The Cavalier Fall 2019

CENTRAL VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

THE CAVALIER

FALL 2019 1

In this issue of

THE CAVALIER

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14 16 04

Al um n i S potlight: Matthew Reeves, Architect

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G etting to K n ow You

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B r i efs

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Th e View: First Day of School

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R eal F am ilies

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Al um n i U pdate s

On the cover: Blake Schakel gets ready for his first day back to school for the 2019-2020 year.

Light From the Superintendent’s Desk On the rare occasion that I get to give a tour of CVC to a prospective new family I like to save the chapel for last. I take them through the lobby and show them the band room first. Then we walk back through the lobby to the choir room. When those rooms are neat and tidy they are quite impressive and fun to show off. A lot of Christian schools perform concerts in their gyms; it involves hauling equipment across campus and it’s a lot of work so it’s nice to explain how we can move chairs and music stands from the practice rooms to the auditorium stage in a matter of minutes, rather than hours.

After talking a little about the stage and the auditorium, I take them in. The large room is almost always empty when conducting tours; the lights are usually turned off. When we walk in from the lobby and let the door close behind us, it is so dark you can’t see your hand in front of your face – pitch black. I then reach over and flip the switch. The reaction is the same every time, “Wow, this is beautiful!” The family then proceeds with the enrollment. [In retirement, I’m thinking about selling used cars.]

Knowing how dark it is in there, I decided to introduce our new theme, Be the Light, with a little demonstration. We began our school year, as always, with a worship service on the Monday before kids returned. The Hanford Christian School contingency joined our teachers, along with our transportation department, our preschool teachers, our board members, and all the other employees of CVC in the chapel. There were about 150 of us gathered for worship.

Many Bible passages speak about being light, shining light and following the Light, and I decided to use Philippians 2 as my text. The opening verses of the chapter include a beautiful song about the humility Jesus modeled by going to the cross for us. Paul continues by explaining how that gospel should motivate us to do everything without complaining or arguing so that we will be blameless and pure, children of God, in a crooked and depraved generation in which we SHINE LIKE STARS in the universe, holding out the Word of Life.

With one flick of a switch, all the auditorium lights were turned off and 150 of us sat in pitch blackness.

I gave their eyes a few seconds to adjust and then turned on my cell phone. They could see my face.

I asked a teacher to turn on her cell phone and it got brighter. I asked the high school teachers to turn on their cell phones and we could see and recognize each other’s faces. I asked everyone to turn on their cell phones and the place was lit up; it actually looked like stars in the universe, a physical demonstration of the effectiveness of light.

Light penetrates darkness. In the end, light wins.

Our goal this year is to explore what it means to be light in dark places. When a classmate is being picked on, how can a first grader be light? When his colleagues start to grumble and complain, how can a high school teacher be light? In the history of our country, or in the history of the world, who were the courageous Christians who dared to be light when everything and everyone seemed crooked and depraved? We will learn about them and from them. We will teach and train our students to “be the light” in the world, even when liars and cheaters seem to get ahead.

Central Valley Christian Schools

5600 W. Tulare Avenue Visalia, CA 93277 559.734.9481 admissions@cvc.org

Advertising and Content Information: Marissa Carpenter CVCS Marketing Director mcarpenter@cvc.org 559.734.2684 cvc.org

Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Paul’s words are not a suggestion. It’s a command from God and I invite you to join me in praying for our teachers and students, that God will embrace us as his children and fill us with his Spirit so that others can’t help but see the light of Christ shine out of us.

Larry Baker

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Arts and Crafts Barn - Matthew's first ground-up project, 2015. Located on a farm in Heber City, UT.

ALUMNI INTERVIEW MATTHEW REEVES, ARCHITECT interviewed by Marissa Carpenter, Director of Marketing and Enrollment

In 2001, teen guys wore skater shoes, cargo shorts, and gelled their hair into spikes.

Straight out of homeschool, that was a bit of a shock. Skater shoes were a massive, puffy, pillow-shaped ordeal. As I loved to draw a lot, I would trace out their form, probably invent a bit, just to understand the appeal. Then I wore some. So cool.

Marissa: What’s your occupation?

Matthew: I practice architecture, and am unofficially known as a “designer.” I am studying for my final California licensure exam this year.

What grade levels did you attend at CVC, and when did you graduate from Central Valley Christian?

I attended CVC from 7th grade, and graduated in 2007.

