The 2018-2019 ACS Yearbook is now on sale. Order envelopes are available in the school office or from Miss Novack in Room 204. Starting this Friday, March 22, there will be a one-week “flash sale” with a discounted price of $40 per yearbook. Orders must be placed by Friday, March 29 to get the discounted price. After that, the price will increase to $45. Quantities are limited, so don’t miss your chance to get a copy of this great keepsake! Payment by cash or check will be accepted. Please make checks out to “ACS” and put “Yearbook” in the memo line. Any questions? Please contact Miss Novack at tnovack@acseht.org.
ACS passed the annual audit of its student health records with flying colors last week. School Nurse Carrie Jorgenson, RN, oversaw the process, working with the auditor from the Atlantic County Department of Human Services. Only a dozen students, mostly in the Early Education Center, were found out of compliance with their immunizations and all families involved have been notified. “The auditor told us that for a school of our size to only have 12 students out of compliance is applaudable,” Jorgenson said.
Jorgenson also wants to remind all parents to be sure that their children get the immunizations required by the state before the start of the new school year. Please click on the buttons below for usefuls schedule from the New Jersey Department of Health that provide detailed information on the required vaccinations for children at various grade levels. Jorgenson said that if a student is found to be in need of an immunization or a booster, the family has 30 days to comply or their child will not be able to attend school. We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside our school families to ensure the health and safety of every child attending school at ACS.
There were birds flying, with lots of attempts at smashes, hairpin drops, and aces, as our 6th-12th grade girls perfected their badminton skills this week during PE classes. “It’s one of our girls’ favorite units in PE and it can get very competitive,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. The competition was at its height by the end of the week, when the 8th-12th grade girls competed in a two-day doubles tournament. The winning teams, made up of 2 or 3 players, were: Lindsey Ash, Alyssa Holliday, and Kathryn Winder, (11th-12th grade level); Hyewon (Amy) Ki and Haoshen (Katherine) Kong (9th-10th grade level); and Bailey DeLuca, Sara One, and Yariah Wilkins (8th grade level).
A large and varied collection of student items, including school uniforms, jackets, hats, gloves, water bottles, and lunch boxes, have taken up residence in our Lost and Found, which is located in the Multi-Purpose Room. None of these items have a student’s name on them and thus cannot be reunited with their rightful owners. Some of these items have been in Lost and Found for over two months. Students and families have one week to claim their items, until Friday, March 29, anytime between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
After March 29, any school uniforms will be put in the Used Uniform Closet and put up for sale. All other items will be donated to charity. To keep your child’s items out of Lost and Found, please make a habit of putting your child’s name on their clothing and other items. If you have any questions, please contact Program Coordinator Anne Block at ablock@acseht.org or call 609-653-119, ext. 381. Thank you.
ACS-chartered Boy Scout Troop 389 is hosting a Spirit Day at Get Air Trampoline Park in Mays Landing this Saturday, March 23. The Troop will receive 20% of the admission fees from 2:00 – 8:00 pm, so bounce on over to Get Air and support Scouting at its best!
8th grader Evan Pearson represented ACS well at the South Jersey Regionals Scripps Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 16 held at the Petway Elementary School in Vineland, finishing in the top 10 out of 36 students. “We’re very proud of Evan’s success overall and he achieved the highest placement to date of an ACS student in the regional bee,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “Our elementary and middle school teachers will continue to work with our students to help them excel in their vocabulary and spelling skills, which will lead to continued success in future Bees.”
Evan advanced through two hours of competition against students representing public and private schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. In addition to spelling, Evan said the competition included an unexpected two rounds of a vocabulary challenge, where students were asked to define rather than spell various words. Evan advanced through those rounds, but eventually went out misspelling the word “juggernaut,” a word that he said he knows how to spell, but with the pressure mounting unintentionally transposed a “j” and a “g .”
Oblen said ACS is also proud of former ACS student Hannah Campbell, who attended ACS from the 1st-5th grades, and took first place in the regional bee. She will be competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 11 in Washington, DC.
