SUMMER 2016
DREA M B IG T H E
G R A D U A T I O N
I S S U E
IN THIS ISSUE
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THE CAVALIER
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CVC BRIEFS
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ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION
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BUSINESS FEATURES
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THE VIEW: FOOTLOOSE
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ALUMNI UPDATE
GRADUATE GUIDANCE
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From the Superintendent’s Desk
Dear Reader, In this issue of the Cavalier, you’ll see pictures of graduates and read about some of their plans for college and beyond. For a graduate, the month of May provides an ending of one era and the beginning of another. It’s been a little while, but I can still pull up in my mind a pretty clear picture of that time of my life. I don’t remember my graduation ceremony that well. I couldn’t tell you who the speaker was, let alone what was said. What I remember is leaving home. I remember saying good-bye to my mom and dad and crying. I remember getting a note from my mom with the instructions to read it after I was gone. The note can be summarized with three statements. “We love you. We’re proud of you. Don’t forget to write.” The last words people say are important. When you know you won’t see someone for a long time, you don’t talk about the weather or your favorite baseball team. You tell them things that are on your heart. You cut through the nonsense. You tell them things you want them to remember. When King David was about to die, he had important words for his son, Solomon. “Be strong. Know what the Lord requires and walk in his ways. Walk faithfully before the Lord with all your heart and soul.” When the great missionary, Paul, had final words with Timothy, his friend who was like a son to him, he told him, “Avoid godless chatter. Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. Be kind to everyone. Gently instruct those who oppose the Truth. Be prepared always. Remember Jesus Christ.” Dr. James Dobson talked about the last six words spoken to him by his mother, “I told you I was sick.” Parents, I encourage you to think deeply about those things you for sure want your child to remember. If they forget everything else, what is it you want them to remember?
Central Valley Christian Schools 5600 W. Tulare Avenue Visalia CA 93277 559.734.9481
Email: admissions@cvc.org
Advertising and Content Information: Marissa Carpenter CVCS Marketing Director mcarpenter@cvc.org 559.798.5327
Seniors, when your parents are ready to communicate those last words, put the phone away and listen carefully. Even if they don’t say it, take it from a seasoned parent, “Don’t forget to write.” And finally, before Jesus left his earthly ministry he provided his followers and he provides us with these final words of instruction and hope. “I’ll always be with you. If you truly long for Me, I have a crown of righteousness in store for you which I will personally award you when we meet in heaven.” Those are beautiful last words.
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C V C
B R I E F S
CVC names director of marketing and enrollment As a 2006 graduate, I was convinced I had seen CVC grow the most during my time there; but I think now may be the biggest era of progress--in programming as well as infrastructure. These are exciting times!
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The same thing that brought me back to the Central Valley (from Chicago) brought me back to CVC: family. The community of this place is homelike and welcoming; it felt like a natural step to return as the new Director of Marketing and Enrollment. As I adjust to the other side of life at CVC, I’ll be looking for the details that make up a larger story: a teacher stopping to pick up a student’s pencil, a parent helping her kindergartner with his jacket, a principal that gently helps a student discern right from wrong. You might think of me as telling the story as CVC continues Living the Story. Lauren left big shoes to fill, and I’m excited to continue the momentum she began. (Just so you know, you’ve traded one [Trinity] Troll for another!)
Marissa (deHaan) Carpenter
Newly launched FFA program looking for funding help Help us establish the CVC FFA tradition and offer leadership and speaking skills, career direction and long lasting friendships and memories to a new crop of students. The school is starting an Agriculture Education program, which includes FFA beginning this fall. More specifically, help us make the CVC Ag Education Program self-sustaining--we need to raise $300,000 over the next three years to cover projects, trips, uniforms, transportation, and classroom/learning materials. Giving Levels: American Farmer State Farmer Chapter Farmer Green Hand
$10,000+ $5,000-9,999 $1,000-4,999 $1-999
All donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made payable to CVC with FFA or Ag Education in the memo. Contact Greg Wojczynski (gwojcynski@cvc.org) or Doug DeGroff (doug@dairysol.com) for more information. (Dairy Producers: Land O’ Lakes’ $500 matching program applies to this donation!) 4
THE CAVALIER L o c a l . R a w . H o n e y jakesbeeco.com 5
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CVC has proven that the caliber of its programs rises to the challenge and is academically competitive and holistically mission-driven.
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Do We Measure Up?
What Is It? Accreditation is a fancy word for proof. If you need an audit, you call an accountant. If you want to get a clean bill of health, you go to the doctor. If you want to be accredited, you call in accrediting agencies. Yes, Central Valley Christian School was already accredited — the high school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the K-8 schools are accredited by Christian Schools International (CSI). This year, however, for the first time, CVC’s kindergarten through 12th grade is accredited by both WASC and CSI.
