Twenty-two students from kindergarten to the third grade participated in the “Kids Who Read Succeed” program sponsored by Gillian’s Wonderland Pier and will be enjoying a free afternoon of fun at Gillian’s on Saturday, May 11. The program, in its 25th year, seeks to promote reading among young students. To receive their free “Wonder Pass” to Gillian’s, the students were required to read five books in April and complete a short summary on each book. “We’re always looking for ways to promote reading among our students and we applaud Gillian’s for partnering with the schools in our community to provide a fun way to reward students for their accomplishments,” said Elementary Principal and Early Education Director Gail Alford.

The students who participated in the “Kids Who Read Succeed” program were: Julia DiMaio and Brianna Shull (K); Myles Bird, James Boyle, Jonathan Ireland, Isabelle Kiefer, Caleb Norris, Stevi Richards, Gabriela Santos, Tyler Shull, and Dylan Tardif (1st grade); Nia Hyman-Meeks (2nd grade); Matthew Coates, McKenzie Cubbage, Christian Delacruz, Zoey Holmstrom, Grace Lushina, Raquel Mitchell, Elliot Norris, Solia Pecou, Chelsie Richards, and Sophia Rose (3rd grade).

The ACS school family is invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Christian School Association on Monday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the school gymnasium. The Association is the foundational organization of the school and all K-12 parents who have agreed with the school’s Statement of Faith, as well as faculty and staff, are Association members. Faculty and staff are required to attend.

At the Annual Meeting, Association members will elect individuals to serve on the school’s Board of Directors. The Board is responsible for the overall supervision of the school, the hiring and evaluation of the Chief School Administrator, and the creation and oversight of school policies, procedures, and financial practices. In addition to the election of Board members, the meeting with include:

• Reports on the school’s fiscal and academic progress
• State-of-the-School Report from the Chief School Administrator
• Overview of plans for the 2019-2020 school year
• Q&A session to give Association members an opportunity to gain additional information on school plans and programs

Five candidates, all of whom are ACS parents, have been nominated for new membership on the Board of Directors — Jon Ireland, Daniel Rallo, Alisun Klingert-Richards, David Schragg, and Scott Shivers. Two additional candidates on the ballot are running for re-election — Kristine Jacoby and Christian Loeb. The candidates will make presentations at the Annual Meeting prior to voting by the Association members. If you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting, absentee ballots for voting on the members of the Board of Directors will be available in the school office. Association members will also be receiving an invitation by email to the Annual Meeting and an absentee ballot will be provided with that email.

The May 20 Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m. and desserts and refreshments will be available. No child care is being provided.

Congratulations to 10th grader Matt Dietrich for authoring an original short story entitled “An Inevitable Prophecy” that was recently selected by Young Writers USA for publication in this year’s Garden State anthology, Stranger Sagas. Young Writers USA sponsored the writing contest in October 2018, challenging students to write a 100-word short story focusing on a mysterious or strange topic. High school English teacher Tori Novack worked with Matt on his submission to the contest and it was selected for publication in January. This past week, Matt and Novack received their own printed copies of the book, which featured student authors from across New Jersey.

ACS is encouraging students and their families to participate in Screen Free Week next week — May 6 to 10.  Make plans now to unplug from digital entertainment and spend your free time playing, day dreaming, creating, exploring, and connecting with your family and friends during this nationwide event. Another great way to unplug is to spend time reading a book! By participating in this event, ACS will earn points to receive grant money from the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools program.

Prestige Soccer Training recently blessed the ACS Athletic Department with a gift of eight new Brine soccer game balls and 10 training cones for use by the Varsity Girls’ Soccer team. Mr. Nenad Gorgiev (pictured above at right), the owner of the Egg Harbor Township-based sports organization, presented the donations to Athletic Director Pam Hitchner in March.

Three ACS athletes were also recently recognized for their outstanding soccer abilities by being invited to joined Prestige’s U23 women’s team — senior Lindsey Ash, alumnus Dakota (DJ) Hitchner (’17), and senior Lola Oguntuase. Prestige Soccer Training offers a professional soccer training program year-round in the evenings and on the weekends on the ACS campus for boys and girls ages 8 to 15 years old. CLICK HERE for more information about the Prestige Soccer Training program at ACS.

