Wingspan Spring 2017

The magazine of Grove City Christian School

Welcome to Wingspan! The wingspan of an eagle signifies its expanse measure and reflects theThank you for reading our magazine of distance between its furthest points. what God is doing here at GCCS! Based As such, we named our magazineon the response of the first edition, this ef- Wingspan because throughout thefort has been well-received. We are blessed to publication it illustrates the history ofhave a vibrant school community and there is Grove City Christian School, reflectsalways something happening on our campus. upon where we are today, and casts aWe were thrilled to hear from our alumni, too. vision for our future. We are gratefulIn this issue, we will share more of their sto- for those who followed God’s call-ries. Our faculty and staff are investing heav- ing in 1990 and founded Grove Cityily in the success of their current students Christian School. We will continue toand also in the success of the entire school. give God all the glory as our Wing-We believe that the investment in Christian span continues to grow in the years toschools like ours will pay eternal come.dividends in God’s kingdom. Ihope that you will pray for us asthis year draws to a close and weprepare for next year.In His Service,David ArrellDirector of EducationDIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL ATHLETIC DIRECTORDavid Arrell Cindy Bigelow Matt BlandinEDITOR INTERMEDIATE/MIDDLE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENTHannah Blandin SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Hannah Blandin Debbie EdwardsEDITORIAL ASSISTANT www.grovecitychristian.orgAmy Sullivan HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL Rebecca Jeffries www.facebook.com/gccseaglesCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Twitter: @gccs_eaglesDon Rogers HIGH/MIDDLE SCHOOL Instagram: @gccs_eagles ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Jim McMillan Grove City Christian School serves as a ministry of the Grove City Church of the Nazarene

EnhancingStudentLearningthroughTechnologyJared PylesHigh School students Over the course of this ments, give presentations, and faculty at GCCS school year, and through record speeches, peer editwere introduced to Can- plenty of trial and er- work, take group quizzes,vas this year. Canvas is ror, I began developing and reflect on their prog-a learning management effective practices of ress. Most recently, I havesystem (LMS) software integrating technology in implemented Recap, which isthat allows teachers and the classroom. Through a mobile app that allows mestudents to engage in a fall technology confer- to get one-on-one feedbackdiscussion and learning ence in Boston, I found from my students via theiroutside of the classroom. many innovative ways tablets or phones. ThroughThrough Canvas, students to implement technology the use of Recap, I get au-can take ownership of their for the educational benefit thentic reflections from mylearning by revisiting previ- of both teacher and stu- students on what they haveous lessons, finding assign- dent. The use of technology learned and what needs clar-ments that they have missed, is beneficial to the teacher ification in order for them toand staying on top of what because it can allow for succeed. I have also led dis-went on in class while they streamlined and more effi- cussions and workshops forwere absent. Teachers have cient usage of time for the my fellow faculty membersthe ability to take learning teacher, and it is also benefi- and shared my success andoutside of the classroom cial for the student because failures on integrating tech-with such benefits as sharing it allows for 21st Century nology into my classroom.videos, sending messages skills to be developed andto students, posting assign- refined. Students learn toments and announcements, problem solve, collaborate,and creating online quizzes and communicate moreand tests. In conjunction effectively in a digital worldwith Google Drive and G that relies on these skills.Suite for Education (GoogleDocs, Sheets, Forms, etc), Along with Canvas, myteachers can virtually “go students have used variouspaperless” and students can apps and websites to collab-complete worksheets and orate on projects and assign-other tasks from the conve-nience of their family com-puter, laptops, and smartdevices. With the implementationof Canvas, I began exploringhow I could best use Canvasand Google Drive together. 3

