Department
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Department
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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Department Winter 2016 | Volume 2, Issue 2
EDITOR IN CHIEF Francine Good
PRODUCTION MANAGER Kathy Wall
COPY EDITORS Kathy Wall Soncee Partida Nicole Shepard
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jess Hetherington Superintendent Pete Plotnik High School Principal Bryce Forrester Junior High Principal Mary Cook Elementary Principal Patrice Andrews Director of Early Education Nate Jackson Director of Biblical Studies Steve Whitley Director of Athletics Jayne Howard Director of Performing Arts Autumn Gray Director of Curriculum Doris Thurman Director of Admissions Francine Good Director of Marketing | Development Julie Elliot Director of Co-Curricular Activities Brigit Sheng and Katie Sherpbier Co-PAC Presidents
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnnie Voegtley Nicole Shepard GRAPHIC DESIGN Nicole Shepard 4
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MCS Puts Safety First
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‘Natha News
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Campus Life
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
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16
10
Development
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Biblical Studies & Discipleship
14
High School
18
Junior High
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Elementary
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Preschool
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Athletics
30
Performing Arts
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Curriculum
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Marketing
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Admissions
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ASCP
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PAC WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
WE PUT SAFETY FIRST Jess Hetherington, Superintendent
As we begin construction on the new High School building, I want to take a moment and share how this construction project will impact MCS from a safety standpoint and how the construction crews will get their job done while school is going on simultaneously. Harper Construction is an expert in working alongside schools and businesses while in session, so they fully appreciate and understand the need for a safety protocol during business hours. In fact, each crew member must go through a mandatory safety orientation specific to our job site; then agree to, sign and adhere to a strict code of conduct.
Message from the Superintendent According to plan, our construction fence will contain the entire construction project as well as all crew members. Harper Construction crew members are instructed to not interface with students at any time. The construction employees will have a designated parking area on the south end of campus—on the back east side of the S Building
“Each crew member must go through a mandatory safety orientation specific to the Maranatha job site; then agree to, sign and adhere to a strict code of conduct.” From this parking area, a walking path will be created, allowing construction crew members to enter the job site through a separate gated entrance into the fenced construction area. As a result, construction workers will never need to be on campus grounds outside of the gated area. Parking south of the S Building and having a designated path will allow for campus-wide safety and the continued use of our current parking lot. Additionally, Harper Construction’s site Superintendent has strict check-in procedures for all of their employees. Check-in is mandatory every day while construction is taking place. We will also work closely with Harper Construction in weekly update and safety meetings to address any issues that arise throughout the course of construction. These weekly meetings will also help us coordinate heavy equipment operation when the campus is vacated. We are fully committed to ensuring a safe campus throughout this project.
CONSTRUCTI SITE RENDERI
bird’s eye view of the layout of the construction well as the designated parking area for construct
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON? • VISION NIGHTS! January 25 & 26, February 1 & 2 Reserve your spot today! • GRADING! Grading permits are submitted and grading will commence as soon as the County approves (February) • BUILDING! Actual building should begin mid-to late February
THINGS TO KEEP IN PRAYER:
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• PERMIT APPROVALS and a favorable relationship with the County • SAFETY throughout the course of construction • FUNDING for the project by God’s gracious, generous Hand • EL NINO delays will be minimal – or better yet, insignificant!
CONSTRUCTION CRE
site as tion workers
SITE FENCE FOR NEW BRIDGE WORK
CONSTRUCTION FENCE SITE TRAILER
ION ING
Message from the Superintendent
DELIVERY | EQUIPMENT ROUTE
CONSTRUCTION LAY DOWN AREA
ADDITIONAL PROPOSED PARKING AREAS (for construction crew in the event of inclement weather)
EW PARKING
WORKERS PATH OF TRAVEL
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Department
“Our participants in the shovel turn lined up to break ground and celebrate the beginning of our ‘Answering the Call’ Capital Campaign (Phase 1).”
