400 Life January 2023

Horizon Christian Academy continues to grow mission

Story by Sudie Crouch | Photos by Bryan White Photography

If there was ever a school that took their mission statement to heart, it would be Horizon Christian Academy. The private school located in the heart of Forsyth County has seen tremendous growth, and with new leadership, has used that as an opportunity to reinforce the principles that are at the core of their mission.

The key ideas behind this mission, which includes: World Changers, Partnering with Families, ChristCentered Education, and Community are what HCA feels differentiates them from other private schools. Within minutes of speaking with Alison Smith, Director of Advancement, it’s clear that partnership is truly the common thread in each of those ideas.

“From the time a family enrolls their child, we want to walk with them from start to finish. We love that our location, size, and mission allow us a unique opportunity to not only partner with our families, but to speak to the heart of what it means to serve and love our community well. We tell our families during tours that our end goal

is to see hugs and high fives at graduation,” Smith said.

With the school growing quickly — The fall 2022 enrollment was up 133 students from two years ago — there is a focus on maintaining the strong connection between faculty and students, as well as, with their families.

“The heartbeat of these connections lies in the relationships we have as a school and in our community. We are committed to ensuring our growth doesn’t overshadow or, in any way, eliminate the foundation of what we want to be as a Christcentered school,” she said.

Seeing that mission in motion begins with good leadership, and that is a concept HCA Head of School, Tom Shefchunas — “Shef” — doesn’t carry lightly.

“I think the most important thing we do to partner with families isn’t a program or process. The real partnering happens because of our community. A small group of families aligned around the idea of raising world changers in today’s world is a

powerful concept. Families are complicated. Adolescence is complicated. A person’s faith is complicated. Our small community allows us the ability to walk with families and students and not simply respond with policies and programs,” Shef said.

At the end of the day, HCA wants to be transparent on who they say they are and that starts with a mindset and desire to want to love like Christ. That became a campus wide mission last February when HCA launched Up Week as an added focus of binding family, faith, and community. Families were encouraged to attend a kick-off night with food trucks, praise and worship, and the launch of the HCA Warrior Code.

The week included family service throughout the community, take-home discussions and games for families, and service projects across campus. Whether in community events, ballgames, fine arts programs, or in the classroom, it’s clear that this mission and commitment begins the second a person enters the doors.

From the warm welcome at the front desk to the Warrior Code displayed on the wall, students enter the doors of HCA with a daily reminder that as an HCA Warrior, they look up, grow up, build up, show up, speak up, point up, and never, ever give up.

Partnering from the Start

The journey from kindergarten to high school graduation is filled with so many seasons. Doing life together throughout these seasons is a space HCA strives to create from the first day their students start school. As families enter these different phases, the goal is that they are met with grace, support, and love.

HCA inherently believes that the parents are the primary spiritual influence on the child’s life, followed by their church, and consider themselves honored to be the third. The multi-denominational approach allows students to learn how to ask questions and address doubts and fears in a safe place.

That environment gives the opportunity for healthy conversations to be had — and new perspectives to be learned. Shef believes those conversations start at home and develop in the classroom.

“Kids are going to doubt and naturally want to challenge things in our world. It’s part of growing up, learning, and maturing in faith. I believe that questions and doubts are healthy. Unprocessed questions and doubt are not. As a school, we aren’t here to protect your children from the world.

Christ didn’t command that of us. We are here to train children to change the world and that begins with critical thinking.” Shef said.

Across the board, the thing most families love about HCA is how they experience community together. HCA Parent and First Grade Teacher Julie Ross said HCA is a special, tight-knit community that feels more like a family.

“Secondary students will high-five elementary students as they pass in the halls. The ‘littles’ recognize the big kids from a pep rally or when they taught them how to do a devotion during a Bible class or in coaching elementary basketball. There is a consistent space that allows our students to coach, mentor, and pour into each other,” Ross said.