What’s your first memory of CVC? 4

What’s your favorite memory of CVC? Not to incite misconduct, but I love secret passageways. A fond memory of my sophomore year was a time a few friends and I happened upon a secret room! I will not release where, nor with whom, because it is a secret. It was a fun little spot through a ceiling opening, quite stuffy and full of technical equipment. We realized it led downstairs to yet another room, usually off limits—some kind of storage. Nothing special. The joy was in discovering! As I look back with my education and experience, it’s cool to realize how important these “backof-house” rooms are for overall buildings.

Secret rooms should also spark wonder, no matter how banal!

Post-graduation, where did you go?

What did you study? Why? I studied art studio at UC Santa Barbara in 2007, with a heavy helping of history and sciences. Drawing, painting, and some serious research essay-writing highlighted life in an ocean-side paradise. There was one CVC alumnus a year ahead and a year behind me on campus too! Always nice to have a familiar face.

Drawing is the most natural thing I know, and it eventually took over my experience away at college. Any idea that isn’t just words has to be born into the world somehow, and drawing it out is the most approachable. I kept pushing for architecture, but UC Santa Barbara did not offer this study, so I was patient and saved it for graduate school later. After graduating UCSB, I had a 2-year detour at College of the Sequoias’ architecture program, which

is amazing! It sky-rocketed me up to speed, and I finished graduate school at University of Utah in 2014, over in Salt Lake City, Utah.

my old professor said, to never “lose your sketch” in the process.

This profession is indeed a desk job, with “site visits” to see how construction is going. In the office, I use several types of software: AutoCAD, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop and InDesign, as well as Bluebeam. The most important thing I use, though, is my drawing pad, which is somehow the easiest thing. The challenge is to take the scribbled-out ideas—sometimes from me, though usually from my managers and the clients— and place them in the software. These applications rapidly communicate ideas in a commonly used format, but they cannot design on their own. Once printed out from

THE CAVALIER

Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career thus far.

As a start, God blessed me with the chance to pursue a passion of mine. My earliest accomplishments were exploring art and taking COS architecture classes. Graduate school had me design and build a home for a deserving family in Utah (University of Utah School of Architecture’s DesignBuildBLUFF program, for you makers out there!).

Take our readers through a normal day of work for you. What’s the most difficult thing about your job? The easiest thing?

Architecture, as well as the whole building industry, is project-based, and each project might be at a different point of completion.

Walking into work on a typical day, I keep in mind where each project timeline is, and my managers will set the course. There are two high rises (skyscrapers) and two beautiful hilltop homes about to finish.

There is a home built over a river (for real), halfway through construction. There are two family homes in the early phases of being built, and several others. Along with these are numerous competitions, where our firm competes to design a project.

I designed a really cool barn for a retired farmer in Utah. This was right out of school for me, at my first job where I worked under an excellent architect. It was designed in a style known as “arts and crafts.”

A snapshot into how design is accomplished.

Modern house in Los Altos, CA, which is under construction for an early founder of various tech giant companies.

these software types, builders can quickly look at a drawing and make something real. These drawings sometimes require extra information later, or might have to change halfway through construction, by necessity or by client request. The goal is to emerge through the complications, and, as

I am currently helping design a three-storyhigh window wall for a high-end family house. This entire wall is a sculptural, 3 dimensional pattern of triangular glass panes, with sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay sunrise.

A continuing professional goal of mine is to gain experience in both “traditional” and “modern” styles, as well as in small scale and large scale buildings. So far, I did get to work for a classically-trained architect for small scale housing. I then experienced large-scale modern design for an airport railway station in San Francisco. I currently practice a modern style in both large and small scale.

LET'S BUILD ON THAT: MORE ARCHITECTURAL LINGO Plan: a building’s horizontal layout, where all the rooms and spaces, doors, windows and stairs, can be shown.

Section: a building’s vertical cut-through, showing how its components and assemblies are put together. This will show how roofs sit on walls, and how walls sit on floors.

Elevation: a side view of a building’s walls (“faces” or “façades”), inside and outside. This shows how a building will look, its materials, and how the doors and windows will align to other portions of the building.

Perspective: A drawing of a building shown in 3 dimensions, usually from an angle that a person will see it.

Scale: drawing a building on paper perfectly proportional to its real shape. Though smaller on paper, a ruler can be used to represent the true size. For example, many “plans” of houses are drawn on paper where a ¼” equals one foot (1’-0”). The math here is proportional fractions with one unknown variable. No calculators!

