Emmanuel

Our nation watched in disbelief as the details of the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut unfolded 10 days ago.  Our hearts and prayers go out for the 26 families for whom this will be a very difficult Christmas season, whose lives have been forever changed in the wake of this unspeakable crime.  We have listened as pundits have tried in vain to answer the inevitable human question ... Why?  Most of the "solutions" offered are ineffective at best, counterproductive at worst.  This event reminds me that we live in a broken world, a world forever scarred by sin.

It is into just this world that God sent his Son to become human flesh ... the incarnation.  Of course, this was necessary in order that Jesus could be our representative, the vicarious sacrifice for our sins.  In order to die for man, He had to BE man.  In the same way that the first Adam's sin placed all of mankind under the curse of sin, the death of the second Adam (Jesus) removes that curse.   (Romans 5:12-20)  Thank God that "the Word became flesh" ... Emmanuel!

But there is a second reality of the incarnation that gives comfort in times like this.  The Savior is not some remote, distant, uncaring deity.  In his humanity, Jesus has first-hand experience with the human condition.  As he walked this earth as a man, he experienced real human pain, real human emotion.  Hebrews 2:11 tells us that this experience allows him to call us "brothers" and goes on to say that since he was made "like his brothers in every way", he can be a faithful and merciful high priest.  The writers reiterates this in 4:15 when he tells us "we do not have an high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness", a fact that allows us to approach the Throne of Grace with confidence.

In the face of unspeakable tragedy, Jesus does not offer empty platitudes ... he offers Himself!  He is able on one hand to come alongside as a brother and say, "I understand your hurt, I understand your loss, I understand your emotion." And as the Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, he is able to offer Himself as the solution for the brokenness in the world.  My prayer is that the families in Newtown (and all families in this broken world) will experience the comfort of Emmanuel this Christmas season. 

O come, O Come, Emmanuel!

God's "Opus"

As a part of a project, HCA Junior Max Hammons came to my office recently and asked, "What is God doing at Heritage?"  I told him that is best answered by looking at the lives of our students and listed some of the ways in which our students have been serving the Lord even during this year.  Many of the posts on this blog are answering that question.

But as I reflected later on that question, I was reminded of one of my favorite movies, Mr. Holland's Opus.  In the movie, Richard Dreyfuss plays the part of Glenn Holland, a musician and composer who takes a teaching job to pay the rent while, in his 'spare time', he can strive to achieve his true goal - compose one memorable piece of music to leave his mark on the world.  "Life happens" and he never completes his opus.  However, in the final scene, band geek-turned-governor Gertrude Lang reminds Mr. Holland that his students are his 'opus', not a piece of music.  The last few minutes of this movie are found in this clip .... especially note minutes 3-5 where Gertrude is addressing Mr. Holland.



I am reminded of Paul's words in II Corinthian 3:2-3:  You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all.  And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

So what IS God doing at Heritage?  His 'opus' is found in the students who faithfully partner with Mission Southside.  It is found with the students who stepped up to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  It is found in the Kindergarteners who know that "God is in my heart."  It is found in orphanages in Haiti that were built because God honored the vision of an HCA student.  It is found in our Junior Class working to sell "Go Jammies" to help raise money for the Global Orphan Project.  It is found in the graduates of HCA who are serving God in their lives.  Last Saturday I sat at a ball game and talked with at 2003 graduate who is serving on the staff of a church here in Olathe.  He was part of the first senior class that I took on a missions trip for their Senior Trip.  Three of the members of that class are currently serving in the pastorate.  I spoke earlier this week with a pastor of a church in Fort Scott who is considering another of our graduates as a youth pastor.  We have graduates who are pastors, missionaries, attorneys, physicians, nurses, teachers, engineers and more ... many serving the Lord faithfully, raising a Godly 'heritage', actively serving in their local church.

THAT IS WHAT GOD IS DOING AT HERITAGE!

