ACS celebrated the accomplishments of twenty-two 8th grade students at a promotion ceremony on Wednesday, June 14 in the school’s gymnasium. The ceremony opened with Joshua Darragh, Ayotoye Oguntuase, and Mariah Pettinelli leading the pledges to the American flag, the Christian flag, and the Bible. Rebekah Kimmerley read from the Bible passage of Isaiah 40:29-31. Sydney Pearson was selected by her classmates to give the Christian character address and challenged her classmates to stay focused on God and be ready to share the gospel with others as they move on into high school. Mikayla D’Anna, valedictorian for the Class of 2017, encouraged the 8th graders to trust God in every situation and be ready to follow His plan for their lives, rather than their own plans.
A number of students were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, music, physical fitness, citizenship, Christian character, and service. Eight students received a special gift for having attended ACS since kindergarten — Joshua Darragh, Kayla DeNick, Kami DeNick, Matthew Dietrich, Isaac Hart, Joshua Jacoby, Sydney Pearson, and Chloe Vogel. Darragh, who plays the flute in the Concert Band, was also recognized for his accomplishments as a young musician. In addition to being selected to play in the South Jersey Junior High Honor Band, Joshua recently won a regional solo competition sponsored by the Assemblies of God Youth Ministries. He will be competing this summer at their National Fine Arts Festival in California. James Massey, pictured at left, was presented with a certificate of accomplishment from the Egg Harbor Township PAL. He was a member of PAL’s SeaPerch team that placed 3rd in the nation at the National SeaPerch Challenge in May. They competed against some 100 other middle school teams with a Remotely Operated Vehicle they designed and built out of PVC. James drove the ROV through the underwater obstacle course and posted the best time overall (1:02) in that technical event.
Following is a list of the special awards and scholarships that were presented to students in the 8th grade class:
- Bible Award, for the highest GPA ($35) — Faith Carroll
- Christian Education Essay Scholarship ($250) — Kayla DeNick
- Citizenship Award, for service to others and to the school — Kami DeNick, Joshua Darragh
- COMPASS Award, for displaying the fruits of the spirit in everyday life — Chloe Vogel, Jack Loeb
- Cougar Award, for excellence in Christian character, leadership, and athletics ($250 each) —Chloe Vogel
- History Award, for the highest GPA ($25) — Serena D’Anna
- Language Arts Award, for the highest GPA ($25) — Serena D’Anna
- Parent-Teacher Fellowship Scholarship, for the best essays describing their experience at ACS as aligned with Biblical teaching — Chloe Vogel, 1st place ($400); Kayla DeNick, 2nd place ($250); Kami DeNick, 3rd place ($100); Jack Loeb, 4th place ($50)
- Science Award, for the highest GPA ($25) — Serena D’Anna
- Spiker Family Math Scholarship, for the highest math GPA and returning to ACS for high school ($100) — Joshua Darragh
- Thomas H. Heist Community Service Award, for demonstrating the “give back” spirit by volunteering in three community service activities ($150) — Chloe Vogel