spring 2016.1 copy - grace christian school bulletin/spring... · indeed, truth is a primary...
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Grace’s Celebrates 25th Graduating Class
Truth is What Christian Education is All AboutT th i Wh t Ch i tiT th i Wh t Ch i ti
A Newsletter for Parents, Alumni, Friends and Familyororor P P P Parararenenentstststs, , AlAlAlAlAlumumumumninininini, , FrFrFrFrieieieiendndndnds s s ananand d d d FaFaFaFamimimimilylylyly
Warrior Bulletinti i All Ab tti i All Ab t
Grace Christian School • Summer 2016A NeNeNewswswslelelewswswsleleletttterer f f fororor
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By John Morrison, Headmaster
A recurring theme is my emphasis upon the bedrock questions, “What is truth, and how can we know it with certainty?” With
what is taking place all around us, It would be hard to overemphasize this issue.
If we are not awakened by the horrifi c clash of cultural values represented by almost daily headlines, then we had better pinch
ourselves. While in some ways almost ludicrous, the North Carolina “bathroom law” highlights the “foolishness” to which
our society has descended. And in another recent development, our federal government is now directing public schools across
the nation to accommodate transgender students by allowing them to utilize the restroom or locker room coinciding with their
chosen sexual identity. This is happening all so quickly!
But what should we expect when a society departs from any grounding in the notion of absolute truth as it is revealed by
God? The apostle Paul, in Romans 1, makes clear that this is the kind of “foolishness” that we should expect to emerge when
a society turns its back on God.
The fact is that there are really only two fundamental options when it comes to knowing truth. Either truth is a construct
of our fi nite, human “opinion;” or, truth must be grounded in the infi nite, personal God who has not remained silent, but has
actively revealed Himself and His reality to mankind. There really is no “in-between” option. And when truth is determined
by the individual, a powerful elite, or even the majority, then society is in big trouble.
In this context, truth is what Christian education is ultimately about. Yes, of course, we must lead our students to a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ is also the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other way! His is an exclu-
sive claim to truth (John 14:6)! Indeed, truth is a primary purpose of Christ’s Incarnation: “For this I have been born, and for
this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).
There is no more vital issue or priority, then, when it comes to the kind of education we provide our children and youth. We
cannot turn them over to secularist educators where “public policy” is the offi cial mantra and expect them to withstand the
powerful innuendos and infl uences of false premises concerning truth. When will the larger Christian community awaken to
this fact?
May God help us, in the days ahead, to provide our children and youth with the foundation they need to stand for God’s truth
as faithful witnesses in the face of an increasingly “foolish,” godless culture! There can be few, if any, greater causes to which
we, as Christians, can be committed!
Grace Christian School held its 25th high school graduation on Saturday, May 28th. This year’s graduating class included 21
students and proved to be another memorable ceremony for the 400+ friends and family in attendance.
Co-valedictorians, Mikayla Boyers and Ben Elliott, shared inspirational messages. Mikayla addressed each of her classmates
individually, sharing memories of their friendships and leaving each with encouraging words. Ben’s message encouraged the
graduates not to forget the truth that they learned at Grace Christian School, “an education in Truth gives us a lasting use for the
knowledge we gain as students at any level.” “This Truth is that of the gospel revealed through Jesus Christ.” He concluded,
“Long from now, when we can’t remember concepts of our high school education, this truth will be unchanged.”
Grace high school teacher, Josh Keene, was chosen by
the class to give the commencement address. Mr. Keene
captivated the audience as he sprinkled stories through-
out his message, which focused on fi ve pieces of advice
for the graduates, including: standing up and defending
their beliefs at all costs; building solid relationships;
choosing to be productive rather than destructive; taking
ownership of their lives and actions; and being thankful.
Two members of the class of 2016 plan to join the work-
force, while the remaining members will go directly into
college, having received a combined total of over $500,000 in scholarships. Best wishes to the Class of 2016!
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When the fi ne arts are done with excellence, we glimpse God’s beauty and creativity. Bearing the image of God, we share a love
for the good and the beautiful, and when we create art, we bring life and beauty to those around us. That’s the power of art, and
the arts fl ourished at Grace this school year, and in particular, this spring.
