january 2012 paws for thought

By Garrett Hill

Katy Evans is a new teacher at Legacy. She teaches English and His-tory for ninth and tenth grade.

“I came to Legacy to have the opportunity to teach in a small Christian environment. It’s been a blessing to get to know my students, co-workers and parents as well as I have,” she said.

Mrs. Evans has many hobbies. “I love to read, everything that’s not meant to be scary, that is. I’ve also been teach-ing myself to play piano again after many years away. I participate in our church’s choir, which I also love. I also really enjoy intense board game battles, Settlers of Catan, Scrabble, and Risk being some of my favorites to play. I hunt with my family during almost all seasons, which is one of

my favorite ways to spend time with my dad,” she said.The grades she has taught have been all over the place, including

“seventh and eighth grade math and history, kindergarten – scary – and now ninth and tenth grade English and history.”

Her favorite subjects to teach are American history and pre-algebra, although her great love for English makes teaching it fun regardless of grade.

Mrs. Evans came to Christ gradually as a child. “I never experienced a complete ‘conversion moment.’ Instead, it

was a slow and steady belief that what my parents, pastors, and Sunday School teachers were telling me and showing me was real. During my middle school years I started reading the Bible on my own, and truly be-lieve that reading His Word for myself was the final step to completely convince me of Christ’s love for his people,” she said.

“My favorite thing about Legacy is the people, students, co-workers, and parents. Everyone has been wonderful, supportive, and loving. I’m so thankful for the wonderful people here.” PFT

JANUARY 2012 • VolUme V • IssUe V

The Official Student Newspaper of

January 2012 www.legacypca.orgAnd the Lord said, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?” And Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

Paws forThoughtlPCA exists to cultivate parental involvement in the educational process of their children, to instill students with a biblical worldview and the passion to stand firm

and articulate boldly in defense of their faith, to prepare them for the rigors of college to guide them into independent learning, and to train our students to always give themselves fully to the work of the lord, because their labor will not be in vain. Truth is revealed by God through Christ “in Whom are hid all the treasures of

wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

Lions Cagers Cash in on the Court p.8

By Becca Ashley

Legacy middle school teacher, Jamie Hulbert, helps spread the word of how great math is with her blog,

found at www.mathnspire.blogspot.com. “The site is geared mainly towards teachers and pos-

sibly homeschooling parents,” she says. “But students are more than welcome to go on there, too!”

When asked how it is beneficial to teachers and students, she replied, “It will hopefully inspire teachers to think ‘beyond the problem’ and make math not only meaningful to students, but also show that math can be taught so that both teachers and students enjoy it! I want students to look forward to coming to math class, not dread it and for teachers to enjoy teaching it, not just think of it as something to check off their list of things to do before going home. My students become part of my family and I invest my time in them because I want them to leave believing they can change the world for Christ and see Him through the realm of mathematics.”

She started the blog in the beginning of this school year “to show other middle school math teachers some of my ideas.” The blog also helps teachers make their lesson plans more fun and exciting.

Mrs. Hulbert has been blogging since 2007 and says that it wasn’t difficult to create. She is always trying to make the blog look more appealing and “looking for new ways to improve my marketing.”

Blogging is a passion of Mrs. Hulbert’s and gives her a fun way of communication. She came up with the idea from her grandmother. In addition to her math blog,

(continued on p. 12)

e is evans,e is for english

Hulbert loves Blogging

January 2012 www.legacypca.org2

Paws for Thought

JANUARY 2011Volume V • Issue V

LPCA exists to cultivate parental involvement in the educational process of their children, to instill students

with a biblical worldview and the passion to stand firm and articulate boldly in defense of their faith, to prepare them for the rigors of college to guide them into independent learning, and to train our

students to always give themselves fully to the work of the Lord, because their labor will not be in vain. Truth is revealed by God through Christ “in Whom

are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

The Official Student Newspaper of

Audra MayExecutive Editor

[email protected]

Daron JonesManaging Editor

[email protected]

10th Grade

editors & PhotoGraPhers

Garrett HillCarley Wilson

Sarah Cruthirds

8th Grade


Brooklyn Fredricks Kasen Jones

Jake Koppelman Emily Kotlarz

Chandlyr Mickan Caroline Shook

7th Grade


Becca Ashley Bobby Cruthirds Lauren EddingsMeagan Fornero

Samantha FurberJoshua Micheletti

Review by Joshua Micheletti

Do you play computer games? If you do, this is for you. Minecraft is a very con-structive game where you can build as many things with computer-generated

blocks as you can possibly think of.Now you’re probably thinking: Where do you get the materials to build stuff? You go mining for coal, iron, gold, and diamonds. You can also farm and get

food from the animals such as pigs, cows, chickens, and sheep. It is appropriate for all ages. I recommend this game to people who like to build and survive in virtual worlds.

There are some cheat codes for this game. For instance, Too Many Items is where you can have as many items as you want. Another modification is the Ingame com-mands mod where you can fly around and have noclip. Some other neat features are online servers and multi-player mode.

What I like about this game is that you can build anything you can dream of. And, I like the creepers. Creepers sound more harsh than they are and all they do is just explode.

The game is made by Notch. The beta version 1.0 is out now. In that update they added what is called the Ender, which is the end of Minecraft. Technically there is no end to Minecraft and personally I don’t like the Idea that there would be an end to the game.

There are parodies of this game on YouTube which are really funny, like the Tik Tok parody, the Black and Yellow parody, and the Lazy Song parody. The best one is Revenge, which you can buy on iTunes. PFT

Johua Micheletti built this house in Minecraft.