Drafting: the act of drawing a building on paper to a true scale.

CADD: (computer aided drafting and design): 2 dimensional lines created with a computer.

BIM: (building information modelling): 3 dimensional shapes created with a computer that have important info loaded. For example, a 3D door can be modelled, located

in the building model, documented as a specific door type. This “door” can be placed in dozens of locations, and they will all update at the same time, and keep track of the total count. I promise this is cool.

Program: the written requirements for a building. The program lists out what a building will do, what rooms it needs, and roughly its size in square feet (SF).

Schedule: A list of building components, such as: Door and Window Schedule, Lighting Fixture Schedule, Hardware Schedule, Finish Material Schedule.

BArch/March: Degrees, Bachelor’s of Architecture (4-5 year program), Master’s of Architecture (1-3 year program)

Maker: cross-discipline term for a person who dreams up things and brings them into the world.

New technologies and old-world craft are used simultaneously by these folks. They look rough, are quite smart, and if they can’t do something on their own, they want to know how anyway.

Adaptive Reuse: A subset of historic preservation, where an existing building is maintained by a community and transformed to serve a new purpose. It usually has additional portions of buildings added, which is its great design challenge to ensure the original integrity is apparent.

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"Christian education has made it clear to me that everyone I encounter in life deserves the love Christ showed me."

Matthew's firm on a construction site visit - standing on a location for a future rooftop hot tub overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

What are the next steps for you—where would you like to go from here?

I would eventually enjoy exploring the world of historic preservation and “adaptive reuse.” It is wonderful when a community appreciates a previous generation’s building style so much, they want to work around it. I respect a skillful design that can contrast an old existing building with contemporary details. I am also excited to see which brand new buildings today communities will want to preserve. It won’t be all of them, but a few will be winners!

What do you do when you’re not working? What are your hobbies?

There are a lot of hiking trails up in the San Francisco Bay area which my wife Maria and I explore. We both plan ahead for annual trips across the country to visit family. When I get the chance, I enjoy practicing an art style know as pyrography, which is wood burning imagery on thin panels of wood. Wood-burned bookmarks are great gifts! Rock climbing and running are other hobbies on my list as well.

What might someone be surprised to know about you? (Weird food that you like, funny habits, etc.)

I love donuts. They punctuate my week.

Every Saturday is “Donut Day” at my house, since it cannot be every day. I certainly miss Scotty’s over in Visalia, but have indeed found plenty up here in the Bay Area. One

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in particular, Johnny Donuts, was catered at my wedding!

How do you think Christian education helps take on today’s challenges through academia and the holistic process of involving Christ in everything we do?

I was raised in a Christian home and lived within Christian communities all the while growing up. I then went to a secular college, and realized that my religious background was not the norm. With that came a big question: am I going to keep my faith in Christ, if no one encourages me? Since then, every step of my life is a process of venturing out into a world that believes different from me, but then always returning in fellowship with believers.

Christian education has made it clear to me that everyone I encounter in life deserves the love Christ showed me.

How would you change Christian education? Would you change anything about your specific CVC experience? If so, what?

Christian education has an excellent opportunity to draw back on the early format of western universities: all fields of study were linked by theology. It was the summit of law, science, art, philosophy, medicine, and others. Today this is no longer the case in the secular academic fields. I would have loved to hear this, or to

have paid attention a bit more when a CVC teacher did say this.

On a minor note, I would definitely have spent more time in shop class. It’s hard to make cool things out of metal and wood while living in a densely crowded city.

What kinds of opportunities did you take hold of while at CVC? Sports?

Extracurriculars?

Clubs?

Honors classes?

I did cross country, swimming (any rock climbing clubs at CVC yet??), advanced art, honors English, honors algebra, IMPACT, student council, CVC high school newspaper, and I was Mr. CVC 2007.

Beyond CVC I participated in a Mt. Whitney film editing course, COS drawing courses in the summer, and I was a Visalia TimesDelta teen journalist.

What would you tell someone who is thinking of attending Central Valley Christian?

CVC offers Christian support, fellowship, and guidance, while students move toward their next step. College prep is a very important aspect of studies, and your beliefs can be a part of it. Your school experience, and your next adventure, will be anchored in Christ.

