A new, student-led prayer group has been formed and is welcoming high school students, faculty/staff, and school families to participate. The prayer group is being spearheaded by 11th grade class chaplain Mariyah Black and senior Brianna Lomangino. The meetings are on Wednesdays after school from 3:15-4:15 p.m. and on Fridays during lunch from 11:40 a.m.-12:05 p.m. The group meets in Room 200, now known as the “War Room,” after last year’s senior class transformed the classroom into a special place for students to gather for prayer and Bible study. For additional information, please contact faculty member Gail McConnell at gmcconnell@acseht.org.

Students in Mrs. Ruby Lewis’ middle school cooking class harvested fresh parsley from the school garden on Tuesday and then incorporated the parsley and other fresh vegetables in a delicious Middle Eastern taboule salad. The students practiced their chopping skills as they prepared the parsley, tomatoes, scallions, and other vegetables and mixed it with  cooked quinoa. The students pictured participating in the class are Micah Bird, Maddie DeNick, Eva Elgersma, James Harris, Brandan McKinnon, Luke Phillips, and Allison Schlundt.

The parsley was the last produce item to be picked from the school garden this fall. Thanks to a recent donation of seeds and peat starter pots from Lowe’s, students at various grade levels will be involved in planting new herbs and vegetables in their classrooms in the spring and then replanting the seedlings in the garden.

“Think like a scientist” — that’s the message that Middle School science teacher Mr. Jim Ennis emphasizes each day with his students. 7th grade science students had an opportunity to put that motto into practice this month as they created colorful, 3-D models of plant and animal cells for a class project. The models, many of them made out of styrofoam, are now on display in the hallway outside their first floor classroom. Students could choose to display a plant or animal cell and were also required to provide a written report with details about the structure and critical role of all the parts of their chosen cell. The students pictured with their models are: Elizabeth Alford, Gabrielle Gibbs, Faith Gracia, Joshua Guevara, George Harmon, Cole Lewis, Markus Lewis, Julianna Nardone, Amber Ramos, and Quinn Schrag.

Congratulations to the Lady Cougars for winning the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, November 5 beating Pilgrim Academy 3-0. What a spectacular way to finish off an undefeated season and make ACS history as the first womens’ soccer team to be conference champion. Senior Dakota Hitchner, the top scorer for the Cougars, was presented with the prestigious conference  MVP award and five other players were named to the TSCAC All-Star team — seniors Shannon Murphy, goalie, and Tola Oguntuase (1st team),  juniors Kaitlyn Kelley and Abby Vogel (2nd team), and sophomore Lola Oguntuase (2nd team). Hitchner scored two goals in the championship game, both assisted by Vogel, and sophomore Becca Darragh scored one.  Thank you to Carly Witherow, an ACS alumnus (’08) in her third year as head coach, for an exciting and memorable season.

The Mens’ Varsity Soccer team lost 8-3 to Cumberland Christian in the first round of the playoffs on November 1 and finished fifth in the conference with a 2-8 record. Junior Matthew Castellane, senior Justin Choi, and sophomore Suhyun (Danny) Lee each scored one goal in the playoff game. Lee and two other ACS team members were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team — senior Carl Phillips (2nd team) and freshman Ben Noble (alternate).  Athletic Director Chris Eaton, in his first year as head coach, said it was a growing year for a young team that will need to continue learning to spread the field and strengthen its defensive line.

The Middle School Soccer season ended last week and while the scoreboard did not always favor ACS, it was evident that the young players made a lot of progress in their skill level and teamwork. The MS Boys’ team, led by Ricardo Leon in his first year as head coach, finished with a 3-7 record. The MS Girls’ team, led by Casey Hopwood in her third year as head coach, won its final game 2-0 against the Jordan Road School in Somers Point on November 1 and ended the season with a winning record of 6-5-1. Thank you to the parents and friends who cheered from the sidelines and helped with transportation to games. We appreciate you!

