Lighthouse Community Church – Atlantic Christian School

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Class Projects, Chapel Speaker, Trivia Contest Help Focus Students on Black History

Throughout February, ACS students from preschool to high school participated in a variety of special activities and class projects for Black History Month. Bulletin boards, library displays, classroom assignments, and a trivia contest during morning announcements helped shine a spotlight on the history, culture, and accomplishments of Black Americans.

The quiz contest ran for two weeks in February and a total of 8 African Americans were highlighted as well as a quiz question on the 13th amendment. Students were told a fact about an influential Black American and were able to qualify to win a prize by being the first to find their Principal and correctly identify that person. Information about the noteworthy individuals and the 13th amendment were displayed on a large bulletin board in the Multi-Purpose Room.

On February 3, Elementary and Upper School students welcomed chapel speaker Christian Ragland, who spoke on the Biblical principles around diversity and inclusion. “Jesus lived by example and taught us to be kind to each other and to love our neighbors as ourselves,” Ragland said. “If you want to be God’s ambassador, you should not make assumptions about others because they are different from you. Ask questions and find ways to use what makes someone different to benefit the whole.” Ragland is the operations pastor at Lighthouse Community Church in Pleasantville and is Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at AtlantiCare.

Celebrating Diversity Bulletin Board displayed information about the individuals and 13 amendment that were part of a Black History Month trivia quiz.

Chapel speaker Christian Ragland, center, shares an analogy about Power Rangers and their ability to work together as a team with high school students James Papanikolaou, left, and Joshua Guevara, right.

A variety of classroom lessons and projects highlighted the historical contributions of African Americans and celebrated God’s plan for creating unity from diversity. Below are examples of some of these projects.

Mrs. Bird’s PreK4 class made a poster with all different colors of skin used to make their handprints. Following the example of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the students described their dreams for the future, which Mrs. Bird wrote next to their handprints.

The students in Mrs. Hockenberry’s 2nd grade class created an art mosaic about George Washington Carver on the hallway bulletin board outside their classroom.

Students in Ms. Stiteler’s 8th grade Writing Class researched African American poets and created a slideshow to showcase their chosen poet, including Maya Angelou.

Mrs. Parker’s Middle School Social Studies Class read short biographies every day of different influential African Americans, including some not-as-publicized figures, including former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan.

Mrs. Huff’s 3rd grade students worked on a “We Are Woven Together” art project mixing red, yellow, black, and white paints to create many different skin tones. They had fun discovering which tone matched other students in the class. They also cut different strips of color and wove them into interconnected patterns in the shape of a heart..

The ACS Library showcased a selection of picture books celebrating African American icons and authors.

The High School Info Tech Class learned about cyber ethics and data collection. The students researched some examples of unethical experimental research in American medical history, including the Tuskegee Experiment, where African American men were infected with syphillis, and given placebo medications instead of being treated with Penicillin, a highly effective cure.

High School Students Challenged to Stand Firm in their Faith at October Retreat

What does it mean to stand firm in your faith? ACS students were challenged to answer that question at our day-long High School Spiritual Emphasis Retreat on Friday, October 23 held at the school campus. A variety of speakers, including Crossroads Fellowship Pastor Matt Mouliert, shared their personal faith journeys with the students in small and large group sessions.

The speakers encouraged the students that spiritual growth comes when we hold fast to the truth in God’s Word and are not swayed by the influences of pop culture, internet influencers, and what friends and other people have to say about you.

Upper School Principal Meg McHale said the one-day retreat was focused on giving the students time to explore more deeply the meaning of our spiritual development theme verse from 1 Corinthians 16:13 — Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. The speakers and agenda for the retreat were organized by Upper School Vice Principal Drew Carney.

“We felt there was a need to recalibrate our hearts and reprioritize who God is in our lives because we see our students being pulled in a lot of different directions,” Carney said. “Our speakers did an excellent job of reaching our students in a very personal way. There was a lot of valuable interaction, especially in the small groups.”

Gabe Connelly, the Youth Director at Coastal Christian, led a time of prayer, worship, and devotions to start off the day, and also led worship before lunch and at the conclusion of the retreat. Six different speakers, three men and three women, led small group sessions in various classrooms, with boys and girls in separate sessions. The six speakers were Pastor Matt Mouliert, head pastor at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Pleasantville; Chief School Administrator Karen Oblen; Pastor Christian Ragland, who is the Operations Pastor and works with the youth ministry at Lighthouse Community Church in Pleasantville; Ariel Richvalsky, a 2005 ACS alumnus and former high school faculty member; Tanner Rigdon, the Youth Director at Fusion Church; and high school faculty member Gina Wilson.

During one small group session, Pastor Mouliert talked about the impact of “labels” — ones that other people place on you and ones that you place on yourself. In another session, Pastor Ragland focused on the importance of staying on guard against the enemy and encouraged the young men to surround themselves with people who will help you stay on guard. In the final session of the retreat, Pastor Mouliert presented a closing devotion that encouraged the students to reflect on what they had learned and to take concrete steps to grow in their relationship with Christ.