Bedtime Stories

By Hannah O'Brien

My husband (now FCA bread baker) and I served as houseparents for 4 years when we first began our work at French Camp Academy 16 years ago. It didn’t take us long to realize that bedtime can be chaotic in a student home.

Laughter is infectious and feels like it spills out of the rooms and down the hallway, regardless of if it’s a boy’s home or girl’s home. Sleep! It’s so important, isn’t it? So how did we get our home full of teenage girls to sleep at night?

For many 15, 16, and 17-year-olds, a father reading a fairy tale was something they missed out on in early childhood. They didn’t have a father around to read bedtime stories. The soothing, deep voice spinning a story, was something that every child needs to hear! We set a tradition in our student home, just like with our own biological children, who are now adults. Every evening a story was told, sometimes dramatically, but always calmly. The cricket-quiet silence would set in providing just what was needed to get the needed 8 hours of sleep.

What a privilege to help teenagers discover a deep part of themselves that had been lost. Many young people at FCA must grow up fast and take on adult responsibilities at an early age. They miss out on childhood experiences that help shape their character, or even the way they interact with other teenagers. Childhood games like Flashlight Tag, Capture the Flag, and Double Dutch Jump Rope are not bedtime prep activities, but after dinner we had the best time introducing our young people to some of these games. Trust was built, conversations began, and the stuff of life was fleshed out as the young people in our home experienced the grace of God in fresh new ways.

Never underestimate wholesome childhood play and activities in the life of a child. We learned early in our work at FCA that sometimes lifechanging experiences start in some of the simplest of ways. v

Hannah O’Brien, former house parent, serves as graphic designer for French Camp Academy. Her husband, Kevin, bakes delicious homemade bread that FCA is known for.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.—

Matthew 7:25

Summer Music Fun!

The summer air was filled with the sound of music! FCA young people were each on a team. All 4 teams created their own music video from start to finish. Students either picked songs from a musical to recreate, or they picked a song (or 2) of their choice from a different genre. Each music video had to include every member of their team, a story line/plot, lip-syncing/acting, and some level of choreography.

The first 2 weeks of summer classes focused on the team brainstorming together and planning videos. Student teams delegated roles to each member of the group, getting costumes and props at the local thrift store, creating and learning choreography, plotting where scenes would be recorded. The next 2 weeks focused on music and video recordings. Music videos were filmed all around campus from the FCA gym, tennis courts, softball field, music building, Camp of the Rising Son, hiking trails through French Camp, and the FCA Dining Hall.

Leah Bentley, Choral Director, had a blast filming students as they danced, sang, and acted. It was a collaborative project and team effort. Students were able to take ownership over their project, learn how to work together as a team, step up and be a leader when needed, experience a different expres sion of music, and have fun creating a major project.

At the end of the summer, completed projects were celebrated by having a viewing party. Staff and students gathered in the music building to watch each music video. Each group had to pick 1-2 members of their team to introduce and present their video. Videos were scored by 3 judges and students had the opportunity to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. v