CHAMagazine Official Magazine of Chapel Hill Academy
Summer 2019
READY S E T
Passion for Christ. Education for life.
Published for Families and Friends of Chapel Hill Academy
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL
Dear CHA Friends, The 2018-19 school year has been one of great growth and abundant blessings. Before our eyes, students have grown not only in size, but also in knowledge and understanding of God’s world. Each year, we are inspired to see students deepen their relationship with Christ while learning and growing through the joys and challenges of childhood. As a staff, we are committed to partnering with parents by providing a biblical worldview foundation for children. This is a great blessing and an opportunity to honor the Lord together and “tell the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done…that the generation to come might know…that they should put their confidence in God”(Ps. 78:4-7). Today’s culture creates many challenges for Christian parents. Of course, there are abundant joys to raising children, yet contemporary challenges can be overwhelming. Often, parents meet with me and ask for help or support at a time when the world is promoting ideologies contrary to God’s Word and Christian values. As a body of believers, we desire to instill a strong biblical worldview into this young generation. Each year, staff and families pray and work together through the great blessing of Christian education to help students grow in their faith and discover that God has a special plan for their lives. In this edition of CHA Magazine, growth is a theme woven throughout the pages. The Lord is growing this ministry and our students in profound ways due to the commitment of biblical world view education rooted in CHA’s 49-year history. May you be inspired as you encounter examples of the many blessings He has provided our students, staff, and families this year. In Christ,
Kassie Grosz, Ed. S. The fifth Head of School of Chapel Hill Academy 952-949-9014 | groszk@chapel-hill.org
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CHAMagazine Summer 2019
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Chaplain’s Corner 05 Spring Events Highlights 06 Fine Arts 09 East Coast Trip 2019 10 CHA Says Good-Bye 11 Ready, Set, Grow! 12 Alumni News 14 Technology 16 Athletics 17 Corporate Partner Program 18 Admissions Corner 19 on the cover: Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Bohlig with their Kindergarten classes.
Passion for Christ. Education for life.
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11 All photos in this publication have been taken by CHA parents, staff, or alumni unless otherwise noted.
chaplain’s corner Do It All In The Name Of The Lord Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17 This final memory verse for Bible class is one of my favorites. I was reminded as students were sharing this verse with me that so much of our commitment to following Christ can be summed up in this passage. Accepting God’s gift of grace through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the beginning of peace and the ultimate source of peace. We are in constant tension, uncertainty, and conflict without the peace of Christ which truly surpasses understanding.
Pastor Todd Kardell, Chaplain
We are called to be thankful and grateful people! Over and over again in scripture we are told to remember what it is that the Lord has done, His faithfulness endures from generation to generation! If we do not seek to be the most thankful and grateful people in all the world, we simply are not set apart - we neglect to proclaim the goodness and love of our God to the world out of grateful hearts! It has become clear to me that we who have been adopted into God’s family need a heart check on whether we are being filled with gratefulness, for it is one of our greatest tools of witness to a bitter world. Out of fully thankful hearts we proclaim the promises of God, the one who saves, the one who loved us first, regardless of circumstance. We cannot allow bitterness to hurt our witness. We are to worship in all that we do! I often feel like a broken record in what I say to students in my efforts to help them integrate their faith with every detail of their life. It does not matter whether we are in the midst of playing sport, doing a chore around the house, or interacting with a neighbor. Every detail of our life is to be done unto the glory of our God! Verse 17 - And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Where are we at as a family of God? Do we fully embrace the peace of Christ in our lives? Do we truly convey to our kids that there is absolutely nothing in this world that will bring you peace but Jesus? There is no accomplishment, no material item, no perfect friendship in this world that will truly fulfill you - only Jesus can offer true peace for our souls! Do we model thankfulness in all circumstances? Do our kids see contentment, or do they see grumbling and complaining? We must be grateful, remembering people, who communicate to the next generation and the watching world, that God has provided more than we could ever ask or hope for! Jesus is enough. Do we live a life of praise and purpose in every detail and task? For every word and deed is to be done unto the Lord. There is no greater calling, there is no greater purpose, than to live for the glory of God. Our kids are being told by secular culture to extend praise to celebrities, to popularity, to wealth, and even to self. May we make it our goal this summer to reveal to our kids every day and in every detail where praise is truly due! Do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Summer | 5
spring events highlights DADS’ NIGHT OUT This winter, CHA held its first Dads’ Night event at Stock & Barrel Gun Club in Chanhassen. The event was a hit with the dads as they filled Stock & Barrel on one of the coldest nights of the year! Dads were treated to a Chick-fil-A meal during a social hour followed by range shooting and situational simulation training. Stay tuned for future Dads’ Night Out events!
