Spring 2015 Issue

SPRING 2015

INSIDE: > Groundbreaking Ceremony > ContainIt > Arts & Athletics > Students Learn Abroad

Board of Trustees, 2014-2015 Jody Billiard, Chairman Larry Kirkman, Vice Chairman Roger Wilkerson, Secretary Don Moseley, Treasurer Carolyn Airing Danny Church Rennie Faulkner Caroline Kelly Greg Love Rich Protasewich Melissa Roper Mike Ross

Head of School Mark Davis

Editor/Designer, Classic Megan Fair

Mission Statement To assist the Christian family by providing an education marked by a biblical worldview, academic excellence, and affordability, so that students are equipped to be salt and light for God’s glory.

Contributing Writers

Tyler Andrews, Kelly Andrews, Mary Lou Capan, Mark Davis, Mackenzie Deans, Joey Glass, Janet Grimmer-Kempf, Mariah Harrelson, Kelly Keesling

Photographers

Thank you to the faculty, staff, parents, alumni, students, and friends who shared their photos for this publication

Special Thanks to:

The entire CDS community who contributed to this publication

Submit Story Ideas to: Megan Fair, mfair@covenantday.org

Upload Your Photos at:

http://photos.covenantday.org/

Vision Statement Covenant Day School is committed to becoming an exceptional, Christ-centered, college-preparatory school.

We will create an environment which develops lifelong learners, critical thinkers and problem solvers who will be actively engaged in the world as ambassadors for Christ. Our appraised, innovative academic courses and comprehensive extra-curricular offerings will be taught through the lens of truth found in the historic Christian faith by godly faculty and staff who are skilled educators and dedicated mentors.

Graduates will be prepared for matriculation into leading colleges and universities in order to live out their callings on the global stage. Our distinctive sense of family, with a diverse community of students, families, friends, donors and alumni, will undergird these efforts necessary to bring excellence to every aspect of Covenant Day School, a ministry of Christ Covenant Church, for God’s glory.

Send Class Notes to:

Linda Glass, lglass@covenantday.org

CDS QUICK LINKS HOS Report: www.covenantday.org/publications Athletics: www.covenantday.org/golions ENEWS: www.covenantday.org/cdsenews Fine Arts: www.covenantday.org/finearts Give Online: www.covenantday.org/give Magazines: www.covenantday.org/publications Legacy: www.covenantday.org/legacy

Core Values Christlikeness

A reflection of the work of Christ, loving in thought and deed, serving God and others

Truth

A pursuit of biblical truth so as to develop the knowledge and discernment that guides our judgment and decisions in all areas of life

Integrity

An insistence on biblical principles that develop character, integrity, and moral excellence

CDS students and faculty immerse themselves in Mexican culture (read more on page 10).

FEATURES 4 Creating an Interactive Learning Environment 5 Thinking Inside the Box 6-7 Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers 8-9 The Legacy Continues 10 Experiencing Mexico 11 Bonjour Paris 18 Covenant Day’s Impact on Our Lives

in this ISSUE ARE YOU A CDS ALUM? Staying connected is easy! Visit www.covenantday.org/alumni to complete the Alumni Update Form!

DEPARTMENTS 2 From the Head of School 3 From the Curriculum Director 12 Classic News Briefs 14 Fine Arts 16 Athletics 18 Alumni News

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear CDS Community, As I reflect on the start of 2015 at Covenant Day School, I first and foremost am grateful to the Lord for His many provisions.

Leading into 2015 there was a major emphasis on the Legacy campaign, the first campaign of its kind since the construction of the current high school building (future middle school) on our campus. I’ve heard tales of that campaign and of how the CDS community rallied around a facility in anticipation of our first high school. Ten years have come and gone, and Legacy has become the new rallying cry.

Now, more than a fourth of the way into the year, I can envision heavy equipment, the new high school being constructed from the ground up, and plans to move ahead of us. And, Lord willing, slightly over a year from now, a 2016-2017 school year will begin with another sense of newness for the vast majority of all of our students. Memories of the distant past will someday be told by students who were taught in cottages and many students will recall their first year in the new building.

CDS broke ground on the current high school building in 2003. The class of 2015 will mark Covenant Day’s tenth graduating class.

I hope you gain a sense of the CDS commitment to the Lord and His people in this edition of the Classic and for the Lord’s faithfulness to His people, which will come our way over the next year.

Sincerely,

Mark Davis Head of School

ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETING If you did not have a chance to attend this year’s annual school meeting on April 16, we encourage you to watch it online at www. covenantday.org/videos. You will learn about new athletic teams, fine arts updates, construction timelines, and more!

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Covenant Day School held its groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 1 of the Legacy campaign on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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FROM THE CURRICULUM DIRECTOR

THE NUTS & BOLTS OF CURRICULUM If teaching and learning is the high-performance engine that drives a school to fulfill its mission, then the fuel-injection system is its curriculum.

Stepping into the position of curriculum director at CDS has been a welcomed opportunity for me to work with educators, parents, students, and leadership on the design and implementation of the school’s curriculum.

Since the position is new to CDS, you might be asking yourself, “What does the curriculum director do?”

Perhaps a simple analogy will draw you into my world.

Thanks to the website HowStuffWorks, we know that the idea behind an engine is to burn gasoline to create pressure and then to turn pressure into motion.

As more complex engines were designed, so also were modern fuel-injection systems to deliver accurate bursts of fuel for better performance.

In the same way that the design engineer programs for the fuelinjection system to do different things at different times depending on the operational needs of the engine, the curriculum director designs, in collaboration with educators and school leaders, a curriculum that meets the goals for all students and subjects.

If you think about the hundreds of details that must combine at just the right time throughout the entire scope of schooling for students, then you are appreciating the complexity and the importance of the school’s curriculum.

