Wingspan Spring 2018

Spring 2018Grove City Christian School Magazine

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATIONDavid ArrellEDITORHannah BlandinEDITORIAL ASSISTANTSAmy SullivanCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERDon RogersELEMENTARY PRINCIPALCindy BigelowINTERMEDIATE/MIDDLE SCHOOLPRINCIPALDebbie EdwardsHIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALRebecca JeffriesHIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOLASSISTANT PRINCIPALJim McMillanATHLETIC DIRECTORMatt BlandinDIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENTHannah Blandinwww.grovecitychristian.orgwww.facebook.com/gccseaglesTwitter: @gccs_eaglesInstagram: @gccs_eagles Grove City Christian School serves as a ministry of the Grove City Church of the Nazarene

We praise God for His blessings, protection, and provision. It has been an amazing year. Our school family has celebratedand grieved together throughout the year. In this issue, you willread about the heartbeat of our school: biblical integration. Youwill read about our amazing students and alumni. This year we cel-ebrated the culmination of a multi-year project: accreditation. Asa school family, we supported one another through some cancerdiagnoses and treatments. We grieved together through the lossof parents of a few of our students. We navigated the storm dam-age and recovery from the tornado in early April. Through it all, wepraise our God from whom all blessings flow and from whom wegain our comfort in tough times.We serve a great God. We serve a God who has done marvelousthings in and through us this year. It is our prayer that you join us inpraising Him as we reflect on this year.In His Service,David ArrellDirector of Education Every year, GCCS is excited to celebrate a new class of graduates. Featured on our cover are Jaiden Whittredge, Caleb Sullivan and Daniel Lau- ron. They hold their kindergar- ten graduation picture from the class of 2006 commencement ceremony. It has been a plea- sure to watch them grow, and we look forward to all that they will do as they leave GCCS and impact their world for Christ! photo credit: Neal Lauron 3

Leaving His Mark Caleb Sullivan, Class of 2018 GCCS has always been a safe and fun place to learn. I am so thank- ful for the many mentors that guided me from kindergarten through high school. Being in Bible classes, chapel and attending Rise (youth group), there have been people at the Naz who poured into me. Grove City Christian School and the church helped me grow in my Christian walk. I learned to share the Good News that Christ offers when given opportunities to tell what I believe. I enjoyed playing football, golf, basketball and baseball throughout middle and high school. When the athletics program transitioned from the MOCAL league to Mid-State league, it was a challenge, but it brought greater competition. Participating in this new league allowed me to see talented athletes across multiple sports that would play at the college level. Sports provided a great way to connect with friends and represent GCCS. The coaches pushed me so that the team could win games and compete. Sports taught me life lessons that I can implement on a daily basis.It is important to participate in extracurricular activities. While attending GCCS, I have been involved in AmericanSign Language (ASL) Club, Student Council, National Honor Society, chapel leadership and Service Club. Throughthese activities, there are many ways to meet new people, gain new experiences, and learn how to be an effectiveleader.Advice that I would give GCCS students is to take advantage of every opportunity to influence others. Make adifference in someone’s life now…don’t wait for a better time. The culture is changing at GCCS and it is awesometo see how God is working through our school. The teachers, staff, and administrators initiate change, but it is thestudents’ job to make it happen. Lead and take risks. We grow through success and failures and learn from ALLexperiences. GCCS continues to create strong Christian leaders that God can use.I am proud of the mark that I have left on GCCS. This is my school. I am thankful for the many mentors thatwalked alongside me throughout my school years, and the influence they have made on me. I pray that GroveCity Christian will continue to be a place that strong Christian leaders grow, so that one day when they leave theschool, they can make an impact on this world for God. 4 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

