Twenty-three middle school students and five chaperones spent April 23-26 volunteering with ministries in Philadelphia that assist the homeless, low-income families, and people in recovery, as part of a missions trip organized by the Center for Student Missions (CSM).

The team spent time at the Whosoever Gospel Rescue Mission, where they helped sort clothing donations for its thrift shop, working alongside men in the Mission’s recovery program. The team also worked with the Hands of Hope ministry, packing over 500 bagged lunches and helping distribute some of them to the homeless on the streets in Philadelphia’s Museum District. In lower Germantown, the missions team assisted the Friends of Germantown non-profit with a street beautification project, doing trash and leaf clean-up. On their final day of service, the team members volunteered at City Team Ministries, a ministry for men in recovery and low-income mothers, and at the Inglis House, a community of people who utilize wheelchairs. At the Inglis House, the team enjoyed getting to know the residents as they played games and sang music together.

“It was so wonderful to see such a large group of our middle school students choose to spend part of their spring break being the hands and feet of Jesus,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, who was one of the trip chaperones. “They have true hearts of service and this experience helped emphasize the important message that God calls all of us to serve the poor and needy in our communities.”

The students who participated in the missions trip were: Jake DeNick, Maddie DeNick, Rebecca DiMaio, Tommy Ellison, Jackson Gayeski, Sam Glancey, Alex Holmstrom, Grace Johnson, Manny Johnson, Moges Johnson, Sophia Johnson, Hunter Jorgenson, Samuel Lilley, Alli Lushina, Paige Noble, Tiana Purdy-Phillips, Dylan Reilly, Haven Sanchez, Adam Schlundt, Allie Schlundt, Taylor Sutton, Makayla Tomlinson, and Yariah Wilkens. In addition to Mrs. Oblen, the chaperones were faculty member Lisa Dye, school parent Tom Ellison, and faculty member Grant Miller and his wife, Minelva.

Over 70 high school students enjoyed a fun-filled evening of dinner and dancing on Friday, May 17 at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City. The warm weather combined with the Ocean City Beach and Boardwalk made a beautiful backdrop for photo-taking, while others chose to pose inside the historic Flanders Hotel. A photo booth was also a place to make memories. Thank you to the parents, students, and friends who organized a carnival-themed After-Prom in the ACS gym, with dozens of great prizes donated by individuals and local businesses. Visit the ACS Facebook page to see additional Prom photos.

Hymns of joy were the centerpiece of our Upper School Spring Concert on Thursday, May 23 that featured the God-given musical talents of our 6th-12th grade students as they performed in the Upper School Band, Middle School Chorale, High School Chorale, and the “Take Note” high school vocal ensemble.

Several students shined as soloists in the program. 6th grader Angelina Alexis was featured in the MS Chorale’s performance of “Hlonolofatsa” and 6th grader Sophia Johnson was the soloist in the Chorale’s performance of “What A Beautiful Name.” 10th grader Hyewon “Amy” Ki opened the High School Chorale’s performance of “Old Time Religion” and 12th grader Lola Oguntuase displayed her vocal talents as soloist during the Take Note ensemble’s performance of Christian recording artist Lauren Daigle’s song “Love Like This.”

Congratulations to Jaron Beadle, Director of Choral and Instrumental Music, for an excellent, worshipful program of songs that praised God and spotlighted the developing musical gifts of our students. Following the concert, the audience toured the Middle School/High School Spring Art Show, which featured student artwork created out of cardboard, bubble wrap, and other recycled materials. The displays included outstanding artwork entered in the Teen Arts Festival. Videos of several of the concert performances are posted on the ACS Facebook page.

The ACS school calendar for the 2019-2020 school year was recently approved by the Board of Directors and is now available to school families. The first day of school will be Wednesday, September 4, 2019 and the last day of school will be Friday, June 12, 2020. Half days are noted with a slash and run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Full days of school for K012 run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Extended care will remain available from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closings for holidays and in-service are noted in gray.

CLICK HERE to view or print out the calendar.