The big picture comes first and is essential to beginning the design of curriculum. Along with the mission and vision statements, CDS has expressed foundational attributes for student learning in the Portrait of a Graduate. With such outcomes in mind, the real “nuts and bolts” of putting together a customized curriculum comes down to an intricate collaboration with educators on the array of

knowledge and skills we want students to acquire. Integral to the decisions we make are the enduring dispositions and perspectives we desire for young people who are called to “seek first the kingdom of God.” Work has begun in 2015 by establishing a curriculum cabinet for English language arts, comprised of CDS educators who will work with me and their colleagues to better shape the curriculum in this subject area. We are sharpening the CDS mastery objectives—a body of work that will serve as our blueprint —by prioritizing, clarifying, and repositioning details. Flowing out of this work will be linkages to actual instruction, sequential alignment, assessments, and integration.

Similarly, the plan to research each subject area systematically ensures that deep ongoing analysis and actions will be part of the curriculum system, thus creating a viable and sustainable program of instruction and learning.

As with the awareness of any important goal, this work will be a significant and collective endeavor that will serve educators, students, and parents for years to come!

Mary Lou Capan is in her first year at CDS and serves as the curriculum director. She has more than 20 years of experience in Christian school education as a head of school and has also spent time teaching middle school and high school students. Currently holding a Masters in Education from Covenant College, Mary Lou is a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction at Gardner-Webb University.

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FEATURES

Creating an Interactive Learning Environment As soon as Covenant Day senior Katie Thomas saw the empty patios at Greenway Park Elementary School, she knew what she wanted to do for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. With a desire to utilize her creative side, Katie knew she could make these empty spaces special and beneficial to these young students.

Katie chose to focus her project on Greenway Park Elementary School because it is a Title I school where many students come from homes with limited resources.

After surveying multiple teachers, Katie embarked on her project. Her desire was to create an environment that would enhance the learning potential of the current and future students at Greenway Park. She designed and built tables, benches, and unique learning devices shaped like a butterfly and a giant strawberry. She used vibrant colors to paint the alphabet, four square, and hopscotch on the patio for the children to enjoy.

the school as part of Covenant Day’s annual Color War competition.

Color War is a week long “civil war” among the freshmen at Covenant Day. It began in 2006 and includes dress up days, hall decorations, and team competitions. Color War gives freshmen a tradition that encourages community, academic growth, and physical activities while building memories. This year a service component was added to the competition. Each year freshmen will collect needed supplies for the children at Greenway Park such as socks, hats, gloves, and school supplies. This year the freshman class collected more than 1,000 socks, hats, and gloves for children at Greenway Park Elementary School. The service component gives freshmen the opportunity to reach beyond the walls of Covenant Day and impact the community.

Since the completion of the patio, the pre-K students have been able to recognize numbers, letters, and shapes in a fun, educational environment. They also benefit from group activities at the new tables. Students at Greenway Park Elementary School will benefit long-term from Katie’s Gold Award project. With a desire to make her project sustainable, Katie developed a supply drive for

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Pictured: Katie with CDS teachers Mrs. Makla and Mr. Chin (top) and the completed educational patio at Greenway Park Elementary School.

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Thinking Inside the Box Written by Mackenzie Deans, ’17

Several years ago, Native American artist Kevin Poor Bear visited Covenant Day School. As a result, the student body began to recognize the significant need that exists on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Now, Covenant Day School is excited and ready to meet this need with ContainIt: think inside the box. This project ascertains a two-fold benefit for the Covenant Day community. First, ContainIt students are pictured with CDS teacher Clifford it allows us to live out Chin in a giant shipping container. our command to be the hands and feet of Christ, and second, it furthers our goals for restoration and sustainability, which started through aquaponics.

“The vision of ContainIt inherently requires teenage students to work beyond their comfort zones. Therefore, it enhances our growth and overall development,” said junior Rich Wachowski.

Led by a dedicated team of eight students with the help of faculty advisor Clifford Chin, ContainIt hopes to re-purpose a used shipping container as a dormitory for the struggling and impoverished Native American reservation located in South Dakota. When faced with a challenge, ContainIt’s philosophy is simple: To think inside the box, you must think outside the box.

Taking Learning Outdoors This Green Fish, Covenant Day School’s aquaponics program, has grown significantly since its inception in 2011 and now includes two greenhouses and beautiful landscaping.

This year, This Green Fish got yet another update. CDS senior Caroline McKissick led a group of students in the construction of three picnic tables and a chalkboard in order to create a multi-purpose educational space around the aquaponics system. This space will support outdoor educational activities such as environmental management, plant and animal dissections, chemical analysis procedures, engineering and design, and much more.

Through aquaponics, our students are able to gain valuable hands-on experience in a variety of areas. This Green Fish has also given students the opportunity to carry out Covenant Day’s mission of being salt and light as students, faculty, and graduates have taken aquaponics technology to Haiti, Nicaragua, and Africa.

About the Restoration and Sustainability Practicum CDS embraces the challenge to care for God’s world through integrated programs of instruction that seek to restore and sustain God’s peace in nature and society. Students in this course develop and implement field experience projects under the supervision of high school faculty. Students are engaged in lessons and activities that foster restoration of broken aspects of nature and humanity and develop problem-solving skills to create sustainable environments and communities. They gain hands-on experience in project planning, development, implementation, and evaluation while meeting regularly with faculty and peers to receive feedback, support, and guidance on their project.

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Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers

Photo courtesy of the Levine Museum of the New South

SEVENTH GRADERS LEARN ABOUT OUR

RICH HISTORY

We live in a city with an abundant history.

Where was once a plethora of cotton fields now stands breathtaking skyscrapers and vibrant arenas. Covenant Day middle school history teacher Brett Bonnema wanted to promote active, hands-on learning to provide students with an experiential field trip in their own city. To that end, students boarded buses and headed to the Levine Museum of the New South where they were given the opportunity to learn more about Charlotte’s rich heritage.