GCCS Rifle Team: Safety, Marksmanship, CompetitionJames LeeThis spring, our school rifle team finished its second season as a co-ed, varsity and middle school sport at GCCS. Sim-ilar to competitive rifle in NCAA and Olympic competition,the sport involves firing specialized air rifles from threepositions (prone, standing and kneeling) at a distanceof 10 meters. The target (at its center bullseye) is a tiny,half-millimeter sized dot—not an easy mark to see or hit! From October through March, our rifle roster of 20 stu-dent athletes practiced weekly and competedin 12 matches, including four trips to CampPerry International Shooting Center in PortClinton, and local matches versus GroveCity High, Central Crossing, FranklinHeights, Newark and Kenton. As onemight expect in the second year ofthe team, our school rifle record bookwas thoroughly rewritten this year asour young marksmen and women con-tinuously improved through the sea-son, exceeding last years’ high scoresby as much as 30 percent. The launch of the school rifle team two yearsago was aided in large part by a grant from the National RifleAssociation which included more than $4,500 in equipment (airrifles, targets and other related gear). Last year, the NRA addedfive more sporter air rifles to the team inventory. And, for next year,we have been notified that the school will receive more than $8,500 inadditional air rifles and equipment that will allow the team to continue togrow and compete. A big thank you to the NRA Foundation for their generous support! While the rifles are only powered by compressed air, safety is the foremost considerationwhen it comes to all team activities. Just as with all coaches at GCCS, our rifle coaches havecertifications through the Ohio Department of Education. Additionally, our rifle coaches arenationally certified as range safety officers with specialized training in competitive small-bore/air rifle. Not only does our rifle team provide an opportunity for students to compete against them-selves and other schools, they are learning knowledge, skills and attitude associated withsafety and marksmanship whereby they can enjoy the shooting sports well into adulthood.As the sport is co-ed, girls and boys (grades 7-12) are welcome to participate. Signups fornext school year have begun, with the first practices slated for September. Contact the Ath-letic Department for more information. 4 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

Spheros: Fun, Games and problem solving,Learning and collaboration.Lyndsay Smith One may won- der, is it all funWhat is a Sphero you might ask? A little and games? Why ball of wonder, light, joy, and learning! do middle schoolA Sphero is a robot that is controlled via a students need tosmartphone or tablet through various apps know how to codethat can be downloaded. The Sphero apps anyway? There areencourage students to learn through play. several reasonsSpecifically, students are learning the basics students shouldof computer coding. Depending on the age learn skills such asof the student, the coding can be done in a coding. First, it isvariety of ways. For example, the Draw and logic based, so itDrive app allows younger students to liter- helps students toally draw a picture that serves as the code learn how to thinkbase for the robot to replicate the design on in a logical, pro-the floor. Our GCCS middle school students gressive way andare using an app that uses “drag and drop” then express theircommands to help students to become thinking throughfamiliar with the types of commands that the code they havecan be utilized in programming the Sphero, written. It allowsallowing them to quickly become familiar integration ofwith the program and begin exploring the mathematics andpossibilities that the Sphero brings into the logical expressionsclassroom. Additionally, this particular app to be used in aallows students to see the lines of code they meaningful way. Ithave written when they “drag and drop”, also can encouragegiving them a deeper understanding of what communication and collaboration real coding as students work looks like. together to find solutions for given problems. Another rea- Sphero ro- son Spheros are amazing is that they pique bots can also student’s interest by using a cool piece of be used to technology that motivates them to work at integrate tech- a problem longer by encouraging them to nology into try different ways of coding to achieve the other areas of desired result. Lastly, teaching our students the curriculum skills such as coding will help to prepare such as phys- them for 21st century jobs--jobs that may ics, art, and not even exist at the moment. Our goal at mathemat- Grove City Christian School is to prepare our ics. It allows students for the amazing future that God teachers and has for them. This means developing their students more gifts and abilities to allow them to go out opportunities and impact the world for Christ in whatever for higher field he calls them to. level thinking, 5

