Get ready to spread some Christmas cheer as we gear up for our Christmas Dress Down Days from Monday, December 18 to Friday, December 22! It’s time to showcase your festive spirit by participating in our daily themed dress-ups. We can’t wait to see the creativity and holiday joy you bring to each themed day. Get ready to make memories and enjoy the festive fun throughout the week!
Join us at our “One Christmas Night” festival for ACS students, staff, and their families this Friday, December 1, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. It’s a special time to celebrate the joy and hope of Christmas with indoor and outdoor fun for all ages, craft and food vendors, and musical performances by our students.
While tickets aren’t required for entry, they are needed for specific activities, such as inflatables, the hayride, pony ride, petting zoo, face painting, magic show, balloon characters, and Christmas crafts. This year, we’ve added new activities for kids ages 10 and up: the LED Volleyball Game and Laser Tag. Enjoy free activities like a live nativity, fire pits with s’mores, a photo booth, and Christmas movies. Food trucks and Christmas gift vendors will also be present.
Wristbands providing unlimited access to activities are $10, and tickets are $2 each. Both can be purchased at the school office or at the event.
The 4th Grade Chorale, 5th Grade Chorale, Elementary Band, Upper School Band, and Middle School and High School Worship Teams will be performing Christmas music throughout the evening at various locations.
“We invite all of our parents, students, and staff to come out to celebrate the birth of our Savior and participate in the many fun activities we have planned,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “Last year, over 1,000 people attended and we expect even more this year. It’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season.”
Some 300 elementary students learned about the importance of being thankful during the Christmas season and throughout the year during a December 1 chapel and then wrote special thank-you messages on large paper cut-out gift boxes that were displayed in various locations in the school in December.
Four large Christmas trees made out of green construction paper were placed on the walls in two elementary hallways and in the Multi-Purpose Room. Brightly colored paper cut-out gift boxes were then placed under the trees that shared the messages written by the students, who thanked God for their friends, their family, their teachers, their school, their church, for Jesus dying on the cross, and more. Each message began with the same phrase — “I am thankful to God for ….”
The chapel message that initiated the Christmas gift thank-you project was presented by Mrs. Brossman’s 2nd grade class. “We discussed the importance of being thankful for God’s gifts, not just on Thanksgiving, but during Christmas and every day of the year,” Brossman said. “We talked about the gifts of salvation, of eternal life, of peace, and joy.”
During each school year, every elementary classes is assigned to present a Bible lesson of their own choosing to present at chapel. Brossman said she was very pleased with the enthusiastic response from the students and for the thoughtful messages they wrote on their paper gift boxes.
All four Christmas tree displays were completed in time to be on display for the One Christmas Night event on December 2.
Three ACS teachers were presented with award certificates and cash prizes totaling $250 during Elementary Chapel on Friday, January 10 for original videos created by their students that tied for the Grand Prize in the 2019 AtlantiCare 2019 Winter Wellness Video Contest. The winning teachers were, pictured from left to right — Mrs. Laura McCarthy, Class 2B; Mrs. Bethany Kiefer, Class 5B, and Mr. Grant Miller, Class 5A.
The AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children program sponsored the video contest in the fall of 2019 for the more than 100 public and private schools in and around Atlantic, Cape May, and Ocean Counties that participate in the program.
In the ACS 5th grade student video, entitled “Healthier,” the students re-created a popular song with their own lyrics and showed different ways to be healthy during the winter months.
Mrs. McCarthy’s 2nd grade class submitted the video “Get Healthier,” where students shared tips on what to eat and different exercises that will help improve your body and mind.
Winning videos will be featured on AtlantiCare’s Facebook page in the upcoming weeks. Please share the videos on social media to encourage your family and friends to get healthier this year!
Winners of the annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest were announced during the all-school Christmas Chapel on Friday, December 20. Thirty-five doors, including a few bulletin boards and hallway walls, were creatively decorated by students from preschool to the 12th grade, with some assistance from their teachers. This year’s doors all have been decorated to reflect the name of a Christmas song. Photos of the doors were then posted on the ACS Facebook page and close to 1,400 votes were cast from December 6-13 by family and friends, who voted by posting a “like or love” on the photos of their choosing. The winners were selected based on the combined number of Facebook votes received and points earned from a faculty/staff panel that judged the doors based on the amount of student participation, theme song representation, and the most original and creative design. The three winning classes were awarded first place blue ribbons to display on their winning doors and will each receive an ice cream party in January.