HCA Students in Honors Orchestra

Junior Anna Lipscomb and Senior Janelle Finley were recently selected to participate in the special honors orchestra at the annual Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association festival at Olathe South on Saturday, December 1st.  To earn this honor, Anna and Janelle had to go through a highly competitive audition process to be one of the select group of musicians in this group.  They spent the day Saturday rehearsing under the direction of guest clinician Troy Peters, director of the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio before presenting the concert Saturday afternoon.  Congratulations to Anna and Janelle (pictured above with HCA music teacher Kasey Johnson) on this great honor.  You represented HCA well!

A brief excerpt from this concert (Serenade in G Major from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart) is included below.

ENJOY!

All I Really Need to Know ...

You may remember a best-selling book by Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  This book highlighted the "big" lessons of life that every kindergartener learns ... share everything ... play fair ... don't hit people.  The author's premise is that the world would be a better place if we just applied those simple kindergarten lessons.  I came across this YouTube video that creatively summarizes the message of this video.


We had a similar "everything I really need to know" moment at HCA last week during the American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart event at the East Campus. (Photos of this event are included a the end of this post.)  In addition to all the various jumping stations, Mr. Olson had arranged for a teaching station where the children could learn something about the heart from a guest speaker (who happened to be my son Matthew who is in the final days of completing his nursing degree).  Matthew shared the following with me:  To begin his first session with the Kindergarten class, he asked, "What is in your heart?"  The Kindergartners promptly and confidently answered, "GOD!"

I know, the answer kind of makes you smile.  But isn't it great that the first thing our children think of when asked "What is in your heart?" is God!!?  In it's own way, that is a powerful testimony to the ministry of Heritage Christian Academy ... our children understand that what is really important in life begins with our heart.  I couldn't help but think of Solomon's exhortation in Proverbs 4:23 - "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (NIV)  Aren't you thankful that our students "get it"?

The Passion Awards 2012

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen
Ephesians 3:20-21

This doxology by the Apostle Paul was the theme of the 2012 Passion Awards held at the Kansas City Convention Center on Monday night, November 12th.  The Passion Awards, sponsored by the National Christian Foundation Heartland, is a celebration of God's working in the Kansas City area by demonstrating an "unwavering passion to highlight ministries that are making huge impact for the Kingdom and provide resources for them to make an even larger impact."  On that evening $130,000 was awarded to a dozen different local ministries.

HCA was honored to be able to join Mission Southside in celebrating their award at this event.  Mission Southside was established in early 2011 by Craig Howard (joined a few months later by Steve Friesen) to demonstrate a "neighbor's heart by being a partner with churches, 'helps' organizations, businesses, and individuals to bring help and hope to those in need throughout the Johnson County area by meeting both physical and spiritual needs."  As HCA was itself in its infant stage in the fall of 2010, several HCA moms were meeting with me, praying that God would provide an ongoing local opportunity for outreach into our community.  As we prayed, God seemed to bring our hearts together and, in the spring of 2011, the first HCA students began leading a weekly Bible club in a mobile home neighborhood in Gardner.  The students quickly took "ownership" of this ministry, making sure it continued through the summers, developing new leadership as students graduated, and working closely with Mission Southside in their ongoing ministry.

Because of that close relationship, HCA students had a very special opportunity Monday night ... they had the honor of presenting the Passion Award to Mission Southside!  They had to keep this a secret from Craig and Steve, and they did a great job doing so.  In fact, Steve said he almost fell off the ramp going on stage because the tears in his eyes we hindering his vision.

It was such a joy to be able to be a part of this special night.  This was not only a celebration of God's work through the ministry of Mission Southside, but it was also a celebration of the "passion" of the HCA students (both past, present, and future) who have served faithfully alongside Mission Southside, bringing a message of Christ's love and hope to these children in Gardner.

The "Shema" at HCA

When Jesus was asked asked by the Pharisees to identify the greatest commandment, he referred to the Hebrew Shema from Deuteronomy 6 for the "first" commandment and to Leviticus 19 for the second commandment.  That complete text is our theme in chapel for this year:  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  (Matthew 22:37-39).