The Process It’s always a good idea to re-examine our work and our mission and affirm that they line up. In preparation for the accreditation site visit, our superintendent called for “all hands on deck.” Faculty, staff and administrators have worked together tirelessly for months to prepare. They were able to accomplish the following in a short year:
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Why Become Accredited? If you’re a parent or a member of the Society of CVC, you likely already believe that our school is an investment worth making. In order to keep our momentum of growth and improvement through academics and achievement, CVC elected to complete a dual accreditation process for the entire school: K through 12th grade. Dual Accreditation – Because Two Are Better Than One This year, CVC chose to have both agencies accredit all three campuses. Each accrediting agency has its own merits. WASC accreditation, which originally covered just the high school, is recognized by state schools and national colleges and verifies our academic rigor and high standards. CSI accreditation, which originally covered our K-8 grades, is an all-encompassing tool for us to confirm that we’re living up to the goals we’ve put in place for ourselves. The CSI accreditation process is a deeper, more vision-based one—they call it “Measuring the Mission.” In this way, CVC is examined by what we do and how that’s impacted by our mission statement: Cultivating responsible Christian adults / Valuing academic excellence / Connecting Biblical truths with everyday living / Shaping Christ-like character. You might call it “taking a long, hard look.” Are we walking the walk? Are we Living the Story and fully embracing every part of our mission statement? The most important goal with our whole-school CSI accreditation was to answer these questions with a resounding ‘YES!’ The Assurance of High Academic Standards Outside of the Christian school community, there is a common misconception that Christian schools do not have as high of academic standards or as rigorous of scholastic programs as public or non-religious private schools. Having been tested and accredited by not one but two agencies, CVC has proven that the caliber of its programs rises to the challenge and is academically competitive and holistically mission-driven.
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Accreditation
Survey Says Thousands of surveys were sent to parents, board members, staff members, alumni and a few high school students. Documents were compiled: a. 20-page, data-rich School Profile b. Self-study (self-assessment of various categories): i Governance/policies ii. Elementary Education iii. Middle School Education iv. High School Education c. School Improvement Plan — Four specific goals addressing how we might become better Site Visit — April 10-13 a. A 7-person site visit team with WASC and CSI members came to determine if our assessment/selfstudy was accurate. b. Observations were made through classroom visits and interviews of various staff members, students and faculty c. The site visit team worked with the school improvement team from CVC to refine and improve the goals and strategies in the School Improvement Plan. d. A report was written granting CVC dual accreditation from WASC and CSI.
Behind the Scenes: The CVC School Improvement Team Chair: Larry Baker (CVC Superintendent) Elementary Representative: Teri Girard (3rd Grade Teacher) Middle School Representative: Blake Hiemstra (Middle School Principal) High School Representative: Lisa Maher (Former High School English Teacher) Board Representative: Jodi Schotanus (CVC Parent and Board Secretary) 7
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B U S I N E S S
Melissa Mellema -Berlinger Real Estate Melissa Mellema-Berlinger
I am a real estate agent working with buyers and sellers in both Tulare and Kings counties. I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2012, and immediately following that I got into real estate. My true love for people and my passionate focus on customer service is what has made me so driven in the real estate industry. Purchasing a home is one of the biggest investments in most people’s lives, and I love being there every step of the way to guide them and help make their dreams come true. I look forward to continuing to serve buyers and sellers in our local community for years to come!
Jillian Bos Real Estate Jillian Bos
We help people buy, sell, and invest in real estate. I began my career at Sotheby’s in Los Angeles in 2008. I jumped into the business out of an appreciation for beautiful homes, an interest in investing, and I was attracted to the entrepreneurial spirit of real estate. When I moved back home to Visalia, my mission was to create a different brand of real estate services – one that exceeds expectations and delivers results and exceptional service at a level never seen before in the industry. The market is everchanging and presents so many opportunities. Every day I get to learn new things, and meet new people. I love what I do, so it doesn’t feel like “work.” I look forward to continuing to grow our business and serve the people of this fantastic community for many years to come!
F E A T U R E S
JR Meats
Kim & Kelly Stock
We are a wholesale/retail meat market. We sell beef, pork, chicken, lamb and seafood, which we can cut to customers’ specifications. We have ready-to-cook seasoned roasts that people from all over the country call to get! We portion cut and deliver wholesale along with deli products and we also specialize in hard-to-find products. We stock a retail counter with ready-to-go cuts of meat, as well. JR Meat Company has been serving the Porterville and surrounding area for more than 30 years. It was started by John Roberts and we purchased it in September 2014. Kelly grew up on a farm in Iowa and has always had a passion for quality meats. We love being able to provide quality food for our customers and learning different ways they use our products. Each person in our family brings their gifts to our business and works together. We look forward to growing both the retail and wholesale side of our business, and having JR Meat Company become a household name.