Getting to Know You THIS YEAR, WE’RE WELCOMING A HANDFUL OF “NEWBIES” TO OUR CAMPUS— A COUPLE OF THESE FACES M AY L O O K F A M I L I A R , S I N C E T H E Y ’ R E ALUMNI! WE’RE ALSO SHIFTING A FEW ROLES AROUND, BUT THOUGHT Y O U M AY W A N T T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y T O R E - A C Q U A I N T Y O U R S E LV E S W I T H T H E I R B AC KG R O U N D S A N D FAVO R I T E B R E A K FA STS . WE H O PE T H EY A L L H AVE A WONDERFUL YEAR!

C O U R T N E Y VA N B E E K 2ND GRADE TEACHER WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I graduated in May 2019 from Dordt College (now Dordt University!) in Sioux Center, IA. I graduated with an Elementary Education degree with endorsements in Early Childhood Education and Reading.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? After graduation, I had been soaking up the summer at home (Lynden, WA) with family and friends in anticipation of the big move at the end of July!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I’m looking forward to being part of a new community at CVC and meeting new colleagues, students, and families. I can’t wait to be doing what I love while working with the community as we continue to grow His kingdom.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? I have a sweet tooth, so my ideal breakfast would have to be pancakes and waffles with a nice thick layer of syrup and strawberries to top it off!

ANGELA STRUIKSMA 1ST GRADE TEACHER WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I graduated from CVC in 2005. I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in 2007 with an AA degree in Marketing.

I graduated from Fresno State in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences. I received a California Teaching Credential from Fresno Pacific University in 2015, and I will be finishing my Master of Arts in Teaching this fall at Fresno State.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? For the last four years I have been teaching first grade for Visalia Unified School District at Annie R. Mitchell Elementary. I am also busy with attending school myself. What keeps me busy the most is my family. My husband Kevin and I have three children: Maverick, Rylie, and Kennedy. Together we like to swim, go to the beach, visit family in Southern California, and watch movies.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I am most looking forward to teaching in a Christian atmosphere where I can not only pray for my students but also with my students.

I am also looking forward to being on the same campus as my son, Maverick, who is starting kindergarten this year.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? My ideal breakfast is a breakfast burrito made with homemade flour tortillas, chorizo, eggs, potatoes, and onions!

AUDRA SCHEENSTRA 3RD GRADE TEACHER WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I graduated from Fresno State University in 2012. I also attended Immanuel High School.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? Before I joined the CVC teaching team, I was teaching second grade at Rockford in Porterville. This will be my fifth year teaching.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I am really looking forward to teaching with students/staff in my own community that have similar backgrounds and beliefs that I have grown up with.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? My favorite breakfast is eggs Benedict with lots of hot sauce! (And now I'm hungry.)

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JACOB KITSON CVC M S M AT H T E AC H E R

T Y L E R H AY S HS & MS CHORAL DIRECTOR

WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I have a B.A. in Communications from Fresno State University and a Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics.

WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I received my Bachelors of Music in Music Education (Voice) from Biola University in the Spring of 2019.

Also, I graduated from Redwood High School in 2015.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? I spent the last two years teaching 7th Grade Math at Wilson Middle School in Exeter. Before that, I was a Youth Pastor at Tulare Community Church.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? Besides finishing my degree, I was busy being a husband and being a dog parent! I have been happily married to the love of my life, Eunice, since August 4, 2018 and we have a dog named Adelaide.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I'm looking forward to working with the middle school staff, getting to know the students, and being able to talk freely about our faith in Christ in the classroom.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? Right now, my ideal breakfast is anytime I go on a breakfast date with my wife at Component Coffee Lab. If I had to choose one of their items, I'd go with Chicken & Waffles (and of course, a Flash Brew coffee).

HENRY GRIMMIUS AUDITORIUM DIRECTOR

WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I graduated from Immanuel in 1978, went through the COS Farm program, took various courses for getting my real estate license as well as appraising. I spent four years traveling around the world with a missions musical group, where I honed my sound reinforcement skills. I also obtained several certificates, having taken courses from a Recording Institute of America-approved studio. I also completed a Level Two Certification for DANTE, a digital audio protocol for handling audio over networks.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? I spent the last 21 years as the full-time Director of Audio at Peoples Church in Fresno, and was involved as part-time audio staff for 32 years.

