PTF Pretzel Mondays are back! The Parent-Teacher Fellowship will be selling Philly Pretzel Factory Pretzels for $1 every Monday during lunch, starting Monday, September 14.
Funds raised by the PTF go to support student scholarships and awards and teacher equipment and supplies. Thank you for supporting our school!
Place your order for an ACS Spiritwear Sweatshirt featuring the school name, logo, and Cougar paw! The sweatshirts are available as an ACS hoodie or crewneck in green or gray. Prices range from $22-$30, depending on the item and size. The SpiritWear is for ACS families, with sizes available from preschool to adult. SpiritWear is also approved apparel that can be worn by students during the school day.
CLICK HERE to view and print out the SpiritWear order form.
Special discount from Lands’ End on September 17-23, 2020 – 40% Off School Uniforms. Please use the coupon below.
Middle School Soccer tryouts for the boys’ and girls’ teams, which began today, will continue through next Tuesday, September 15. Try-outs are held after school from 3:15-5:00 p.m. Please come prepared with cleats and shin guards. The MS Boys’ coach is Brandon Stevens and the MS Girls’ coach is Casey Hopwood.
ACS has advanced to the final round of voting for the Best of the Press 2020 Awards — for Best Child Daycare Center, Best Summer Camp, and Best Place to Work.
Thank you to everyone who voted during the Nomination Round to get ACS into the Top 5.
Now we need your votes again in the Final Round of Voting – which goes from September 9 to September 23.
CLICK HERE to vote or go to: pressofac.com/contests — You can vote once daily.
Look for the “Services” section, and ACS is in the running in 3 categories:
Thank you for voting and please encourage your family members and friends to vote too.
ACS has added a new high school elective called “Missions and Ministries” and faculty member Dave Genter, who will be teaching the course, is looking for help from ACS families, friends, and local churches to build a networking list of missionaries that the students can study and support.
The new elective is part of the “Ministry” concentration, one of five high school concentrations that allow high school students to be more immersed in a specialized field as they explore their God-given gifts and abilities. The other concentrations are Business, Education, Health and Medicine, and Technology.
“The students in this class will be researching missions and missionaries — where they are, the challenges they face, their needs, and how we can pray for them,” Genter said. “We will also do some correspondence with the missionaries in the field and will try to face time some of them.” Genter said time will be set aside each week to pray specifically for the missionaries they are studying.
Please contact Mr. Genter with the names and contact numbers of any missionaries that you may know or support to help the class building their missionary network. Please email Mr. Genter at: dgenter@acseht.org.
Family Orientation will be held on Wednesday, September 2 to give all ACS families an opportunity to visit their children’s classrooms, meet their teachers, and become better acquainted with changes in student arrival and departure procedures and new health and safety protocols. A new video describing the many new health and safety measures will also be showing throughout the Orientation event, which will run from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Due to the need to practice safe social distancing, families have been put into smaller groups to arrive at the Family Orientation during a specific time-frame based on the first letter of their last name.
“This has been a challenging summer to put all of the new health and safety protocols in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, but we are anxious to share the days with our ACS family again,” said Upper School Principal Meg McHale in an August 26 email sent to parents with students in the 6th to 12th grades announcing the new Family Orientation event.
Elementary Principal Gail Alford sent a similar email on August 26 to parents of students in kindergarten to 5th grade. “In years past, we always had a New Family Orientation, but this year we felt that all families should be informed about the changes in drop off/pick up, expectations for your children in the classroom and during lunch, as well as other safety measures we are taking,” Alford said.
Remote Learning Students will be able to pick up their Chromebooks and textbooks during their scheduled time slot.
We encourage parents and students to view the video (posted below) to become more familiar with our new safety procedures for the upcoming school year. Featured in the video are Admissions Director Jessica Martin and several students — 9th grader Noah Gibbs, 6th grader Kiara Loo, 2nd grader Eric Macpherson, and 11th grader Haley Whedbee.