The GCS drama production of The Wizard of Oz burst onto stage in a stunning display of color, light, drama, song, and dance. It
was a blessing to witness and experience. Not to be shown up, the preschool through third
grade classes put on a special performance for their grandparents at our annual Grandpar-
ents’ Day celebration by singing, performing, and quoting their scripture memory. Days
later, our elementary, middle, and high school choirs performed at our Spring Choral Con-
cert. The concert, which featured the school’s fi ne vocal talent and high school choral
director Jean Marinelli’s fi nal concert before “retirement,” was a beautiful evening of wor-
ship. We ended this year’s celebration of the arts with Arts Night, in which Grace’s artistic
talent was once again on full display, featuring works of art and music from all grade
levels and a variety of mediums. The night was full of paintings and drawings, as well as
the sounds of pianos, guitars, violins, and singing. We could not have ended a celebration
of the arts on a better note.
The blessing of the art we celebrated and witnessed this spring lies in bearing the image
of our Creator. In a letter written to artists, Pope John Paul II said, “Through his ‘artistic creativity’ man appears more than ever
‘in the image of God,’ and he
accomplishes this task above
all in shaping the wondrous
‘material’ of his own human-
ity and then exercising creative
dominion over the universe
which surrounds him.” What a
blessing it is to have such tal-
ented artists and fi ne art in-
structors in our midst at Grace!
Embracing the image of God through Fine Artsby Brian Fitzgerald, High School Principal
The GCS Warrior Athletic Teams had a great 2015-2016 school year. Not only did the year prove to be one of a very competitive
nature, but many individual and team goals were met.
In the fall, we fi elded four levels of Girls’ Volleyball (two middle school teams, JV and Varsity). The Varsity Girls went on to
win the VACA North Region regular season Championship. Our Varsity Football team had a record setting season, fi nishing 7-1
in just their third season. We also fi elded a Boys’ Varsity Soccer team, a Co-ed Middle School Soccer team, and ran a youth soccer
program for Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Our Co-ed Cross Country Varsity and Middle School teams fi nished strong
with several students competing at the state level.
Our winter sports included a host of basketball teams, including: Girls’ Varsity and Middle School, as well as Boys’ Varsity,
JV and Middle School teams. Both our Boys’ Varsity and Boys’ Middle School Basketball teams won the VACA North Region
Championships. Our Wrestling team placed very high in the VISSA State Championships with three
boys placing in the top 7 of their weight classes.
The spring sports season saw us fi eld both Varsity and Middle School Golf, with the Middle School
team winning the VACA State Team Championship. We also had a Varsity Girls’ Soccer team and a Var-
sity Boys’ Baseball team. And lastly, our Junior Warriors Basketball program for 3rd-5th grade students
met this spring to work on fundamental skill building and learning to love the game of basektball. s skill b b buiuiuildldlding g g g anananand d d d lelelelearararningngngngngng t t t to o o o lolololoveveveve t t t thehehehe g g g g g gamamame e e e ofofofof b b basasasekekektbtbtbalalall.l.l.mememet t thththisisis s s sprprprprprinining g g g g tototo w w wororork k ononon f funundadadamememementntntalalal s s
Warrior Sports Year Wrap-Up by Frank Kahrs, Athletic Director
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2008Mary (Masincup) Adu-
Gyamfi and her husband,
Yaw, have relocated to
Charlottesville, Virginia,
where they both work at the
University of Virginia. Yaw
is a civil engineering research
scientist and Mary is an
administrative assistant in the
Offi ce of Diversity and Equity.
2009Rachel Hrovat is living in
Washington, DC and teaches
middle and high school history
and composition at Cornerstone
Schools of DC. Rachel is a
graduate of Carson Newman
University and recently
returned from a 3-year stint
working with the CRU ministry
in Gaborone, Botswana.
Jessee Ingram plans to
graduate from Virginia
Commonwealth University
with a degree in Occupational
Therapy. His summer and fall
clinical placements include
specializing in acute care and
hand therapy.
Laurel Rich is working as
the Animal Care Coordinator
for Petsmart in Waynesboro,
Virginia.
Rachel Smith, is a 2013
graduate of Lee University,
with a degree in Health Care
Administration. She is serving
as the Practice Coordinator
for Augusta Health Care
for Women in Fishersville,
Virginia.
Graduates in the News1999Ben Ingram and his wife,
Amanda welcomed daughter,
Harper into the family in
December, joining big sister,
Ava (3). The family lives in
Herndon, Virginia where Ben
works as an account executive
for Whitlock.
2005 Ryan Plummer graduated
from Virginia Tech University
with a Bachelor’s of Science in
Consumer Studies, specializing
in products and promotions.
He is pursuing his master’s
in Business Analytics at VT.
Ryan is a former member of the
U.S. Marine Corps and is a SPC
in the Army National Guard.