ASCI SPELLING BEE Chapel Hill Academy was privileged to serve as host for the ACSI Minnesota District Spelling Bee, February 15. The top spellers from several MN ACSI schools, grades 1-8, and their families traveled to Chanhassen for a great afternoon of competition. The top four spellers from the 5th– 8th grade level competitions qualified to participate in the combined Final Round Spell Down. This exciting final round of 16 gifted spellers, served to select the top five individuals who would move on to represent Minnesota at the ACSI Regional Spelling Bee in Indiana. Congratulations to Daniel Bozanich who represented MN at the ACSI Regional Spelling Bee in Indiana over Spring Break. After 21 rounds of spelling among the top spellers from the MidAmerica Region, Daniel achieved 6th place!
FAMILY NIGHT OF WORSHIP This past April, CHA hosted an evening of food, fellowship, service, and worship for the CHA community! This night was designed to bring all ages and families together for a night of fun, purposeful service, and worship. The evening began with families sharing a meal together in the Arthur Owens Commons and then moved into a time of service as families assembled blessing bags for a local ministry to the homeless. The final phase of the evening featured Mr. Craig and CHA student worship teams leading families in worshipping our Lord and Savior. 6 | CHA Magazine
GALA CHA hosted its annual Gala in March at a new venue, The Outpost Center, located in Chaska, MN. The venue provided a fresh atmosphere with a new fashion theme of boots & bowties. This year, guests also experienced our first Dessert Dash. During the activity, a representative from each table ran up to the display of desserts, picked one out, and dashed back to their table. Thankfully, everyone was able to enjoy the delicious treats without any of them dropping on the floor! The evening’s program featured CHA teachers. Mrs. Thompson introduced our Fund-a-Need by sharing a recreated version of the story, If You Give a Mouse of Cookie. The updated version of the story was titled, If you Give a Student a SMART Board, Mrs. Thompson’s story helped paint a picture of the benefits students gain by having a SMART Board in their classroom as part of their learning experience. Following the story, Mrs. Logslett and Mrs. Stude, demonstrated the capabilities of the new SMART Boards. The demonstration included playing fun and interactive games with help from the audience. The new SMART Boards will provide teachers with powerful tools for interactive lessons, collaborative workspaces, game-based activities, and formative assessments. Throughout the evening CHA families, friends, alumni, and community members were given opportunities to support the school and Fund-a-Need goals. We are thankful for everyone who helped us reach the Fund-A-Need goal of $65,000! The generous gifts will support technology at CHA including new SMART Boards for middle school classrooms, classroom STEM kits, and updating technology in the auditorium for Fine Arts, chapel, and live streaming capabilities. This event would not have been a success without our generous donors and our Blue Crew volunteers. Thank you! Summer | 7
fine arts
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he Fine Arts program at CHA is thriving as the students continue to develop their music and theatre skills while using their gifts to glorify the Lord and reach others!
Worship Arts On April 4th, students and families took part in the CHA Family Worship Night. After a community meal, families participated in a service project packing blessing bags for the Covert Ops ministry at Grace Church. Following a time of serving, everyone gathered in the auditorium for a worship service led by all four CHA student worship teams. Band The CHA Band took part in its annual competition, March 8. Student instrumentalists performed solo pieces for a judge who evaluated them on various components of the performance. All students were awarded superior ratings! After the solo portion, the band performed three pieces as a group, also earning a superior rating. Bravo!
Theatre CHA Musical Theatre presented its Spring Musical, Annie Jr., May 2. Seventh and eighth grade students in the cast presented this classic Broadway production about little orphan Annie escaping the schemes of nefarious orphanage warden, Miss Hannigan, and finding a family in millionaire, Oliver Warbucks, his secretary Grace, and loveable dog, Sandy. In addition to the electric performance by the cast, an equally stellar job was done by all students and parents that worked behind the scenes and in preparations for the production.
