MarchMarchMarchMarch–––– May 2012May 2012May 2012May 2012

Burn the Ship By Jonathan Avelar

The Youth Rally had a

huge impact on those who

attended in the chapel on

Saturday, April 14th. Pastor

Tim Hinds, Stefanie

Kendrick, along with the help

of others worked hard to put

the rally together. The rally

took place during the National Hunger Youth Lock-in and followed the

theme of giving it all away– to God and others. The service included a time

of praise and worship, specials and an opportunity to support the Orphans

and Widows ministry. Students volunteered to give of their work time to

help raise money for the ministry.

Brother Lyle Kendrick was invited to give the message for the rally. He

preached about “burning our ships.” He recapped the story of Cortez from

Spain who in order to conquer the New World, burned his own ships so that

his men couldn’t leave without conquering it. He alluded the ships as our

sinful struggles we hold on to. When we are struggling, going on our “ships”

is easy because we want to go back to our “Old World” or our sinful habits.

But when we burn our sinful ships, we can enter into the New World-the

kingdom of God! We’ll never experience all that God has in store for us if

we keep going back to our ships. Until we surrender the things we hold on

to, Christ’s true joy and love can complete us.

After the message, many felt convicted and surrendered the things they

needed to let go at the altar. Those that wanted to “burn their ships” went

down to the fire pit. They wrote down the what they needed to surrender on

paper and threw it in the fire.

The Lock-in portion began after a volleyball tournament where those who

wanted to stay in the rec center from 11pm-2am could fellowship and watch

a movie.

**The Torch is going paperless. Email SVA at

lmolinar@springvale.us to join our emailing list. The Torch will also be available at springvale.us under the

Torch Newsletter tab.**

IndexIndexIndexIndex

Burn the Ship p.1

Sports Banquet p.2

Junior/Senior p.3

Banquet

Trip to Kalahari! P.4

Short Honor’s Trip p.4

“D.C. Talk” p.5

Senior Class Trip

“SKY T.V” p.6

Grad Play

Graduation p.7

Weekend

Birthdays p.8

2

Spring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale Academy Sports Banquet

By Christian Perry

SVA held their annual Winter Sports Banquet hosted

by Athletic Director Scott Fischer. This banquet was to

recognize the basketball teams and the cheerleaders.

First up, Mr. Mark Caswell, who coached the girls’

basketball team showed appreciation for the Lady

Flames. He explained how each player brought their

individual talent, but their strength was how they played

as a team. He also expressed his pride of the girls’

successful season of 9-7, and how he had not seen an

SVA girls’ team reach 9 wins in a long time. The three

girls that had won the awards this year were all seniors.

Monica Carbajal won Most Improved, Stefanie Kendrick

won the Flame Award, and Molly Nienhuis won Most

Valuable Player. Congratulations to the girls for a great

season!

Up next were Mrs. Leticia Molinar and Azalie

Belnavis, the coaches in charge of the cheerleading

squad. They recognized the four girls, Seventh-graders

Cailin and Mariah O’ Neal, and Sophomore captains

Amanda Miller and Samantha Lawson. These girls did a

wonderful job pumping up the crowd during the boys’

Varsity games!

Loren Miller, JV coach for the boys’ basketball team

was proud of the way the boys picked up and played with

heart during the season after a rough start. Their final

record was 4 wins and 6 losses. Sophomore Doug

Camero won Most Improved, 8th Grader Benjamin Arend

won the Flame Award, and Benjamin Noble won Most

Valuable Player. Coach Miller said the JV boys looked

good and looked ready to fill in the varsity team!

Finally, Coach Paul Coulson joined Assistant Coach

Miller to present the awards for the Varsity Flames.

Coach Coulson once again committed to coaching the

boys even after an emotionally hard year. His love and

dedication to the team brought him back. He talked about

how he learned that the boys had “hearts of gold” and

used verses Philippians 4:13, Psalms 1:21, and Isaiah 40

to relate the teams’ theme of being “strong enough”

through games and even life’s struggles. Junior Carlos

Robles won Most Improved, Senior Jonathan Egedus won

the Flame Award and Junior JR Lewis won Most

Valuable Player. Congratulations to the boys for a very

successful season of 11-5 and for never giving up even

when times got tough!

