Post Tagged with: "ACSEHT#"

Students Show Their Love, Appreciation for Grandparents at Virtual Chapels on November 25

Students from kindergarten to high school sent heart-felt messages of love and appreciation to their grandparents at special chapels on November 25 as grandparents watched online, unable to attend this popular annual school event in person due to required health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus.

Elementary Principal Gail Alford and Upper School Principal Meg McHale opened the two chapel programs with prayer and thanked the grandparents for their love and for being involved in the lives of their grandchildren. Mrs. McHale noted that the Bible speaks of the important relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, quoting from Proverbs 17:6, which says: “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”

A musical program followed, with performances by the kindergarten classes and the Middle School Worship Team. Students in the Middle School sign language class signed to the fitting Josh Groban song “You Raise Me Up” as a collage of photos of ACS grandparents appeared behind them on a video screen.

The featured speaker was Carlo Lenzi, grandfather to 7th grader Gianna Flynn and 6th grader Mackenzie Flynn, and father of ACS Business Administrator Kelly Flynn. Mr. Lenzi traveled from his home state of New York to give an uplifting message to the students about how special they are in God’s eyes and in the eyes of their grandparents. Mr. Lenzi’s career has been in restaurant and event management and he is the senior sales director at American Golf in Brooklyn.

“What’s important in life is not the amount of likes you have on Facebook,” Mr. Lenzi said. “It’s important to know who you are — that you are a child of God and you have special gifts and a calling on your life.” Lenzi also encouraged the students to appreciate their grandparents and the sacrifices that many of them made to create a better life for their children and grandchildren. “Right now, life is difficult with wearing masks and being sequestered and many of you are separated from your grandparents and loved ones, but we’ll get through this and we’ll be back together again soon.”

Mr. Lenzi also had fun with the students showing off a variety of popular toys, games, and candy that he and other grandparents enjoyed when they were children back in the 1970s, like slinkies, silly putty, and the hula hoop. He even tried taking a short ride on a skateboard. High school senior Sydney Pearson closed the chapels in prayer.

CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video of the Grandparents Day program.

CLICK HERE to view a photo gallery of the Grandparents Day chapel.

Students Preparing to Celebrate Birth of Christ in a Variety of Concert Formats

ACS students from preschool to high school will be celebrating the birth of Christ in various concert formats during December to accommodate the health and safety protocols in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The first celebration of the season will be presented by the Early Education classes in three separate concerts on Tuesday, December 8, scheduled for 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m. Parents were contacted by Early Education Director Gail Alford by email about making reservations and obtaining tickets for these concerts, which have limited, socially-distant seating. Without a ticket, families will be unable to attend. All seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and seating will be ushered.

Elementary students in kindergarten to the 3rd grade will be performing Christmas selections during music classes the week of December 7 and their performances will be recorded and then aired as a virtual concert online later in December. Music Director Tim Rosie emailed parents and guardians on December 2 with details about this and will soon provide a link to parents once the virtual performances are ready for viewing.

“While we would love to have all the students perform live for you, this is not feasible at this time,” Mr. Rosie said. “We are looking forward to the spring when we can hopefully present an in-person concert for our families.”

On December 21 and 22, students in the Upper School Choir will be serenading students with Christmas carols as they arrive at school in the morning and the Middle School Band will perform several selections. “Our students have been working hard to prepare songs for this Christmas holiday and these mini, live outdoor performances will give them an opportunity to display their musical talents,” Mr. Rosie said. Both performances will held at the main entrance to the school building.

The Elementary Band, which is comprised of ACS fourth and fifth grade students, will perform its Christmas concert selections at the end of January. “In the event that the COVID-19 restrictions are not lifted by that time, we will look into a recorded concert event,” Mr. Rosie said in a December 2 email to parents and guardians.

Our students are looking forward to celebrating the Christmas season with you!

New Giving Tree Contest Focuses Students on Supporting Charities as Christmas Service Project

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our hallways and classrooms, as Christmas tree decorating got underway on December 3 — part of “The Giving Tree” contest, a new service project that is encouraging students from kindergarten to 12th grade to give back during this holiday season to charities in our community and around the world.

“This Christmas, many worthy organizations that serve in our community and abroad are struggling due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “Our new Giving Tree service project is a way that our students and our entire school family can reach out and support the work of these beneficial organizations.”

Oblen said twenty-four, six-foot lighted trees are being decorated with a theme reflecting the charity that the students chose to support. Some of the charities selected include: Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Cape May Zoo, Camp Haluwasa, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Funny Farm, the Humane Society of Atlantic County, Rio Missions, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Toys for Tots, and the Scullville Volunteer Fire Department.