The centerpiece of the museum is the award-winning exhibition, “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers: Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont in the New South.” The exhibit features Charlotte and its 13 surrounding counties, exemplifying the dramatic changes in the South since the Civil War. Students had the opportunity to step into history as they ran their hands through a pile of seed cotton, listened to the churning of the cotton mill, stepped inside a one-room tenant farmhouse, walked down main street to try on a hat in an early Belk department store, and got a glimpse of what segregation looked like in the Charlotte area.

“It’s very easy in the classroom to forget about local history and only focus on the major events going on around the country and the world during the time periods we cover,” Bonnema said. “This visit gave our students a very informative look at the specific things going on in Charlotte during the major events we study in the classroom.”

The exhibit gave students a visual of what was happening in the Piedmont of North Carolina during the years they are studying in history class – 1850 to present day. As students learn about civil rights, they are able to visualize the drinking fountains, lunch counters, and other scenes they saw at the museum. When they discuss the CMS busing debate during history class, they are reminded of the school bus and photograph of students at West Charlotte High School.

Students walked around the exhibit with clipboards in hand, making observations in each room. They practiced making connections between different time periods and critically thought about the things they saw. They returned from the Levine Museum of the New South with a newfound knowledge of the rich history of Charlotte and its surrounding communities. The trip gave students a step into the 1800s and 1900s and a chance to see history in a new and interactive way.

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“I learned that getting cotton was hard work because people had to go to each individual piece of cotton and pull out the seeds. Getting the seeds out of the cotton was very difficult until the invention of the cotton gin.”

- Luke Ardizzone

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FEATURES

The LEGACY Continues!

Written by Janet Grimmer-Kempf, CDS Director of Development

On a chilly December 19, 2003, I stood as a parent among the members of the Covenant Day family and watched as representatives from Christ Covenant Church, the Covenant Day Board, faculty, administration, high school students, and local dignitaries placed hard hats on their heads and wielded shovels to dig the ground where the current high school now stands. It was a moment in time that not only I, but also my children, will never forget. My oldest, John, was in eighth grade. My twin daughters, Jaclyn and Julia, were in third grade. There we stood all bundled up, watching a dream for many become reality.

There is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful for the sacrifice of time, talent, and treasures those in the CDS community made in the earlier years of our school so that my children would be alumni of Covenant Day.

I was able to marvel at all the students wearing red. I was able to see the excitement on their faces of what was to come. I was able to see the anticipation in the faculty and staff as they have long awaited this day. I was able to see the hope on the parents’ faces, just as it was on mine in 2003. It was another moment in time that I will not forget.

This time, as I walked across the stage in the high school gym on April 16, 2015, I could not help but reflect back to 2003. Much has changed but so much has remained the same. I am no longer a parent at CDS but I am now the director of development. My children are no longer students but alumni. Looking into the faces of the students as I sat on stage, I knew in my heart that CDS still continues to be a very special place touched by God’s own hands.

On this spring day in April, I sat and listened to the many people who spoke about their feelings and experiences around Legacy. As I took my hard hat and wielded my shovel, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the sacrifice of time, talent, and treasures those in the CDS community have made over the years and will continue to make in years to come!

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Legacy has been a work in progress for several years.

It began with vision casting by our current Board of Trustees which took form through the master plan.

Legacy was born from the desires of the school and church community to expand the campus to grow our family and to offer even more families the wonderful opportunity to experience a Covenant Day education.

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What’s Next?

For important information including the construction timeline, videos, and more, please visit www.covenantday.org/legacy.

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FEATURES

Experiencing Mexico Written by Mariah Harrelson, ’15

A beautiful country, amazing food, and adventures around every corner only begin to describe Covenant Day High School’s immersion trip to Merida on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Upon exiting the airplane, saying “adiós” to the cold Carolinian February weather, and stepping into a foreign terrain, I did not know quite what to expect from this journey except learning and practicing my Spanish, something that I hope to be fluent in one day. However, I, along with the six other students, two teachers, and our assistant principal, quickly came to anticipate “adventura” at every juncture of this great experience.

We began our journey with several days to take in the cultural hub of downtown Merida, where we spent time at the oldest cathedral in North America and interacted with locals at Merida’s great central plaza. Because the group was divided between four different host families, each household took part in different cultural experiences. While growing closer to these amazingly welcoming people, I was able to experience a Mexican wedding, incredible traditional cuisine, and church on Sunday morning, where we were reunited with the large group. What an amazing reminder that the church is one institution that crosses all international boundaries.

we took in the great central temple, sporting arena, and astrological observatory of these highly advanced ancient people. After a hot morning, the refreshing “cenotes” were our next stop, sinkholes 150 feet deep with astonishingly clear, cool water at the bottom, perfect for swimming.

The group enjoyed the next day at the beach, sleeping in hammocks with a local youth group at the gracious invitation of one of the pastors.

After returning to Merida and being happily reunited with our host families, we spent the next few days at Colegio Americano, a Christian school in Merida. During this time, we made presentations of U.S. culture and Christianity to the middle school, taught U.S. history to the high school in Spanish, and played soccer, basketball, and chess with the students there. We could not be more grateful for how welcoming the school was, the friendships we made, and the great extent to which they shared their time and culture with us.

While my Spanish-speaking abilities increased dramatically over the week and the activities were memorable, by far the highlight of the trip was the time spent with our host families. My family taught me to have a global perspective. Now that I am home, I am grateful for the blessings of life in the United States, but I also recognize that each and every culture has admirable characteristics truly worthy of emulation. This experience in Merida was truly unforgettable, and I am still amazed by the bonds of friendship each and every one of us formed despite the presence of a language barrier.

From there, we embarked on several days on the road, beginning with the awe-inspiring Mayan ruins of ChichénItzá. Here, one of the seven wonders of the New World astounded us all as 10

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BONJOUR PARIS This year, a group of CDS students and faculty traveled to Paris and Normandy to create quite a memorable and educational spring break trip!