3

The TorchThe TorchThe TorchThe Torch Junior/Senior Banquet

By Evan Schmitz

The 2012 Junior/Senior Banquet, hosted by the

Class of 2013 was a lot of fun for everyone present!

The banquet was held on April 15th at the Charlar

Place in Holt, Michigan. Juniors, Seniors, staff and

class sponsors attended the party with the theme of

“Big City Fun.” The elegant banquet hall was

decorated very formally in crimson red, black, and

white.

Upon arrival, the guests enjoyed some delicious

hors d’oeuvres while they waited for their meal of

either chicken alfredo or chicken masala.

After the delicious meal, the junior class officers,

Evan Schmitz and Cathryn Caswell, presented a

slideshow in dedication to the senior class of 2012.

The slideshow included pictures of all of the

upperclassmen, from all of their years of high

school, and it ended with a farewell to the seniors.

Next, Mrs. Amy Marlin came forward and

announced the seniors’ academic awards. The

graduating class of 2012’s valedictorian is Molly

Nienhuis with a GPA of 4.04, and the salutatorian is

Amber Noble with a GPA of 3.99. Other students

that will graduate with honors status (a GPA of 3.5

or higher maintained throughout high school) are

Mia Cowan, Stefanie Kendrick, and Mathew

Rowden.

Finally, it was picture time! Everyone went

outside onto the patio to take photos of everyone by

the scenic pond and sunset. Each student that

attended received a glass mug as a token of the

evening to keep forever. At this point, the guests

were dismissed to go do their selected activities with

their friends and supervisors. Some groups went to

play laser tag and arcade games at Zap Zone, went

bowling, took a tour of the MSU campus, or simply

went out for coffee.

After their activities, all the students were back in

the dorms by midnight to get some rest before

school the next day. 2012’s Junior/Senior banquet

was a success. Everyone had fun, and it will be a

memory to reminisce in years to come.

4

Spring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale Academy Trip to Kalahari! By Molly Nienhuis and Mia Cowan

The sun had barely risen the morning of April 17th,

and the students were up and at ‘em. Instead of

scrambling to go to school, honors students headed to

the bus. Long Honors trip is a privilege awarded to

students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher for 2 of the first 3

marking periods.

Honor students included Seniors Mia Cowan,

Stefanie Kendrick, Molly Nienhuis, Amber Noble and

Mathew Rowden; Juniors Cathryn Caswell, Wyatt Hise,

Katie Nienhuis and Evan Schmitz; Sophomores Doug

Camero, Amanda Miller and Carrie Nienhuis; Freshmen

Alexandria Albert, Hadassah Albert, Hannah Ashcraft,

Lauren Caswell, Matthew Miller, Benjamin Noble and

Kyle Schmitz; Seventh-grader Jacob Schmitz.

This year’s long honors trip was a blast! Honors

students spent two days at the Kalahari Resort in

Sandusky, Ohio relaxing in their luxurious villa and

whirling around on all of the water slides in the exten-

sive indoor waterpark. To top it off, the Marlins cooked

yummy food for the students during their fun trip.

When asked what his favorite part of the trip was,

Junior, Evan Schmitz, stated, “I loved the surfing

simulator.” It was a great, fun, and new experience for

many of the students! Thank you SVA for rewarding

your students who put forth extra academic effort!

Short Honor’s Trip By Evan Schmitz

Even late in the spring, Lake

Michigan can be pretty chilly. That

didn’t stop Spring Vale’s honors

club, though!

On May 14th, several students

who have maintained at least a

GPA of 3.5 for all of the first 3

quarters, took a trip to Holland

State Park to enjoy a day at the

beach soaking up the sunshine.

They played football, volleyball,

and Ultimate Frisbee, took a walk

out on the pier, and did

somersaults down the sand dunes.

The brisk water was perfect for

cooling off after all the running

around on the beach. Aaron

Coulson, the head cook, came

along to grill some delicious

hamburgers and hot dogs to eat for

lunch.

It was a beautiful day for some

beach fun and most in attendance

came back sun-kissed with sand

between their toes!

5

The TorchThe TorchThe TorchThe Torch “D.C. Talk” Senior Class Trip By Stefanie Kendrick,

Jordan O’Neal & Jordan Bustos

Tuesday, April 23rd was the day

the class of 2012 began their

long-awaited trip to our nation’s

capital. The class rode in a nice coach

bus for about twelve hours before

arriving at the historic site for a week

of learning and entertainment.

On Wednesday, the class took a

tour of the Pentagon and the Library of

Congress. Afterward, the class had

time to eat at Union Station, and then

visit The Old Post Office. Next, they

had the opportunity to explore the

Smithsonian museums. To finish their

day, they saw the Washington

Monument, WWII Memorial, Lincoln

Monument, Korean War Memorial,

Vietnam War Memorial, and Iwo Jima

War Memorial.

On Thursday they visited Arlington

National Cemetery. The most

memorable thing they saw there was

The Changing of the Guard, which is a

very solemn and sacred ceremony.

Afterwards, the class visited the

Bureau of Engraving and Printing,

where they learned how U.S. money is

made. They saw millions of dollars

being produced, and a sneak peek of

the new 100-dollar bill that will soon

be in circulation. Probably the most

impacting experience of the whole trip

was the tour of the Holocaust

Museum—a powerful eye-opener of

the devastation caused by Nazi

Germany. When it got dark, the

seniors saw the new MLK memorial

and the FDR memorial. Thursday

ended at the Murillo home, where they

enjoyed delicious steak and chicken,

friendly conversations, and the

Murillo’s cold, refreshing pool.

Friday morning the class got the

chance to tour the Capitol building,

and even had the opportunity to sit

in on a session in the House of

Representatives. Afterwards, the

class went to the White House and

walked through the historic

building. Soon after the tour, they

went to the new Stevens F.

Udvar-Hazy Space Center and

viewed notable American airplanes

and space crafts, including space

shuttle Discovery, which had just

arrived at the Space Center on the

back of a Boeing 747. The last

thing they saw in D.C. was the

Jefferson Memorial.

On Sabbath, the class attended

the church in Lanham, MD, where

they were fed well and treated with

immense hospitality. A youth

service was given after lunch for

the seniors, where everyone

participated in small activities and

heard a message from their youth

leader. The seniors shared a couple

specials to begin the afternoon

service, and Bruce Noble gave the

message. After services were over,

they played various games and

sports. To end the evening, some of

the church’s youth played laser tag

with the seniors. The time of

worship and fellowship that was

shared with the Lanham church was

truly a blessing.

Sunday was an exciting day for

the group because they went to Six

Flags America in the D.C. area.

The day was a lot of fun for

everyone, including the bus driver!

6

Spring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale AcademySpring Vale Academy

“S.K.Y T.V” Grad Play

On the night of May 24th, the SVA community sat in

to watch the live broadcast from the “World Watch

Stadium” as SVA’s drama class presented their play,

S.K.Y T.V. The chapels’ stage was re-created into a

television broadcast from the heavenly realms where

news anchors, Gabrielle (Amanda Miller) and Mike

(Jonathan Egedus), played commentators as they reported

the battle between the forces of good and darkness.

The play moved back and forth from the World Watch

Stadium to an earthly setting that followed the struggle of

faith between siblings, Sarah (Cathryn Caswell) and

Robert (Doug Camero). While at the stadium, characters

on opposing sides like Captain Stronghold and athlete

Mel, both played by Evan Schmitz, warmed up to fight

for the spiritual battles between the siblings.

Outstanding performances from the drama students

also included June and the Reporter (Monica Carbajal),

Flo (Carrie Nienhuis), Valerie (Katie Nienhuis), John the

Baptist (Evan Schmitz) and World Watch Weather man

(Wyatt Hise). The class was under the direction of John

Camero and stage crew was Kristi Prince.

Many humorous scenes and entertaining characters

made the audience laugh especially when reporters

Gabrielle (Amanda Miller) and Mike (Jonathan Egedus)

picked up the offering during the intermission while

wearing pajama pants!

Although comical, the play had a strong message

based on the parable of the sower. As Sarah tried to share

the gospel with her stubborn brother, Robert, she grew

tired and discouraged since he continually refused to

accept the message of Christ. Seasoned Christian, Mrs.

Warren, dedicated herself to help Sarah pray for Robert.

Robert’s seed of faith, like many people, was not

rooted, withered and choked up by thorns. After almost

giving up, Mrs. Warren reminded Sarah it is not our job to

save them, it’s our job to witness. Even though it’s

difficult to witness to family and friends, we should still

patiently endure and pray for them. Not everyone’s seed

falls on the right soil on the first try.

Robert accepts Christ and evil was defeated that night!

7

The TorchThe TorchThe TorchThe Torch “For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

-2 Tim. 1:7

Graduation Weekend

The SVA community prepared

for the long awaited end of the year

event—Graduation weekend! It was

a busy week as students and staff

wrapped up finals and stayed busy

cleaning the campus.

For our Seniors, it was a time

full of excitement and nerves as

graduation marked the end of their

SVA chapter but beginning of their

new journey.

The weekends’ events began

Friday night as Brother Jon Arend,

father of graduate Nathaniel Arend,

gave the opening message to

welcome the Sabbath. Specials and

worship time was led by the

graduates and company.

Juniors, Cathryn Caswell and

Carlos Robles escorted the

graduates as they processed into the

gym Saturday morning after praise

and worship time. Matt Ijames,

brother in law of graduate, Jonathan

Egedus, gave the Baccalaureate Ad-

dress. He elaborated on their class

verse and inspired them to remain

self-disciplined and use the God

given strength that has already been

given to them to boldly share

Christ’s love with the world!

The Year-in-Review service

followed lunch and included an

entertaining slideshow, specials,

and awards for those who

participated in the first Golf

scramble. It was also a time to bid

farewell staff members who were

not returning the next year and

recognize their years of service.

The Sound/Action concert

highlighted the evening events.

It was now Sunday, ten in the

morning, cameras went up, and the

graduates processed into the gym to

receive their diplomas.

Salutatorian, Amber Noble and

Valedictorian, Molly Nienhuis,

took the stage to give their

speeches. Commencement address

was given by Paul Coulson, father

of graduate Isaac Coulson. He

reminded the graduates that our true

occupation is to seek the Lord.

After a blessing and prayer by

Pastor Morrow, Pam Noble was

awarded Staff member of the Year.

Stefanie Kendrick was awarded

Student of the Year and Spiritual

Leader Award and Molly Nienhuis

received the General Conference

Scholarship Award.

Diplomas were handed by

Chairman of the Board Tracy

Kendrick and Mark Caswell to the

following graduates: Nathaniel

Adam Arend, Jordan Ahastari

Bustos, Monica Kay Carbajal, Isaac

Daniel Coulson, *Mia Cowan,

Jonathan Constantine Egedus,

Breanna Rochelle Henderson,

*Stefanie Alyssa Kendrick, Miguel

Antonio Murillo, *Molly Arlene

Nienhuis, *Amber Janae Noble,

Jordan Alexander O’Neal, Christian

Daniel Alexander Perry and

*Mathew Douglas Rowden. Honor

students are marked with the

asterisks. Congratulations to the

class of 2012!

8

Upcoming Birthdays July

3 Shaila Carbajal

6 Brian Slowe

7 Shirley Morrow

9 Cathryn Caswell

21 J.R. Lewis

23 Brendon Noble

26 Mark Caswell

29 Stefanie Kendrick

31 Bethany Coulson

August

2 Tim Hinds

3 Hannah Ashcraft

3 Mia Cowan

3 Mathew Rowden

7 Jordan Bustos

12 Evan Schmitz

17 Joyce Olds

18 Wyatt Hise

19 Jonathan Avelar

22 Amy Marlin

23 Debbie Boyles

Torch Staff

Jonathan Avelar

Jordan Bustos

Monica Carbajal

Mia Cowan

Breanna Henderson

Stefanie Kendrick

Molly Nienhuis

Jordan O’Neal

Christian Perry

Evan Schmitz

Torch Advisor

Jearim Arteaga

Spring Vale is

proud to announce

we are now

accepting

International

applications!