This past week I have had the joy to see this second commandment demonstrated in the lives of HCA students.  First, our JrHi girls VB team won their league tournament - Congratulation!  But as excited as I was to hear of their success on the court, I was even more gratified to hear of their testimony off.  I'll let their coach, Cara Fox, describe it for you:

What an incredible group of girls!  I have never coached a team who meshed as well as they did.  They were very hard workers, loved learning about the game and applying it to the way they played.  They energy they had while they played was contagious.  It was really neat to watch each girl offer something to the team.  I was so proud of them at the tournament for several reasons.  First off they played they best they had all season and they beat teams we hadn't ever beaten.  I think the coolest part though was after we won the championship game one of the first things the girls said was "Can we go ask the other team if they want to pray with us?"  It really showed me that those girls sure do have their priorities in line!

I heard later that one of the officials at the game observed that take place and was moved by that spirit.  What a wonderful testimony of the heart of Jesus - loving your neighbor as yourself.

The second example came later in the week.  You will remember that a week ago the East Coast was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.  Many remain without power, life's necessities (food, lodging, gasoline, etc.) remain in short supply, and relief efforts are struggling to keep up.  One of our senior student leaders, Chris Earnshaw, came the office Thursday, burdened by a need do what we can do to show Christ's love to our "neighbors" on the East Cost.  He spent the next 24 hours researching a variety of opportunities to partner with organizations and then, Friday afternoon, I "just happened" to take a call from Heart to Heart International (and Olathe-based international relief organization), asking if we would help with their relief efforts.  Chris was next door talking with Rick Lukianuk and, within a few minutes, a plan was formed.  The HCA family will be collecting items over the next five days to help fill care kits for Heart to Heart. (The said their have a critical need for handtowels, shampoo, and combs.)  On Saturday, a group of HCA seniors is planning to go to the Heart to Heart warehouse in Kansas City to deliver our collected supplies and help assemble care packets.   Loving your neighbor as yourself.

It is so gratifying to see that Jesus' words in Matthew 22 are not just a theme ... they are coming alive in our students' lives!

Lesson From The Pitch

In the aftermath of last night’s gut-wrenching soccer loss to Kansas City Christian, I watched as the HCA players fought back tears (most unsuccessfully) at the realization that their season was over, short of their dream.  Players hugged teammates, coaches, and anyone else who could offer some solace and comfort.  It’s a familiar scene that we see played out 67 times every March during Madness when all but one team comes up short of the ultimate goal.  And the end comes so quickly and is so final, especially for the seniors.   Only someone who has invested so much to play at a high level can understand the emotions these players and coaches were experiencing.

As I was driving home (huddling around my car heater trying to thaw out!), the thought crossed my mind:  “Besides sports, what else in my life am I so passionate about, so invested in, that I would experience these kind of gut-level emotions?  What about important things, things of eternal value?”  As a youth, my mother (who apparently was absent the day they passed out the “competition DNA”) used to try to give me some perspective in moments like this, reminding me that “a hundred years from now, no one will really care.”  As you can imagine, while true, that was small consolation … I usually responded with something like:  “Yeah, well get back with me in a hundred years.  It really stinks right now!”

Upon further reflection, I don’t think my mother’s statement is so much a dismissal of the present as it is a challenge to consider the eternal.  Jesus, wholly God and wholly man, cried when his dear friend Lazarus died.  This was human emotion in the face of an earthly loss.  And this from someone who 1) knew the eternal perspective better than we could ever hope to and 2) knew that we has going to resurrect him in a few moments.  It’s OK to experience the kind of emotion the guys did last night … it’s just part of being human.

The question for me remains.  What of eternal value do I invest in so much that failure hurts like a loss at soccer or basketball?  I’m tempted to respond like Scarlett O’Hara - “I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow.”  But I’m afraid God won’t let me off so easily.  Do I invest that much in my relationship with Christ?  Do I invest that much in his Word?  Do I invest that much in my family relationships?  Do I invest that much in discipleship?  These are uncomfortable questions, questions I will be answering for some time.

To the HCA soccer team:  CONGRATULATIONS on a great season.  Your hard work and commitment paid off in a big way.  I am especially thankful for the way you represented the HCA family and our Savior both on and off the pitch.