Partnering to provide a Foundation

Not only does HCA partner with the families and students to help them learn more about Jesus’ love in action, but the school also goes beyond just the standard curriculum to prepare them for the next seasons of life. That starts the day they begin kindergarten.

Elementary students are taught using Orton-Gillingham Multisensory approach in grades K-2. Students are also taught cursive and have opportunities to develop research skills and confidence in public speaking through projects like Live Museum each year.

As students reach the fourth and fifth grade years, they begin learning how to navigate the changes that come with being a middle schooler.

Elementary Principal and Assistant Head

of School, Traci Jones, believes parents appreciate the community our school offers academically and through leadership.

“We stress what it means to be a leader in elementary by serving and looking out for younger students. We teach students to notice when people need help, hold doors for others, offer to help someone carry a load, and use kind words,” said Jones. “Whether it’s serving as a book buddy with a kindergarten student, leading worship on the Praise Team, or running the sound board in chapel, we try to help students find the unique way that God has gifted them so that they may use their gifts to serve others.”

Starting in middle school, students learn the fundamentals of balancing classwork with extra-curricular activities. Students

Photo courtesy Carrie Ann Sienkiewicz

experience more academic challenges as they enter middle school and with that comes added responsibilities.

Middle School Principal, Spencer Smith, said middle school students are changing every day and navigating the emotions of becoming a teenager.

“They are growing and needing to learn, and relearn, skills often. We have the ability to teach these skills in a variety of ways throughout the school day so we can best help each student have success,” he said.

While multiple offerings are available in terms of sports, clubs, and fine arts, HCA is committed to teaching students how to balance and begin good study habits from the start. Each day, students have a study skills class to allow them time to seek help and complete homework.

In addition to multi-level academic curriculum, students also take part in Life Skills electives offered through the Junior Achievement program to teach them the fundamentals of skills they will need in adulthood.

From knowledge about taxes, 401k plans, and interest, to how to run their own businesses, HCA believes these are fundamental tools for success. They can take those tools and put them into action through mock simulations at the JA Discovery Center. HCA also believes that kids need time to reset their minds in order to be their best in the classroom. They incorporate middle school recess for students to socialize and exercise during the day.

HCA middle school parent Kristy Welch loves that HCA partners with families on so many levels.

“Our son has been here since kindergarten. He’s in 7th grade now and from the beginning we have known that his development spiritually, physically and emotionally has always been a key factor in how he is taught. There is not a one size fits all mentality here. We know that our child is loved, prayed for and also challenged academically each year,” Welch said.

As the students move into high school, HCA works to prepare students for life after graduation. Academic Dean Kellie Wray said: “One way we partner with families is through academic guidance in high school. We meet with each family each year to ensure the student’s academic needs are not only met but challenged. Our goal is to educate families on the requirements and rigor of high school courses, while preparing students for college. It takes a village and we strive to provide counsel, encouragement, celebration, prayer … and sometimes tough love.”

They start to take on more leadership roles, including coaching the elementary school sports, and learning servant leadership in their daily Bible classes.

Additionally, seniors take this classroom leadership and put it into action at HCA’s annual TeamBuilding experience held off campus at Woodlands Camp where they serve as team leaders of students from sixth through 11th grade. Students compete in vari-

ous challenges, athletic competitions, and academic contests that lead up to the final “Great Race.”

As with everything HCA strives to accomplish in the academic arena, it always vertically aligns from elementary to high school as elementary students even join in the fun by writing notes of encouragement and praying for their fellow students while they are off campus.

High school is also a time where they’re building on the life skills they learned in middle school and looking towards how to navigate life post-graduation as a Christian. Looking at schools through the lens of how the school and the environment can support the student is one of the many things that are considered.

High School Principal Jenny Thomas loves how HCA handles graduation each year.

“We end each senior’s high school career by handing the parent the diploma to present to their student, symbolizing our ultimate partnership,” Thomas said.

Partnering with the Community

Amidst the enrollment growth and recent phase of campus expansion, the question asked most often is “How big are you going to be as a school?”

