PACER PRESS
PACIFIC CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CHRIST-LIKE LIVING, CRITICAL THINKING, AND JOYFUL SERVICE
November 2013
PCS Food Garden
Educating for the 21st century
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uch has been made of the importance of educating students for the 21st century and usually it is assumed this means becoming familiar with the latest technologies. There is ample evidence, however, that ecological literacy will be just as critical as digital literacy for the next generation. The high school garden is an outdoor classroom that allows for a wide range of learning experiences centered on growing food. As it develops, this space will provide learning opportunities for students in science, socials, Home Ec. (foods), fine arts (photography, sketching), and other subject areas. The garden is located by the southeast corner of the high school (across from the CRC church) and was created by the Caring for Creation class, one of the Christian Studies modules offered to senior students. Experience is one of the best teachers, and students are learning by doing. Site preparation involved removing the landscape shrubbery, terracing the site, and laying out paths. Students have built six raised beds and filled them with rich garden soil. Fortunately, the beautiful autumn weather has made our pick and shovel work quite enjoyable. continued over...
Victoria Christian Education Society is holding its Fall Society , Meeting on Wednesday November 20. Please join us at 7:00 pm in the elementary gymnasium.
Pacific Christian School www.pacificchristian.ca
“...nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking, and joyful service to become faithful citizens in God’s world.”
ELEMENTARY CAMPUS 671 Agnes St. Victoria, BC V8Z 2E7 elementary@pacificchristian.ca SECONDARY CAMPUS 654 Agnes St. Victoria, BC V8Z 2E6 secondary@pacificchristian.ca Phone 250-479-4532
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The garden is designed for maximum food production in spring and fall since that is when school is in session. Students have planted winter-hardy vegetables along with plants that emerge early in the spring: rhubarb, asparagus, garlic, broccoli, broad beans, radish, salad greens—lettuce, arugula, spinach, corn salad—along with an assortment of herbs. Indigenous food plants (camas and native onions) have been sown in flats and will be ready for the native food garden in a few years. Future plans include a micro-orchard (apple, pear, grape, peach, lemon, etc.), and the first dwarf apple and pear trees will be planted later this fall. Food from the garden will be used in Home Ec. (foods) classes and, depending on our success, produce may be donated to the food bank or used in fund raising for other causes. The gardeners may also enjoy a few nibbles.
Community building One of the benefits of these kinds of projects is the chance for students to learn new skills while working together. Even in the early stages of this project it has been evident that the garden is a place where community building can occur. There is a healthy mixing of students as younger teens work with peers from older grades, and international students work alongside Canadians. Students from the special education department helped plant garlic and when one of these young men was assisted by an international student he announced in a loud voice, “This is teamwork!” Precisely.
A kingdom perspective In the garden we are learning how to grow nutritious food in a small urban space, but that is only part of the story. The garden offers practical ways of bringing the kingdom narrative back to the center of school life. Growing fruits and vegetables reminds us that our food comes from God’s good earth. In our toil we are reminded that although creation is damaged by sin, God is acting to put things right. Our role is to bear witness to the story of the redemption of creation and to participate in this restorative work.1 In summary, we hope the garden becomes an attractive and useful outdoor classroom where 21st century experiential learning can occur—learning that is thoroughly rooted in a theological and ecological understanding of creation and our roles in it. Feel free to drop by for a visit. On behalf of the PCS gardeners, Burl Jantzen
Theologians Richard Bauckham, Howard Snyder and N.T. Wright have developed these ideas; see my teacher page for references. 1
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Cops For Cancer
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ust two weeks into the school year, Leadership and Worship Leadership students challenged their fellow Pacers to live out their faith by fundraising for the annual Cops for Cancer event. A Hair-o-meter was hung by the front door stating who had pledged to lose hair and what their hair was worth to them. The goal was set for $1500 in two weeks, but the Pacers were just shy of tripling that goal by the deadline, with a total of $4487! On Friday, October 4th, elementary and secondary staff and students rallied outside with costumes and posters to cheer on the visiting 21 riders participating in the Tour de Rock. The riders thanked the students for their hard work then proceeded to cut off the ponytails and shave the heads of the pledges. Because the fundraising goal was surpassed, 4 male staff members shaved off their beards, 3 male students shaved their heads, and 4 female students and a staff member cut off over a foot of hair each. Those 5 ponytails are on their way to Florida where they will be made into wigs for children who are fighting cancer. A special thank you to the Pacers and those in the PCS community who donated their time and money to make our first big event of the year a success! Tracey Deringer