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WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I am looking forward to getting to know the wonderful students at CVC and making music with them! The community of the families and students at CVC has a wonderful reputation and I look forward to being a part of it.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? My ideal breakfast is thick-cut french toast with some hash browns on the side and some orange juice to help wash it all down!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I’m looking forward to being able to pass on the knowledge (besides just book knowledge) of what I've learned and experienced through the course of my career. It can benefit not only students involved with the technical side of events, but also the students attending those events. Additionally, it has the possibility to impact the church body as a whole, through training up potential volunteers or staff at churches or facilities here in town or beyond, using tools and skills they've developed while at CVC. WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? Cold cereal. I know, boring. But it's what I have every day.

R A C H E L L E VA N ESSENDELFT K-8 COUNSELOR

WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I have an Associate of Arts in Education: English as a Second Language Paraeducator and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Dordt College. I have a Pupil Personnel Services Credential and a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Fresno Pacific University.

District. I have also interned as a school counselor at Orosi High School.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? I was an intern school counselor at Cutler Elementary and a short-term substitute teacher with the Visalia Unified School

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? Breakfast burrito and avocado!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I am excited to be working in a Christian community and to be starting a school counseling program for the elementary and middle schools!

they look familiar...

S TA C Y S O E R E N S MS GEOGRAPHY AND K-5 PE TEACHER WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I have a B.A. from Dordt College in Elementary Education with a coaching endorsement.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? I have actually been teaching at CVC for the past six years. I taught 3rd Grade part-time for one year and most recently have been teaching 2nd Grade for five years.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I absolutely LOVE teaching at CVC! Making the move to Middle School is an exciting challenge and adventure that I can’t wait to embark on. Middle School can be a difficult transitional period for kids and I hope that I can be there for the students and also show them that we can have fun learning. I am also thrilled to be the K-5 PE teacher--still having the connections with the younger students, showing them that God made our bodies to be active and healthy.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? My ideal breakfast would be eggs (pretty much any way) with some toast and bacon.

B R OO K E B A R TO N MS PE, LEADERSHIP A N D AT H L E T I C D I R E CTO R WHAT’S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND? I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mid America Christian University.

WHAT WERE YOU BUSY WITH BEFORE YOU CAME TO CVC? The list is long: Recreation Director for the City of Exeter, smoothie shop (Keva Juice) owner for five years, stay-at-home mom, and I was a bus driver for CVC. WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT CVC? I know I'll miss teaching at the Elementary, but I'm looking forward to being on one campus as well as working with middle school students and helping them to develop in their leadership skills.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL BREAKFAST? I rarely eat breakfast. A granola bar or a smoothie would be my ideal choice.

ONCE AGAIN, WELCOME THESE FINE FOLKS TO CVC! IF YOU SEE THEM A R O U N D CA M PU S , A S K A B O UT T H E I R A L M A M AT E R O R B R I N G T H E M B R E A K FA ST, S I N C E N OW YO U K N OW WH AT T H EY L I K E !

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A HIGH SCHOOL SCHEDULE DESIGNED FOR LEARNING We will be implementing a new daily schedule at CVCHS this year.

Staff, students, and parents worked all of last year to develop a schedule that will better support learning, collaboration, and community building.

Leadership author Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” You can see the “what” below. And now we’ll tell you a little more about the “why.”

Two days of block provide time for students to engage in deeper learning experiences that promote creative problem solving.

Focus Time at the end of the day reduces the number of core courses students might miss due to athletic early dismissals and provides a structure for making up class content.

During Focus Time, students, teachers, and peer tutors will be available for academic intervention and enrichment.

2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0

1st 8:10-8:57

1st 8:10-9:27

2nd 9:01-9:44 3RD 9:48-10:31 BREAK: 10:31-10:41

S C H E D U L E

St aff co ll abor ation

5th 8:50-10:07 2nd 9:32-10:49 chapel: 10:11-10:51 BREAK: 10:49-11:01

4th 10:41-11:26 3rd 11:01-12:20

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th

Lunch: 12:20-12:55

Lunch: 12:14-12:57

6th 12:44-1:27 4th 12:55-2:12 7

th

1:31-2:14

Fo cus: 2:18-3:00

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Fo cus: 2:18-3:00

1st 8:10-8:57

1st 8:10-8:57

2nd 9:01-9:44

2nd 9:01-9:44

3RD 9:48-10:31

3RD 9:48-10:31

BREAK: 10:31-10:41

BREAK: 10:31-10:41

4th 10:41-11:26

4th 10:41-11:26

5th 11:30-12:14

5th 11:30-12:14

Lunch: 12:14-12:44

Lunch: 12:14-12:44

6th 12:44-1:27

6th 12:44-1:27

7th 1:31-2:14

7th 1:31-2:14

Fo cus: 2:18-3:00

Fo cus: 2:18-3:00

10:55-12:14

5th 11:30-12:14 Lunch: 12:14-12:44

If a student is not in need of academic intervention, they are able to attend college visits, Bible study, or student activity meetings during Focus Time.

