he TRAILBLAZE
summer 2011
inside this issue:
Accredited!
Student Achievements Dominican republic The Trailblazer is a publication of Northland Christian, a preschool - 12th grade school.
ture:
l fea specia
he t t e e m class 1 1 0 2 f o
brick walk
MISSION STATEMENT Northland Christian partners with Christian families and churches to provide a God-centered, discipleship-based school with academic excellence and a biblical worldview, equipping students to serve and influence our world for Christ.
Accredited! 3 Student Achievements 4 Serve-a-thon Update 5 Join other supporters of Northland Christian by purchasing your Paving the Way brick now! Bricks will create a prayer path at the school and serve as a great way to share a personal message or tribute. Your inscription must fit into the white boxes below, 1 character per box. Each brick can have a maximum of 16 characters per line. A character is defined as a letter or number, a space or punctuation mark. Please do not use special characters.
paving the way
4 x 8 ($75.00)
8 x 8 ($125.00)
the Class of 2011 6 the Dominican Republic 7 Facts / Leave a Legacy 8 Northland Christian School 4214 NW Cookingham Road Kansas City, MO 64164 816-464-0555 www.NorthlandChristianEd.com Northland Christian Education System Non Discrimination Policy
Email____________________________________________
The corporation absolutely does not tolerate discrimination against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin. The school admits students of any race to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at that school and the school does not discriminate on the basis of race in administering its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs (if any), and athletic and other school-administered programs. The corporation will also not tolerate discrimination with respect to the employment of faculty and staff.
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Cover Photography by Kevin Kallin
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Make checks payable to “Northland Christian School� Please send this completed form (with check) to Northland Christian School at the address at right.
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accredited!
A
collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout our school community as the six member ACSI accreditation team concluded their visit to Northland Christian on Tuesday, April 5th, 2011. The accreditation team leader, Terry Tilson from Berean Academy, would share the results of the visit with the school community. It would be an understatement to say that the staff, Board members and parents gathered in the gym were not nervous. Mr. Tilson began the exit report sharing that the school had a well prepared report, that stakeholders were involved in the process, that documentation was adequately prepared, that the school was very well prepared for the team visit and that the school had a well-written philosophy, mission, vision and core values. Most gathered in the gym began to relax. Then Mr. Tilson shared that the visiting team commends the school for: • Creating an avenue for constituents and stakeholders to give input monthly in the decision making process • The equipping team program support various school needs/projects according to spiritual gifts of the parents • An exceptional process of performance-based evaluation for faculty and staff which involves explicit feedback • Developing positive interpersonal relationships with students through active engagement in academic instruction • Launching the technology department’s Preparing the Way project whereby one hundred percent of the parents were challenged to examine the school’s existing technology and to commit to making the technology plan a reality over a two year period of time. • Having a full-time registered nurse on staff • Cultivating an atmosphere of spiritual accountability among the seventh to twelfth grades The Northland Christian crowd began to laugh, cry, and clap as the results were shared. Finally, Mr. Tilson shared that the visiting team recommended the school work on the following areas in the next five years: • Develop a comprehensive guidance services program • Formulate clear and separate philosophies and improve the clarity of goals, objectives and instructional methods in the curriculum guide for all academic areas • Establish a formal process for augmentation of the library, media and technology resources that includes input from constituents It was clear by the end of the report that Northland Christian had reached an amazing milestone in its history. The accreditation team would recommend dual accreditation (ACSI and North Central) to the South Central Regional office. The official recognition will occur at the South Central Regional Conference in October 2011 at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. In addition to the ACSI accreditation, Northland Christian will also be fully accredited by AdvancED (formerly North Central). We are grateful to have the opportunity to achieve accreditation by both organizations. When it seemed like accreditation would not be possible, God provided the resources, people and strength. Now it is time for the entire school community to take a bow. Congratulations.
ACCREDITATION BENEFITS • • •
Dual credit courses Grant applications Procedural improvements
Richard Rice, Principal
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student achievements
ACSI sponsors activities that give students the opportunity to compete in the areas of Art, Creative Writing, Math, Music, Science, Speech, Spelling Bee, and Young Authors and Illustrators.
Here are the Northland Christian students who placed in each of these categories:
? Home of the Trailblazers? Grandparen t’s Day On March 11, more than 300 grandparents of Northland Christian students enjoyed watching the choir and visiting their grandchildren’s classrooms during this special event.
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Northland Christian is researching our long-term facility options. If you have insight into land, buildings, partnerships or other available resources, please contact Richard Rice, principal.
The main goal of Serve-a-thon is to reflect the servant attitude of Christ by serving the poor, hurting and underprivileged. In some cases, we do this directly and other times we work with the organizations that support these people in our community. Some of the people and organizations our school served: • A local, non-profit thrift store
(volunteering our time in the thrift store that supports women establishing new households free from violence)
• A life skills training center
(assisting blind youth and adults with severe disabilities)
• Local pastors and congregations
(providing service for our community churches working diligently to reach our world for Christ)
• A local food pantry in great need of donations (collecting items and sorting the canned goods)
Again, we appreciate your prayers and financial support in making Serve-a-thon 2011 such a success!
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ser ve-a-thon update
W
e have had a SUCCESSFUL Serve-a-thon and we want to say thank you to everyone who supported us with their PRAYERS and FINANCIAL GIFTS! With your support, we have been able to reach out to different people in our community, and in so doing, share the love of our wonderful Creator with others – and we truly thank you. Our goal for this event was much more than a financial one. We want our students to grow in their understanding of what it means to serve others as Jesus instructed.
the class of 2011
A total of 13 seniors made up Northland Christian’s fifth graduating class. Debbie Cline, kindergarten teacher, delivered the commencement message and encouraged graduates to continue serving the Lord as they move past high school. The class chose Ephesians 4:1-3 as their theme verse – “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Seniors answered the question, “How do you feel about graduation?” and their responses indicate they have a positive outlook on what lies ahead.
the class of 2011
Justin Baas “Graduating is the end of a large stage in my life and a chance to start a new life. I am glad to be moving on in my life. I will, however, miss everyone here at NC.”