College-Bound Senior Athletes, from left, Lindsey Ash, Solomon Griffith, and Ayolola Oguntuase.
Three ACS senior athletes — Lindsey Ash, Solomon Griffith, and Ayolola “Lola” Oguntuase — have committed to play sports at the collegiate level and were recognized for their accomplishments at a March 22 ceremony in the school gym. “We’re so proud of each of these seniors and the way they have worked hard to develop the abilities that God has given them and now they are being blessed for their efforts,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner, who presided over the ceremony.
As fellow classmates, teachers, and proud parents looked on, Lola signed a formal Letter of Intent with Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she is receiving a scholarship to play on the Women’s Soccer team. Solomon has been accepted to Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, where he will be playing on the Men’s Baseball team, and Lindsey will be attending William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, where she will be playing on the Women’s Soccer team.
During the ceremony, Hitchner also recognized sophomore Sydney Pearson, a member of the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team, for pulling down 500 rebounds this season. She achieved this accomplishment when the Lady Cougars were away in Ohio in early March playing in a national tournament. “Sydney is only the 11th basketball player in school history to reach this significant milestone, and we wanted to recognize and honor you here at home in front of your school family,” Hitchner said.
A stand-out shortstop on the ACS Varsity Baseball team, Solomon is the first player in school history to get 100 hits during his high school career, a milestone that he reached at the end of last year’s season. Hitchner unveiled a new school banner with Solomon’s name that will be hung in the ACS gym.
Varsity Boys’ Baseball head coach Ray Picking described Solomon “as every coach’s dream, a young man who first and foremost loves the Lord and seeks to please Him in everything he does.” Solomon’s strong academic record, coupled with his outstanding skills fielding and at bat, helped paved the way for him to be accepted to Ursinus, a NCAA Division III school in the Centennial Conference.
Playing right wing, Lola scored 85 goals during her four years on the ACS Varsity Girls’ soccer team, led as captain in her senior year, and earned the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference MVP award in 2018. “Lola has the golden foot,” said Varsity Girls’ Head Coach Carly Witherow. She will be joining the NCAA Division II team that is part of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, the most competitive conference in the country.
Lindsey, who played center mid for three years on the Varsity Girls’ soccer team, will be bringing her strong foot skills as a passer and a keen ability to see and control the field, to the NCAA Division III women’s soccer team at William Paterson that is part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
What have the art classes been creating with the empty bottles you donated? Here’s an example — sculptures inspired by Russian nesting dolls made by the 2nd grade students in Ms. Williams’ class. To see more examples of amazing recycled art created by our K-5 students, you will have to visit the Elementary Art Show at ACS on Friday, May 3, before the Elementary Spring Concert.
To create their doll-shaped sculptures, the 2nd graders first looked at examples of basic figurative sculptures, including Russian nesting dolls. Then the students sketched their own ideas for a sculpture of a person. The students then learned how to use newspaper, papier-mâché solution, and empty plastic bottles to sculpt their person. For the final step, the students painted their sculptures. The students pictured with their bottle sculptures are: Vaughn Burgan, Chase Hagel, Peyton Hiller, Nia Hyman-Meeks, and Layla McCarthy.
The Atlantic Christian School chapter of the National Junior Honor Society proudly welcomed seven new members at a ceremony held in the school gymnasium on Tuesday evening, March 12. Mrs. Sara Coates, faculty advisor for the ACS Honor Societies, and Mrs. Karen Oblen, Chief School Administrator, welcomed family members and guests and praised the hard work of the students being inducted. Current middle school Society members Tommy Ellison, Cruz Lewis, Reyna Lewis, Jada Logan, and Paige Noble spoke on the four principles of the NJHS – Service, Leadership, Character, and Scholarship.
Each new inductee then received a certificate, signed the official registry, and lit a votive candle signifying his or her membership in the Society. Pictured left-to-right above are Annia Pierre (8th), Tiana Purdy-Phillips (8th), Evangelina Kim (7th), Ryleigh Martin (7th), Zachary Fosbenner (7th), Jackson Gayeski (7th), and Ethan Haynes (7th).