The team boarded an overnight flight to Paris, ready for the ten-day adventure. Often referred to as the center of France, Paris is packed with culture and history including beautiful museums, delicious cuisine, and a reputation for high fashion, inspiring theatre, and a richness in literature and philosophy traditions.

Students were able to experience all they had learned about in the classroom: Paris’s origins as a Roman settlement, the Palace of Versailles, and the Palace de la Concorde. They also passed by the Arc de Triomphe and world-renowned Sorbonne University in addition to making a photo stop at the Eiffel Tower built for the 1889 World’s Fair.

The group spent Easter Sunday with a Christ Covenant Church missionary family and visited Notre Dame Cathedral. Additional stops in Paris included museums, Pompidou Centre, Musée de Cluny, a guided excursion

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to Chartres and Loire Valley, and a walking tour of the Champs-Elysées, one of Paris’s hottest shopping districts.

The group spent its final two days of the trip visiting the scenic beaches of Normandy, which are rich with history.

They visited the Caen Memorial to pay tribute to WWII troops who fought on the beaches of Normandy and toured the American Cemetery and the Bayeaux Tapestry before returning to Paris to head back to Charlotte.

This spring break trip will surely be one that these students will remember for a lifetime. “Paris was everything we dreamed it would be. The people were beautiful, the culture was amazing, the food was exquisite, and the art was inspiring,” CDS senior Roni Langley said. “We fell in love with everything about it. It was such a privilege to experience the history the city held, and to see and learn about things we had only seen in history books. Being immersed in the culture and the people gave us greater perspective of the world and opened our eyes. Being in Europe, even if just for a short time, was an experience that will stay with us for a lifetime and continue to inspire us.”

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CDS NEWS (1) Established Author Visits Covenant Day School In November 2014, the CDS media center sponsored an author visit with Jonathan Rogers. Rogers is the author of four novels for middle-grade readers: The Bark of the Bog Owl, The Secret of the Swamp King, The Way of the Wilderking, and The Charlatan’s Boy as well as three non-fiction books: The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor, The World According to Narnia, and Saint Patrick: A Biography.

A graduate of Furman University and Vanderbilt University, Rogers holds a Ph.D. in seventeenth-century British literature. Rogers spoke to groups of CDS students in grades 3-12 and conducted a writing workshop in the high school.

(2) Fifth Grade Student Creates Successful Shoe Drive

Hannah Wylie, a fifth grade student at CDS, has a heart for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and understands how important it is for men, women, and children to have shoes. She created the Needy Feet Shoe Drive and encouraged students to get involved by donating used shoes they no longer needed. By November, the CDS community had donated more than 850 pairs of shoes. The shoes will be delivered in June. Join us in praying for each person who will receive shoes and the message of God’s love for them!

(3) Six Students Selected for NC Elementary Honors Chorus The process of being selected to sing in the NC Elementary Honors Chorus is a long yet rewarding one. Each year, our CDS lower school music teacher, Mrs. Mary Ann Foltz, auditions dozens of students to select six talented fourth and fifth grade students to submit an audition CD to the NC Elementary Honors Chorus. This recording is then sent for adjudication in the following areas: tone quality, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, diction, and musicality. This year, all six CDS students who auditioned were selected to perform in the NC Elementary Honors Chorus. This marks the first year that all of the students chosen by Mrs. Foltz received this honor: fourth graders Katie Creel, Kirsten Spolar, and James Townsend and fifth graders Emery Van Voorhis, Lauren Westbrook, and Hannah Wylie. These students performed in the NC Elementary Honors Chorus in Winston Salem in November.

(4) Beta Club Collects More than 1,000 Pieces of Clothing

In the fall, the CDS Beta Club hosted a competition to collect clothing for the Mecklenburg County Foster Adoptive Parent Association (MCFAPA) to help provide new clothes, primarily blue jeans, to foster children.

At the end of the friendly competition between the grades, CDS high school students had brought in more than 1,000 pieces of clothing.

CDS Beta Club officers (senior Jessie Floyd and juniors Ashley Kaika, Stephen McKnight, and Laura Snider) presented the clothing to MCFAPA President Phillip Cunningham. MCFAPA collects clothing and other items and provides them to foster children who may not be able to purchase their own. The CDS Beta Club does a variety of service projects throughout the year.

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1 Author Jonathan Rogers visited Covenant Day School to speak to students and host a writing workshop.

2 Hannah Wylie created the Needy Feet Shoe Drive and collected more than 850 pairs of shoes!

3 Six CDS students were selected to sing in this year’s NC Elementary Honors Chorus.

4 CDS Beta Club officers present MCFAPA President Phillip Cunningham with more than 1,000 pieces of clothing.

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(5) Volleyball Builds on Winning Record

Coming off their best season in school history in 2013, this year’s volleyball team was loaded with experience, talent, and depth, with strength both offensively and defensively. In 2014, the Lions moved into the CISAA conference and the level of competition was challenging in every match. They finished the regular season with a 15-2 record and a No. 2 seed going into the state tournament. The team advanced to the state championship match for the second year in a row to compete against Charlotte Country Day School, finishing as state runners-up with a 17-3 record! This year’s team will graduate six seniors with Megan Embry, Christina Goforth, and Hannah Billiard going on to play volleyball at the collegiate level.

5 The CDS varsity volleyball team celebrates after a win at the NCISAA state semi-final game.

(6) Students Claim Record Number of Art Awards

Thirteen students claimed awards at this year’s Regional Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Art Awards. Nearly 2,500 pieces of art were submitted at this level. Three students took home Gold Key awards, the highest honor at the competition. Eighth grade students Caleb Beckstein (photography), Dylan Gentner (drawing and illustration), and Bonnie McGaha (painting) received Gold Key awards for their art and were honored at a ceremony.

