Pequea Valley JANUARY 8, 2020
IN THIS ISSUE: BALINT TO SPEAK AT MEN’S BREAKFAST page 11
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LVI • NO 6
UPCOMING MEETING
The BASIS support group, for bereaved parents and their families, will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. The focus will be “Guilt Surrounding the Death of a Child.” Call Calvary Monument Bible Church, Paradise, at 717-442-8161 for the meeting location and directions.
Underhill Launches New Ministry pg 4
Burns Night To Support Historic Church pg 3
Stucky To Perform At Cafe pg 9
COMFORTER CHALLENGE
The Great Winter Warm-Up event will be held on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Village Square Park at Garden Spot Village, 433 S. Kinzers Ave., New Holland. Participants will knot handmade comforters in celebration of Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) 100th anniversary. MCC’s goal for this day is to collect 6,500 comforters across the United States and Canada for distribution to people experiencing disaster and conflict around the world. Participants may bring a bag lunch or dine at one of the Garden Spot Village restaurants. Visit https://mcc.org/centennial/ great-winter-warm. ACTION GATHERING
The Factory Ministries,
EARLY CHILDHOOD EVENT
A Grow the Seed of Learning program will be offered for children ages 2 to 4 on Wednesday, Jan. 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. The session will be hosted by Pequea Valley School District’s Building Braves Program at Pequea Valley Public Library, 31 Center St., Intercourse. The class will offer tips on early childhood education in a playful environment. The topic will be “Social Emotional Learning.” To register, visit www.plant theseedoflearning.org. For more information, visit www.pequeavalley.org and click on the Early Learning tab or email pvbuildingbraves@pequea valley.org.
By Ann Mead Ash
According to Rich Eby, assistant superintendent for the Pequea Valley School District (PVSD), PVSD is a mass customized learning (MCL) school district. Explaining what that means, Eby said, “We are creating a learning environment where each learner counts.” Part of that concept is making sure each student has opportunities to follow his or her first choice in a career path, and that means giving attention to the more than 60% of each class that does not plan to attend college. “We are trying to make school nontraditional (in order) to create opportunities for those students who don’t flourish in traditional school,” said Eby. Two features of that effort are the First Choice Career Center staffed by Kirsten Bain, career counselor, and an internship program overseen by Eby.
Bain works with 11th- and 12thgraders who are undecided about what they want to do when they move into the workforce. She works with students individually to create a career path, including skill and interest assessments, career exposure and educational exposure activities, and working on resumes, cover letters, and mock interviews. The career center, in a section of the school library, was made possible by a workforce development grant through PA CareerLink of Lancaster. The grant finances job shadowing and paid work experiences, which are much like internships. When Bain receives results of a student’s testing, she has information to help point the student toward a possible career. “I bring up a list of jobs in the top three (choices), and then we talk about whether those meet (the student’s) interests,” she said. See PVSD pg 2
Pequea Valley High School graduate Delani Dixon went from working as a cashier to operating big equipment after taking part in an internship program offered by the Pequea Valley School District. The district works with hundreds of local businesses to help students gain skills that can help them enter into work in their first career choice.
RTCM Valentine Event More Than A Shelter Housing To Include Marriage Seminar Crisis To Open By Ann Mead Ash
James and Teri Craft have a story to tell. The founders of The Novus Project and the authors of “Exposed: A Journey of Hope and Renewal,” they will share their story of how God brought healing and restoration to the tatters of their marriage when they speak at the one-day Restart Training Center Ministry (RTCM) marriage seminar and banquet. Pastor Jaime Santiago, executive director and founder of RTCM, learned of the Crafts because they are featured in The Conquer Series, a strategic See RTCM Event pg 6
In Paradise By Ann Mead Ash
James and Teri Craft will speak at a seminar and a banquet to be held at Yoder’s Banquet Facility in New Holland on Feb. 7. Both events will be sponsored by Restart Training Center Ministry. Couples or individuals may register to attend the seminar or the banquet or both.
On a chilly morning in November 2019, Adam Nagle, director of The Factory Ministries in Paradise, posed a question to a group of community members preparing to tour the crisis housing facility still under construction in the basement of the Together Community Center. “If you have a mother, a 12-year-old girl, and a 16-year-old boy, and they are facing homelessness, where can you send them for help that they can keep the family together?” asked Nagle. See Crisis Housing pg 8
Adam Nagle (center), director of The Factory Ministries, gives a tour of the family crisis housing center that was under construction in the Together Community Center in November. The Factory hopes to open part of the center by the end of January.
R053572
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JAN. 8, 2020
Postal Patron
PEQ
3293 Lincoln Highway, Paradise, will host a Project Activate Paradise Action Gathering by the Lancaster County Community Foundation on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees will put ideas into action and hear from the members of the Project Activate Paradise team as they present ideas for affordable housing, intergenerational engagement, and information resources. All are welcome to attend. Food, translation, and child care will be provided. Visit www.event brite.com and search for “Project Activate Paradise Action Gathering.”
Giving PVSD Learners Their First Choice