The Learning Commons & Letterboxing

Mrs. Kirby and the HCA 5th grade classes recently completed a 19th century activity (letterboxing) with a 21st century twist.  To prepare for this activity, Mrs. Kirby created a website for the Learning Commons.  The students came to class the first day and practiced using an iPad compass app to follow a set of directions Mrs. Kirby had prepared.  The next day, they hid their group's "treasure" (a stamp and a booklet) somewhere on the property.  Using the iPad compass, they created their own set of directions to find their treasure, typed those directions up on the Pages app on the iPad, and emailed that document to Mrs. Kirby who posted those directions on her website.  The next day, the students opened the website and followed the directions posted there to find the other "treasures" of the class, exchanging stamps on their booklets.  High school students from HCA West came over to help as coaches for his activity.

This is a great example of your teachers effectively integrating technology into their curriculum.  All of the elements of a technology-enhanced 21st century education were evident in this activity - creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication.  The whole project is summarized in the brief video below:

A Renewed Mind in Christ

The video below (first shared with us during the AXIS presentation a year ago) is a dramatic presentation about how a relationship with Christ transforms our minds.  Enjoy!

CHAMPIONS!

Congratulations to Coach Tony Felich and the HCA Chargers soccer team which recently completed a sweep of the Crossroads Conference schedule to claim the conference championship in our first year of membership!  The Chargers, 8-2 on the season, have five more games in the regular season (including one against defending state champion Kansas City Christian) before beginning KSHSAA regional play.

Remaining schedule:
      Friday, October 5th (4:30) @ Topeka Heritage
      Tuesday, October 9th (5:00) vs. Kansas City Christian @ OP Soccer complex
      Thursday, October 11th (4:30) vs. Pittsburg, KS @ Prairie Center Park
      Friday, October 12th (4:30) vs. KC Lutheran @ Lone Elm Park
      Tuesday, October 16th (5:00) vs. Gardner/Edgerton @ Prairie Center Park

Come cheer on your Chargers!  All the way to state!

Mobile Access to ParentsWeb on RenWeb

Parents and students NOW have two new ways to access ParentsWeb from their mobile devices: ParentsWeb Mobile and the RenWeb Home App!

ParentsWeb Mobile

• provides free browser-based access to ParentsWeb information from any mobile device, including an iPod, iPhone, Android Phone, iPad or Android Tablet.
• ParentsWeb Mobile allows parents and students to access Homework Assignments, Daily Grades, Lesson Plans, Calendar Events, Announcements, School Directory Listings, Report Cards, Attendance, Behavior Events and Class Schedules.  Future enhancements include Family Account Balances, Pay Now, Lunch Menus, Lunch Ordering, Newsletters, Resource Documents and Medical information.

The RenWeb Home App

• accesses the same information as ParentsWeb Mobile, while providing the additional conveniences of an App for an annual subscription of $4.99 per household.
• With the RenWeb Home App, parents and students will:
  • Always stay logged into ParentsWeb, providing instant access.
  • Navigate to their information faster.
  • Communicate easier with other school parents and faculty through their Smartphone's integration with the School Directory, allowing parents to Tap & Send emails or make phone calls instantly to directory listings.
  • Import school calendar events and student homework assignments into Personal Calendars. 

Access Instructions for ParentsWeb Mobile
To access ParentsWeb Mobile, parents simply use their mobile device to navigate to their normal ParentsWeb Login Page and they will be redirected to the ParentsWeb Mobile login page.
Access Instructions for the RenWeb Home App
The RenWeb Home App is available now in the Apple App Store for an annual subscription of $4.99 per year.  Parents should use their iPod, iPhone or iPad to search the App Store for RenWeb Home. 
RenWeb Home is offered by the App Store as an In-App Subscription. That means a parent or student installs the App for free, and then purchases an annual subscription to the App the first time they access it. That single annual subscription then covers every iPod, iPhone or iPad used by every member of the family as recorded in RenWeb.
Android Version of RenWeb Home
An Android version of the RenWeb Home will be released in the Android Market later this Fall.  For now, parents on Android devices should use ParentsWeb Mobile.