The Importance of Christian Education TodayDavid ArrellIn our last issue, we articulated the accreditation process. As you know, we are in the midst of our self-study and are making great progress. ACSI has identified eight areas offocus for accreditation. Those areas include: Philosophy and Foun-dations; School Governance; Home and Community Relations andStudent Services; Personnel; Instructional Program and Re-sources; Student Care; Spiritual Formation; and a ContinuousSchool Improvement Plan. Within those areas, indicatorsare provided along with a rubric to evaluate the school.For each indicator, suitable evidence is collected andbased on that evidence the committee establishes aschool rating. We will then host a visiting team whosejob it is to authenticate the report by verifying theevidence onsite. Due to the complexity of the proj-ect and in light of other organizational goals, we willcomplete our self-study in the fall in anticipation ofa visit in the spring of 2018. Some have asked about accreditation in that theythought GCCS already was accredited. GCCS is rec-ognized by the Ohio Department of Education as achartered, non-public school. This designation offersour students all of the credentials they need for trans-fers and enrollment in higher educational opportunities.The ACSI/AdvancEd Accreditation we seek now is optional.It is a higher level of accountability for ourselves. Essentially,it is a renewable authentication of best-practices in a school. Ev-ery accredited school has to undergo a re-examination process toensure continued compliance. The interval for re-accreditation variesfrom school to school due to the accrediting agency terms, the most recentreport findings, and any major changes within the school. We believe thatACSI/AdvancEd Accreditation is our next, best step in striving for excellence inevery area of GCCS. So why is a Christian school education so important? Even a casual observer of culture knows that we are engaged in a battle of ideas. Pick atopic and you will no doubt find a dispute about the root or solution to a problem. I believethat society benefits by a healthy discourse. However, there appears to be a growing bodyof evidence which suggests that we, as a culture, no longer know how to engage in healthydebate. Tolerance is preached, except when we disagree on certain topics. Politics, media,and social media have become popularity forums. Where is Truth in this framework? I capitalized, Truth, to reference the concept of universal 6 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

truth, not in reference to Jesus. I will address that in a minute. Universal truth is applica-ble to all people at all times. Many voices today proclaim the death of Truth and the totalabsence of universal truth. The irony of their proclamation is lost on themselves and theirhearers. It seems as if they want to discard unpopular truth because it limits their freedom. We believe that God’s Word, The Bible, is truth. We believe that God is the final authority; He is the One who decides what is right and what is wrong. We believe that He has provided a code by which we can relate appropriately to Him and to our fellow man. We believe that we fall short of that standard. We also believe that God provided payment for our transgressions; someone had to be held accountable. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We believe that this is a universal truth. Do you remember one of the final scenes recorded for us in the gospels where Jesus talks with Pilate? Jesus was standing before the man who had the power to set him free. Pilate was trying to under- stand the situation. We pick up the conversation after Jesus acknowledges that His kingdom is not of this world. “’You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” (John 18:37 NIV) Pilate retorted, “What is truth?” (John 18:38a) In that exchange we have Pilate declaring, even mocking, the unsolvable philosophical debate of his day which closely resembles the debate of our own time. Philosophical debates will rage until the end of time. Philosophies will emerge and retreat over time given their popularity at any moment. The only way to make sense of these discourses is to recognize that a true standard does exist. God alone gets to choose what is right and what is wrong. Jesus came to bear witness to this truth, in fact, He is the Truth. Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual pow- ers of this world, rather than from Christ.” (Colossians 2:8) So why is a Christian school education so important? It is important that we train up anew generation of students who know the Truth and live in light of the Truth. Our facultyat GCCS are trained to help our students think biblically and give a proper account of thehope that is within them. We need a new generation of articulate believers who are Chris-tian leaders in industry, science, the arts and in our communities who impact their worldwith and for the Truth. We need quality, Christian schooling to accomplish this goal. Thankyou for partnering with us in raising up a new generation to know, love, and serve Jesus! 7