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east coast trip - 2019
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emembering those who have gone before us is a critical component to understanding our Christian faith. Hebrews 11 reminds us of the many heroes of our faith, who proceeded to trust God even amidst an uncertain future. We are called to do the same, to proceed with faith regardless of any turmoil that may surround us. It is a privilege to look back and evaluate the victories and flaws that inform how we pursue life, liberty, and justice today. Seeing sites, artifacts, and memorials that bring what students have been learning about in school to life, can have a tremendous impact on how they see the faithfulness and provision of God at work in our world as well as in our individual lives. The 8th grade East Coast trip allows our students to have a hands-on experience with history, the Bible, technological advancements, geography, and so much more. This trip simply offers them a time to collectively, as a class, reflect on heroes, tragedy, and their own place in the story moving forward. It is such a gift to watch our students rejoice over freedom and yet wrestle over difficult issues in order to consider how God may be calling them to seek His purposes with the life they have been given. Whether we are at The Museum of the Bible, The Holocaust Museum, a War Memorial, a Battlefield, The African American History Museum, The White House, or The Smithsonian we can see the providence of God and the invitation of our Savior, Jesus, to go and be salt and light in this world. (Matthew 5:13-15) We pray that the lasting impact of this trip further propels our students to, let their light shine before men. (Matthew 5:16)
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cha says good-bye
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fter 39 years of faithful service to the students and families of Chapel Hill Academy, Mrs. Joni (Wood) Cagney, is following God’s leading to serve in the inner city of Minneapolis, at Hope Academy.
Joni was hired to teach Kindergarten after graduating from Crown College in 1980. Her teaching career also included time in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Though she did not plan to remain in Christian education her entire career, the Lord had other plans. Reflecting on her time at Chapel Hill Academy, she is grateful that her children, Jessica, Kathryn, and Scott, were also able to attend school and be blessed by the CHA family of families. Additionally, she has had the unique experience of teaching a second-generation students. Joni has witnessed many changes over the years in the school facilities (4 different buildings), instructional methods (Montessori, PACE, and traditional), technology, and staffing. However, one thing has remained the same; she gives thanks that the school has maintained the commitment to assist Christian families by providing a Christ Centered Education founded upon the inerrant Word of God. Thank you, Mrs. Cagney, for loving, teaching, guiding, and encouraging young students and parents. You will be missed! We pray God’s very best for you in the next chapter of ministry with our friends at Hope Academy.
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ready, set, grow
ABC’s and 123’s of Jr. K and Kindergarten A: Almighty -Their redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is His name. Jeremiah 50:34. This is the first character trait our Jr. K and Kindergarten students learn each year as we discover who God is through our character trait study and scripture memory. What an almighty God He is! It is with great joy we share the incredible growth of our Jr. K and Kindergarten program at Chapel Hill Academy. We have prayed for God to show us His...
B: Bountiful plan and He has been faithful. For the first time in several years, our program is reaching capacity. As new families tour and enroll at Chapel Hill Academy they are able to experience the true sense of family, partnership, safety, and support within a... C: Community of believers that share the same desire to provide their children with a Christ-centered education. The Junior Kindergarten program at Chapel Hill Academy is specifically designed to meet the needs of 4 and 5year-old students who will enter Kindergarten the following fall. The activities of the program will teach students the skills that will make them successful in Kindergarten and beyond. The Junior Kindergarten program will build a child’s readiness for Kindergarten by focusing on spiritual, cognitive, language, and physical development. As students continue onto Kindergarten the following year, they have a solid foundation to build upon. Kindergarten at Chapel Hill Academy is a year of inspiring, instructing, and enabling students to blossom into the incredibly unique creation that God has designed them to become.
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As the Jr. K and Kindergarten programs continue to grow, we hold onto; 1: Providing a loving, Christ-centered, stimulating environment that nurtures a life-long love of learning and wonder in each child. 2: Cherishing the individuality of each child and seeking to teach the students the importance of honoring God in how we work and play together. 3: Equipping students with an excellent educational foundation that will provide them with opportunities to develop a solid Christian world-view. We are so thankful to God for what He is doing in and through Chapel Hill Academy. Our Jr. K and Kindergarten programs are booming with ABC’s and 123’s!