Stretching Toward Vision
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CTABC/NWCSI Teachers Convention Langley BC Oct. 2013
he rapid changes in our culture, mostly a result of technology, mean that the students we teach are facing a future that is very different from our past, or even our present. As educators, we strive to help our students prepare for their futures in this ever-changing world, but we cannot do it alone. The conference is a venue where teachers can share what they are doing in their classrooms. We were truly blessed, encouraged and inspired by all the presenters. The convention was framed by two essential questions: • What would it look like when our day-to-day practices in our schools embody our mission to help young people become passionate well-equipped disciples of Jesus? • As we navigate the technology revolution, how do we stay rooted and grounded in the ‘true story of the whole world’ and preserve valuable practices and traditions as we stretch? Keith Ferrin, founder of That You May Know Ministries, was our plenary speaker this year. Keith’s aim is to help Christians fall in love with God’s word by challenging us to approach the Bible relationally, expecting to engage with God through reading His word and actually enjoying the experience. He also urged us to move from memorizing select verses to a process of internalizing whole books of the Bible, so that we can recite them in story-telling fashion. Keith’s passion for the Bible and for young people really encouraged and challenged us. If you’re interested, check out the helpful parenting resources he offers online: http://keithferrin.com/ Ruth Rocklin
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Mission Mexico – Thanksgiving Tour Reflections from Mr. Neil Mossie
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had the privilege of joining Mr. and Mrs. Reems, Mr. O’Dell and 19 grade 12 students on a Thanksgiving trip to Mexico from October 4-14. We drove for 3 days to reach Vicente Guerrero on the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. The night we arrived we attended a church service. It was a joy to see young children and adults warmly greet Mr. O’Dell and Mr. Reems as they recognized them from the many years they have been travelling there to build houses with the school. The message that evening was to be a theme for the trip. It was from Numbers 6:24-26, a passage our school is very familiar with! The Lord bless you and keep You; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
The next day we divided into two teams. Each team went to a different location to build a house for a different family. Thanks to the support of the PCS community, the experience and commitment of Mr. and Mrs. Reems, Mr. O’Dell, the hard work of the students and most importantly the strength and love of the Lord, we managed to build two houses in four days! I was so inspired as I watched the team cutting wood, framing walls, painting siding (and themselves), roofing, installing trim, and playing with the children. I was blessed to meet Carlos, a man who had received one of these houses on an earlier trip, who came to lend a hand with no expectation of payment. All the while, the families for whom we were building stayed with us and helped as they were able. When the time came for the house dedication, a local pastor came and blessed each room of the house. Mr. O’Dell explained to the families that we were there to show them God’s love, to be His hands and His feet for them and to bless them as we are able. As the students passed the keys over to the owners, tears welled up. It was a beautiful moment. That evening we shared a unforgettable meal with the two families and with Carlos and his family. On the way home, Mr. O’Dell and I spoke a lot about the experience. We talked about Paul’s words in Acts 20:35: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ In Mr. O’Dell’s words, ‘The beautiful thing about that passage is that it reminds us that when there is giving, both parties are blessed.’ I know that we were all blessed by this trip and I will remember it as both a huge inspiration and as a rich educational experience. Thanks to the PCS community for this opportunity to serve the Lord and the people of Vicente Guerrero.
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Elementary theme for the year
LOVE DOES
Love each other as I have loved you
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very year during the staff meetings at the end of August, the elementary staff spends time thinking about what would be an appropriate theme for the school year. This year we discussed and considered various ideas before finally settling on “LOVE DOES: Love each other as I have loved you” based on the passage from John 15:9-17. As usual, teachers posted the theme on banners and posters in their classrooms and in the halls, and thought of ideas to work this theme into their chapel presentations for the year. We have had some very entertaining and reflective chapels as students have presented skits, drawn pictures and written about what it means to them to put their love into action.