Lifetouch National School Studios will be back at ACS this coming Monday, November 14 for school picture make-up day. Students who wish to retake their school picture may do so on this day. Also any student who was absent for the first round of picture-taking may take their photo on Monday.

If you decide to retake the photo, please have your child bring back to school the packet of school pictures sent home this week which must be given to the Lifetouch photographer prior to their picture being retaken.

School pictures can be purchased using an order form available in the school office or by ordering online with Lifetouch. Please consult an email sent to parents on Tuesday, November 8 for detailed information on the online ordering. For any additional questions, please contact Mrs. DeNick at sdenick@acseht.org or 609-653-1199, ext. 316.

Students in the fall after-school Dance class pointed their toes, twirled, leaped, and performed demi-plies for parents and friends at their showcase on Wednesday, November 9 in the Multi-Purpose Room. The showcase was the culmination of a six-week dance session where students from kindergarten to the 4th grade met on Wednesday afternoons to learn ballet, tap, and jazz and learned basic steps, techniques, and terminology. The class was led by instructor Marilyn McElroy of Dance Forum South.

“Crazy for Crafts” is a new after-school class that will begin on Monday, November 14. Meredith Punt of The Clay Station will be leading this three-class session, which is open to K-5 students. Classes will be held from 3:15-4:30 p.m. Class fee is $70. The full schedule of fall classes is also posted on the website. Classes are open to ACS students and non-ACS students.

ACS elementary students participated in a mock presidential election on Tuesday organized by Mrs. Hoover’s 4th grade class. The students distributed ballots to each class. In some classes, students placed yellow cardboard barriers around their desks (pictured at left) to create the privacy of a voting booth. After voting, the ballots were placed in sealed envelopes and delivered to the 4th grade classroom. The students counted the votes and in the final tally Donald Trump was the winner with 107 votes and Hillary Clinton received 47 votes.  Another 20 ballots cast had a variety of write-in names.

Mrs. Hoover said the students had spent last week learning about the steps that presidential candidates take on the road to the White House and compared and contrasted the positions of the Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton on three issues — jobs, defense, and immigration. The Scholastic Magazine was used as a class resource and provided the sample paper ballot. On Wednesday, Mrs. Hoover said the students had a lively discussion about the results of the election and talked about the importance of having a gracious and respectful attitude whether one is the winner or the loser.

Legacy Forum keynote speaker Jeff Bowen shared his expertise in the field of conflict resolution with some 30 ACS parents, faculty/staff, and friends in the community on Friday, November 4. During the free educational event, Mr. Bowen drew upon more than 35 years of experience in the corporate world and pastoral ministry to present practical, biblically-based steps to resolve conflict. “You are not here by accident,” Mr. Bowen said. “God has something for you tonight to help you work through a situation that you are facing.” For part of his presentation, Mr. Bowen focused on verses in Matthew 18  that he said provided an excellent guideline to follow to constructively resolve conflict.

ACS will sponsor a second Legacy Forum on Friday, February 24, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Charles Roche, II, with Shore Physicians Group, will speak on the topic of “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: 10 Tips to Achieve Family Wellness.”

Pick a leaf, any leaf, and tell me what you see? The students in Mrs. Fosbenner’s third grade class asked and answered that question as part of their fall science project now on display in the hallway outside their classroom. As the students examined the 10 leaves that each of them had collected, pressed, and mounted in their project notebooks, they noticed the variety of shapes, colors, and surface textures. But they also learned something even more profound — that God’s creativity can be seen in the unique design of every leaf. “The students realized that even in something as simple as a leaf we can see that our God is a very creative God,” said Mrs. Fosbenner. Students were also required to incorporate at least one Bible verse and one poem about leaves and plants in their notebook and give an oral class presentation about their favorite leaf. The students pictured at right proudly displaying their leaf projects are, from left: Mikayla Cubbage, Graham Schlemo, Amelia D’Anna, and Noah Engle.

