Post Tagged with: "Egg Harbor Township"

Christmas Door Decorating Contest Begins Dec. 5 – Vote for Your Favorites on Facebook Dec. 10-17

ACS students and teachers will begin decorating their classroom doors next week for the Christmas season. Classes will compete for prizes with winners to be determined by on-line voting on Facebook.

Photographs of each classroom door will be posted on the ACS Facebook page. Voting will open at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 10 and will close at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 17.

The Early Ed classroom door, the Elementary classroom door, and the Middle School/High School classroom door with the most “likes” will each win a special prize to be shared by all the class members.

Make plans now to go to the ACS Facebook page between December 10 and 17 to cast your vote with a “like” for your favorite door. Winners will be announced at the December 21 all-school Christmas Chapel.

High School Students Attend Leadership Conference in Washington, DC; Focus on God-Honoring Ways to Respond to Human Suffering

Twelve ACS high school students attended a leadership conference November 18-20 in Washington, DC that focused on human suffering around the world and how to respond to that suffering through the lens of God’s Word. The annual conference was sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools International and drew over 400 students from Christian high schools in the Northeast.

The students participated in large and small group sessions that explored how humans are stripped of their inherent value and dignity through typical responses to issues such as poverty, human trafficking, physician assisted suicide, abortion, and other problems that plague our society.

Upper School Principal Meg McHale, who attended the conference with the students, said the speakers challenged the students to use the inspiration they felt from the conference to transform how they looked at and valued others within their world and to take action. McHale said that in the final session the students worked together to begin planning a response to one of the issues that each school group chose to address and that the ACS group chose to focus on the issue of human trafficking.

The conference activities also included worship, a presentation by comedian Keith Coast, and an afternoon guided tour of the Capitol Building, led by American Christian Tours, that incorporated interesting and inspiring facts about the role of Christian principles in the founding of our nation. The students who attended the trip were: Elizabeth Alford, Rudy Dalinger, Rebekah Darragh, Emily Elgersma, Solomon Griffith, Paige Hoover, Ashleigh Martin, Joshua Mizrahi, Lola Oguntuase, Sydney Pearson Imohimi Unuigbe, and Caraline Winkel.

 

 

 

 

 

ACS Hosting Family-Favorite Christmas Model Train Display, Open Saturdays in December, January

ACS is excited to host the Shoreline Model Railroad Club’s 2018 Christmas Train Display. The 55′ x 16′ Lionel-style model train layout includes over 300 feet of railway track as well as dozens of hand-crafted buildings, scenery and characters — not to mention the operating contemporary and vintage trains and accessories! Located in Annex Building #2, the display is open every Saturday through January 26, 2019, from 10 am to 2 pm, and admission is free.

CLICK HERE to read a November 8 Current newspaper article with more photos and interesting details about the train display at ACS.

Stockton Professor Holds Clarinet Workshop for 4th & 5th Grade Band Members

On Wednesday, November 28, Dr. Christopher DiSanto, Associate Professor at Stockton University’s School of Arts and Humanities, visited ACS to work with 4th and 5th grade band students in a clarinet workshop. DiSanto, who was invited to ACS by Music Director Jaron Beadle, teaches music appreciation, music theory, and conducting at Stockton. He is also the Principal Clarinetist of the Bay Atlantic Symphony and director of its Music Mentorship program. This initiative affords selected Stockton music students the opportunity to be paired with musicians from the Bay Atlantic Symphony who act as mentors in a unique setting as visiting instrumental specialists in local middle and high school music programs.

During his one-hour workshop with the ACS students, he taught several key concepts for beginning clarinetists, focusing especially on fingering techniques. Dr. DiSanto made the learning fun with games using the white board and ping pong balls. He concluded his session with an impressive demonstration of virtuosity on his instrument, playing an intricate, up-tempo piece that left the young band members oohing, aahing, and excited to play.

 

 

A Thanksgiving Message from Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen

Dear ACS Family,

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for all of God’s extraordinary blessings in my life. With gratitude to our great God, I realize that everything I have that is good — and everything that I am — is a gift from God. God, the one from whom all blessings flow, lavishes on each of us His gifts freely and generously.

This past weekend, my heart was bursting with pride as I watched our students perform in our school production of “Elft the Musical, Jr.” I was filled with gratitude that this production gave so many students the opportunity to discover and develop their God-given gifts and talents.

This Thanksgiving, I am especially grateful to serve in a school where God is glorified in all that we do and where the name of Jesus Christ can be freely proclaimed. I thank God for each and every one of you. I pray you each have a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving!