ACS is now offering a new Summer Boys’ Baseball Camp, adding to the line-up of sports camps already announced for this summer. The Baseball Camp is for boys who have completed grades 5-8 and will be held from July 29 to August 2, from 9 a.m. to noon. The camp fee is $150. The camp will be led by ACS alumnus and college-level ballplayer Ben Chapman (’13).

CLICK HERE to register online for the new summer baseball camp or the co-ed basketball and soccer camps.

VARSITY BASEBALL UNDEFEATED GOING INTO PLAYOFFS, VARSITY SOFTBALL TIED FOR FIRST

The Varsity Boys’ Baseball team is undefeated and in first place in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference at the end of the regular season with a 10-0 record. The Varsity Girls’ Softball team is tied for first place in the TSCAC with Pilgrim Academy, finishing the regular season with a 11-1 record. ACS will host the TSCAC baseball and softball playoff games on Tuesday, May 28. The Varsity Baseball team, under head coach Ray Picking, will face off against 4th-seeded Baptist Regional and the Varsity Softball team, under head coach Dara Kimmerley, will play 4th-seeded Calvary Academy. The games will begin at 4 p.m. Come on out and cheer our Cougars on to victory.

MS SOFTBALL TEAM IN FIRST PLACE, MS BASEBALL TEAM FIGHTING HARD

The Middle School Girls’ Softball team is tied for first place with Pilgrim Academy in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League with a 7-1 league record and has two games left to play in the season. The Middle School Boys’ Baseball team has a 2-3 record in the league and has three games left in the season.

ACS Athletic Director Pam Hitchner and Varsity Boys’ Baseball team head coach Ray Picking held a special ceremony on Monday, May 20 to thank and honor the four seniors on the Varsity Baseball team and their parents for their contributions to the ACS athletic program. The ceremony was held outside next to the baseball field prior to the games against Cumberland Christian School. The four senior baseball players are, from left, Luke Johnson, Solomon Griffith, Ryan Lomangino, and Elijah Chapman. There are no senior players on this year’s softball team.

Chapman, the only 3-sport senior, has been the starting catcher and is also a pitcher. Griffith, a talented fielder as starting shortstop and a power hitter, will be playing baseball at Ursinus College next fall. Johnson has had a strong glove playing in left field. Lomangino has excelled as a pitcher and will be playing ball at Stockton University this fall.

Both the ACS baseball and softball teams won their games on Wednesday against Cumberland Christian. On Wednesday, in the final game of the regular season on May 22 at Pilgrim Academy, Ryan threw a no-hitter, striking out 13 in the 12-1 win for ACS. Solomon was 2 for 2 with three runs scored. Junior Ben Noble was 2 for 2 with three RBI’s and a run scored.

Cherry and beefsteak tomatoes, bush beans, winter squash, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, and several other vegetables, herbs, and flowers were on sale this week for ACS families to purchase after school. The plant sale was organized by faculty members Bethany Kiefer and Eric Tardif, who led the after-school Garden Club. Kiefer said one of the most popular items in the plant sale was a mesclan salad bowl. The bountiful harvest of the ready-to-eat mesclan lettuces and the garden-ready plants were grown from seed by the students in every elementary class who visited the greenhouse in April. Thank you to everyone who purchased a plant this week and helped raise several hundred dollars to benefit future student projects in the greenhouse.

Elementary students in the after-school Garden Club harvested their first crop of bright red radishes grown in the ACS greenhouse and garden on May 7. The next day during lunch, elementary students got to taste those radishes and vote on whether they “loved” them, thought they tasted “Okay,” or “did not like” them. Of the 100 K-5 students who participated in the taste test, half of them “loved” the radishes. The harvesting of the radishes and the taste test were overseen by the Garden Club advisors and ACS faculty members Bethany Kiefer and Eric Tardif. Twenty-one elementary students joined the Garden Club this spring. The radishes were planted from seed in the greenhouse in mid-March by the club members and then the seedlings were later planted in the school garden.