Following are the scheduled times for families to attend the Family Orientation, based on the first letter of their last name:
First letter of last name Time of Orientation
A – B 3:00pm – 3:40pm
C – E 3:40pm – 4:20pm
F – H 4:20pm – 5:00pm
I – L 5:00pm – 5:40pm
M – O 5:40pm – 6:20pm
P – S 6:20pm – 7:00pm
T – Z 7:00pm – 7:40pm
We will be following up the Family Orientation with information for the families who cannot attend the event as well as detailed pick-up and drop-off information, Extended Care changes, and information and general first day of school updates. Please note that Extended Care will NOT be available until Thursday September 10th, please make arrangements to have your child picked up at dismissal at 12:30 p.m. Before care will be available beginning the first day of school on September 8th at 7 a.m.
Please continue to keep ACS faculty and staff in prayer as we move into the new school year teaching the students spiritually and academically so they are equipped and prepared to know, love and serve the Lord fully! It is our joy to be able to spend this year ahead with you and your family.
Coaches and fans got an exciting first look at our Varsity Soccer Teams on August 28 in pre-season scrimmage home games against Lancaster County Christian School, and they liked what they saw.
The Varsity Girls’ team, who were undefeated and the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference champions last year, won its game 7-0, led by head coach Carly Witherow in her 7th Varsity season.
The Varsity Boys’ team, under new head coach Andres Tortola, lost a hard-fought match 6-5. Athletic Director Pam Hitchner said the Varsity Boys’ showed a lot of grit and determination after being down 4-1 going into the second half. “They fought hard and tied up the game at 5-5 and then with just six minutes left in the end of the game, Lancaster Christian scored a goal,” Hitchner said. “We loved how our fans were rooting and cheering on our boys.”
Upcoming games include the Varsity Boys playing away at Life Center on September 4 and the Varsity Boys and Girls playing away against King’s Christian School on September 11. The first home games of the season for both teams will be on September 25 against Calvary Christian. Both games will begin at 4 p.m. We’re looking forward to a great season ahead!
Our 2019-2020 Annual Report is hot off the presses and was mailed in late August to ACS families, employees, and community supporters. The Annual Report uses narrative, with pictures and data, to provide a snapshot of school life for our students from preschool to the 12th grade and highlights the year’s academic and financial progress.
“This 2019-2020 Annual Report celebrates the many accomplishments of our students and the extraordinary efforts of our teachers and support staff who in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic gave 110% to ensure that our students stayed on track academically, socially, and spiritually,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, who wrote the welcome message in the report. The report also thanks and acknowledges individuals, businesses, churches, and nonprofits who donated $150 or more during the school year to the school’s Annual Fund.
A summary of the school’s 2019-2020 Annual Report was presented as a PowerPoint to the parents, faculty, and staff who attended the virtual online Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Christian School Association on June 1.
CLICK HERE to read the full, 8-page Annual Report online, which is posted on the ACS Website.
Thank you to everyone who donated blood at our American Cross Blood Drive on August 10 and helped make the event a success.
Student Council Advisor Dave Genter, who oversees the blood drives at ACS, said he was very pleased with the participation from the community and that every appointment slot was filled.
One unit/pint of blood can help save 3 lives. Our August blood drive collected 28 units of blood — which will touch the lives of patients in 78 area hospitals. We plan to hold another blood drive in February 2021. Look for more details that will be posted in the “Cougar Chronicle,” on our school website, and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Excitement was in the air as ACS welcomed parents and preschoolers to our Early Education Center Open House on April 28. The Open House gave parents and their young children the opportunity to get better acquainted and acclimated to our teachers and aides and to explore our classrooms before the Center opened on Monday, August 31 for the fall.
The Early Education Center operates year-round and serves children from 6 months through PreK4. Early Ed Center Director Gail Alford said the Center was open during the summer and provided a safe, fun, and nurturing environment for every child, with staff following the health and safety protocols recommended by the CDC and the Atlantic County Health Department to protect against the coronavirus. The summer session ended on August 21 and staff spent the following week cleaning and preparing for the fall session.