It has been especially encouraging this year to see students at various grade levels take things to the next level and find practical ways to put this theme into practice. Last week alone, we had a group of students from our Grade 7 Leadership class decide to organize a Bake Sale to raise extra funds to the Mustard Seed Food Bank (after we had collected hundreds of pounds of food for the Mustard Seed in the days leading to Thanksgiving), and they were very excited to earn $335! They look forward to bringing their cash donation to the Mustard Seed. A group of girls in Grade 6, after studying a unit on child slavery in Social Studies, organized and bought supplies, and then spent many hours at recess time to make bracelets to sell. They earned over $248 to donate to the “Free the Slaves” organization. Another boy in Grade 4 made and sold “paper pianos” and gave his proceeds to help support our eight World Vision sponsored children. Earning money is not the only way to demonstrate “LOVE DOES”, however. This year, we had a record number of Grade 6 & 7 students indicate their desire to participate in our Ambassadors Program, a program of leadership and service in the school. They have been demonstrating enthusiasm and lots of positive energy in serving in a wide variety of ways around the school. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you will read about a group of Grade 7 students who are putting this theme into action as they participate in our “Service Club”. Of course, we know that putting this into practice in our classrooms, on the playground and in the gym, in our homes and neighbourhoods, on our sports teams, in our churches, and everywhere else, is what God truly calls us to do! Through implementing this theme, we are seeing our students put into action important components of our PCS Mission Statement: “Nurturing students in Christ-like living, critical thinking and joyful service to be faithful citizens in God’s world.” This is where the rubber hits the road; putting our love into action means promoting “Christ-like living” and “joyful service”. As teachers at school in partnership with parents at home, let’s continue to work together in our regular, everyday lives at home and at school to promote, model and exemplify this year’s theme, “LOVE DOES”. Bill Helmus, Elementary Principal
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Grade 7 Service Club
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hat do you do with a bunch of Grade 7 students who are keen on serving others? Simply give them the opportunity! We have done just that this term with giving Grade 7 students the option of signing up for the Grade 7 Service Club. This enthusiasm to serve is evident when these students chose Service Club as their first choice over other appealing clubs such as such as cooking, ping pong, self-defense for girls, sewing club, comic creations and Gimp computer designs. To date, service in our community has taken place with garbage clean up along Agnes Street and in the Orchard Hill townhouse complex (greeted by smiles, thumbs-up, and thankful comments from the neighbours), and four weeks of garden work at the Saanich Community Gardens run by the Saanich Community Church with its produce going to the Mustard Seed Food Bank. At the gardens, the students enthusiastically weeded, harvested crops, and did some basic fall garden prep work. Over the next couple of months, we hope to spend some quality time with seniors at a long term care facility and perhaps even do some warehouse work at the Compassionate Resource Warehouse. Whoever says that teenagers are only concerned with themselves has certainly not seen the students at Pacific Christian School!
A note from a teacher of the students that t visited PCS from Japan: had a grea ly e it n fi e d
e y rip, but w the same way. The t g n lo a ite eel e now. Qu t all my students f d messages in their m o h k c a b e in ha I just cam . I am pretty sure t a lot of nice and k and some of them m, nd time there dy for the he way back here, rised to fi a p e r r u s t o y g ll s a ilie nt were re ir host fam crying on the ship. O o go visit Victoria e h t t a h t t lunch moved and e that they wanted d that hopefully h c u m o o m an were t or udents told s and people there, t s y appened f m h f g o in d h n t e ie some r ee their f time. Som really appreciate again to s to study there some that we u d o e t y n ll a e t w y o et the would lik r students. I t u b , e r u su pport for o u s t a e r g r you
We are encouraged by our international partnerships and pray for a great trip for our students travelling in Japan as we go to press.
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New Staff at the Elementary Campus
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e are very pleased with the quality, dedicated Christian staff that we have been blessed with here at PCS. After adding 14 new staff members last year, this fall we welcomed only five new staff members, but we are impressed with how quickly they have fit in and have begun to make their own unique contributions to our elementary
staff team.
After 26 years with Jean Nelson serving as the popular and recognizable front office face for PCS, we have Donna Adams and Cherylin Deane serving as our new dynamic duo in the elementary office. Donna served as the main secretary at our primary campus for three years (2007-2010), but also worked in a support role with Jean for about ten years, so she is certainly not new to PCS. We welcome Cherylin as the new face in the office. Cherylin and her husband, Dan, have two girls at PCS (Maija & Cierra) who have attended PCS since kindergarten. Cherylin brings many years of experience in the offices at Butchart Gardens to her new role here at PCS. Our one new teacher this year is Helena VanEek; she is teaching part-time in one of our Grade 7 classes. Helena is from Ontario, a graduate of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and she has taught at a Christian school in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for one year prior to coming to PCS. Serving in a part-time support role in our counseling office is a recent UVIC and PCS grad, Calea Lampard. Welcome back, Calea! We also have two new Educational Assistants - Michelle Cowan and Cora Renaud - joining our excellent Special Education department this year. Two EAs who started here during last school year, Samantha Mead & Theresa Gillespie, are now on regular contract this year and are working with special needs students. A special welcome to each of these new staff members; may God richly bless each one of them as they join our excellent PCS elementary team. Parents waiting for the next lesson at the recent Elementary Meet-the-Teacher Evening
Purchase your cash cards for various local businesses and collect 5-10% back to be used to help cover the costs of your child’s (or grandchild’s) student activities.