ACS gave a warm welcome to 44 students from the 1st to 12th grades who visited the school on Tuesday, November 8 as part of “Friend Day.”  A number of area schools were closed on Tuesday, making it an ideal day for ACS students to invite their friends to visit ACS.  The visiting students shadowed their friends in a variety of classes and activities, including playing addition bingo in Mrs. Williams’ second grade class, running on the track during PE, learning how to draw flag images in the computer lab, and enjoying lunch together. Friend Day is organized by the Admissions Department and seeks to give students interested in attending ACS an opportunity to experience first-hand a day in the life of an ACS student.

ACS students gathered for an all-school chapel on Friday, November to honor and remember the sacrifices made by America’s veterans. Nearly 40 veterans from every branch of the service, including parents, grandparents, and great grandparents of ACS students, attended the chapel. Members of the elementary Servant’s Heart Club greeted the veterans when they arrived and gave them patriotic paper lanyards and thank-you cards made by the club members.  Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen opened the program with prayer and asked the veterans to stand and be recognized by their branch of service, prompting an appreciative round of applause from the students.

Two members of the ACS Boy Scout Troop 389 presented the colors and led the salute to the American flag. The varied program continued with patriotic musical presentations by the 5th-12th grade band and the kindergarten, second, and third grade classes. The preschool students made a special gift presentation to each veteran of a hand-made thank-you card with red, white, and blue hearts and the 5th grade worship team got everyone on their feet, moving and clapping along for their performance of “Our God.”

U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Chase Myers, who is stationed at the Joint Base near Trenton and was deployed in Kuwait and Iraq in 2015, gave the keynote remarks.  He talked about the courage, sacrifices, and hardships that veterans make serving both in war and peacetime. “Most elements of a life in the armed forces carry some risk, and our veterans accept that risk with pride,” Myers said. “As Christians, this isn’t a foreign concept. Giving up your life for something greater is what being a Christian is all about.” Myers encouraged the students that if they see or meet a veteran to be sure to thank them for their service, noting that less than 1 percent of Americans serve in the military. “Veterans provide a vital service to this country that very few are willing to do.”

After the chapel program, groups of students gathered to talk with some of the veterans and ask questions about their time in the service. ACS grandparent Donald Mazak, who was a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1966-1972, talked about his experiences while stationed in Da’nang in Vietnam with students in Mrs. Ash’s 5th grade class.

Some 350 students from preschool to the 8th grade, joined by teachers, staff, and family members, participated in our Race for Education on Friday, October 28.  Thank you to the hundreds of family members, friends, and local businesses who sponsored our students and,  to date, have donated over $19,400 to support our school programs. With donations still being received, we are confident we will reach our fund-raising goal of $20,000 for this popular annual fund-raiser.

After their one hour of walking, jogging, or running on the track, the PreK3 and PreK4 classes and the elementary students participated in Harvest Festival activities. Each student received a goody bag assembled by the “Making a Difference” middle school elective class that was filled with snack treats donated by ACS parents. A favorite festival activity included taking a wagon ride to an ACS “pumpkin patch,” filled with pumpkins from Victory Farms in Galloway. After picking their own pumpkin, each student had the opportunity to decorate it.  The 4^th and 5^th graders went on a scavenger hunt that took them all around the ACS athletic fields.  Other activities included playing music games with Mrs. Rosie and visiting the Model Train exhibit in an annex building on campus.

The Middle School students had a different Race experience as they participated in a “Color Run.”  As they ran around the track, colored powder was thrown at or on them. Most students loved it and wanted as much color to land on their clothes, hair, and face as possible.

Thank you to the many volunteers who helped set up our pumpkin patch, man the water station, count laps for the students, and assist at the Harvest Festival activity stations.  We would like to thank alumni parents Randy and Lynn Pricskett of Sleepy Hollow Campground for taking the students on an adventure ride to the pumpkin patch in their large, tractor-pulled wagon and providing picnic lunch tables.  We would also like to thank the Parent Teacher Fellowship for organizing the hot dog lunch for the students and ACS parent David Santos for taking photographs throughout the day.