FAQ / frequently asked questions:
Q: What is the difference between ParentsWeb Mobile and the RenWeb Home App?
A: Both provide access to the same ParentsWeb information. ParentsWeb Mobile uses a free mobile-friendly browser. RenWeb Home accesses the information using an app, which provides additional features only an app can offer, including the ability for parents to:

• Always stay logged into ParentsWeb, providing instant access.
• Navigate to their information faster.
• Communicate easier with other school parents and faculty through their Smartphone’s integration with the School Directory, allowing parents to Tap & Send emails or make phone calls instantly to directory listings.
• Import school calendar events and student homework assignments into your Personal Calendars.

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Q: Why are you charging parents a $4.99 subscription fee to access ParentsWeb using the RenWeb Home App? Shouldn’t that be included in the fees we pay RenWeb already?

A: Parents can access ParentsWeb for free using our desktop browser or through ParentsWeb Mobile. If parents want the additional convenience and features available only through an app, they have the option to purchase a subscription to the app. RenWeb uses the fees to help fund all of our mobile-friendly development, including RenWeb Home, ParentsWeb Mobile and RenWeb Staff, our iPhone/iPad app for faculty.

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Q: Will ParentsWeb Mobile work on both an iPhone and Android phone? How about iPads and Android Tablets?
A: Yes. RenWeb Mobile works on an iPod, iPhone, Android Phone, iPad and Android Tablet.

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Q: Why do you show the app as Free, and then ask parents to pay the subscription fee once they try to log into the app?
A: This is certainly not our choice or preference. To offer RenWeb Home as a subscription, the App Store forces us to manage the subscription “In-App”, meaning the parents must first download the app and access it before they can purchase a subscription to the app.

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Q: Why didn’t you just allow parents to purchase the app once and avoid the subscription?
A: We evaluated this option. The problem was that every member of the family that had a separate iTunes account would have to make separate purchases of the app, forcing some families to make as many as four purchases. We felt this was excessive. By managing the app as an In-App Subscription, we were able to let all members of the family share the single subscription.

See You At The Pole 2012

What a delight is was to see members of the HCA family, from 6 to 60, braving a few sprinkles this morning to meet together praying for our country, our community, our school, and our students and families.  Organized by our west campus student leaders and supported by the Moms in Prayer group (special thanks to Lynn Platter), this event brought together students from both campuses to join with millions of young people around the world in prayerful worship of our great God.

Photos of this event follow.  And you might want to watch Fox 4 today ... they sent a representative out to interview a couple of our student leaders!

 

21st Century Education: What is it?

As HCA has moved toward greater integration of technology into the educational experience, you have heard a lot about 21st Century literacy, 21st Century skills, 21st Century education, etc.  It is one of the hot buzzwords in education today.  In fact, if you Google ‘21st Century education’, you will get about 131 million results.  A couple of helpful links are found here and here.

In a nutshell, the push toward 21st Century education is an acknowledgement that the traditional educational system was designed in many ways to meet the needs of a industrialized society using the technology available at that time.  However, the needs of a globalized, automated, information based society are quite different, and the technology available to meet those needs is expanding exponentially.  It’s really staggering to consider that the ubiquitous ‘smart phone’ is really a phenomenon that is only 5-6 years old.  The average teen is holding a computer in his hand, connected 24/7, with more computing power than the average desktop 10 years ago.

The competencies (or literacies) required for the 21st Century have inspired lots of discussion.  Daniel Pink in his bestselling book A Whole New Mind identifies six ‘senses’ needed - design, story, symphony, empathy, play, and meaning.  Dr. Howard Gardner from Harvard, often credited with originating the ideas of multiple intelligences, has identified ‘five minds for the future’ - the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creative mind, the respectful, and the ethical mind.  I find the 4 C’s proposed by The Partnership for 21st Century Education helpful - Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication.

