Post Tagged with: "Egg Harbor Township"

Donate to the ACS Food Drive by Friday, Feb. 4 or at the Feb. 5 Bowls of Hope Event

Donations of canned soup, vegetables, and other non-perishable food have been steadily coming in for our Bowls of Hope Food Drive and we are grateful for the generosity of our school families. Students in Mrs. Correa’s PreK3 class had fun this week putting their donations into their class collection tub. Next week is the last week to bring in your food items or you can bring them with you to the Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off on Saturday,  February 5.

All donations with non-expired labels will be donated to the Community FoodBank of NJ, Southern Branch. Student Council Advisor Dave Genter said he hopes ACS can set a new food drive record by collecting enough food to surpass last year’s record of 4 tons.

The Student Council will also be awarding a pizza party to the class that collects the most amount of food by weight. Genter will be overseeing Student Council members who will be weighing the contents of every classroom collection bin at the end of next week.

Here are some important guidelines for the Food Drive:

  • Please check the food labels and do not donate any food with expired labels; they cannot be donated to the FoodBank.
  • Please be sure to write your child’s name and teacher’s name on any bag you send in with donated food. This will make sure your donation gets to your child’s class and can be part of the overall amount that each class is collecting.

Thank you for your participation.

ACS Spirit Day at Texas Roadhouse — Thursday, Feb. 3; Precedes Senior Basketball Night at Home Games on Feb. 4

ACS Spirit Day will be on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Texas Roadhouse in Egg Harbor Township from 4 p.m. to closing.   School families, staff, alumni, alumni parents, and friends of ACS are welcome to come out and enjoy a delicious meal and help raise funds for ACS Athletics. Please mention “Atlantic Christian School” when you order.  The restaurant is located at 6801 E. Black Horse Pike in Egg Harbor Township.

ACS will receive 10% of the sales from family and friends that evening. Texas Roadhouse specializes in hand-cut steaks, fall-off-the-bone ribs, made-from-scratch sides, and fresh-baked bread.  Hope to see you there!

The following night, Friday, February 4, everyone is invited to Senior Basketball Night in the ACS Gym, when we will recognize and honor the senior basketball players, managers, and their families. ACS will be hosting King’s Christian School. The JV Boys’ game will tip off at 4:00 p.m., followed by the Varsity Girls’ game at 5:30 p.m. and the Varsity Boys’ game at 7:00 p.m.

Join us for Spirit Day and the following night at our home games to thank our seniors and their families for their dedication to ACS athletics. Go Cougars!  sides, and fresh-baked bread and help raise funds for ACS Athletics.

Register to Donate at Feb. 9 Red Cross Blood Drive at ACS; Donors Will Receive $10 Amazon Gift Card

Donate blood at our Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. and help save lives.  Due to a special partnership between the Red Cross and Amazon.com, all donors will receive a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card via email.  Our goal is to collect 47 or more donations, and each donation provides enough blood for two individuals.

To make an appointment to donate, go to RedCrossBlood.org — and enter the sponsor code “atlanticchristiansch” OR call 1-800-REDCROSS. You can also scan the QR Code on the flyer image below. A donor must be 16 years of age or older.  All donors will have their temperature checked prior to admittance to the blood drive.

ACS has hosted American Red Cross blood drives since 2008 to help meet the urgent needs of patients at hospitals in our community.  According to the Red Cross, there is a serious national blood shortage and there is a low blood supply of all blood types.

The time to donate is now. Your participation will make a difference.

ACS Making Plans for Pastor Appreciation Day — Thursday, February 17

We love our pastors! Atlantic Christian School students and their families worship at over 100 churches across southern New Jersey and each year we set aside a day to recognize and thank the important role that pastors and others working in church ministry play in the lives of our students. This year, Pastor Appreciation Day will be held on Thursday, February 17, 2022.

The day’s activities will begin with a breakfast buffet from 8:00-9:00 a.m. for the pastors, joined by student representatives from various grades. Pastor Tony Montemurro of Calvary Chapel Gateway will be the featured breakfast speaker.