ACS is offering new Sports Camps this summer — two Basketball Camps and a Soccer Camp — and two new Snapology Lego Camps.

The summerBasketball Camps will be led by ACS Varsity Basketball Coaches Dan and Drew Carney. Two co-ed sessions will be offered. A camp for students who have completed grades 4 and 5 will be held from June 17-21. A second camp for students who have completed grades 6-8 will be held from July 22-26. Both camps will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each day will be filled with skills and drills and game-style scrimmages. The camp fee is $150 per athlete and includes lunch and a camp T-shirt.

The summer Soccer Camp will be held from August 19-23 and will be led by Prestige Soccer Training. The camp is for students who have completed kindergarten through the 8th grade. The co-ed camp will run from 9 a.m. to noon and will offer differentiated age and skill levels. The camp fee is $150 per athlete and includes a T-shirt.

CLICK HERE to register online for these exciting new summer sports camps at ACS.

The new summer Snapology Camps will be held from July 29 to August 2 for children ages 7 and above. The Snapology “Drone Commander” camp will be a morning session, from 9 a.m. to noon, and will introduce students to the world of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. The Snapology “Animation Studio” camp will be held in the afternoon, from 1-4 p.m., and students will create amazing movies with stop motion animation using LEGO bricks. Movies will be uploaded to a secure site for family and friends to see their unique creations. The cost of each camp is $130 per camper.

CLICK HERE to register online for the Snapology summer camps at the ACS campus.

ACS is seeking to fill the position of Middle School Boys’ Soccer head coach for the fall of 2019. A prospective candidate should have experience in coaching soccer at a minimum of the middle school level, with working knowledge of soccer skills and game strategy. Must be a minimum of 21 years of age with a high school degree. ACS requires its employees to be Christians, living their lives as Christian role models. Spiritual standards must be met and a background check is required. The head coach position will start the first day of school in September 2019 and conclude at the end of October. Please contact Athletic Director Pam Hitchner for more information at phitchner@acseht.org.

ACS held a special time of all-school prayer and worship at the start of the school day on Thursday, May 2 to mark the National Day of Prayer.  Students from preschool to the 12th grade, teachers, and staff joined hands to form a continuous chain of unity throughout the school’s first floor hallways and in the gym. Various students and staff led prayer over the intercom, seeking God’s blessing, guidance and protection for our government and its leaders, for the church community, families, and business leaders, and for those serving in the media arts, the military, and education.

Those who led in prayer included: 5th grader Gabriella Goodwin, 12th grader Solomon Griffith, 5th grade teacher Bethany Kiefer, 8th grader Alli Lushina, 5th grader Lydia McCarthy, 12th grader Joshua Mizrahi, and PreK2 teacher Nicole Warriner. Staff member Kelly Flynn sang the worship song “Clean” by Natalie Grant and faculty member Zach Monroe offered the closing prayer, emphasizing the theme of this year’s National Day of Prayer — to importance of showing show love to one another through our actions and words.

The 4th grade classes, led by faculty members Sherree Hoover and Eric Tardif, visited the New Jersey Statehouse and the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton on April 17 to dig deeper into their study of New Jersey’s rich history dating back to colonial times and to get a better understanding of how our state government works.

The students toured the Statehouse and visited the General Assembly and Senate Chambers. In the adjacent State House Annex building, the students participated in the “Make a Law” program, where they assumed the role of lawmakers and simulated an Assembly debate about a bill that would ban the use of metal bats in youth baseball and softball league games. After lunch, the students went back in time to the days of the Revolutionary War and visited the Old Barracks Museum. The students were sworn in as soldiers in the Continental Army and experienced a snapshot of a soldier’s life, including lining up for roll call, trying on Army uniforms, and hearing a colonial nurse explain what they would have experienced if they were inoculated for smallpox. The students also learned about the games that children played in colonial times and had fun outdoors trying out the rolling hoop and stick game.