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Development
Watch our Groundbreaking Highlights video
REVISITING GROUNDBREAKING Francine Good, Director of Marketing | Development
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 – It was a glorious San Diego day; the air was crisp, the sky was crystal blue and there was not a cloud in the sky. As you drove into the parking lot of MCS and stepped out of your car, you heard the chatter of students and parents as they made their way to see the much-anticipated Groundbreaking Ceremony. As you approached the courtyard, there was a whirlwind of activity and the air was filled with the joyful sound of laughter. Positioned at the front gate were our JH & HS Cheerleaders and our ASB students waiting to greet each and every person as they entered into the courtyard. The Pulse Drumline was enthusiastically playing their percussion instruments and when you heard the beat, you knew the day had come when our community of parents were ready to hear about the future of MCS. All eyes were fixed on the stage to hear each speaker share their thoughts about what lies ahead for MCS. Our participants in the shovel turn lined up to break ground and celebrate the beginning of our ‘Answering the Call’ Capital Campaign (Phase1). We are in our 25 year as a thriving Christian educational program. Our Groundbreaking Ceremony not only marked the beginning of our construction project, it also marked the continuation of our opportunity to serve the community for another 25 years. th
You are an important part of the MCS community. We cannot do this without you – please join us on this journey and prayerfully consider how you can be a part of this exciting campaign. Sign up today for one of our Vision Nights; we are eager to share the details of Phase 1 of our Capital Campaign.
AN SW ER ING TH E CA LL
V IS IO N N IG H T S Click here to choose 1 of 8 sessions (space is limited, sessions last 1 hour)
Monday, January 25 5-6pm or 7-8pm
Tuesday, January 26 5-6pm or 7-8pm
Monday, February 1 5-6pm or 7-8pm
Tuesday, February 2 5-6pm or 7-8pm
Presentation by
MCS Superintendent Jess Hetherington and Principal Pete Plotnik Answering the Call Campaign Chairs Craig & Angeline Chambliss Special Video Premiere *Warm-from-the-winter refreshments will be served
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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Department
INTEGRATING FAITH WITH LEARNING Nate Jackson, Director of Biblical Studies & Discipleship
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”-Philippians 1:9-11 How should Christian education be conducted? As one old theologian said, “Education is the nurture and development of the whole man for his proper end. That end must be conceived rightly in order to understand the process.”
“A simple reading of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Ephesians 6:4 makes it clear that all instruction (not most or some) received by children should be saturated with God’s word.” Only when we are rightly oriented with God’s Word can we ‘think God’s thoughts after Him’ and view this world and all of life’s circumstances as though we are looking through the eyes of the Lord. A simple reading of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Ephesians 6:4 makes it clear that all instruction (not most or some) received by children should be saturated with God’s Word. There are two things that must be taken into account when considering the education of children. First, children should be instructed in an environment that is conditioned by God’s Word. Life continues to become more complex as 12
we head deeper into the twenty-first century. Therefore, it is not logical (nor Biblical) to think that our children need less instruction in the Word of God. If God intended the Children of Israel to view everything through the light of His Word back when Deuteronomy was written, then certainly it is just as necessary now. The second consideration we must take into account is that we are instructed to love the Lord our God with all our minds. Unless our children are learning to think like Christians when they study science, math, language, or history, they are not learning to obey what Jesus referred to as the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37). At MCS, we understand teaching children to love God with ‘all their minds’ is not limited to the Bible classroom. God makes it very clear whom we are to love, and how we are to love. Anything less will lead to compartmentalized thinking, and therefore, a compartmentalized ‘Christianity’. The Lord intends for His Truth to be comprehensive. We are committed to ensuring the curriculum in all divisions is purposefully designed to incorporate the Christian Worldview – which is definitively saturated in the truth of God’s Word.
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High School
RESPONDING TO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERINGON THE RISE
Pete Plotnik, High School Principal
In the college preparatory context, the University of California “a – g” requirements prescribe two years of laboratory science which provide fundamental knowledge in at least “two of the three disciplines of biology, chemistry, and physics.” Additionally, UC encourages completion of a third year of science. MCS’ High School has adopted this standard as a component of our graduation requirements. With enrollment in multiple sections of some of our science courses, we have outgrown the capacity of our laboratory – but great news is on the horizon! The new High School building will be equipped with two dedicated science labs, one for Life Sciences and one for Physical Sciences. This increased space will allow each of our science classes to teach in a lab environment, which will reduce scheduling constraints, improve flexibility for student schedules, enhance teacher presentation and instruction, and eliminate the need to conduct classes in nonlab environments. Increased enrollments in university science and engineering programs reflect a national job growth trend in Telecommunications, Information Technology and Web Services. As we fully develop the new building, we plan to add a ‘makerspace,’ and we will pursue additional course offerings, especially in the areas of Engineering and Computer Programming. We look forward with great anticipation and excitement to the expansion of our current offerings in all areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), and we are enthused about the growth and relevancy of our offerings – both present and future – in the area of science and technology.