Karen M. Oblen, M.Ed.
Chief School Administrator

  Philippians 1:3-4 — “I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you all, I pray with joy.”

ACS Students Show Love, Appreciation to Grandparents on Special Day

Over 450 grandparents visited the ACS campus on Friday, November 16 for our annual Grandparents’ Appreciation Day. The PreK4 students warmly welcomed the grandparents as they sang “Happy Grandparents Day” to open the all-school chapel. The chapel program continued with students from elementary through high school praising God through musical presentations, scripture recitation, and prayer.  There were also some humorous highlights, including a student in a turkey gobbler costume running around the stage as the kindergartners sang “Turkey Time,” under the direction of Mrs. Shirlene Perini.

The keynote speaker, Mr. Greg Loomer, shared some light-hearted anecdotes about his four grandchildren who attend ACS — Cole, Cruz, Jayson, and Reyna Lewis — describing the joy he and his wife, Juanita, get from spending time with and investing in the lives their grandchildren. “Grandchildren are our crown and it is so important for us as grandparents to love them and support them at every opportunity we are given,” Loomer said. He also said he was grateful for a school like Atlantic Christian and its faculty and staff who are investing in each student and training them up in God’s Word.

The chapel program included several student musical groups performing for the first time in this school year. The high school “Take Note Choral Ensemble,” under the direction of Mr. Jaron Beadle, made its debut performing “What a Beautiful Name It Is,” and a new Middle School Worship Team sang “O Come to the Altar,” showcasing Tommy Ellison and Yariah Wilkins as soloists.  Before the close of the program, the grandparents got a sneak preview of that night’s upcoming show, “Elf the Musical, Jr.,” with the cast performing one of the lively numbers entitled “Sparklejollytwinklejingley.” Senior Class Vice-President Solomon Griffith closed the program in prayer.

After the chapel program, the grandparents visited various classrooms where their grandchildren proudly shared examples of their classroom projects and gave them hand-made gifts.  The grandparents also had the opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair in the school library and see the Shoreline Model Railroad Club’s model train Christmas display.

CLICK FOR GRANDPARENTS DAY PHOTOS

 

 

Thank You for Supporting Our Scholastic Book Fair

Thank you to the many parents, grandparents, and other family members who supported the Scholastic Book Fair held last week in the school library. Our Book Fair sales exceeded $6,000 and helped ACS earn over $2,000 that can be used to purchase library books, projectors, and other technology, according to Diane Ash, Elementary Computers and Library Coordinator, who oversaw the Fair. Subscriptions to the Scholastic News magazine for our K-5 classrooms will also be purchased from the proceeds of the Fair.

 

Middle School Basketball Tryouts Next Week, Cheerleading Begins

Middle School Basketball try-outs will be held on Monday, November, 26.  The girls’ team, coached by Mr. Grant Miller, will have tryouts at Greentree Church located at 125 School House Road, Egg Harbor Township. The boys’ team, coached by Mr. Lee Martin, will have tryouts at Linwood Community Church located at 1838 Shore Road, Linwood. Transportation to practice will be provided, but students will need to be picked up from their practice location. The girls’ practice will end at 5:00 pm and the boys’ will end at 5:30 pm.

Cheerleading, coached by Mrs. Kelly Flynn, will have an orientation meeting and begin practice at 3:15 pm in the bus loop foyer.

Christmas Poinsettia Sale Kicks Off This Week – Orders Due by November 30

ACS is selling beautiful poinsettia plants for the Christmas season and the proceeds will support the ACS Junior Class and the ACS “Take Note Choral Ensemble,” which will be performing at Carnegie Hall with Christian artist Lauren Daigle in January. A poinsettia sale flyer with an order form was sent home with Early Ed-8th grade students this week.  All orders must be received in the school office by Friday, November 30.

The poinsettias are available in three colors — red,  pink, and white — and come in four different sizes — a 6.5-inch pot with 1 plant and 3-6 blooms; a 7.5-inch pot with 2 plants and 6-12 blooms; an 8.5-inch pot with 3 plants and 12-16 blooms; and a 10-inch pot with 4 plants and 16+ blooms. The prices for the poinsettias range from $12 to $40 each.  The poinsettias will be used to decorate the ACS stage in the gymnasium for our December Christmas concerts and the plants can be picked up after any one of the performances on December 13 and 14.

CLICK HERE to view or print out the flyer with the order form. Thank you for your support.