International touring group trEd visited ACS on Friday, March 15 to perform in Upper School Chapel. Founded in 2007, trEd Performing Arts Company utilizes a unique form of athletic movement, original music, and live sound to deliver a message of breakthrough and freedom.
The performance included several powerful interpretive rhythm numbers, including a Maori Haka written and choreographed specifically to tell the story of the Heavenly Father sending His only Son Jesus to earth to die on the cross. In addition to the drum and dance routines, trEd members shared testimonies and spiritual challenges to the middle and high school students. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” was a key theme as students were encouraged to pursue their God-given destinies and reach beyond what they now think might be possible. After the presentation, the members of trEd spent about 30 minutes in an uplifting time of intercession with dozens of students, faculty, and staff who joined them near the stage for prayer.
Art Workshop: Re-creatable Printing – Grades 2-8 Learn the art of printing – the art form that recreates itself! Linoleum block printing, stamping, and Japanese Gyotaku fish prints. You will be able to make multiple copies of your blocks, stamps, and prints!
Intro to Chinese – Grade 3-8 Chinese is the #1 spoken language in the world! Learn written and spoken Chinese from native speakers including colors, numbers, food, and family as well as Chinese culture and customs.
Gardening Club – Grades 1-8 Come work in the new greenhouse and raised bed garden. Build your own planter for your own herb garden to take home.
Snapology: Mega-Machines Robotics – Grades 2-6 Create real motorized vehicles! Learn about gear ratio, sensors, pulleys, cranks, and programming by building trucks, space rovers, helicopters, and much more.
Snapology: Kinderbots – PreK4-1st Grade Begin to explore the world of robotics by building simple models that teach the fundamentals of robotic design. Learn about sensors with drills and magic wands, or discover how gears and pulleys create movement with helicopters and robotic dogs.
There were lots of bumps, sets, spikes, and blocks as over 60 ACS students, joined by some alumni, faculty/staff members, and parents, faced off in the ACS gym on Friday, March 8 for our 14th annual Intramural Volleyball Tournament. For the first time, this year’s tournament included 8th graders on various teams. After nearly five hours of double-elimination games, the all 12th-grade team named “World Domination” (also last year’s winner) took first place. The members of the winning team, pictured above right, were (from left): Lindsey Ash, Solomon Griffith, Joshua Mizrahi, Ryan Lomangino, Emily Loeb, Rebekah Darragh, and Elijah Chapman. The team “Bigga,” comprised of 10th-12th grade students, placed second, and team “Cruz Control” made up of 8th and 10 graders and alumni, placed third. Thank you to Athletic Director Pam Hitchner for organizing this fun annual event.
Nearly 70 people came out to view the movie “Priceless” in the ACS gym on Thursday evening, March 14. The showing was part of a student-led initiative to raise awareness of human trafficking and help bring an end to the ongoing problem of modern day slavery. Ashleigh Martin (11th) and Lola Oguntuase (12th) organized the event and recruited classmates to help. Martin and Oguntuase spoke briefly, introducing the movie, sharing statistics about human trafficking, and encouraging those in attendance to find ways to help. Their heartfelt message and the powerful story of “Priceless” clearly made an impact on the audience as $635 was raised through ticket sales, concessions, and a love offering. All of the funds will be donated to the International Justice Mission, an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and rescuing those victimized. Learn more at www.ijm.org.
ACS presented a congratulatory certificate on Thursday, March 14 to the owners of Gregory’s Restaurant and Bar in Somers Point, for receiving the two top awards at our 6th Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off Benefit on February 2. Event Coordinator Jessica Martin presented ACS parents Joseph and Amanda Wyzen-Gregory and ACS grandparent Gregory Gregory with a special certificate for winning both the “Golden Spoon People’s Choice Award” and the “Souper Soup Chef’s Award” for their Shrimp and Lobster Bisque. Also pictured are Joe and Amanda’s two children, Cody, and Sadie, an ACS preschool student. Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and donated to make Bowls of Hope a success.