Bike Day 2019! Our preschool students got to bring their bicycles and tricycles to school on Friday and spent the morning under beautiful, sunny skies riding around our track and at other outdoor areas on our campus. Great to see dozens of parents and grandparents at this popular annual event for our PreK2, PreK3, and PreK4 students. Bike Day is about promoting health and fitness for our students and encouraging a fun family activity. ACS Athletic Director Pam Hitchner and several high school students also talked about bike safety to the students and handed out glow-in-the-dark bike stickers.

Students in 10 different classes participated at different times during this school year in the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools’ 4-week walking challenge, intentionally walking extra steps during the school day. Together, students from kindergarten to the 7th grade clocked an impressive total of 2,855 minutes of extra walking. Eligible walking minutes could not include regularly scheduled walking to and from classrooms, the lunch room, or exiting at the end of the day.

Two classes logged the highest number of walking minutes and every student received a pedometer from AtlantiCare — Miss Price’s kindergarten class (510 minutes) and Mrs. Nelson’s 1st grade class (460 minutes). Students in the other classes received pencils and stickers as a reward for their efforts. Congratulations to the 154 students and their teachers who used this challenge as a way to experience the healthy benefits of walking.

Congratulations to four ACS students whose artwork received high marks from judges at the Atlantic County Teen Arts Festival in early May and became part of a “Selected Artworks” exhibit at the Stockton University Art Gallery from May 10 to May 18. The four talented artists are, from left, 12th grader Imohimi Unuigbe, 11th grader Lin Xiao, 12th grader Rebekah Darragh, who had two pieces selected, and 7th grader Ryleigh Martin. Lin’s and Imohimi’s art pieces were also selected to move up to the NJ State Teen Arts Festival that will open on May 28 at Ocean County College. Lin’s artwork will also be part of a festival touring exhibit. Rebekah’s two pieces were selected for an upcoming spotlight exhibit in Stockton University’s Noyes Museum of Art in the Arts Garage in Atlantic City.

The four students who received special recognition were joined by seven other ACS students who attended the May 3 Atlantic County Teen Arts Festival, along with ACS art teachers Sherry Mirakian and Patti Scardilli. At the festival, the students participated in a variety of workshops, including one on painting murals and on playing the drums.

Congratulations to 12th grader Ayolola “Lola” Oguntuase for being selected as a recipient of the 2019 Press of Atlantic City Young Leaders Award. She is one of 25 seniors that were selected among 88 nominees from high schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and southern Ocean counties to be honored with this special award. Lola and the other award recipients are being recognized for their academic skills, diverse extracurricular activities, and service to their communities.

Lola and the other Young Leaders were honored and recognized by the Press of Atlantic City at an awards breakfast on May 22 at the Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway. On the same day, the Press also published a pull-out section in its newspaper that devoted one biographical page to Lola and each of the other award recipients. CLICK HERE to read the article about Lola and the other recipients online.

Mark Blum, publisher of the Press of Atlantic City, spoke during the awards program and said that this year’s group of Young Leaders were impressive not only for their high GPAs and their accomplishments in a variety of extra-curricular activities, but more importantly “for what they have done in their communities to help the people they live and work with.”

Attending the awards breakfast with Lola were her parents, Ebenezer and Mary Oguntuase, administrator Mike Bult from Mainland Baptist Church, ACS Development and Communications Director Carole Karabashian, Upper School Principal Meg McHale, and Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen.

“We’re so proud of Lola and the way she has developed into a student leader on campus, whether in the classroom, on the athletic field, or in service to her church, our community, and as part of Missions Club trips,” Oblen said. “Lola is the whole package and she is more than deserving of this Young Leaders Award. We are excited to see the plans that God has for her as she moves on to college and other endeavors.” This is the first time an ACS senior has received this award, which the Press has sponsored for the past 4 years.

Congratulations to 11th grader Ashleigh Martin for being selected for major acting roles in two local musical theatre productions this spring and for being selected to perform this summer as part of the Ocean City Theatre Company’s Show Choir.

