Fulfilling Our Mission by Robbie Mason, Head of School Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory. Psalm 115:1 We live in a rapidly changing world. It’s interesting to think that this generation will not know life without email, cell phones, or access to information 24 hours a day. They are the generation that will be driven by autonomous cars and may be the generation that, because of medical advances, finds the cure for cancer. With the continuous changes around us, we are also seeing a shift in our culture where our culture says that there is no longer absolute truth. The sentiment is “you do you” and just about anything and everything is acceptable. As a school, we are determined to go back to God’s Word, the absolute Truth, to see what the Bible says about our lives. “You do you” sends the message that life is all about me. As we study scripture, we understand that our life here on earth is short and we are a small part of God’s master plan. We serve a God who is Creator; He is Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. As the culture is shifting, this has emboldened us to make sure that our school stays “mission true.” We want to understand our culture and how it impacts us and the next generation, but culture shouldn’t dictate our beliefs. Culture is man-made while the Bible is God’s truth, written by man, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We are having discussions about our mission and vision statement, and ensuring that we have the right people and processes in place to fulfill our mission. While we strive for excellence in academics, athletics and the Arts, the heart of our mission is for our school to be a tool used in partnership with families to prepare each student for the path God has for each of them. We want to equip them to impact our world for Jesus by helping them identify and develop the giftings, talents and individually specific strengths that the Lord has given each of them. Please join us in praying for GCA to be salt and light to a society and culture that desperately needs the hope of a Savior who is “before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” May we all be faithful to follow and serve Him until Christ returns or calls us home. Each and every one of these students is worth any cost we might pay for standing firm in our faith and staying true to the mission of GCA.
June 2018
Dear GCA Families, Your children have probably heard some of our explosive developments over the past month, but we want to share what they may not have heard. We have in fact done some literal blasting on several occasions on the construction site for the new high school. Lots of dirt has been moved since Christmas break. If you have not taken a drive around the high school, we encourage you to do so. You will see that a lot of movement continues to happen.
We do not want to skip past an opportunity to acknowledge that we would not be where we are in this building process without your generous support and partnership. In 2021, we were able to raise $4,203,323 cash and over 3 million dollars in additional pledges just for the Grace.Family.Legacy. building campaign. THANK YOU again! That is explosive giving! In our last communication in December, we indicated that we needed just over $4 million dollars to be able to complete the gym simultaneously with the new high school building. We are still in need of $3,443,951 to be able to do this project all at one time. We are very close to starting construction on the retaining walls which are necessary before we can begin construction of the high school building. Those walls are projected to start at the beginning of February. Once the walls are complete, we will be ready to begin construction on the high school building. The projected start date for construction to begin is March 1st. The weather and availability of supplies have not been our friend of late, but we are praying that we will be able to stay on schedule. Be on the lookout mid February for a Save the Date announcement for a groundbreaking to dedicate and pray over our new building and all the ways the Lord will continue to use GCA to further the Kingdom. We are so excited to celebrate this huge milestone in the history of our school with your family.