The school garden and greenhouse have become new outdoor classrooms and two high school classes — Intro to Horticulture and Woodworking — are taking roles in their development. Students in Mr. Genter’s Intro to Horticulture, a new class this semester,  planted onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapenos, and tomatoes from seed in January in their classroom, and have been waiting until the warmer spring weather this month to transfer them to the greenhouse and the garden. Mr. Genter said the plan is to harvest the vegetables that grow and to give them to the Cooking Class to make homemade salsa. His students have also been learning about growing plants from cuttings, including red hibiscus and Rose of Sharon, and the new plants will be replanted this spring in a new butterfly garden.  

Mr. Carney’s Woodworking class has been building sturdy potting tables for the greenhouse. Funding for the tables came from a recent grant from AtlantiCare Healthy Schools. The class has completed two plywood nearly 8-foot-long, two-level tables and are working on a third multi-height table that will accommodate all ages of students.

The students in Mr. Genter’s horticulture class — Max Bai, Joshua Guevara, Francis Mensah, and Rose Shaw — were also busy last week setting up storage racks in the greenhouse and filling raised beds in the school garden with new soil in preparation for planting later this month. The storage racks, potting soil, and mulch were recently donated to ACS.  The students in woodworking class are Max Bai, Olivia Chapman, Amanda Chau, Andrea Cores, Josephine D’Anna, Lauren Harmon, Constantine Jiang, Cole Johnson, Luke Johnson, Daniel Kim, and Imohimi Unuigbe.

The high school spring sports season for the Varsity Boys’ baseball team and the Varsity Girls’ softball team is off to a strong start. After playing several pre-season scrimmage and non-league games, the Varsity Boys’ Baseball team is 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC). The Varsity Boys’ Baseball team has been the TSCAC champions for the past three years and is aiming for a winning season again this year. Last year, the Varsity Girls’ softball team was undefeated in the TSCAC in the regular season, but lost in the playoffs and finished in 3rd place. The team is aiming for success this season as well, with a 3-0 conference record to date and a 3-2 record overall.

This Saturday, April 6, the Varsity Baseball team is hosting West-Mont Christian Academy from Pottstown, PA at home in a non-league game that starts at 2 p.m. Next week, Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, ACS will be playing in a baseball/softball tournament hosted by Doane Academy in Burlington. The Middle School baseball and softball teams will play their first games next week at home — MS Girls’ softball on Tuesday, April 9 at 4:00 p.m. against Gloucester County Christian School and MS Boys’ baseball on Thursday, April 11 at 3:45 p.m. against Pilgrim Academy. Come on out and cheer for our Cougars!

Here’s a few highlights from this week’s games. In Thursday’s away game at Pilgrim Academy, 11th grader Jiajie “Fiona” Xiao hit a triple in the top of the 7th inning to score the tying run and then the Varsity Girls’ Softball team went on to win the game. 11th grader Lauren Harmon was the winning pitcher. 10th grader Chloe Vogel went 4-4 with 2 doubles, 10th grader Olivia Chapman went 3-3 with one double and one triple, and 10th grader Sydney Pearson went 3-4 with key hits for the Cougars. Also on Thursday, the ACS Varsity Boys’ baseball team defeated Pilgrim Academy by a score of 7-5. Senior Solomon Griffith led the Cougars with two hits, including a home run, 4 runs scored, and 2 RBIs. Winning pitcher Luke Phillips also added a home run and 2 runs scored. Senior Ryan Lomangino had 2 hits. 

Faculty member Ray Picking is in his 6th year as head coach of the Varsity Boys’ baseball team, assisted by ACS parents Kevin Iaconelli and Carl Phillips and ACS alumni parent Charlie Rhodes. Staff member Dara Kimmerley is in her 4th year as head coach of the Varsity Girls’ softball team, assisted by ACS parents Lori Pearson and Terry Vogel.

The 13 players on the Varsity Boys’ Baseball team, pictured above, are: Ian Iaconelli, Elijah Chapman, Andres Cores, Solomon Griffith, Luke Johnson, Cole Lewis, Ryan Lomangino, Ben Noble, Luke Phillips, Daniel Roland, Dalton Sage, Quinn Schrag, and Alex Wang. The 13 players on the Varsity Girls’ Softball team, pictured above, are: Autumn Brewer, Olivia Chapman, Andrea Cores, Kayla DeNick, Shelby Einwechter, Lauren Harmon, Emily Kelley, Amy Ki, Mia Liggins, Sydney Pearson, Hannah Urbaczewki, Chloe Vogel, and Fiona Xiao.

