By Robby Barberio

Twenty-six 10th-12th grade students traveled to Washington, DC in late November to participate in the  Redemption Everyday Conference in Washington, DC, which focused on the importance of making every moment of your life count and seeking to make a difference in the world around you. The students also had the opportunity to tour the Museum of the Bible and meet in small group sessions for deeper discussion.

The conference, held from November 20-22, was organized by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), of which ACS is an accredited member school. Each conference day opened with a time of worship and eight speakers were featured over the three days of the conference — Megan Almon, Dave Binewald, Amy Crouch, Gian Paul Gonzalez, Kathy Koch, Bobby Manning, Justin McRoberts, and Derek Melleby.

Faculty member Dan Vasquez, one of four ACS group leaders on the trip, said his favorite speaker was Gian Paul Gonzalaz. Gonzalez was a former NCAA First Team All-American forward from Montclair State University. After playing in the NBA Summer League in 2007, he was offered a few professional basketball contracts, but turned them down to work with at risk youth. He is currently a high school teacher at an inner city school in New Jersey.

“Gian Paul was called by God just by doing everyday work,” Vasquez said. “He didn’t do anything spectacular, but he is serving God in his everyday life. He was a reminder to me to stay faithful.”

During breaks between speakers, comedian Keith Coast entertained the some 400 students from ACS and other schools in the northeast region with skits and fun, interactive games. ACS 10th grader  James Papanikolaou and staff member Jessica Martin were invited to the stage to compete in a game where a student team faced off against a team of chaperones to guess the meaning of a Swedish word that was the name of an Ikea product. The student team won.

At the end of each day, the ACS students met with their group leaders to discuss what they had learned from the conference speakers. Faculty member Chris Lopez, another group leader, said he was encouraged to see how the students processed the things the speakers had talked about.

“There’s a temptation to blindly agree with a speaker just because they are speaking at a large conference,” Lopez said. “But I was encouraged to see the students challenge the speakers out of love.”

On the third day, the students worked with their leaders on an action plan of projects or activities they could bring back to ACS to implement during this school year.

In addition to the group sessions, the students also had the chance to explore Washington, DC and visit the Museum of the Bible. “My favorite part of the trip was exploring downtown DC with my friends and seeing different parts of the city,” said 12th grader Daniella Ajayi.

Overall, the leadership conference was a time of learning and bonding for the students. When asked what his favorite part of the trip was, 11th grader Noah Gibbs said — “I just enjoyed learning about God, and it’s even better with my friends.”

The students who attended the conference were: Daniella Ajayi, Kaia Barbour, Maddie DeNick, Tommy Ellison, Zac Fosbenner, Noah Gibbs, Sam Glancey, Vera Huff, Richie Jackson, Dee Jang, Grace Johnson, Manny Johnson, Moges Johnson, Ali Lushina, Ryleigh Martin, James Papanikolauo, Haven Sanchez, Alek Stein, Nate Stein, Makayla Tomlinson, Trae Walls, and Grace Wroniuk. The four adult group leaders were Chris Lopez, Jessica Martin, and Dan and Erin Vasquez.