Congratulations to the53 members of the Class of 2018! 98% of students will be attending college or universityOver $5.9 million in 177 hours of collegecollege scholarships credit earned 39% will graduate with honorsExchange students 1 student to serve infrom Italy & France the United States National Guard 8,135 hours of community service 22 different colleges 32 was the highest scoreor universities in Ohio, earned on the ACT 5 student athletes Indiana, Virginia, competing on the collegiate Oklahoma, Florida, level & 1 participating in collegiate cheerleading Italy & France 5

First Grade Learns to Integrate the Bible In All That They Say and Do Dorothy Crawford, 1st Grade TeacherIt’s a question that has thundered down through the ages. Men and women alike havesearched hungrily for the answer. TheologianFrancis Schaeffer asked it in his book HowShould We Then Live? Here at GCCS, facultyand staff have been considering the same aswe ask, “What is biblical integration? How doesit pertain to teaching that is appropriate in myclassroom?”Ephesians 4:6 tells us that there is “one God andFather of all, who is over all and through all andin all.” (NIV) Taking the clues from that verse,I have been intentional in making sure thatbiblical integration occurs in and through ALL Isay, do, and teach.Deuteronomy 6:5-8 (NIV) gives us furtherclues. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 Thesecommandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about themwhen you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them assymbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and onyour gates.” In other words, we are supposed to surround and immerse our children with godly teaching every day,in every way.It begins before the students arrive each day. Faculty and staff meet often, early in the morning, to cover ourschool and mission with prayer. In early elementary, our biblical values are underscored as we meet for pledgesand prayer, with an emphasis on such virtues as respect, kindness, and perseverance. We learn that “pledge” is asynonym for promise, vow, and covenant, all words that occur repeatedly in our Bible lessons for the younger gradelevels.The lower elementary classes exit the Activity Center singing songs of joy, praise, and adoration as we walk toour rooms. In the DK-1 wing we pass a large glass window where we enjoy watching God’s artistry as the seasonschange. We see the beauty of His color and design, exclaiming with pleasure when He drips “diamonds” from ourlittle tree or decorates the tree with red berries to feed the robins in the late winter. We see and celebrate His“Creation Care!”As my students enter our first grade classroom door that has been anointed with the sign of the cross, we beginour day with devotions/Bible lessons, putting God FIRST. Philippians 4:8 tells us ”Whatever is true, whatever isnoble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent orpraiseworthy-think about such things.” (NIV) We rejoice that God loved us so much that He sent His One and OnlySon to redeem us and assure us of eternal life. (John 3:16) 6 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

Transitioning to our first grade phonics lesson, we praise God for the “gifts” of tongue, teeth, breath, and voice boxthat help us produce our sounds. We write our name on our paper. “Why do we capitalize our name?” It is “becausewe are made in the image of God. His name is capitalized and we are His precious creation, so we capitalize ourname.” We endeavor to make our handwriting beautiful for God’s honor and glory because we learn that God has abook in Heaven in which He writes our name. Since He writes, and does everything in beauty, then we, too, makean effort to write in beauty. When we create our stories, we choose to write material that is worthy to be written.As my students study geometry we note that the triangle is the strongest shape, used in bridge and buildingconstructions to give stability. Then we relate how the Triune God is like the triangle: God the Father, God the Son,and God the Holy Spirit, give us stability and safety in our lives. We recall that “Every good and perfect gift is fromabove, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James1:17 (NIV) We rejoice that we can serve the one true God, who is the God of truth.In science first graders consider the intricate design of our bodies, the perfect balance of creation, and the wonderand beauty that God has flung in the skies, on earth, deep in the oceans, and in underground caves. He left nothinguntouched with His majesty. God gave us our brains and our five senses to appreciate His “hospitality.” Just aswe prepare our homes with our “best” when we expect company, God prepared the world with His “best” in everyaspect of Creation. He thought of everything for our health and enjoyment.In class as my students studyhistory, we marvel how God It is my intent in all things to surround and immersehas put the right people, at my students with the Word of God, reflecting God’sthe right place, in the righttime, to advance His plans. glory. This is the way I strive to integrate the BibleWe compare the stories into all areas of my classroom.of Joseph, in the Bible, toSquanto and St. Patrick, whohad similar life stories. Theyimpacted the lives of many people for the Kingdom. We compare the lives ofMoses and Harriet Tubman, the Moses of her people, in her time. God works inmiraculous ways!Students are taught to pray, go, and tell about God. During bathroom breaks, Iencourage my students to use that quiet period of waiting to pray for concernsthat are on their hearts. What a joy it is to see clasped hands and bowed heads as they approach the throne ofHeaven!Weekly Elementary Chapel times are rich as teachers weave their own stories of personal growth as they share howGod transforms lives. Elementary students are shown ways that they can serve, even though they are still young.Holding a door for others is serving. Picking up the trash in the bathrooms and classrooms are ways of serving.Obeying their parents cheerfully and promptly are ways of serving and filling the world with God’s love. Sharing theGood News of salvation, grace, and mercy is serving God!At day’s end, my students leave with a song, “Go now in peace” and the Aaronic Blessing ringing in their ears:  “TheLord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn His facetoward you and give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)It is my intent in all things to surround and immerse my students with the Word of God, reflecting God’s glory. This isthe way I strive to integrate the Bible into all areas of my classroom. 7