Students were busy this week making a variety of decorations for their trees, such as dog chew toys out of T-shirts for the Humane Society tree, white paper snowflakes, and mini wooden bridges for the Rio Missions tree. The decorating will be completed by Monday, December 7 and then the students will begin reaching out to family members and friends to raise money for their class’s chosen charity. Photos of trees will be posted on the ACS Facebook page and other social media. An online donation form will be provided.

The contest will end on Monday, December 21 and then judging will be held. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 23 during the Elementary and High School Christmas Chapels. Classes are competing for prizes for raising the most money for their charity and for the best creativity in decorating design. All donations received will be given to the designated charities.

Ocean City Veterans Surprise Preschool Class with Thank-You Gift of Johnson’s Popcorn

The preschoolers in Mrs. Kelley’s PreK4 class got surprise thank-you gifts this week from the veterans with VFW Post 6650 in Ocean City — tubs of caramel corn from Johnson’s Popcorn in Ocean City.

Each student and the teachers received a tub of caramel corn as a thank-you from the veterans. The students in November had created special posters of appreciation for the veterans that were mailed to them ahead of Veterans Day.

Elementary Principal and Early Education Director Gail Alford said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, ACS could not hold its traditional Veterans Appreciation Chapel and invite area veterans to be honored at the chapel. “Instead of thanking them for their service in person, our preschool and elementary students wrote letters, created posters, and other craft projects that were sent to VFW and American Legion posts in the area,” Mrs. Alford said.

In a hand-written note, Post Commander Michael Morrisey wrote to the class: “Thank you for all of your support.”

Mrs. Kelley said she talked to her students about how showing kindness to others can often be returned back to you, like the saying — one good turn deserves another. “This was such a wonderful surprise and we are all excited to open our tubs and start enjoying some delicious caramel corn,” Mrs. Kelley said.

New 4th Grade Worship Team Formed, Joins Other Teams Leading Weekly Chapel Worship

A new 4th Grade Worship Team has formed this week, joining three other talented student teams who are leading the singing in different weekly chapels. Seventeen enthusiastic 4th grade students turned out for the first after-school practice on December 1 and are being divided into two groups that will alternate leading worship in the Early Education/Kindergarten chapels on Fridays.

“We added additional chapels this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic so we would have smaller groups of students gathering together and that created new opportunities for additional worship teams to get involved,” said faculty member Teresa Bird, who is leading the new team. “We are thrilled to give our 4th grade students the opportunity to serve the Lord through the gift of music.”

The members of the new 4th grade team are: Amelia Crawford, Natalie Dickson, Eva Dimashi, Isabelle Edwards, Mia Gaffney, Hadassah Gonzalez, Chase Hagel, Peyton Hiller, Emily Johnson, Emily Kinch, Jennyfer Loaiza-Riveros, Novella Malave, John Mazahreh, Layla McCarthy, Alayna O’Donoghue, Kaila Smalls, and Dominic Zielinski.

Mrs. Bird is also excited to be in her eighth year directing the 5th Grade Worship Team, which leads worship that incorporates lively choreography at the two elementary chapels on Wednesday mornings. The team has also led worship at special events this year, including the Veterans Appreciation Chapel and the 50th Anniversary Celebration Chapel. The eight members of the 5th grade team are: Zoey Holmstrom, Reagan Lindsay, Raquel Mitchell, Isabella Patiag, Nina Purdy, Vanessa Rallo, Chelsie Richards, and Lexi Wyckoff. Both the 4th and 5th grade teams meet after school to practice each week.

Twenty-eight students in middle school and high school are also part of Worship Teams that meet in elective classes twice a week, under the direction of staff members Kelly Flynn and Bill Smallwood. Mrs. Flynn and Mr. Smallwood are in their second year leading the two teams and are experienced musicians who lead worship on Sundays at New Life Assembly Church in Egg Harbor Township. “We truly enjoy sharing our love of worshipping God through music and the spoken word with our students and seeing them be inspired to get involved in their own church worship teams,” Mrs. Flynn said.

The middle school and high school teams alternate leading worship each week in the Upper School Chapel on Wednesday mornings. The Middle School team recently led worship for the Grandparents’ Day chapel and Flynn said they are now excited to be preparing special music for the upcoming December 16 Middle School Christmas Chapel. The High School Worship team and the 5th Grade Worship Team are providing special music at the December 23 Elementary and High School Christmas Chapels.

The Middle School Worship team members are: Ashlee Alford, Isabel Alford, Ava Barberio, Leah Boyer, Annalena DiMaio, Rebecca DiMaio, Jayden Dixon, Gianna Flynn, Mackenzie Flynn, Autumn Henson, Caden Kim, Joshua Kinch, Autumn Loo, Kiara Loo, Jadelyn Maurer, Lydia McCarthy, Isabella Santos, Taylor Santos, Shelby Tomlinson, and Anyae Welch.

