For This Day
Volume 6 Issue 2
FOR THIS DAY The Kotyk Family - A CDA Legacy by Carolyn Kotyk
My name is Carolyn Kotyk and I’m the mother of five Coram Deo graduates: Christiana graduated in 2007, Courtney in 2009, Theo in 2010, Alex in 2013, and Claira just graduated in May of this year. They are all unique and had different experiences at Coram Deo. They all have different giftings from God and the older four, who have completed college, all have very different jobs now.
Carolyn Kotyk with (from left) Mr. Rector, Mrs. Rogers and Claira
My husband, Steve, and I are thankful we chose to send our kids to Coram Deo Academy. It was scary for me at first because my degree is in accounting and I didn’t think of myself as a teacher. We had never homeschooled our children. Right away, we loved the teachers who were teaching Christiana, our oldest, and several of those teachers are still at Coram Deo today. We also loved the students who were in school with her, and the families they were part of. I worked hard at home with my kids and teaching them became really interesting to me. We live in Flower Mound and attend church in Carrollton. I struggled with our kids having friends all over the place once they were in Coram Deo because some of their school friends lived in Denton, Grapevine, and Argyle. Their church friends live in Carrollton, Plano, and
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For This Day
Volume 6 Issue 2
Dallas! I also struggled with the usual things that CDA families struggle with: teaching the discipline it takes to complete homework on the at-home days, and helping them all get along together at home on those days, but not slow each other down. Coram Deo wasn’t easy. I always told friends we were taking one year at a time, and each year got a little less difficult as the kids got older. Most of them loved sports and played on high school teams with CDA. This took time and we all learned perseverance. It is truly significant when your child begins to appreciate the education he or she is receiving at Coram Deo, to appreciate his or her teachers, and then begins to think about the future after graduation. Our church family is part of our support; we have been members of our church for almost 30 years and have very strong relationships there. My husband and I co-lead a small group that meets in our home and our kids have all been involved in our church youth group. Before they had Claira Kotyk, CDA Class of 2018
their drivers’ licenses, I drove back and forth to Carrollton so many times, I was sure I could do it with my eyes shut! After the drivers’ licenses were obtained, my life got a little free-er! Since the church youth group met on Wednesday nights, it acted as an incentive to complete their CDA homework earlier that day because my children attended CDA on Tuesday/Thursday. They all received so much from their youth group participation. If you were to investigate Coram Deo records, you would see that there was never a Kotyk valedictorian or salutatorian. None of my kids earned a Distinguished Student, Athlete of the Year, or Artes Elegantes award. We didn’t have a National Merit Semi-finalist. They were average students who worked hard and graduated. Once they went to college, the older ones told me how much they appreciated their education at Coram Deo Academy because they were well prepared. They were also prepared because of the love from their encouraging family, and the spiritual understanding they had gained from what we taught
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For This Day
Volume 6 Issue 2
them at home and was reinforced by their pastors at church. Coram Deo Academy gave them great theological teaching as well, and we saw them grow spiritually each year. Each of our 4 older children attended church while they were in college and made Christian friends there, as well as non-Christian friends, whom we pray that they positively influenced. All 5 of them are great, loving kids who have made my husband and me proud. We know that Coram Deo Academy is part of the reason why they are all in a good place spiritually, emotionally, professionally, and academically. Our youngest, Claira, began college at Texas Tech this fall. I can’t emphasize prayer for children enough. Coram Deo encourages and promotes prayer for its students, as well as the teachers and staff. I became part of the “Moms in Prayer” group here as soon as it formed, and found it to be a tremendous way to regularly meet with other mothers and pray for our children, the teachers and the school in gerneral. We saw many answers to prayer during the years and formed strong relationships with each other. God was in our midst each week. The Coram Deo Academy model of being part of a community of support is one that yields results. My husband and I are glad that we made the sacrifice to educate our children at Coram Deo Academy. We are so thankful for this school, our family and our church family for helping us along the journey, and we give God all of the glory He deserves for how He provided for us. _____________________________________
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
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Volume 6 Issue 2
The Kotyk Family - from left to right, Claira, Theo (back), groom-Thomas Burk, Alex (front), Carolyn (back), bride-Courtney, Steve (back) and Christiana.
Parent Resources Moms in Prayer - meets Mondays and Tuesdays after drop-off Contact: Cybill Beiler (M/W) or Michelle Collins (T/Th) P2P - mentoring new families Contact: Jacque Younger Straight Talk - for families of grades 5th to 12th Contact: Jacque Younger Idea Exchange - for families of grades Pre-K t0 4th Contact: Jennifer Jaetzold (M/W) or Michelle Collins (T/Th) Please check the CDA calendar and upcoming emails for additional information on these resources and events.
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