Congratulations to the ACS Varsity Womens’ Soccer Team for winning its playoff game on Thursday 3-0 at home against Calvary Christian and advancing to the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday. Senior Dakota Hitchner scored two goals and senior Tola Oguntuase scored one, with senior goalie Shannon Murphy making two strong saves in the final minutes of the game, including blocking a penalty kick.

The Lady Cougars beat Calvary 2-0 on Monday to finish the regular season undefeated with a 10-0 record and in first place in the TSCAC. Hats off to Mrs. Carly Witherow, in her third year as head coach, and her outstanding team that has become the first ACS womens’ soccer team in school history to finish the regular season undefeated and in first place. Come out and cheer on the Lady Cougars in the championship game as they face off against Pilgrim Academy at 5 p.m. on Saturday at South Delsea Drive Park, 152 S. Delsea Drive in Glassboro.

The season for the Varsity Mens’ Soccer Team ended on Tuesday with an 8-3 loss to Cumberland Christian School in the first round of the playoffs. Junior Matthew Castellane, senior Justin Choi, and sophomore Danny Lee scored one goal each and goalie Elijah Chapman made 25 saves. The team, led by head coach Chris Eaton, ended the season with a 2-8 record.  The middle school boys’ soccer team, under head coach Ricardo Leon, and the middle school girls’ soccer team, led by head coach Casey Harper, also concluded their seasons this week. Thank you to our dedicated parents for your commitment, support, and encouragement and to ACS parent Terri Vogel and other volunteers who sold concessions at our home games to help support our athletic programs.

The ACS Athletic Department is reaching out to local businesses with a new opportunity to sponsor a banner sign to hang in the school gym or on a baseball field fence.  The 3′ x 5′ vinyl signs can be sponsored for one or two years. The price to sponsor a banner sign in the gym or at a baseball field for one year is $300 and for two years is $500.  Package prices are also available. The deadline to place an order is Friday, December 2.  All proceeds will benefit the school’s athletic programs.  Help us spread the word to businesses that you patronize. The sponsorship form is posted on the ACS website and is available in the school office. Please contact Athletic Director Chris Eaton with any questions at 609-653-1199, ext. 315 or ceaton@acseht.org.

The Varsity Girls’ soccer team continued its winning streak this week, defeating Calvary Academy 5-0 at home on Tuesday and remaining undefeated with a 9-0 record. Junior Abby Vogel scored three goals and sophomore Lola Oguntuase scored two, with Dakota Hitchner posting two assists. Senior goalie Shanon Murphy made five saves.  The Lady Cougars are playing a non-league game today away at St. Joe’s  and will play their last regular season game on Monday, October 31 at an away game against Calvary. The Varsity Boys’ team lost on Tuesday to Calvary 1-3, with junior Ji Seung (Jay) Lee scoring the one goal for the Cougars. The Boys will play in a tournament today and Saturday hosted by Pilgrim Academy. ACS will play Calvary (of Old Bridge) today at Pilgrim’s field, starting at 4 p.m.  Go Cougars!

In Middle School action, the MS Girls lost three close games this week, 0-2 against Hamilton Township, 0-1 against Jordan Road School in Northfield, and 0-1 against Galloway. They will play their last game of the season on Tuesday, November 1 in an away game against the Jordan Road. The MS Boys’ away game at Bishop McHugh on Thursday was cancelled and is being rescheduled.

Playoff Week: Next week is playoff week in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference culminating in the championship games on Saturday, November 5.  The Varsity Boys will play away at Baptist Regional on Tuesday, November 1 in the first round playoff game. The Varsity Girls have a bye on Tuesday and will play at home on Thursday, November 3 against the winner of the first round of playoffs on Tuesday. The game will begin at 3:00 p.m.   The championship and consolation games on November 5 will be played at South Delsea Drive Park located at 152 S. Delsea Drive in Glassboro. Details on next week’s playoff games will be posted on the school’s website under the “Athletics” tab. 