Congratulations to all our WinterSport Athletes on a job well done!1st Team Mid-State League Associated Press 1st Team All OhioCardinal Division Matt Bailey- BasketballMatt Bailey- Basketball Associated Press 3rd Team All OhioBrandon Baker- Basketball Brandon Baker- BasketballLauren Bankey- Basketball2nd Team Mid-State League Boys District 10 Coaches Association Division 4Cardinal Division Player of the YearClayton Shoemaker- Basketball Matt Bailey- BasketballNoah Tomlinson- Basketball Boys District 10 Coaches AssociationLane Scott- Basketball All-Star Game Matt Bailey- BasketballHonorable Mention Mid-State League Brandon Baker- BasketballCardinal Division Girls District 10 Coaches AssociationHunter Oda- Basketball All-Star GameLeah Baker- Basketball Lauren Bankey- Basketball JJHuddle/MaxPreps Boys BasketballMid-State League Basketball Player of the Year Athlete of the WeekCardinal Division Matt BaileyMatt Bailey Brandon Baker OHSAA District Qualifier in 50 Yard Free andAssociated Press Central District 100 Yard FreePlayer of the Year Jaiden WhittredgeMatt BaileyAssociated Press Central District1st TeamBrandon Baker- BasketballAssociated Press Central DistrictHonorable MentionClayton Shoemaker- BasketballNoah Tomlinson- BasketballLeah Baker- BasketballLauren Bankey- Basketball GCCS competed in its first indoor track and field season in school history. Exceeding within this first season sopho- more, Calista Manns, made it to the indoor state meet plac- ing 6th in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.24s.8 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

GCCS READOEvery year Discovery Kindergarten-4th grade students have the opportunityto participate in READO, a year-long reading incentive program. Students aregiven a READO card that resembles a bingo card and each space has a differenttype of book to be read.  Students must complete all the squares on the gradelevel specific card.  This encourages students to read books on a wide varietyof topics and visit different areas of the library (and maybe even the public li-brary!).  For each READO card completed the students may choose a prize fromthe treasure box.  For students that complete all five READO cards they get at-shirt, an ice cream party and a personalized READ poster! This year, we had88 READO finishers! We love to see our students read! 9

Grove City Christian Boys bus Dispatch, Baker said “We can talk toBasketball- What You each other without words. Matt knows whatDidn’t See I’m thinking and I know what he’s thinking. That’s just the kind of relationship we have.”Jake Spegal A group that shared eight seniors and a few underclassmen on the roster, team chemis-As most people have heard, the Grove try developed off the court often fueled the City Christian boys basketball team team to victory. The players would oftenhad the greatest season the school has ever hang out, spending time at each other’sexperienced to date. The Eagles won the houses, running around, in the gym, or justMid-State League Cardinal Division title, the playing X-Box. The bonds built on this teamfirst district championship in school history, cannot be broken and will last a lifetime, asfinished with a record of 22-5, and accom- stated by senior guard, Alec Sliemers.plished various other accolades. No matter how bad of a call they would Aside from on the court, the boys on this receive, boo’s from opposing fans, etc., theteam have a wonderful story off the court, team always represented Grove City Chris-and represented the name on the front of tian School in an exemplary fashion onthe jersey extremely well. With Grove City and off the court. The team often receivedChristian being a K-12 school, many players compliments for their sportsmanship fromon this team spent their entire school life opposing coaches, fans, refs, and players.with each other. For players such as Bran- Grove City Christian School’s goal is to rep-don Baker and Matt Bailey, they have played resent the school, themselves and most ofbasketball with each other since they were all God in a stellar fashion. This team didkids. As stated in an article in the Colum- that in a great way.10 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

