experiences were experienced and memories made.

CHCS News

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CHCS Student Studies Abroad

Missouri Scholar’s Academy

by Devon Russell

by Michaela Keele

Last spring, I was nominated to attend the Missouri Scholar’s Academy, a three-week program for the brightest entering 11th graders in the state of Missouri. College Heights only receives one nomination, so it was an honor to be chosen.

After being nominated, I filled out an application for the staff at the Academy. Only 330 students were chosen from these applications, and I was extremely excited when I received notice that I had been selected.

The Academy was hosted at The University of Missouri in Columbia, where I lived, attended classes, and visited many optional activities offered during the day throughout the academy.

Students chose from a variety of courses, including subjects like chemistry, literature, creative writing, mathematics, statistics, and more. There were even entire classes devoted entirely to studying the works of Shakespeare or writing biographies. I chose a physics class as my major and a math class as my minor. In addition to classes, students picked from a variety of interesting afternoon and evening activities. These activities covered a wide array of subjects as well, such as seminars on astronomy or philosophy, activities involving engineering and computer design, or a guest speaker giving information about the National Security Agency’s invasion of privacy in America.

Missouri Scholar’s Academy was an incredible experience.

Personally, my favorite aspect of the Academy was all the other students who were there with me. It was great to meet people who supported me, challenged my intellect, and had the same love for learning that I had. I was not just taught by the faculty.

The students around me added so much to the entire experience, and I learned from their insight while they learned from mine.

In addition to my peers, I also greatly appreciated the activities offered. The many options provided me with the opportunity to either learn more about something I enjoy or explore something new. All in all, it was a great environment for learning, growing, and having fun. I would greatly encourage anyone who qualifies to consider applying for Missouri Scholar’s Academy.

Recently, my parents and I have made the decision that I would travel to Italy on a cultural exchange program. As this has been a lifelong dream of mine, I was clearly ecstatic. This opportunity is through Green Heart Travels Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI) and their amazing study abroad program for high school students such like myself. During our stay, students are required to volunteer in the community. Since their establishment in 1985, CCI has, as a nonprofit organization, has sent thousands of students abroad for the promotion of cultural understanding.

Through Green Heart Travel, I will be spending nearly four months living in Italy with a host family. I will not only be fulfilling a lifelong dream to travel to Italy, but I have chosen to work in my local host community. While Green Heart does not specifically encourage Christian missions, I have received permission to do my volunteer work with a local mission or church. This will surely be a life changing journey for me and, hopefully, for my host family as well.

The opportunity to go on this trip holds great meaning for me. In all of my memories, I don’t recall a time when I did not have an interest in Italy. Italy is a beautiful country with a rich and treasured culture and history! It also plays a large part in my family heritage.

My dad’s family has strong roots in Italy.

With names like Onofrio Alfredo Chiarello and Guissipina Alfonzina Bevinetto in my family tree, I can’t help but be curious about my heritage.

While I am in Italy, and leading up to my trip, I plan to maintain a blog to keep everyone who is interested current on my journey and my Italian adventures. The website address is: www.Travelpad.com/ members/michaela.keele I would ask that you keep me in your prayers as I experience this time in my life.

Secker Siblings in San Antonio Annie and Will Secker spent three weeks at Trinity University in San Antonio, participating in a course called “Searching for Clues: Literature, Law & Logic.” One-hundred-fifty, 7th and 8th graders from around the country attended the program, and they participated in different courses. The course was part of the Duke TIP summer studies program and included history writing, mystery solving, and criminal law. They explored the history of detective fiction, the roles of investigators, and learned what counts as evidence in different arenas. They investigated a case, constructed narratives, and gathered evidence to reconstruct the past.

Follow us on TWITTER… https://twitter.com/chcsjoplin

County Fair Time

Find us on FACEBOOK… College Heights Christian School – Joplin MO

by Reid Beard

This summer I participated in the Newton County Fair. I am a member of the Ozark Saddle Club, part of the 4H Club in Neosho. As a club we prepare all year for our projects that we will present at the fair. Having a project that includes a live animal takes work and dedication to the animal.

This year I showed my horse, Linus. Linus is a two-year old quarter horse. He is just beginning as a show horse. I showed in the Showmanship Class and won fourth place.

This was Linus’ first show and he did very well. I also received the Herdsman award which is given based on how you care for your animal, cleaning the stall, spending time with your animal, and how you treat others competing against you. It was a true honor.

I also showed my chickens. This year my Giant Cochin, Hoss, won first in best of breed and best of variety. My black Silkie pair, Lorde and Charolette also won first for their class.

Lastly, I participated in the indoor events including canning, growing culinary herbs, potted flowers and photography. I received first place in all of those categories. I love participating in these activities, as they are my passion.

Next year I plan to show a lamb and am adding a Giant Flemish rabbit to my projects.

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.

September September 1 DATES TO n No School REMEMBER (Labor Day) September 10 n Fall Sports Pictures September 22 n Fall Yearbook Pictures September 24 n Fall Sports Pictures September 26 n Early Dismissal (Teacher In-Service)

Here we are back in full swing and ready to hit the ground running. Seniors should have their COLLEGE CORNER college choices narrowed down to the schools they are seriously considering, usually two to three.

Any senior who has not previously taken the ACT needs to sign up ASAP at www.actstudent.org/start .

They need to be sure to include our school code number which is 261-578. This assures that the results will be sent back to College Heights.

They should also have their resume in at least rough draft form. I am happy to assist with organization and tips on resume presentations.

Parents and students should plan to attend the Regional College Fair on October 1st, at the Leggett and Platt Field House on the MSSU Campus from 5:30 – 7:00. It is a great opportunity to get information on a large number of different schools in a short period of time.

College Heights also invites a number of colleges, universities and technology schools to visit our campus during lunch. We encourage our students and their parents to take advantage of these opportunities to see what is available and possibly schedule follow up visits to the campuses. Students should always make campus visits to any schools they are seriously considering. Emails will be sent out to parents and announcements will be made for students to sign up for the lunch visits of regional colleges and universities scheduled to come to CHCS. October 15th is the major test day for high school students in grades 9 - 11. ACT has made a change in the tests for 9th and 10th graders from EXPLORE and PLAN to the ASPIRE for individual grade levels nine and ten.

Ninth and tenth graders who usually test very well should sign up to take the PSAT on the October 15th test date and make up the appropriate ASPIRE on Wednesday, October 22nd. There is a fee of $20 for the PSAT. Juniors will be taking the PSAT or the ASVAB. Seniors are encouraged to use the day for a college visit. Since Thursday and Friday of that week are teacher in-service days, seniors may want to take advantage of this long weekend to visit additional campuses that may be located farther away.

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