Actor Kirk Cameron, the teenage heart-throb Mike Seaver from the ‘80s hit show “Growing Pains” and star of the Left Behind series, Fireproof, and dozens of other TV shows and movies, was the keynote speaker at Atlantic Christian School’s 6^th annual Legacy Gala on Friday, March 29 at the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel in Atlantic City. 

Atlantic Christian Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, joined by several students on stage, presented Cameron with an original painting by 12^th grader Rebekah Darragh, with a plaque congratulating him for his exemplary legacy of faith and service over the past 34 years.

“Mr. Cameron has lived his life with a focused and resolute commitment to serving God with the gifts and abilities he has been given,” Oblen said. “Our school family and friends in the community have been inspired and encouraged by his faith story and his passion for spiritual revival in our country.”

The painting gifted to Cameron depicts three young people seated around a campfire in a forest setting with the Bible verse from Matthew 18:20 written in script above – “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 12^th grader Solomon Griffith, who introduced Cameron during the Gala, noted that the painting was inspired by Cameron’s important ministry with Camp Firefly, an all-expenses-paid summer camp for terminally ill children and their families located in Georgia.

During his remarks to nearly 300 guests at the Gala, Cameron shared the experiences that led to his conversion from being an atheist to accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior at the age 17, during the height of his fame on “Growing Pains.”

“I can tell you that of all the things I’ve ever done in my life, of all the people that I’ve met, all the cool places that I’ve been, that there’s nothing in the world that is more important today than the joy of knowing Christ and of being in a right relationship with my maker,” Cameron said. In addition to sharing his faith story at the Gala, Cameron said he enjoyed having the opportunity to worship with and speak to Atlantic Christian students at their 6th-12th grade chapel earlier that afternoon. “If I lived here, this is the kind of school that I would put my kids in,” said Cameron, who has six children, three of whom are teenagers.

Over the years, Cameron’s faith has inspired him to be involved in documentaries and movies that have given hope and inspiration, shared the message of the gospel, and even provided a historical perspective on the important contributions of the Pilgrims to America, as told in his film “Monumental.”

Cameron spoke passionately about the focus of that film, a little-known, 81-foot-high granite monument located in Massachusetts near Plymouth Rock, known as the “National Monument to the Forefathers.” He described the Pilgrims as “out of the box, free-thinking, trail-blazing Christians” and that their legacy as depicted in the national monument provides the “secret sauce” or roadmap for helping America return to its Biblical, faith-based foundation for morals, laws, and education. “One part of this monument shows that when you educate your children with a Biblical worldview, the product will be liberty and freedom,” Cameron said.

Cameron had 500 replica statues made of the monument and presented Oblen with one of them, thanking her “for your devotion and your passion for educating the next generation.” Cameron said he has also given the monument replica statue, which stands 14 inches high, to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and to other school principals, pastors, and people across America involved in shaping hearts and minds.

In addition to Cameron’s keynote address, the Gala program included oral and musical presentations by ACS students and Board Chair Doug Pearson announced the 2019 Servant’s Heart Award recipients. 12th grader Caraline Winkel opened the Gala program with prayer. The “Take Note” high school vocal ensemble, led by Choral and Instrumental Music Director Jaron Beadle, gave an uplifting performance of Lauren Daigle’s “Love Like This” and “Better Is One Day” by Matt Redman. The ensemble recently had the memorable experience of performing at Daigle’s sold-out concert in Carnegie Hall as part of a select choir. The ensemble members were: Elizabeth Alford, Asher Dawkins, Emily Elgersma, Amy (Hyewon) Ki, Rebekah Kimmerley, Shermia Liggins, Ashleigh Martin, Ayolola Oguntuase, Sydney Pearson, and Imohimi Unuigbe.

Seniors Rebekah Darragh and Julia (Jia Wei) Wong presented their winning essays that described a platform, gift, or ability that God has given them to use to impact others for Christ. Rebekah spoke about her abilities as an artist and her career goal to bless others through the field of art therapy. Julia, an international student from Malaysia, talked about how her fluency in different languages, including Malaysian, Mandarin, and English, has given her opportunities to share her faith with others.

