Thirteen ACS athletes in middle school and high school participated in several cross country meets this fall and finished the season undefeated, in a club program that has been expanding for several years. The ACS team took first place in two 5K meets against King’s Christian School in October and in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference meet on November 6.
“We are building a cross country program in the hopes of making it a full-fledged team sport in the near future,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. “We are very pleased with the success of our athletes this season and look forward to seeing more students participate next year.” Hitchner said King’s Christian School was the only other school in the TSCAC with a cross country program and hopes to see more schools field teams in the future.
At the TSCAC meet on November 6 held at Pilgrim Academy, 12th grader Shane Schweppenheiser took first place in the high school boys’ division, with a time of 24:01, 9th grader Isabel Alford placed first in the high school girls’ division, with a time of 24:03, and 12th grader Caeli Barbour came in a close second, with a time of 24:18. At the middle school level, 7th grader Kalee Tardif won first place in the girls’ division, with a time of 25:48, and 7th grader Ethan Costello placed third in the boys’ division, with a time of 23:15.
Other top runners on the ACS team included 11th grader Cruz Lewis, who took first place in the 5K meet on October 6 against King’s Christian, with a time of 18:23; 9th grader Jayden Sanchez, who finished second in that race, with a time of 20:17; 7th grader Justice Settles, who placed second among middle school boys, with a time of 21:21; and 7th grader Ashlee Alford, who placed first among middle school girls, with a time of 25:26.
As part of Homecoming 2021, ACS also added a new 5K cross country race. PE Teacher Josh Clark, who helped oversee the club, created the course for the race, which can now be used for future meets.
Congratulations to all the athletes who participated in this memorable season: Ashlee Alford, Isabell Alford, Liam Aspenberg, Caeli Barbour, Gabe Correa, Ethan Costello, Micah D’Anna, Cruz Lewis, Christian Pineo, Jayden Sanchez, Shane Schweppenheiser, Justice Settles, and Kalee Tardif.
ACS has a new YouTube Channel and we are asking all ACS families, staff, and friends to subscribe to our channel. ACS has had a YouTube Channel for several years, which was a vital tool used to provide livestreaming of ACS chapels and other events for students on virtual learning after the outbreak of COVID-19. However, technical difficulties earlier this fall resulted in the loss of the channel and a new channel was recently created.
With sunny, blue skies overhead, some 600 students and teachers from preschool to high school ran, walked, and even navigated an obstacle course on our track to help raise funds for our school at our Race for Education on November 1. Scores of family members came out to cheer from the sidelines and volunteer. To add to the fun, elementary students enjoyed a variety of fall-themed, Harvest Day activities in addition to participating in the Race.
We’re in the Soccer Tournament Finals! Congratulations to our Varsity Soccer Teams who will be competing in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Finals on Saturday, November 6. The Varsity Boys will be playing in the Championship Game for the first time since 2012 and the Varsity Girls are playing in the Consolation Game. Both games will be held at Pinelands Regional High School. The Varsity Boys advanced to the championship game after beating King’s Christian School 2-1 in an exciting, double overtime semi-final playoff game on November 4. The Varsity Girls had a tough 4-1 loss in their semi-final playoff game to Gloucester County Christian School.
Who’s ever been worried or anxious? Most Middle School students raised their hands in response to the question posed by High School Bible teacher Urick Lewis at the Middle School Spiritual Emphasis Retreat on October 25. Lewis went on to provide the students with practical, Biblically-rooted strategies to deal with stress in their lives and pointed out that even powerful men of God, like the prophet Elijah, faced worry and stress and needed to turn to God for encouragement and strength. The one-day retreat began on the ACS campus and then students traveled to R & J Farm in Egg Harbor City to spend time together, building closer friendships and also to meet in small groups to further discuss the morning’s topic.
Excitement is in the air for the upcoming production of Peter Pan Jr. as set construction got underway last week and students and teachers created bulletin boards to promote the exciting musical. Captain Hook’s pirate ship is taking shape at the center of the ACS stage — built by ACS parent and former student Mark Huff and ACS parent Tony Boules and Travis Shafer, who are owners of Architectural Master Builders based in Parsipanny, NJ.
Our winter sports season is just around the corner and we are excited to see nearly 120 students signed up for tryouts for basketball and cheer. Tryouts for our High School Basketball Teams will be held next week and Middle School Basketball tryouts will be held after Thanksgiving. Pre-tryout practices for our combined Middle School/High School Cheer Team will also be held next week, prior to tryouts on November 16.
We’re in the Winner’s Circle! — Our Summer Cougar Camp and Early Education Center recently received special honors in The Press of Atlantic City’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. Cougar Camp received a 2nd place Silver Medal for “Best Summer Camp” and our Early Education Center placed in the Top 5 of “Best Child Daycare Centers” in the region. The award winners were announced on October 31, 2021 and published in a special pull-out section in The Press of Atlantic City.
Over 400 alumni, students, and their families gathered at the ACS campus on Saturday, October 23 for Homecoming 2021, which featured two exciting Varsity vs. Alumni Soccer games, the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen and presentation of their court, and a new 5K Cross-Country Race.
Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz visited classrooms over the past two weeks, presenting dozens of students with green-and-white Race Sponsor Sneakers, given to those who have raised $50 or more from a sponsor. To date, ACS has received over $37,000 in Race donations and we are very grateful for the support. Due to inclement weather, the Race for Education has been rescheduled to Monday, November 1.
Five picnic tables recently donated by New Life Assembly of God Church in Egg Harbor Township are being put to good use by ACS 4th-6th grade students during recess and lunch. Four square metal tables and one rectangular table were put in place on October 5 in a grassy area next to the new modular buildings where the 4th-6th grade classrooms are now located.
ACS is holding its annual High School Information Night on Tuesday, November 9 to give interested parents and students a preview of the variety of academic courses, programs, and extra-curricular opportunities offered to students who attend high school at ACS. Featured speakers will include Upper School Principal Meg McHale and Guidance Counselor Christina Ragland. Attendees will be able to meet various high school teachers and get a tour of the school building. The Information Night will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and will include light refreshments.
To protect the health and safety of our ACS grandparents, the school administration has decided to postpone the Grandparents Appreciation Day event scheduled for Friday, November 19 to the spring of 2022. ACS grandparents and school families will be informed of the new date, once it is determined.
Due to inclement weather forecasts, the Race for Education and Harvest Day have been rescheduled to this coming Monday, November 1. That means you have a few more days to get more sponsors and help us reach and exceed our $40,000 goal. Please find time over this weekend to send some emails or share the ACS Race flyer on Facebook and help us reach and exceed our $40,000 goal.
ACS school families, alumni, and friends are invited to attend Homecoming 2021 this Saturday, October 23 to enjoy a variety of activities, including a 5K cross-country run on the ACS campus that was recently added to the day’s events.
Tickets and ads for the upcoming ACS production of “Peter Pan Jr.” are now available for purchase. The deadline to purchase a booster pride line, electronic ad, or playbill ad to advertise your business or to congratulate your favorite cast member is Monday, November 1. Tickets are now on sale for two performances of the show — on Friday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m.
ACS high school students were challenged to put their complete trust in God and to move from just surviving to thriving in their daily lives at the two-day Spiritual Emphasis Retreat from September 30 to October 1 at America’s Keswick.
“The goal of our annual Spiritual Emphasis Retreat is to see our students grow spiritually and develop stronger relationships with each other and their teachers,” said Upper School Vice Principal Andrew Carney, who was the retreat coordinator for the group of nearly 100 students and high school teachers who attended. “I could really feel the Holy Spirit moving at the retreat as the students listened to the powerful messages from our keynote speaker and as they spent time together in worship,” Carney said. “I had many students tell me on the last day of the retreat that they didn’t want it to be over.”
Thirteen ACS students from the 2nd to the 8th grades competed in a Northern New Jersey Christian School Spelling Contest on October 14 and Madelyn Petrinec received a red ribbon for taking second place among 4th graders in the contest. The spelling contest was held at the Abundant Life Worship Center in Nutley, New Jersey and ACS was among eight schools who competed in the event.
The students selected to represent ACS in the contest were winners or runners-up in last year’s class-level spelling bees. The students who competed were: Oritseyemi Pessu and Barrett Woods (2nd grade); Caitlyn Doucett and Charlotte Newman (3rd grade); Madelyn Petrinec and Luke Sabulao (4th grade); Mia Gaffney and Gaebriel Hahn-Chaney (5th grade); Nino Miranda and Matthew Coates (6th grade); Tommy Potenski and Nathanael Thompson (7th grade); and Gabriella Goodwin (8th grade).
Our Middle School Boys’ and Girls’ soccer teams have worked hard and achieved winning seasons as they head into their final week of competition next week in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League. The Middle School Boys’ team also got special training at a recent practice from a guest coach — former Major League Soccer (MLS) player, Rich Balchan.
ACS honored six seniors on the Varsity Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer teams and their family members in a special ceremony on Thursday, October 21. The seniors honored were: Destiny Brewer, Angela Eggie, Aaron Glancey, Danny Kim, Cole Lewis, and Devin Tridente.
Move it Mondays are back! It’s more than just a fitness workout, it’s a way to wake up the brain and help our students get ready to exercise their minds. On the first Monday of each month, students in kindergarten to the 5th grade meet in the gym to start off the day with about 20 minutes of aerobic exercise.
To mark National Fire Prevention Week, students from preschool to the 5th grade learned all about fire prevention and safety during a visit from the Scullville Volunteer Fire Company on Tuesday, October 19. Fire Official Don Stauffer brought a ladder truck to the ACS campus and the students were able to get a close-up look at the tools, hoses, gauges, and safety and rescue equipment.
We’re Hiring! Applications are now being accepted for immediate openings for a full-time Custodian, a part-time After-Care Worker, a high school language arts teacher, and substitute teachers.
The Race for Education is just three weeks away and we need every student and teacher from PreK3 to the 12th grade to reach out to family members and friends to ask them to be a Race sponsor. Over $35,000 could be raised if every student and teacher received just $50 from their sponsors and if everyone raised $100 from sponsors that would total over $70,000! Please find time over this holiday weekend to send some emails or share the ACS Race flyer on Facebook and help us reach and exceed our $40,000 goal.