A good example of an off the court deed Team Accomplishmentsthat the team participated in was servingthe needy at the soup kitchen. Just one • Most wins in school history (22-5)night after a huge win, the boys and coach- • Most points scored in a game (115 vs.es woke up at the crack of dawn and spentseveral hours of the day serving others and Millersport)building relationships at the soup kitchen in • Back to back Mid-State League Cardinaldowntown Columbus. This is a great ex-ample of the attitude the players and staff Champsshare, they believe that life is bigger than • First OHSAA District Championship inbasketball. Not only is this a great exampleof this basketball team, but of Grove City boys basketball for GCCSChristian School. • First 2 boys in school history to score In the end, the players on this team realize 1,000 career points with Brandon Bakerthat although they may not have accom- scoring 1,386 and Matt Bailey scoringplished their end goal of winning a state 1,323championship, they made bonds that will • Highest ranking in the State AP polls forlast a lifetime. Some of the memories this all GCCS sports, which was #2 in theteam made they will never forget. In the January 23 poll for Division IVend, that was a team full of talented, re- • JV team won Mid-State League champi-spectful, caring and Christian young men. onship for first time in school historyGreat basketball players, even better people. 11

A Passion for Serving wouldn’t be doing it if we couldn’t get any- one to lead the service opportunity. I de-Lane Scott cided that this was such a good opportunity for myself and my peers that I knew I had toGrove City Christian has had a huge im- step up and lead. I talked with Mrs. Jeffries pact on me, especially during my high and she said as long as I got a staff memberschool years. My freshman year of high to come with us every month, I could do allschool was the first year I was required to the planning. At first, I was overwhelmed. Ido community service. I was struggling to was having trouble getting people and stafffind something that I could do in order toget my hours, so I members to volun-asked the office as- teer to give up theirsistant at the time, Saturday morning.Mrs. Keating, if she Sure enough, Godhad any ideas. Mrs. came through andKeating told me I always had justabout the Ronald enough volunteersMcDonald House every month. Over(RMH). She said the years, The RMHthat they meet once has become morea month on Satur- than simply fulfill-day mornings to ing my requiredmake breakfast for community servicethe families staying hours. I have devel-there. I was unsure oped a passion forabout having to get serving and a loveup at 7:00 AM on for the RMH. I ama Saturday, but I so grateful for thefigured it would be Ronald McDonaldworth it, and sure House, and all ofenough it was. I the people I havewas so filled with had a chance tojoy after serving meet there. Thethat I couldn’t wait RMH has alsofor the next time I played a role inwould get to go to me deciding tothe Ronald McDon- pursue a career inald House. I contin- Radiation Therapy/ued to go one time Oncology at Thea month throughout all of high school until Ohio State University. After serving theremy senior year. Mrs. Keating was no longer all these years, I can only see myself pursu-working at the school this year, so in Octo- ing a career in healthcare. I encourage allber when I didn’t hear any announcements students to step out and spend some timefor the Ronald McDonald House, I rushed volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House!to the high school office. Mrs. Jeffries, the It will change your life!High School Principal, said that the school12 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