PCS SOFund
Yes, through buying groceries you can pay for your SALTS trip, yearbook, grad and more!
Contact the office today or head to www.pacificchristian.ca/about/pcs-sofund
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Secondary School Pacers
Pacer Athletics
Volleyball is the flavour of the season for the Secondary Pacers. It seems that all ages and stages have been involved and are looking forward to a strong finish to the seasons. The Senior Girls Volleyball Team has had a great season so far. The season got off to an exciting start when the team earned first place at the Gulf Islands Invitational Tournament in September, winning twelve games straight to do so. Inspired by their success, the players continued to work hard at further developing their skills and at becoming a supportive and cohesive unit. The city league this year had 16 teams divided into 4 groups, based on level of play. PCS earned the opportunity to compete in the group of the top 4 teams. Facing a tough opponent each week helped the players to keep pushing themselves and working hard. As the city league wraps up, teams also play off within their school size divisions (AA for PCS) to determine which teams advance to complete at the Island Championships. There were 6 AA schools in the city this year: PCS, Lambrick Park, GNS, St. Andrew’s, St. Margaret’s and Vic High. The playoffs between these teams took place on Nov. 1, and PCS placed second, allowing them to advance to Islands. The Island Championships will be held on Nov. 15/16 at Brentwood College in Mill Bay. We welcome and appreciate fan support if you don’t mind a drive over the Malahat! We look forward to continued excellence in the athletic department as the seasons change and basketball becomes front of mind.
Middle School Girls Soccer
Middle School Pacers
The Grade 6/7 Girls Soccer Team had a short but successful season this fall. Due to the extensive involvement of many students in community soccer, the middle school soccer program in Victoria has been kept to a minimum level, but we were still able to play three games.
Coming off a very successful cross country season, middle school sports at PCS is in full swing. With basketball now underway, PCS is well represented in both the Victoria Basketball Association and the Lower Island Middle School Sports Association. PCS has started the season very strong with both of our Grade 7 teams going undefeated. If your child plays basketball for a PCS team, games and practices will continue right up to the Christmas break, while Victoria Basketball (Night League) will run straight through to March.
The PCS girls team played Glenlyon-Norfolk School (GNS) on September 24, defeating them 3-1 with a solid team effort, with Erica Bolink, Rachel Hill and Grace Hobby scoring the three goals. On October 8, they played GNS again, winning 4-0 this time (goal scorers were Erica Bolink with a hat-trick of 3 goals, and a 4th goal by Grace Hobby), and then playing St. Michaels University School, with both games hosted at SMUS. Although completely dominating play, and having numerous scoring chances, the PCS girls were unable to score, settling for a 0-0 draw. Congratulations to the girls on their “undefeated season”, for their excellent teamwork and their great sportsmanship! Coach: Mr. Bill Helmus
Next up for PCS athletics will be volleyball in January, with badminton and track & field to follow. Please make sure to check the website for upcoming practice and game times. Blessings, Adam Price, PCS Middle School Athletics
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Cross-country
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Alive and Well at PCS
Over the past couple of years it has been great to see an increase in the number of students participating in elementary cross-country at PCS. From early September to mid-October, students from Grades 3 – 7 practiced a couple of days a week after school and attended 6 cross-country meets hosted by a group of independent schools in Victoria. This year we had a great group of around 70 students participating in these weekly meets. All the students this year worked at our weekly practices and gave their best efforts at the meets. Special thanks to staff members Adena Cronk, Leean Harvie, and Jan Simmonds for their help with coaching and supervision this year. Our last meet of the season was held at Beaver Lake on October 16th. Our top finishers included the following students: Grade 3 girls: Jenna Young-Thompson – 9, Amelia Croft – 20 Grade 3 Boys: Carl-Philip Leipoldt – 1, Tomas Godoy – 5, James Freitag – 14, Aaron Lemmen – 20 Grade 4 Girls: Hillary Carr – 6, Claire O’Neill – 15, Gabby Brissette – 16 Grade 4 Boys: Luke Spycher – 1, Owen Russell – 6, Lukas Brown – 10, Marshall Reitsma – 13 Grade 5 Girls: Anita Truter – 2 Grade 5 Boys: Zach Parsons – 5, Matthew Freitag – 6, Josiah Plett – 7, Austin Gale – 8, Ben van Donkersgoed – 10