Admissions Director Jessica Martin said there are some openings available in the Early Education Center and anyone interested in enrolling their child should contact her by phone or email at 609-653-1199, ext. 314 or jmartin@acseht.org. Children in PK1 and PK2 have the option to attend two, three, four, or five full days. Children in PreK3 and PreK4 can be enrolled for two full days, 3 full days or five half days, four full days, or 5 full days.
The ACS campus was buzzing with activity for seven weeks this summer as boys and girls from the 1st through 7th grades attended our popular, award-winning summer Cougar Camp program, which concluded on August 21. Cougar Camp Director and ACS faculty member Eric Tardif put together a fun-filled schedule of activities, including daily Bible lessons and worship time.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no field trips were permitted this summer, but there were plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to enjoy including STEM projects, playing ga-ga ball in the air-conditioned gymnasium, drawing and painting, hands-on learning in the school garden, and sliding down the Big Kahuna on Wednesday Water Days. Thank you to Mr. Tardif and our Camp Counselors — Katherine Kong, Ola Oguntuase, Lola Oguntuase, Joanna Sheldon, and Amy Williams — and to ACS staff member PJ Santos, who led the STEM projects, for making this a memorable summer for all our campers. See you next summer!
ACS recently received several donations of items focused on protecting the health and safety of our students and staff as we look forward to opening with in-person instruction on September 8. ACS received a donation of 50 colorful cotton masks for use by ACS students and generous supplies of Melaleuca cleaning and personal hygiene products for use in the school building and in the School Nurse’s office.
The masks were donated by Melanie Jain, an Advanced Practice Nurse in Linwood, who hand-made the masks and sanitized them with blue light before placing each of them in individualized plastic bags. ACS is asking students to bring 2 masks to school to use during the school day, but in the event that a student loses, soils, or misplaces a mask, School Nurses Carrie Jorgenson and Angela Lushina are pleased to have masks ranging in sizes from small to extra-large to provide to any student who is in need.
Thank you to ACS parents Charlie and Amanda Costello for donating Melaleuca cleaning and hygiene products including disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and foaming hand soap. Thank you also to ACS parent Kathy Costello for donating Melaleuca hand sanitizer, moisturizing lotion, and various essential oils.
Elementary Principal and Early Ed Director Gail Alford said the Melaleuca products are EPA-approved and are non-toxic and safe for the environment.
Staff, volunteers, and contractors were busy in August preparing the school campus to welcome students back to school for in-person classes and a new Remote-Only option. In late August, teachers and staff from Early Education through the 12th grade gathered for in-service training. We’re ready for an exciting year of growing and learning.
Some of the changes and improvements to the school’s facilities include adding additional classrooms, hanging new whiteboards, painting hallways and lockers, creating protective barriers for lunchroom tables, and installing webcams and hand sanitation stations in classrooms and throughout the school building. A number of enthusiastic parents and students turned out for volunteer work days to help clean, move furniture, prepare new Chromebooks for our classrooms, and more. A new turf field for the Varsity Boys’ Soccer team is nearing completion and the Art Room has moved to a new location in Annex Trailer #6. Additional SmartBoards and document cameras have also been purchased for classroom use.
During In-Service, teachers and staff enjoyed a time of worship and devotions and then delved into work sessions on school policies and procedures, including those dealing with COVID-19.
Chief School Administrator introduced the school’s annual spiritual development theme — “Stand Firm” — based on I Corinthians 16:13. “We must be men and women of courage, constant in prayer, and trusting God that He is on our side and will work in and through us,” Oblen said.
She also welcomed and introduced 7 new employees who have joined the ACS faculty/staff this year and 2 who came on staff halfway through last year (pictured below left) — Estefany Gomez, Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney, Becca Jackson, Abigail Meza, Gretchen Murphy, Christina Ragland, Tim Rosie, Ashley Vaccaro, and Megan Whisman.
Each in-service session began with worship and devotions, led by faculty/staff members Kelly Flynn, Amy Parker, and Bill Smallwood. Services Coordinator Anne Block oversaw the preparation of healthy breakfasts and lunches, with gratitude to the Parent Teacher Fellowship and the Board of Directors for donating to the meals.