How does all this integrate with a Biblical worldview?  First of all, I believe we are called to ‘understand the times’ much as the men of Issachar in OT times. (I Chronicles 12:32).  Certainly the Gospel message is timeless, the same yesterday, today, forever (Hebrews 13:8), but culture and society in which that message is expressed has changed over the decades and centuries.  Second, I find it interesting that each of the 4 C’s can be found in our call to be an expression of the image of God.   Paul’s admonition to be “renewed in our minds” (Rom 12:1) speaks of critical thinking; the call to “subdue the earth” involves creatively using the resources God provides to benefit man (sand becomes a silicon chip which become an iPhone!); the “one anothers” and Paul’s illustration of giftedness in the body in I Corinthians 12 points to collaboration.  Even in the creation of man we see collaboration within the Trinity … and let us make man in our own image; and the very existence of God’s Word, both the written Word and the Living Word, is God’s communication of eternal truth with His creation.

The entire HCA staff is spending this year modeling a 21st century education,  studying these concepts with a critical mind, working creatively and collaboratively to identify the best way to integrate these skills into the classroom, and communicating with one another and the entire HCA family.  This is a critical year as we prepare to launch a 1-1 technology initiative for grades 7-12 and implement an enhanced technology integration component in the elementary grades.

Mother-Daughter Night Out

Wow, it has really come up fast, but the HCA Mother-Daughter Night Out is coming up this Saturday!  The committee has put together an exciting event you won't want to miss.

Mrs. Susan Crook, our speaker for this event, has provided the following summary:

The goal of the HCA MOTHER-DAUGHTER SPA NIGHT is to encourage one another and build better relationships both at home and at school.  Yes, there will be fabulous food, a great fashion show, and loads of fun spa time, but the most important aspect of the evening is growing together toward becoming the beautiful young women God created us to be - outside perhaps - inside specifically.

Our HCA MOTHER-DAUGHTER SPA NIGHT mission statement reads:  To train and influence our daughters to be beautiful, godly young ladies who will go into the world one day as loving, caring women (like their moms) - serving God and serving others with their unique gifts and talents.

Although our girls may not show it, they need to know that mom is making an effort to understand and appreciate them.  At school, relationships can sometimes be challenging and hurtful (even in a Christian environment).  Teen girls particularly need to connect, feel secure, loved, and accepted for who God created them to be.  That doesn't always happen automatically.

When we recognize personality styles (why we do what we do and why others do what THEY do), we can feel understood and appreciated.  Therefore, we can generate positive relationships, build self-esteem, and learn how to deal with conflict when we clash in our differences.  God has a specific purpose for each one of us - and He created us differently to fulfill that purpose, not discourage or resent.

Please join us for a great event that God has laid on our hearts - for you.  We want to encourage YOU and help YOU enjoy loving relationships both at home and at school.  The "world" may promote and glorify "mean girl" and destructive relationships, but we know God created us for more.  Together - HCA girls and moms will glorify Him in every facet of our lives - loving Him and loving others.

Don't miss this fun, yet informative evening of laughing together - and growing together.  We'll make great memories, while gaining beneficial communication insights to use for a lifetime - in all relationships.  You'll love it!

You won't want to miss this special evening for our HCA Jr/Sr High girls and their moms.  Be sure to have your registration in the HCA West office by Wednesday, September 19th. 

ADVANCE (Update)

The HCA Juniors and Seniors spent Thursday evening and Friday at 3 Trails Camps and Conference Center for the fall 2012 version of the ADVANCE.  The students were challenged to "make an impact" by speaker Jeff Terrell, senior pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel, spent some time praying, planning, and playing together.

Enjoy some of the photos from this event below:

Everybody Loves a Parade!

Check out the video below of the HCA entry in the Old Settler's Parade in Olathe on Saturday, September 8th.  Great job, everyone!  You did HCA proud!

Winterim 2013

In January 2013 HCA will be introducing an exciting new program for students in grades 9-12 called Winterim. On Tuesday, January 8th, Winterim will begin with a series of special elective classes for students in grades 9-12 to allow students to explore topics and activities that are not a part of their regular curriculum. Regular classes will be suspended during this time. The schedule will look something like this

TUES - FRIDAY(1/8-11): Winterim will have block style classes of 90-120 minutes in length (two in the morning, one in the afternoon). Those can be Tue/Thur classes, Wed/Fri classes, or MTThF classes.
MONDAY (1/14): Winterim 2013 will conclude with activities focusing on God’s calling in each student’s life. Included in this time will be the administration of a DISC-type personality/giftedness assessment to help students see God’s hand in their life. 

