Over 300 grandparents visited the ACS campus on Friday, November 4 for our annual Grandparent Appreciation Day. Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen and two members of the Board of Directors, Christian Loeb and Rudy Dalinger, welcomed the grandparents to the all-school chapel program and thanked them for loving and supporting their grandchildren.
Mr. Dalinger, whose has a granddaughter who is an ACS alumnus and a grandson in 9th grade, encouraged the grandparents to support ACS “because it is making a difference in their lives.” Mrs. Linda Hinchman, the keynote speaker who has two grandchildren at ACS, echoed that sentiment in her remarks. She described how the Christian education her grandsons Adrian and Joseph are receiving is a blessing to her and her family. “It’s a blessing that my grandchildren are taught God’s Word on a daily basis by a faculty and staff that have hearts to serve and are committed and sincerely passionate about every child that they teach,” Mrs. Hinchman said.
During the chapel program, ACS students from kindergarten through high school praised God through musical presentations and Bible readings. Mrs. Sherree Hoover’s 4th grade class recited from memory Psalm 119:9-16. The High School Praise Band led worship with two songs, followed by the kindergarten and first grade classes who performed with choreography “God of Wonders,”directed by Mrs. Stephanie Rosie.
While introducing Band Director Mrs. Shirlene Perini, Mrs. Oblen thanked the grandparents for their vital role in helping launch the school’s elementary band program three years ago through their financial gifts and gifts of instruments. The band entertained the audience with a special number that featured four grandmothers using kitchen implements, such as a frying pan and a mixer, to create percussion sounds in the song. The Middle School and High School Chorales performed two songs that gave the audience a sneak preview into their upcoming Christmas concert and featured sophomore Eriel Hernandez and senior Dakota Hitchner as narrators.
After the chapel program, the grandparents visited various classrooms. Elementary grade students worked on a craft project with their grandparents, creating a special gift of a flower pot with a handmade paper flower and flower seeds (donated by Lowe’s) that reflected the day’s theme of “Growing Together in Love.” The grandparents also had the opportunity to visit the Cougar Closet Thrift Shop and the Shoreline Model Railroad Club’s model train display, both housed in annex buildings on the school campus.