SCIENCE MINDED
Upper Division Science Offerings
LIFE SCIENCES
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
CO-CURRICULARS
AP Biology
Biology
Anatomy & Physiology
Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Physics
AP Physics 1 AP Physics 2 AP Physics C
Robotiocs
ISS
Visual Basic Programming AP Computer Programming
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MCS' First Student Led Newspaper
MCS Juniors, Jessica Xu and Antonio Partida were invited to write this special WINGSPAN submission about our High School newspaper, the ‘Natha News. Jessica (Editor-In-Chief) and Antonio (Editor) are co-founders of this very successful endeavor that has set a new standard of excellence at MCS. Established in the fall of 2014, ‘Natha News is a studentfounded and student-produced newspaper which aims to serve the MCS community by providing a platform for students to express their opinions about campus life and beyond. The endeavor began in May 2014, when Freshman Jessica Xu observed that MCHS did not have an outlet for students to express their opinions outside of the regular classroom. She began by talking to classmates and teachers about the idea of starting a newspaper. Over the summer, she did research, recruited team members, and drafted a detailed plan for the MCHS newspaper. At the start of the 20142015 school year, Antonio and advisor Mrs. Schwartz were on board to help run the newspaper. They envisioned a paper that would take less of a ‘flyover’ view of the school year. Instead, they wanted to ‘zoom in’ on key moments through the eyes of the students. They also wanted to give the students an outlet to express themselves journalistically while allowing them to further develop writing, photography, and editing skills that would be useful later in life.
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The journey was challenging, but also very rewarding. Since the process and the team were new, the editors faced obstacles at almost every step: from getting the word out and assembling the team; to assigning, collecting and editing the news articles; to designing layouts and developing the website; to finding sponsors for print publication. In the beginning, the diverse team of thirteen students met every Friday at lunch. The name ‘Natha News, suggested by Emilia Cook (class of 2015), was chosen at the very first meeting. The inaugural issue of ‘Natha News successfully went live on November 7, 2014. Since the first issue, ‘Natha News has received great feedback and support from fellow students, faculty, parents, and Administration alike. Many have shared how they look
MCS’ STUDENT-LED NEWSPAPER IS A SHOWCASE FOR PROVEN LEADERSHIP ABILITY Proven leadership ability is a big differentiator in college admissions and future careers. Hundreds and thousands of students have excellent grades and test scores, but what often sets a candidate apart is his or her outstanding involvement in school clubs, athletics, or community organizations. The student founders and contributors of ‘Natha News have demonstrated they are resourceful, good problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea contributors, dependable, and persons who exemplify positive attitudes in life. In other words, model candidates for ‘Natha News has
higher learning.
received over 8,000 online views since its first issue
forward to each issue, saying the publication is very creative, engaging, fun, upbeat, and ‘Eagle authentic’ – and they are excited that the High School finally has a newspaper of its own. in 2014
In its 2nd year of publication, the ‘Natha News online publications are now interactive with links to exclusive videos, and the print publications have expanded to 200 copies per issue. ‘Natha News looks forward to continuing to serve the MCS community and to accompany the High School students in some of the most memorable years of their lives.
