Bringing Back the Glory

I don't normally try to re-preach someone else's sermon, but at the risk of sounding like I'm doing so let me share with you a thought that impacted me at last week's FACCS Teacher's Convention.  Pastor Kevin Smith from Miami challenged all of us so strongly that I thought I should pass it along to you!

Anyone who has achieved any degree of success has come under the power of a driving truth in his or her life.  Those truths are imparted to us through people who, by definition, have helped to shape or mold us.  Certainly for all of us there are two groups of people who fall into that category:  parents and teachers.  Have you ever been around someone who was so passionate about a cause that, when you think of them,  you think about their passion?  When I think of certain people, I immediately picture them fishing, golfing, playing baseball, etc. depending on who they are because that's what they talk about.

The challenge for all of us as parents is to instill within our children that driving love for God that will cause them to want to please Him.  The haunting question is, "Do they see that in us?"  The reality is that they will not see a passion that is not there.  When put in the light of eternal importance, this is one area that trumps all others, isn't it?  Our children will not benefit from our love of sports, fishing, vacationing, or yard work nearly as much as they will by seeing their parents make decisions in light of God's word so that He gets the glory for it.

Perhaps we can boil it down to this:  More things are caught than taught.  What are our children catching from us?  May they see the glory of a holy, omniscient and omnipotent God!

Sharpening the Axe

It has been a while since I've updated the blog, and it might be another couple of weeks before I can do so again, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to fill you in on these exciting days at SHCA.

Last month was fantastic in so many ways!  The middle and high school students sat under a week of solid Bible preaching in their chapel services.  Special thanks to Andy Anderson and Jason Kahler for their ministry to these students.  They showed the plan of salvation according to the scriptures and challenged the students to a life of godliness and commitment to Jesus Christ.  I was thrilled to see so many of the students indicate that they want to please God with their lives.  Please continue to pray for these young people as they grow and develop in their faith.

September also saw the kick-off to a great year for PAWWS.  This is our parent organization which stands for Parents At Work With the School.  Any SHCA parent or grand parent is welcome to attend these meetings to help plan and participate in the many school events SHCA enjoys.  Preparations are under way for the Fall Family Picnic, which will be held at Crews Lake Park.  Parents can check Headmaster for exact times and location.  This is an event you will not want to miss.  There will be games, food, and some special visitors that are sure to bring delight to the children!  Thank you to all of you who have helped in so many ways already this year.  We stand poised to have one of the best years for parent involvement yet!

October will be a busy month with many calendar items.  The students will enjoy some time off as the faculty attend the teacher's convention in Orlando on October 7-8.  This is always a great time for the teachers to enjoy some time together as we attend workshops that will continue to develop us professionally.  C.H. Spurgeon said it well, "He is no fool who takes time to sharpen his axe."  Please pray that these two days away will be both instructive and refreshing for us all.

Please continue to check Headmaster for school announcements, calendar events, and of course your child's grades!  We are thankful that you have chosen us to partner with you in your child's education!

Mooooving Together

We have now completed two full weeks of the 2010-2011 school year and, thanks to you, we are off to a great start!  The parent's excitement about the new year was clear last night as over 50 families gathered at Chick-Fil-A for School Spirit Night!  The atmosphere was almost electric with children playing on the playground and parents enjoying some relaxed conversation with friends.  We were even treated to a surprise visit by the CFA cow!  A huge thank you to all who participated.  The CFA staff said they have never seen a school with a turn out like ours!  Please plan to join us next month on Friday, October 1.

A big thank you also to all of you for your patience and cooperation in the car line.  Every year it takes a couple of weeks for everything to smooth out, but this year you have gone above and beyond previous years.  Last year the evening pick up line took 15 minutes to complete; this year, though there are more cars on campus, the line has been completed in 12 minutes!  Interestingly enough, these times are holding true for both the elementary and middle/high school lines.  We could not do this without your help!