The High School Worship team members are: Elizabeth Alford, Destiny Brewer, Asher Dawkins, Tommy Ellison, Evangelina Kim, Rebekah Kimmerley, Haven Sanchez, and Quinn Schrag.

Christmas Shop on AmazonSmile and Support ACS

When you do your Christmas shopping online, shop at AmazonSmile and you can support ACS at the same time. AmazonSmile is a simple and easy way to support ACS when you shop for Christmas gifts, at no cost to you.

When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to Atlantic Christian School.

If you haven’t signed up for AmazonSmile, it’s easy to do. To enroll, follow these steps:

1. Go to smile.amazon.com
2. Log into your Amazon account.
3. Search and select Atlantic Christian School as your charity to support. Then start shopping! Thank you for supporting ACS.

CLICK HERE to start shopping on AmazonSmile.

Thanks for supporting ACS!

Enter Our 50th Anniversary Throwback Thursday Photo Contest

Join our 50th Anniversary “Throwback Thursday Photo Contest.” The person with the most points each month from October 2020 to April 2021 will receive a prize. How do you enter the contest? Just email your best guesses about any of the photos we post to CONTEST@ACSEHT.ORG.

Earn points by identifying: 1) the year the photo was taken; 2) where the photo was taken; 3) the occasion of the photo; and 4) the names of the people in the photo.

Photos are posted each Thursday on the ACS Facebook page, the ACS Stronger Together Facebook group page, and Instagram. It will also be posted on a bulletin board in the Multi-Purpose Room, in the school foyer video, and on the ACS website.

We welcome all ACS family members, students, staff, alumni, alumni parents, and friends in the community to participate in our Throwback Thursday Photo Contest. Let’s celebrate the great memories made by the thousands of students, families, and staff who have been a part of ACS over the past 50 years.

Below are the Throwback Thursday photos for the month of November/December:

ACS Marks its 50th Anniversary at November 18 Chapel; Alumni Speakers Thank Teachers, Staff Who Impacted their Lives

Atlantic Christian School students dressed up in 1970s attire, sang “O Happy Day” and other worship songs made popular in the 1970s, and heard alumni speakers express their gratitude for the teachers and staff who impacted their lives at two chapels held on November 18 to mark the school’s 50th anniversary.

“In this season of gratitude, we are celebrating our 50th year anniversary and we are so thankful for God’s faithfulness to our school over the years and the dedicated Christian teachers and staff who have made a difference in the lives of more than 11,000 students who have attended ACS,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen.

Oblen noted that ACS was founded in 1971 as a K-6th grade school with just 18 students and four teachers in temporary classrooms in St. John’s by the Sea Reformed Episcopal Church in Ventnor. Over the years, ACS held classes in eight churches and two public school buildings before moving to its permanent, 37-acre campus in 2004 on Zion Road in Egg Harbor Township, where now over 540 students from 6 months to the 12th grade are enrolled.

Two alumni who attended Atlantic Christian when it operated out of rented classrooms in Ocean City Baptist Church spoke at the two 50th anniversary chapels. David (DJ) Schrag, a 1998 alumnus, talked about the life-long relationships that were formed in high school with both teachers and students in his remarks at the 6th-12th grade chapel. He is pictured below at left, with Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen.

“I came to Atlantic Christian in my junior year and that first day I remember meeting Mr. George Quinn, who taught Bible and chemistry,” Schrag said. “That was the beginning of a relationship that I cherish to this day, with Mr. Quinn becoming the best man at my wedding and my wife and I deciding to name our son Quinn, after his last name.” Schrag is a licensed clinical social worker who is the Director of AtlantiCare’s Adult Outpatient Services. His son, Quinn, is in the 11th grade at ACS.

Mrs. Kim Clark Eaves, a 1987 alumnus, spoke at the Elementary Chapel. She is pictured above right, on left in photo, with Elementary Principal Gail Alford. Eaves is a stay-at-home mom and health and wellness entrepreneur, who has five children, four of whom attend Atlantic Christian. She credited her teachers at Atlantic Christian for showing her God’s love and instilling in her a love of family.

“I went from not knowing God to loving Him and wanting to be used by Him and I started praying for a big family of my own,” Eaves said. Eaves especially thanked her high school gym teacher, Mrs. Pam Hitchner, who is now the ACS Athletic Director, for encouraging her, praying with her, and believing in her. “I’m so thankful for this school and how God used it in my life and now in my children’s lives too,” Eaves said.

During the chapel, students also watched a special 8-minute 50th anniversary video that featured interviews with alumni who now teach at the school and who thanked various teachers and staff who impacted their lives when they were students. Alumni featured in the video included: Kaylee Breunig (’12), Ben Chapman (’13), Karissa Evans Costello (’07), Grant Miller (’07), Amy Vogel Nelson (’09), and Carly Harper Witherow (’08). The video was live-streamed on Atlantic Christian School’s YouTube channel and is available for viewing there.