After breakfast, the pastors and ministry leaders are invited to attend our student-led All-School Chapel from 9:00-10 a.m. where our students will show their appreciation for their pastors through choral, instrumental, and oral presentations.

Invitations have been mailed to over 100 churches and we encourage our students and their families to also speak talk their pastors and ministry leaders when you see them at church over the next few weeks and invite them to attend.

Pastors and ministry leaders should RSVP to Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz at 609-653-1199, ext. 302 or to cdelacruz@acseht.org.

Three New Water Bottle Filling Stations Purchased with Donations, Installed to Benefit ACS Students, Staff

Students from elementary to high school are lining up to fill their water bottles with healthy, refreshing filtered water from three new water bottle filling stations that were recently installed on the first and second floors of the main school building. The purchase of the new filling stations was made possible by a grant from the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children program combined with a gift from an anonymous donor.

ACS facilities staff member Bill Smallwood finished installing the filling stations on January 25, which also have a regular water fountain in the front.  One filling station is located near the elementary bathrooms and the rear bus entrance of the school building. The 4th graders pictured above filling up their water bottles during lunch are, from left, Isabelle Kiefer, Joey Kinch, and Brennan Meyer. On the second floor, 7th graders Kalee Tardif (left) and Zion Dawkins (right) used the filling station near the Music Room, (pictured below right), while 11th graders Cruz Lewis, left, and Jake DeNick, right, filled up at the new station near the high school stairwell (pictured below left).

“We are very grateful for the support from AtlantiCare and a generous donor that made the purchase of these filling stations possible,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen. “We now have water filling stations at every location in the school building, replacing all of our basic water fountains. We know this helps provide a healthy learning environment for our students and staff.”  Oblen also said studies have shown that water bottle filling stations encourage everyone to drink more water and also have a positive impact on the environment, reducing the usage of disposable plastic water bottles.

ACS installed its first water bottle filling station in the 1st floor Multi-Purpose Room in the spring of 2018. It was purchased with a grant from the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools, Healthy Children program. That filling station has now been used to fill close to 103,000 water bottles.

We’ve Got Spirit, Yes We Do — Spirit Week Ends With White-Out Day for Games vs. Pilgrim Academy

Students and staff showed off their school pride for Spirit Week from January 18-21, dressing-down each day with various themes, culminating with White-Out Day on Friday, January 21 to get fired up for the Varsity home games against Pilgrim Academy.  The excitement paid off with a four-victory sweep for the ACS Cougars’ JV and Varsity Basketball Teams.

The ACS gym was awash in white shirts and balloons for the games. Athletic Director Pam Hitchner, who organized Spirit Week, had special white t-shirts made for the basketball players, coaches, and cheerleaders to wear with the words “Defend the Den” printed in green on the front.

The ACS Varsity Girls’ went on to beat Pilgrim handily by a score of 32-18. 11th grader Paige Noble led the team with 9 points. 10th-grader Becca Kelley had 7 points, and 11th grader Maddie DeNick had 6 points and 10 rebounds. 10th grader Evangelina Kim excelled on defense, grabbing 5 steals, and also scored 6 points.

In the final game of the evening, the ACS Varsity Boys’ team won a close, hard fought battle against Pilgrim, with a final score of 45-42. 11th grade guard Sam Glancey (#23) led the boys with 19 points.

With these wins under their belt, both ACS teams posted winning records as of January 21. The Varsity Boys were 9-6 overall, and 3-1 in the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) and the Varsity Girls’ were 10-5 overall, and 4-0 in the TSCAC.

Another four weeks of games remain in the season, with the TSCAC championship games scheduled for Saturday, February 26. Come on out and support our Cougars. The schedule for home and away games can be found on the athletic calendars on the ACS website and on the ACS  Family App. Photo credits: Mia Liggins, ACS Yearbook Staff.