In closing, please continue to encourage your students to use their planner and keep up with their school work.  We are getting settled in to the 1st nine weeks so it is important to work hard now and get the grades off to a good start.  Progress reports come out in two weeks, when you'll also be able to meet with the teachers to discuss your child's progress.  Please make your plans to participate in this important aspect of your child's education.

Until next time, keep looking up!

Start Your Engines!

Last week I made what has become an annual trip to a Christian school conference held in the upstate of South Carolina.  I was delighted to have my wife along with me, as well as three other faculty members.  The week always serves as an energy source, recharging the batteries (as the saying goes) and helping to get us all ready for the new school year.

That theme was introduced once again as we (my brother, sister-in-law, wife and myself) enjoyed a day at Carowinds, an amusement park that literally sits on the North and South Carolina border.  There's a new ride there called "The Intimidator" which has a NASCAR theme and is named for Dale Earnhardt, Sr.  As we made our way through the corridors there was a sign overhead that read, "Start Your Engines!"  We thought it was fitting given the theme of the ride.  Well, nothing gets the blood pumping like falling over 200 feet at a 74 degree incline.  To put it another way, that's only 26 degrees away from being straight down!  It's one of those rides where, as my wife says, "You run out of scream."  While I enjoy riding roller coasters, I must admit that once around that track was enough for me.

Fortunately, the school year is something that we enjoy seeing come around again.  This is the time of year when schools are putting the final touches on their plans for the new year.  There is new excitement for all of us as we continue to meet new families and see God bring the faculty together in His perfect way.  I feel as though we are at the starting line, ready to take off in another year of adventure.  There is almost an adrenaline rush as the new year draws closer.

I trust that you are looking forward to the new year as much as I am.  We have over 40 new families this year and a strong student enrollment.  I am excited about the students God has brought us once again.  Please join me and the rest of the faculty in praying for God's blessing throughout this year.  Don't forget to come to Parent Orientation on August 21.  Together we'll enjoy a good start to an exciting season!

Celebrating Success!

This has been a busy, but rewarding, week at SHCA.  Actually, the string of festivities began on May 21 when the families of the 8th Grade students gathered for a covered-dish dinner to celebrate their completion of Middle School and promotion to 9th Grade!  Everyone had a great time as we learned how each student fared in the "Most Likely To . . ." categories.  Great job, students!  We wish you well in your high school years!
On May 28 the Middle and High School students and families gathered at Spartan Manor for an exciting evening of great food, fellowship, and lots of awards.  There were many awards given out that night as so many of our students were recognized for their many areas of participation and accomplishments.
Wednesday night our Kindergarten students once again amazed us with their knowledge as they participated in their graduation ceremony.  This is always an enjoyable time watching these cute little ones take this big first step in their academic career.
The Preschool students made their parents proud on Thursday morning at their promotion ceremony.  How exciting to watch young people demonstrate their reading, math, and Bible knowledge.  They will enjoy a solid foundation on which to build their academic future.
Last night (Friday) was the Elementary's turn for recognition.  The sound of medals clanging against each other was music to the parent's ears as their students were called to the platform.  Every student was recognized for their own area of excellence in academics and character development.
As I write this, we are looking forward to tomorrow night's Commencement Ceremony for our high school seniors.  Once again, we have a senior class that has worked hard throughout their years of schooling and has matured into young men and women who be a good reflection on their years at the Academy.  More importantly, they will continue to be a good testimony for Jesus Christ!
We are proud of all of our young people.  You have worked hard this year in many areas.  You have grown academically, physically, spiritually, and socially.  By doing so, you have followed the example of Christ who grew "in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52).  Congratulations to you all.  Enjoy your summer, and come to see us in the fall!

