Top honors go to 8th grader Sydney Pearson for winning the ACS spelling bee held today on stage in the gym. With fellow students, teachers, and proud parents in the audience, Lead Elementary Teacher Gail Alford got the bee underway among the 10 students in grades 1-8 who had advanced to the school-wide bee by winning classroom spelling bees. The bee went 17 rounds before Sydney correctly spelled “specific” and then clinched the victory by correctly spelling the 107th word in the competition — “bemused.” 3rd grader Amelia D’Anna placed second and 2nd grader Nathanael Thompson came in third. Sydney will go on to represent ACS at the South Jersey Spelling Bee on March 11 where she will compete against students from other public and private schools. Pictured above, from left, are: Nathanael Thompson, Amelia D’Anna, and Sydney Pearson. The other students who competed in the spelling bee were: Leila Alobeidy (1st grade); Kalee Tardif (2nd grade); David O’Donnell (3rd grade); Navaeh Johnson (4th grade); Ryleigh Martin (5th grade); Hunter Jorgenson (6th grade); and Elizabeth Alford (7th grade).

Congratulations to 2nd graders Josiah Christmon and Autumn Henson who are the winners of a coloring contest sponsored by the Country Shore Women’s Club of Upper Township. Students in kindergarten through 3rd grade participated in the contest over the past week. Josiah and Autumn are receiving four tickets to an upcoming performance by the club members of “Winnie the Pooh” at the Upper Township Elementary School March 4 and 5.

ACS presented a congratulatory plaque on Thursday to Sal’s Cafe in Somers Point for being the “Golden Spoon Award Winner” at the 4th Bowls of Hope Soup-Tasting Benefit held on February 4. A creamy New England Clam Chowder prepared by Sal’s Cafe was the top vote-getter among the some 400 people who attended the event. Since winning the award, Sal’s Cafe has added the chowder to its daily menu, according to co-owner Blair Pira. ACS Event Coordinator Jessica Martin presented Blair Pira (left) and his nephew and co-owner Sal Pira (right) with the plaque and thanked them for their participation in the Bowls of Hope. Sal’s Cafe has supported the benefit by donating soup for the past three years of the event. Atlantic Christian School, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, and The Community FoodBank of New Jersey were the beneficiaries of the Bowls of Hope. Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and donated to make this event a success.

The Sophomore Class will be selling whole cakes, pies, breads, trays of brownies and other delicious home-made baked goods at the Upper School Choir’s Diversity Concert on Tuesday, March 14. The old-fashioned-style Bake Sale is a class fund-raiser and is being coordinated by Mrs. Kelly Ann Shaw, whose daughter Rose is in the sophomore class. 10th grade parents and students are being asked to participate in the bake sale by making one or more baked goods. Please contact Mrs. Shaw by phone or email to let her know what you can bring: 609-742-0697 or librarymom03@comcast.net.

Close to 300 guests are already signed up to attend the ACS Legacy Gala on March 31 – now just 5 weeks away! Get your tickets and come out to hear Governor Mike Huckabee share his personal insight and lessons learned over his 35-year career as a pastor, public servant, author, media commentator, and presidential candidate.  We are encouraging ACS families, friends, local businesses, organizations, and churches to support the Gala by being a sponsor or placing an advertisement. The deadline to sponsor or place an ad is Friday, March 17. Remember all proceeds from the Gala go to support ACS educational programs and scholarships.

Individual tickets are $155 each, and a table of 10 is $1,450. Sponsor levels are: Good Samaritan-$2,000; Scholar-$5,000; and Patriot-$10,000. Sponsors will be invited to a private reception with Governor Huckabee. To purchase tickets, go to: iTickets.com/ACSGALA. To be a Gala sponsor or to place an ad in the program book, go to the Legacy Gala page under the Events tab on the ACS website or contact Development Director Carole Karabashian at 609-653-1199, ext. 323.