ACS was pleased to recognize and honor the recipients of the 2019 Servant’s Heart Awards during the Legacy Gala program on March 29. The awardees were — ACS school parents Steve and Krisann Breunig, ACS grandparent Rudy Dalinger, and ACS school parent Polly Ellison. Board of Directors’ Chair Doug Pearson presented a plaque to each recipient during the program. The award, established in 2002, recognizes the valuable service of individuals and businesses that have provided their time, talents, and expertise to advance the mission of Atlantic Christian School.

As he presented the plaque to Steve and Krisann Breunig, Pearson praised them for serving in a variety of ways over the past 20 years — on the Parent Teacher Fellowship, on Board committees, leading Bible studies, and coaching middle school basketball, to name a few. Three of their four children — Sterling, Kaylee, and Elliot — are now ACS alumni and their youngest son, Spencer, will graduate in June. “You have quietly served behind the scenes, leading by example, and thus encouraged others to serve,” Pearson said.

Pearson thanked ACS grandparent Rudy Dalinger for his valuable service since 1998, when his granddaughter Ashleigh Ayres started at ACS in kindergarten. An avid golfer, Dalinger participated in every ACS Golf Marathon and tournament and volunteered on the Legacy Gala Committee for the past six years, thereby helping raise thousands of dollars for the ACS Annual Fund. He also served for six years on the Board of Directors and held the position of Vice Chair. His grandson, Rudy, will graduate this June.

Pearson said ACS parent Polly Ellison was deserving of the award because she epitomizes what it means to demonstrate “joy in serving.” Polly and husband, Tom, enrolled their son, Tommy, in kindergarten in 2011, and since that time she has been a constant volunteer — at school special events, for Parent Teacher Fellowship fundraisers and monthly teacher/staff lunches, and cheering and supporting our athletic teams. “Polly has a special talent for building relationships with new parents and has encouraged many of them to serve at ACS as well,” Pearson said.

We’re looking forward to welcoming Kirk Cameron at our ACS Legacy Gala tomorrow night. Please pray with us that the message shared by Mr. Cameron will reach hearts with the salvation message and that the Gala will be a successful fundraiser for ACS.  If you are unable to attend the Gala, you can still make a gift to the ACS Annual Fund and help support our school.

Those attending the Gala will have the opportunity to participate in our Silent Auction. There will be something for everyone in the family — the angler, golfer, cook, bird lover — and lots of packages for date nights and family outings to water parks, museums, Escape Rooms, a Phillies game, the theater, and more.  Here’s a sneak preview of some of the items up for bid:

• Theater Lovers Package – Tickets to Ritz and Levoy Theaters
  
• Phillies Tickets — Seats and parking
• Philly Excursion — Tickets to Longwood Gardens and the National Constitution Center
• Lancaster, PA — Tickets to “Jesus” at Sight and Sound Theater
• Restaurant Gift Card and Tasty Food Packages
• Golf Outings — Packages at Greate Bay, Harbor Pines, and McCullough’s Golf Clubs.
• NASCAR tickets to Dover, DE International Speedway
• Jewelry
• Tilton Fitness Club Membership
• Kirk Cameron Movie Collection Package

Our new after-school Elementary Garden Club kicked off its first class this week outdoors in the school greenhouse and garden and got busy planting basil, cilantro, and chives into seed trays and filling raised beds with new soil. The raised garden beds are located on either side of the new greenhouse. The Garden Club advisors are 5th grade teacher Bethany Kiefer and 4th grade teacher Eric Tardif.

“We’re thrilled that 19 students came out for our first class this week and they’re excited about developing their green thumbs,” said Mrs. Kiefer. She said once the herbs have taken root and the last frost has passed they will be planted in the garden beds. Mr. Tardif said the students will be watering, weeding, and learning about how to grow plants organically, in pesticide-free soil. The club for 1st-5th grade students will be meeting Tuesdays from 3:15-4:15 p.m.

ACS is grateful for several donations that have helped launch the new club. AtlantiCare Healthy Schools provided a grant to build the greenhouse and the raised garden beds. ACE Hardware in Egg Township donated seed trays and seeds. ACS parent Kelly Ann Shaw donated and delivered new topsoil for the garden beds and potting soil was acquired from the now shuttered Patcong Farms.