ACS Students Participate in State, National Recycle Bowl Contest, Also Create Art From Recycled Materials

ACS students participated in a month-long contest focused on promoting recycling that concluded on November 15. Middle school students, under the direction of science teacher Celine Melody, collected bags of recycling from elementary classrooms and administrative offices each week, and weighed and tallied the amount collected as the part of their school’s participation in the state and national Recycle Bowl contest. High school students also collected and tabulated the school’s recycling efforts carried out in classrooms and offices on the second floor of the school building. The Atlantic County Utilities Authority assisted ACS in organizing the contest, which has the goal of establishing and increasing recycling programs and awareness in schools.  Mrs. Melody will be submitting the school’s final tallies for the contest in mid-December.

In addition to the state and national contest, elementary level classes were paired with different middle school classes into four different teams that competed for an intra-school contest to see which team could collect the most recycled items. The combined team of the two kindergarten classes and the 6th grade classes came in first place, collecting a total of 179 pounds of recycling.  The team of Mrs. Coates’ 8B class , Mr. Tardif’s 4B class, and the 5th grade classes came in a close second place, collecting 171 pounds of recycling.

“We’re really proud of the effort and enthusiasm from all of our students during the contest and we want to keep encouraging recycling throughout the rest of the school year,” said Mrs. Melody. The winning classes were announced during chapel on November 30 and each class received an ACUA “Supercan” stuffed toy to keep in their classrooms until next year’s contest. In December, the kindergarten classes will also receive the prize of a movie and popcorn party and the 6th grade class will enjoy a movie and ice cream party.

The theme of recyling and finding ways to re-purpose recycled items carried over into Mrs. Mirakian’s art classes as well.  An 8th grade art class created 3-D tree sculptures made from recycled materials that were put on display in late October in the hallway outside the Art Room. To begin the recycled art project, the students first went outside to look at trees planted in different locations on the school campus. Mrs. Mirakian had the students create a 2-dimensional drawing of one of the trees they had seen, taking note of the tree’s trunk, branches, leaves, and other structural parts, and the surface area surrounding the tree trunk.  The students were then given the task of building a 3-D sculpture based on their drawing and using a variety of recycled materials, such as puzzles pieces, newspaper, bottle caps, old pennies, bubblewrap, and paper towel rolls.

 

 

Staff Spotlight — New Upper School English and History Teachers

ACS is excited to welcome three more new teachers to our Upper School this year. Catie Lee (left), our new Middle School English teacher, comes to ACS after three years of teaching in Pittsgrove Township and at Ambassador Christian Academy. She has a Bachelor’s in Education with a minor in Special Ed. from Liberty University. She is currently working on a Master’s from Liberty as well. Lee and her husband, Casey, attend Kingsway Church in Glassboro where she serves on the Events Team. “I feel so blessed to be at ACS this year,” Lee says. “It is awesome to be part of a team that truly is ‘all in’ for Jesus.”

Amy Whisman (center) teaches High School History, applying both her Master’s degree in History from Liberty University and her teaching experience in local church and home-school settings. The Whisman family worships at Milmay Christian Church where Amy serves in women’s, children’s, and worship ministries, while her husband David is the lead minister. Joining Mrs. Whisman at ACS is her daughter, Rachel, who is in 10th grade.

Katie Callahan (right), a 2009 ACS alumna, teaches High School English. She has a BS in Psychology from Messiah College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Rutgers-Camden. Before joining the ACS faculty, Callahan was an adjunct English instructor at Camden County College and Atlantic Cape Community College. She attends Fellowship Community Church in Collingswood, NJ and leads a young adult community group there. “I am excited to be working at my alma mater,” Callahan said, “because I had wonderful teachers who encouraged me in Christ yet also pushed me to think for myself, and I get to be that teacher for so many unique, spiritually hungry kids. I also get to expose my students daily to what I believe are some of God’s greatest gifts to us: the abilities to create and communicate through writing, and the appreciation of those abilities in others through reading.”

K-12 Picture Make-Up Day – December 3

School picture retakes for students in grades K-12 will be on Monday,  December 3. Students who missed the first Picture Day should pick up a form in the office.  Students who would like to have their picture retaken must return their original picture packet on Retake Day.  Please remember that the dress code for pictures requires an ACS polo shirt. Gym clothes, ACS hoodies and sports gear are not to be worn.