Students in Mrs. Ash’s 5th grade recently learned about the power of radio and its vital role as a communications tool over the past 100 years. As part of their Language Arts class, the students read a story about the Navajo Codetalkers during World War II who used a secret code through radio transmissions to help win the war. To expand on the lesson, Mrs. Ash invited Don Mazak, grandfather of 5th grader Alex Mazak, to share his knowledge and passion for radio communication with the class. Mr. Mazak was a communications specialist for the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and is an avid ham radio hobbyist.  For his February 16 class presentation, Mr. Mazak brought in various transistors to demonstrate the Morse Code and talked about how people around the world today are able to communicate via ham radios.

Thirty-five pastors and lay leaders from 22 area churches came out for a special all-school chapel on February 15 that celebrated the important role pastors play in the lives of our students. The chapel presentations for Pastor Appreciation Day centered around the theme of “Tell Me Something Good” based on Romans 12:10. The pastors enthusiastically sang and clapped along as different student groups led worship, including the PreK4 classes, the Upper School Worship Team, and the 5th Grade Worship Team with some of its alumni (older students who had once been part of the team). Various students recited from memory or read Bible verses that focused on God’s goodness and finding the good in others. Click here to see the Pastor’s Day photo album on the ACS website.

Senior Joanna Noto spoke about how blessed she felt to have the opportunity to go on missions trips with ACS to show God’s love and share the salvation message in Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and New York City. This spring, she will be going to Haiti.  “I hope to take my love for missions with me for the rest of my life,” Joanna said. Other students read aloud heart-felt messages that fellow students had written expressing their appreciation for their pastors. These hand-written messages were later given to the pastors to keep.

“We hope that you will look at these messages from time to time and be encouraged knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of our students,” said Event Coordinator Jessica Martin, who organized the chapel program. 9th grader Ian Iaconelli asked for God’s blessings on the pastors as he closed the chapel in prayer. Before the chapel, the pastors were treated to breakfast and heard an encouraging message from Pastor Kevin Bernat of New Life Assembly of God in Egg Harbor Township.

ACS and other Christian schools in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) carried out a joint effort the week of February 6-10 to raise funds for cancer research. To promote the cause, ACS students, faculty, staff, and families purchased black T-shirts with a message in pink that read — “Shoot for a Cure: TSCAC Makes a Difference.” At middle school and high school home basketball games that week, ACS collected donations and designated the admission fees collected at the February 10 varsity games against Calvary Christian Academy to go toward the fundraiser. Athletic Director Chris Eaton said the TSCAC will be sending a check to the American Cancer Society representing the total funds raised by ACS and the other TSCAC schools.

Congratulations to senior Shannon Murphy who reached her 1,000th career point Thursday night in a non-league home basketball game against Oakcrest High School. Shannon made a 3-pointer in the first quarter to reach 1,000 points, and finished the game with 10 points.

Shannon has played on the ACS Varsity Girls’ Basketball team for the past four years. In addition to being a top scorer (averaging 11.5 points a game), she has a quick hand on defense, grabbing over 70 steals this season alone, and is a strong rebounder. As a junior, Shannon hit the mark of 500 rebounds and now has over 730 this season.

“Shannon is a very strong athlete who gives her all each game,” said head coach Pam Hitchner. “We are a better team with her on the court and it has blessed by heart to watch her grow in the Lord since I first coached her as a 7th grader.”

ACS students enthusiastically showed their school pride on Friday, February 10 for Green-and-White Day, dressing up in the school colors and cheering on the ACS Varsity basketball players during an afternoon Pep Rally prior to the home games against Calvary Christian Academy.

Last Friday’s Varsity basketball games were also a special night for the senior members of the basketball and cheer teams. ACS honored and thanked the seniors and their parents at half-time, introducing each one and presenting them with flowers. The nine seniors honored were: Mikayla D’Anna, Varsity Girls Manager; Nan Deng, cheer; team captain Dakota Hitchner; Matthew Huang;  team captain Shannon Murphy; team captain Tola Oguntuase; team captain Carl Phillips; Amelia Sray, cheer; and team captain Rijkaard Thelismond.