Seventh grade students Will Barcley (ceramics and glass), Libby Bertelsen (photography), Eli Kibler (painting), and Eva Lindner (photography) claimed Silver Key awards along with junior Julia Hunkler and senior Christina Goforth. Receiving the Honorable Mention award were seventh grade students Libby Bertelsen (photography) and Eva Lindner (photography) and senior Mary Kate Roper (mixed media). The artwork was exhibited at Spirit Square and both Mint Museums. Additionally, seniors Roni Langley, Joe Yardley, and Anna Shoeck received Honorable Mentions in the writing category.

6 Covenant Day students claim a record number of art awards at this year’s Regional Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Art Awards.

(7) CDS Robotics Club Advances to State Tournament

The Covenant Day Lego Team members advanced to the NC State Tournament. CDS sent two teams, Team Mindstorm Masters and Team Mindstorm Mayhem. Team Mindstorm Masters created an interactive desk, getting their inspiration from airline folding tray tables. This interactive “SMART” desk includes a built-in seat cushion design that provides students a way to move while learning. It also includes a reversible and adjustable tabletop with keyboard, secure tablet holster with power pad charger, and an ergonomic chair. Team Mindstorm Mayhem created M.A.T., a multipurpose attendance tracker which includes a chip in a student’s name tag which serves as an automatic attendance monitor. The team received the Programming Award at the state tournament.

7 Team Mindstorm Mayhem takes home the Programming Award at the NC State Tournament.

(8) CDS Cheer Squad Claims State Title

The CDS varsity co-ed cheer squad took first place in the Large Varsity Division at the 2015 NCISAA Invitational Cheer and Dance Championships.

The state’s invitational was held at Providence Day School on February 7, 2015. Covenant Day School’s squad is led by coaches Jackie Weigel and Jennifer Kincheloe. Recent members of the squad have gone on to cheer at NC State University, UNC–Chapel Hill, Clemson University, Appalachian State University, Wofford College, and Anderson University.

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8 CDS varsity co-ed cheer squad claims its first state title.

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FINE ARTS

SEVEN BRIDES for SEVEN BROTHERS Set in Oregon in the 1850’s, Covenant Day’s spring musical production, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was certainly a favorite!

The musical was full of plot twists and fun surprises, including snow. Building the intricate set was a tremendous task as it involved a lot of scenery and set changes, yet the team managed to pull it off in an extraordinary fashion.

BEHIND the MUSIC Covenant Day’s high school musical orchestra spent two months gearing up for this year’s musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Ten students, along with several adult volunteers, spent countless hours practicing at home as well as working together as an ensemble in preparation to support the students taking the stage. Playing in the musical orchestra gives CDS students exceptional experience, as they are able to perform alongside professional musicians. The musical orchestra is truly an integral part in the success of the musical each year, bringing life and energy to the musical that a recorded track is not able to provide. In fact, several of our students even learned to play a secondary instrument to cover the parts required by the composer.

The directors, Mrs. Charlene Thomas and Mrs. Barbara Chase, chose this musical because it is witty, sweet, and family-friendly. This year’s musical also had a lot of dancing scenes.

Covenant Day’s new choreographer, Isaac Gay, was instrumental to the musical, bringing fresh and exciting ideas.

Covenant Day’s rendition of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was a huge success and highlighted the talent of our high school students. This year’s cast will also be participating in the Blumey Awards.

Congratulations to junior Hannah Ertel and sophomore Ellen Goodling for being accepted to the Blumey Student Critics Program!

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This year’s student orchestra members included GiannaMarie Dobson (flute), Caroline Macurda (oboe/English horn), Katie Culpepper (bass clarinet/clarinet), Amelia Brumwell (trumpet), Danielle Hickman (trumpet), Rachel Peterson (trumpet), Bess Blackburn (French horn), Lena Adelman (violin), Evelyn Townsend (violin), and Natalia Dahlgren (percussion). Ms. Megan Tuttle serves as Covenant Day’s band director.

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Students Create “Empty Bowls” to Help End Hunger Filling a bowl of soup for lunch seems like quite a simple task, but for some in our community, it’s not so simple. According to Feeding America, nearly 20% of people in North Carolina alone struggle with a lack of food everyday. That is more than 1.8 million people.

Every two years, Covenant Day School participates in the Empty Bowls Project, an international grassroots effort to help end hunger. Students and faculty create and glaze ceramic bowls to raise awareness about the hunger issue in our own community. Funds are raised through the purchase of student bowls and an online auction of faculty bowls. The project culminates in a soup lunch on Grandparents Day, which raises additional funds for the Empty Bowls Project.

This year, nearly $4,000 was raised for Empty Bowls. Proceeds went to Matthews HELP Center’s BounceBack Backpack Program and One7 Ministries. The Empty Bowls project at CDS is spearheaded by CDS art teacher Karen Ernsberger.

Matthews HELP Center’s BounceBack Backpack Program Many students in Matthews receive free or reduced price breakfasts and lunches at school, but they do not have food on the weekends. Matthews HELP Center provides food for 60 identified children at three local elementary schools. The BounceBack Backpack program provides these students healthy, kid-friendly, non-perishable food every weekend throughout the school year.

One7 Ministries David and Mary Catherine Garrett started One7 Ministries with a desire to see the lives of inner city children from all over the world radically transformed by Jesus Christ. According to One7 Ministries, poverty is one of the main causes for the decay in our inner cities, leading to hopelessness in the lives of many kids born into a world where they were forced to fight to survive at a very young age.

One7 Ministries is devoted to providing mentoring, tutoring, coaching, and discipleship to inner city youth while sharing with them the incredible plan God has for all of His children.

An Illustrator in Our Midst There was a new children’s book on the shelf this past Christmas, illustrated by one of our very own, junior Lexi Hunkler. Author Katie Menard held a competition to choose an illustrator for her new book, Follow the King’s Star. CDS art teacher Katie Spata encouraged Lexi to enter the competition, and she won! Mrs. Spata had the exciting opportunity to help with the layout of the book.