7th 12:57-2:14

Fo cus: 2:18-3:00

BRIEFS MIDDLE SCHOOL JUST GOT COOLER

Cool. Modern. Clean. Custom. Modular. Movable. For a second there, you might have thought I was describing our middle school staff–well, it’s not staff. And it’s not a classroom. It’s not a magical homework robot. Rather, it’s a student lounge/collaboration center. The middle school proposed this idea to Mothers Club, who in turn helped with funding. Over the summer there has been a lot of planning and figuring out the space. The goal? To turn an unused MS classroom into a student space with different sections of the room: library/book nook area, small group area, collaboration area with tables that can easily be pushed together, etc. There’s plenty of fun seating and workspace to make any middle schooler’s group project dreams come true.

This special spot has just as special a name: Zone 78.

SENIORS EARN COLLEGE CREDIT

CVC offers AP (Advanced Placement) classes in Calculus, Physics, English, Economics and Spanish. Students enrolled in our AP classes take the standardized tests each May and try to earn college credit by scoring 3, 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale. We are proud of our students who earned passing scores in 41 out of 53 AP tests taken – well above the state and national averages. These test scores demonstrate our commitment to excellence and provide our students with a fantastic start to their college careers.

PUT A FRESH COAT OF PAINT ON IT

The south gym, that is. This summer, Kevin Langmaack completed the large painting of “Central Valley Christian Home of the Cavaliers” on the east side of the South Gym. Thanks, Kevin!

FOUR FULL YEARS OF ART NOW AVAILABLE TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Our newest art class, Intro to Studio Art, was approved as a UC 'ag' Visual Art college prep class. CVCHS now has four full years of art available to our students. In this year-long class, students will produce 8-10 meaningful pieces of high-quality art in a variety of media including drawing, painting, watercolor, metal, clay, sculpture, printmaking.

They will also learn about artists and styles from history, develop an understanding of aesthetics, master the elements of art and respond critically to their own craftsmanship. This class serves as a prerequisite to a full year of 2D Art or a full year of 3D Art. Of the change, Mr. Langmaack, high school art teacher said, “I am very excited to have a fresh approach to all of my classes because of this change in the foundational course. I am also looking forward to the freshmen in Introduction to Studio Art being able to have a more well-rounded experience, since it will be double the time." Over the 14 years that Mr. Langmaack has been at CVC, he has seen the art program and class enrollments grow steadily. At this point, CVC has enough students interested for 10 sections of art but only 7 periods a day; the art and counseling department are doing their best to give students opportunities--they are looking forward to the funds being completely raised for the Ag-Shop-Art building so they can offer space and time to all interested students! If you’re interested in donating, go here: cvc. org/support.

SPORT UPDATES

Teams: Softball won the CIF Central Section Division 6 Championship over Foothill 7-0!

Boys Tennis made their 5th straight and 7th out of 8 CIF Central Section Championship. They finished runner-up Division 2 to Sanger.

Individuals: Brian Stark finished 4th at the CIF Central Section Individual Finals. He then played in the Southern California Golf Regional. He finished in a tie for the final qualifying spot to the State Championship but lost in a playoff.

Dirk Nelson qualified to the State Championships in the shotput, and is the first male athlete to make it that far from CVC.

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The View Back to School — students at the Middle School show their house colors!

FAMILIES OF CVC The Roark Family Cody & Melissa Roark, Paige - Sophomore Kacie - 8th grade Cody B. - 5th grade Eva - 2nd grade Easton - 2nd grade

WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO CVC/HISTORY HERE? We both went to CVC for high school. Cody graduated in 1998 and Melissa graduated in 1999.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS BUSY, WHAT ARE YOU BUSY WITH? We run the kids around to their different sports and music activities. We are very involved in our church’s Wednesday night program at Sunrise Community in Tulare. Cody and Melissa have also coached the middle school girls softball team at CVC for the past three years. Cody works for a dairy in Pixley and Melissa gives some piano lessons. We are busy and we like it (most of the time)!