Students in the Middle School Science Club experienced Newton’s Laws on Motion as part of a fun, winter snow tubing trip on February 4 to Camelback Mountain in the Poconos. Some 35 students and 11 adult chaperones went on the day trip, led by middle school science teacher Jim Ennis. This marked the sixth year that members of this educational, hands-on after-school club have gone on the trip.

Close to 400 people came out for the ACS Bowls of Hope Soup-Tasting Benefit on February 4 and enjoyed  sampling a variety of hot, delicious soups and then voting for their top pick. Sal’s Cafe in Somers Point won both the people’s choice “Golden Spoon Award” and the Chef’s Pick “Souper Soup Award.”  Their New England Clam Chowder chowder took first place out of soups prepared and donated by 14 area restaurants and the Academy of Culinary Arts. Placing second for the “Golden Spoon Award” were Gregory’s Bar and Restaurant in Somers Point with its She Crab Bisque and El Coyote II in Galloway took second in the Chef’s “Souper Soup Award” with its Fiesta Clam Chowder.

ACS families and friends showed their heart-felt support for helping the homeless and needy in our community with an outpouring of canned food donations as part of a January/February food drive spearheaded by the student members of the National Honor Society. The food drive ended the night of the Bowls of Hope. On February 6, Upper School Principal Susan Smith delivered over 260 cans of soup and other non-perishable food items to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Southern Branch. Colette Kraus, Food Sourcing Coordinator, for the FoodBank, met with Mrs. Smith and thanked ACS for its efforts.

Congratulations to the 189 students in grades 1-12 who have been named to the Honor Roll for the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year. Elementary students in grades 1-5 who earned all “As” received the Highest Honors designation and students who received all “A’s” and “B’s received the Honors designation. Middle School and High School students in grades 6-12 who earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 or higher at the end of the school year 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 a complete list of the Honor Roll recipients.

The 8th grade class took a field trip Tuesday to the Atlantic County Courthouse in Mays Landing to dig deeper into their knowledge of the inner workings of America’s judicial system. Middle School social studies teacher Sara Coates arranged the field trip as part of the students’ civics curriculum. The students met Judge Mark Sandson and sat in on a session in drug court, where he reviewed and rendered judgments on some 30 cases involving individuals of a wide variety of ages and socio-economic levels. Judge Sandson spoke with the students before court began and took questions from them after the session ended. He explained the details of the court-monitored drug rehabilitation program and gave an overview of the county-level judicial system. The following day, the students spent time in civics class discussing their reactions to being in a courtroom for the first time. “It was an eye-opening and very impactful experience for them and they’re very excited about doing another field trip to a criminal courtroom where sentencing is done,” Mrs. Coates said.

Congratulations to Boy Scout Troop 389, chartered by Atlantic Christian School, for taking first place at the annual Scout Show for their creative and educational display focused on the theme of sustainability. Dozens of Cub Packs and Boy Scout Troops from across South Jersey participated in the Scout Show, which was held on Saturday, February 4 at the Hamilton Mall. For their winning exhibit, the Scouts in ACS Troop 389 built a display table out of bamboo, an eco-friendly wood and demonstrated how lightweight solar panels can be used outdoors on camping trips in reduce the use of batteries. The scout exhibit also included a home-made hot water heater system that showed how to take the heat from a campfire and recycle it to create hot water in a container for use at a campsite.  The scouts pictured above at their exhibit are: Jacob Campsmith, Kyler Campsmith, ACS 6th grader Hunter Jorgenson, and John Wurzer.  Troop 389, which meets Monday nights at ACS, is open to ACS and non-ACS students and is led by Scoutmaster Peter Karabashian and Assistant Scoutmaster Mike Jorgenson.