“It’s a very intense bittersweet feeling. I’m so happy that I’m done and moving on, but I will never forget this place. It’s like a family here, and you will never be forgotten.”
Reagan Barnett
Callie Johnson
“Graduating is bittersweet. It is the end of my life, as I know it to be, at this time. It also comes with a promise and directions.”
“I’m so ready to graduate. I don’t think I will be sad at all about graduating because I am more than ready to be in college. I will miss friends from here, but I will still be able to come back and visit.”
Lauren Bonar
David Kincheloe
“Graduating high school is bittersweet. I’m happy to be starting a new chapter in my life, but I’m not excited to leave all of my friends.”
“I’m stoked. It feels great to graduate, I know I’ll eventually miss high school sooner or later, but right now it’s more sweet than bitter.”
Nick Chirveno “I’m very happy to be graduating. I’ve done my time and learned what I can. Now it is time to go into the real world and put it to use.”
Brooke Hahn “I’m very ready to graduate. It has been bittersweet leaving everyone. I am excited to see what college is like, but I will miss it here. Looking forward to the future. I will come back to visit of course.”
Alex Harner “I am excited for this chapter in my life to be over. I am also excited to begin college. I am sad about leaving classmates that I’ve been with for years. It is a bittersweet experience.”
Alyssa Hyatt “I’m so excited to graduate from high school. However, I’m also a little sad to leave.”
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Jimmy Jasinski
Abby Maynard “Graduating to me, has been a very exciting event, but it is also sad. I am leaving a school that I have been attending for a long, long time. I am sad to leave my friends and the teachers, but I am also very excited about going to college and living on my own.”
Caleb Weber “I’m so excited to move on, but sad to leave.”
Jake White “I guess it all hasn’t really hit me yet, and it probably won’t until I get handed my diploma, but besides that I am very excited to graduate. Then again it’s also kind of sad because I won’t be seeing these people all the time anymore.”
Go to ”Class of 2011” on the Northland Christian website to learn more about our graduates. www.NorthlandChristianEd.com
the dominican republic
“We headed to the refugee camp to prayer walk. It was awful - the kind of stuff you only read about or see on TV... ...the bare boned dogs, the filthy children, the infected wounds. As we walked down the dirty path we asked anyone we saw if they would like us to pray for them. One of the first shacks housed a newborn baby who had been “blessed” by a local witch doctor. To signify this “blessing” the witch doctor had placed a band around this baby’s wrist. With Mrs. Castilleja’s help translating, we convinced the child’s parents to cut off the band. Rick then took the naked baby in his arms and gave it a new blessing - a blessing from God. Moving on, we saw an old man with a cane. When we asked him if he needed prayer, he lifted up his pant leg. Underneath was an appalling infection - deteriorated skin, oozing puss, blackened scabs/ flesh and all. It was the most disgusting thing many of us had ever witnessed in our lives. The disgust and nausea was accompanied by a deep compassion and love.” Students on Northland Christian’s first international mission trip recounted stories such as these from their experience in the Dominican Republic. A team of 22 students and staff members used Spring Break to work with missionaries Rick and Carie Bernard. The nine-day trip included acts of service in an orphanage, child feeding program, hospital and refugee camp. The entire team agreed that while they made an impact on the trip, each of them was impacted as well. Each day they shared what God was doing among the team, and below is one of those devotions:
I am struck by the similarity between my experience at the orphanage and my experience as an adopted child of God. Just like how we took toys, sweets and hugs to the kids, God brings blessing, hope and love to us. With this kind of generosity, there can be two responses:
Response #1
Romans 1:25: “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself who is worthy of eternal praise. Amen!”
How would we have felt if the kids had taken the balls and balloons and left without thanking us – left with a contentment of having a new possession instead of gratitude to someone who cared enough to bring gifts? We would feel sad, discouraged and betrayed. We would feel like God feels when his children enjoy the houses, cars, families, meals and clothes that He gives them without being thankful to the source of the blessings – our Father, Savior and Friend.
Response #2
After today, I would call this the “Alicia Response.” Alicia is the girl I met from the orphanage, the one who had wanted to be with me wherever I went, loved by me with all that I had and held by me every second we were together. She wanted to talk like me, act like me; she wanted to be like me. Isn’t that the response we should have toward God? I mean, Alicia loved me unconditionally and I hadn’t even done anything for her. God has given everything for me – the ultimate sacrifice. Am I that devoted to Him? See more photos and listen to the song inspired by the mission trip when you visit the Dominican Republic page at www.NorthlandChristianEd.com.
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summer
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Now Enrolling!
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Preschool - 12th Grade
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facts
about northland christian
• Average student to teacher ratio = 12:1 • Average classroom scores are at least two grade levels above the national average • Over 60% parent volunteer rate • Offering dual credit classes in the fall of 2011
leaving a legacy
core values 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Commitment to Exemplary Education Reverence for God’s Word Imitation of Christ Commitment to the Church Development of Servanthood Support of Families
Supporters of Northland Christian are finding ways to establish long-term funds for our school, such as honoring a loved one by designating a memorial gift. If you would like to join in their support of Northland Christian please use the enclosed envelope to make a donation. If you have any questions about leaving a legacy please contact the Development Office at 816-464-0555.