The Board of Directors and Leadership Team began talking through these discussions two years ago as the school started rebranding the mission and focus. They love being a small school because the classes are small and students in kindergarten to high school know each other. The challenges come with not having the offerings that larger schools have.

HCA’s leadership relies on feedback from their families when reaching these

kinds of decisions and holds grade-level vision nights each spring to dream about how the future will look. They agree that 500-600 students would still allow them to be small enough to hear their families and maintain small class ratios yet large enough to accomplish the bigger opportunities that students can use during their time at the school.

To maintain the small student to teacher ratio, will mean increasing the number of faculty, as well. But the intention is to maintain that small school environment where, as Alison Smith put it, the staff at the front desk knows the students by name. Having the community support also means the school is able to focus on educating the next leaders for Christ. Accommodating the space for this is the current project on the radar.

Based on the trend they are seeing with tours, growth is still on the horizon, but they are committed to honoring the things their families love about HCA.

Sitting on 34 acres in the center of

Forsyth County, they see the incredible opportunities to expand with athletic centers, new middle and high school buildings, in addition to their new state of the art Fine Arts Center. They are planning, casting vision, and praying about making that a reality very soon.

Partnering with community is also important to the school. Last month, a Parent Forum was open to the public with a focus on safe technology. This spring, they will welcome the public again for a Drug Awareness forum.

As growth continues, space will begin to become limited in certain grade levels. Applications for the upcoming school year open Jan. 1, 2023. While new family enrollment will not be decided until March, families interested in enrolling for 2023-24 school year are encouraged to complete the applications in January.

Visit hcaga.org to learn more or schedule a tour.

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Horizon Christian Academy participated in the annual Shore Sweep with the Rotary Club of Lanier-Forsyth.

400 health

Great expectations and how to adjust them for success

by Sudie Crouch Health & Wellness columnist

We’ve all had similar goals we wanted to accomplish, even if they weren’t exactly like those listed.

Having an ambitious goal can be a great motivation and allows us a way to really hone in our focus as we work towards achieving it.

But what if we create goals that may be a bit out of reach?

Hear me out for a minute.

Having a goal that challenges us is fantastic!

It makes us stretch ourselves a bit to reach it, either by building on what we’ve been doing or by trying something new.

And having those big goals can also help us prove to ourselves that we can do the difficult things we set our minds to.

“I

But what if we sometimes create goals that may not be realistic or attainable?

Pushing ourselves towards a new level of success is incredible – it’s something I always encourage. We just need to ensure what we’re working towards won’t be self-defeating because it’s an unattainable goal.

Creating realistic goals is important

Wanting to weigh what we did when we were in our 20’s is a great example of a goal that may not be realistic. Depending on your current age, there may have been considerable changes that our bodies can go through since that time that can make weighing the same thing difficult. Childbirth, illness, physical trauma, etc. are some examples that come to mind of why reaching that specific number may not be possible.

Reframing this goal into something more manageable can be a great approach to help you achieve the overall essence of the goal (healthier weight) versus trying to reach a certain weight from a different point in your life.

A great way to shift this expectation would be to focus on healthier choices you could make and what you are able to do at your current age. What does that specific number mean to you? Did you feel more confident at that weight, and if so, what would be a number you’d feel just as confident at now?

Honoring your body and what it has gone through since it was that weight can be helpful, too. Acknowledging your strength, mobility, etc. provides the opportunity to see ourselves as more than just a number on a scale. While we can definitely pull on previous success to prove that we can reach goals, sometimes we also have to accept that some of those goals may not truly align with who we are now.

Small steps lead to big results

If your goal involves achieving something you’ve never done before – like running a 10 minute mile – it can still be attainable, you may just need to adapt those

expectations about how you achieve it. Breaking a larger goal down into smaller, more achievable goals to reach along the way is one solid approach. This not only helps you build your confidence as you reach those markers of success but can also help prevent the sense of overwhelm that can come from a goal that may be a bit larger than we anticipated. As you see yourself achieving those smaller goals, it gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps provide a foundation of success to build off of moving forward. As the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, so being able to take smaller steps towards those bigger goals can help you reach them.