Thank You, Grove Ci Love and Supp which was shown to us after the tornado Special thanks goes to the City of Gro CST Utilities, Environmental Management Specialists, New River Electric, Electrical Service Prof McKnight Group, Gutridge Plumbing, GCHS & GCHS Athletics Department, City BBQ, Texas Roadh8 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

ity, for theport on April 3, 2018.ove City and AEP. fessionals, Franklin Equipment Co.house, Jolly Pirate, and Starbucks 9

Completion of AccreditationDavid Arrell, Director of EducationAs you know, GCCS completed our self-study in in every standard or phase of the operation of the January 2018. The report was then approved by school.the Education Committee and Advisory Board of TheNaz. In March our school hosted a six-member visiting At the conclusion of the visiting team’s third full dayteam. The team was comprised of Christian educators on campus, the team leader gave a brief summaryfrom around our state who serve as administrators, of the findings. The gathered audience consisted offaculty members, consultants and one as a curriculum faculty, administrators, Education Committee anddirector. Together they brought decades of experience Advisory Board members and parents. Dr. McMul-in education as background knowledge into our visit len graciously thanked the GCCS community for theand subsequent report. All of the team members had hospitality demonstrated during their visit. He thenaccess to the report and supporting evidence prior to articulated a few of the strengths and opportunitiestheir arrival. Once on campus, they interviewed par- for improvement for the school. As he concluded hisents, students, faculty, support staff, administration remarks by revealing the slide which indicated theand members of the Education Committee as well as visiting team’s recommendation, a cheer went up inthe Advisory Board of Grove City Church of the Naz- the worship center. The team recommended GCCS forarene. In addition to their interviews, team members accreditation in both ACSI and AdvancED.evaluated the evidence the school provided in supportof our self-study report and compared it to their own, On May 14th we received a letter from ACSI statingtrained observations. Team members had free reign to “the Regional Accreditation Commission voted unani-observe classes and the entire operation of the school. mously to approve the recommendation of the Visiting Team for a full, five-year term with no interim visitThe lead evaluator, Dr. Matt McMullen, an experi- required”. Due to the nature of the accreditation pro-enced team leader, told several audiences throughout cess, we will be granted AdvancED accreditation laterthe visit that the self-study that the school produced this summer. Based on the report findings, our schoolprior to the visit was the most complete that he had will produce annual evidence to these organizations ofever experienced. He specifically praised the report for continuous improvement. We will continue to docu-its thoroughness and attention to detail yet remaining ment our process and progress as we prepare for theconcise. next round of accreditation in five years.The visiting team’s job is to prepare a report for both On behalf of The Naz, the Education Committee, theACSI and AdvancED accrediting commissions to faculty and staff as well as the school families, wereview and approve. The report contains a detailed want to thank God for our success in this accreditationanalysis of the school based on the standards of the process. We recognize and are grateful for the peopleaccrediting organizations. The report also documents that have been praying and working for years to pre-the strengths and opportunities for improvement pare GCCS for this milestone accomplishment.10 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