As part of a fun, 1970s dress-up contest, three students were selected as the “Best Dressed” and received Scholastic Book Fair gift coupons – 2nd grader Logan Dozier, 6th grader Keira Frontino, and 1st grader Callie Gibson.

In addition to the chapels, ACS is marking its 50th anniversary in a variety of ways throughout this school year. A weekly Throwback Thursday Photo Contest is being held through the month of May 2021, with a historic school photo being posted on the school’s Facebook page and monthly prizes given to top point getters. Planning is also underway for a celebration event for ACS families and alumni in spring 2021.

ACS former students and alumni are welcome to share their memories of ACS by sending photos and memorabilia via email or mail to the school office. Please send items to: Atlantic Christian School, 391 Zion Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234, ATTN: 50th Anniversary Committee. The email address is: office @acseht.org. Please label items if you would like them returned once they have been scanned or copied, or items may be donated to the school’s archives.

5th Graders Write Special Thank-You Messages to Faculty, Staff at ACS

As part of a Thanksgiving-themed project, fifth-grade students were given the opportunity to write a personal letter thanking an individual teacher or staff member for their efforts and those letters were then displayed for several weeks in November on a hallway bulletin board outside their classrooms.

“It’s all about helping our students develop a grateful heart and to understand the importance of taking the time to say thank-you to the people in our lives who care about us and want the best for us,” said 5th grade teacher Bethany Kiefer, who initiated the “I am Thankful For…” project several years ago. The students completed the project as a language arts assignment, but it also included an artistic component with students creatively coloring fall leaves at the top of each letter.

Some of the teachers and staff who are highlighted in the letters include band director Tim Rosie, school nurse Carrie Jorgenson, custodial staff member Doug Pearson, teacher’s aide Dara Kimmerley, Elementary Principal Gail Alford, and Steve Thomas, owner of Town & Country Cafe, who caters the school’s daily hot lunches. Kiefer said each person highlighted in a letter also received an email telling them about their letter and encouraging them to come and view it on the bulletin board.

Student Letters, Gifts Sent to Grandparents Ahead of Virtual Grandparents’ Day Chapels

We love our grandparents! ACS students from preschool to high school worked on a special project in November creating gifts or writing personal letters to their grandparents to show how much they are loved and appreciated.

“Each November, our students eagerly look forward to Grandparents’ Day when we welcome grandparents to attend a special chapel here at school and spend time with their grandchildren in our classrooms,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and health and safety protocols, this year we were unable to invite outside guests into our school building, so we decided to do something different to honor our grandparents.”

Oblen said the school mailed hundreds of craft-style gifts and letters created by the students to their grandparents during the week of November 16, and invited grandparents to watch the school’s virtual Grandparents’ Appreciation Chapels on Wednesday, November 25. Pictured below with their gifts are two ACS grandparents, from left: Mrs. Lee Ann Kyle, grandmother of Peter Shockey; and Mrs. Elaine Goldberg, grandmother of Isabella, Gabriella, and Theodora Santos and Haley Whedbee.

The two virtual Grandparents’ Appreciation Chapels — a Middle School/High School Chapel and an Elementary Chapel — were live-streamed on Atlantic Christian School’s YouTube channel and were also recorded so they can be watched at a later time. ACS grandparent Carlo Lenzi was the featured speaker at both chapels.

“We are disappointed that our grandparents could not join us in person at our chapels this year, but we hope they can join us virtually online,” Oblen said. “Our students worked hard on their special presentations to show how much they love and value the important role that grandparents play in their lives.”

Below are the YouTube links for our Grandparents Appreciation Chapels:

Middle School/High School Chapel: http://bit.ly/ACSGrandparentsDay
Elementary Chapel: http://bit.ly/ACSGrandparentsDay2020

ACS Holds Successful November Red Cross Blood Drive

Thank you to everyone who donated blood at our American Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, November 28 and made the event a success.

“We collected 22 pints of blood and had an excellent turn-out considering the travel and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic,” said faculty member Dave Genter, who oversaw the blood drive. According to the American Red Cross, one pint/unit of blood can help save up to 3 lives and the blood collected at the ACS blood drive will benefit over 60 local hospital patients.

Genter said the next blood drive to be held at ACS is scheduled for Saturday, February 27, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional details will be posted in the “Cougar Current,” the “Cougar Chronicle,” on our school website, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Thank You for Supporting Our Scholastic Book Fair — Record Sales Top $8,500

Thank you to the many parents, grandparents, and other family members who supported our Scholastic Book Fair held from November 9-20. With over 1,000 books sold, the sales exceeded $8,500, setting a new school record, according to Mrs. Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney, ACS Library Media Specialist, who oversaw the Fair.