 

ACS Cougar Classic Golf Tournament — Thursday, May 5, 2022; Dinner, Silent Auction Part of Event

Back by popular demand, we are pleased to announce that ACS will be holding its Cougar Classic Golf Tournament on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at Greate Bay Country Club in Somers Point, where last year’s Golf Tournament was held. Please mark your calendar to participate in our Tournament and invite family members, business associates, and friends to join you for a fun day out on the links. An Awards Dinner and Silent Auction will also be held in the evening after the Tournament.

To help us in the planning process, please CLICK HERE if you are interested in participating in the Golf Tournament as a Golfer or Sponsor. More details will be provided in the coming weeks. Anyone interested in being part of the Silent Auction Committee, please contact PJ Santos at psantos@acseht.org.

High School Students in Child Development Class Receive Training to Earn CPR Certification

The students in Mrs. Parker’s high school Child Development class received hands-on training in CPR the week of January 10-14 from instructors from Public Safety Training of South Jersey. The students will earn their Heart Saver CPR certification in time for the start of this second semester, when they will gain experience serving as aides in the ACS Early Education Center.

The Child Development class, which meets four days a week and is a year-long class, is part of an Education Concentration that is offered to high school juniors and seniors seeking to gain training and experience in a specific career track. The class meets four days a week and is a one-year-class. Other concentrations offered include Business, Health and Medicine, Ministry, and Technology.

“I’m really enjoying being able to teach this specialized class that gives our high school students an opportunity to explore a specific  career interest,” said Mrs. Parker. “Getting CPR-certified is a valuable skill that our students will have under their belt that will enable them to work with children.”

Parker said other topics covered in the class include infant care, parenting styles, and learning how children grow and learn. In the second semester, the students will be observing and assisting as aides in the Early Education Center, creating and implementing activities for the children, who range in age from 18 months to four years old.

 

 

 

ACIT Students Teach ACS Elementary Students About Importance of Dental Hygiene

Sixteen high school students from the Atlantic County Institute of Technology (ACIT) visited various elementary classrooms on Tuesday, January 25 to teach students about the importance of dental hygiene, an educational visit facilitated by school nurse Carrie Jorgenson.

Jorgenson said the ACIT students gave 20-minutes presentations on dental hygiene to every class from kindergarten to the 4th grade. “Our students loved the presentations that included using puppets with teeth,” Jorgenson said. “It was very effective and fun.”  Each ACS student also received an oral hygiene kit that included a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Two ACIT teachers, Gaby Coslop and Jessica Crompton, accompanied the team of students, who are part of the ACIT Dental Assistant Concentration.

 

Fun Activities Planned for Spirit Week – Jan. 18-21

A series of fun activities for students and staff, including themed dress-down days. are planned for Spirit Week next week — January 18-21, culminating with a “White-Out Day” on Friday, when ACS Varsity basketball teams will play Pilgrim Academy at home. Students dressed in all white at the games will get free admission.

Athletic Director Pam Hitchner, who has organized Spirit Week, wants to see every student and staff member show their school spirit by participating in the Spirit Week activities. She said students who are best dressed according to each day’s theme will be selected during lunch for prizes.

No ripped jeans or leggings as pants are allowed on any day. If you have elementary PE class on any of the days, you need to wear sneakers so you can participate in gym class. Any students choosing not to participate should come to school in their regular school uniform.

The chart below lists the lineup of activities planned for Spirit Week:

 

ACS Donates Over 300 Hats to Ellie’s Hats Charity to Benefit Children Receiving Cancer Treatment

ACS collected over 300 hats during a December Hat Drive that were donated to the non-profit, Ellie’s Hats, on January 6.  Members of the Student Council, who organized the hat drive, presented Shanice Beltran, an Ambassador for Ellie’s Hats, with three big boxes filled with hats that will be donated to children undergoing cancer treatment. Beltan plans to deliver the hats sometime this month to the Pediatric Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia specialty care unit of hematology and oncology in Voorhees.