The first place winner in the Upper School (6th-12th grade) division was Mrs. Flath’s 11th grade class, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The first place winner in the Elementary division was Mrs. Nelson’s 1st grade class, featuring photos of students with red noses to reflect their Christmas song theme, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” The first place winner in the Early Education division was Mrs. Correa’s PK2 class, with the Christmas song theme, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
Four Honorable Mention awards were also given to various classes. The “People’s Choice” Award for receiving the most votes on Facebook (152) went to Mrs. Correa’s PK2 Class. Mr. Dickson’s 7th grade class received the “All In” Award for the most student participation. Mrs. McCarthy’s 2nd grade class received the “Be Transformed” Award for best representing the Christmas song they have chosen for their door. Miss Williams’ 2nd grade class received the “Creative Genius Award” for the originality and creativeness of their door decoration.
The winning first place and honorable mention doors can also be seen on the ACS Facebook page.
Our annual all-school Christmas Chapel on Friday, December 20 brought students from preschool to 12th grade and all faculty and staff together for a joyous celebration of Christ’s birth. The chapel opened with students from PK3 and PK4 singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” followed by prayer offered by Elementary Principal and Director of Early Education, Mrs. Gail Alford. Mrs. Amy Nelson’s 1st grade class came next with a skit depicting the story of Jesus Christ’s birth.
Worship time continued with Mrs. Morgan Gibson’s American Sign Language class performance of “Noel.” The 5th grade worship team got everyone on their feet to sing and move to “Born is the King” and It’s Christmas Time.”
Guest speaker Cindy S. Brumbaugh shared her testimony and introduced the story behind her three children’s books: “Charlie the Wiener Wonder Dog”, “Charlie the Wiener Wonder Dog and the Lost Woobie” and “Tea with Benny and the Honeybee”. Cindy also shared scriptures and with Christ’s birth, reminded everyone about God’s love and to open our hearts and minds to the wonderful gift of Christ’s salvation.
Some lighter moments in chapel included the popular and much anticipated Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, with the assembly voting by acclamation for their favorites from among teachers and students representing each class. After several rounds of voting, 3rd grade class teacher, Mr. Eric Tardif, was declared the winner. The winners of the Christmas Door Decorating Contest were also announced.
The program concluded with the Atlantic Christian School’s humorous version of the “12 Days of Christmas” performed by the staff and faculty. Upper School Vice Principal Drew Carney wished everyone a Merry Christmas and gave the closing prayer.
I am filled with hope this Christmas season. But lately, as I watch the news and focus on what is going on around me, I confess I sometimes feel otherwise. Everywhere we look, it seems humanity is in crisis. This can cause us to become fearful or afraid. It’s at these times that I go to what I call my “But God” Scriptures. One of the verses that comforts me the most is from Lamentations 3:21-23 which says: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
You see, with God there is hope. In fact, hope is what Christmas is all about. Some 2,000 years ago, God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to earth that we might have hope, redemption, and eternal life. This was God’s gift to mankind. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became the hope of the world. Everything in the whole world changed in that moment. Jesus Christ our Savior is born; our Lord has come. When we focus and trust in our Lord, all is well. I pray that you have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous, hope-filled New Year.
The students in Miss Price’s kindergarten class wanted to give back to their community helpers, and who better to appreciate during this time of year than mail carriers? The students wrote “thank you” letters this week and created hot chocolate gifts for their mail carriers to enjoy after a long day of work. Inside the gift bags are hand written notes, cups, hot cocoa packets, marshmallows, and candy canes. The students will leave these gifts inside their mailboxes at home. When their mail carriers deliver their mail, they will see sweet, cozy treats inside the mailboxes to thank them for their hard work.
Mrs. Reilly and Miss Price’s Kindergarten students also decorated gingerbread cookies donated by Chester’s Pastry Pantry Bakery (Somers Point, NJ).
The ACS Middle School Choir had the opportunity to spread some Christmas cheer with residents at the Riverfront Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Pennsauken, NJ. Under the direction of Mr. Beadle and Mrs. Flynn, the middle school students sang carols and made Christmas cards for the nursing home residents. The experience greatly impacted the students and opened their hearts to share the love of God with the residents of the nursing home.