We’re very proud of a number of ACS alumni who are seeing success as members of various college sports teams. In particular, three alumni who played girls’ basketball at ACS — Dakota Hitchner (’17), Ayoola Oguntuase (’15), and Candace Winkel (’16)– have made their mark this winter season as important contributors to their college teams.
DJ, the starting point guard on Cairn University’s Women’s Basketball Team, was recently named to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Honorable Mention team and also received the CSAC All-Sportsmanship Award. DJ averaged 12.2 points a game and led the team in assists. Now in her sophomore year at Cairn, DJ also played starting center-mid on the women’s soccer team, which advanced for the first time in school history to the semi-finals of the NCAA CSAC.
Ola is in her third year as a player on the NCAA Division 2 team at Jefferson University in Philadelphia. While a back injury earlier this year limited her playing time, Ola has been a valuable contributor from the bench and is excited to be part of a team that recently became the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference champions. Ola’s love for the Lord has also made an impact on the team. Her teammates joined hands on the court before the championship game and asked her to lead the team in prayer. The team went on to beat the University of the Sciences by one point and has advanced to the NCAA regional quarter-finals. Ola is a pre-med major and has one more year on the team.
Candace, a junior at Davis Bible College in Binghamton, New York, recently received the U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association’s Women’s Division II Student Athlete of the Year Award. Candace is a starting guard and co-captain of Davis’ women’s basketball team. This month, her team won the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and went on to compete in the USCAA National Championship. Candace has consistently been one of the team’s top 3-point shooters, as she was during her ACS career. Candace has also excelled academically as a counseling major, with a 3.9 average GPA, and is active in community service. She uses her artistic abilities to paint and donate her paintings with scriptures to churches and other community organizations. She volunteers in a children’s ministry in her home church, Coastal Christian, and has been on five missions trips to the Dominican Republic building houses for the needy.
Students in Mrs. Melody’s 6th grade science class created colorful, 3-D edible models of plant and animal cells for a class project presented this Wednesday. The models were made out of sweet treats like candy, cake, rice krispie treats, and icing. The models had to include identification of the parts of the cells, called organelles, and their functions. Students were also required to do a written report with details about the structure and critical role of all the parts of their chosen cell.
Mrs. Reilly’s and Miss Price’s kindergarten classes took a field trip on Friday, March 8 to the Atlantic City Aquarium. The students this month have been studying animal habitats so the trip was the perfect outing to reinforce what they have been learning in the classroom. The students saw lizards living in a desert habitat and a tree frog in its tropical rain forest habitat. One favorite highlight of the trip was watching a diver in the big aquarium tank feeding the fish. The students also enjoyed the stingray splash pool where they could touch the rays.
Students in Mr. Dickson’s middle school math classes celebrated “Pi Day” with a variety of flavors and activities. The informal international holiday is based on the number 3.14, which represents the first three digits of the mathematical constant Pi as well as the date March 14.
Mr Dickson shared a number of “Pi fun facts” involving historical figures, significant mathematical discoveries, and even the Bible. Several students also competed for the title of “Pi Champ” attempting to write as many digits of Pi from memory as possible.
Everyone’s favorite activity was sampling one of seven varieties of delicious homemade pies made by Mr. Dickson’s wife, Lisa. The menu included chocolate, pecan, coconut, pumpkin, mixed berry, apple, and lemon pies.
Tickets are steadily selling for our Legacy Gala on March 29 at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel with featured speaker Kirk Cameron. Nine more days remain to purchase your tickets online or in the school office, with ticket sales ending at midnight on Sunday, March 24. Click on the green bar below to purchase tickets and sponsorships online.