A successful Winterim needs to provide a variety of choices for students, and parental involvement is crucial to make this happen. Many parents and friends of HCA have skills and expertise from which HCA students could benefit.  For example:

Engineering, Finance, Law, Medicine, Programming, Website Design, Digital Imaging, Video Production, Nutrition, Fitness, Musical Production, Art, Interior Design, Construction, Small Engine Repair, Culinary Arts, Horticulture, American Sign Language, CPR Certification, etc.

The possibilities are endless.  We already have some classes covering topics in website design, Broadway musical production, medicine, science and engineering, art, and social entrepreneurship.  

The goal is to have 6-8 options available for each of the time slots. That means Winterim could easily accommodate 40-50 different classes that week. 

This initiative is part of a larger effort to encourage HCA students to recognize God’s call on their lives ... a call to use the gifts and talents he has given them to His glory ... by Him, to Him, for Him! In future years, as HCA grows and matures, the Winterim will do so as well to spread over a longer period of time and include local internships as well as service projects. This is sure to be one of the highlights of the school year for HCA students. 

Would you be willing to be a part of this special event for HCA students?  This is a wonderful opportunity to be a mentor for a great group of young people.  Prayerfully consider your participation in this event.  To volunteer to be one of the teachers for this week, simply complete this brief form and submit.  We need your response soon so we can begin organizing this event to make it a memorable one for our students.

ADVANCE!

At HCA we don't like to retreat, so we ADVANCE!  The Advance is an overnight event for Junior and Seniors where we will be focusing on leadership and team building through a variety of activities.  This year we will be leaving after school on Thursday, September 6th heading for Three Trails Camp and Retreat Center near the intersection of Lee's Summit Road and Highway 40.  Our speaker this is year is Jeff Terrell, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel.  After a full evening and day of activities (student-led worship music, teaching, planning, eating, and playing ... yes, Tube Tug will be there!), we will return to the school by 3:00 Friday.  Students will be receiving more detailed information in the near future.

This is always a memorable event for HCA students and I don't expect 2012 to be any different!

Who Are You and Why Are You Here?

    There is an old story about Akiva, the rabbi, who lived just outside the 2nd-century city of Capernaum. Akiva had been to the village to gather some supplies and was walking back to his cabin. Deep in thought, when he came to a fork in the road, he went to the right rather than taking the path that would lead him home. Suddenly a voice came through the darkness, “Who are you and why are you here?” Rousing his senses the rabbi realized he was in unfamiliar territory. Straining to see through the darkness he recognized the Roman fortress—the military barracks—and slowly realized the questions were coming from the sentry on duty, “Who are you and why are you here?”
    Being a rabbi and a scholar he answered the question with a question. “Young man, how much do they pay you to stand guard and ask those questions of those who approach?” Rather than being defensive, the guard could see he was dealing with a man of the cloth—not an intruder. He answered, “4 drachmas a week ($100).” The rabbi replied immediately, “I’ll double your pay if you come with me, stand at the door of my cabin and ask me those same two questions each morning as I leave for the day.”

After two days of intense training in worldview analysis, the AXIS closed with this challenge to HCA students in grades 9-12.  The AXIS group, by "encouraging underage thinking" wants to move students from "Apathy to Action."   This anecdote effectively summarized the thrust of this week:  "Who are you" (i.e. What is your worldview) and "Why are you here? (What difference does it make?)

We all would benefit from beginning every day with those two questions; the answer we give to those questions makes all the difference.  Jesus gave us a response to this question in Matthew 5 - "Let your light so shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

As yourself each morning as you prepare for your day - Who are you?  Why are you here? 