It’s a tie! Mrs. Bethany Kiefer and Mr. Grant Miller’s 5th grade students and Mrs. Laura McCarthy’s 2nd grade were recently named Grand Prize Winners of the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children 2019 Winter Wellness Video Contest. The contest is one of the funding opportunities offered by AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children to partnered schools to promote the adoption and sustainability of wellness actions that align with AtlantiCare’s strategic community initiatives.
The 5th grade Students submitted the music video “Healthier,” where students re-created a popular song with their own lyrics and showed different ways to be healthy during the winter months.
Mrs. McCarthy’s 2nd grade class submitted the video “Get Healthier,” where students shared tips on what to eat and different exercises that will help improve your body and mind.
Winning videos will be featured on AtlantiCare’s Facebook page in the upcoming weeks. Share the videos on social media to encourage your family and friends to get healthier this coming new year!
Join us this Friday for the Elementary Christmas Concert that will feature performances by the students from K-5th grade.
Immediately following the concert, join us for a time of fellowship while we light the ACS Christmas Tree for the season. Cookies and hot chocolate will be provided and our Take Note Ensemble will lead the caroling.
The Christmas train display by Shoreline Model Railroad Club will also be open from 7:00 – 9:00 PM on Friday, December 6.
ACS ushered in the Christmas season with a touching production of Annie Jr. on November 22 and 23 on the stage in the school gymnasium. The musical classic set during the Christmas season amid the Great Depression tells the story of 11-year-old little orphan Annie, played by 4th grader Vanessa Rallo in her first-ever leading role in a musical.
Vanessa gave a heart-warming performance as Annie, along with 42 talented students (and a dog!) who comprised the cast. Lead roles were played by 10th grader Hunter Jorgenson as Oliver Warbucks, 12th grader Ashleigh Martin as Miss Hannigan, 9th grader Soolim (Sue) Yoon as Grace, 10th grader Asher Dawkins as Rooster, and 12th grader Nell Daeleman as Lily.
Show Director and Producer Amy Culleny said she was so proud of the young and largely novice cast and how hard they worked to achieve a polished production in just 10 short weeks once rehearsals got underway in mid-September.
“The cast worked hard in every rehearsal and it paid off with a great show,” Culleny said. She also thanked ACS parents, friends, and businesses in the community who supported the effort by purchasing tickets, playbill and electronic ads, making it possible to meet and exceed all the production costs.
Culleny said the success of the “Annie Jr.” production was a team effort, thanking a talented crew for their contributions and for ACS parents – Stage Manager Kelly Flynn, Carrie Jorgenson, Arzum Sanchez, and Jessica Martin for supporting the cast and production behind the scenes. Lee Martin was the Music Director and Technical Director who used digital imagery on a large background screen to enhance the setting of each scene. Jennifer, Haley, Havilah, and Caleb Shorten of Sojourn Productions acquired the beautiful costumes and managed the backstage area, and Sean Griffith, also of Sojourn Productions, designed and constructed the set. Robin Shorten ran all of the music and light cues. Culleny would also like to thank Sojourn Productions for graciously donating use of sets, costumes, and props.
After the curtain call and final bows by the cast and crew, the “Annie Jr.” production concluded with a brief sermonette by Musical and Technical Director Lee Martin. He drew parallels between the story of Annie Jr., an orphan who eventually found someone to adopt her, and how God takes care of us as His children.
Students in the 1st-3rd grades got a standing ovation on Friday, December 14 as they brought the story of the birth of Jesus to life performing the children’s musical, “Star of Wonder,” at our Elementary Christmas Concert. Dressed in colorful costumes, the students sang, danced, and marched in pageantry, as they depicted a constellation of stars, shepherds, wise men and their royal guards, and Mary and Joseph. A cast of six third graders did an excellent job in their leading roles as North Star, Shooting Star, Rock Star, and other cleverly named constellation stars who were shining over the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born — Lelia Alobeidy, Gabriel Capito, Zoey Holmstrom, Elliot Norris, Elijah Polynice, and Vanessa Rallo.
The “Star of Wonder” musical was presented during the second half of the Christmas concert. The first half of the program featured performances by the 4th and 5th grade Elementary Band and by kindergarten students, who sang and played “The First Noel” on the hand bells. Congratulations to Music Director Jaron Beadle and Elementary Music Teacher Shirlene Perini for putting together an outstanding concert.