Being intentional

When it comes to some of those more interpersonal goals, it can be just as challenging but some of the underlying techniques are the same: being realistic and having smaller areas to focus on. Sometimes we feel pressure to be in a relationship because everyone else around us is in one, or our family is pressuring us to settle down. If you’re wanting to see a difference in your relationships this year, think about what it is you’re really seeking. Have you thought about the qualities you’d like in a spouse or partner? What is important to you in a relationship? And most importantly, what would your deal-breakers be? When we start to focus in on the qualities we want in our interpersonal relationships, it helps us start to look for them. Do you feel comfortable with online dating and if not, where can you go to meet new people? While some people do meet and marry within a year, that may not be the ideal situation for you. Being honest with yourself about what you’re looking for is a great way to reframe this expectation and can provide some necessary peace, too.

Being able to adapt and adjust our goals to where they are reachable can help us shift our expectations to where we can achieve that success – and feel good about it in the process.

Sudie Crouch is a health & wellness coach, helping clients create healthy, attainable changes using positive psychology and cognitive behavior approaches.

No matter what you set out to achieve in the new year, FCPL can help

Do you want to improve your health?

Get organized? Write a crime novel? Learn to code? Travel more? Speak a new language?

With over 450,000 items in our collection, there is most likely something at one of our libraries that will help you on your path.

If we don’t have what you need, we can probably get it through our free Interlibrary Loan service. Libraries are so much more than just books though.

Libraries today are community hubs where people meet to collaborate, study, and share information. If you haven’t visited a Forsyth County Public Library lately, you owe it to yourself to see all we have to offer.

With each visit to a library or our website at www.forsythpl.org, even avid library users are likely to discover a service or resource they hadn’t noticed before.

A new friend recently told me about her experience.

“I thought I knew everything there was to know about the library, but I just figured out I could borrow eAudiobooks for free with my library card.”

She canceled her monthly subscription to a paid audiobook streaming service and told me she’s saving $150 a year on audiobooks alone.

The wealth of educational programs offered for all ages also seems to dazzle people who may have once thought libraries were just about books.

One might expect informative programs about world cultures, foreign policy, and literature at a library (and we have those), but we’ve also offered Taekwondo demonstrations, “Chicago Steppin” Dancing, hands-on cooking classes, performing poodles, and even blacksmithing presenta-

For more information about FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY or any resources or upcoming events, visit WWW.FORSYTHPL.ORG or connect with FCPL on social media @forsythpl

tions at our libraries! If there’s something of interest to our patrons, chances are we provide free programming about it.

On that note, if you can’t get enough true crime novels or docuseries, you will not want to miss our upcoming educational series: “Scene of the Crime.”

Presented by local experts on gritty topics such as mortal wound identification, the Dixie Mafia in Georgia, the K-9 unit, crime scene processing, and cyber scam awareness, this series promises to be both fascinating and frightening. Warning: some of these programs will contain graphic content and are intended for mature audiences only. Learn more in the library’s events calendar at www.forsythpl.org/ events.

With four libraries and a bookmobile, you’re likely just a short walk or drive from a Forsyth County Public Library. We’re open seven days a week and you don’t need a library card to enjoy our facilities, materials, or programs, but a library card is required to borrow materials, reserve meeting spaces, and use many of our online resources.

Forsyth County Public Library cards are available at no charge to:

• Residents of Forsyth County;

• Property or business owners in Forsyth County;

• Employees of Forsyth County government;

• Currently enrolled students or employees of any public or private educational institution in Forsyth County.

Anyone who is not eligible for a free library card may obtain an out-of-county library card for an annual fee of $60. Stop by your nearest library or see our website for more information.

Leslie Marinelli has lived in Forsyth County for 19 years with her husband and three children and is the Communications Manager at Forsyth County Public Library. She may be reached at leslie.