Boy Scout Troop 389, chartered by Atlantic Christian School in Egg Harbor Township, recently received a grant from the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund for new camping equipment, just in time for the Troop’s August 21-22 outing to Treasure Island on the Delaware River.
“Our Troop has been steadily growing and our Scouts love to camp and go backpacking so this new equipment was exactly what we needed,” said Scoutmaster and ACS parent Mike Jorgenson. “It was in God’s perfect timing that we received this equipment right when we needed it.”
The grant provided $1,800 worth of camping equipment, including eight Ascend Orion 3 three-person tents, one Bass Pro 3 burner high output propane stove, two cast iron camp ovens, and two five-piece cast iron cookware sets. Several scouts and Troop leaders picked up the new equipment at the Bass Pro Shop in Atlantic City on July 31, where they met with Megan Werber, the store’s general manager. Pictured from left are: Troop Committee Chair Peter Karabashian, Scoutmaster Mike Jorgenson, Scout Mason Campsmith, Scout and ACS 5th grader Brandon Jorgenson, Scout Logan Campsmith, Bass Pro General Manager Megan Werber, Scout and ACS 10th grader Hunter Jorgenson, and Scout Leader Jeffrey Campsmith.
Jorgenson said the Scouts had the opportunity to get trained on how to set up the tents and other equipment during Scout meetings prior to their August camping trip, where the tents, stove, and cookware were all put to good use.
“We’re very grateful to Bass Pro Corporate and the staff in the Atlantic City store for supporting our Troop and helping us reach our goal of training our Scouts to be skilled outdoorsmen,” said Troop Committee Chair Peter Karabashian, who worked on the grant application with Troop Treasurer Dr. James Wurzer. “Our Scouts have used the equipment and they especially love the tents because they’re easy to assemble, lightweight, and rainproof.”
Voting is now underway for nominees for the Best of Press 2020 Awards! Please nominate ACS today for a Best of the Press 2020 Award — in the “Best Summer Camp” and “Best Child Daycare Center” categories under “Services.” The Nomination Period ends September 2 at one minute before midnight. Only the TOP 5 NOMINEES will advance to the final round of voting.
Please CLICK HERE to vote and help ACS get into the TOP 5 NOMINEES. Thank you for your support.
Enrollment is underway for the 2020-2021 school year and ACS is looking forward to welcoming students from 6 months to the 12th grade on Tuesday, September 8 for a five-day-per-week, on-campus schedule. ACS is also offering a new “remote-only” option for students in grades 4-12 who prefer to learn at home.
“We are very excited about the start of the coming school year,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “This summer we have been busy developing our plans to provide full in-person instruction for our students and a committee comprised of administrators, teachers, and parents has been working hard on all the details.”
“We have made a significant and informed investment in our facilities, technology, protective equipment, personnel, and training to be sure we can provide students and staff with a safe learning environment,” Oblen said. At the same time, Oblen said webcams have been installed in every classroom to provide synchronous remote classroom instruction if necessary when a student is ill and for Upper School students who choose the new remote-only learning option.
The Admissions Department is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to answer questions and give tours of the campus by appointment. Please contact Admissions Director Jessica Martin at jmartin@acseht.org or 609-653-1199, ext. 314. Classes are filling quickly and space is limited, so don’t delay.
CLICK HERE to schedule a tour online. All visitors will have their temperature taken and must wear a mask while in the school building. CLICK HERE to complete and submit our online admissions application.
Oblen said enhanced cleaning protocols and health screening procedures will help promote a healthy environment on the school campus, including daily temperature and wellness checks for students and staff upon arrival to school. Sanitation stations have been installed in classrooms and hallways and plexi-glass shields have been purchased for use on classroom desks and on lunch tables.
Face coverings will be required for all faculty and staff when in the school building and for children in K-12 when entering and exiting the building and when transitioning in hallways and other common areas. Entry into any buildings on campus will be limited.