ACS honored its six senior players on the Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ soccer teams and their parents in a special ceremony on Tuesday, October 25. The ceremony was held prior to the start of the home game against Calvary Christian. The Varsity Boys’ Coach Chris Eaton and the Varsity Girls’ Coach Carly Witherow recognized and thanked each of the players for their unique contributions to the team. The senior players were Justin Choi, Dakota Hitchner, Shannon Murphy, Tola Oguntuase, Carl Phillips, and Mike Zhu.

Also on hand to encourage the soccer team were members of the elementary intramural cheerleading squad that made its debut at the game. Members of the squad, who were coached by Mrs. Morgan Gibson, were Natalie Dickson, Autumn Henson (not pictured), Sydney Ryan, Isabella Santos, and Kalee Tardif. The squad performed cheers, chants, and pom-pom routines during the Varsity Boys’ game. Coach Gibson will be offering a new intramural cheerleading session for the basketball season.

From pink socks and hair bands to pink shirts and shoelaces, ACS students, faculty, and staff enthusiastically participated in Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Thursday, October 27. The fundraiser sponsored by the Student Council brought in over $300 that will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Thank you for your support!

The Missions Club would like to thank everyone that purchased a Boscov’s discount shopping coupon!  All proceeds are going to help our students raise funds for their upcoming spring trips to Haiti, Nashville, Tennessee, and Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

This week, the Missions Club is kicking off its next phase of fund-raising — selling coffee from the Caribbean, prayer bracelets from the Dominican Republic, and baked goods. From now until early December, Missions Club members will have a table set up at the front entrance of the school at dismissal time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  The coffee is being supplied by Praying Pelican Mission that has helped several Christian coffee farmers in the Caribbean form their own coffee co-op. Purchasing this coffee not only helps ACS missions, but also helps the Caribbean farmers break the cycle of poverty by selling their coffee directly. For additional information, contact Mr. Genter at dgenter@acseht.org or an missions club member.

Preschool Learns About Community Helpers

Our preschool students have been learning all about community helpers for the past two weeks and even had a special day to dress up as a community helper. Thank you to three school parents who visited our classrooms and explained to the students the important jobs they do in our community. Egg Harbor Township police officer Cherie Burgan visited Miss Karissa’s PreK3 class. Mrs. Medley, a school principal in Pleasantville, and Mrs. Martin, who works with the needy as a store clerk in a local thrift shop, visited Miss Teresa’s PreK4 class. Mrs. Martin gave each student a blue blanket to take home to help them remember to pray for people who might not have a blanket or a bed to sleep on at night. Mrs. Medley read them a story and gave each student a scented “Frozen” pencil.

Kindergarten Mother Goose Party

Little Red Riding Hood, Little Boy Blue, the Mad Hatter, and Little Bo Beep came to life on Friday,  October 21 as our kindergarten students dressed up as nursery rhyme or fairy-tale characters. The students showed off their costumes in a parade through the school’s elementary classroom hallways, ending in the Multi-Purpose Room where they celebrated with a Mother Goose Party. The party menu featured healthy versions of food pulled right from the nursery rhymes, including Humpty Dumpty hard boiled eggs, Jack and the Beanstalk green beans and dip, Jack and Jill water, and Peter Pumpkin Eater pumpkin dip. Thank you to all the parents who helped provide the creative and nutritious treats.

2nd Graders Explore World of Earthworms, Other Invertebrates

Ever wonder what it feels like to touch an earthworm or have it crawling up your arm? Our second grade students experienced that and more last week as they got a close-up look at earthworms during their science unit on invertebrates. The students did experiments with the earthworms and were introduced to the scientific method of creating an hypothesis to answer various questions such as — do earthworms move toward light or away from it? But the favorite part for students in Miss Vogel’s class, pictured below, was getting to touch the earthworms and letting them crawl on their hands and arms.  The study of invertebrates continued this week in both Miss Vogel’s and Mrs. Williams’ classes with a focus on ants, snails, and spiders.