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS RELAXING, WHAT DO YOU DO? We love going on trips together. We go to the Colorado River, the beach, and go camping in our motorhome. These getaways have gotten much more relaxing now that the kids are a bit older. We survived being together in our motorhome for 2 ½ weeks last summer, so we consider that a win!

So much, that we are planning our trip for next summer.

DESCRIBE ONE OF YOUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE TRADITIONS: Every Christmas, on Melissa’s side of the family, we do a themed Christmas. We all vote on a theme and that dictates the place, what food we have, how we dress, etc. It may have 14

become a tad more of a production than we had originally planned on, but it is our kids’ favorite family tradition. You never know if we will be dressed as a movie character, a 20s flapper, or an 80s rocker!

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT CVC? We absolutely love the teachers at CVC. They have been so caring and nurturing to each of our children. I have seen each of our children grow not only academically but spiritually as well. They really get to know and love our children, and every year we are amazed at how God provides in that area.

Every one of our kids is different and the teachers do their best to teach each one individually. Keep up the good work, teachers!

HOW CAN THE CVC COMMUNITY PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? Please pray that we would be wise in how we spend our time, and that we would remember that our mission is to go and make disciples in the world. We are servants of Christ and we want what we do and relationships we make to reflect that. Also, that we would correct and train our children in the Lord and that they resemble Christ and not this world.

All of that is easier said than done so that is why we would appreciate your prayers.

THE CAVALIER

The Noeske Family Todd & Keri Noeske, Joshua - Sophomore Caleb - 8th grade

WHAT IS YOUR CONNECTION TO CVC/HISTORY HERE? We are a newer family to CVC. We moved to Visalia in 2014 from West Michigan for a job opportunity for Keri. The boys attended Visalia Public schools the first few years. Our youngest son Caleb first transferred to CVC in 2017 as he started the 6th grade. We knew families at CVC and felt it was the right direction for Caleb as he expressed interest in involving more of his faith in his education. So many of those families had said our only regret about going to CVC would be that we had not started there sooner. They were right. Caleb’s 6th grade year was filled with strengthening of our family and faith. As our son Josh started planning for high school we introduced him to teachers and students at CVC and gave him the opportunity to decide where he wanted to go to high school. He saw the amazing experiences Caleb had over that first year with coaches and teachers, and through building himself as a Christian. So our second year as a CVC family in 2018 had both of our boys here.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS BUSY, WHAT ARE YOU BUSY WITH? Todd retired from his law enforcement career in 2014 when we moved to California. He now works in safety at Kaweah Delta. Todd has been a high school football assistant coach the last two years. This year he joins the CVC coaching staff.

Keri has been a nurse since 2005, she is now a nursing administrator at Kaweah Delta and faculty at Western Michigan University and University of Phoenix. Josh and Caleb are active with their youth groups at Pipeline Church as well as sports and activities at school. Josh plays on the JV football, basketball and baseball teams. Caleb plays football, soccer, basketball and baseball.

WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS RELAXING, WHAT DO YOU DO? We spend a lot of time together as a family. We enjoy traveling to new places when time allows. As avid baseball fans, we are working our way through all the baseball stadiums in the country. We also enjoy college football and as alumni, Todd and Keri will always be fans of Western Michigan University Broncos.

DESCRIBE ONE OF YOUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE TRADITIONS. When we go on family trips to new towns, we always visit the zoo in that area. We have been to the zoos in Toronto, Wichita, Honolulu, Phoenix, San Diego, Fresno, Chicago, Detroit, Orlando, Grand Rapids and Battle Creek.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT CVC? We have met more families and been welcomed wholeheartedly into the community in the last two years than any other experience since moving to California. The teachers and staff at the school care about every student. They are more than educators, they are mentors for the students and model every day how to bring faith into everyday lives. The academics at CVC also push our boys to excel in ways they’ve never been pushed before.

HOW CAN THE CVC COMMUNITY PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? As our family continues to put down a foundation in this area please pray for continued guidance in ways to share our faith and talents to best serve God and others.

Central Valley Christian Schools Endowment Foundation Whether you’re honoring living or departed loved ones, including us in your own estate plans, or just love CVC and want to give, the Central Valley Christian Schools Endowment Foundation is honored to be the recipient of your gifts.