ShowChoir Lindsey Scarberry, Choir DirectorOne of the most exciting achievements of our choral department this year was the creation of Grove CityChristian’s first high school show choir. Show Choir is aunique ensemble that combines some of the elementsof a traditional choir with contemporary music and cho-reography. Students involved in Show Choir learn prop-er vocal technique and how to sing three-part harmonyin the context of pop songs, Christian contemporarysongs, and even some songs from Broadway or movies.After they have learned a song vocally, they then workto learn choreography and movements that enhance theoverall performance and message of the music.The idea to begin a show choir at GCCS began last year, City Christmas Celebration alongside show choirs andwhen numerous students in middle school and high bands from other high schools in the area, as well as ourschool expressed interest in having a new opportunity to own GCCS Band. They also performed their Christmassing, dance and perform. I have also always wanted to show at the GCCS Christmas concert in December anddirect a show choir and was excited at the opportunity at the State Auto Christmas Corner Nativity Scene into start one from the ground up. With the support of downtown Columbus. So far this spring, Show Choirthe administration and a very eager group of students, has performed their spring show at the Night of the Fineshow choir was added to the schedule for this school Arts, and they learned new music to add to their Springyear. We currently have 12 students who chose to be a Concert on May 8.part of this year’s show choir, not knowing quite what toexpect, and it has been a fantastic year of fun, learning In addition to these performances, Show Choir has alsoand a lot of growth for this ensemble. had a few major accomplishments this year. In Decem- ber, we were contacted by Good Day Columbus, a localThough the group may be small, Show Choir has had morning news program, and they did a feature on thea busy and exciting year. They performed their Christ- choir for one of their news segments. Also, in March,mas show at various events in the school and commu- Show Choir participated in the Central Crossing Highnity. Show Choir was invited to perform at the Grove School Show Choir Festival. In this event, students learned a new song and dance with 5 other show choirs around Central Ohio, and also performed their spring show in a large concert with the other choirs. Both opportunities allowed students to grow as musicians and represent GCCS in the community. The future of Show Choir and the choral program at Grove City Christian is bright. Next year, we will contin- ue to perform in the community and school. Eventually, we would like to become a competitive show choir like many other schools in the area. Overall, we hope to con- tinue growing in numbers, as musicians, and as Christ- like leaders in the school and community. 11

#Band2NYCRiley Robey, Band DirectorThis year the GCCS Concert Band traveled to Ney York City during their spring break to learn and engulf them- selves in the rich history, culture and music scene. The group stayed in Manhattan for one week at The Welling-ton Hotel, only a few minutes’ walk from Time Square.The first full day was quite an adventure as the band received a mass of information about the history of NYC andall that contributed to the current state of the city. Touring places like Liberty and Ellis Island opened up the mindsof students to the realities and difficulties that immigrants faced coming to this country and gave them a newfound respect for national monuments like the Statue of Liberty. One of the most impactful sights of the day wasthe tour of the 9/11 Memorial. The students experienced an emotional tie to the space and gained a great deal ofunderstanding of what it meant to the country to come together during that time. The sheer size of the infinitypools was overwhelming and even more impactful when combined with the realization that the original towerswere once in those exact spots. The entire area was filled with people experiencing the same thing. It was amazingto see how something so tragic can be turned into something to bond the American people. After the memorialvisit the band took a tour of the city in “The Ride.” They traveled around in a massive bus exploring the intricatedetails of Manhattan. The tour included street performances, a history lesson, and unique comedic concepts.The next day was filled with exciting activities that directly connected to the musical interests of each memberof the band. First was a tour of the Lincoln Center Campus; home of the New York Philharmonic, Opera House,Ballet, and even the world renown Julliard School. This was a special experience for everyone involved. The archi-tectural design of each building was second to none, each with its own level of cultural impact on the city. After thetour, the GCCS band was blessed to be given the opportunity to perform in the center of the Lincoln Center Plaza,surrounded by some of the most prestigious performance halls in the world. The students were both surprised andelated by the amount of strangers willing to stop and listen to their music. The band was complimented by numer-ous individuals with no connection to the school. In particular, a man from a nursing home nearby expressed hisgratitude for the performance and explained how the song choice of “Soul Bossa Nova” gave him a rich feeling ofnostalgia and had an effect on him on an emotional level. This is the reason for our performance and gave a trueunderstanding of our purpose as musicians. Following this performance, the band was able to hear a profession- 12 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