Winners of the annual Christmas Door Decorating Contest were announced during the all-school Christmas Chapel on Friday, December 21. Thirty-three doors, including a few bulletin boards and hallway walls, were creatively decorated by students from preschool to the 12th grade, with some assistance from their teachers. Photos of the doors were then posted on the ACS Facebook page and over 2,400 votes were cast from December 10-17 by family and friends, who voted by posting a “like or love” on the photos of their choosing. The winners were selected based on the number of Facebook votes received and points earned from a faculty/staff panel that judged the doors based on the amount of student participation, best spiritual message, and the most original and creative design. The three winning classes were awarded first place blue ribbons to display on their winning doors and will each receive an ice cream party in January.
The first place winner in the Upper School (6th-12th grade) division was Mrs. Melody’s 8A class with a beautiful night scene of the stable in Bethlehem and the shepherds and wise men making their journey to find the Christ child in Bethlehem. The artwork spanned the 8th grade science room door and the adjacent hallway wall. The first place winner in the Elementary division was Miss Price’s kindergarten class (pictured above right), featuring sheep decorated with cotton balls, one for each student in the class. The first place winner in the Early Education division was Mrs. Kelley’s PK4A class (pictured above left), who chose to decorate a bulletin board instead of a door and created an inviting scene with the message “Jesus Warms Our Hearts.” The decorated board has presents under a large Christmas tree next to a fireplace. Mrs. Kelley said the students painted and decorated paper plates to create the 3-D limbs of the Christmas tree and also created personalized paper mittens to hang on the fireplace mantle.
Four Honorable Mention awards were also given to various classes. Mrs. Capito’s 1A class received the “People’s Choice” Award for receiving the most votes on Facebook (489). Mrs. Hoover’s 4A class received the “All In” Award for the most student participation. Mr. Dickson’s 7th grade class received the “Reason for the Season” Award for presenting the best spiritual message on their door. The 11th grade class, with input from faculty members Miss Novack and Miss Callahan, used two doors and an adjacent hallway wall to create a scene entitled “Where’s the Line to See Jesus” that received the “Creative Genius Award.”
A slideshow of the winning first place and honorable mention doors can also be seen on the ACS Facebook page.
Yesterday I was listening to Christmas music and the song “So This Is Christmas” by John Lennon came on. As I listened to the beautiful yet simple lyrics, I reflected on how much I love the spirit of this blessed season. I love seeing the happiness on our students’ faces as they work on class projects about the Christmas story and prepare gifts for family members, members of our school family in need, and community helpers. I enjoy watching our students as they act, sing, dance, and play instruments to praise and worship God at our Christmas concerts and December chapels. I love the laughter and giggles, the festive hallways, and the decorated doors. I can’t help but smile as I reflect on God’s goodness to us all in sending His Son to this earth for us.
The story of Mary and Joseph, their journey to Bethlehem, the star, the stable, the choir of angels in the sky, and the arrival of the shepherds who followed the star to worship the King who was born — this story of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, the promised Emmanuel, is one that we joyously proclaim and teach to our students. Everything in the whole world changed in that instant. It is this simple story that brings us the Hope of the world — Jesus Christ our Savior is born, our Lord has come. I pray each of you have a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.
Some lighter moments in chapel included the popular and much anticipated Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, with the assembly voting by acclamation for their favorites from among teachers and students representing each class. After several rounds of voting, 5th grader Elijah Weiler was declared the winner. The winners of the Christmas Door Decorating Contest were also announced. The 1st grade students concluded the program with a humorous skit on the good and bad things about Christmas, after which a surprise flash mob of faculty and staff danced and sang to the students, who were seated all around the gym, to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
The students in Miss Price’s kindergarten class wanted to give back to their community helpers, and who better to appreciate during this time of year than mail carriers? The students wrote “thank you” letters this week and created hot chocolate gifts for their mail carriers to enjoy after a long day of work. Inside the gift bags are hand written notes, cups, hot cocoa packets, marshmallows, and candy canes. The students will leave these gifts inside their mailboxes at home. When their mail carriers deliver their mail, they will see sweet, cozy treats inside the mailboxes to thank them for their hard work.
As the Christmas season quickly approaches, it is easy for us to get caught up in our “to do” lists.” In the busy-ness of life, we can sometimes forget those who have greatly impacted the lives of our families and children the most, in particular the wonderful teachers and staff here at Atlantic Christian School. In the near future, we will have the opportunity to show them how much they mean to us and to our children through the “Christmas Love Offering” that we will take at each of the upcoming Christmas concerts on December 13 and 14. Through the Love Offering, we have the chance to bless our ACS teachers and staff and show them our deep appreciation for all they do to educate our children and train them up in the Lord.