Thank you for continuing to partner with us as we stay committed to providing distinctly Christian education in a culture that grows more averse to our beliefs. Now, more than ever, we see why the Lord called us to start this school in 2009. For such a time as this. Sincerely,
Brad Myers Director of Development 615-578-3021
Experience is the best teacher. Real learning, permanent learning, that becomes a part of who we are, happens when we have an experience that teaches us a truth, a principle, or a law. As we struggle to figure something out or solve a problem and finally the solution comes, it is written in our brains (and often our hearts) in a way that we will never forget. It will now inform our thoughts and decisions as needed. Just hearing or reading information can never accomplish this level of understanding. One of our favorite days every year is the 4th grade Market Day which is a perfect example of experiential learning. Our 4th grade students (and their parents) work very hard to create a marketable item to sell to fellow students. Through this experience, students gain an understanding of manufacturing, supply and demand, pricing, profit and loss, and even tithing. They had to wrestle through deciding what was marketable to our student population and then create the products from scratch. They had to present them in an appealing way and some even came up with incentives for purchasing their items. They had to interact personally with their clientele. I saw several students adjusting their prices up or down as the day progressed realizing what their
Fishing with stick fishing rods
potential earnings would be. It was very nerveracking. What a great feeling they had when the sales were over. The lessons spilling over as they enthusiastically processed their experiences were countless. They made a profit of over $3000 as a whole group. I’m sure they will never forget the day they got to bless The Safe Room at Thompson Station Church. The Safe Room is a ministry in partnership with DCS, providing a safe place for kids waiting for placement for foster care. The students donated clothing items and necessities that they needed to fill their storehouse. Students got to hand-deliver over Enjoying a STEM experiment
4th grade Market Day
$1,300 worth of goods and learn about the ministry. They chose to give over the planned 10% tithe. The rest of their money paid for their own field trip to go bowling, and they got to keep any remaining money. It was an excellent economics lesson with a beautiful biblical component about being a cheerful giver. Providing real-learning experiences is why we do our STEM program where students are learning to think about mathematics and engineering and problem-solving in a whole new way. It is why we have celebration days for our novels like My Side of the Mountain Day in 2nd grade where students learn by experience to appreciate the many things God provides for them. Students are excited and passionate when they are discovering things for themselves through these experiences and this helps us fulfill our mission. Parents, thank you for all you do to help us create the wonderful learning experiences at GCA.
shoeboxes. Each shoebox is filled with items the children need and want, as well as the good news of Jesus Christ! During the month of October, high school grades had a competition to see who could raise the most money for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child. All totaled, the students raised almost $8,000, with approximately $5,000 of that donated by the senior class alone. The seniors then went shopping to hand select gifts for the children who would receive the 275 Operation Christmas Child
The school was then contacted by Samaritan’s Purse to invite our high school students to travel to the processing center in Atlanta, GA on December 8 and 9. Since our school vision is to equip students to impact the world for Jesus Christ, we couldn’t pass up this opportunity. These two days were filled with team building, bonding with staff, and transforming the hearts of our students.
By: Andi Hauk, High School Director of Spiritual Life
42 of our 71 seniors, along with seven adults, attended Passion 2022 in Atlanta on January 2-3 with 55,000 other 18-25 year-olds, and we had an amazing trip! This is our third senior class to take to Passion, and we have already purchased tickets to take the class of 2023 next year. Passion defines itself as "a movement with a singular mission of calling students and leaders from campuses across the nation and cities around the world to live for what matters most - the name and renown of Jesus. [They] believe in this generation and are watching God use them to change the climate of faith around the globe." Passion is primarily for 18-25 year-olds, but they welcome seniors in high school to join. We believe this experience is invaluable for our seniors, but rather than simply reading my thoughts about it, I invite you to watch this short Passion 2022 recap video. You'll hear testimonials from our seniors who went, along with pictures and videos from the event. If you have a high school student, ask him/her about Sadie Robertson Huff’s talk from Passion, as we showed it in chapel on Monday, January 24. Our students were blown away by her incredibly relevant but solidly biblical message on identity. She noted that ultimately it is not so much about understanding who we are, but rather about understanding who God is and because of Jesus, understanding who He says we are, all so that we can understand what God is calling us to do. If you want to see more, the sessions from Passion 2022 are available for free until February 3 by clicking here - Passion 2022. We would strongly encourage you to check out the various speakers and worship sessions. Passion does an incredible job of using a wide range of speakers with different styles of teaching while sharing a unified and biblical message that is relevant to 18-25 year-olds. Really, the message was for all of us - the adults haven't stopped talking about it either!
