ACS celebrated the accomplishments of twenty-two 8th grade students at the 8th Grade Blessing Ceremony on Thursday, July 16 held outdoors on the school campus grounds and also live-streamed on the ACS YouTube channel.
Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen welcomed family members, staff, and friends to the ceremony and 8th grader Evangelina Kim offered the opening prayer. Oblen thanked parents for recognizing the importance of a Christian education and encouraged each student to build on the spiritual foundation provided at ACS.
“I pray that God’s Word has been firmly rooted in your hearts, that those seeds that have planted here are watered and that God causes them to grow,” Oblen said. “I pray that you remember that God loves you more than anything. That He’s got you back; that He’s your rear guard; that He goes before you and behind you, and that He will never leave you or forsake you.”
The valedictorian of the Class of 2020, Ashleigh Martin, gave a challenge to the students as they move on to high school to cling to God and turn to Him in prayer. “Wherever you go for these next four years, trust in God and His plan for your life and you will prosper in everything you do,” Martin said.
Before the presentation of awards and promotion certificates by Upper School Principal Meg McHale and Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, middle school teachers George Dickson and Lisa Dye (on behalf of Sara Coates who could not attend) shared advice and heartfelt farewells to the class.
A number of students were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, physical fitness, citizenship, Christian character, and leadership. On behalf of the Parent Teacher Fellowship, Upper School Principal McHale recognized three students who had attended ACS since kindergarten — Jackson Gayeski, Michaela Schlemo, and Noelle Thompson — and following the ceremony they were given a devotional and a gift card. Staff members Kelly Flynn and Bill Smallwood performed a vocal duet of “The Blessing” and 8th grader Noah Gibbs closed the ceremony in prayer.
Following is a list of the special awards and scholarships that were announced for students in the 8th grade class:
- Academic Awards for Highest GPA in Bible, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Physical Education — Evangelina Kim and Noelle Thompson (Bible); Ryleigh Martin (Language Arts, Honors Algebra 1, and Social Studies); Zachary Fosbenner (Pre-Algebra); Noelle Thompson (Science); Ryleigh Martin and Ethan Haynes (Physical Education). Eleven students were recognized for earning Highest Honors on the Honor Roll, achieving a 3.8 or higher GPA, and two students earned High Honors, achieving a 3.5-3.79 GPA.
- Citizenship Award, for service to others and to the school — Zachary Fosbenner and Lillian VanAcker.
- COMPASS Award, for displaying the fruits of the spirit in everyday life — Noah Gibbs and Evangelina Kim.
- Cougar Award, given to a boy and girl student returning to ACS for high school who has demonstrated Christian character, leadership, responsibility and commitment to athletics ($250 each) — Emmanuel (Manny) Johnson and Rebecca Kelley.
- Parent-Teacher Fellowship Scholarship, for the best essays on the topic — “How has ACS prepared you for the unusual circumstances we faced over the past few months and how has it prepared you for the future?” — Rebecca Kelley, 1st place ($400); Ryleigh Martin, 2nd place ($250); and Evangelina Kim, 3rd place ($100).
CLICK HERE to watch the video of the 8th grade ceremony on YouTube.
CLICK HERE for the photo gallery on the ACS website of the 8th grade ceremony. Photo credits: John Loreaux.