Students in grades 1-8 recently competed against their classmates in classroom spelling bees. Congratulations to the 10 top class spellers who will compete in the ACS all-school spelling bee on Friday, February 24. The winner of that bee will represent ACS in a regional spelling bee on March 11 competing against students from other public and private schools. The top classroom spelling bee winners are: Leila Alobeidy (1st grade); Nathanael Thompson and Kalee Tardif (2nd grade); Amelia D’Anna and David O’Donnell (3rd grade); Navaeh Johnson (4th grade); Ryleigh Martin (5th grade); Hunter Jorgenson (6th grade); Elizabeth Alford (7th grade); and Sydney Pearson (8th grade).

ACS international students celebrated Chinese New Year — the Year of the Rooster — with host families and ACS faculty and staff at a dinner party January 28 in the Multi-Purpose Room. The dinner was hosted by the new representative for Ivy International Group, Mr. Juxiang Yang and his wife, Feiyan Liu. Ivy is one of the agencies that assists in bringing high school-age international students to ACS. Mrs. Lei taught everyone how to make Chinese dumplings and with the left-over dough made Chinese noodles.  The buffet dinner also included several other Chinese entrees and brownies topped with fresh strawberries for dessert, courtesy of Mrs. Anne Dice, former ELL teacher and International Student Coordinator.

The high school Student Council and faculty advisor Dave Genter would like to thank everyone who participated in the American Red Cross Blood Drive on Monday, January 30. The Red Cross representatives were very happy with the turn-out and they collected 29 pints of blood. It’s a great feeling to know that all the blood donated will be used to help save lives.

The ACS cheerleading squad is excited to be promoting school spirit at home Varsity and JV basketball games this season. The 12-member squad, comprised of middle and high school students, also hopes to cheer at several middle school home games. The squad began practicing in mid-December and led cheers this week at the January 17 games against Vineland High School. The cheerleaders are now working on a hello cheer to welcome fans at the start of each game and on a half-time routine, according to head coach Morgan Gibson, who is assisted by Kelly Flynn.

ACS has been awarded a $1,500 grant from the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children program to build and install its first greenhouse. The grant check was presented to Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen at an AtlantiCare workshop on Thursday, January 12. Pictured above at the workshop, from left, are Mrs. Oblen and AtlantiCare health educator Amy Hogan.

A geodesic dome-shaped greenhouse is planned, made out of lumber and plexiglass. Students in the high school woodworking class will be building the greenhouse during the spring semester, under the direction of faculty member Drew Carney. The greenhouse, which will be 9 feet high and 18 feet in diameter, will be located adjacent to the current school garden.  A koi pond is also envisioned to be installed in the greenhouse.

“We’re very excited about the new opportunities for hands-on learning that this greenhouse will provide our students, hopefully to get underway in the next school year,” said Mrs. Oblen. “Students at every grade level who are studying life and earth sciences, biology, environmental science, and even culinary arts will benefit from projects in the greenhouse.” In addition, students who attend ACS Cougar Camp during the summer will be able to explore learning opportunities in the greenhouse.

Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen shared highlights and success stories of ACS graduates and current students with members of the Ocean City Exchange Club at their January 9 meeting at Clancy’s by the Bay in Somers Point. Club member Tom Heist introduced Mrs. Oblen and spoke favorably of the  important academic and spiritual foundation that ACS provided for his three children who attended ACS.  Mrs. Oblen noted that ACS and the Exchange Club share a common commitment to serving and giving back to the community. She also thanked the club members for their support dating back to 2003 when ACS was building its school campus on Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township. Pictured above, from left, are Tom Heist, Mrs. Oblen, and Exchange Club President Frank Faverzani.

Thank you to the 23 students and their families in Miss Dawn’s PreK4 class who generously donated items to fill sixteen shoe boxes for the homeless that were distributed on Christmas Eve in Atlantic City.  The shoe boxes were wrapped and handed out in Bryant Park and at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission as part of a larger effort organized by Wellspring Church in Mays Landing. The donated items in the boxes included toiletries, hats, gloves, socks, and small Bibles. Miss Dawn said her class decided to become involved in the shoe box service project for the homeless after reading a Christmas story in class entitled The Sparkle Box by Jill Hardin. The story focuses on honoring Jesus on His birthday by finding ways to serve or give to others.