ACS has added a new high school elective called “Missions and Ministries” and faculty member Dave Genter, who will be teaching the course, is looking for help from ACS families, friends, and local churches to build a networking list of missionaries that the students can study and support.
The new elective is part of the “Ministry” concentration, one of five high school concentrations that allow high school students to be more immersed in a specialized field as they explore their God-given gifts and abilities. The other concentrations are Business, Education, Health and Medicine, and Technology.
“The students in this class will be researching missions and missionaries — where they are, the challenges they face, their needs, and how we can pray for them,” Genter said. “We will also do some correspondence with the missionaries in the field and will try to face time some of them.” Genter said time will be set aside each week to pray specifically for the missionaries they are studying.
Please contact Mr. Genter with the names and contact numbers of any missionaries that you may know or support to help the class building their missionary network. Please email Mr. Genter at: dgenter@acseht.org.
Enrollment is underway for the 2020-2021 school year and ACS is looking forward to welcoming students from 6 months to the 12th grade on Tuesday, September 8 for a five-day-per-week, on-campus schedule. ACS is also offering a new “remote-only” option for students in grades 4-12 who prefer to learn at home.
“In the midst of this pandemic, the future may seem unsure, but you graduates do not need to fear what the unknown future holds as long as you put your faith and trust in the Lord,” said Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen, who welcomed the parents, faculty, staff, and friends to the ceremony that was also live-streamed on the ACS YouTube channel.
Commencement keynote speaker Pastor Matt Mouliert urged the graduates to surrender to God and seek His purpose for their lives. “You have been given this precious life from Almighty God — spend it wisely because you can only spend it once,” Mouliert said. “If you keep God at the center of your life, then you will succeed, your life will matter.” Mouliert is Senior Pastor of Crossroads Fellowship in Pleasantville, has taught Bible classes at ACS for 9 years, and his two sons, Jake (’16) and Luke (’18), are ACS alumni.
Valedictorian Ashleigh Martin, 17, of Mays Landing, said she and her classmates were very thankful to able to come together for an in-person Commencement. “This year has been an emotional roller coaster for us all, but in all this fear and despair, we have a God who carried us through,” Martin said. “We may not have had our missions trips, prom, and senior celebrations, but we learned to trust in what God would do. We learned to persevere and finish the year strong.” Martin is receiving a full academic scholarship to attend Anderson University in the fall where she will major in musical theater. She was also one of 15 seniors in southern New Jersey to receive recently chosen by the Press of Atlantic City
Salutatorian Josephine D’Anna, 18, of Northfield, said one of the important lessons she has learned over the past four years of high school was to develop an attitude of humility by making God first in everything you do. “I encourage you, Class of 2020, as we go on to college, work, and into the world to look at every situation with humility and to realize that God’s work is more important than striving for success. Instead, always strive to do you best for Him.” D’Anna will be attending Thomas Jefferson University in the fall, where she will major in nursing. She received the Comcast Achievers Scholarship, the Sons of Italy Scholarship, the Special Forces Association scholarship, and a scholarship from the Northfield Mother’s League.
ACS celebrated the accomplishments of twenty-two 
Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen welcomed family members, staff, and friends to the ceremony and 8th grader Evangelina Kim offered the opening prayer. Oblen thanked parents for recognizing the importance of a Christian education and encouraged each student to build on the spiritual foundation provided at ACS.
The valedictorian of the Class of 2020, Ashleigh Martin, gave a challenge to the students as they move on to high school to cling to God and turn to Him in prayer. “Wherever you go for these next four years, trust in God and His plan for your life and you will prosper in everything you do,” Martin said.
A number of students were recognized for their accomplishments in academics, physical fitness, citizenship, Christian character, and leadership. On behalf of the Parent Teacher Fellowship, Upper School Principal McHale recognized three students who had attended ACS since kindergarten — Jackson Gayeski, Michaela Schlemo, and Noelle Thompson — and following the ceremony they were given a devotional and a gift card. Staff members Kelly Flynn and Bill Smallwood performed a vocal duet of “The Blessing” and 8th grader Noah Gibbs closed the ceremony in prayer.
ACS is excited to welcome Mrs. Christina Ragland, who will be joining the ACS faculty this fall as our new Guidance Counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in K-12 counseling and guidance from New York University and is a New Jersey-certified school counselor.
Mrs. Ragland is an active member of Lighthouse Community Church in Pleasantville, New Jersey, where she serves on the social media team, administration team, and is a co-leader of a small group for young adult women. She has a passion for seeing souls added to God’s Kingdom and helping individuals recognize and live out their God-given purposes.
Congratulations to ACS 12th grader Ashleigh Martin — one of 25 South Jersey seniors to receive the 2020 Press of Atlantic City Young Leaders Award. The award recipients were selected from high schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and southern Ocean counties for their academic achievement, diverse extracurricular activities, and service to their communities.
Three alumni who played on ACS championship Lady Cougars basketball teams made significant contributions this season to their college teams — 2017 graduate Dakota Hitchner, 2015 graduate Ola Oguntuase, and 2016 graduate Candace Winkel (pictured above with ACS Athletic Director Pam Hitchner). 
Hitchner, in her second year as the point guard on Cairn University’s Women’s Basketball team, averaged 20 points a game and received Honorable Mention All-Conference in the Colonial States Athletic Conference. Hitchner, a junior, is majoring in physical education.
Oguntuase, a pre-med major at Jefferson University, has been a member of this strong Division 2 team since her freshman year. The team came in first place this year in the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference and was moving on to play in the NCAA Division 2 Championship tournament, but due to the Coronavirus pandemic the tournament games were recently cancelled. Oguntuase, who plays center, averaged five minutes of playing time this year and played strong in the final game of the regular season. 