High Five SocietyGrove City Christian School is pleased to offer several Advanced Placement (AP) courses that challengeour students in higher level thinking and provide them with the possibility of earning college credit.Throughout the years, the following students have earned a 5 on their AP exam, which is the highestscore possible. Scores for this school year will be available later this summer.AP Biology AP English LiteratureBrittany Barton (2012) Allison Pennell (2006)Zack Casparro (2012) Hannah Woods (2016)Shannon Crenshaw (2012)Kirsten Folzenlogen (2012) AP PsychologyJennifer Kingery (2012) Caitlin Hand (2012) Kirsten Folzenlogen (2013)AP Calculus AB Georgia Byers (2015)Josh Jones (2015) Eva Bayliss (2016) Hannah Woods (2016)College Credit PlusStudents at Grove City Christian School have the opportunity to take College Credit Plus classes, whichprovides them with the opportunity to earn college credit. Over the last two school years the followingstudents have earned a total of 312.5 college credits from various colleges and universities. Cedarville University Benjamin Lehman (6 credits) Haylee Downton (9.5 credits) Clayton Lepley (6 credits) Wesley Liming (6 credits)Columbus State Community College Winston Linville (6 credits) Leah Baker (6 credits) Logan McDonald (6 credits) Conner Milam (6 credits) Melinda Baker (6 credits) Olivia Nester (3 credits) Kendrick Beard (6 credits) Hunter Oda (6 credits) Kaitlyn Bernhardt (6 credits) Savanna Bowshier (6 credits) Dalina Phomphengchane (6 credits) Clayton Buck (9 credits) Jace Powell (6 credits) Savannah Carter (6 credits) Isaac Purtee (3 credits) Aliyah Castleberry (6 credits) James Rieser (6 credits) Alissa Collins (6 credits) Lane Scott (6 credits) Eddie Dennis (9 credits) Jake Sterling (6 credits) Haylee Downton (6 credits) Sarah Sterling (9 credits) Quinn Evans (6 credits) Jacob Stoneking (3 credits) Kortney Ferguson (9 credits) Matthew Tyler (6 credits) Lauryn Weaver (9 credits) Olivia Fuellgraf (6 credits) Hannah Whitaker (6 credits) Danielle Gallant (3 credits) Jaiden Whittredge (6 credits) Meg Given (6 credits) Ohio Christian University Jordyn Glovitch (9 credits) Savannah Carter (6 credits) Aliyah Castleberry (8 credits) Allie Griggs (6 credits) Haylee Downton (3 credits) Paris Haga (6 credits) Emily Lambert (8 credits) Benjamin Hardy (9 credits) Matthew Tyler (8 credits) Paige Jackson (6 credits) TJ Johnson (3 credits) 13 Emily Lambert (6 credits) Daniel Lauron (6 credits)

Walking in Faith Ben Whitaker Since May of 2012, when I walked across the stage and received my high school diploma from GCCS, so much has happened in my life. With the help of family, friends, and amazing teachers/mentors, I was able to attend college at the University of Findlay (UF) in Findlay, Ohio. During my time at UF I majored in Environmental Safety and Occu- pational Health Management. I also became heavily involved with a campus ministry through my local church called “Engage.” I started by just attending their events, free dinners, and small groups, but I quickly became more involved. By my senior year I was on the leadership team, planning those events and getting people excited about college ministry. Whether it was late nights watching movies and playing card games, or early mornings serving the communi- ty, the friends and relationships I made through Engage will last forever. During my college years, I had internships with great companies, which ultimately helpedme land my first real job. After my sophomore year of college, I interned with General Elec-tric Lighting in Bucyrus, Ohio. Then, after my junior year, I interned with PepsiCo in Albany,New York. Finally, during my senior year of college, I had a part time internship with a smallcompany called Alfagreen Supreme in Toledo, Ohio. About a month after my internship withPepsiCo I received a job offer to be a Health, Safety, and Environmental Specialist in Wichi-ta, Kansas at one of PepsiCo’s manufacturing plants. After a lot of advice, prayer, and a tripto visit Wichita, I happily accepted the offer. Here I am now, a year into my first real job and loving every second of it. I quickly gotinvolved in a church and was blessed to meet many people my age. Moving to Wichita andnot knowing a single person was a bit challenging, but getting involved in a church was myfirst priority and it paid off well. After being in Wichita for a short period of time I wantedto do more within the church. After talking to the youth pastor, I became a high schoolyouth group leader mentoring a bunch of rowdy 9th grade guys. Those guys, while crazy asever, are a blessing to my life. They allow me to realize life is full of fun and joy, and to takeadvantage of the time I have. Through good and bad, successes and failures Philippians 4:6-7 has been my go to verse: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, withthanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends allunderstanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 14 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

Exchange students 7,470 hours of from Costa Rica community service and Thailand Over $5.8 million in college scholarshipsCongratulations 44to the members of the Class of 2017!1 student to serve in 2 student athletes 17 different colleges the United States competing on the or universities in Coast Guard collegiate level Ohio, West Virginia, Georgia, Alabama & Tenessee 15