A Silent Auction with entertainment, sports, and destination experiences, dining and shopping gift certificates, gourmet food baskets, and more will be part of the Gala event. General Admission Dinner and Program tickets are $160 each and include an appetizer reception. VIP Experience Tickets are $250 each and include a Meet-and-Greet Reception and photo with Mr. Cameron. Sponsorships with VIP benefits are also available. All proceeds will benefit our school’s educational programs.
More than 100 fathers and daughters gathered in the ACS gym Saturday, March 2 for dinner, dancing, fun, and games. Dressed to the nines and many color-coordinated with their escorts, girls in kindergarten through 8th grade enjoyed the special evening hosted by the Senior Class and faculty advisor Rebekah Stonelake. After a delicious buffet dinner, couples posed in the photo booth, played carnival games, and created arts and crafts before taking to the dance floor for freeze dance and musical chairs. The evening wrapped up with a special “daddy-daughter dance” to the Bob Carlisle song “Butterfly Kisses.” Special thanks to parents who prepared food and helped make the senior fundraiser a big success!
Congratulations to sophomore Sydney Pearson who recorded her 500th career rebound in the final game of the 2018-2019 season. In her two years on the ACS Varsity Girls’ team, Pearson has averaged 10.5 rebounds per game on her way to this significant milestone. “Sydney has been blessed with success because of her hard work ethic,” noted Athletic Director Pam Hitcher. The accomplishment came on a big stage as the Lady Cougars competed in the National Christian School Athletic Association national tournament where Pearson was also named to the All-Tournament team.
The Varsity Girls’ and Boys’ teams qualified for the tournament, held at Mt. Vernon Nazarene College in Ohio, after strong conference seasons in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference. Competing in Division 4, the Lady Cougars posted a 1-3 record in hard fought games while the Varsity Boys went 2-1 and finished third in the division. Three members of the Varsity Boys’ team were named to the All-Tournament team — Cole Johnson, Ben Noble, and Dan Roland.
The Middle School and High School Baseball and Softball seasons are getting underway. High school tryouts were last week and the Varsity Boys’ Baseball team will play its first game on Monday, March 11, a non-league scrimmage away against Oakcrest High School. The first Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference game for the Varsity Baseball and Softball teams will be on Tuesday, March 26, away against the King’s Christian School
Middle School Baseball and Softball tryouts will be on March 18 after school. Interested students should sign up in the gym.
We are welcoming back all of our head coaches this year who had excellent seasons last year — Varsity Boys’ Baseball — Mr. Ray Picking; Varsity Girls’ Softball — Mrs. Dara Kimmerley; Middle School Boys’ Baseball — Mr. Rob Barberio; and Middle School Girls’ Softball — Mr. Mike Bohs. Check out the ACS website under the “Athletics” tab for the game schedules of all our teams. See you in the stands!
Congratulations to the some 200 students in the 1st to 12th grades who were academic achievers during the first half of the school year and have been named to our first semester Honor Roll.
The elementary students in grades 1-5 who earned a 95% average or higher received the Highest Honors designation and students who received an 85%-94% average received the Honors designation. Middle School and High School students in grades 6-12 who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher at the end of the 1st semester received the Highest Honors designation. Students in grades 6-12 who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5-3.79 received the Honors designation.
CLICK HERE for the full list of the first semester Honor Roll recipients.
Contractors last week finished installing over $50,000 worth of new LED lighting in classrooms and other parts of the main school building, as well as in the parking lot and other outdoor areas. Close to 30 classrooms on both the first and second floors of the school’s 65,000-square-foot educational building received new lighting, as well as administrative staff offices, the library, kitchen, the stage, and closets and stairwells.
Outdoors, new LED lighting was added to the exterior canopies over the main entrance and bus entrance of the school as well as to all the lamp posts in the parking lot. “This new, energy-efficient lighting is not only going to result in thousands of dollars of electricity savings each year, but is making our campus safer with the brighter, long-lasting LED fixtures,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “We’re so thankful for the state grant and loan programs that have made these important facility improvements possible.” The lighting improvements are being funded through two programs overseen by the New Jersey Office of Clean Energy.