We will honor those generous donors through a list like the one printed below, unless requested otherwise. The amount of the gift is kept conďŹ dential and is tax-deductible.

YES! ___________________________ wants to be an Endowment Foundation Supporter. $_________ in memory of ________________________________ $_________ in celebration of ________________________________ $_________ in support of Christian education Thank you for your support of Central Valley Christian Schools!

Please return your gifts to: Central Valley Christian Schools ATTN: ENDOWMENT 5600 W Tulare Ave. Visalia, CA 93277

The Central Valley Christian Schools Endowment Foundation gratefully acknowledges gifts received during 2019: In Memory of Case Zwart Jay and Agnes Te Velde Gerrit and Jeanette Bosma In Memory of Martin Verhoeven Gerrit and Jeanette Bosma In Memory of Tena Brouwer John and Gladys De Graaf In Memory of Dorothy (Dotty) Jongsma WM Farming/Marv and Mary Van den Berg

melissa mellema-berlinger

Exceeding expectations..

Design

Interior decor + e Design r Remodel + u it n r fu Construction ns Co t Design Design management

dlbdesign.stud6io 679.758

Go Cavs!

559.679.2303 realtor, bloomgroup, inc. melissaberlinger@gmail.com serving tulare & kings counties calbre#01912333 / calbre#01987353

BR AV O FA R M S 559-684-1600 b r av ofar m s. co m

Alumni Updates After earning a Master of Public Health degree from UC Davis, Kirstie Kampen ’06 currently works as an Epidemiologist in the Public Health Branch of the Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency.

Craig Kampen ’14 met his wife Taylor at UC Davis, where he obtained his mechanical engineering degree and she obtained her human development and communications degrees. After graduating, they got married on June 29, 2018 at the Flower Farm in Loomis, California. They recently moved to San Diego. Craig works as an Aerospace Engineer at Northrop Grumman, and Taylor works as an event manager at an event firm.

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THE CAVALIER

After meeting in college, Kevin and Michelle are 6 years into their happily ever after. They are totally enamored with six-month-old Griffin and are trying to strike the elusive balance between two engineering careers and home life. They've adopted the motto "it's never too early to start living the dream" and have invested many hours of hard work on their five-acre ranch in Loomis, California to make that dream come true. When not hanging out with the little guy, they try to find time for their two first loves... basketball for Kevin and horses for Michelle.

Leah Guerrero (Fynaut) ’08 and her husband Anthony welcomed their second child, Isaiah Kees, on May 11, 2019 at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX.

Michelle (Sytsma) ’10 and Jacob Kitson ’10 graduated from college in 2014. They were married the following October. In 2018, Michelle graduated from USC with a master's degree in nursing and she also received her license to practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Jacob is beginning his third year as a math teacher and his first year at CVC middle school.

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5600 W. Tulare Ave. Visalia, CA 93277

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SEPTEMBER 23

HS Juniors’ College Night, 7pm, MPR

SEPTEMBER 25

See You At The Pole, 7am

OCTOBER 7-10

Spirit Week

OCTOBER 8

HS Band & Choir Fall Concert, 7pm, Chapel

OCTOBER 11

Homecoming, 6pm, Stadium

OCTOBER 16

MS Music Assembly, Chapel, 2pm

OCTOBER 17-18

K-8 Parent/Teacher Conferences

OCTOBER 21

Counselor’s Coffee for Senior Parents, 8:15pm, MPR

OCTOBER 25

Grandparents Day Program, 12:30pm, South Gym

OCTOBER 25

2pm dismissal (Elementary only); Fall Festival, 2pm, ES Campus

OCTOBER 28

College/Career Night for Sophomores, MPR, 7pm

NOVEMBER 8-9

HS Fall Play, Chapel, 7pm

NOVEMBER 11

Veteran’s Day - NO SCHOOL

NOVEMBER 13

Late start, school begins at 10:30am

NOVEMBER 18

Counselor’s Coffee for Junior Parents, MPR, 8:15-9:30am

NOVEMBER 21-26

Hunger/Homelessness Awareness

NOVEMBER 26

K-12 Thanksgiving Chapel

NOVEMBER 26

1st-4th Grade 20-minute Jog, Stadium, 10:30-11:30am

DECEMBER 2

Visalia Christmas Parade, Downtown Visalia, 5-8pm

Events are subject to change! Please check cvc.org to stay up to date.