“I am so grateful to see the outcome of this hat drive,” said Beltran, who is also an ACS parent and works in the ACS Early Education Center. “These hats are going to be a blessing to so many kids. I never expected to receive such a large number of  hats.” Beltran’s daughter, Emma, underwent cancer treatment for a tumor in her kidney in 2018 and received hats to wear from the Maryland-based Ellie’s Hats, during her treatment.

“When children are going through chemo and experiencing hair loss, having a hat to wear gives them some comfort and helps them not think about the ugly side of cancer,” Beltran said. She said the children at the Voorhees clinic will get to choose which of the donated hats they would like to have, helping them reflect their creative and expressive side.

ACS families with students from kindergarten to the 12th grade donated to the Hat Drive, which ran from November 29 to December 20. Student Council Advisor Dave Genter said a total of 306 new hats were collected, in sizes ranging from babies to teenagers.

“The Student Council members were excited to organize this hat drive for Ellie’s Hats and we’re very pleased with the enthusiastic response from our school families,” Genter said.

 

Early Education Center Families Donate Toys to Bless Children in Atlantic County for Three Kings Day Event

Barbie dolls, LEGOs, puzzles, and toy cars were among some 90 toys that were donated by Atlantic Christian School on January 6 to the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County for their “Three Kings Day” event on January 8. Thank you to our generous Early Education Center families who donated the toys to our December Toy Drive to support this charitable event.

Children from across Atlantic County attended the Three Kings Day celebration, held at St. Michael Church in Atlantic City, and were blessed with the gifts of toys donated by ACS and several other area organizations and businesses.

Bert Lopez, President of the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County, thanked ACS Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen for the donation when he came to ACS to pick up the toys.

Sign Up Online for Parent-Teacher Conferences – Jan. 25-27; Sign-Up Site Closes Tuesday, Jan. 18

Parents and guardians can sign up now for our winter Parent-Teacher Conferences that will be held Tuesday-Thursday, January 25-27.  Twenty-minute time slots are available from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The sign-up site will close on January 18 at 6 p.m., at which point any parent/guardian who has not signed up will be assigned a time to meet with their child’s teacher.

Conferences are mandatory for families of K-5th grade students and optional for Early Education students. Conferences are also optional for families of 6th-12th grade students, but are recommended if your child is not performing well academically (a grade of 70 or below in any subject).

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only two (2) adults are allowed to attend; children are not allowed to attend. Masks will be required at all times while in the school building.

For more details about the conferences, please check the January 11 email from Gail Alford (for EE-5th grade) and the January 10 email from Educational Support Specialist Sue DeNick (for 6th-12th grade).

Please select the appropriate grade-level link below to sign up online:

Early Education — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference
Grades K-5 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference
Grades 6-12 — CLICK HERE to schedule a conference

Varsity Basketball Teams Shine at Cairn University Basketball Tournament During Christmas Break

Congratulations to our Varsity Boys’ Basketball team for winning first place at a Christmas Basketball Tournament hosted by Cairn University on December 29 and 30, beating Faith Christian Academy of Sellersville, PA in the championship round in overtime play. The Varsity Girls’ team also advanced to the championship game, but lost to Faith Christian Academy of Sellersville, finishing in second place.

12th grader Aaron Glancey and 11th grader Caleb Vogel were named to the All-Tournament Boys’ team, with Vogel also being named the Tournament Boys’ MVP. 10th grader Evangelina Kim was named to the All Tournament Girls’ team.

“We’re proud of the way both teams played,” said Athletic Director Pam Hitchner. “The tournament gave us an opportunity to compete against teams from other states that are not part of our conference and see how we match up.”   The four schools who competed in the tournament were: Atlantic Christian School, Faith Christian Academy (Sellersville, PA); Faith Christian Academy (Martinsburg, WV); and Lancaster County Christian School (Lancaster, PA).

As of mid-January, the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference (TSCAC) basketball season is just getting underway. The Varsity Boys’ team has an overall record of 5-5 and is 1-1 in the TSCAC and the Varsity Girls’ team is 6-5 overall and 2-0 in the TSCAC.