8th Graders Create 3-D Tree Sculptures From Recycled Materials

Students in Mrs. Mirakian’s 8A art class recently created 3-D tree sculptures made from recycled materials. The sculptures have been on display since late October in the first floor hallway outside the Art Room. To begin the recycled art project, the students first went outside to look at trees planted in different locations on the school campus. Mrs. Mirakian had the students create a 2-dimensional drawing of one of the trees they had seen, taking note of the tree’s trunk, branches, leaves, and other structural parts, and the surface area surrounding the tree trunk.  The students were then given the task of building a 3-D sculpture based on their drawing and using a variety of recycled materials, such as puzzles pieces, newspaper, bottle caps, old pennies, bubblewrap, and paper towel rolls.

Second Graders Learn All About Plants, Share Knowledge Through Poster Project

The students in Miss Williams’ 2nd grade class have been learning all about stems, leaves, roots, and other parts of plants during a recent science unit. The students created colorful and informative posters about the plants that they chose to study. The posters have been on display in the hallway outside their classroom for the past month and feature interesting facts about a variety of plants including sunflowers, tulips, tomatoes, buttercups, and primrose.

 

3rd Graders Set Sail for Learning with Mayflower Writing Project

The students in Mrs. McCarthy’s 3rd grade class recently took a trip back in time to write creative essays on the topic, “You have a ticket on the Mayflower…” The students first stained their paper with tea to make it look old then they started the writing process — brainstorming, first draft (a.k.a. “sloppy copy”), final draft. Writing from the point of view of a Pilgrim, they answered questions such as, “How are you feeling about the journey?” “Why are you leaving?” “What are you worried about?” and “What will you take with you?”

When the project was completed, students agreed, “We all were very thankful to God that we have the luxuries of this day and age and not the hardships that the Pilgrims faced in 1620.”

Students Make Eye-Catching Strawberry Shortcakes in Middle School Cooking Class

Middle school students learned how to assemble and create eye-catching strawberry shortcakes during their November 6 cooking class with chef instructor Dan Carney. The students made whipping cream from scratch and then iced the shortcakes with the whipping cream. They also learned how to cut and slice fresh strawberries in a variety of shapes and used the strawberries and  fresh mint to decorate the cakes.  “This class is a great way for students to get excited about cooking and to learn how to prepare healthy food that can taste good and look good too,” said Mr. Carney, who is in his second year teaching both middle school and high school cooking classes.

ACS Kicks Off the Christmas Season With a Sparkly, Jingly Production of Elf the Musical, Jr.

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.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ELF, JR. PHOTOS

 

Elf the Musical, Jr. Next Friday and Saturday

We’re just one week away from opening night of Elf the Musical, Jr. right here at ACS! Students and directors have been hard at work, and the show promises to be a real treat, kicking off the holiday season with great music and a lot of laughs. Get your tickets now in the school office or online by clicking HERE.

Please note that seating for both shows is general seating. Doors will open 3o minutes before showtime and reserving seats will not be allowed.

ACSI Accreditation Team Concluded Visit at ACS This Week

A six-member team of educators representing the Association of Christian Schools International spent three days at ACS this past week assessing various aspects of the school’s operations. ACS is seeking to be re-accredited by ACSI and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the site visit was the final phase of a year-long re-accreditation process that included preparing a 97-page self-study report for the team to review.

During their visit, the team members met with Board members, faculty, staff, parents, and students and conducted classroom observations. The members of the accreditation team and ACS administration pictured here are, first row, from left: Roxane Southcott-Roberts (Calvary Academy, NJ); Sandy Moritz (Liberty Christian, MD); Lori Cole (Lancaster County Christian, PA); Anita Whisler (Conestoga Christian, PA); second row, from left: Sam Osbourn (Red Lion Christian Academy, DE); Paula Frey (Cornerstone Christian Academy, PA); Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen; and Upper School Principal Meg McHale.

Team chair Paula Frey said ACS will receive the decision from ACSI regarding re-accreditation after the meeting of the ACSI Northeast Regional Accreditation Commission in early December.  Middle States will make its decision regarding re-accreditation in spring 2019. ACS received its first dual 7-year accreditation in 2012.

 

 

 

PTF, Local Business Donate to Purchase New Laminator

ACS has a new commercial-quality GBC Laminator thanks to a donation from the Parent-Teacher Fellowship and C. Costello Roof and Solar.  PTF President Terry Vogel said the funds raised through weekly pretzel sales, sweatshirts, the Shoprite gift cards, and other fundraisers helped make their donation possible. “The PTF is focused on blessing our faculty and staff and we know that they will be using this new laminator for many years,” Vogel said. Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen said she is grateful to the PTF and to a business owned by an ACS family for combining their gifts to make the purchase of the new laminator possible. The nearly $2,000 in gifting also underwrote film rolls for the laminator and one year of maintenance. The PTF officers pictured with the new laminator, from left, are: Polly Ellison, Terry Vogel, Amanda Costello, and Lori Pearson.