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COVENANT CLASSIC | 2015

15

ATHLETICS

All Eyes on Sarah Written by Joey Glass ’11

“I remember being told to keep an eye out for Sarah Billiard,” said CDS Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Zach Turner. Rumor had it she might become the best player on his team, but at the time she was still in middle school, a breeding ground for exaggeration. Then as a seventh grader, she earned a spot on the high school JV team.

“I first saw Sarah when she came to an open gym,” said Coach Turner. “Right away I could tell the girl could play.”

The next year she made varsity while still in middle school.

Sarah played everything from point guard to power forward, and her skills kept getting better. Every year she averages more rebounds, blocked shots, and assists per game.

At this season’s matchup of CDS and Charlotte Christian, Sarah was right on the doorstep of reaching 1,000 points. She was a dozen points shy of the benchmark, and they knew it was going to be a close game. Rather than interrupt a critical moment late in the game, Coach Turner decided to wait until after it was over to add up the stats.

Although the Lions lost that tough fight, Coach Turner walked up to Sarah with good news. She had scored her 1,000th point.

players in CDS history to reach 1,000 points are Mitchell Klein, Lauren Villarreal, Hilliary Adams, and David Airing.

Sarah is the youngest player to achieve this goal.

Sarah is not just a scoring machine—she’s averaged a double-double in every game for the past two years. To put that in perspective, less than ten NBA players got a double-double in more than half of their games last season. At this rate, she’s on pace to score over 1,850 points by graduation. Those kinds of numbers are making waves outside of the school. She made the MAC All-Conference Team as a freshman and CISAA All-Conference Team as a sophomore. She’s been the Matthews-Mint Hill Player of the Week on many occasions, and The Charlotte Observer has featured her as their Player of the Week several times.

Perhaps more importantly, Sarah still has her love for the game, her school, and her teammates. “They are my best friends on and off the court,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

As the MVP for the past two years, she has accepted the reins handed down from her older sister Hannah, who is going to play volleyball for Sarah Billiard with CDS Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Zach Turner Berry College in Georgia next “Honestly, I thought he was joking at first,” Sarah said with year. Although Sarah has a great love for basketball, she a humble laugh. “I had no idea that I was even close!” recently accepted a full scholarship offer to play volleyball Shocked and excited, she was called to the center of the at the University of Virginia. gym while the announcement was made. CDS Athletic Director Mark Jones presented her with the game ball, Whether it’s an aggressive crowd watching as the time and she hugged her coaches and her parents. The crowd expires, persuasive college scouts assessing the future, gave her a standing ovation, and her teammates ran onto or an encouraging home-fan base applauding, it often the court to congratulate her. seems that all eyes are on Sarah. As she continues to focus her eyes on the goals ahead, while keeping her Now at the end of her sophomore season, Sarah has good friends close around her, the future looks very tallied up an impressive 1,024 points. The only other bright for this young star.

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From CDS to the Junior Olympics Written by Kelly Keesling, CDS Web Coordinator

Sedona Dancu is an outgoing, motivated sixth grader who is passionate about sports and grateful for the support of her family, friends, and coaches.

At the age of seven, Sedona and her twin sister Carolina signed up for a 5K run. This was their first race and wasn’t the best start for Sedona, but she loved the experience and was motivated to work harder and improve.

On the Covenant Day cross country team, Sedona ran this past season under the guidance of Coach Venessa Robinson. Sedona gushed about how encouraging Coach Robinson is. The coach’s advice to “never look back” helped her focus on her goals.

At last year’s conference championship, Sedona ran with two teammates who were also her biggest competition. All three girls made it to the top ten in that race with Sedona coming in sixth and the team winning the conference title. They pushed each other to work harder.

Since fifth grade, Sedona has trained with Fit180, a club track and field program for middle school students. Sedona says that her coach, Lisa Sluiter, has helped her learn the proper form. Fit180 also helps youth prepare for the Junior Olympics, an annual multi-sport event for youth in the United States. In 2013, Sedona qualified to try out for the regional Junior Olympics in 3K and cross country. That year, she came in sixteenth place in the 11-12 division and barely missed making it to the national level. “I knew if I worked harder and harder, I would get there,” she said. Last fall, she tried out again. She recalls that she was pushing so hard that she thought she was going to pass out but saw the finish line and pushed on. She finished in ninth place and qualified for the national competition.

In December, over 3,000 youth athletes journeyed to Myrtle Beach for the 2014 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. The atmosphere felt like the “real” Olympics. There was an opening ceremony and a parade, with Sedona’s team representing North Carolina. The race was exciting, too. Her dad shared that the starting line was chaos as more than 400 youth ran at the same time. Sedona ran her best race that day, coming in at 11:48 for the 3K (her personal record) and finishing 144th. Her dad proudly said, “Even though she is almost always the smallest in the race, she works twice as hard to win. She does not let her small size deter her.”

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athletic ACCOLADES (2014-2015)

CISAA All-Conference Fall > Cross Country: Cameron Echols, Hannah Joye, Jonathan Vines > Soccer: Chad Hunkler > Tennis: Madison Wall > Volleyball: Sarah Billiard, Megan Embry, Christina Goforth Winter > Cheerleading: Jessica Boyce, Tom Crouch, Sarah Poole, Davis Riggins, Laura Snider, Anslee Tigani > Girls Basketball: Sarah Billiard

NCISAA 3A State Champions > Volleyball (Runners-Up)

NCISAA 3A All-State Honors > Cameron Echols (Cross Country) > Sarah Billiard) (Volleyball) > Christina Goforth (Volleyball)

NCISAA 3A State Competition > Varsity Volleyball State Runners-Up > Varsity Girls Cross Country State Meet - 4th Place > Varsity Boys Cross Country State Meet - 11th Place > Varsity Girls Basketball State Tournament - 1st Round > Varsity Cheer Champions - Large Varsity Division

COVENANT CLASSIC | 2015

17

ALUMNI NEWS

Covenant Day’s Impact on Our Lives Written by Tyler & Kelly Andrews ’10

CDS Alumni Tyler Andrews and Kelly (Brace) Andrews on their wedding day

It is very hard to believe that we graduated from CDS five years ago. Our CDS education helped us to grow stronger in many aspects. At CDS, we were surrounded by teachers who were true role models and spiritual leaders. Our friends and classmates constantly challenged us to be stronger in our faith, academics, and values. CDS taught us how to better balance time by focusing on our relationships with the Lord, schoolwork, athletics, relationships with family, and friends. We both felt better prepared when it came to time management, study skills, and leadership skills than most of our peers in college. In fact, some of our strongest friendships began at CDS. Both of us lived with and spent a great deal of time with graduates from CDS at Appalachian State University. We also still get together with multiple CDS classmates who are living in Charlotte once again.