Jr. Fine Arts State Competition

If anyone ever tells you that Spring Hill Christian Academy has the best-behaved, most talented students in all of Spring Hill, you had better believe them!  Last Thursday and Friday I had the privilege of accompanying 13 students from 3rd to 8th grade down to Palm Beach, Florida where they competed against some of Florida's best and brightest students.  To be honest, we thought this would be a good learning experience for the young people.  We were pleasantly surprised at the results, so I thought I'd share them with you so can rejoice with them, too!  Here they are:

• Elementary Instrumental Ensemble (Ashley Banas, Abby Meeker, Bobbi Harrison, Juliana Maldonado, Miguel Reyes) – 1st Place

• Alex Stidd, 4th Grade Percussion Solo – 1st Place
• Jordan Osborn, 6th Grade Monochromatic Drawing – 1st Place
• Luz Santiago, 6th Grade Female Vocal Solo – 2nd Place
• Carson Nelson, 7th Grade Classical Piano Solo – 2nd Place
• Dina Ashmore, 8th Grade Crafts – 2nd Place
• Ashley Lawrence, 6th Grade Crafts (origami) – 3rd Place

The trip took about 5 hours each way.  I have to say how much I enjoyed these young people.  They were on-time to everything, well-behaved, and very respectful throughout the entire trip.  They encouraged and cheered for each other even if someone wasn't pleased with their own performance.  Of course, their humor kept us laughing throughout each day! 

To all of you parents, thank you for allowing your young ones to attend this trip.  I'm sure you've heard all about it already, but I know it meant a lot to them to be able to attend.  You've obviously done a great job in training them, because we had absolutely no discipline issues the entire time.  You certainly have a lot to be proud of! 

While we all learned much about how these competitions are structured, I hope next year we will have more students participate and we'll be able to bring even more success stories home!  This could be the beginning of more great things for SHCA!

FACCS Jr. Fine Arts

Last Friday I had the pleasure of accompanying several elementary and middle school students to the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools Jr. Fine Arts Competition.  There were over 200 young people from schools throughout Region 7 who came to participate.  Several more students submitted art work, crafts, sculptures, and other visual arts.  The atmosphere was electric as young people streamed into the rooms to perform their numbers.  The hallways were abuzz as the visual arts display impressed each visitor.

SHCA was well-represented at the awards ceremony.  Each young person performed very well and received high marks from the judges, which reflects the hard work of the participant as well as the instruction by their teachers.  The music, speech, and art were all a delight to their audiences.  For most of the students this was the first time they had competed in anything like this, so the fact that we have so many who have advanced to state is quite impressive.

Even more impressive than the number of awards we brought home was the student's behavior.  All day they stayed with their assigned adults and were on-time to all of their events.  In fact, many of the events got started early due to their diligence.  Each student was an absolute delight to have along!  Thank you, parents, for allowing them to participate and learn through this exciting experience and for training your children to be so respectful.

A special thanks to Ms. Prichard, Mrs. Lopez, and Mrs. McNeely for working with each one to prepare them for the competition.  Your investment in young talent will pay big dividends as they continue to develop in the days and years ahead.  Thanks for giving them the opportunity to discover their talents!

The Main Thing

If I may borrow from reputed author Steven Covey, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing."  This thought is especially relevant at this time of the year.  Let's look at this within a couple of important aspects of school life.

The first is for students (and faculty!).  In looking back over the school year we all realize that it has been a very busy year so far.  And now we look over our calendars and see that there are only a few more weeks of school left, so it's tempting to take ourselves out of "Drive" and shift into "Neutral" to coast to the end of the year.  For all of us, let's keep the main thing the main thing and finish this school year strong academically.  Make sure you can look back at this year with no regrets.

The second aspect is for parents (and perhaps students).  Education is important for all of us, but not all education is the same.  So what is it that distinguishes SHCA from other schools?  Beyond excellent academics and caring teachers, the spiritual dimension is integrated into every subject.  With weekly chapel services, daily Bible classes, and Christian curricula for the academic subjects SHCA remains committed to providing a quality education within a Christian environment.  We will continue to keep the main thing the main thing.  I trust that you, the parents, will continue to keep the Christian aspect of your child's education your main focus.

Enjoying Some R & R!

Well, my schedule is off this week so I'm just updating the blog.  It's Wednesday of Easter Break, and so far I've been fishing twice and still got my taxes finished!  Taxes are nothing exciting, so I'll talk about fishing for a bit.