Students Encouraging One Another Through Bible Studyand PrayerDeb McKayIn January of 2016, Jake Brunney and AJ Gillespie entered my room after school requesting to talk. Both were very nervous and searching for the exact right words. They clearly did notwant to offend me or the school, but they knew they needed something more in their spiritualdevelopment. As the conversation ensued, the idea for a student lead Bible Study was present-ed. They involved a few more students in the process and in late January students began togather on Thursday mornings at 7:15 before school for a time of Bible Study and prayer. The group continued to meet throughout 2nd Semester with 8-12 students in attendance. Stu-dents shared the responsibility of leading the devotional and bringing the donuts. They invitedfriends and began to see God working in their midst. When crisis hit the school in late Spring and a student was killed, the students involved inthe Student Bible Study immediately began to text and pray. As students gathered in the Au-ditorium that day to simply be together, the students that were part of the Bible Study quicklycircled up to pray. They started to go one by one to friends and pray with them for salvationand/or to recommit their lives to Christ. That week, over 40 students showed up before schoolfor the student Bible study. The challenge to be accountable for life change was strong. As summer came, students continued to meet informally at each other’s homes and pray foreach other in between camps, vacations and activities. The students became excited about returning to school for a regular time together and in theFall of 2016, 15-20 students began meeting each Tuesday before school. The freshmen andsophomores really began inviting their friends to the point where they really outnumbered the1-3 Juniors and Seniors who were coming so in November, Crystal Bethel and Haylee Downtonstarted a group just for Juniors and Seniors. Now each Tuesday morning around 7:15, 8-10 Ju-niors and Seniors meet in Mrs. Hostetler’s room and 15-20 Freshmen and Sophomores meet inmy room. Students share the leadership of the group; encourage one another; hold each otheraccountable; pray together and simply share life. This Spring, the student leaders opened thestudy up to 8th graders to help them to transition into high school. 16 WINGSPAN Magazine | Spring 2017 | www.grovecitychristian.org

“ Well done, thou good and faithful servant...Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Matthew 25;21In Loving ability level. His connections Mr. Lewis shared hisMemory with students went beyond testimony with the the classroom as he always elementary studentCindy Bigelow had an encouraging word body each year and for them as most of them was instrumental in seeing Grove City Christian School passed through his class- some of his students comelost a teacher, colleague and room each day. to a personal relationshipdear friend on Sunday, March with the Lord. Mr. Lewis’5, 2017. Mr. Chris Lewis was We are grateful that Mr. life verse was Matthew 6:33promoted to the presence Lewis’ love for the Lord and – “But seek first His king-of the Lord and Savior he so for his students has been dom and His righteousness,faithfully served. Mr. Lewis experienced by so many in and all these things will became to Grove City from Mt. our school community. Mr. given to you as well”. HeCarmel Schools in Vancleve, Lewis and his wife, Melody, exemplified this verse as heKentucky in 2001. Mr. Lewis one of our 4th grade teach- sought the kingdom of Godearned a master’s degree ers, were both in their six- and lived out his relationshipin education and brought a teenth year of ministry to with the Lord with a humblehigh level of organization, the students at our school. and gentle spirit.creativity and excellence to He was always smiling andthe physical education and encouraging but those he As we think of Mr. Lewis,health classes he taught. worked with also knew him we are reminded of the verseHis students knew he cared to be organized, collabora- we studied in elementaryabout them. He wanted to tive, energetic and passion- chapel last year –“Blessed aregive them every opportuni- ate to fulfill the mission of the pure in heart, for theyty to achieve to their fullest GCCS to prepare students to shall see God.” Matthew 5:8.potential and taught his be Christian leaders. Mr. Lewis is realizing now,students in such a way that the promise of the verse wethey could be successful, are only able to imagine.regardless of their talent or 17

Upcoming Events2017August August 23- First Day of School September September 28, 10:00am- Grandparents’ Day September 29, 7:00pm- Homecoming Game2018November November 7, 7:00pm- Band Concert (6th-12th Grade) December December 4, 7:00pm- Middle/High School Vocal/Strings Concert December 12, 7:00pm- Elementary Christmas Program