Please check the Athletic Calendar on the ACS website or the Family App for the schedule of upcoming games and come on out to cheer for our Cougars.  Photo credits: Ruby Lewis.

 

Student Council Kicks Off Bowls of Hope Food Drive

Student Council members kicked off the Bowls of Hope Food Drive this week, making presentations to students in various classrooms on Friday morning and distributing white plastic grocery bags to take home for families to begin collecting canned soup and other non-perishable food for the Community FoodBank of NJ, Southern Branch. Please return the Food Drive bags to ACS by Friday, February 4, or bring them with you to the February 5 Bowls of Hope event. Families can also bring donations to ACS during Parent-Teacher Conferences to be held the last week of January.

Student Council is running a contest for the Food Drive. The class that collects the most amount of food by weight will win a pizza party.  Last year, ACS set a new food drive record, collecting over 4 tons of food. Let’s beat that record this year!

Here are some important guidelines for the Food Drive:

  • Please check the food labels and do not donate any food with expired labels; they cannot be donated to the FoodBank.
  • Please be sure to write your child’s name and teacher’s name on any bag you send in with donated food. This will make sure your donation gets to your child’s class and can be part of the overall amount that each class is collecting.

Over 1,000 grocery bags were donated by the English Creek ShopRite to use for our Food Drive. Collection boxes for donations are now located in the school foyer and in the hallways next to each classroom.

We are encouraging every family to participate in our Food Drive to give a helping hand to those in need in our community. Thank you for your participation.

Students to Perform at Bowls of Hope Talent Show — Auditions on Thursday, Jan. 20

Students from kindergarten to the 12th grade are invited to audition for the Bowls of Hope Talent Show, to be held during the Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off on Saturday, February 5.  Talent Show auditions will be on Thursday, January 2o, from 3:15-5:00 p.m. in the Music Room. The sign-up form for the auditions is in the school office and students will receive a specific audition time slot.

The act cannot be more than 3 minutes long. If music is part of the act, students must be sure to bring a track or sheet music to the audition.

If a student needs a different audition time, please contact Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz to discuss an alternate time. Delacruz can be reached at cdelacruze@acseht.org or 609-653-1199, ext. 302.

 

 

Student Video Contest to Promote Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off

Students in the 6th to 12th grades are being challenged to create an original video to promote the Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off. The contest offers VISA gift card prizes for the top three entries and the winning videos will be posted on ACS social media in January and early February and shown at the Bowls of Hope Soup Cook-Off on February 5.

Information about the contest was sent to parents, students, and staff in an email from Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen on January 13. An information flyer with details about the contest  is posted below.

The video should not be more than 2 minutes and 30 seconds long and must be submitted by Friday, January 29, 2022.

Video entries should be uploaded to:  http://bit.ly/bowlsofhopevideo

 

Red Cross Blood Drive at ACS – Wednesday, Feb. 9 – Register to Donate

Give the gift of blood and help save a life. The Red Cross is reporting that it is experiencing the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Make an appointment to donate blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. Our goal is to collect 47 or more donations.

All donors will have their temperature checked prior to admittance to the blood drive. ACS has hosted American Red Cross blood drives since 2008 to help meet the urgent needs of patients at hospitals in our community.  According to the Red Cross, the current low blood supply levels have forced some hospitals to defer patients from major surgery, including organ transplants.

CLICK HERE to make an appointment to donate blood on the Red Cross website — RedCrossBlood.org — and enter the sponsor code “atlanticchristiansch” OR call 1-800-REDCROSS.   You can also scan the QR Code on the flyer image below to make an appointment on the Red Cross website. A donor must be 16 years of age or older.

Classroom Cameo: 8th Graders Build Roller Coaster Models for Integrated Science Class

Students in Miss Stonelake’s 8th grade integrated science class designed and built large models of roller coasters as part of a month-long class project that concluded with classroom presentations on  December 21 and 22, which was also Christmas Pajama Dress Down Day. The students worked individually and in groups, both in class and at home, using household materials to complete their unique designs, some of which spanned nearly 4 feet high and 4 feet wide.