START 2012 (UPDATE)

The inaugural version of S.T.A.R.T (Student Teamwork And Readiness Training) began with a "snowball fight" and ended with a group photo.  In between, there was a full day of training, teaching, videos, team building, games, and pizza.  The morning was spent with Mr. Dohring, Mr. Hough, and Mrs. Chugg leading teaching sessions on variety of topics including purpose in life, spiritual giftedness, God's calling, Godly relationships, and more.  HCA student-created videos providing "survival skill" tips were interspersed throughout.

After a quick trip to Heritage Park and a pizza feed, HCA senior Chris Earnshaw and the rest of the student leadership team led a series of team-building activities including pyramid building and an Amazing Race style trip around Heritage Lake.

Many thanks to the HCA staff and upperclassmen who work tirelessly throughout the summer to plan and implement this event.  From the smiles on the weary faces of the 7th grade class, it was a great success.

Created For Relationship

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."  Matthew 22:36-40

From the first pages of Scripture we see the importance of relationship - from the first hint of relationship in the Godhead itself ("Let us make man in our own image" - Gen 1:26) to the creation of Eve ("It is not good that the man should be alone." - Gen 2:18) to God seeking out Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day (Where are you?" - Gen 3:9).  The Savior continues this theme when he identifies the significant identifying mark of his followers - "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  The writers of the epistles understood the importance of this concept, filling their writings with the "one anothers".

This is our chapel theme for 2012-13.  It has often been said that Christianity is not about a religion, it is about a relationship.  I have recently been reading Tim Keller's book The Prodigal God, and he makes the point that that both the younger son and the elder son are "prodigals", substituting something else for a relationship with the Father.  At HCA, we are not interested in developing "religious" students - we want to work with families and churches to develop students who have a relationship with the Living God that influences every human relationship as well. 

AXIS 2012 @ HCA

It’s not good enough to just say you believe in Christ. We exist to challenge students away from just saying they believe, but to actually live out their faith in real tangible ways. We want students to serve in their communities, stand up for their faith, and make a lasting difference on our culture.

The quote above comes from the the mission statement on the AXIS website.  We are excited to welcome the AXIS team to HCA again this year for a special visit on Monday and Tuesday, August 20-21.  On those days,  a team of young adults from AXIS will lead our students in grades 9-12 in sessions that will challenge them to view their world through a Biblical lens and give them tools and inspiration to interact with that world in a way that makes a lasting difference.  The team is also planning to meet with our teaching staff (both elementary and secondary are invited) on Monday afternoon at 4:00 to help us understand how we can extend worldview training far beyond this two-day event.

In addition to these training sessions for our students and teachers, the AXIS team will also be presenting an overview to the parents on Monday evening, August 20th at 7:00 PM.  Make plans now to attend so you can be up-to-speed on what your students are learning and be equipped to partner with the HCA staff in effective worldview development.  I think you will be encouraged. 

S.T.A.R.T. 2012

A new event at HCA this year, START 2012 (Student Teamwork And Readiness Training) is a special orientation event for incoming 7th graders taking place on Friday, August 17th.   A group of parents, teachers, and upperclassmen have been meeting together this summer to plan this exciting event.

Students will arrive on Friday morning and board a bus for the the start of this event.  We will have ice-breaker activities, student-produced videos and special training sessions led by Mr. Dohring, Mr. Hough, and Mrs. Chugg.  At the end of the morning we will get back on the bus for a trip to the park for lunch (provided) and an afternoon full of team-building activities before returning to school by 3:00.

We are excited to have a new group of 7th graders here on the west campus and we hope START 2012 will make them feel welcome!

Welcome to HCA @ SGA

I am thankful you are visiting this blog.  The purpose of this site is keep the HCA family up-to-date on the exciting things happening at our school.  You will read about:

• Progress on the Instructional Technology front as we build a comprehensive program to provide HCA students with a 21st Century education.
• Updates on the leadership development/discipleship efforts at the secondary school.
• Information on activities that are a part of my efforts as the Dean of Student Life at HCA.
• Articles or links that I think would be of interest to the school family at large.
• Reports of outstanding accomplishments of our HCA students.
• More ...

These are exciting times at HCA.   The last two years have been amazing, and the best is yet to come!