 

 

 

 

Join the ACS Team – Job Opportunities Available

ACS has immediate openings for part-time aides in our award-winning Early Education Center, working with children from 6 months to 4 years old. Must hold current CPR and First Aid certification. Also hiring Extended Care aides to work with K-6th grade students in our after school care program. CLICK HERE for more information and to apply.

 

High School Students Explore Educational Opportunities at National College Fair

ACS organized a trip for students from the 10-12th grades to attend the 2018 National College Fair at the Atlantic City Convention Center on November 1, where nearly 200 colleges were represented. “We want to help our students make informed choices about pursuing post-secondary education and attending this college fair was one way to gather a lot information under one roof,” said Upper School Principal Meg McHale, who along with Admissions Director Heidi Sray, accompanied the students on the trip. The students talked with representatives from various colleges and attended informational workshops, including one tailored to students interested in playing sports in college and another on ways to finance a college education. To prepare for their visit, McHale said the students were asked to list 10 colleges they were interested in getting information from at the fair.

Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Wins TSCAC Championship

Congratulations to the Lady Cougars for beating Calvary Academy 3-2 to win the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference Championship Game on Wednesday, November 7, bringing home the championship trophy for the fourth time in the past five years. Special cudos to the three players who put the ball in the goal — senior Rebekah Darragh, who scored in the first five minutes of the game, senior Lola Oguntuase, who also had two assists, and sophomore Chloe Vogel. Sophomore Shelby Einwechter played strong in goal with 8 saves. The Lady Cougars had finished the regular season 11-1 and were tied for first with Calvary Academy. Lola, who led the team in goals all season, was named conference MVP, and four other Lady Cougars were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team — senior Lindsey Ash (2nd team), Darragh (1st team), Einwechter (1st team ), and Vogel (2nd team).

An enthusiastic group of some 60 fans made the trip to Lakewood to cheer ACS on to victory. Thank you to head coach Carly Witherow, an ACS alumnus (’08) in her fifth year as head coach, and her Lady Cougars for an exciting and memorable season! CLICK HERE to see additional photos from the TSCAC Varsity Girls’ Championship Game.

The Boys’ Varsity Team, under head coach Ricardo Leon, finished 4th in the regular season and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Boys’ Team was scheduled to play in the tournament consolation game, but the game was cancelled due to wet weather conditions.  Congratulations to the five ACS players who were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team — senior Elijah Chapman (honorable mention),  senior Luke Johnson (senior), junior Ben Noble (2nd team), senior Jacob O’Brien (2nd team), and senior Mark Rosie (honorable mention).

 

 

Veterans Appreciation Chapel – Honoring All Who Have Served

 

ACS students gathered for an all-school chapel on Wednesday, November 7 to show their love and respect for our veterans who have served, sacrificed, and given their lives to protect our country’s freedoms. Forty-four veterans from every branch of the service, including parents, grandparents, and great grandparents of ACS students, attended the Veterans’ Appreciation Chapel.  A combined Middle School and High School Choir opened the program with “God Bless America” and Upper School Vice Principal Drew Carney followed with prayer, asking for God’s blessings on our veterans and for protection for those currently serving in the armed forces around the world.

Members of the ACS Boy Scout Troop 389 presented the colors and led the salute to the American flag. The varied program continued with patriotic musical presentations by the 2nd and 3rd grade classes and 5th-12th grade students in the band.  ACS students cheered and applauded as the veterans stood when the Marine Corps hymn “From the Halls of Montezuma” and the hymns for each of the other branches of service were played.  The kindergarten students made a special gift presentation to each veteran of a hand-made thank-you card decorated with an eagle in flight and the 5th grade worship team got everyone on their feet, moving and clapping along for their performance of “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.”

The chapel speakers were ACS parents Timothy and Unique Johnson, who served in the Marine Corps and Air Force respectively, and are now both assistant pastors at Christ Fellowship Church in Seaville.  Both veterans emphasized how they trusted God as their source of strength during their military service.  Mr. Johnson said there were three words that he learned to value during his military training and have carried over into his civilian life — honor, courage, and commitment. “It takes courage to be different because we all want to fit in,” Johnson said. “But God will put us in situations to give us the opportunity to stand for what’s right, even when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. That takes courage.”

After the chapel program, the kindergarten students made a second presentation to the veterans of a handmade paper flag, which was gifted to a group from one of veterans’ posts.

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE PHOTO GALLERY