Stonelake said the project helped the middle school students apply what they had learned about energy conversion, friction, and the law of conservation of energy. The students were required to name and decorate their coasters and include hills, loops, and a vehicle that could travel through the entire coaster without stopping. Stonelake said every roller coaster highlighted in this article achieved the necessary requirements.

Pictured above with Miss Stonelake are Amelia D’Anna (left) and Mikalya Cubbage (right), with their roller coaster named “Tropical Coaster.” Other roller coasters with the students who designed and built them are pictured below.

 

Kindergartners Make Christmas Thank-You Gifts for Mail Carriers

The students in Mrs. Reilly’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 during class on December 23, the last day before Christmas break, and created hot chocolate gifts for their mail carriers to enjoy after a long day of work.

The students put their thank-you letters inside a tall hot drink cup, with hot cocoa packets, and a big candy cane. Over the Christmas holiday, the students left their gifts inside their mailboxes at home.  When their mail carrier delivered their mail, they saw the gift inside the mailbox to thank them for their hard work.

Elementary Principal Gail Alford said this kindergarten project was part of a school-wide focus on creating a heart of service among our students. During each school year, every elementary class is required to do at least one service project.

 

Students, Staff Gather to Worship the Newborn King at All-School Christmas Chapel on Dec. 23

Students and staff gathered to worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus at an all-school Christmas Chapel on December 23. Students from preschool to the 12th grade participated in the chapel program with drama, vocal, and instrumental presentations. Event Coordinator and high school Bible teacher Christian Delacruz encouraged everyone in his chapel message to be thankful for the best Christmas gift of all — the gift of grace, love, and eternal life made possible through the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ.

Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz presented the chapel message.

Gail Alford, the Elementary Principal and Early Education Director, opened the chapel with prayer and then introduced Mrs. Meza’s 2nd grade class, who presented a dramatic skit about four words that embodied the Christmas story — sacrifice, seek, shout, and share. Mrs. Meza challenged everyone to take the opportunity during this Christmas season to share the salvation message rooted in the Christmas story with family and friends.

The PreK3 and PreK4 classes then took to the stage to joyously sing and dance to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

The PreK3 and PreK4 classes sang and danced to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

An Upper School Instrumental Worship Ensemble performed two Christmas songs, featuring 12th grade brothers Hyeonjin (Isaac) Choi and Hyeonbin (Joseph) Choi on violin, 8th grader Rowlee Murphy on cello, and 12th grader Haley Whedbee on flute.

CLICK HERE to view a video of the Upper School Instrumental Worship Ensemble’s performance.

The 5th grade Worship Team got everyone on their feet to sing and dance along with them as they performed “Feeling Like Christmas” and “Born is the King.” The Middle School and High School Worship Teams followed suit, as they encouraged the students and staff to sing along as they performed “Carol of the Bells” and several other Christmas carols.

CLICK HERE to view a video of the Middle School and High School Worship Teams performing  one of their carols during the Christmas Chapel.

There were several light-hearted moments during the chapel. The winners of the 6th-12th grade Christmas Door Decorating Contest and the K-5th grade Christmas Tree Decorating Contest were announced. Mrs. Flath’s 9th grade class won the Christmas Door Decorating contest, that included decorating several doors and adjacent walls with a Charlie Brown theme.  The elementary Christmas Tree Decorating Contest focused on a Christmas Around the World theme and Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class won with a tree decorated as Christmastime in the tropics.

A group of faculty and staff closed the chapel with a surprise song-and-dance routine.

The audience also participated in an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest, cheering loudly as they voted for their favorite students to win first place. The winner from the 6th to 12th grade classes was 12th grader Mia Liggins and the K-5th grade winner was kindergartner Felicity Macpherson.  The chapel concluded with a surprise — a song-and-dance routine performed by an energetic group of faculty and staff.