ACS marked its 27th Commencement with an uplifting outdoor ceremony on July 8, as various speakers encouraged the 20 students in the Class of 2020 to trust God and the plan He has for their lives.
“In the midst of this pandemic, the future may seem unsure, but you graduates do not need to fear what the unknown future holds as long as you put your faith and trust in the Lord,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, who welcomed the parents, faculty, staff, and friends to the ceremony that was also live-streamed on the ACS YouTube channel.
Commencement keynote speaker Pastor Matt Mouliert urged the graduates to surrender to God and seek His purpose for their lives. “You have been given this precious life from Almighty God — spend it wisely because you can only spend it once,” Mouliert said. “If you keep God at the center of your life, then you will succeed, your life will matter.” Mouliert is Senior Pastor of Crossroads Fellowship in Pleasantville, has taught Bible classes at ACS for 9 years, and his two sons, Jake (’16) and Luke (’18), are ACS alumni.
Valedictorian Ashleigh Martin, 17, of Mays Landing, said she and her classmates were very thankful to able to come together for an in-person Commencement. “This year has been an emotional roller coaster for us all, but in all this fear and despair, we have a God who carried us through,” Martin said. “We may not have had our missions trips, prom, and senior celebrations, but we learned to trust in what God would do. We learned to persevere and finish the year strong.” Martin is receiving a full academic scholarship to attend Anderson University in the fall where she will major in musical theater. She was also one of 15 seniors in southern New Jersey to receive recently chosen by the Press of Atlantic City
Salutatorian Josephine D’Anna, 18, of Northfield, said one of the important lessons she has learned over the past four years of high school was to develop an attitude of humility by making God first in everything you do. “I encourage you, Class of 2020, as we go on to college, work, and into the world to look at every situation with humility and to realize that God’s work is more important than striving for success. Instead, always strive to do you best for Him.” D’Anna will be attending Thomas Jefferson University in the fall, where she will major in nursing. She received the Comcast Achievers Scholarship, the Sons of Italy Scholarship, the Special Forces Association scholarship, and a scholarship from the Northfield Mother’s League.
Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, Upper School Principal Meg McHale, and Board of Directors’ Chair Les Tomlinson participated in the presentation of the diplomas to the graduates. After receiving their diplomas, the graduates stepped out into the audience to present their parents and guardians with long stemmed roses as a gesture of gratitude.
As each graduate was introduced, McHale announced the various awards and scholarships that students had received. She noted that the Class of 2020 was collectively receiving over $530,000 in college scholarships, after being offered over $1.2 million from the schools they applied to.
The four students who attended ACS continuously since kindergarten — Lauren Harmon, Paige Hoover, Dalton Sage, and Kathryn Winder — were recognized and later received a gift card from the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF). Two students — Harmon and Ian Iaconelli – were also the recipients of a PTF essay-writing scholarship. Harmon will be attending Cairn University to seek a degree in psychology and communications. She is receiving the Cairn Merit Scholarship and the University Director’s Award. Iaconelli will be attending Eastern University in the fall to pursue a degree in physical therapy. He also received the Red Cross Scholarship.
Staff members Kelly Flynn and Bill Smallwood led the attendees in a time of worship, singing “The Blessing” by Kari Jobe, Elevation Worship, and Cody Carnes. Ian Iaconelli, who was class president in his junior and senior year, gave the benediction to close the program.
CLICK HERE to watch the Commencement ceremony on the ACS YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for an online photo gallery of the Commencement ceremony on the ACS website. Photo credits: John Loreaux.
ACS celebrated the accomplishments of twenty-two 8th grade students at the 8th Grade Blessing Ceremony on Thursday, July 16 held outdoors on the school campus grounds and also live-streamed on the ACS YouTube channel.
Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen welcomed family members, staff, and friends to the ceremony and 8th grader Evangelina Kim offered the opening prayer. Oblen thanked parents for recognizing the importance of a Christian education and encouraged each student to build on the spiritual foundation provided at ACS.