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alumni news Monica Ohnsorg graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hope College in 2016 with a B.S. in Chemistry (American Chemical Society certified) and minors in Engineering and Math. While at Hope College she conducted three years of research as a Beckman Scholar in a surface chemistry laboratory and was awarded numerous honors for her research, one of which being the American Chemical Society 2016 Division of Inorganic Chemistry Award for Undergraduate Research. She authored one first author manuscript, published in the American Chemical Society Journal, Langmuir, and co-authored a total of three other manuscripts to date from her undergraduate research. From Hope College, she chose to attend the University of Minnesota in the Department of Chemistry for graduate school to pursue her Ph.D. in polymer chemistry. During her first year in the program she was awarded a grant to fund her graduate research through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship program in 2017. Now a Ph.D. candidate in the department, she is in her third out of approximately five years of graduate school. She conducts research jointly between the labs of Prof. Theresa Reineke in the Department of Chemistry and Prof. Frank Bates in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Her project, funded by Dow Chemical Company, focuses on using polymers to increase the solubility of poorly water-soluble pharmaceutics within the gastrointestinal tract for applications in oral drug delivery. She is involved in many different science outreach and professional development organizations such as the Women in Science and Engineering, SciMentors (tutoring GED seeking adults), and is currently President of the ACS POLY PMSE Student Chapter at the University of Minnesota, which is a professional development group for Ph.D. students specifically studying polymer science and engineering. Her current career goal after graduate school is to secure a post-doctoral research position followed by a tenure-track faculty position at a Research One university focusing on tissue engineering and the microbiome. Looking back on her foundational education at Chapel Hill Academy Monica shared, “I truly value the emphasis put on understanding how to write effectively, both scientifically and creatively. Starting in second grade, writing my first research paper about eagles, CHA prepared me with the most valuable skill I have used most often during my academic career. Looking back, I see the value of having Mrs. Stude as both an English and Science teacher. I found a love for science in 8th grade while writing a lab report, I am still proud of today, about supersaturated solutions. It sounds mundane, but this is where I learned that I possessed the skills and abilities to communicate science – a skill which has played a huge role in getting me to where I am today.” Faith Winship, a Chaska resident and 3rd year student studying Theatre, Music and Dance at The University of Northwestern-St. Paul played the role of Katherine in Newsies which ran February 21st through March 2. Faith grew up attending Chapel Hill Academy and is grateful that the school was intentional about combining education and arts within the curriculum, thus instilling in her a love for theatre and music.
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She went on to Southwest Christian High School and began to get involved in their theatre department during her sophomore year. It was there that she took the stage in some of her favorite roles including, Winnifred, in Once Upon a Mattress and Mary Poppins herself, in Mary Poppins. Throughout her high school career, her family gave constant support and as her passion for theatre began to grow, they helped her to seriously consider a career in performing arts. Faith searched for a theatre department near the Twin Cities and was grateful to find the University of Northwestern - St. Paul. During her time in the program, she participated in eleven shows. Favorite roles include Anne Shirley, in Anne of Green Gables, Ann Collier, in The 1940’s Radio Hour, and now Katherine, in Newsies. Additionally, in January 2018, Faith was selected to participate in Camp Broadway’s Before Broadway Cabaret. This consisted of a weekend where she received training from Broadway professionals and performed at the famous performance venue, 54 Below in New York City. Faith is thriving and considers herself grateful to be doing what she loves. Following her graduation in December from UNWSP, she intends to pursue a career as an onstage musical theatre actress. She loves the Twin Cities and is already auditioning for local theatrical companies. Her ideal would be to stick around the Cities for a few years racking in work, then move to New York. In Memory Our sympathy to the CHA alumni family of Ed Korsmo, on the death of their father and grandfather, Feb. 15, 2019. Ed served many years on the Chapel Hill Academy Board of Directors in the 1970's and 80's. He worked primarily with facilities and grounds needs, handling budgetary constraints both prayerfully and gracefully. Through his unselfish devotion to Chapel Hill Academy, many children were able to develop educationally and spiritually. We are forever grateful for Ed’s faithful and sacrificial service to the ministry and families of Chapel Hill Academy. Ed and Deedee were also part of the Stephen Ministry at Crystal Evangelical Free Church (New Hope Church) in New Hope, MN, where they both were generous with their time and resources in mentoring and caring for others within their church family and community. Ed also became the liaison between Crystal Free and Circle Urban Ministries in Chicago, IL, leading several teams over the years to help with construction and outreach projects on Chicago's west side.