 

 

10th Grader Ryleigh Martin Wins ACS Christmas Card Design Contest

Congratulations to 10th grader Ryleigh Martin for winning first place in the ACS Christmas Card Art Design Contest. Her original art design is being featured on the cover of our school’s 2021 Christmas card that was recently mailed to several thousand families, friends, and supporters.

In addition to Ryleigh, four other students were recognized for their outstanding designs: 2nd place – Sophia Capito (7th grade); 3rd place – Hazel Burgan (8th grade); 4th place – Paige Noble (11th grade); and 5th place – Angela Eggie (12th grade).

Fifty-four cover art designs were submitted for the contest. Students from the 6th-12th grades worked for a month on their designs during art classes taught by Sherry Mirakian and Patti Scardilli, including Middle School Art Studio, Middle School Mixed Media, 9th Grade Art Appreciation, and High School Mixed Media.

On December 2, a faculty-staff panel of judges selected the top 5 designs and the winners were announced and  presented with award ribbons during Upper School Chapel on December 9.

Ryleigh’s card design, done with colored pencils, pen, and gel pens on card stock, features a family gathered in their living room, with a Christmas tree nearby, and the father reading to his children from the Bible.  The scripture verse from John 1:14 that is part of the design reads — “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

“This is the fifth year that we have held this Christmas card art contest and we had more students participate than ever before,” Mirakian said. “The contest gives our talented students the opportunity to use their God-given artistic abilities to create a design that has a visual impact and shares a Biblical message about the birth of Christ.”

The  top five Christmas card designs along with nearly 50 other card designs are on display through the end of January on a large bulletin board in the main school hallway adjacent next to the Multi-Purpose Room.

 

Elementary Students Present “Beneath a Shining Star” Musical as Part of Dec. 16 Christmas Concert

Students from kindergarten to the third grade took center stage to share the story of the Biblical events that led up to the birth of Jesus at their Christmas concert on December 16. After the opening prayer by Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, the kindergarten students performed “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Jingle Bells.” The concert program then transitioned to a presentation of the children’s musical — “Beneath a Shining Star.”

As the scenes of the musical unfolded, the story of Jesus’ birth was told by 1st to 3rd grade students through skits and songs, with various students playing the roles of Joseph, Mary, the inn keeper, shepherds, angels, the wisemen, and a townsperson from Bethlehem.  One student played the role of stage manager, weaving the various scenes together.

Within each scene, the students performed a number of songs including “I’m Booked Up,” which featured 2nd graders Jeremiah Diaz, Callie Gibson, and Bright Otong as soloists, “God Will See Us Through,” “Let’s All Go To Bethlehem,” “What Is This New Star,” and “Sing To the Newborn King.”

At the conclusion of the musical, during the collection of the Teacher-Staff Love Offering, the Elementary Sign Language Club presented a moving rendition of “The Goodness of God.” The concert ended with the audience joining the students in a lively Christmas carol sing-along.  Elementary Principal and Early Education Director Gail Alford closed the concert in prayer.

The students who played various speaking roles during the musical were: Jayden Bird (stage manager), Lucian Kizuka (Joseph); Grace Petrinic (Mary); Lillian Breitweiser, Nova Ciappina, and Alba Reed (angels); Nathan Frye and Kennedy Jackson (wisemen); Caitlin Doucett, Charlee Mitchell, and Ceci Tormey (shepherds), and Julia DiMaio (townsperson).

Congratulations to the show’s music directors Julie Zimmer and Tim Rosie, and sign language club advisor Jessica Martin for an outstanding program that celebrated the true meaning of Christmas — the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah and savior of the world.

CLICK HERE to view a highlight video of the K-3 Christmas Concert which is posted on the ACS YouTube Channel.

CLICK HERE to view a Photo Galley of the K-3 Christmas Concert on the ACS website.