“I pray that God’s Word has been firmly rooted in your hearts, that those seeds that have planted here are watered and that God causes them to grow,” Oblen said. “I pray that you remember that God loves you more than anything. That He’s got you back; that He’s your rear guard; that He goes before you and behind you, and that He will never leave you or forsake you.”
The valedictorian of the Class of 2020, Ashleigh Martin, gave a challenge to the students as they move on to high school to cling to God and turn to Him in prayer. “Wherever you go for these next four years, trust in God and His plan for your life and you will prosper in everything you do,” Martin said.
Before the presentation of awards and promotion certificates by Upper School Principal Meg McHale and Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, middle school teachers George Dickson and Lisa Dye (on behalf of Sara Coates who could not attend) shared advice and heartfelt farewells to the class.
A number of students were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, physical fitness, citizenship, Christian character, and leadership. On behalf of the Parent Teacher Fellowship, Upper School Principal McHale recognized three students who had attended ACS since kindergarten — Jackson Gayeski, Michaela Schlemo, and Noelle Thompson — and following the ceremony they were given a devotional and a gift card. Staff members Kelly Flynn and Bill Smallwood performed a vocal duet of “The Blessing” and 8th grader Noah Gibbs closed the ceremony in prayer.
Following is a list of the special awards and scholarships that were announced for students in the 8th grade class:
CLICK HERE to watch the video of the 8th grade ceremony on YouTube.
CLICK HERE for the photo gallery on the ACS website of the 8th grade ceremony. Photo credits: John Loreaux.
ACS is offering two one-week sports camps this summer — a basketball camp that begins Monday, August 3 and a soccer camp that begins Monday, August 17. Register today for a skills-based sports experience that will help your child improve their game and have fun doing it.
The basketball camp is for boys and girls entering grades 6-8 and will be coached by ACS Middle School Girls’ Basketball Coach Grant Miller. Under Coach Miller, the ACS Middle School Girls’ team won first place in the Atlantic Cape Junior High League in 2019-2020 season. The camp will run from August 3-7 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The camp fee is $150 and includes a camp T-shirt.
The soccer camp is for boys and girls entering grades 1-8 and will be led by Prestige Soccer Training, one of the premiere soccer training clubs in South Jersey with USSF-licensed coaches. The camp will run from August 17-21 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The camp fee is $150 per athlete and includes a camp T-shirt. The camp will offer differentiated age and skill levels.
CLICK HERE to register for the ACS summer Basketball Camp, which starts August 3.
CLICK HERE to register for the ACS summer Soccer Camp, which starts August 17.
ACS is excited to welcome Mrs. Christina Ragland, who will be joining the ACS faculty this fall as our new Guidance Counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in K-12 counseling and guidance from New York University and is a New Jersey-certified school counselor.
“We are looking forward to having Mrs. Ragland bring her skills, passion, and experience as a guidance counselor to ACS to help our students develop academic plans that reflect their skills, talents, and strengths,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “We also know that God will be working through Mrs. Ragland to come alongside our students from elementary school to high school to address behavioral and academic challenges.” Mrs. Ragland will also be teaching the high school “College and Careers” course.
Mrs. Ragland is a native of Jersey City, NJ. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rutgers University in 2011 with a BA in psychology. During her undergraduate studies, she was a research assistant in the RISC lab and a member of the Abbott Leadership Institute which teaches education advocacy, policy, and practices to parents, educators, community members, and students.
During her graduate studies at New York University, Mrs. Ragland worked at the Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities as a graduate assistant. She also completed a guidance internship at Landmark High School in New York City and worked with the high school counselor and college advisor. She taught workshops to junior and seniors on the college process, led a small group on self-esteem called “Brand New Me” for freshman and sophomore girls, conducted one-on-one sessions, as well as organized college trips and retreats for students. She was also nominated and received the “Youth on the Move” award for her community involvement and mentorship for youth in her community.