Read ‘Natha News at Nathanews.weebly.com
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Junior High
WALKING IN LOVE
Bryce Forrester, Junior High Principal
The end of bullying begins with MCS students. MCS Junior High takes a very proactive, positive approach toward generating a campus culture of Christ-like behavior that promotes love, unity and voice within the student body. The LUV Program – along with a culture that promotes a Biblical World View in all aspects of student life – contributes to a safe and secure environment for everyone on campus. Students are educated and trained to contextualize information through the Bible, and are trained to make practical, discerning decisions about the world in which they live (a world that may not always share their values). At the very end of the 2011-2012 school year, we rolled out a new program for our JH students called the LUV Program. The purpose of the program was to grow a culture of Love, Unity, and Voice within the Junior High student body – the Body of Christ. With input from our JH ASB, we created ‘LUV Cards’ that are given to students when staff members observe or hear about behavior that manifest this spirit of ‘LUV’. Once a student has three cards they receive a ‘Show Me the LUV’ t-shirt. Students can wear the t-shirt with jeans on Wednesday Chapel Days for as long as they are a JH student at MCS. If they receive additional t-shirts they have the option of passing them on to another JH student in a grade other than their own. The program is now in its third year and has had a genuine impact on the culture of the student body since it was started. The verses were chosen by the students to represent each of the categories, Love, Unity, and Voice: Love for one another in Christ, Unity within the student body within the Body of Christ, and Voice for one another.
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Junior High
The LUV program – along with a Biblical World View curriculum and presentations like San Diego Police Foundations Cyber-Safety and the Revolution from Australia – proactively work together to prevent bullying on our campus. Of course we also have a written policy for Bullying Prevention in the Student Health and Safety Section of the MCS Parent | Student Handbook. The policy provides a very clear definition of what bullying is and what will not be tolerated on the MCS campus. Parents are encouraged to partner with the MCS staff to teach their students to distinguish between what is and is not considered bullying and appropriate ways to address it. We want the end of bullying to begin with MCS students. And thanks to student-led activities like the Show Me the LUV Program, we have an excellent track record! LUV VERSES LOVE: “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;” 1 Peter 3:8 NKJV UNITY: “... with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3 NKJV VOICE: “.Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Phillippians 2:1-4 NKJV
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Elementary
TAPPING INTO STUDENTS’ UNIQUE TALENTS Mary Cook, Elementary Principal
Our Elementary Robotics Clubs are already in the record books! The Mission Masters placed 18th out of the 60 teams that competed at the First Lego League (FLL) Southern California Finals Championship at LEGOLAND on December 5. This is an incredible accomplishment, since the Elementary Robotics Clubs just started this school year! The Mission Masters earned their spot in the Championship on November 14 by finishing in 4th place in the ‘robot game’, and receiving a nomination from one of the categories of sportsmanship, team project, or robot technical design and programming. Aaron Rogers, Robotics Team Coordinator, has diligently worked behind the scenes to build a smooth running program for the Elementary and Junior High teams. The school year started with 47 Elementary students and 10 coaches to mentor and train them. Enthusiasm and fun have been the key ingredients to get the clubs rolling. Mission Master’s coach Jannette Pinneker invested many hours last year during the pilot club, as well as this year. “As a Robotics coach, it’s a privilege for me to mentor such a wonderful bunch of kids – and watching their 20
young minds open up to thinking both creatively and analytically at the same time is incredible. It has especially warmed my heart to see the entire team, along with my two sons, build upon their personal relationships by recognizing and celebrating each other’s accomplishments.”
“….Watching their young minds open up to thinking both creatively and analytically at the same time is incredible…” Another secret to the success of our Elementary Robotics Club is students love what they are doing. Here are some comments from our 4th grade participants: Trevor Ng said, “You have to work together to get things done.” Caleb Kim added, “You can accomplish many things working on a team; if you work together, you have more fun.” Caden Van Dyken said his favorite thing is “programming the robots”. Even the Jr First Lego League (JFLL) team is encouraged to set a foundation using teamwork and the engineering design process (ask, imagine, plan, build, and improve). JFLL coach, Jennifer Callow, is already impressed with the results, “I thought Robotics was about just building, but it’s so much more than that.” she said, “The students learn the whole process of starting a large team project. It’s a valuable skill that I know will carry over to their academic life and into their future careers.” There are more competitions this year, so stay tuned for more upcoming Robotics Club news. Students will have the opportunity to continue to understand the importance of team work and have more time to practice.
When used properly in schools, Robotics forms the basis of a cross curriculum activity; an ideal resource that can be used to teach: • MATHEMATICS (spatial concepts and geometry) • SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES (particularly physics)
The Mission Masters (4th and 5th grade) – Erin S, Logan W, Caleb K, Trevor N, Bryce W, Samuel G, Joshua P, Joel P, Caden V, and Aidan F. Team Coaches are Katie Scherpbier and Jannette Pinneker.
• DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY (electronics, sensors and actuators) • ICT (computer programming) Paolo Fiorini, co-chair of the IEEE’s Robot & Automation Society’s Education Committee
Fire Disco Panda Bots competing at Legoland – Coach Aaron Rogers, Jenna V., Ethan R., Jonathan M., John C., Ryder H., Coach Angela Rogers
Preschool
BUILDING A FOUNDATION OF LEARNING – WITH LIGHT Patrice Andrews, Early Education Principal
One of the innovative ways Maranatha Christian Preschool (MCPS) students are building a foundation of learning is through light table STEAM activities. The use of light tables accompanied by manipulatives improves math, science, and language skills. Since children learn best through hands-on experience and free exploration, our tables provide endless opportunities for discovery in all subjects. Students are able to view X-rays to learn about plant and animal structures, build with magnetic blocks to sharpen math and engineering skills, add and subtract with translucent manipulatives and create pictures from translucent shapes. All of these learning activities are happening while the students are having fun and building social skills with their classmates.
“Children naturally have a very positive attitude toward math and science during their preschool years.” The goal of having light tables in the classroom is to provide children with experiences that appeal to their natural curiosity and creativity – while giving them opportunities to learn key concepts and develop critical thinking skills. These early explorations and engagements in associated thinking processes serve as strong foundations for learning as children progress toward more formal understandings.
Children naturally have a very positive attitude toward math and science during their preschool years. By providing creative ways to use mathematics and logical thinking to solve problems — children have a greater opportunity to develop their curiosity, imagination, flexibility, inventiveness, and persistence. MCPS is intentional in providing these appropriate materials and instruction in the preschool years.
The learning light Flexibility
Imagination
CurioSiTy
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We are dedicated to discovering and applying new ideas that will boost our students’ positive attitudes toward learning. Classroom light tables are one of the many tools we utilize to boost STEAM learning. Preschool is about more than just play at MCPS— we are preparing students for a higher level of education, and there is no better time to start than now!
“The goal of having light tables in the classroom is to provide children with experiences that appeal to their natural curiosity and creativity...”
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Preschool student has a blast riding at the Trike-A-Thon Fundraiser
M A R A N AT H A
CAMPUS LIFE 24
Junior High students bring a favorite story to life in the fall production of Shrek Jr.
Mr. Hetherington greets our Alumni speaking in HS Chapel during Homecoming Week
Coach Cole being interviewed by Fox 5 duringour live televised Pep Rally
Coach Rodgers takes a swing at the MCS Golf Tournament
HS Photography students learn about shutter speed by trying to capture a single water drop
Annual Powderpuff Football Game during Homecoming Week – Freshman | Sophomores vs. Juniors | Seniors 26
Parents, staff and students fellowship during December’s Koinonia Breakfast
3rd graders compete to represent their grade in the school-wide paper airplane contest for the Groundbreaking Ceremony
HS staff having fun on the International Field Trip to Disneyland
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Athletics BRINGS HOME LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER!
EAGLES ATHLETICS Steve Whitley, Director of Athletics
With a new year ahead and 2015 in the rear view mirror, it is the perfect time to reflect on the past and look ahead to what the future has in store. A quick look back…. FALL SPORTS RECAP Volleyball – The top story of the fall was the strong finish of our Varsity Girls Volleyball team. Coach Mary Beiler challenged her players by building a schedule that consisted of several quality tournaments featuring many large schools. VOLLEYBALL ALL-LEAGUE They paid a price in the win-loss Corrie Kraft Sr. L column but not Izzy Landis Jr. OH TEAM Kianna Olson Sr. S on the court as the girls were Jordan Ward So. MB forced to improve 2nd Sarah Stout Fr. OPP TEAM their skills due to the level of competition they faced. The Lady Eagles dropped 12 of their first 13 games – and to the casual on-looker, it appeared that things would not get any better. But as the level of
1st
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FOOTBALL ALL-LEAGUE
1st TEAM
Trevor Sheng Jr. James Rohde Sr. Antonio Partida Jr.