 

 

 

Early Education Students Present a Merry, Joyous Christmas Concert

The jingle-jangle of bells rang out to open the Early Education Christmas Concert on December 17, getting family members and friends in the Christmas spirit.  The program featured ACS preschool-aged students dressed in their best Christmas outfits singing songs that celebrated the birth of Jesus, interspersed with an interactive reading of the Christmas story by Early Education Director and Elementary Principal Gail Alford.

The concert began with Mrs. Genter’s toddlers performing “Jingle Bells,” followed by six preschool classes from PreK2 to PreK4 singing and doing choreography to a variety of Christmas songs, including “Lights on the Tree,” “Angels Sing,” “Glorious Night,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “The Best Gift, and “Baby Jesus, We Love You.”

Between each class performance, Mrs. Alford gathered for a special story time at the front of the stage to read the Christmas story aloud as several students from Mrs. Kelley’s and Mrs. Bird’s PreK4 classes listened and asked questions. The students who were part of the story time were: HazelMarie Black, River Finnegan, Jaxon Fiorilo, Lucas Keaney, Michael Lombardi, Wesley Myers, Lily Platt, Moriah Ragland, Teagan Raughley, Zoe McNulty, Roman Siu, and Hunter VanHenninga (from Mrs. Bird’s class); and Robert O’Donoghue, Brielle Sabulao, Jackson Sawatzke, Julian Walder, and Johannah Wilson (from Mrs. Kelley’s class).

School parent and pastor Lee Martin presented a Christmas message to the hundreds of parents, grandparents, other family members, and friends in the audience, reminding them that the best gift ever given was Jesus and the eternal life that comes through Him.  The PreK3 and PreK4 students closed the concert with an enthusiastic rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Thank you to the outstanding team of Early Education teachers and aides, who did a great job preparing our students for the concert — Robin Genter and her aides, Chanta Fernandez and Jessica Shoemaker (PK2); Ruby Lewis and her aide, Sandra Readding (PK2); Cookie Chambers and her aide, Michelle Wheller (PK2); Brittany Correa and her aide Karissa Costello (PK3); Alyda McKee and her aide, Ruth Valdes (PK3); Jennifer Kelley and her aide, Yomayra Gaffney (PK4); and Teresa Bird and her aide, Ashley Gonzalez.

CLICK HERE to view a photo gallery of the concert on our ACS website.

CLICK HERE to view a highlights video of the concert that is posted on Atlantic Christian School’s YouTube page.

 

Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd Grade Class Blesses ACS Staff Member with Surprise Christmas Gift

The students in Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class surprised ACS Event Coordinator Christian Delacruz on December 23 with a special Christmas gift — a poster full of hand-written letters thanking him for his dedication and hard work serving the students and staff and an envelope filled with $300 in cash.

“We had a class discussion in November about doing a service project to bless someone at Christmas who works at the school and sometimes goes unnoticed, but deserves appreciation for all they do,” said Mrs. McCarthy. “I wanted the students to learn about what the word “sacrifice” means — to put others before ourselves.”  The class voted and selected Mr. Delacruz and then the students had a month to do chores at home to earn money to give as a Christmas gift.

In the students’ letters to Delacruz, they thanked him for all his efforts to make the Race for Education and the One Christmas Night Festival a success. They also talked about the valuable lesson they learned about sacrificing by giving up their personal time to do chores to be a blessing to someone else. The students described the various chores they did, including setting the table, doing dishes, and cleaning their bedroom.

When he was presented with the poster and envelope of cash, Delacruz could only say — “This is such a blessing. Thank you so much. I’m shocked. I’m speechless.”

Delacruz joined the ACS staff in February 2020 to work on the facilities team. This September, he began teaching two high school Bible classes — Biblical Leadership and Bible Study No Excuses — and leading a chapel COMPASS group. He moved into the position of Event Coordinator in mid-October. Delacruz and his wife, Cristina, have three children and his son, CJ, is an ACS 6th grader. They live in Egg Harbor Township.

This is the second time that Mrs. McCarthy’s class has given a surprise Christmas gift to an ACS staff member. The last recipient was ACS custodian Juan Perez in December 2019.