al orchestra performance in the one and only, Carnegie Hall. The Bavarian State Orchestra, on their world tour,performed music from well-known composers such as Brahms and Tchaikovsky. The students were in disbeliefat the level of musicianship presented at the performance and felt inspired to move forward in their own musicaljourneys.The third day was filled with both music and culture. The GCCS band performed at an indoor venue located insidethe Atrium of the IBM building connected to Trump Tower. Again students received high praise for their musi-cianship by complete strangers. After this performance students were able to have lunch inside the President’stower and relished in their completion of their final performance of the week. Following the performance at TrumpTower, the band toured the Radio City Music Hall; home of the Macy’s Day Parade Rockettes, the Grammy Awards,and numerous movie world premieres. The students even had the opportunity to meet a Rockette, and learn abouttheir life and the history of the building. The Radio City Music Hall was restored back to its original look from the1930’s and presented a different side of the city. After leaving Radio City, the band travelled over to China Townand Little Italy. This was an amazing cultural experience for our students and really broadened their horizons inregards to interacting in a diverse setting. It was illuminating to see such a unique side of the city and the studentstook a lot away from the time that was spent there. The finest meal of the week took place in a small restaurant inLittle Italy. In a large backroom reserved specifically for the band, students kept their cell phones away and beganto talk and bond over their experiences. This was the pinnacle of the trip, and validated all of the hard work put intothe planning and execution of the trip.The final day in Manhattan started off with a marvelous tour of the iconic Central Park. After a week in the city, itwas nice to explore an area lush with plants and wildlife. We spoke about the different movies filmed at the parkand even had a moment of astonishment when we were made aware the tour guide had never seen the movie Elf.After enjoying some time at the park the band traveled to Time Square and did some wonderful souvenir shop-ping. Students experienced the hustle and bustle of the New York streets while also observing the natural aesthet-ic landscape of the enormous metropolis. To conclude the trip, the band ended the night with a Broadway showingof “Aladdin”, at the New Amsterdam Theatre in Time Square. It was a remarkable rendition of the Disney animatedstory and even included voice actors from the original movie!All and all, the GCCS Band trip to New York City was a huge success. The students and parent chaperones collec-tively came together to experience a city rich in history, music and culture. This trip not only had a positive effecton the students as musicians, but as people too. 13

TheEssential36Amy McIlhargey, Intermediate School TeacherThroughout this school year, our 4th-6th grade staff and students have been putting actions to the words of our school mission statement. Our classes are working through lessons to help each of us become better citizensand strong quality Christian leaders. We are learning ways to impact our world for Christ. Each week we focus onone lesson from the book, The Essential 55 by Ron Clark. We have a bulletin board in our hallway that displays thelesson we are working on for the week. Each Monday morning, homeroom teachers have a devotional time thatis set aside specifically for the lesson of the week. We do various activities and have discussion about what eachof these lessons means and what they look like when they are implemented in our school. Each lesson includesscripture, and students are rewarded for putting what they learned into practice. These lessons have had muchsuccess and are reminding us how to live, interact with others, appreciate life, and be difference makers in ourschool and community. While we can’t get to all 55 throughout the year, we are doing our best to highlight eachone. Some of the lessons we have focused on include:-Responding to adults-Making eye contact-Congratulating others-Showing respect for others’ opinions and ideas-Please and thank you’s-Random acts of kindness-Greeting visitors-Lunchroom behavior-Not excluding others-Dealing with bullying-Changing our perspective when we can’t change our circumstanceWe are excited to finish our year adding and implementing new lessons! Our students have done an amazing joband we are proud of them! 14 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