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technology It is an exciting time at CHA as we have been, and continue to, update and improve technology throughout our school. CHA is committed to incorporating the benefits of technology in a responsible and healthily balanced manner. Below are highlights of improvements that began in 2017 and are continuing in 2019. New Fiber High-Speed Internet
New Wireless Access Points throughout the School
New Dell Laptop Carts for Grades 2-4
New Dell Laptop Carts (1:1) for Grades 5-8
New Infrastructure: Hybrid Server and Cabling throughout the School
New Firewall: Upgraded Filtering and Security
New SMART Boards for Middle School Classrooms
New iPad Cart for Grades K-1
New Student Device Management Software
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athletics
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inter is a busy time of year at Chapel Hill Academy with our gym filled with basketball players from November until early March. Many of our students enjoy being a part of a team with their classmates. It is fun for students to be together outside of the classroom and enjoy developing relationships as well as character as they participate. Nine CHA basketball teams, representing grades 4-8, competed in the South Side Youth Organization. The competition challenged many teams this season as they prepared for tournaments. A few highlights of the season included the 7th Grade Girls and 8th Grade Girls teams playing each other in the gold division championship game. The Boys Varsity Bronze team took first place and the 4th Grade Boys took 2nd place in the tournaments. Our teams had success on the court this season with almost every CHA team advancing to the 2nd round of tournament play. We are proud of our Cougar athletes’ efforts! Chapel Hill Academy has a high expectation for our players, coaches, and parents to represent our school in a way that is honoring to God. Basketball has been a great teaching tool for our athletes. The athletes learn many life lessons as they play throughout the year. Each coach was asked to honor a player from their team who demonstrated great character, respect, and effort throughout the season to receive the Cougar Award. The following players received this honor: Adelia Stay, Jaxson Narvaez, Isaac Wilson, Elaina Johnson, JD Rains, Graceanne Jones, Christian Scott, Matthew Payne and all the players from the 8th Grade Girls team. This was the sixth year of Hoopsters basketball for 2nd and 3rd graders. Hoopsters is an in-house basketball skills program for boys and girls. This 5-week developmental basketball program ended with a tournament that included another SSYO school. All teams did a great job working hard and encouraging one another. The CHA track team, in their 9th season, had another great group of students from grades 5-8. They trained hard and learned track and field skills, thanks to the leadership of Coach Michael Widdifield. We are grateful for the opportunity to offer an athletics program at Chapel Hill Academy where students can compete with classmates and be encouraged by Christian coaches. Thank you to all the people that come together each year to keep the CHA athletics program strong!
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corporate partner program NEW PARTNERS Welcome to our newest Corporate Partners - Ben and Amanda Bloomer from Thrive Physical Therapy! FUN FACTS Did you know that in the 2018-19 school year, 95% of our Corporate Partners said that being a part of the program brought their business new clients and referrals?! NEW WAY TO ENGAGE Don't miss our top 3 ways to engage with CHA in 2019-20! #1 HOST - We encourage Corporate Partners to invite friends to our major events this next year - gather a foursome for golf or host a table at our Gala or Ladies Tea! #2 BOAST - Refer a business to the Corporate Partner Program during the 2019-20 school year and receive a bonus of your choice! #3 MAKE THE MOST - To make the most out of your partnership pick the level that best fits your business and provides a sure way to make a difference for your company and for the students we serve and support! To engage with Chapel Hill Academy in 2019-20, or for more information on becoming a Corporate Partner, contact corporatepartnerships@chapel-hill.org.
Prairie School of Dance | Yellow Parachute Learning Partners | Seedlings Gift & Books ATA Chanhassen Family Martial Arts | Veil & Wild Orthodontics | Thrive Physical Therapy 18 | CHA Magazine
admissions corner This year, because of YOU, we were able to welcome 92 new students at CHA! What made this possible you may ask? When the CHA family comes together to do their P.A.R.T.
Pray Ask Refer Team Would you help us and do your PART too? Follow these steps and Share the Passion: •
Pray about who you know in your circle that would be a good fit for CHA.
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Ask your friends to come and tour.
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Refer that friend & receive $250 for EACH NEW student YOU refer!
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Team up with current parents, alumni, grandparents, and friends to ensure that each new family is connected and supported as they join our family of families.
Complete your Referral Form found under our Parent Corner at: chapel-hill.org/parents-corner
Passion for Christ. Education for Life. Summer | 19
306 West 78th Street | Chanhassen, MN | 55317
CHAPEL-HILL.ORG