5th Grade All A Honor Roll Owen Dodd Jedidiah Fish Jeshua Fish June Gautsche Hudson George Tess Hall Matilda Hanson Maddie Havens Jill Hilner Christen Hodgson Brady Hron Keyes Johnson Luke Johnson Kinzie Krehbiel William Lane Lucas McCauley Selah McKown Joel McReynolds Addie Nance Alan Porter Anna-Marie Porter Catherine Pratt Hope Pruitt Elliott Sarnacke Kate Simmons Kellen Sloas Holland Stephens Mia Tanley Hudson Tenney Violet Ward
6th Grade All A Honor Roll Jax Barton Lillian Brooks Jason Capicik Tate Carver Ella-Rose Castrorao Graison Centers Andrew Clarke Benjamin Collins Peyton Collins Maddox DeLeon Everett Elder Summer Foster Hayden Goodman Carson Green Luke Howard Isaac Hurst Evelyn Jackson Hannah Jackson Piper Jones Elisha Latta Haven Lindman Ashlynn Millar Kendall Miller Elijah Mize Ryder Murphy Macie Murton Audrey Musser Brown Nielsen Joy Patrick James Payne Graydon Reed Brooklyn Spann Ollie Spoelman Colton Stock Bennett Stevens Wyatt Thompson Lawson Tucker Emma Umerlik Sara Logan Verner
7th Grade All A Honor Roll Maddie Barnett Maclayne Barton Hutch Blank Sam Brewer Grayson DeGraff Joshua Dunn Nadia Erwin David Hauk Jackson Holwerda Brooklyn Hutcheson Austin Johnson Virginia Prather Sophia Rakhuba Emme Rouse Toby Sarnacke Luke Skelton Grace Caroline Steih Jade Thrasher John Tillman
8th Grade All A Honor Roll Hope Brooks Tiger DeShong Jackson Dishon Ella Grace Fua Hudson Gregg Wyatt Hall Maddie Herrera Griffey Jakes Knox Lambert Tristan Main McKenna Grace McConnell Tori Mullaney London Norris Ty Peterson Shea Shea Phillips Heidi Ring Cutler Stephens Madi Tolliver Audrey Underwood Kade Ziemendorf
9th Grade Honor Roll (4.0-4.249 on a weighted scale) Eva Brooks Sofia Carman Addy Castrorao Audrey George Lani Grasmanis Jenna Huxford Hans Jimenez Nolan Maloney Ellis Mason Nathan Maxson Madelyn Miller Jonathan Mize Kade Nord Eisley Pankratz Hannah Patrick Maddox Potter Mike Smith Wesley Stewart Nicole Wright
9th Grade Principal’s List (4.25+ on a weighted scale) JulieAnne Hart Lilly Patrick Slade Spencer Hunter Wyatt
10th Grade Honor Roll (4.0-4.249 on a weighted scale) Claire Barnett Hudson Barton Kaler Bennett Jake Breland William Brown Thomas Camacho Addison Church Gigi Clements Mackenzie Curle Brynn DeGraff Jacob Dunn Natalia Fierz Ella Kate Gill Madelyn Gregg
10th Grade Honor Roll—con’t (4.0-4.249 on a weighted scale) Stellie Higby McKenzie Kaye Ayla Kratzig Anilee Schwieterman Jack Summers Parker Vanden Oever 10th Grade Principal’s List (4.25+ on a weighted scale) Sophie Clarke Manna Lindman Evan Nelson Georgie Tillman Rebekah Windland 11th Grade Honor Roll (4.0-4.249 on a weighted scale) Rylan Blank Anna Claire Boster Camden Goddard Ava Granzow Jonathan Hammett Cole Hyland Brendan Koreiba Myah Kratzig Aubrey Lane Marxie Myers Mae Pirtle Brooke Stephens Parker Wright
11th Grade Principal’s List (4.25+ on a weighted scale) Melania Fierz Zaine Hutchison Lily Kuhn Jeremy Walling Jonathan Walling
12th Grade Honor Roll (4.0-4.249 on a weighted scale) Levi Allen Connor Armstrong Dawson Bechman Dean Bechman Caroline Briley Raybecca Calvert Sammy Camacho Elizabeth Clements Christian Collins Maddie Cowan Jude Cox Blythe Hutchison Gracyn LaRocca Paige Lewis Mary Bradley Myers Tanner Nelson Mark Parker Ruthie Pirtle Bella Scott Madison Smith Kaylee Tichenor Elizabeth Vogt Nate Westmoreland Erin Wojcik 12th Grade Principal’s List (4.25+ on a weighted scale) Katie Dial Malachi Jones Carter Murphy Anna Claire Riggs Caleb Varner
The Fine Arts Department has had an amazing year so far. We had a GCA first this fall with two incredible opportunities to enjoy full performances with our intermediate/middle school performing Little Mermaid and our high school bringing Peter & the Starcatcher to the stage. Each performance entertained audiences and truly showcased all the talent that the Lord has blessed us with at GCA. The spring semester will be just as exciting for the high school as they take the fun and energy of Bye Bye Birdie to the stage. You don’t want to miss this classic piece of musical theatre as we send our audience back to the time of dreamy crooners, poodle skirts, and going steady! Performances will be March 24, 25 & 26. Additionally, the intermediate/middle school is bringing the witty hilariousness of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to life. This play will delight audiences with this group of precocious kids and all of their antics. Performances will be April 29 & 30. Our school wide Art Competition will be taking place in the month of March. This is a wonderful GCA tradition and we are looking forward to seeing all the incredible pieces we know our students will create. Submission dates are March 21 - 23 and art will be on display until April 25. After school activities are still going strong for the spring semester. Art and dance clubs for all grade levels are all meeting regularly to have a space to express themselves creatively and grow in their fine arts abilities.