Getting CreativeWith minecraft

The golf elective has been a big hit among Legacy’s future PGA Champions.

www.legacypca.org January 20123

Mrs. May’s Message

I am sure you’ve noticed how often we “poll” you about the amount of time you spend completing “at-home” work. (We also like to refer to this as

Independent Study.) While I have not been around since the inception of the University-Model School (UMS), which was established in 1993, I do know that one of the battles schools like ours have faced since the beginning is trying to balance the amount of work students complete at home and school.

How much is enough? How much is too much? Which student does one use as the metric, the one at the top, middle, or bottom? What is a teacher to do when she hears one student is drowning and another needs more to do?

All of these are valid questions. I recently discussed them at length with my staff and mem-bers of the NAUMS Leadership. I wish I could tell you that we have now solved the problems of the University Model Homework World, but alas, we have not!

What we have done is re-define, or clarify, the time a student should spend working independently at home. We determined that there should be a “cap” on that time. Simply stated, we are saying that, at some point, spending hours on end in one particular subject becomes counterproductive, especially as it relates to the UMS mission.

In our recent teacher in-service, we had discussions (some of it heated!) about the time and amount of work students are expected to complete. One of the areas of clarification, both for our teachers and with NAUMS, was to determine which students drove the homework times so that a teacher had a clear indication about whether or not the assignment was too much or not enough.

According to NAUMS, these times are sug-gested to represent the average student. At Legacy, the “average” student should represent the majority of the students in the class.

As we discussed in our meeting, each class at Legacy can be represented by a bell curve. There will be one or two students on one end of the curve that are not struggling, ace every test, and complete their homework with minimal difficulty and stress. There will be one or two students on the other end of the curve who spend hours on end struggling to get through each assignment and to pass assess-ments.

Then, there are all of the students in the middle of the curve, some closer to those who don’t struggle and some closer to those who do. These students work the suggested amounts of time on projects and assignments, score well on their assessments, and seem to grasp the concepts pre-sented in the classroom with the occasional need to revisit a concept now and then.

These are the students who should be used to drive the planning of lessons and evaluate the time spent on assignments at home. I believe that our teachers are in agreement with this practice, but they seemed grateful for the clarification.

In addition to these clarifications, we spent time encouraging our teachers to use their creative juices. Since we have such a creative bunch, I know

that this task will be the easiest and hopefully, the most fulfilling.

We wanted to inspire our teachers to consider the purpose of each lesson. As an example, we used first grade math. If the instructor felt that as-signing that second page of math homework would really be beneficial to teaching a first grader the different coins, then by all means, we want them to assign it.

However, if the teacher felt that the child would learn more by “shopping” with the parent or in a store they created in their classroom, we want instructors to feel the freedom to allow children to learn by hands-on experience.

We just wanted to be sure to give the teacher the freedom to explore creative ways of solidify-ing those concepts needed to move on to the next grade level in any way they felt God might be leading them.

But, to be clear, we have given the teachers full discretion, not mandating specific changes but encouraging them to think outside the “worksheet” box as different learning challenges arose.

I know they would appreciate your support in this effort.

As a last point and in the spirit of transparency, we did spend some time dissecting what it means to be “college-preparatory.” We are aware there are parents who believe that students should be work-ing longer hours than our current work load on their academics in preparation for college.

Several teachers expressed their hesitation with my suggestion that we might be able to lighten the academic load and still call ourselves “college-prep.” I completely understand this viewpoint and am glad that both sides of the spectrum are represented.

But, I want to relay to you what I said to them. The University Model is so unique and excep-

tional in the way we educate our students. Part of the “college preparatory” that comes from the University Model is the model itself. Because of the schedule, which emulates that of a college, we are able to put our children in a college-type environ-ment in age-appropriate ways so that we can teach them the organizational skills that are a part of being successful at the college level.

Did you know that the main reason 46% of all college freshman fail out their first year is not be-cause of their intelligence, but because of their lack of organization and discipline? Consider that, at least nowadays, in order to get in to some of our top colleges, one must be in the top 10% of their class!

We are talking about some of the brightest among us failing out of school because of their lack of discipline. The University Model addresses that and in partnership with parents, prepares our students to manage their days when they’re not in class so that they are prepared when they return to class the following day.

What a valuable life tool we are giving our children!

In addition, because UMS utilizes the child’s most valuable asset – YOU – our students will be

even more successful as they head off to fulfill the mission God has set before them.

Listed below are the changes made to the guidelines used by NAUMS. While these will not be published in our family and staff handbooks until the next school year, I felt you should be aware of the changes, which should be minimal.

You can see that we did not change the times, but did clarify that these times were maximums and not minimums. We also were sure to distinguish that these times were driven by the average UMS stu-dent, so that each teacher could have a clear metric of whether an assignment needed modification. The words in red highlight clarifications and changes.

Off-Campus WOrk LOadLanguage Arts and Math comprise 50-75% of

assignments in the satellite classroom, particularly in the early grades when foundational skills are be-ing learned. The following guidelines apply to what the average student should be able to accomplish in the given time frame.

Guidelines for total work per off-campus day in Language Arts and in Math based on the average student:

• 20-30 minutes of work for PreK and K• 45-60 minutes of work for grades 1-2• Up to 60-75 minutes of work for grades 3-4• Up to 90 minutes of work for grades 5-12

Guidelines for total work per off-campus day in Science and in History based on the average student:

• 20-30 minutes of work for PreK and K• 30-45 minutes of work for grades 1-4• Up to 60 minutes of work for grades 5-8• Up to 75 minutes of work for grades 9-12

upper sChOOL GuIdeLINesFor Upper School students, up to one to one

and a half hours of “At Home Work” for Math and Language Arts, and up to one hour for other courses (see details above) can be assigned on Mondays and Wednesdays to be completed off-campus on Tuesday and Thursday. The nature of some courses in Upper School may require a sig-nificantly greater work load, and teachers of these courses will communicate coursework expectations clearly to parents at Orientation. In some instances, students may be required to complete assignments over the weekend. (Projects, studying for exams, pre-reading, etc.)