RB WR OL
1st
Jake Bronson Isaac Schwan Matt DeWildt Kyle Lanzer
Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr.
DL LB DB DB
offense
TEAM defense
competition decreased, wins started to come and they entered Ocean League play with a 4-14 record.
Things did not look hopeoffense ful for them when they 2nd Sam Zanella So. LB were soundly TEAM defense defeated 3-0 in their first league match by defending league champion San Diego Jewish Academy. But all of their hard work and experience began to settle in and they won their next 5 league games in a row, including a solid 3-1 win over SDJA that clinched their first Ocean League championship! The girls qualified for the D4 CIF playoffs but lost to Monte Vista 3-1 in the first round.
2nd TEAM
John Bothe Daniel Trent
Sr. Sr.
OL OL
Football – The Boys Varsity Football Team started the season on fire. The goal of winning back-to-back league championships was clearly evident as they won 6 of their
Athletics first 7 games. With two games remaining to be played, the team needed one win to claim the Pacific League title. In their first attempt, Classical Academy jumped on them
19 Fall Athletes Made the Union-Tribune All-Academic Team! (10 FB, 5 VB, 5 CC) early and despite a valiant comeback attempt, the Eagles fell short. In their final attempt to clinch the title, Maranatha sat on a 14-3 first half lead against Army-Navy Academy, but they could not put the game away and allowed the Warriors to score 12 unanswered second-half points and lost 15-14. The loss dropped them out of 1st place, handing the title to Tri-City Christian who they decimated 40-0 three weeks earlier. They finished with a very respectable 7-3 record and qualified for a CIF playoff berth. They were handily defeated 33-12 by the #2 seeded Crawford Colts in the first round.
Cross Country – Coach Peter Gregory’s team consisted of all underclassman. Despite their youth, they managed to have their best league finish since the program was reestablished in 2009. The team consistently finished in the middle of the pack, placing 5th of 10 teams in league finals and 58th of 128 teams in CIF. Junior Brett Doig was the
team’s top runner followed by Justin Gray. Anna Corey was the sole female runner and had a very solid season.
WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW Winter is the busiest season of the year for Maranatha’s Athletic Program as nearly 100 games will be played by four teams. The Boys Soccer Team is off to a strong start. They move up from the Ocean League to the Pacific and hope to make a strong run at bringing home their 2nd consecutive league championship. The Girls Basketball Team has been playing well and is also a contender for the league title.
LOOKING AHEAD TOWARD SPRING • The Varsity Baseball Team has been invited to play a game at Petco Park this year! They will be facing San Diego Jewish Academy on Friday, April 8. More details to follow! • We have had more than 20 girls express interest in playing softball this spring! Maranatha has not fielded a softball team for the past 3 years. We are hoping to develop a solid, long-lasting program. Head football coach Michael Cole will coach the team. He will be mentored by Jerry Whitley, who has been inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions as a “CIF Coaching Legend”. He is one of the winningest softball coaches in CIF history.
BOYS SOCCER
GIRLS SOCCER
BOYS BASKETBALL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
COACH David Cabral
COACH J.D. Tena
COACH Brooks Barnhard
COACH Nate Jackson
CURRENT RECORD 5-1-1
CURRENT RECORD 3-4-1
CURRENT RECORD 2-12
CURRENT RECORD 7-6
CURRENT CIF RANK D4 (6th of 20 Teams)
CURRENT CIF RANK D4 (17th of 21 Teams)
CURRENT CIF RANK D4 (22nd of 23 Teams)
CURRENT CIF RANK D5 (5th of 21 Teams)
LEAGUE Pacific
LEAGUE Ocean
LEAGUE Pacific
LEAGUE Ocean (Record: 1-0)
TOP RETURNERS
TOP RETURNERS
TOP RETURNERS
TOP RETURNERS
Issac Schwan 2015 Player of the Year
Sarah Trent 1st Team-All-League League’s Top Scorer
James Rohde 6’4” Senior
Izzy Landis
Matt Schumacher 1st Team-All-League League’s Top Scorer Andre Escoffier 1 Team-All-League st
Morgan Wurtzler 1st Team-All-League Kayla McCormick 2nd Team-All-League
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jake Brambila Connor Woodahl Josiah Hepner
Hannah Rutland
John Bothe 6’3” Senior Matt DeWildt 5’10” Senior PLAYERS TO WATCH Matthew Brashear Nick Glenn Noah Monroy
Julia Lawrenz 2nd Team-All-League Sidney Sheng Jordan Ward PLAYERS TO WATCH Rae Salas
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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2500
audience members attended Shrek Jr.