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (I John 3: 17-18, NIV) In 2003, this verse spoke to my family and I in such a profound way, that we haven’t been the same since. For my husband, Gabe, and me it meant selling our business, home, vehicles, furniture and moving our entire family (two kids and four cats) down to a small town in Mexico to begin an evangelistic water well drilling ministry called Missions Resource International. Prior to that year, we had seen God move in miraculous ways in our own family, multiple times, with physical healings (cancer, open heart surgeries - yes, two!) and financial breakthroughs (like becoming debt-free after owing $30,000 in credit card debt), and we found ourselves asking God how we could love others and tell more people about him. Now, when you ask God a question like that, you have to be prepared for the way he might answer. I’m not saying that He will call everyone to sell all of their possessions and move to a foreign country, but I do know that the answer might stretch you out of your comfort zone! During that time, we had been blessed with finances through our business, and when we read I John 3 it compelled us to want to use those finances to help others, especially those with great needs. First, my husband was made aware of the worldwide shortage of fresh potable water. Then, we made some God-sized connections with some people in Mexico, and the rest was history. We took some of our savings and bought a portable water well drilling machine and moved to Mexico. We wanted to show the love of Jesus by helping to provide not only the physical water they so desperately needed but also the spiritual water that had eternal value. From 2004 - 2009, we lived full-time in Mexico. During those years, we saw hundreds of people saved, churches planted, miraculous healings, and people being delivered from demonic oppression. It amazed us to see the New Testament come to life right before our eyes. Remote areas of Mexico that had never even seen a Bible much less heard the name of Jesus, welcomed us into their communities and allowed us to share the Gospel with them, just because we came offering help with a physical need (clean water). In 2010, we found ourselves back in the United States, living at the southern border of Texas due to an increase of drug cartel violence in Mexico. Our kids were now teenagers and wanted to explore their futures, so being back in The States was a good opportunity for them. At that time, we didn’t know what the future held for us, or for the ministry, but we knew that God had been the one to call us and equip us, so He would be the one to sustain us. Throughout the years, and up to the present day, we continue to use I John 3:17-18 as a verse that drives us forward and is the heartbeat of how we want to love God and others. My husband and I, with our children Payden and Audrey, have been able to help people with fresh drinking water and the Living Water in six countries across four continents (Mexico, Peru, Haiti, Uganda, Mozambique, and India). Today, we continue to ask God the same question: How can we show your love not only in words but also in action? I wonder what God’s answer would look like for you if you asked Him the same question?