In closing, you should be aware that our Aca-demic Supervisors have solicited families to assist us in reviewing and providing feedback regarding curriculum and our academics in general. We look forward to working with you to make Legacy the best it can be and to completing our mission of preparing College-Worthy, Character Witnesses for Christ. As always, please feel free to contact me with questions. PFT

Serving Him and You, Audra [email protected]

A Little Clarity


2nd Grade poLLWho is your Favorite

Musical Artist?

meredith AguirreTaylor swift

lanah Burkhardtselena Gomez

Hassyn Carricomichael Jackson

maddox CrenshawJustin Bieber

Brandon DaviesThe Newsboys

layla Faysalselena Gomez

Claire GiuliniTaylor swift

Joshua HauserThe Newsboys

Jacob Hecktelvis Presley

Anna KruppstadtTobymac

Richard lewisThe eagles

emma littleJustin Bieber

matthew mosselvis Presley

Noah o’FarrellCarrie Underwood

samantha Palmerselena Gomez

Adelyn Polkmiranda lambert

macey Rainesselena Gomez

Ryan RobinsonThe Newsboys

Carter stevensonTaylor swift

Nathan Vander PolAerosmith

Carly WagnerH2o

By Kasen Jones

Super 8, the latest film by director JJ Abrams and producer Steven Spielberg, was an-

ticipated for quite some time before its debut. Once the movie hit theaters on June 10th, there was a lot of talk about the young actors involved.

As children, both Abrams and Spielberg made movies on 8mm – or super 8 – cameras. Abrams idolized Spiel-berg and his movies as a kid, and eventually hit it big with the clas-sic TV series, Lost.

When JJ was still a young filmmaker, he was called by Spielberg’s manager, Julia Phillips, to restore some of his damaged 8mm movies. Years later, after a meeting, Steven came up to JJ and thanked him.

JJ was majorly starstruck. “I couldn’t be-lieve Steven Spielberg was standing in front of me,” he said. Little did he know he would work with one of the greatest directors of all time, his childhood idol, many years later.

Now an established and successful director in his own right, Abrams already had an idea for an alien-based sci-fi story, but it was miss-ing a plot. Spielberg offered his partnership on the project that was to become Super 8.

After thinking everything through, they decided they wanted to do a movie that related to them in the 80s. Looking for something common between them, making movies instantly came to mind. This was how Super 8 was born.

During casting, JJ wanted “fresh faces,” actors and actresses no one had seen before. While thousands of kids auditioned, not one of them knew what the film was really about. The script they were given wasn’t Super 8, but a sample of a completely different script, called Little Darlings.

Being almost desperate for acting jobs, teenagers Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Gabe Basso, Zach Mills, and Riley Griffiths all sent in audition tapes. JJ liked the “realness” in the kids, and called them all back. They flew to California to meet, and to see if they had any “chemistry” that would need to come out in the film, as they would all be playing best friends.

Finally JJ called them in one by one to tell them they got the roles. “It was hard to control

myself. I mean, it’s JJ Abrams. I had to keep calm. We all managed to keep the excitement in until we got to the hotel, then it was like a hurricane came through,” said 15-year-old Ryan Lee, who plays Cary.

Filming started in October 2010 in Weirton, West Virginia, and carried throughout De-cember. The first thing JJ told them was not to tell anyone anything. The whole plot and idea

of this movie had to be kept a secret, even from their families.

“My friends kept asking and asking, but I had to keep saying no,” said Joel Court-ney, who plays main character, Joe Lamb.

They also wanted to keep the creature a secret. Abrams hoped that if no one knew what it was about,

more people would go see it. This might seem weird, because who would want to see a movie when they had no idea what it was about? The idea was that once the movie was out, there would be more talk to draw other people in to the theaters.

Now that you have the background story, here is my take on this movie. When the pre-views came out around September of last year, I didn’t think much of it. One day during the summer, my dad asked if I wanted to go see it. I said yes, just wanting to go to the movies. The first time I watched the movie I thought it was good, but it didn’t completely grab me. The next day I kept thinking about it, and I honestly became obsessed.

This movie is set in 1979 in the town of Lil-lian, Ohio. The main focus of the movie is the kids, which is one reason it’s so great.

It’s very characer-driven, using a lot of 1970s and 80s props. It will definitely remind all the adults of childhood.

The music by Michael Giacchino helps make the movie. It gives all the scenes that amazing “what’s gonna happen” feeling.

One thing bothered me. In almost all of the scenes, there are lens flares, the thick blue lines you see on the screen. They are in all JJ projects, and even he admits he has an obses-sion with them.

This movie is rated PG-13 for language and mild suspense. To see this film you should probably be 13 and up, and maybe even 14.

Overall, Super 8 is a great movie that grabbed a lot of people by the heart. I would recommend this to everyone I know! PFT

Abrams’ Super 8 PaysHomage to spielberg

Makaila Bender and Kasen Jones with Super 8 star, Ryan Lee.