Department
BRINGING JOY TO THE COMMUNITY Jayne Howard, Director of Performing Arts
The end of 2015 proved to be an exciting one for the Performing Arts at MCS! Here are some highlights: • The Elementary | Junior High Musical “Shrek Jr.” was a huge success with over 2500 audience members in attendance! • Our Christmas Music Concert at Maranatha Chapel included 5th Grade Band, Junior High Carolers, Junior High and High School Band, Drumline and Worship Team. • All School Chapel included performances from the Music and Drama Departments. • Junior High Carolers performed at December Nights in Balboa Park, Christmas Card Lane, UTC Macy’s and Maranatha Chapel. We are off to a running start this New Year with the Junior High & High School musical, “Beauty and the Beast” – currently in rehearsal and costuming mode. Mark your calendar and be sure to attend the performance at Maranatha Chapel, running March 4-13. Look for other exciting events for this semester to include: Chapel performances from Junior High Choir & Drama classes and the High School Worship Team, All Bands Spring Concert and our Spring Elementary Production.
The Arts are an important part of our education philosophy. Students can participate in and experience numerous performances, chapels and concerts throughout the year.
And don’t forget about our Summer Theatre Arts Camp. Dates and sign-ups will be announced in a few weeks! WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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Curriculum
COMPUTER SCIENCE AT MCS College is just around the corner. MCS has its eye on your child’s future with advanced and AP class offerings that include programming. In addition to our UC Approved Visual Basic Programming Class – MCS’ array of courses includes 16 Honors classes, and 14 College Board approved Advanced Placement (AP) classes that exceed UC standards.
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Curriculum
MCS JOINS GLOBAL EVENT TO SPARK AN INTEREST IN STUDENTS LEARNING CODE Autumn Gray, Director of Curriculum
Computer programming is a skill
1,000,000 more jobs than students by 2020
that is becoming more and more essential in the workplace. For this reason, Maranatha has been expanding its Computer Science curricu-
1,400,000
1,200,000
1,000,000
$500 billion opportunity
lum with an intentional effort to grow our STEAM program. We are aware that computer programming jobs are growing at 2X the national average, and a computer science degree is not only a top paying de-
800,000
1.4 million
600,000
computing jobs
400,000
400,000 computer science students
200,000
gree but a profession in high demand. 2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
2020
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Curriculum
Last month, Maranatha participated in the world wide ‘Hour of Code’ event where each student spent an hour coding in a program of their choice. Students chose from a selection of several tutorials featuring Frozen, Minecraft and Star Wars, and learned how to use a visual programming language to write programs with their favorite characters. If you would like to know more about coding – or would like to try your hand at coding yourself, go to hourofcode.com and check it out! The fun doesn’t stop with the Hour of Code, though. Our Computer teacher, Mrs. York, has implem ented the code.org curriculum into her 1st- 5th grade classes, and has included Scratch programming curriculum in her 4th , and 7th/8th grade classes. At the High School level, Maranatha has expanded its programming offerings with a year-long, UC approved Visual Basic Programming class. We have also piloted an online AP Computer Science class and are looking forward to great results.
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Computer science is a top paying college degree and computer programming jobs are growing at 2x the national average
Curriculum
WATCH OUR HOUR OF CODE VIDEO
There’s a wonderful resource from MIT called Scratch. Instead of just playing computer or video games, students can create their own games using provided characters, or characters they have drawn themselves. They learn about algorithms (picture a flowchart), and can go through the code blocks step-by-step to discover the computer processes they have written. Not only are students intrigued by the creativity of making their own games, it’s an exciting way to get students to jump into the world of programming without even realizing it!