The 5th grade class had the opportunity to see Ashleigh perform on stage this week when they took a field trip March 23 to see a musical adaptation of the Holocaust-themed story “Number the Stars” at the Shirat Hayam Synagogue in Ventnor. The class had studied the Newbery award-winning book “Number the Stars” and done poster projects. Ashleigh performed the role of Lise, the older sister who was killed in the resistance movement in Denmark. This is the second year Ashleigh has been part of the cast. From June 27-30, Ashleigh will be starring as Kim McAfee in the Margate Players’ production of “Bye, Bye Birdie.” As part of the Ocean City Theatre Company’s Show Choir, Ashleigh will be performing at the Night in Venice, the Baby Parade, and Broadway Brunch. Ashleigh is a member of the ACS High School Chorale and the “Take Note” vocal ensemble.

Over 100 parents, faculty, and staff gathered the evening of Monday, May 20 for the Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Christian School Association, electing seven Board members, honoring the dedicated service of 11-year ACS veteran teacher Ray Picking, and listening to state of the school reports highlighting this year’s academic and financial progress.

The newly-elected members to the Board of Directors, who will oversee the governance and policies of the school, are: Kris Jacoby, Alisun Klingert-Richards, Jonathan Ireland, Christian Loeb, Dan Rallo, DJ Schrag, and Scott Shivers. With their election, the full complement of 12 members will begin their official term of service on July 1. Notably, the election of DJ Schrag marks the first time in the school’s 47-year history that an ACS alumnus will serve on the Board. He graduated in 1988 when ACS leased space from Ocean City Baptist Church. Alisun Klingert-Richards also has deep ACS ties as she attended ACS for kindergarten. School parents Jason Kiefer, Jason Lewis, and Doug Pearson were also elected to serve on the Board’s Nominating Committee representing the Association.

Oblen and Board of Directors’ Chair Doug Pearson recognized and thanked faculty member Ray Picking for his 11 years of service to ACS, including his significant efforts overseeing maintenance of the school’s athletic fields.

Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen touched on highlights from the past school year, referencing the 2018-2019 Annual Report publication that was distributed to the attendees. She said there are plans to add additional Chromebooks next year, expanding on this year’s launch of a one-on-one Chromebook initiative. She said other new developments for next year include dual enrollment credit with Atlantic Cape Community College for five high school classes and continuing to offer leadership opportunities and career-oriented classes. She also noted that ACS will be receiving over $25,000 in funding to enhance security on the school campus.

A new Q&A session at the end of the meeting gave the Association members an opportunity to pose questions about a variety of topics. Parent-Teacher Fellowship President Terry Vogel also encouraged parents to get involved in the service organization and gave out gift card prizes to individuals who participated in the Shop-a-Roo program.

ACS parents, students, and administrators found different ways to make our teachers feel extra special during Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10. To start off the week, ACS parents Marc and Maria Bohan gave teachers complimentary massages on Monday and the Board of Directors provided a breakfast buffet during the Tuesday morning faculty/staff devotions.

On Wednesday, teachers received marigolds and impatiens that had been potted by students in our after-school Garden Club and included a special message on a Popsicle-stick sign — “Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that will grow forever.” The Parent-Teacher Fellowship prepared a delicious, taco-themed lunch on Thursday and gave out gift-card prizes. The week concluded with members of the administration visiting classrooms with a mid-morning break cart filled with fruit, pastries, and beverages.

Keep sending in your plastic bottle caps for our Student Council project to build a “buddy bench” in the elementary playground. We’re now at the half-way point in the collection effort, with two more weeks remaining to send in bottle caps by Friday, May 31. The elementary classes are competing to see which class can bring in the MOST bottle caps by weight. As of May 13, Miss Price’s kindergarten class is in the lead with 10.53 pounds and Miss Reilly’s kindergarten class is in second place with 9.25 pounds.

Among the 6th-12th grade classes, the winning class will be the homeroom with the LEAST amount of caps in their own container — accomplished by bringing in caps and placing them in the containers of OTHER homerooms. Currently Miss Stonelake’s homeroom is in the lead with a total cap weight of .38 pounds. Each winning class will get a pizza party.