Our relationship as a couple began our senior year at CDS, although we had known each other since sixth grade. We both had strong faith at the start of our relationship, which helped us grow even more spiritually. We challenged each other to become better individuals and to stay motivated when it came to faith and academics. Both of us played multiple sports throughout high school, which taught us to stay active and to be better teammates. We both enjoy exercise, which we can mostly credit to the “coaching legends,”: Coach Parrish, Coach Houseton, Coach Jones, Coach Foltz, and Coach Cope.

In college, we were both involved in several organizations including Campus Crusade for Christ, Greek life, and student government. Kelly had the opportunity to start a Bible study in her sorority along with another CDS graduate, Natalie Weir. Tyler started a fraternity, which was founded on core Christian principles, with the help of CDS graduate, Duncan Palmer. The fraternity now has over 80 members including many CDS graduates. Tyler is now working for Bank of America in the Finance Map Associate Program, and Kelly is working at the YMCA in the Health and Wellness Department. She is working her way toward being a personal trainer as well as a Certified Nutritionist/Registered Dietitian. We have been attending Forest Hill Church and are involved in a married couples’ small group with the church. We truly want to thank CDS for teaching us how to work hard and to not stray away from our values. In the future, we would be honored to send our children to CDS in hopes that they may have a great experience like we did.

We are excited for the growth at CDS and pray that it will continue to impact students the same way it impacted us.

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CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES 2006

Lisa (Balwin) Edgar currently works as a Spanish teacher in Landsowne, PA. Katherine (Donahoe) Kropp recently got married and is currently in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Drew Horner currently lives in Omaha, NE, and is working for the US Department of the Treasury.

Lindsay Holden works as an analytics consultant at Quaero in Charlotte.

Elizabeth (Maye) Drechsler teaches third grade at Palmetto Christian School in Charleston, SC. Chelby (Pittman) Flye works as a CMS elementary teacher.

Jason Flye works at Lowe’s Corporate as an IT consultant.

Josh Reichard lives in Arlington, VA, and works for CohnReznick LLP. Scott Schindler is the associate director of admissions at Covenant College.

Hanley Rice started a business with a co-founder and recently joined with Digital Media Group.

Tiffany (Waters) Bolick works for Gaston County DHHS as a foster care social worker.

Jennifer (Dixon) Onxley is a math and physics tutor at Seeds of Success Tutoring Center and the assistant children’s ministry director at Del Rio Bible Church in Del Rio, Texas.

2007 Julie (Burton) Ford works at the Harris YMCA and recently started Jimmy Blooms, her own floral design business in Charlotte.

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Jennifer (Cousar) Loomis is working in the financial aid office at Liberty University and is pursuing her master’s degree in school counseling.

2008

Jeremy Clayton works as a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors.

Kourtney (Madden) Clark is a fourth grade teacher at East Mooresville Intermediate School. She was awarded Beginning Teacher of the Year for 20132014.

Carol-Jean Deason works as an RN at Carolinas Medical Center.

Taylor Clark works in corporate accounting at Lowe’s.

Caroline (Farish) Pickens is an academic learning specialist at Charlotte Christian School.

Zach Burkhart started his own video business called Nowsay.

Caroline Fortson is the junior district manager for Teknion in Atlanta, GA.

Madeline Sullivan is working as a banquet events coordinator at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Orlando, FL.

Alison Johnston is working at Levine Children’s Hospital as a nurse practitioner in pediatric neurology.

Annie Donahoe is a naturalist for Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui. She is engaged to Justin Corson.

Mitchell Klein works in inside sales at Johnstone Supply.

David Batten is director of IT/talent acquisition for The Batten Group.

Janelle (Sittema) Evans works as an assistant program manager for an apparel company called OOBE. Ashley Love works for a commercial design studio that recently relocated to Trade Street in Matthews.

Samantha Jones recently started her own wedding and event planning company, Southern Grace Events.

Daniel Martin is an armor officer stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas.

Liz Joyce works as a rehabilitation and movement specialist for Carolina Spine and Sports.

Brooke (Norris) Harris is pursuing her master’s degree in counseling at Gordon Conwell Seminary.

Alexa Smith works for Mosaic XM as a national market manager in Charlotte.

Whitney (Tapp) Jordan married Kyle Jordan last June. She currently works as a speechlanguage pathologist in Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Jordan (Manns) Clevenger married Colton Clevenger on December 13, 2014.

Heather Leonall is a first grade teacher and has been accepted to pursue a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership at Wingate University.

COVENANT CLASSIC | 2015

19

CLASS NOTES Carolyn (Hawks) Slover married Matthew Slover last May and is working at Unionville Elementary as a third grade teacher.

Michael MacDermott works in Charlotte for Bank of America as an AVP and senior auditor.

Tyler Ramsland works for Salesforce in Indianapolis, IN.

2009 David Batson married Rachel Krausse on February 22, 2015.

Michaelanne Clardy works for Morgan Stanley as a registered associate in Charlotte.

Chad Hite works as a product specialist for the Chapman Company.

Katie Weigel is interning with NASCAR - Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing Team.