Humility / Passion / Unity / Servanthood / Gratitude By: Len McKnatt, Athletic Director Winter sports are nearing the end of the regular season at the writing of this article. District tournaments and league tournaments are right around the corner. All of our MS and HS girls’ and boys’ basketball teams are looking to finish strong and go as deep into the playoffs as possible. We will wrap up our winter sports season in a future issue of Celebrating Grace. The remainder of this article will highlight our upcoming spring sports for our MS and HS student athletes. Baseball: Our HS baseball team is returning many key contributors from an elite 8 state finish in the 2021 season. They look forward to the opportunity to make another deep run this season. They are led by veteran Head Coach, Brad Myers. He is assisted by Matt Murton and Jimmy Redovian. Our MS team also looks to have another successful season under the guidance of Coach Bruce Anliker. The Lions look forward to your support at Clyde Pewitt Field this spring. MS Golf: The HVAC (Harpeth Valley Athletic Conference) moved the middle school boys’ and girls’ golf season to the spring for the 2022 season. There is an informational meeting on February 1 in room 318 at 5:30 PM for those 6 -8 grade girls and boys interested in middle school golf. Coach Chuck Hammett will introduce Enoch Rinks as the new MS golf coach. Best of luck to our middle school golf teams this spring. th
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Soccer (Boys): Our HS boys’ soccer team is coming off another tremendous season finishing as state-runners up in 2021. The Lions lost many seniors off the 2021 team but they are determined to make another postseason run. Head Coach David DeFatta and his assistants, Dan Spencer and Michael Jones, look forward to seeing some young guys blend in and compliment some of our returners. The Lions are always fun to watch and we hope you will join us in supporting them during the 2022 season. Softball: Our HS softball team is excited to begin 2022 under new Head Coach Annie Shipman. These ladies have been working hard and will be fun to watch this spring. Coach Shipman is joined by Coach Grace Hooper and Coach Pete Pirtle. They will do a tremendous job with these young ladies. Our MS softball team will be led by Coach Mary Henderson and assistant Coach Brandy May. Please come out to support both of these teams at Clyde Pewitt Field. Tennis: Our HS girls’ and boys’ tennis teams look to build on a successful 2021 season where we had several individuals and doubles advance in tournament play. The Lions will continue to play their home matches at Jim Warren Park. Coach Brad Herrera will again lead our tennis team. He has done a tremendous building this program and we are excited to see what 2022 brings. Please come out to the courts to support your Lions tennis teams. Track and Field: Our HS boys’ and girls’ track and field teams had tremendous seasons last year and they are poised to do the same this year. Our girls return many key contributors from their team that made a run at a state championship last year. Head Coach Justin Payne, and his assistants, Bob Jordan and Kerry Grasmanis, have done great things with this program. We look forward to watching these student athletes compete again this spring. We are also excited about our IS and MS track and field teams. Coach Randianne Sears always does a great job with the MS team and will be joined by Coach Alexis Allen this year. The IS team will be coached by Penny Myers and Mary Carlson. Please come out to support all of our IS, MS, and HS track and field athletes. We appreciate all of the support each of you provide to all of our student athletes and coaches. Let’s continue to honor our Lord and Savior by the way we compete and conduct ourselves at athletic contests. Best of luck to our Lions and Lady Lions this spring.
The elementary physical education classes raced their way through the fall, competing against each other to see who could run the most laps in five minutes. In September, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Shipman started all the elementary classes (including Pre-K!) running laps around the gym. They built their stamina up from running for two minutes and increased over time until they could run for five minutes straight. The classes talked about the importance of strengthening your heart, building up endurance over time, and also just how important it is to do hard things. As they completed laps, the students picked up popsicle sticks to help count their individual total. Those totals were then recorded and an average calculated for the class. (Cue the conversation of working together as a team.) The teachers were so proud of the effort and support the kids gave each other on race day! The winning all-around class received a trophy and each grade winner received a basketball to be able to use at recess. Grade winners were: Pre-K - Mrs. Bobbi’s Class Kindergarten - Mrs. Hope’s Class 1st grade - Mrs. Hurst’s Class 2nd grade - Mrs. Grant’s Class 3rd grade - Mrs. Hilliard’ Class (this average came down to the hundredths place!) 4th grade - Mrs. Loche’s Class Overall winner - Mrs. Loche’s Class Congratulations for a job well done!
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Kristi VanDrunen
Mission Statement
3279 Southall Road Franklin, TN 37064 615-591-3017 www.gcalions.com
The mission of Grace Christian Academy is to assist Christian families in the teaching of their children by providing them an experiential education that is distinctly Christian, biblically saturated, Christ glorifying, academically excellent, and service and mission oriented. We exist to help parents cultivate the legacy of Christ's hope in each student and to prepare them to spread that hope along every avenue God provides.