Thanks to everyone who helped to make this year’s Mane Event a success. Audrey Shook and the Lions’ Den PTO did a great job on our annual fundraiser. Legacy’s music teacher, Rebecca Cone, put together a beautiful evening of music with our talented little Lions. A special thank you goes out to Faith Bible Church, who lent us their gorgeous sanctuary for the evening. This year’s raffle winners included:

sony TVKelly Polansky (eickenhorst family)

Canon cameraKeith Cruthirds

1 year membership to Gold’s GymJames & Brenda Dunn

iPad 2The Wright family

Yamaha KeyboardAshley smith

6 month membership to Gold’s Gymshelie Goodwin

WiiJonah mcFarland

Playstation 2Deb strom

iPod TouchWeldon Nance

Aldo Cucina Italian Restaurant gift cardApril Raines

Adult & Child’s sonicare ToothbrushesRobert Garza

Child’s sonicare ToothbrushTrish maiz

Mrs. Cone and Harrison Shook at this year’s Mane Event.

mane eventWinners

By Samantha Furber

I love horses. The swift movements of their legs, the graceful, calm eye, and the soft whinnies that they make are so lovable. I don’t remember a

time that I didn’t totally adore horses. I have had moments around horses that I prefer not to think about.

These animals are powerful and unpredictable. I have been stepped on, kicked, and picked up by my shirt and dropped. I have telltale marks from bites, bruises that didn’t heal right, and cuts from unforgiving grooming supplies and tack (saddles, bridles, etc.).

Being the crazy person I am, I still love horses.And of course, there is my favorite breed. The Friesian, or the Belgian

Black, is the most elegant, graceful breed I have ever seen. They are a joy

to ride, though clownish at times. Their velvety coat, silken mane and tail, and elongated movements make them irresistible.

The Friesian is a very old breed, originating in the Netherlands and brought to North America in 1625. The breed became very popular in 1985 when the movie Ladyhawke was released. Friesians are very popular in middle-age period movies, where knights often ride them in flashy garb. You could find Friesians all over the world then.

Some of my most memorable experiences with this breed were when I attended an equestrian center called Stonehaven. A Friesian/paint cross named Brio was boarded there. He was about three years old, and very silly.

This giant, black baby was the one that picked me up by my shirt when I was seven or eight and dropped me on the stone floor of the stable breezeway. I yelled and he almost stepped on me because it scared him, which made me cry. I knew he could have killed me.

I loved him. As soon as I was older, I was allowed to ride Brio. It was just like riding

a couch. His steps seemed to never end, and they were light and smooth, so that I couldn’t really tell when a hoof hit the ground. My riding instruc-tor said we looked fabulous. I was exhilarated by the ride.

I’m pretty sure he loved me too. He whickered and whinnied when I came to see him after school and on the weekends when I had lessons. I only got to ride him once, and I didn’t see him near as often after we got our family’s horse. I was busy with that crazy mare that I remember one time when I totally ignored him. I’m sure poor Brio wasn’t too thrilled about that.

I could never make it up to him, either. The next day, my aunt came to take our mare to her house. I haven’t been back there since. I think about Brio a lot, however. Maybe I’ll take a trip to the old riding barn. I’ll bring a carrot, a peppermint, and an apple, all for that goofy, not-so-little boy.

Miss you, Brio. PFT

The Knight Horse


By Jake Koppelman

It was a Saturday morning in the middle of June and I was already sweating my brains out, even though

it was only 10 am. As I ran footwork drills with Coach Mondick, I thought to myself, “Man, I should be at home playing Mad-den and eating pancakes right now. But I guess, since I’m already here, I ought to keep going and persevere.”

That was true for everyone on the football team. As we were getting our butts kicked by our great coaches during another Saturday morning practice, we didn’t know it yet, but we were getting stronger both mentally and physically.

We might not have had the best summers of any kids in Texas, but it sure was worth it in the long run when we reached our goal: an unde-feated season.

So many Lions fans came to see us play our games and cheer us on, but no one except the players and coaches truly knew how hard we had worked each and every week.

I want to take you behind the curtain and show you what really goes on when we prepare for a football game. What follows is my perspective of the week leading up to the final game of the season against Rosehill Christian School.

Tuesday, November 1stSince Halloween was on a Monday, we

didn’t start that week’s practice until Tues-day. We ran through our normal drills in full pads without much trouble.

When Coach Freeman unleashed the defensive game plan, it was completely focused on stopping Rosehill’s stud run-ning back, #31. I knew from last year’s match-up between us that this would be a very physical game that required endur-ance. They had a very good tandem on defense, forcing us to play it safe and run the ball with Travis May and not give up turnovers.

After practice, I headed home to finish

up homework. With all the excitement leading up to the game, it was tough to stay focused on academics.

Wednesday, November 2ndAnother full-padded practice meant

more tackling drills and more scheming for the big game. Travis, Garrett Chevailer,

Cole Howden and I were all sad because, with us being 8th graders, it meant that this was our last practice in full pads. We took full advantage of being able to hit our “broth-ers” a few more times on a football field.

Thursday, No-vember 3rd

Day before the game. I was as nervous as ever. I crawled through my homework so I could get ready for my last practice as a Legacy Lion

football player. It was our walkthrough day, which

meant we wore shorts and our shoulder pads and helmets and reviewed every-thing we needed to do for the game. Walkthrough days were always a little dif-ferent because we practiced special teams and other things that we normally didn’t have time for. They were meant to be light practices to rest before our games.

Gameday: November 4thThat Friday at school might’ve been the

longest school day of my entire life. The players got to wear our jerseys to school, which was fun, but all I could think about was the game. It was, without question, the biggest game of my life and I was as nervous as a turkey before Thanksgiving.

Finally, school was over! I quickly changed into my uniform and headed to the game. I listened to my warm-up music, which included a lot of Lecrae, and tried to take my mind off the game.