It doesn't take a meterologist to know that this has been a very cold winter, which translates into "no fishing" for those of us with limited time.  With the spring weather here and school out for a week it was high time to revisit some of the old  fishing spots.  Or to find new ones.  It really didn't matter to me.  I was just happy to have some time on the water again with my dad.  You see, my dad and I have been fishing buddies for over 17 years now and have a lot of great memories of times together. 

We started the day rather leisurely.  We didn't even get to the water until about 9:00.  The perfect start to vacation!  After trying a few spots with no success we focused on a part of the map that was new to us.  The large area of grass made a perfect haven for the sea trout.  The water's still too cold for the redfish, so it's a trout outing today.  And here we stayed the rest of the day.  Though most of them were slightly short of legal, we caught over 20 trout, not counting any other species we might have happened upon (Amber Jack, Blowfish, Porgie, etc.).

Quincee with one of her prize catches!

Now that my daughter is getting old enough to enjoy some smaller excursions, Mrs. Willis and I have enjoyed some time together with her on the water as well.  She loves to see the various forms of wildlife we encounter, but my guess is the dolphins thrill her the most.  Of course, nothing takes the place of feeling the weight of a fish on the other end of the fishing line! 

Someone has said that a fisherman is a jerk on one end of the line waiting for a jerk on the other end.  While I don't want to completely identify with that statement, I must admit that I love to fish. 

It relieves stress, clears the head, and provides a change of scenery.  But most of all, it gives me a way to spend some fun time with the ones I love the most.

Celebrate Success!

Well, we are now officially 3/4's of the way through this school year!  This has been a busy year, yet it seems hard to believe we're heading into the final quarter.

The 3rd nine week grading period ended last Thursday, which means it's time for the report cards to go home.  It's also time for Honor Roll Chapel, which is one of my favorite chapels to conduct.  The elementary students particularly light up when their name is called.  It's exciting to see them line up on the platform and proudly hold their certificates!

Part of the thrill of these chapels is seeing the many parents who come to celebrate their success.  Children, like the rest of us, enjoy knowing that others delight in them.  This is true whether they receive an award or not.

If you as a parent are not able to come to Honor Roll Chapel, please be sure to honor your student in some way.  Simply looking at the report card with your child and praising him or her for progress made will inspire continued effort. 

Join us in celebrating their success!

A Big Open House

This last week was our annual Open House. To be honest, I didn't have much to compare it to. Last year was my first one at SHCA where there were about a half dozen new families in attendance. From what I was told that was about average for Open House attendance.

This year we met about twenty new families who came to check out the Academy! Prospective students and parents seemed excited to hear about the school and the many possibilities that await them here. Having more students will make for a great school year as many of the families are looking for a Christian education for their children. This is good news because it's what we're all about!

I am asking all of our friends to pray with us regarding next year's enrollment. We are praying for a specific number of students, but even more than that we are praying for God to send us students from Christian homes who want to please Him with their lives. I'll keep you posted on the progress as you keep up the prayers!

Just the FACCS!

This last Friday was a great day for SHCA High School students! After weeks of preparation, anticipation, and I'm sure some exasperation, the day finally came to load the bus and head to Jacksonville for the annual Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (FACCS) High School Fine Arts Competition. I know that's a mouthful, but here's how it breaks down.
 The competition started out as a fine arts event with students competing in various speech and musical venues. Today it has grown to include visual arts, academic testing, science fairs, and writing skills. SHCA students competed in many different competition groupings and came home with seven (7) awards!

 We're not only proud of the teenagers for their demonstrated abilities in so many areas, but I have to say that we are truly blessed with a great group of students. They made the trip so enjoyable for the adults because they were responsible along the way. We managed to stay rigth on schedule due to their diligence and cooperation. Thank you, teens, for your great attitudes!


Parents, you are to be commended for the huge role you play in your student's life. You have worked to create a level of obedience that your child has come to accept for him/herself. We value your partnership and look forward to many more trips as successful as this one!