Philip Masincup and Kristen
(Kime) Masincup’s business,
Revitalize Health & Fitness,
holds a Monday night workout
session at St. Paul’s UMC in
Staunton. “Fit Club” is a free
30-40 minute workout for all
fi tness levels. For more info,
email [email protected].
2006Heidi (Mancini) Fry and her
husband, Ian, are serving the
Lord at Eden Children’s Village
in rural Zimbabwe. Heidi is
homeschooling their children,
Mikayah (6) and Lilli (5), along
with Gabriel (19 mos). They
plan to return home next year
for a furlough. To sign up for
their newsletter, email them at
2010Ethan Grow and his wife,
Kourtney, were married
in December, 2014. Ethan
recently graduated from the
US Navy’s Boot Camp at Great
Lakes Naval Base. While there,
he was given the title of Recruit
Chief Petty Offi cer, putting him
in charge of his whole division.
Out of the 560 graduates, Ethan
was one of four selected to serve
in the Ceremonial Guard. He is
now stationed in Washington
DC for the next two years.
2011 Frankie Leo and McKenzie
Rae Almon were married
on May 22 in Shelbyville,
Kentucky. The couple live
in Louisville where they both
work as baristas. Frankie
graduated from Montreat
College in 2015 with a Bachelor
of Music degree.
Holly Wenger and Ben Stoll
were married in January and
reside in Arlington, Virginia.
Holly has joined the Prince
William County Police
Department and graduates from
the academy in June. Ben is
pursuing his acting career,
currently appearing in the
musical “Lost in Wonderland,”
at the Pallus Theater in
Washington, DC. He recently
landed a supporting role in a
locally produced tv show and
continues auditioning for roles.
2012Hannah Rich received
her degree in Mechanical
Engineering from Geneva
College. She has a summer
internship working with
industrial robotics at Hollister,
Inc. in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.
Joscelyn Seaton graduated
from Grove City College
with a bachelor of science
in Biochemistry. She will
continue her studies at the
University of Virginia School
of Medicine in the fall.
2015Artem Rich is currently in Fort
Benning, Georgia completing
his Army Infantry Training. He
plans to graduate from Boot
Camp in late July and will serve
a 4-year term in the U.S. Army.
The Warrior Bulletin is a publication
of Grace Christian School
Headmaster: John Morrison High School Principal: Brian Fitzgerald Elementary & Middle School Principal:
Joanne Kinder Supervisor of Instruction:
Mary Ellen Barrett Development Director: Janet Cleveland
Admissions Director & Editor: Liz Middleton
Frankie & McKenzie Leo
Ben & Holly (Wenger) Stoll surrounded by
fellow GCS Alumni at their wedding! Hannah Rich
Matthew Hochstetler, wife,
Ingabeth and sons, Jacob (2)
and Matteo (5 mos.)
Ethan & Kourtney Grow
Grace Chris� an School
19 South Market Street
Staunton, VA 24401
Grace Christian School’s mission is to assist Christian parents by providing a sound
academic education in a Christ-centered environment, designed to prepare our young people
to know God and to live in obedience to His will for their lives.
CONNECT WITH US
(540) 886-9109 (540) 886-0937
www.gcswarriors.org
facebook.com/gcswarriors
Business Partner CornerOur Business Partners for Education make it possible for
us to offer tuition assistance to a number of our school
families. When you frequent these businesses, please take
a moment to express your appreciation for their support!
To learn more about this program, please contact Janet
Cleveland in our Development Offi ce at 540-886-9109.
Augusta Seed
GCS has a l-o-n-g list of “needs.” It is easy to allow
our fundraising focus to fi xate on needs such as a new bus,
teacher salaries, maintenance projects, and athletic fi elds.
However, such a focus is short-sighted when our vision
is all about “meeting the needs”, which is very different
from having a “needs” list.
Part of our vision is to “meet the needs” of Christian
parents by assisting them in raising their children in the
knowledge of the Lord, and to “meet the needs” of young
people by providing them a challenging education grounded
in a Christian worldview led by godly teachers and staff who
love and disciple them.
As the school year closes and we pause to acknowledge
our many supporters who over the year donated their re-
sources, talents and time to ensure the meeting of our es-
sential needs.” All contributions to GCS enable our school
ministry to show young people how to have a personal re-
lationship with Jesus and how to impact the world for His
glory.
Thank you for investing in our vision!
Meeting Needs verses Having Needs
GCS Development News by Janet Cleveland, Development Director