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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Marketing
NORTH COUNTY PRESCHOOLS – LOOK OUT HERE WE COME! Francine Good, Director of Marketing | Development
It’s been a busy first half of the year as Marketing and Admissions continue to partner and identify different ways in which to build relationships with other schools in the North County Inland area. The first thing Doris Thurman (Director of Admissions) and I did, was to create a list of preschools so that we could begin
“Our goal was to introduce ourselves to as many preschool directors as possible, and we managaed to do just that!” to build relationships with each of their directors – and that’s just what we did! We identified the schools and their locations, mapped out our route, and took to the road. Our travels led us to 14 preschools within the Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Sabre Springs, Carmel Mountain and Rancho Penasquitos areas.
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Our goal was to introduce ourselves to as many preschool directors as possible, and we managed to do just that! It was a privilege to meet the directors, each of them willing to hear about MCS’ program. They graciously took our marketing materials and several even agreed to a follow-up visits. Doris and I left each preschool, knowing by the grace of God, we had accomplished our mission. The day proved to be fruitful! Initial introductions have been made, and the next step for us is to continue to nurture these new relationships. What’s around the corner? We’re on the road again sometime in the spring to visit schools with Kindergarten through 8th grade programs. The next transition for all of those 8th grade students is to find a high school program – so we’re positioning ourselves to be ready to tackle another mission – to tell them about MCS’ growing High School Program!
Marketing
2016 - 2017 SCHOOL YEAR
SAVE YOUR
SPOT
FEBRUARY 1 - 29 RE-ENROLL AND PAY ONLINE • Registration fees are $350/student • All tuition is collected through FACTS tuition management Questions? Contact Admissions: 858.759.9737 or via email Admissions@maranathachristianschools.org
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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ASCP GIVES PARENTS EXTRA TIME AND LETS STUDENTS UNWIND Julie Elliot, Director of Co-Curricular Activities
Parents, are you finding you need a little more buffer time between work and picking up your child from school? Don’t miss a wonderful opportunity through MCS’ After School Program! You can give yourself the gift of extra time while providing your child with a fantastic opportunity to play with friends, work on their homework in a quiet environment and participate in fun events and activities all week long. MCS provides an excellent Co-curricular Program for Elementary Grades K-5 throughout the entire school year. Located right on campus, the After School Care Program is safe and convenient. Our program provides a quality learning environment that is filled with positive encouragement by warm and enthusiastic teachers. “One of the biggest benefits of our After School Care Program is our secure, Christian environment,” says Julie Elliott, Director of Co-curricular Activities, “our program is just for
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MCS students, so we are able to maintain the high standards of our Christian culture, while giving children a safe place to relax and have fun.”
“The beauty of the program is in its flexibility.” The typical Co-curricular day begins with a teacher ‘sign-in’ of each student, followed by a change of clothing (sports only), snack time, bathroom break, and homework review. Afterwards, students proceed to their respective Co-Curricular classes until 4:30pm. The beauty of the program is in its flexibility. If a parent is unable to pick up their student by 4:30pm, an MCS coach/ instructor will automatically sign then in to ASCP. Afterwards they are welcome to stay at an hourly rate until 6pm. MCS’ Co-Curricular Program gives parents the extra time needed to wrap-up at work or run a few errands while giving students a chance to enjoy a club or class (or both) after school. This is truly a win-win for both parents and students alike!
Parent Action Committee
VOLUNTEERS – THE GREATEST GIFT TO OUR COMMUNITY Brigit Sheng & Katie Scherpbier, Co-PAC Presidents
Strong volunteerism is a hallmark of our unique and special community. This was so beautifully displayed at the Groundbreaking Ceremony Last November! Our wonderful parents stepped up to bake hundreds of ‘signature’ airplane cookies – along with decorating the courtyard with strings of paper airplanes and providing hospitality at the reception after the ceremony. It is important to note that parents also helped us clean and tidy up the campus afterwards.
Remember, there are so many ways to volunteer at MCS. No required meetings, no pressure, just do what you can – when you can. If you are interested in joining the fun, please e-mail Brigit Sheng or Katie Shererpier. We would love to have you join us!
2016 PAC EVENTS MAR 10 – JOG-A-THON
APR 29 – ARTFEST
WINGSPAN | VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 2 | WINTER 2016
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Transformed Lives...Transforming the World. 9050 Maranatha Drive San Diego, CA 92127 maranathachristianschools.org maranathachristianschools
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