Senior AthleteOn April 25th, we hosted our annual GCCS Senior Athlete Signing Day in Signingthe ED gym. The GCCS band serenadedeveryone with the fight song and otherfun songs, while the bleachers were full ofGCCS family and friends. This was a greattime for us to celebrate our GCCS senior athletes as Daythey committed to playing their sport at the next lev-el. GCCS Alumnus, Pastor David Morrison, prayed forour seniors and their new athletic journeys! We lookforward to cheering on and following these seniorathletes throughout their college careers. Once anEagle, always an Eagle!• Noah Tomlinson (basketball- Muskingum)• Luke Spegal (baseball- Otterbein)• Alex Moore (baseball- Bluffton)• Zach Lantzy (soccer- Otterbein)• Quenton Blount (football- Bluffton)• Olivia Fuellgraf (cheerleading-Capital) 15

Passion. Purpose.Andrea (Sergent) Smith, Class of 2006 My name is Andrea Smith, and I graduated from Grove City Christian School in 2006. After graduation, I had the privilege to attend Cedarville University receiving degrees in Psychology, Crim- inal Justice, and Bible. I then pursued my Master’s Degree from Liberty University and after years of supervision in a variety of mental health organiza- tions, I obtained my independent license as a Pro- fessional Clinical Counselor. Currently I am living my dream where passion meets purpose, fulfilling my calling at a faith-based private group practice at Arbor Counseling in Grove City. I am extremely thankful for my parent’s sacrifice to prioritize and provide the resources needed so that I would benefit from and receive Christian educa- tion throughout my life. Biblical principles were taught and modeled from home, were reinforced at church, and Christian schooling equipped me with the knowledge and foundational truths of thecharacter of God which has provided absolute truth as my solid grounding in this life. I cannot thank themenough for these most valuable gifts that have strongly impacted my life and relationship with Christ.Jesus has placed a deep and growing love in my heart for Him, and I get the richest blessing to extend theoverflow of His grace into the lives of others especially during times of greatest need. Since middle school,I knew in my heart that I wanted to be a counselor to help people find their healer and experience hopethat comes from Christ. Having had experienced and continue to experience my own trials, I am compelledto comfort and encourage others as they go through their journeys in this life and rest in their identity inHim.  This calling of kingdom work has been deeply rewarding to observe transformation of those comingfrom ashes to beauty, weeping to dancing, fromdark pits to high mountain tops, and from spiritualdeath to life.In the past, receiving counseling services has had ataboo of communicating weakness, but it’s a signof courage, bravery, and strength through humil-ity and surrender. It is truly humbling to have soulconnections with others without the mask, wherevulnerability and brokenness meet healing in theprocess.I like to use creative resources in play therapy,engage in artistic interventions, teach communi-cation, conflict resolution, and relational skills to16 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

enhance living, and interlace Christian counseling with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Eye MovementDesensitization Reprocessing (brain training) for lasting positive change.  I’ve had experience in communitymental health, working with children with intensive needs, assisting adolescents through the developmen-tal years, helping adults with life difficulties, and have a passion to assist in improving marriages to posi-tively impact the family. I provide crisis intervention to those affected by trauma through offering hope andhealing. I view my counseling office to be a sacred space filled with His Presence to grieve, express, nourish,celebrate, learn, reflect, heal, and be refreshed with the renewal of the mind focused on truth and growingin love to impact the overall quality of life and relationships.The Lord has blessed me with the opportunities to not only engage in kingdom work domestically in thecounselor role but also on foreign soil in many countries around the world. I provide leadership in women’sministry specifically in foot-washing, prayer, and counseling experiences with International Christian Re-sources as we share the love and hope of Jesus to the nations. I am truly thankful for God’s grace in my life,am in love with my Jesus, and desire that He is glorified in and through my life. 17