Upon graduation, Mrs. Ragland relocated to South Jersey and began working in the school system as a paraprofessional for students with autism. She then began working at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center as a Care Coordinator for the Case Management Department. Mrs. Ragland has taught workshops for schools and community events on such topics as self-esteem, bullying, and college preparation.
Mrs. Ragland is an active member of Lighthouse Community Church in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where she serves on the social media team, administration team, and is a co-leader of a small group for young adult women. She has a passion for seeing souls added to God’s Kingdom and helping individuals recognize and live out their God-given purposes.
Mrs. Ragland and her husband, Christian, are proud parents of three children, Moriah Kansas, Morgan Kaidence, and Matthew Kevin. Mrs. Ragland considers her family her biggest blessing and enjoys making new memories with them and sharing them on her Facebook mommy blog page called, “Mommy and MK.”
The ACS campus is a busy place this summer with the laughter and smiling faces of boys and girls who are enjoying a variety of fun, safe activities as part of Cougar Camp, which got underway on July 6.
“The kids are enjoying spending time with each other in a safe environment,” said ACS faculty member Eric Tardif, who is heading up the seven-week camp program. “They’re having fun and they’re engaged in everything we’re doing — including arts and crafts, daily Bible devotions and worship, cooking, playing games, and outdoor water activities.”
Tardif said the camp is following the COVID-19 health and safety guidelines of the CDC and the Atlantic County health department. Tardif said each morning upon arrival campers answer a health screening questionnaire and have their temperature taken. Throughout the day, camp staff are also cleaning and sanitizing tables, playground equipment, balls, and other shared items.
Tardif said each week has a different theme, such as shark week, space week, and beach week. For shark week, campers created boats out of aluminum foil and tested them to see how many marbles they could hold before they sank. For space week, campers made moon phases with Oreos and space mobiles to hang in their bedrooms.
Tasty Tuesdays give campers an opportunity to create a delicious edible craft that matches the weekly theme. For shark week, the campers created an ocean scene using graham crackers and icing and they made fishing poles out of pretzel rods and Twizzlers.
Tardif said Water Days on Wednesdays and Fridays are very popular with the campers, when they can cool off with water cannons and the Big Kahuna water slide.
With three weeks of camp left in August, the campers will be spending at least one day a week in the school garden, weeding and planting fall harvest vegetables. “There’s nothing better than seeing the kids smiling and laughing. This is what summer is all about,” Tardif said.
There are still some spots open for camp in August, so parents can still register a child to attend. The Cougar Camp hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with daily Camp Activities running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All participants must bring their own lunch, but every Friday is pizza day (cost included in the camp fee). Snacks are provided daily.
CLICK HERE for more information about Cougar Camp and to register.
The 2020-2021 school year will mark the 50th anniversary of Atlantic Christian School, which first opened its doors in September 1971, and a 50th Anniversary Committee is forming to develop ways to celebrate this important milestone in our school’s history.
David “DJ” Schrag, a member of the ACS Board of Directors and a 1988 alumnus, is a part of the committee and welcomes fellow alumni, alumni parents, current parents, grandparents, and faculty and staff past and present to join the committee and help plan activities and events to help make this 50th school year special.
Individuals interested in serving on the 50th Anniversary Committee should contact Carole Karabashian at 609-653-1199, ext. 323 or ckarabashian@acseht.org.
The Committee would also love to see your photos and have you share memories of your time at ACS to help us create a 50th anniversary video and/or photo display. You can submit photos and memories via email to: ckarabashian@acseht.org. You can also mail items to ACS to: Atlantic Christian School, 391 Zion Road, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234, ATTN: 50th Anniversary Committee. Please label items if you would like them returned once they have been scanned or copied or items may be donated to our archives.
Amid social distancing and a need to connect with each other, ACS has created a Facebook private group, called “Atlantic Christian School – Stronger Together,” to promote communication, fellowship, and volunteer opportunities among our school parents/guardians, faculty, and staff. The group went active on July 28 and all group members must be approved.
The guidelines to be a part of the group are listed and must be agreed to prior to being approved to join the group. We invite you to join by going to https://bit.ly/ACSFamily