Proverbs 11:25 tells us “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” I would ask that you prayerfully consider how you might bless our wonderful teachers and staff this season. Whatever amount you are able to give, I guarantee that it will not only be a blessing to them, but to you as well. If you are unable to attend one of the concerts, you may also send your gift directly to the school office and please designate it for the Christmas Love Offering. Thank you for your continued faithfulness to our Lord and to ACS.
Blessings,
Doug Pearson
Chair, ACS Board of Directors
ACS ushered in the Christmas season with a sparkly, jingly production of “Elf the Musical, Jr.” on November 16 and 17 on the stage in the school gymnasium. In his first-ever leading role in a musical, 13-year-old 8th grader Hunter Jorgenson gave a heart-warming performance as Buddy the Elf, along with the talented and seasoned young actress 11th grader Ashleigh Martin in the role of his love-interest Jovie.
One of Buddy’s most memorable lines — “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” — was carried out throughout the musical as the cast of 42 students from the 1st to the 12th grades energetically and enthusiastically sang and danced in eleven musical numbers that even included a Broadway-style kick-line. In addition to Jorgenson as Buddy, other standouts and newcomers to the stage included 10th grader Joshua “JJ” Jacoby, playing the role of Buddy’s real father and children’s book publisher, Walter Hobbs, and 5th grader Caden Kim, as Buddy’s younger brother, Michael Hobbs. Memorable and humorous cameo appearances were given by senior Imohimi Unuigbe as Santa, and senior Mikai Browne as fake Santa. 9th grader Destiny Brewer gave a solid performance as Mrs. Hobbs, along with two young actors from Sojourn Productions, Sean Walls as book publisher Mr. Greenway, and Michael Mercadante as the Macy’s store manager.
“This musical was a real crowd pleaser and we were thrilled to see over 700 people come out to see the production and give our students a well-deserved standing ovation at both performances,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. Show Director and Producer Amy Culleny said she was so proud of the young and largely novice cast and how hard they worked to achieve a polished production in just 10 short weeks once rehearsals got underway in mid-September.
“Most of the cast had never been in a show before, but they worked hard in every rehearsal and it paid off with a great show,” Culleny said. “They had a lot of fun and now both the students in the cast and many who watched in the audience are asking about being part of a future production.” Culleny, who is director of the Sojourn Productions Theater Arts Academy in Galloway, said it has been seven years since the last ACS drama or musical production, which she directed, and with the success of this fall’s show she hopes to direct another show next fall. Culleny also thanked ACS parents, friends, and businesses in the community who supported the effort by purchasing tickets and playbill and electronic ads, making it possible to meet and exceed all the production costs.
Culleny said the success of the “Elf the Musical, Jr.” production was a team effort, thanking a talented crew for their contributions and for ACS parents Kelly Flynn and Carrie Jorgenson for supporting the cast and production behind the scenes. Emily Perkins of Sojourn Productions served as choreographer. ACS staff member Lee Martin was the Music Director and Technical Director who used digital imagery on a large background screen to enhance the setting of each scene, from Buddy’s walk through the Lincoln Tunnel and the glittering lights of Times Square to creating snowfall in Central Park and images of Santa flying through the sky on his sleigh. Thanks to creative set design and props overseen by Havilah Shorten, the story-line moved along seamlessly, with memorable scenes set in Santa’s workshop and Macy’s department store. Faculty member Shirlene Perini contributed her talents as a seamstress to create colorful costumes hand-made to size for each of the 20 elves, bringing the scenes in Santa’s workshop to life. The elves also brought the show to an exciting close as they came down into the audience, smiling and laughing as they handed out candy-canes.
After the curtain call and final bows by the cast and crew, the “Elf the Musical, Jr.” production concluded with a brief sermonette by Musical and Technical Director Lee Martin that focused on the true meaning of Christmas. He drew parallels between the fantastical story of Buddy the Elf, who left Santa and the North Pole to find his real father, Walter Hobbs, and the need that every person has to get to know their father in heaven. “Christmas is all about a God who loves his children unconditionally and who gave the gift of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ,” Martin said. “This is the true spirit of Christmas that we hope you will carry with you throughout this season.”
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