Megan Harrelson began her master’s/ doctoral degree program in clinical psychology at Auburn University.

Sarah Leonall is currently in pharmacy school at Wingate University. Last summer, she won the Fred M. Eckel Distinguished Student Award.

Bethany (Lesh) Woolfolk is an RN on the oncology floor for St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, VA.

Arielle DeBrun lives in Rome, GA and is an adoption case manager for the Department of Family and Children Services.

Heath McIntire is currently studying abroad in Groningen, Netherlands at the University of Groningen, a top 100 university in the world and top 1% in the world for business.

John Kempf is employed by BB&T Life Services as an insurance analyst.

Mary Melton works for Select Physical Therapy and is the CDS athletic trainer.

Ashley (Snell) Shepherd and her husband, Milas, welcomed their first son, Micah Monroe Shepherd, last year.

Emily (Welfare) Sanchez works as a certified child life specialist in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital.

She married Brian Sanchez on November 15, 2014.

Jessica Toney works as a portfolio management officer in the Global Commercial Bank at Bank of America.

2010 Ross Anthony is a software developer in Orlando, FL, and coaches men’s ultimate frisbee at the University of Central Florida.

Katie Core is a campus recruiting coordinator for Deloitte.

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COVENANT CLASSIC | 2015

Duncan Palmer works as a client relationship specialist at Vanguard in Charlotte.

Kayla Osterhus is an enrollment officer for undergraduate admissions at Wingate University.

Natalie Weir is currently in nursing school at Carolinas College of Health Sciences through Carolinas Healthcare System.

2011 Jessie (Burger) Pugh married Daniel Pugh last summer and is currently enrolled in pharmacy school at Wingate.

Matt Mercado received the Colonel I. Robert Kriendler Leadership Award with the United States Marine Corps.

Ben Swakopf will begin a seven year fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in Germanic linguistics and philology in the fall at Indiana University.

2012 Lane Baker was chosen for the 201415 Medieval Studies Undergraduate Research Fellows Program at Harvard University.

Wesley Gwynne has been awarded a fully funded, international research grant where he will conduct biochemical research of marine life in Sydney, Australia and organometallic research in Bristol, England.

Emma Biggerstaff received the Allcott Undergraduate Art Award which allowed her to spend last summer in the Philippines researching the emerging field of ethno arts. She is currently studying at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland.

Christopher Horecek interned at Yale University Child Life Center last summer and has been selected to be a research intern for Dr. Thomas Fernandez, MD at Yale Child Study Medical Center this summer.

Ryan Osbourn has been named a Billiken Scholar for three semesters in a row. He will be working for the St. Louis Cardinals for the upcoming MLB season.

2013 Chris Chase began research on short term medical missions in conjunction with Harvard Medical School.

Carly Starnes had her artwork selected to be in the Silver and Ink Exhibition for SCAD.

2014 Kristen Brown took a gap year after graduating and spent last summer on a National Geographic Student Expedition Photography Workshop in Prague, Czech Republic.

Gracie Foltz has been promoted to head of the Hair and Makeup Department for the Taylor Operas at Taylor University.

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ALUMNI EVENTS CLASS OF 2010 FIVE YEAR REUNION SATURDAY, JULY 25 AT BRAZWELLS

ALUMNI VS. VARSITY SOCCER MATCH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 AT WARNER PARK

HOMECOMING

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 AT WARNER PARK

ALUMNI NIGHT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 AT CDS HIGH SCHOOL

ANNUAL BOOSTER CLUB GOLF CLASSIC MONDAY, MAY 2

STAY CONNECTED!

Visit www.covenantday.org/alumni for event details, to update your class notes, and to connect with other alumni through social media.

PARENTS OF ALUMNI

ANNUAL EVENT CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS FROM CDS! There is now an event created uniquely for parents of CDS alumni! Make plans to join us for our fourth annual Alumni Parent Dinner. This is a great opportunity to catch up with friends from CDS over dinner, be entertained, and learn about what is going on at CDS and how you can stay connected. There is no charge for this event, so please mark your calendar to join us for fellowship, food, and plenty of fun.

The next dinner will take place in January 2016.

For details, visit www.covenantday.org/alumni.

2015-2016

important dates August 17

1st-8th Grade Orientation

August 17-19

HS Windy Gap

August 18

1st Day of Classes: 1st-8th

August 19

1st Day of Classes: TK & K

August 20

1st Day of Classes: HS

August 19-21

MS Windy Gap

August 23

Convocation

August 27

LS Back to School Night

August 28

PA Fall School Picnic

September 1

MS Back to School Night

September 3

HS Back to School Night

September 7

Labor Day, No School

September 9

Community Heroes

September 18

Teacher Work Day

October 9

Homecoming

October 15-17

Admissions Open Houses

October 23

Teacher Work Day

October 28-31

MS Musical

November 25

Half Day - Thanksgiving Break

December 1

Return from Thanksgiving Break

December 18

Half Day - Christmas Break

January 4

Return from Christmas Break

January 7

Admissions Open House

January 11-15

Rising Freshman Week

January 18

MLK Day, No School

February 4-6

HS Musical

February 15-19 Professional Development Days for Faculty, No School March 11

Grandparents Day

March 21-28

Easter Break

April 8

Teacher Work Day

May 4-6

ArtFest

May 18

Baccalaureate

May 25

5th Grade Promotion

May 26

8th Grade Promotion

May 27

Half Day, Last Day of School, HS Graduation

A complete list of CDS events can be found online at www.covenantday.org. Please note that all events are subject to change. For event details, please visit the ENEWS.

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE

PAID

800 Fullwood Lane Matthews, NC 28105 (704) 847-2385

PERMIT # 3307 CHARLOTTE, NC

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Visit weekly for announcements, event details, and important links

View photos, learn about upcoming events, and connect with others

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Your online gift makes a lasting impact A one-stop shop for alumni to stay connected

A great place for quick updates and news articles

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