11th grader Paige Hoover was recently selected to receive Widener University’s High School Leadership Award and on Thursday, March 28 she attended a ceremony for award recipients at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Paige was among 163 students selected from high schools in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to receive this highly-competitive award. Paige was nominated for the award by Upper School Principal Meg McHale, upon recommendation from faculty members. The award criteria called for students to be nominated “for their abilities to stand up for what is right, address a wrong, and make a difference in their communities or schools.” McHale and Paige’s mother and ACS faculty member, Sherree Hoover, also attended the awards ceremony.

As the next step, Paige will be invited to a full-day leadership workshop in the fall at Widener University’s campus in Chester, Pennsylvania. Paige will also receive a $20,000 scholarship to Widener University over four years and will be named an Apogee Scholar should she decide to enroll at Widener. The leadership awards program was launched in 2011 by Widener University and WCAU-NBC 10 to recognize high school students in the region who embody the university’s commitment to develop and inspire leaders to affect positive change.

11th grader Emily Elgersma and 10th grader Sydney Pearson represented ACS at a young women’s Leadership Luncheon on Wednesday, March 27 sponsored by Amy Gatto, chairwoman of the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Emily and Sydney were among 30 female students from area high schools who attended the luncheon, chosen by their teachers and principals for exhibiting leadership at their school and in the community. The luncheon, in celebration of Women’s History Month, was co-hosted with the Atlantic County Commission on Women, and was held at the Atlantic Cape Community College campus. Upper School Principal Meg McHale accompanied Emily and Sydney to the event.

Sydney and Emily were both featured as part of an article about the leadership event in today’s March 28 issue of the Press of Atlantic City.
CLICK HERE to read the article.

Fourth grade teacher Eric Tardif and 2nd grade teacher Amy Williams are enjoying their new teacher desks — recently donated by the W.S. Goff Company, which specializes in office furniture and interiors. The surprise donation was facilitated by ACS parent Darryl Welch, who works for the company.

“Getting a new desk was such an unexpected blessing and now I have lots of surface area to spread out and organize various student projects,” Mr. Tardif said. Ms. Williams also received a matching storage cabinet and added her own personal touch to the front of her desk — a scripture verse from Zephaniah 3:17 — “The Lord your God is with you, he is might to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Ms. Williams said she wanted this verse to be a daily reminder to herself and her students of how much God loves and cares for each of us.

The Student Council will soon be launching a service project to build a “Buddy Bench” out of recycled bottle caps for our elementary playground. To get the project underway, the Student Council is collecting empty 3-gallon or 5-gallon plastic water jugs for each 6th-12th grade homeroom to use to collect bottle caps that will be recycled and used to build a sturdy playground bench. There will be a contest among the homerooms to encourage participation. Eight 3-gallon or 5-gallon water dispenser bottles are needed.

The water bottles could be provided on a loan basis until June and then could be returned to their owners, according to faculty member Dave Genter, who is the Student Council Advisor. Mr. Genter said the goal will be to collect 400 pounds of plastic bottle caps to build one bench. Water jugs can be dropped off in the school office. For any questions, please contact Mr. Genter at dgenter@acseht.org.

Our 6th annual Legacy Gala with keynote speaker Kirk Cameron is just one week away!  Only two days remain to purchase your tickets. Online sales will end 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. All proceeds will benefit our school’s educational programs.

TO PURCHASE GALA TICKETS, SPONSORSHIPS, ADS

“Jesus Loves You; Forgive; You Matter; Peace Be With You” — These are just a few of the words of truth, love, and inspiration from the Bible that the students in Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class painted onto river rocks this week. The rocks that will be placed outside on our school campus grounds. Mrs. McCarthy asked the students to participate in the “Kindness Rock Project” at the conclusion of their science unit on rocks.

“This is a great example of how we are able to integrate God’s word into every subject, including science, math, and much more,” said Mrs. McCarthy. “We will also be spreading a little joy to our students, their families, and visitors who spend time outdoors on our campus.” Mrs. Fosbenner said her 3rd grade class also plans to participate in the project next week, painting additional rocks with encouraging messages.