Bravo Farms Jonathan Van Ryn
“You can always judge a tree by the fruit it produces.” For me, these words have served as a great reminder on how to care for the things we are responsible for. Having moved to the Tulare area when I was around 12 years old from Riverside, CA I never imagined those words would have the impact they do on me today. Our first Bravo Farms location was actually started just up the road a few miles where my dad keeps large amounts of old signs and some really cool things for families to do while they stop off the highway. We were approached by the Tulare Outlet Center not too long after. We have since opened two other locations. One in Visalia, and one in Kettleman City, each location offering its own spin on our version of hospitality.
Special thanks to our Cavalier Sponsors for placing an ad with us for one full year!
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Photo by Annette Rajskup
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Footloose at CVC
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Footloose
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1984 film comes to CVC’s musical stage
Written By Marissa Carpenter Director of Marketing and Enrollment
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The lights flicker and then turn off a minute later. A hush falls on the crowd. The pit begins to play and the curtains are drawn back. It’s showtime. And this show, this time, is about a big city (Chicago) boy named Ren who lands in a hick town called Bomont, where cowboy hats and dirty boots are ordinary dress. He falls head over sneakers for the pastor’s daughter--the same pastor who has outlawed Ren’s favorite pastime: dancing. But of course, there’s a lot of dancing anyway. And singing. This is a musical, after all. Having two left feet myself, I was thoroughly impressed with the fancy footwork displayed by 47 students on stage not once, but multiple times. Of the 55 students involved in the cast and crew of Footloose, 64% of the students were also involved in winter or spring sports--our coaches and musical directors conscientiously worked together to enable students to participate in both activities.
Making of a Musical By the numbers — 3 shows — 55 students participated — 64% of the cast/crew involved in winter or spring sports — 84 total hours of rehearsal for the leads
Pre-production, there were a couple of challenges director (and CVC Choral Director) Katie Talsma faced: a brand-new, justinstalled soundboard, a new type of set design, and the jam-packed schedules of her cast and crew. But you wouldn’t have known it. All the actors were on stage and all the actors were in-the-moment. To memorize lines and lyrics and to learn dance steps requires a huge time commitment and incredible discipline from beginning to end. The arts at CVC have benefited
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Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! — Psalm 149:3
tremendously from an outpouring of support-staff that works long hours, a school that values arts (visual, performing and more) and a community that spreads the word about our productions. Ms. Talsma is mindful of the fact that not all schools have the ability to spare so many resources to put on a show twice per year. It is a perfect way for students to collaborate and to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Of the final product, Ms. Talsma had this to say: “The most rewarding part of every show for me is seeing students gain confidence in their abilities and seeing students from various grade levels, social circles and abilities come together to form lasting friendships and lifelong memories.” CVC Senior Collin Stockton (who played Footloose villain Chuck Cranston) agreed: “There is something unprecedented about the people you meet through [the play]. It was truly a wonderful experience and a bittersweet ending.” 13
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bigger CVC g raduates re achi ng ne w heights sha re secrets to the i r achie vement s Written By Marissa Carpenter Director of Marketing and Enrollment
From my office window I can see the kindergarten students leave their classrooms at the end of each day. Their energy, even still at 3 p.m., causes a verse from Malachi 4 to pop into my head, “...You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” I wonder if the same is true for high school seniors as they step off the graduation platform, move their tassel over and watch for family members in the crowds at commencement. Maybe no one leapt off the stage, but you can bet summertime feels like a kind of freedom after four years of high school. Additionally, and more importantly, graduating from Central Valley Christian High School means making room for growing up and going on to bigger things! For 2016 CVC graduate and salutatorian Sara Valceschini, graduating gives her the opportunity
to attend Weber Honors College at San Diego State University. She plans to major in Marketing and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on the Spanish language. Her eventual goal is to become an international marketer for global business. The 2016 Salutatorian also noted that CVC math teacher Mr. Byrd has been a great influence on her during high school. He taught her to continue to strive for her goals and learn from her mistakes. Sara’s tip to freshmen: “Do the best you can in all that you do. Make sure to enjoy yourself along the way. When you work toward a specific goal, trust that God will lead you to what is right. Make every opportunity count because, in the end, everything will come together for good. Mr. Byrd also helped shape CVC’s 2016
co-valedictorian Bailey Gong’s CVC experience. Bailey said of the veteran teacher, “I learned from [Mr. Byrd] the relevance of God in every aspect of life, including seemingly secular subjects such as mathematics. Perhaps the greatest thing he taught me was how to strive for excellence — not to the standard of everybody else, but to the standard to which Christ calls his followers, that is, perfection.” Bailey is heading to Fresno State University for college and plans to major in Food Science, but is also considering music, business or chemistry as a course of study. His goal is to someday work in food science — processing new food products or working with dairy products. Bailey’s parting words of advice to freshmen: “Don’t stress out. If there is something one can control, such 15
“Make the most of the opportunity of being at a great school like CVC. Work hard at all you do to make the most of your gifts, but also focus on building lasting relationships--these are what you truly take with you when you leave.” — Shani Slabber, graduating senior
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as homework, then it will get done well as long as the will and effort are there. If there is something one cannot control, such as life problems, then nothing can be done to change it, so it must be left to God.” CVC’s 2016 co-valedictorian Shani Slabber will attend UCLA in the fall, and plans to major in Biochemistry. While her future plans aren’t set in stone, Shani would like to work in some aspect of the medical field. Throughout high school, Shani’s parents have been her foundation. They have taught her how to remain optimistic through challenging times and to trust God’s plan. While at
CVC, Shani has been involved in track and field, soccer, cross country and tennis — and her teammates can attest to her encouragement and enthusiasm--both on the field and off. According to Shani, she has had amazing coaches and teachers that have shown her how to be a leader and have been a continual source of support. Shani says to incoming freshmen: “Make the most of the opportunity of being at a great school like CVC. Work hard at all you do to make the most of your gifts, but also focus on building lasting relationships--these are what you truly take with you when you leave.”
ENDOWMENT BALANCE
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As I review these pieces of wisdom given by our knowledgeable seniors, a few words and ideas jump out: Opportunity. Gifts. Work. Trust. It’s clear that these three students have taken the 2015-16 theme of Living the Story to heart, and have put their love for Christ into action. As we send off these graduates, and the entire class of 2016, we hope and pray that they will continue to speak about what they have seen and heard, and the ways they’ve experienced Christ at CVC. May they, and may we all, strive to keep living the story in our communities and beyond.
TUITION
Leave a lasting legacy with the CVC endowment fund Established: November 26, 1990 Endowment Fund current total: $2 million+ Annual gift from endowment to CVC: 4% Reasons members choose to give to the Endowment Fund: Memorial Gifts Appreciation Honorarium
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Why Endowment? Each year, CVC takes 4% from The Endowment and puts it into the General Fund of the budget. This percentage helps cut costs to the school, and those lowered costs make for lowered tuition rates for each family. This means that your generous donations are invested, and turned into savings for each CVC family. How to give: • One-time gifts • Estate planning (by naming CVC a beneficiary in your will, trust or life insurance) Who can become an Endowment Fund member? Anyone! There is no minimum gift. More About The Endowment Fund For (nearly) 36 years, Central Valley Christian Schools has partnered with businesses, families and organizations. The support received from the community has overwhelmed us. Thanks to the generosity of everyone around us, we will continue to offer high-quality Christian education at a lowered cost! The Endowment Fund was started in 1990 and is supported by those who have included CVCS in their estate plans and through one-time gifts. Contact us today to learn more: 559-734-9481 ext. 103 or dmoll@cvc.org.
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Alumni Update
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Megan Borges ‘15 is currently studying Worship Arts at Grand Canyon University. This summer she is interning with Josiah Venture (a discipleship and evangelistic program) for 10 weeks, touring as a lead singer and rhythm electric guitarist in a worship band for summer camps across Central and Eastern Europe. Christina (Stanley) Carlson ‘04 works at Kaweah Delta as the Senior Development Coordinator. She is married to Ben Carlson. Victoria Moore ‘06 works as a hairstylist at “A Touch of Class” in Tulare. In her free time, she enjoys world-travelling (especially Australia!), vegetable gardening and fixing up her first home. Kelly Borges ‘11 graduated from Baylor University in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology and plans to move to Florida in June to join the Florida State Strength and Conditioning Staff and pursue a Masters in Sports Science.
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Rachel Mayo ‘12 and Byron Vander Weide ‘11 were married on April 2 and currently reside in Visalia.
Abbey (Vannette) Morren ‘07 and husband Jake welcomed daughter Brooklyn in August 2015. They currently reside in Visalia where Abbey works as an RN in Kaweah Delta’s ICU and Jake owns a pollination service and sells raw, local honey through Jake’s Bee Co.
3 Daniel Westra ‘03 and wife Lauren welcomed
their first child, Willemina Grace, on February 13.
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5600 W. Tulare Ave. | Visalia, CA 93277