ACS also partnered with the Truth That Rocks Bookstore in Northfield, which supplied Christian books, devotionals, and other inspirational items for the book fair. “The mini-Bibles on a keychain were a big hit,” Hahn-Chaney said.

The Book Fair sales benefitted individual students as well as the school. For every purchase, ACS earns points to use for subscriptions to the Scholastic News magazine used in K-5 classrooms, for new books for the school library, and technology and educational supplies for K-12 classrooms.

“This year, we are beefing up the young adult literature section in our library to accommodate more advanced readers in the 5th grade and our upper school students who visit the library on a bi-weekly basis,” Hahn-Chaney said. A total of $140.16 was also donated by individuals who made purchases during the fair that went toward the “All For Books” program. Hahn-Chaney said these donated funds have been used to purchase select books from Teacher Wish Lists that will be available on classroom bookshelves for students to enjoy.

Hahn-Chaney recognized and thanked a number of parents, grandparents, and staff who volunteered and helped make the fair a success, including: Gail Alford, Katie Boyle, Noriko Dorsey, Angela Lushina, Jessica Martin, Brenda Maurer, Karen Oblen, Patti Scardilli, Sandy Settles, and Ashley Vaccaro. She also thanked a number of students who gave a helping hand — Ashlee Alford, Isabell Alford, Lily Boyle, Ethan Costello, Noah Engle, Keira Frontino, Jude Gibbs, Caedyn Hahn-Chaney, Gaebriel Hahn-Chaney, Victoria Hines, Richard Jackson, Asher Molina, Thomas Potenski, Austin Salcedo, Kalee Tardif, Jade Thompson, Nathanael Thompson, and Noelle Thompson.

Hahn-Chaney also noted that a “secret Santa” helped a couple dozen elementary students who did not bring quite enough money to cover their orders. “Our shopping assistants helped the younger students to shop within their budgets and guided them to make decisions accordingly, but if they were just a bit shy of the total at the register, the difference was paid by the secret Santa,” Hahn-Chanel said. This arrangement was explained to the students so that they would understand the concept of generosity and gratitude, Hahn-Chaney said.

Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Wins Conference Title Fifth Year in a Row; Boys’ Team Finishes Strong in 3rd Place; Ten Players Named TSCAC All-Stars

Congratulations to our Lady Cougars for beating Pilgrim Academy 3-0 to win the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Championship Game on Saturday, November 7, bringing home the championship trophy for the fifth year in a row! The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team also won its TSCAC finals Consolation Game, beating Gloucester County Christian 1-0 and finishing strong in 3rd place overall.

The 15-member Varsity Girls’ team entered the championship game undefeated in the TSCAC with a 9-0 record. Scoring for the Lady Cougars in the Championship game were freshman Becca Kelley, who scored twice, and senior Chloe Vogel, who scored once, with assists from sophomore Maddie DeNick and freshman Alicia O’Donnell. Senior goalie Shelby Einwechter had eight saves and scored a shutout. In the Boys’ game, senior Joshua (JJ) Jacoby scored for ACS.

A number of ACS players and coaches received special all-conference titles that were announced during a ceremony after the Tournament Finals games that were held at Cairn University in Pennsylvania. ACS Varsity Girls’ Head Coach Carly Witherow was named TSCAC Varsity Girls’ Coach of the Year, a title she also won last year. Senior goalie Shelby Einwechter, who had 84 saves this season, was named Best Goalkeeper in the Conference, and senior Chloe Vogel, the top scorer for ACS with 20 goals this season, received the TSCAC MVP award.

Einwechter, Vogel and four other Varsity Girls’ players were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team: sophomore Paige Noble, the second highest scorer with 13 goals this season; sophomore Eden Wilson, who scored 11 goals; senior Cristen Winkel, and sophomore Maddie DeNick.

The 17-member Varsity Boys’ team, under first-year head coach Andres Tortola, had its strongest season since 2012, finishing the regular season 6-2 in the TSCAC and tied for first place. Four Varsity Boys’ team players were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team: junior Aaron Glancey, who led the team in scoring with 13 goals; and sophomores Manny Johnson, Moges Johnson, and Caleb Vogel.

Thank you to our dedicated coaches and players for an exciting and memorable season!

Students Create Special Gifts, Letters for their Grandparents Ahead of Virtual Grandparents’ Appreciation Chapels

We love our grandparents! ACS students from preschool to high school worked on a special project this month creating gifts or writing personal letters to their grandparents to show how much they are loved and appreciated.

“Each November, our students eagerly look forward to Grandparents’ Day when we welcome grandparents to attend a special chapel here at school and spend time with their grandchildren in our classrooms,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and health and safety protocols, this year we are unable to invite outside guests into our school building, so we decided to do something different to honor our grandparents.”