ACS celebrated Homecoming 2016 on Saturday, October 15 and there were plenty of cheers, hugs, and high-fives to go around. Both the Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ soccer teams posted victories against Cumberland Christian School, 4-3 and 7-0 respectively, and ACS Middle School players won a friendly, co-ed, non-league game 4-1, also against Cumberland Christian.

At half-time during the varsity games, seniors Carl Phillips and Shannon Murphy were presented as Homecoming King and Queen. Joining them in the Homecoming Court were seniors Josh Burns, Mikayla D’Anna, Jasmine Feliciano, Dakota Hitchner, Andrew Jacoby, Rijkaard Thelismond, and Joanna Noto.

Over 100 family members, alumni, and friends of ACS were on hand to participate in the day’s activities, which concluded with a high school Homecoming Dance that evening sponsored by the senior class. ACS kicked off Homecoming in style with a lively pep rally on Friday, October 14.  Students dressed up in the school colors of green and white and decorated posters to show their school spirit. The Varsity Girls’ team sported new green-and-white rugby shirts embroidered with a cougar paw and the team name, which they wore proudly the next day at the Homecoming.

Firefighters and a ladder truck from the Scullville Volunteer Fire Company visited ACS on Friday, October 14. October is National Fire Prevention Month and elementary lead teacher Gail Alford invited the firefighters to give the students a hands-on lesson in practical fire safety and prevention tips. Students from preschool to the 5th grade learned about calling 911 in an emergency, the importance of smoke detectors, and being sure to “Stop, Drop, and Roll” (and cover your face) in the event of a fire. The students also got a close-up look at the different firefighting tools, hoses, and ladders on the truck. Firefighters from Ocean View’s station in Dennis Township also made a presentation in Mrs. Costello’s PreK3 class.

Sixth grade students in Mrs. Coates’ American history class have been learning all about the Civil War, culminating in a class project where each student created a memory box highlighting the life of a person who lived during that era or a Civil War-era event. Last week, the students gave oral presentations where they shared the contents of their boxes with their classmates. Maddie DeNick, pictured below left, dressed up as Harriet Beecher Stowe for her presentation and Jared Johnson, pictured below right, made a memory box in the shape of cabin that was described in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Congratulations to both the Middle School Girls’ and Boys’ teams for winning their games earlier this week. The MS Girls beat Northfield 4-2 at their home game on Wednesday, with 8th grader Serena D’Anna scoring two goals and 8th graders Kami DeNick and Chloe Vogel each scoring 1. The MS Boys won 1-0 in their home game against Cape Trinity on Monday, with 6th grader Tommy Ellison scoring the lone goal. Both the MS Girls and Boys teams will play Pilgrim Academy away on Friday and then participate on Saturday in the Crusader Classic Tournament hosted by Cumberland Christian School.

In Varsity action, the Varsity boys lost 5-1 to Kings Christian at home on Wednesday, with Suhyun (Danny) Lee scoring the one goal for ACS on a penalty kick.  The boys’ and girls’ teams will play at home on Friday against Pilgrim Academy starting at 4:00 p.m.  The Lady Cougars continue to be undefeated this season, with a 7-0 record, and are in first place in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference. Come on out and cheer on our Cougars!

Next week is the last week of regular season games for the Varsity teams and Tuesday, October 25 is Soccer Senior Day. The senior players on both the boys’ and girls’ teams and their parents will be recognized at a special ceremony at 3:45 p.m. The varsity games against Calvary Academy will begin at 4:00 p.m. Additional details on next week’s games and the playoffs can be found on the school’s website under the “Athletics” tab.