Houses in the Middle School?By Angie Lee, Middle School Teacher“I’ve never run into a person who yearns for their middle school days,” quotes Jeff Kinney, author and illustrator of the well-known Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. This series points to the hilarity, the drama,and the woes of modern day life for a middle school-aged student. Like the protagonist, Greg Hefley, themiddle school students here at GCCS face a myriad of new challenges as they navigate through the rapidchanges of adolescence as well as coping with demands of higher expectations from home and school. Mid-dle school can be a fearful and fast-paced time of life, full of mile-stone moments.Because we consider the whole of the student at GCCS, we are especially mindful of the unique changesthat occur in middle school students – physically, cognitively, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. In an attempt to meet some of the social, emotional, and spiritual needs of our students, the awesome middleschool faculty decided to develop and implement a “House” system this year. Each of the six homerooms(7th and 8th grades) were tasked with deciding on a House name, a House Bible verse, a House cheer, aHouse coat of arms, etc. After much deliberation the house names ended up being: Emanon Warriors, TheFam, Bohlen Beasts, The LEEders, The Eternal Flame, and The Neon Squad.The purpose of the “House” system is two-fold. First, we want to promote a sense of belonging and healthyrelationships. A deep need of many middle-schoolers is to believe they are part of an accepting socialgroup. Second, we want to encourage specific academic and social behaviors in the middle school. By at-taching friendly competitions with certain actions, we can reinforce the positive actions (both individual and18 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2018 | www.grovecitychristian.org

collective) through “House Points.” Through Google Forms, teachers award points based on the following:random acts of kindness, above and beyond actions, being on time for classes, “house battles” (chapel andlunchtime), proper uniform attire, and attendance at non-required school events. The points feed into aspreadsheet that makes it easy for us to keep track of the house point totals. At the end of each semester,the Houses that meet a pre-set point total get to participate in a fun activity. This is the first year for thissystem in the middle school and with any new program we know there are things that will be changed fornext year. We believe that it’s been a great addition to the middle school and an effective way for us to helpmeet the needs of our students.We want our students to look back on their middle school years with fondness and not with disdain, as JeffKinney suggests of most people. We hope to cultivate a healthy and positive atmosphere and build strongrelationships among the students and teachers, ultimately with the goal of solidifying students’ relation-ships with Christ. A study by the International Bible Society indicates that 83% of all Christians make theircommitment to Jesus between the ages of 4 and 14, that is, when they are children or early youth (Brew-ster, 2011). Our middle school students are at the tail end of this age group. Part of our House programinvolves students identifying with a group of Christ-followers, and we realize the window is closing on pos-sible receptivity to making a commitment to Christ. Implementing the House program is one more way forus to “reach” the hearts of our students and help train them “to be Christian leaders who impact their world(taken from GCCS mission statement).”Dan Brewster (2011). “Child, Church & Mission Revised Edition” (PDF). Compassion International. 19

Boys of SpringCongratulations to the 2018 GCCS Varsity Baseball Team on a great season! Theyfinished the season as the Mid-State League Cardinal Division Champions andadvanced to the OHSAA District Semi-Final game for the 2nd year in a row. 2018 Upcoming Events May May 29, 7:00pm- Discovery Kindergarten & Kindergarten Graduation June June 1- Last Day of School June 1, 7:00pm- High School Graduation August August 22- First Day of School September September 21, 7:00pm- Homecoming October October 5- Grandparents’ Day November November 6, 7:00pm- Band Concert (Grades 6-12)