The two virtual Grandparents’ Appreciation Chapels — a Middle School/High School Chapel and an Elementary Chapel — will be live-streamed on Atlantic Christian School’s YouTube channel. ACS grandparent Carlo Lenzi will be the featured speaker at both chapels.

“We are disappointed that our grandparents cannot join us in person at our chapels this year, but we hope they can join us virtually online,” Oblen said. “Our students will be offering special presentations to show how much they love and value the important role that grandparents play in their lives.” The chapels are also being recorded so they can be watched at a later time.

Below are the YouTube links for our Grandparents Appreciation Chapels:

Middle School/High School Chapel, starting 8:50 a.m.: http://bit.ly/ACSGrandparentsDay
Elementary Chapel, starting 9:40 a.m.: http://bit.ly/ACSGrandparentsDay2020

ACS Students Create Encouraging Christmas Messages for Navy Sailors on USS Theodore Roosevelt

U.S. Navy sailors serving on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier will be receiving greeting cards with encouraging messages and hand-made crafts for Christmas from ACS students who created the cards and crafts this month.

The project to send Christmas greetings to the sailors was initiated by ACS parent and Board of Directors’ member Kris Jacoby and her son, Joshua (JJ) Jacoby, an ACS senior. The Jacoby family has been long-time friends with the Spagnoli family in Galloway, and their son, Sam, is a Navy sailor stationed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (pictured below). Earlier this year, that carrier had an outbreak of COVID-19 onboard and the carrier’s 5,500 sailors had to be quarantined.

“These sailors have had a pretty rough year and we learned from Sam’s family that they are being deployed again and will be away from their families for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Mrs. Jacoby. “We felt that it would really bring a smile to the faces of these sailors if they received some Christmas cards and encouraging messages.”

Mrs. Jacoby said she was pleased that the ACS administration embraced the project, which got underway in early November. Students in the 6th to 12th grades were given the opportunity during their Bible classes to write personal messages in Christmas greeting cards for the soldiers. Elementary students in the after-school Servant’s Heart Club during their November 3 meeting also got involved, painting crafts and decorating hand-written Christmas letters with Bible verses for the sailors.

In the end, the ACS students completed over 200 cards and letters for the sailors that they will receive next month. JJ Jacoby said some of the messages he and his fellow students wrote in the cards included — “Thank you for your service”; “Hope you have a merry Christmas”; and “We’re praying for you.”

“I think the sailors will really appreciate these cards,” JJ said. “They will be deploying very soon and will be on the carrier for six months straight, so getting a card for the holidays is really going to mean a lot to them. I’m just glad we had the opportunity to do something special for them.”

Three New Cafeteria Tables Gifted to ACS, Now Installed in Lunchroom

Students are enjoying lunch on three new cafeteria tables that were installed in the Multi-Purpose Room on November 12. The 12-foot-long tables were purchased using gifts from several donors, including the Parent-Teacher Fellowship (PTF) and Mrs. Sandra O’Brien, an ACS Elementary Teacher’s Aide and alumni parent.

“We are very grateful for the donations we received this fall that enabled us to purchase these new cafeteria tables, which have been on our wish list for some time,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. Oblen said the new tables made by National Public Seating, which each cost about $1,100, replaced three tables that were at least 25 years old and were very difficult to lift, move, and store as facilities staff did their daily cleaning in the lunchroom.

PTF President Terry Vogel said the funds the PTF donated came from last year’s fundraisers, including the Philly Pretzel Mondays, the Harvest Day Hot Diggity Dog Day, the Box Tops for Education program, ShopRite gift cards, and the sale of ACS Spiritwear sweatshirts, water bottles, and tote bags. “It’s important for our school family to know that when they participate in one of our fundraisers they are really giving back to the school and making this kind of donation possible,” Vogel said.

PTF Board members and volunteers and Mrs. O’Brien gathered in the Multi-Purpose Room on November 19 to examine the new tables. Pictured in the photo seated on the tables are: Virginia Benson, Amanda Costello, Carson Costello, Holly Dawkins, Polly Ellison, Erin Gibbs, Sandra O’Brien, and Terry Vogel.

Practice Makes Perfect for Hopeful Spelling Bee Competitors

The after-school Spelling Club got underway on November 12 with 17 elementary students turning out to practice and improve their spelling skills in preparation for classroom spelling bees in January. The winners of the classroom bees will then advance to the ACS 1st-8th Grade Spelling Bee on January 27, and the winner of that Bee will compete against winners from other area public and private schools in the Scripps Regional Bee.