Cumming Library, 585 Dahlonega Street, Cumming, GA 30040 | Sharon Forks Library, 2820 Old Atlanta Rd, Cumming, GA 30041 | Post Road Library, 5010 Post Rd, Cumming, GA 30040 | Hampton Park Library, 5345 Settingdown Rd, Cumming, GA 30041

In Georgia, and the rest of the United States, employers with 15 or more employees can hire and fire those workers for any reason unless the decisions violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on race, color, sex and national origin.

Enter discrimination based on hair. California passed a bill known as the CROWN Act. This law makes it unlawful to fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual or discriminate based on the individual’s hair texture or hairstyle if it is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.

The CROWN Act, which is an acronym for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, was introduced on the federal level Congress 2019. The House passed the bill in September 2020, but the bill lacked the

votes needed in the Senate.

Since then, the CROWN Act, or similar legislation has been enacted in 17 states. This year a bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman which passed on March 18 by a vote of 235-189.

If the Senate votes on the bill before year’s end it is will likely receive enough votes to become law as Senate Democrats have a 50-50 vote and Vice President Kamala Harris’ has the tie-breaking vote.

Depending on where a company is located, the CROWN Act may already be in force.

Because of penalties associated with this legislation, there are steps employers might consider ensuring compliance with the CROWN Act.

As in any non-discrimination statute company owners and managers should familiarize themselves with the language of the bill.

For example, the law protects hair styles like braids, Bantu knots, and Afros. Although the failed bill clarified that the CROWN Act was not an amendment to

Title VII, it would be enforced in the same way as if it were incorporated into Title VII.

What this bill encourages is further minority protection so employers would have to provide a facially neutral hairstyle particularly effecting of African Americans.

Finally, a work rule allowing for complaints and investigation would also have to be considered.

As one who is concerned about compliance, I recommend that those interested in this legislation keep an eye it out on the status of the CROWN Act, as ignoring this law can create a hairy situation with serious financial consequences.

Steven Leibel is a well-respected personal injury lawyer in Cumming and Dahlonega. He has consistently been recognized as a GA SuperLawyer in Personal Injury; rated 10 by AVVO, and he is considered “preeminent by his peers, as an Martindale AV rated attorney.”

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LOST A LOVED ONE DUE TO MEDICAL

Steven Leibel

Blood-Orange CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL

Sparkling wines are made by sealing the beverages before the fermentation process is complete, causing the effervescent bubbles that is their hallmark.

Sparkling wines are produced in various regions of the world, but ‘champagne’ is unique to the Champagne region of northeast France, where vines were introduced by the Romans many centuries ago.

One of the most legendary and heralded brands of champagne was created by a French monk named PŽrignon. Historians say PŽrignon lived from 1638 to 1715 and was admitted in his lifetime to the abbey of Saint-Vanne.

He acquired the honorary title of Dom while there, and also served as cellar master, creating what later would be known as the ‘vins de PŽrignon.’

Dom PŽrignon champagne is still a prestigious brand today, joined by other leaders of the industry like Mo‘t & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Nicolas Feuilatte, and Pol Roger.

French champagnes are part of elegant toasts, A-list events and five-star dining experiences. They also may be poured on New Year’s Eve. All champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne.

Enjoying champagne on its own in the requisite stemmed glass is tradition, but champagne also can be mixed into any number of cocktails Ñ from bellinis to mimosas.

This ‘Blood-Orange Champagne Cocktail’ is a variation on the classic mimosa, and doesn’t necessarily need to be enjoyed at brunch. Serve it on New Year’s Eve, or for any special occasion, courtesy of Martha Stewart.

BLOOD-ORANGE CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL RECIPE

2¼ cups freshly squeezed or frozen blood-orange juice

2 750-ml bottles champagne, chilled

DIRECTIONS

Pour 3 tablespoons juice in each champagne flute. Fill flutes with champagne, and serve.