Grade 6 Girls: Danielle Leipoldt – 1, Clare Cunningham – 3, Faith Brown – 4 Grade 6 Boys: John Deacon – 4, Connor Eddy – 10, Kyle Kadatz – 12, Sam Harvie – 11 Grade 7 Girls: Yannick Truter – 1, Helena Radisavljevic – 2, Alex Ellison – 7, Alysha Yakimovich – 7, Imee Fernandez – 12 Grade 7 Boys: Padraic O’Neill – 4, Grant Pan – 10, Preston Gale – 12
Although the cross-country season finished in mid-October, the training continues through the winter until spring break as our PCS Running Club. We currently have a group of about 20 students, staff, and even some parents that join us for a half hour workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:00 – 3:30. We manage to get in some speed and form work on Mondays at Glanford Park, hill repeats over by Rogers School on Wednesdays, and even a run to the top of Christmas Hill on Fridays. Students and parents are welcome to join us for any of these days after school. If you have any questions regarding this activity, please contact Will Wild at the elementary school.
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Congratulations to the grads of 2013 who were recipients of a University of Victoria entrance scholarship(s) for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Students who received a renewable scholarship are indicated by an asterisk beside the scholarship name. UVic Excellence Scholarship ($6500)* Heather Cape + Faculty of Engineering: Dean’s Entrance Scholarship ($2000) Nate Demetrius, Nina Radisavljevic UVic Excellence Scholarship ($5000)* Jenna Erwin, Aaron Jentink President’s Entrance Scholarship ($4000) Jon Hewlett + Faculty of Engineering: Dean’s Entrance Scholarship ($1000) University of Victoria Entrance Scholarship ($3000) Desirae Barkman, Elyssa Berends, Micah Berghuis, Michelle Carney, Peter Galbraith, Adam Junio, Bretton Low, Seth Tolkamp University of Victoria Entrance Scholarship ($2000) Cole Boothman, Emily Candell, Stephanie Christo, Isabella Marsiglia, Lindy Pangka, Sekel Pollok, Kosuke Saita, Micaela Simpson, Jamie Tarlit, Jackson Tuffin, Roselyn Webster, Narumi Yun Congratulations are also in store for the 17 students who received BC Ministry of Education Scholarships based on provincial exam marks in grades 10-12. Elyssa Berends, Emily Candell, Heather Cape, Michelle Carney, Nate Demetrius, Jenna Erwin, Cameron Fennema, Peter Galbraith, Julian Godoy, Jon Hewlett, Adam Junio, Kelsey Lennox, Benjamin Martisius, Nina Radisavljevic, Karissa Rutherford, Virginia Shram, Seth Tolkamp
Class of 2027 Kindergarten students preparing for their future scholarship possibilities!
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Mystery Pictures? Can you identify what these two picture are showing? Email your entry to thumbnail@pacificchristian.ca The winner of a PCS umbrella will be drawn in early December.
What are these for?
What is this?
Be sure to subscribe to “Thumbnail”, our weekly newsletter, to stay up-to-date on events and enter other fun little competitions. Head to www.pacificchristian.ca/thumbnails to subscribe.
HIS Kids Childcare began its 14th year of providing quality childcare on the PCS campus this past September. HIS Kids is a before and after school care center that provides fun and engaging activities for your school aged children (5-12). Run by Brad and Shelley Messelink—combined they have over 40 years of daycare experience—it’s a great place to be. They are PCS parents that are very ingrained in the PCS community. Brad is a PCS graduate and a dedicated night league basketball coach; he has coached basketball at nearly every level at PCS and is currently coaching two teams. Shelley is a past member of the PCS Education Committee and is currently the liaison and organizer for Night League basketball at PCS. HIS Kids offers before and after school care, care on all Pro-D Days, and runs jam-packed Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Camps. It is also designed to help keep your kids busy all year round while you have to be at work. Check them out sometime at www.hiskidschildcare.ca
PCS Alumni Our July Pacer Press featured many PCS alumni. If interested, go on-line to www.issuu.com/yourPCS Do you know what other alumni are up to? Let us know at alumni@pacificchristian.ca
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Hat PCS
appening