“The students are excited and ready to work hard to earn that special title of Spelling Bee Champion,” said Spelling Club Advisor Jessica Martin, who also oversees the school’s Spelling Bee in February. Martin said the students are reviewing and practicing spelling words from lists provided by the Scripps National Spelling Bee. To practice, they play games like Boggle and Lexicon, and are learning to differentiate between homophones.

The club meets on Thursday afternoons for five weeks this fall and then will meet for a second round in the winter to give the winners of the class spelling bees an opportunity to prepare for the ACS 1st-8th Grade Spelling Bee.

Martin said the dates and format for the 2021 regional and national Scripps Spelling Bees have not yet been determined. Due to the coronavirus outbreak last spring, the 2020 regional and national bees were cancelled.

High School Students Create Calder-Style Mobiles and Artwork That Conveys a Message

Calder-style mobiles are now hanging from the ceiling in the Multi-Purpose Room for students to enjoy as they eat lunch every day. Nearby, in a well-traveled school hallway, drawings and paintings that deliver a message without using words are on display on a large bulletin board. Both projects were created in November by students in two different high school art classes.

Art Teacher Sherry Mirakian challenged students in her Art Appreciation Class to design and build a mobile. The students learned about American sculptor Alexander Calder, one of the first artists to bring the mobile into a form of sculpture. Mirakian said the project also combined art and science. The students studied the role of balance and movement in a sculptural art form and had to create a mobile that was balanced.

The students who created the imaginative mobiles were: Lukas Benson, Riley Cook, Zachary Fosbenner, Noah Gibbs, John Hannum, Manny Johnson, Becca Kelley, Eva Kim, Ryleigh Martin, Alicia O’Donnell, Haven Sanchez, Isabelle Schoonejongen, Summer Scott, Nathan Stein, Noelle Thompson, and Gary Wyckoff.

Delivering a message through art was the focus of an assignment for the students in the advanced Art Workshop class. The students spent several weeks developing a personal point of view and then attempting to illustrate a message without using words in a drawing or painting. The students who created this impactful artwork were: Jacob DeNick, Kami DeNick, Kayla DeNick, Maddie DeNick, Shelby Einwechter, Benjamin Kimmerley, Haoshen “Katherine” Kong, and Amber Ramos.

2020 Race for Education Raises Over $40,000

All donations are in and this year’s Race for Education raised $40,015 for our Annual Fund, exceeding our goal by $10,015! Thank you to all our donors, student and teacher participants, and volunteers for making our 2020 Race a success.

Thank you to our ten Event Sponsors:

Atlantic City Electric, an Exelon Company
Berges Awning Inc.
The Boyle Real Estate Team
Chick-fil-A Fire Road
The Clark Family
Costello Roofing
The DiSciascio Family
Mia and Pa
Eleanor Pepper
SERVPRO of Egg Harbor/Ventnor

We had 37 Classroom Sponsors and students enjoyed seeing 330 large green sneaker poster cut-outs that are on display in the main school hallway and around classroom doors. Students earned a sneaker poster for every gift of $50 or more. Race for Education results are being calculated and student and classroom winners will be announced at chapel in December.

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY

Saluting Our Teachers And Staff

Please watch the video below about the school’s founding that featured several alumni sharing the impact ACS has had on their lives. We are grateful for our dedicated teachers and staff for their faithful service over the past 50 years, impacting the lives of more than 11,000 students for the glory of God.

’70s Day and 50th Anniversary Special Chapels

Atlantic Christian School students, teachers, and staff dressed in ’70s attire and held two special chapels on November 18 to celebrate the school’s 50th Anniversary. Two alumni were the featured speakers at the chapels — David (DJ) Schrag, a school parent, Board member, and ACS 1988 alumnus, spoke at the MS/HS Chapel and Kim Clark Eaves, an ACS parent and 1987 alumnus, spoke at the Elementary Chapel.

The chapels included special worship music from the ’70s, a lively trivia game, best dressed contest, and a video about the school’s founding that featured several alumni sharing the impact that ACS teachers and staff have had on their lives. To view the video, please go to https://youtu.be/cITkSdNdlYk

Visit the ACS YouTube channel to view the special chapels – https://www.youtube.com/c/AtlanticChristianSchool/ and remember to subscribe to view future chapel streams.

Veterans Appreciation Chapel

Atlantic Christian School showed its appreciation to our veterans at an All-School Chapel in the gymnasium on November 11. Our keynote speaker was Egg Harbor Township Mayor Paul Hodson, a U.S. Army veteran. ACS students from the ACS Boy Scout Troop and Pack 389 formed a color guard that opened the chapel program. The program included presentations by ACS students from elementary to high school, including the Middle School Band, the Middle School Choir, and the 5th grade worship team. After the chapel, a boy and girl from each class from kindergarten to the 12th grade went outside to place American flags around the school sign and along Zion Road in front of the school. ACS students also created special hand-made gifts for veterans that were mailed to various local American Legion and VFW posts.