Student Council Advisor and faculty member Dave Genter said that 68.06 pounds of bottle caps have been collected school-wide as of May 13, and that 400 pounds of caps will be needed to build the buddy bench. CLICK HERE for an official list of caps and lids which can be donated.

Starting on Monday, May 20, ACS will be holding a week-long mini Silent Auction in the school lobby featuring golf outings, gift cards, Atlantic Christian promotional items, tickets for Reserved Seating to the PreK and Kindergarten Graduations, and camp fees for a week of Cougar Camp or the ACS Basketball, Soccer, and Baseball Sports Camps. The bidding will start on Monday, May 20 at 8:30 a.m. and will conclude on Friday, May 24 at 4:00 p.m. Stop by the school lobby to view the items and place your bid. You may also submit a maximum bid via email to jmartin@acseht.org by no later than 8:00 a.m. on Friday, May 24. All proceeds will benefit the school’s educational programs. 

Moms were the guests of honor in our PreK2 classes on May 8 for special “Muffins With Moms” parties just prior to Mother’s Day weekend. In addition to enjoying delicious muffins and beverages, the celebration included mothers reading stories to the students in Mrs. Correa’s and Mrs. Warriner’s classes and a photo booth. Every mother (and several grandmothers) also received a hand-made present. In Mrs. Warriner’s class, the students decorated glass jars with tissue paper to look like stained glass and decorated picture frames with their thumb prints. In Mrs. Correa’s class, the students made necklaces and placemats. We thank God for the important role that moms and grandmoms play in our students’ lives.

Fourth grade students learned all about the work of a scallop fisherman and the important contribution of southern New Jersey’s fishing industry to the state’s economy during a May 6 field trip to Cape May Harbor. ACS parent Tom McNulty, Jr., whose son Liam is in 3rd grade, gave the students a tour of the “Redemption” fishing boat, including the cockpit. Several students also got to try on the safety flotation suits that all fisherman must learn to put on in 60 seconds in the event of an emergency.

After a tasty lunch at the Lobster House Restaurant, where students could sample the scallops, Mr. Keith Laudeman, the owner of the restaurant and Cape May Brand Sea Scallops, described the intricate process required to prepare and pack scallops to ship all over the world. Thank you to ACS grandparents Tom and Sherri McNulty, owners of the “Redemption” and several other fishing boats, who have been hosting ACS student groups for the past 10 years. All of their boats have the image of a dove painted on them, which represents the Holy Spirit and their reliance on the Lord for protection and safety on the seas.

Students in the 8th grade history and 12th grade civics classes learned about the important civic duty of serving on a jury during a guest lecture by Superior Court Judge William Miller, who is in Atlantic County’s family court division. Judge Miller’s presentation on May 2 was part of the New Jersey Judiciary’s “One Judge-One School” program in which ACS has participated for several years. Judge Miller described how America’s founding fathers created a new jury system that was different from the judicial system in England — a jury of your peers system. He also reviewed the age and residency qualifications to serve on a jury in New Jersey, and several students who were 18 years old described their recent experiences receiving a notice to serve on a jury. “It’s your civic duty and constitutionally-protected right to serve on a jury and it’s a serious responsibility because you are making decisions about other people’s lives,” Judge Miller said.

Judge Miller also discussed some of his experiences serving as a family court judge and how he encounters young people whose lives have been negatively impacted by drug addiction. He warned the students about the especially harmful effects that drugs have on the brains of 15-25 years olds and cited statistics about the alarming number of deaths resulting from drug overdoses. “Some 50,000 Americans died over the 8-10 years of the Vietnam War,” Judge Miller said. “Compare this to the fact that just last year alone 76,000 people died in the U.S. from a drug overdose.”

Congratulations to the 55 ACS middle school and high school students who competed in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Track Meet on Thursday, May 16 and earned medals and top team honors. All four ACS teams — the High School Boys’ and Girls’ teams and the Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ teams — finished in first place with the highest number of points earned among the teams from seven other regional Christian schools who participated. Twenty-eight students received first place medals. The other schools participating in the meet were: Abundant Life Academy, Ambassador Christian Academy, Calvary Academy, Cumberland Christian School, Gloucester County Christian School, and The Pilgrim Academy.

Several middle school and high school athletes set school and meet records. The track and field athletes and their individual accomplishments will be recognized at the year-end sports awards ceremonies. Sophomore Olivia Chapman (pictured at right) scored the most individual points with four gold medals in the 100-meter, the 200-meter, the 400-meter, and the 4×100 meter relay, contributing 16 points to the High School Girls’ teams total of 55 points. The Lewis siblings (pictured below) — Cole (9th), Cruz (8th), and Reyna (8th) — earned six gold medals, three silver medals, one bronze medal, and one 4th place — for a combined total of 36 points.

The rain tapered off mid-morning and the sun shined brightly for the rest of the day. Thank you to Athletic Director Pam Hitchner for organizing the meet on our campus for the 13th consecutive year. Also grateful for PE teacher Ray Picking’s efforts in field preparation of the meet competition areas and for the dozens of student, alumni, and parent volunteers that kept the stats, cooked and served at the concession stand, and much more.

Atlantic Christian School has received a 7-year dual re-accreditation from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

“We are very proud to have earned this significant quality seal of approval from two leading independent accreditation organizations that validates the good work we are doing every day to inspire and educate our students,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “We are committed to continuing to provide a high quality Christian education for every child in every classroom.”

Henry G. Cram, Ed.D., president of the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools, congratulated Atlantic Christian School for achieving re-accreditation.

“The Middle States accreditation process is a proven approach to help schools and students grow and improve,” Dr. Cram said. “School leaders, teachers, and parents are to be commended for working together to plan for the future and set goals aimed at advancing student achievement.”

Oblen said there are 12 research-based performance standards for accreditation that cover every aspect of the school’s K-12 operations, including mission; governance and leadership; school improvement and planning; finances; facilities; school organization and staff; health and safety; educational program; assessment and evidence of student learning; student services; student life and activities; and information resources.

Oblen said the re-accreditation process took 18 months and included a 3-day site visit in November 2018 by a six-member accreditation team. During their visit, the team members reviewed a 97-page self-study report prepared by ACS, conducted classroom observations, and met with faculty, staff, parents, students, and members of the Board of Directors.

The visiting team made its recommendation to the ACSI Northeast Regional Accreditation Commission and to the Middle States Association Commissions, which voted on accreditation.

Atlantic Christian received a 7-year re-accreditation that began May 1, 2019 and will end on May 1, 2026. Atlantic Christian earned its first dual, 7-year accreditation in May 12.

Oblen also noted that the ACS Early Education Center, which educates children from 6 months to four years old, also recently received a quality seal of approval in April — a permanent state license from the state Department of Children and Families, the culmination of an 18-month inspection review process.

Our talented K-5 students sang, danced, played the recorder, and made a joyful sound on a variety of instruments as part of the 4th and 5th grade band performances at the Elementary Spring Concert May 3 in the school gym. The 1st and 2nd grade students stole the show during the second half of the evening, presenting the farmyard-themed musical “E-I-E-I Oops!” Following the concert, the audience toured the Elementary Spring Art Show, which featured student artwork created out of cardboard, bubble wrap, and other recycled materials. One of the bulletin boards (pictured below) displayed crosses made by the kindergarten classes out of bottle caps and egg cartons.

During the concert, some 600 parents, family members, and friends in the audience laughed, clapped, and tapped their feet as the 1st and 2nd grade students took them on a trip to see Farmer MacDonald and a whole barnyard of singing animals. There were lost sheep, pigs “hamming it up,” turkeys, ducks, and much more, with students dressed in colorful costumes custom-made by elementary music director Shirlene Perini. Congratulations to Mrs. Perini and Choral and Instrumental Music Director Jaron Beadle for a very entertaining concert that celebrated God’s handiwork as seen in the variety of animals He created.

The Elementary Art Show, with the theme of “Being Good Stewards — The Art of Recyling,” is on display until the May 23 6th-12th Grade Spring Concert. Thank you to ACS Art Teacher Sherry Mirakian for helping shape our students’ creative talents.