When we arrived, there were only a few players there. I talked to them while I strapped up my shoulder pads. When the whole team was there, we started our warm-up drills.

Soon, Lions fans were packing the stands and the excitement was growing with every minute. Rosehill looked tough and big at first glance. They had grown from last year and were in better shape, too.

Ten minutes until game time. We tore through the awesome banner that the cheerleaders made for us. The cheerlead-ers were a huge part of our success. They cheered us on every game and were loud and proud. They were awesome.

After the National Anthem and prayer, the eight graders got to do the coin toss. Rosehill won and chose to have the ball first. While the defense made a huge fourth down stop, I took a few more prac-tice snaps from Jay Mondick, our center. I said a quick prayer, and trotted out for our first possession.

Game on.As the game progressed, we separated

ourselves from Rosehill more and more every quarter. One of the huge reasons we were able to do this is because of an injury to Rosehill’s stud, #31. He was knocked out of the game at halftime. That really messed up Rosehill’s gameplan.

During the fourth quarter, we were so far ahead that Coach Manning started to pull some of the starters to let some other players get playing time. When I was taken out, I started getting really emotional and started hugging everyone I could find.

As soon as the game ended in a 46-21 victory, we shook hands with the Rosehill players and started the celebration.

The cheerleaders made another banner for us to run through, which had big black letters that read: UNDEFEATED. We tore through it and went to watch Coach Man-ning do his eight back flips, a tradition we had developed throughout the season.

It was pandemonium on the field. The coaches told us how proud they were for us and that they had been proud to coach us. We hugged each other and took a group photo.

I had been bawling tears of joy since the game ended and was still crying as I hugged my parents.

When it all settled down, we left and headed to Fuddruckers for a team party.

AftermathThe whole season, especially the last

game, was a life-changing experience for me. I am so happy to have played with these great guys and be a part of their lives. I am so thankful to have been coached by all of my awesome coaches and to have them in my life.

I thank God every day for letting me be a part of this great experience and for Him leading us to an undefeated 8-0 season. PFT

A Week in the Life of a Lions Football Player

Most people have no idea how much work Jake, and all Legacy athletes, put in behind the scenes.

7www.legacypca.org January 2012

By Joshua Micheletti

Lisa DeYoung is new to the Legacy family. She teaches first grade.

Mrs. DeYoung always had a love of children in her. She loved being around kids and dreamed of being a mom from a very young age.

Her teaching career began at a Montessori school in The Woodlands, where she taught for six years. During that time she found a great desire to teach and learn from children as a long-term career choice.

She began attending college to earn her teaching certificate and accepted a position at The Woodlands Christian Academy. She was there for three years while working to completing her degree requirements.

Mrs. DeYoung graduated from college in 2003 with a BS in academic studies/early childhood education with a specialization in reading and language arts.

“In college I found my passion was to teach children to read and to help piece the elements of reading and all other learning together to help them develop a love for learning as a whole,” she said.

She then worked in Conroe ISD as a first grade teacher for four years. During that time she had her third child and was expecting a fourth. “As much as I loved teaching, at the time I felt that God had called me to stay home and take care of my family full-time.”

After much prayer, Mrs. DeYoung did just that. In 2007, she ac-cepted a position at SonKids Christian Preschool and Kindergar-ten. God had definitely put her in a special place. She could not have enjoyed working with a better group of Christian people. “I absolutely LOVED my job.” She was there for four years.

In the summer of 2010, she felt drawn to Legacy. She applied and talked with administration, but due to a prior commitment

with SonKids, she did not feel peaceful about further inquiring. In the summer of 2011, she received another call from the

administration at Legacy. She opened her mind and heart, as she was following God’s instruction, and started the interview process.

“Since I was so happy and comfortable at SonKids, I could not see what God had planned but trusted that He knew what was

best for me,” she said. “I had admired others who followed God’s path for them, even if they could not see what lie ahead, now it seemed to be my turn.”

As Mrs. DeYoung prayed through every step of my interview and hire process, she felt more and more peaceful. “I accepted the first grade position and the challenge God has called me to step up to here. I love my Legacy Family and am so glad to be a part of it.”

The smaller classes give her an opportu-nity to individualize instruction if needed. Most importantly it gives her an opportunity to continue incorporating God’s word into every subject area.

“We can read the Bible together, we can pray together, and in Chapel we can worship together,” she says. “It creates a special bond amongst classmates and also in the teacher-student rela-tionship. I strive to leave ‘heartprints’ – showing God’s word to others through our thoughts, words and actions.” These heart-prints are a very special thing she learned from co-workers and students at SonKids.

Mrs. DeYoung’s parents are both strong in their faith, so she grew up in Christian home, was baptized and attended church her whole life. “In my early twenties, I had the desire to explore in depth what and why I believed and really made an indepen-dent decision to follow Christ.”

Since that time she has been baptized again and, along with her husband, strives to raise their children to have a personal relationship with Christ. PFT

mrs. DeYoung loves Her lions

By Emily Kotlarz

My heart was thumping and blood was rush-ing through me a hundred times faster

than normal. It was the first day of basketball practice and this was my first time ever playing a sport.

I had to be good and show what the new girl could do. I had been practicing with my dad over the summer and was ready to be on the Lady Lions team.

After I got into my practice clothes, I went to the gym and stretched. Coming from the hallway I saw Coach Ford and Coach May. They looked thrilled to see us and ready to work us hard.

First we started with the lady links drill.

Once we finished with that, I found out how out of shape I was. I wanted to pass out.

It was hard and that was only the beginning. I also learned what suicides and foot fire stand for. Those aren’t very fun but they keep us going on the court. We did some passing exercises, layup drills, and lots of shooting. I have to say that it was so much fun and to get to know the people on my team was just phenomenal.

It’s a wonderful experience and it didn’t stop there. Most of the time we have practice three times a week but, now we are starting to have a game once a week. It is so much work but there are worthy treasures you discover and friend-ships that last. I have to say that I look forward to this upcoming season with my teammates and coaches. PFT

The “New Girl” Comes ThroughEmily Kotlarz has found a home in the paint for the Lady Lions.


Lions run record to 6-3


reSULTSrecord as of Jan. 10: 6-3

Lions 29, Woodlands prep 22Travis May 12 ptsJake Koppelman 4 ptsGarrett Chevalier 4 ptsJames Michael Goggins 3 ptsBen Schardt 2 ptsMalik Manning 2 ptsLandon Davis 2 pts

Logos 35, Lions 20Jake Koppelman 12 ptsTravis May 3 ptsBen Schardt 3 ptsGarrett Chevalier 2 pts

Lions 56, saTCh 9Travis May 12 ptsLandon Davis 10 ptsJake Koppelman 10 ptsBobby Cruthirds 8 ptsSeth Wiley 6 pts

Lions 43, abiding Word 22Travis May 24 ptsGarrett Chevalier 6 pts

Lions 35, Logos prep 26Travis May 20 ptsGarrett Chevalier 11 pts

Lions 50, Ces 5Travis May 14 ptsLandon Davis 8 pts

Brazos Valley 43, Lions 4

ft. Bend Christian 29, Lions 23Travis May 13 pts

Lions 42, Woodlands Christian 3Travis May 12 ptsJake Koppelman 7 pts

SCHedULeJan. 13 vs Northland ChristianGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Jan. 20 at Logos PrepGirls 4 pm, Boys 4 pm

Jan. 24 vs. Abiding WordGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Jan. 31 vs SATCHGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Feb. 3-4 Salem Lutheran Tournament


Lady Lions Keep Charging


reSULTSrecord as of Jan. 10: 3-5

Lady Lions 30, Woodlands prep 0Brooklyn Fredricks 6 ptsMakaila Bender 6 ptsMaddie Crowder 6 ptsEmily Kotlarz 4 ptsJessica Lawrence 4 ptsAdisyn Mickan 2 ptsAmber Condley 2 pts

Logos 26, Lady Lions 9Makaila Bender 5 ptsAmber Condley 2 pts

saTCh 33, Lady Lions 9Jessica Lawrence 4 ptsMakaila Bender 2 ptsMaddie Crowder 2 ptsEmily Kotlarz 1 pt

abiding Word 23, Lady Lions 17 Emily Kotlarz 6 ptsMakaila Bender 5 ptsBrooklyn Fredricks 4 ptsJessica Lawrence 2 pts

Lady Lions 34, Yes prep 15Makaila Bender 11 ptsJessica Lawrence 6 ptsBrooklyn Fredricks 6 pts

Lady Lions 28, Clear Lake 20Jessica Lawrence 12 ptsMakaila Bender 8 pts

hCYa 32, Lady Lions 5Jessica Lawrence 3 ptsEmily Kotlarz 2 pts

Clear Lake 20, Lady Lions 18Jessica Lawrence 8 psAmber Condley 6 pts

SCHedULeJan. 13 vs Northland ChristianGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Jan. 20 at Logos PrepGirls 4 pm, Boys 4 pm

Jan. 24 vs. Abiding WordGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Jan. 28 Abiding Word Tournament

Jan. 31 vs SATCHGirls 4:30, Boys 5:30

Feb. 3-4 Salem Lutheran Tournament


By Becca Ashley

When I am getting ready for a feis (a type of Irish dance, pronounced fesh), I go through just as much pain as I do when I dance.

First, I stretch for about 20-25 minutes, and put on my makeup. I put on a lot of makeup so that I don’t look quite as pale when I am in so much dazzling finery.

Secondly, I squeeze into my dress. I then attempt putting on my wig. My hair is put into three tight buns that instantly give me a headache, and I roll the combs in my wig over my hair and try keeping it parted.

By now I am sweating, for my dress is thick velvet and satin covered in heavy rhinestones, and I also have clothes on underneath. As I penetrate the curls with bobby pins, I scrape the top of my skull in agony, and jump up and down to insure that it is tightly in place.

After I do that, I put my headband in place and secure it with more bobby pins. I put on my poodle socks, and glue them to my ankles so that they won’t slip.

Before I dance, I find my number card (your number is based alphabetically on the contes-

tant), attach it to my sparkly bow card holder. Then I find out what numbers my dances are (the number is based on your level, which dance it is, and your age group), and put on my ghillies (soft shoe).

I am not permitted to eat before or in-between my dances, so I am starving as I wait for my first dance. I watch a board with the number of the current dance, the number that is waiting, and the number that is signing in for a dance.

After I sign in for my first dance, I sit in anticipation for my performance to begin. Though I’m so nervous I am shaking, I dance my absolute hardest, and am soon panting from exhaustion.

Once I am finished, I browse around the different venders while drinking cold water provided by the hotel that the feis is being held at. As I do this, I put my loving mother to the task of making sure I don’t miss a dance. I repeat this procedure until I am through with my dances.

Before I leave, after the day is done, I check my results. On my way to the results room, I am full of anticipation and worry. I hope that I place well, and if I don’t, I simply try harder the next time. PFT

By Lauren Eddings

Jake Koppelman, one of Legacy’s student Ambassadors, loves his job.“Ambassadors are elected to welcome new kids to the school,” said Jake. “We want

to make them feel as comfortable here as they can be.”To become an Ambassador, a student must be approved not only by the students, but

also by the Legacy administrators. First the students nominate the girl and boy they want in office. Then the nominees

must be reviewed by the school administrators, who finally choose the best ones and welcome them into the program. The other eighth-grade Ambassadors are Jessica Law-rence and Tray Wright.

Jake’s favorite part of being an Ambassador is the meetings. “We get free food and talk about the school with the other Ambassadors.”

In the meetings, the Ambassadors talk about problems students might be going through. They also come up with ideas of how they can improve Legacy. Once in a while they meet outside of school. PFT

Irish Dance Competitions Brutal for Becca Hulbert Loves Blogging(Continued from p.1)she has a personal blog for her family and was greatly encouraged to “put some of the creative ideas I’ve come up with on a website so that other teachers could also see some of the fun things we do to make math meaningful and applicable.”

Mrs. Hulbert posts nearly every time she has an inspirational idea for her class, though she has many more ideas than she does time. She has had a lot of requests for the “notebook” notes and other projects she has done.

“My goal is to inspire other teach-ers who teach middle school math to find a “Happy Medium” with that age group,” she says. “To make math fun, but not elementary. To make it interesting. To inspire their students to also want to achieve more and see that math isn’t all that bad.”

Blogging sure can be fun and helpful, even with math! PFT

Ambassador likes Welcoming New lions(And the Free Food)


By Brooklyn Fredricks

Been dreaming lately? Without a doubt you have, whether or not you remem-

ber your dreams.Studies say that you dream every

single night, though it’s usually near impossible to remember your dreams. Five minutes after you wake up, you have lost about half of the memory of any of your dreams. Ten minutes after you wake up, you’ve lost almost 90 percent of the memory of your dreams.

Kind of stinks, huh? But there is a way to help yourself re-

member your dreams. If you write down what you remember of your dreams immediately after you wake up, you are more likely to remember them. And even if you forget them, you will have what you wrote down for reference. Try it sometime and you will see how much it helps.

Dreaming happens in the REM stage of sleep. REM is short for Rapid Eye Movement, since when you are in that

stage your eyes move really fast behind your eye lids. Also, while in REM, your body is almost completely paralyzed. So even if you usually squirm around like a chicken when sleeping, while you are in REM you will not be moving at all.

Many think that without your body becoming paralyzed during your dreams, you would be fully enacting everything you are dreaming about, or at least trying to enact it. This could be a bit dangerous, depending on what you are dreaming about. So I suppose paralysis is good in this instance.

But what is the whole point in dream-ing, anyway? Why is it important?

When you are dreaming, you sort through the problems and thoughts you had the day before. This helps you to understand things better, and also makes you feel less stressed. In dreams, you of-ten run through the problems you faced before, but in a different way. Instead of reliving your problems in real life, you face different things that mirror your problems in real life.

Everyone dreams about people they know quite a bit, but have you ever won-dered who the people are that you do not recognize? Probably not, but the answer is interesting. Everyone that appears in your dream is someone you have seen before. You cannot dream about someone that you have never looked at. Even if you only saw someone’s face for a second and do not even remember them, they can appear in your dreams.

So that crazy cat lady you dreamed about who was throwing tomatoes at a marshmallow monster? Yeah, she might have taken your order at Chick-Fil-A.

Dreams are pretty crazy to think about, but they can be really fun to remember later on. With the knowledge you now have about dreams, why not keep a dream journal to help yourself remember them?

Whether you chase a hobo through Wal-Mart or meet a bear wearing a top hat, remembering dreams is fun and can even lead to inspiration for those dreaded creative writing papers in English. PFT

Cat ladies, Hobos, and other strange Dreams

Need LeGaCY VOLuNTeers fOr prIVaTe sChOOL preVIeWThis coming Sunday, January 15, the Montgomery County Coalition of Chris-tian Schools (MCCCS) will host a Private School Preivew. This is an opportunity to meet and visit with parents who are looking into private schools serving the Montgomery County area.

Some of you may or may not recall that both Julie Hauser and myself serve as board members of MCCCS. This has been a great way for the private Chrisitan schools in the area to come together to make families aware that they have a choice as to how their children are edu-cated. We hope to have a great turn out!

I am seeking three or four volunteers who might like to put together a display for the families to view while at the Pre-view. We will have brochures and other “Legacy” info available, but a nice display would be great. We also need families who are willing to man the booth. If you are interested, please contact me ASAP. The preview is January 15 at the United Methodist Church from 3:00p - 5:00p. Set up begins at 2:00p. I will have a tri-fold available for you to use.

Please pray that we will have many new families to speak with and that we can spread the word about Legacy and our desire to prepare students to be College-Worthy, Character Witnesses of Christ!

GeT YOur VOLuNTeer hOurs IN aT The JuNIOr hIGh sCIeNCe faIr

We need 2 parent volunteers to supervise our 7th and 8th grade students at the Science Fair on Friday, January 27th. We will need you from 5:30PM -8:00PM at Lone Star College in Montgomery. This will count as all of your volunteer hours! You cannot have a child participating in the Science Fair, so no 7th or 8th grade parents please. Contact Joann Manning if interested at [email protected].

mOm’s praYer GrOup every first Monday of the month from 1:50-2:50 p.m. in the comfort of Kimmy Marvel’s home, 69 E. Sandalbranch Circle, in The Woodlands. Kimmy lives very close to the school, which gives you plenty of time to make it to car line after prayer.

reBeLuTION is Friday, January 13, at 7:45 a.m. in the youth room. All 5th-10th grade students are encouraged to attend. Breakfast will be served!

BOX TOps: This Friday, January 13, will be the last day to turn in Box Tops labels. Remember to send them in preferably in a ziploc bag with the homeroom teachers name on it. You can turn them in to the homeroom teacher or to the front desk. We will announce two class winners, one from the upper grades and one from lower grades.

NO sChOOL on Monday, January 16th.

The daddY/dauGhTer daNCe, hosted by The Woodlands Township,

is coming up on February 11. This is a highly enjoyable “Night of Nights” every year. Visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call to register at 281-210-3800.

aThLeTIC BaNQueT is coming in February. Families will be able to sponsor a table for $160. Tables will sit a total of 8 people. Table sponsors will be recognized in the program and can bring business advertisements if wanted. The cost of the tables will assist with the expenses related to the banquet and help to support our athletic program. If you are interested, please contact Brenda Hill at [email protected].

LOWer sChOOL eLeCTIVes: First day of Friday electives will be Friday, January 13th. Martial Arts after school classes will begin the following week.

WINTer OuTerWear: As the weather begins to turn colder, please remember the dress code guidelines regarding sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets: Students may wear cardigan sweaters, sweatshirts or “hoodies” during cold weather or in the classroom. These items must be purchased from Land’s End or the Booster, and have a logo displayed on the front. No exceptions will be made. However, on extremely cold days when a heavier winter coat is required, those coats do not have to be purchased from Land’s End. Students may wear a heavy winter coat to school, but should take it off upon arrival and switch to a sweater

or sweatshirt bearing the Legacy logo to be worn indoors or to recess as the day warms up.

dress COde/dress dOWN Cards: Thank you for supporting our dress down card fundraiser! I’m sure we’ll be seeing many dress down days. Be sure your child brings his “card” so that it can be marked by his/her teacher. Be sure to adhere to the following:

• Dress at all times should be modest and in good taste. Please use your good judgement and inspect your students before allowing them to leave for school.

• Students are not allowed to wear clothing that is too tight, too baggy, immodest (low cut necklines, see-thru material, midriff showing, or short skirts) or items with rips, holes or frayed edges. This includes “distressed” jeans that contain partial holes/tears as part of the design.

• Girls may not wear shoes with heals more than 1” in height.

• Caps, hats and bandanas may not be worn in the classroom.

• Jewelry should be limited to a single, appropriate necklace and/or bracelet, earrings and a watch.

• Shirts with slogans or other writing may not be worn if the message is rude, suggestive, or anything other than uplift-ing and neutral.

Failure to adhere to these general guidelines will result in parents being called to replace the garment in question, and loss of dress down privileges. PFT

LpCa news & notes


Do you ever feel like you don’t know what to do with yourself in the aftermath of

the Christmas season? Sure, it’s a good time to give the house a good cleaning while you’re putting away Christmas decorations.

Yes, it’s a great time to frequent the gym in the wake of New Year’s Resolutions. It’s definitely good to get back into the school routine. But this January, if you find yourself in a lull after December’s festivities, why not use it as an opportunity to serve?

Our definition of serving is “an act of helpful or useful activity; aid.” There are countless opportunities to serve, starting in our own homes. Families can serve one another. Families can work together to serve other families, through organizations, or at church. Churches can serve the community and the world through missions and relationship building. I love that the Woodlands area churches come together throughout the year to serve the community as a united force. Why would people serve? The scriptures give us several really good reasons:

1. Because we can! “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13

2. Because we’re gifted

to. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace

in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:103. Because Jesus did, as an

example to us. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

4. Because it pleases the Lord. “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.” Ephesians 6:7-8a

5. Because it positions us in close proximity to Jesus. “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants

to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35

6. Because by serving men, we are serving God. “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:37-40

It was wonderful to see the large envelope full of gift cards that was given to Mrs. DePrang’s family, who suffered so much from the wildfires in Bastrop,

in September and October. It was my joy to hear the story of the first graders collecting clothes and food to share Houston’s homeless in November. It was a precious sight to see the football team collecting coats to share with American Indian orphans in December. I can’t wait to see how God prompts the students and families at Legacy to serve in January!

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10 PFT

“ “January memory Verse

Each one should use whatever gift he

has received to serve others, faithfully

administering God’s grace in its

various forms.1 Peter 4:10

Mrs. Koppelman’s Theme of the Month

JANUARY is... A T ime fo r ser v ing

Cheerleaders Blanket NICU Babies with LoveThe Lions cheerleading squad is becoming more active in the

community. A great example of this was a special holiday project in which the cheerleaders each made blankets for the

babies at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The girls represented our school with class and spirit as they visited the NICU unit and delivered their blankets. It was an emotional trip for the cheerleaders, who got to see up close and personal the care these babies get as they fight to grow and go home. The Lord fills the place, and He was with the cheer team as they made their special delivery.

It’s Valentine Gram Time!Today is the start of Valentine Grams! We have adorable stuffed lions, teddy bears, candy, and flowers for sale! So

purchase and fill out a Valentine Gram and send one to someone special! Everyone loves to get a Valentine, your teachers, your friends, your grandparents…and yes even your

sweetie! The cheerleaders will do all the work and deliver them in school on February 13th. You will find Valentine

gram order sheets printed in your weekly folders, and also a form you can download and print in Legacy’s weekly

email and also at the front desk.


Third Graders Go Wild forZooMobile!


The football team visits fellow teammate, Mason Aguirre, at St Luke’s Hospital after he contracted a serious bacteria during a neighborhood football game. Mason was in good spirits and the boys are praying for his speedy recovery.

january 2012 paws for thought

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