Due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, ACS was not able to invite local veterans to attend the chapel as in past years, but the chapel was streamed live on YouTube and is available to view at http://bit.ly/ACSVeteransDay.

Red Cross Blood Drive at ACS – Saturday, Nov. 28

Donate blood and help save a life. Make an appointment to donate blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, November 28 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the ACS Multi-Purpose Room. All donors will receive a long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt, courtesy of Suburban Propone, while supplies last.

All donors will have their temperature checked prior to admittance to the blood drive. Since 2008, ACS has hosted American Red Cross blood drives to help meet the urgent needs of patients at hospitals in our community. Our goal for the November 28 blood drive is to collect 40 or more donations.

To donate, please make an appointment on the Red Cross website.

CLICK HERE to make an appointment on the Red Cross website, which is: www.redcrossblood.org and use Sponsor Code: Atlantic Christian OR call 1-800-REDCROSS.

Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Advances to TSCAC Championship Game Saturday, Boys’ Team to Play in Consolation Game

The undefeated ACS Varsity Girls’ Soccer team continued its winning streak, beating King’s Christian School 3-1 in the semi-final playoff game on Thursday, November 5 and advancing to the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Championship Game on Saturday, November 7. The Varsity Boys’ Soccer team lost a hard-fought match 2-1 in its semi-final playoff game against Pilgrim Academy and will play in the TSCAC Consolation Game on Saturday.

The Consolation and Championship Games will be played at Cairn University in Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania. The Boys’ Consolation Game will begin at 10 a.m. and the Girls’ Championship Game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. The TSCAC will be charging gate fees at the Playoff and Championships Games. The gate fee at the November 5 playoff game at the ACS campus will be $1/child, $2/adult, or $5/family. The gate fees at the Championship Games will be $2/child; $3 per adult, or $10/family.

In Thursday’s Varsity Boys’ playoff game, ACS led 1-0, with 9th grader Manny Johnson scoring in the first half. ACS maintained its lead until the final seven minutes of the second half, when Pilgrim Academy scored two goals. In the Girls’ game, a trio of players scored for ACS — 10th grader Paige Noble, 9th grader Alicia O’Donnell, and 12th grader Chloe Vogel. 12th grader Shelby Einwechter had 10 saves in goal.

The Varsity Girls’ team finished the regular season in first place with a 10-0 record in the TSCAC. The Lady Cougars have finished in first place for the fifth consecutive season under the strong leadership of head coach and ACS alumnus Carly Witherow (’08). The Varsity Boys’ team, under new head coach Andres Tortola, finished the regular season in a two-way tie for first place with King’s Christian School. This is the first time since 2012 that the Varsity Boys’ team has ended the regular season in first place or tied for first. Due to the tie for first place, a coin toss was used to determine the seeding for the playoffs and ACS lost the coin toss and was seeded second.

“This season was full of challenges, but I’m proud of our athletes and how hard they worked to rise above every obstacle,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. “Throughout the season, my message to every player was to be grateful and to enjoy every moment of each game because we would not know what the next day would bring.” Hitchner encouraged school families and friends to come out to the Championship and Consolation Games on November 7 and cheer our teams on to victory.

Scholastic Book Fair: November 9-20

Our fall Scholastic Book Fair will run for two weeks, from Monday, November 9 to Friday, November 20. All students and their family members will have opportunities to visit the fair on select days and can shop in person or online for books and gift items.

“Our goal is to sell 1,188 books, which will raise some $9,500 for our school library programs and help us add new books to our shelves,” said Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney, the K-12 Computer Teacher and Library Media Specialist. “Parents, grandparents, and friends can shop online through November 17 and in-person shopping will be open until Friday, November 20.” Mrs. Chaney said a Scholastic Book Catalog was sent home with K-6th grade students this week. The Scholastic website also has the catalog of books and gift items to choose from.

Mrs. Hahn-Chaney said she is also looking for volunteers to help with the Book Fair — as a wish list volunteer, a shopping assistant, or book talk coordinator.

Students will be visiting the school from November 9-13, to preview the Book Fair items and create their “wish lists.” Product selection will include Scholastic books and stationery items, as well as Bibles, devotionals, and Christian books and gift items from the Truth That Rocks Bookstore in Northfield. Teachers get exclusive shopping access Mondays through Fridays from 3:00-3:30 p.m. during the week of November 9-13.

The following week, November 16-20, is “Shopping Week,” when students can purchase the items they have selected. Family members can shop online or visit the Book Fair after school on select days and times during the week of November 16. The in-person shopping hours for ACS parents are posted the ACS Scholastic website page: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/acseht . The parent shopping hours are from from 3:00-5:30 p.m. from November 16-19 and are scheduled using the last name of the parent, as follows: