February 2014 Paws for Thought

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Paws for Thought The Official Student Newspaper of

LPCA exists to cultivate parental involvement in the educational process of their children, to instill students with a biblical worldview and the passion to stand firm and articulate boldly in defense of their faith, to prepare them for the rigors of college to guide them into independent learning, and to train our students to always give themselves fully to the work of the Lord, because their labor will not be in vain. Truth is revealed by God through Christ “in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3

YouTube.com/LegacyPrepPFT • @legacypftnews • @legacyprep

Seniors Herman and Camara Prepare for Graduation

FEBRUARY 2014 • VOLUME VII • ISSUE IV

Order Your Yearbook Family Messages Now By the PFT Staff

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t’s that time of year again! This school year is starting to wind down but the yearbook staff is just winding up. The yearbook staff is once again offering Family Messages, featuring a picture and brief note for your child, in the yearbook. There are two sizes available. A small is 3.625 inches wide by 2.375 inches high for $5. The large is 7.5 inches wide by 2.375 inches high for $10. The deadline for ordering is February 21st. To order your family message, email your text and the photo you want to use to djones@legacypca.org by February 21st. You can send us a large image file in JPG file format, and we can make the ad for you. Or, if you would like to design your own and send us a finished ad, be sure it is 300 dots per inch so that it will print clearly. This is a great way to show your kids how much you love them. Be sure to order yours now. PFT By Brennan Cone

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his year has been full of milestones for Legacy Prep, such as our new campus and our very first senior class. I asked senior Colby Herman about being part of the first senior class. "It’s an honor being part of Legacy's first senior class,” said Colby. “I know I'm part of something special." I then asked him about his future. "I know it’s going to be tough being away from home. I am hoping to go to Blinn College to start off, and hopefully go on to Texas A&M for engineering. "The responsibility is going to be tough," said Raymond Camara, another senior Lion. "It’s hard to think of being out on your own trying to get the best education possible. At Sam Houston State, I think a part time job will be the best considering the schoolwork. It’ll be nice to be at a college near home." As our school grows, a legacy will be left behind and more seniors will be off to college. As for this year, the starting point has been established. Good luck to our seniors as they follow a life of excellence. PFT

Be sure to check out Legacy news online at youtube.com/LegacyPrepPFT and on Instagram at @legacypftnews and @legacyprep FEBRUARY 2014

Lions Flex Muscles on Court p.8

And the Lord said, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for me?” And Isaiah replied, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

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Mrs. May’s Message

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A Lot with a Little

know many of you are excited about the opening of our new building. I’ve had lots of questions about what will be in the new building and what it will look like. It is my hope to set some expectations and give you my perspective about our new facility. Unfortunately for you, that means I must share another personal story about my childhood adventures! Please indulge me for the rest of this article:) Many of you know that I grew up quite the tomboy. My parents loved watching my siblings and I compete, so I come by it very honestly! We lived in a small, East Texas suburb just East of Lufkin, Texas. My little school, Hudson High, was very well known in the arena of women’s athletics. But, so were the surrounding schools, which were made up of Central, Huntington, Diboll, and Lufkin. As a young girl and into my early teens, these small towns competed against one another in fast-pitch softball for a shot at participating in the Little League World Series. Every year, one of our teams would win the State Tournament and travel to another state to represent Texas. And, every year, we would come up short, usually finishing as runner-up or in the consolation bracket. And, every year, someone would say, “There’s so much talent in our county. It’s too bad we can’t put them all together on one team.” Well, in the spring of 1986, the coaches from three of these little towns, Hudson, Central and Lufkin, came together and decided to do just that. Tryouts were held and 13 young ladies were selected to compete in the State Tourney as the Angelina County Dixie Debs. Our little team breezed through that tournament and began making plans to travel to Schwartz, Louisiana. There were only, oh, I don’t know...one hundred issues with that! First, we had no field. We also had no uniforms, no transportation to and from Louisiana, and no way to provide housing for us while there. Add to that the fact that the schools we competed against had very established high school softball programs. For us, this was just summer league. Our coaches were not professional coaches, only volunteers. The odds were terribly against us! Let me summarize how we solved the issues above: a neighbor plowed down his garden and part of his corn field so that we could have a practice area. I can’t even remember how many softballs were lost in that corn field. The first time we practiced on it, several of us got chiggers! And then, there were the fire ants! The uniforms FEBRUARY 2014

were donated to us by the Lufkin boys’ Little League, we didn’t have hats, but cheap visors. We washed hundreds of cars, baked thousands of cookies and did several different odd jobs to raise money for one white van that would carry the entire team for almost eight hours. We were put up in homes with families we didn’t know, and some of us were allowed to stay at the local elementary school...on cots. And the coaches? Dads. Each one of them had a daughter on the team. To make a long story short, what we lacked in extravagance and even in necessity, we made up for in sheer determination. That little team of girls traveled to Louisiana and put the hurt on the big powerhouses of the past years. And at 2 a.m., after a stormy, raindelayed double-header, we wound up victorious in a slugfest with a win over reigning champion Alabama, and became the first Texas team to ever win a fastpitch World Series. This tale really is no different than many of the lessons we learn from God’s word. When God wants to receive the glory for something, He makes sure there’s no other explanation for success. That pretty much sums up the “story” that is Legacy. What’s the point of all this? Just like our little softball team, the new building will not have a lot of extravagance. We will still need cabinets and cubbies for the elementary rooms, lockers for the high school students, and bleachers for the gym, to name a few. But, I’ve never believed we needed the bells and whistles to be successful. That’s just not who we are. In fact, for many years now, we’ve accomplished so much with so very little. It’s one of those things that endears us to many people. And, while I know we will enjoy being in a brand new building, what I will enjoy most is just the fact that we are all together again. Please continue to pray for the completion of our new building and for those who are involved in making decisions to get this part of our journey completed. What an exciting time to be at Legacy and to be a part of such a wonderful community. We know that through God, all things are possible and we are asking God to renew our strength and to provide the wind beneath our wings! I can’t wait to give you all a tour! PFT Serving Him and You, Audra May amay@legacypca.org 2

Paws for Thought FEBRUARY 2014 VOLUME VII • ISSUE IV YouTube.com/LegacyPrepPFT Audra May Executive Editor amay@legacypca.org Daron Jones Managing Editor djones@legacypca.org EDITORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS 12TH GRADE Emily O’Donnell 11TH GRADE Sarah Cruthirds Logan Teal 10TH GRADE Amber Condley Kasen Jones Chandlyr Mickan Tray Wright 8TH GRADE Austin Bennett Clay Burkhard Jacob Campbell Brennan Cone Madyson Conley Sami Evrard Logan Mace Adisyn Mickan Harris Tucker Alexandria Wynn 7TH GRADE Bailee Cano Taylor Davies Anna Catherine Holcomb Noah Lightfoot Jaron Spinler

LPCA exists to cultivate parental involvement in the educational process of their children, to instill students with a biblical worldview and the passion to stand firm and articulate boldly in defense of their faith, to prepare them for the rigors of college to guide them into independent learning, and to train our students to always give themselves fully to the work of the Lord, because their labor will not be in vain. Truth is revealed by God through Christ “in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3 www.legacypca.org


Sixth Grade Socializes with Ancient Egypt Written by Madyson Conley Edited by Clay Burkhard rs. Havemann’s sixth grade history class recently M learned about various social classes that existed in ancient Egypt.

The students were split into groups and each group was assigned a different social class. The groups had to act out a specific scenario that could teach their peers about their social class. Mrs. Havemann loves to find new and exciting ways to teach her students. “History can be boring for sixth graders, so I constantly try to change up the way I teach each chapter. More variety makes for more attentive students that will remember more of the material for a longer period of time,” says Mrs. Havemann. Her students were very excited about this activity and said that they want to do it again. Including Biblical Integration in school is very important, and that’s exactly what Mrs. Havemann did. She said, “We discussed that God created us all equal and no one should be punished for being different.” “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew, Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29) PFT

The students enjoyed dressing up and acting like ancient Egyptians.

Second Graders Become Meteorologists By Kasen Jones Edited by Sarah Cruthirds

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hile some of us may have been slow adjusting back, the second graders have been hard at work! Are you wondering what the weather will be like tomorrow? Just

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ask Mrs. Bobos’ students, learning all things weather. Already full of knowledge about the air, the kids transitioned easily into clouds. “The children are learning about three types of clouds right now: stratus, cumulus, and cirrus. Each day they go outside and look at the weather conditions: whether it is sunny, overcast, or rainy. They then record their observations on a calendar,” says their teacher, Mrs. Bobos. Meanwhile, Mrs. Deprang and Hendershot’s students have been studying natural resources, and the difference between the renewable and nonrenewable resources. “We are talking about wasting our resources, conservation, and how to reduce, recycle, and reuse,” says Mrs. Deprang. Both classes are “Tracking their Trash” by counting their family’s bags of trash for a week. They will color in a sheet indicating how many the bags the class recorded for the end of the month! PFT FEBRUARY 2014


So What Is New Jerusalem? By Taylor Davies Edited by Harris Tucker

My Thoughts on the New Jerusalem Project

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By Dallas Furber

he seventh- and eighth-grade math students had a lot of fun doing a project on New Jerusalem recently. The purpose of the project was for the students to understand God’s heart for people by learning about His preparation of the city. "The goal was to give a graphic picture of the heart of God for all people and to express visually and through statistics just a piece of what He has prepared for those who love Him," said Mrs. Laycock. During the project, the students were supposed to read Revelation 21 and find important information about New Jerusalem and its dimensions. They converted dimensions into current day measurements, and then used those measurements to construct a scale model of the city. “I learned that Heaven is really as big as people say it is, and bigger," said Bailee Cano, a seventh grader in Mrs. Laycock's class. "In class, we utilized what we had learned about scale and compared their models to a globe. This gave them perspective as to the size of New Jerusalem," Mrs. Laycock said. They guessed and thought about how many people would fit in New Jerusalem, and then how many people there are now. The students applied verses from Matthew, John, and II Peter to discover God's heart for people. Lastly, they wrote one or more paragraphs summarizing their

I believe that I have learned more about the New Jerusalem that God is building for us than ever before. This project helps me my tiny mind that hurts when I try to think of Heaven, grasp the idea of New Jerusalem. I learned that New Jerusalem is as long as it is wide and tall- that is something only Christ can do. For gravity would win that war if we tried to build an amazing structure like this. In Revelation 21, an angel is measuring the New Jerusalem with a golden rod. He measures it 12,000 cubits tall, wide and long. That is 1,379.5 miles by 1,379.5 by 1,379.5! Can you ever imagine seeing something Jesus has spent ever so long to build? I would have never thought that Christ our LORD would want us to be with Him so badly. I knew God wanted us to be with Him from the start of Creation, but not so much that he would build us a castle to live with Him for eternity. To spend thousands of years building something for humans, who sinned and forsook God, shows that God truly does love and always will love everyone. No matter what they do. When we were figuring out who all lived on the earth so far, it added up to about 125,000,000,000 people. Then, if each family gets 1 acre, there is still room for 568,057,138,807 people. That is probably more than the world will ever know. God wasn’t planning on giving every single person a mansion to live in. God will wipe every sorrow and pain from our lives when he comes.

thoughts and what they learned from this project. "This was a very fun and educational project. I have learned so much about how much God loves us and cares for everyone." said Anna Catherine Holcomb, a seventh grader in Mrs. Laycock's class. The project overall was very fun and they learned a lot. The students learned how God cares and loves people and how New Jerusalem worked out. PFT

Raising Snails By Clay Burkhard Edited by Madyson Conley

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rs. Phillips’ sixth-grade class recently made snail terrariums. The students studied the animal kingdom and classification. “I thought it would be more interesting to the students if we actually had some of the animals we are studying. We also have two fish, and are getting butterflies too,” said Mrs. Phillips. Each student had a snail and worked in groups of two to three people to build a terrarium. The students kept their snails in Mrs. Phillips’ classroom watching them and cleaning up their terrarium weekly. A terrarium is a transparent enclosure for keeping plants or animals indoors. “Many of them used a glass fish bowl or small glass bowl. They made covers for them so the snails could not climb out,” she said. The students really enjoyed having their own terrarium. “It was exciting to watch them plan, organize and put everything together. One student went on the internet and found out a great deal of information and shared it with the class. They have even named their snails,” said Mrs. Phillips. PFT

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Fifth Explores God’s Biomes L

By Anna Catherine Holcomb Edited by Tray Wright

egacy fifth graders have been exploring the wonderful creations of God while creating biomes in Mrs. Carlson’s science class. “The main purpose of the biome project is to learn about the different environmental areas, biomes, on Earth. Each has their own climate which affects what lives and grows in that specific area,” said Mrs. Carlson. The class read and discussed how God has made each of the biomes unique. “The animals and plants were specifically made by God to prosper in the environment in which they were placed. We also discussed that it is our responsibility to take care of it and to use our resources wisely,” she says. The students were each given a specific environment to base their biome on. Each biome had to include the plants and animals in the environment. “I would like the students to have a better idea of how climate affects what lives and grows in each biome. Presenting in front of an audience is also a skill that Mrs. Wenstrom, the other fifthgrade teacher, and I both feel is important,” said Mrs. Carlson. PFT

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Legacy’s All-American Cheerleaders Represent LPCA Around the World (Above) Adisyn Mickan, Cameron Hogan, Annie Holcomb, Anna Peterson, and Madyson Conley at Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

By Amber Condley Edited by Sami Evrard

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any of Legacy’s cheerleaders represented the school in the 2013 UCA All-American parades in London and Houston. (Below) Kasen Jones in London’s New Year’s Day Parade. Five junior high girls earned Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) All-American honors: Anna Rosa Peterson, Anna Catherine Holcomb, Adisyn Mickan, Cameron Hogan, and Madyson Conley. Legacy 10th graders Kasen Jones and Makaila Bender were also named All-Americans. Kasen was in the New Year’s Day Parade in London, England, and represented our school wonderfully while she was there. Makaila chose not to attend the Disney Parade in Florida. The junior high cheerleaders marched in the HEB Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Houston. The parade started at 8 AM, but all of the girls had to be on the bus at 6:30, so they could arrive by 6:45 to get warmed up. “Trying out for All-American was probably one of the scariest things I have ever done. Knowing that you have to present a dance, cheer, and jump that you just learned that week is nerve-racking. Especially showing it to the UCA instructors and having them critique every move you make,” said Adisyn. “To prepare, we had to learn the dance on our own, then go to two practices with everyone in the parade, and we also learned some UCA chants during the parade for spirit,” said Anna Rosa. After warming up, the girls had to stand in their spots for an hour and a half to wait for the parade to start. The girls enjoyed the parade even though it was very cold outside. “The whole parade was an exciting adventure because performing on TV with 367 other cheerleaders is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I am so happy I got to experience the parade with four of my fellow cheerleaders,” Adisyn said. Varsity cheerleader Kasen Jones tried out at the UCA cheer camp at Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas. “This was my third time trying out for All-American, so naturally, I had gotten used to it. This was the first year I wasn’t worried about whether I’d make it or not, and I had no nerves. That ended up doing the trick,” said Kasen. To prepare for the parade, Kasen was sent a uniform, poms, and a dance video about two months prior to the parade. Once all the cheerleaders were in London, they had a one-hour rehearsal to make changes, clean the dance, and set ripples. On the day of the parade, Kasen got up very early, and stood in the freezing rain for two hours to wait for the parade to start. “We ran through the entire parade, only stopping at grandstands to perform the dance, sometimes twice. We probably performed the dance about 15 times. At the last stand, they filmed for TV,” she said. Kasen loved London. “It is incredible. It feels like another world in a very worldly way.” She had a great time, seeing and experiencing many different things, and it was hard for her to choose just one favorite thing. “Everything. I love, love, love London. But if I had to pick, I’d say getting to visit Abbey Road Studios and going to Windsor Castle.” Overall, our school was well-represented by our Legacy All-American cheerleaders. PFT

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Kindergarten parents attended a guided reading training on January 13th. The training was geared to equip the parents with tools to make guided reading a success while using this method of teaching reading at home with their child. A PowerPoint and packet of rich content was presented by Jenny Holcomb, our LPCA reading specialist. Parents left with tools and various options to use while working with their student on their home days. PFT

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What Is FOSS?

Full Options Science System (FOSS) is an active-learning science curriculum used by grades 1-4 at Legacy. Each grade’s curriculum consists of three modules which introduce the students to Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science. Students enjoy learning science through hands-on experiments. Though the students see each lab as a fun activity, they are actually gaining knowledge of challenging science concepts through inductive learning using lab equipment similar to “real” scientists. One of the challenges of using FOSS in a University Model School is communicating to our co-teachers what their students did in lab on their school days. Legacy teachers overcome this obstacle by providing lab sheets, science notebooks, and review sheets to help recreate the lab performed in class. FOSS also provides a student text which contains stories relating to the concepts being studied. These stories help inform the parents, as well as, provide reinforcement of the science concepts students are currently learning. Some may ask, “Why did Legacy choose FOSS?” This is the second year Legacy has used FOSS as our elementary science curriculum. FOSS requires a lot of preparation time from the teachers to implement each lab, yet the benefits gained by the students makes this time well spent. On any given day, there are few, if any, elementary students who do not enjoy their science class. Students are also gaining important critical thinking skills by using the inductive learning approach required in their labs. These critical thinking skills are necessary for success in their academic future. If you are interested in learning more about the FOSS curriculum, ask a first though fourth grade student what they are learning in their science class. If you enjoy science, there are several volunteer opportunities for you to help enrich our FOSS program at Legacy. “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.” Psalm 111:2 PFT www.legacypca.org

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High School Girls Basketball

Varsity Lady Lions Working Hard

Article by Logan Teal Edited by Tray Wright

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egacy’s high school girls basketball squad has been working hard and improving under Coach Audra May. The short-term goal for the team is to see them improve their skill level. “This year, the talk has been about getting small,” says Coach May, “meaning that we are going to focus on the small, but simple fundamentals that when done correctly, make us infinitely better. It’s just an easy way to say that we are looking to improve ourselves by focusing on just a few things, but realizing that big improvements will happen when those things are done better.” Long-term, the goal is always to see them grow in character and in their leadership abilities. “Pushing them to trust that they have a good understanding of the game and that God has given them the ability to play basketball will hopefully manifest itself in helping them to put their faith in God for similar challenges down the road. And, this year, we are teaching ourselves to be fearless no matter who or what we face, because God is always bigger,” says Coach May. “Our moral is higher than it’s ever been. Last year, we did not win a single game. This year, we’ve already won two and are pushing ourselves to win even more. We feel good about where we are and are learning from our experiences. Our hope is to allow the momentum from our last victory to push us forward to continual improvement,” she says. Working God and his plan for the team is the fun part. “The girls on my varsity team are pretty quiet,” says Coach May. “Sometimes, they feel that they are always in a battle between David and Goliath. My job is to remind them that David won that battle, not Goliath! So, our theme this year is fearless. The Bible says that God does not give us a spirit of fear so that must mean that he expects us to be afraid of nothing, especially not our opponent! Coach May reminds the girls that God has a plan for them, which will include trials and persecutions. “Through these trials, we grow stronger in our character and more steady in our faith. Helping the girls to realize that they need God when they’re afraid will hopefully establish a life long desire to trust the God who handed over the giant to the little guy with five smooth stones,” she says. PFT

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High School Boys Basketball

Reaching Far to Score High By Bailee Cano Edited by Alexandria Wynn

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his second year of Legacy boys varsity basketball has been quite a journey. The team has kept strong and been good sports, even at their losses. The boys are working hard to keep showing their lion pride. The boys have only one win, but are still giving their all. “They have shown major improvement. The boys have started to come together as a team and are learn running more about the game,” said Coach Matt Tarbutton.

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“I’ve learned to communicate more with the team and have fun while playing the right way. Coach Tarbutton has been a great coach because he’s devoted to the team, cares about legacy and teaches us new things every practice and every game,” says Travis May. Coach Tarbutton has been a big impact on the boys. “We have learned to play as a team and to play with our strengths. Coach T has taught us to play Lion basketball, not the other teams,” says Parker Primm. Coach Tarbutton has been a great coach and helped lead the Lions to their recent first victory. Tarbutton said he would be interested in coaching in the future and “I love working with young people and I also enjoy sports, so combining the two works out great for me.” “Winning the first varsity game was pretty cool. It was exciting to put one in the win column. Coach Tarbutton has helped the team be able to push the ball up the court. I am excited to play next year because I know that there are big plans,” says Ryan May. PFT

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Junior High Boys Basketball

Basketball and Jesus By Logan Mace Edited by Jacob Campbell

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he junior high boys basketball team is having a great season. They were undefeated at press time, and even more importantly, growing as young men of Christ. Reagan Sims, head junior high boys basketball coach, says, “They are a great group of guys. They have the potential and character to be great. As a team, they will continue to grow as they pursue the Lord. They will learn to further respect and rely on each other, not just on the basketball court but in the hallways and classrooms as well.” The boys not only have to work on the court, but their grades and attitude in school are crucial to their privilege to play. So far, the season has been a positive one. “Our season has definitely been a success. Outside of our record, we have consistently grown together as a team, and I have seen improvement top to bottom on the roster. While at times we have had to deal with issues concerning grades or attitudes, our team has faced up to those problems and handled business, as they should have. I am so proud of them and their growing abilities,” said Coach Sims. Coach Sims will hopefully be coming back next year to continue to help the boys rise to the top and overcome challenges. Also, he has some goals for the boys this season. “My goals for a basketball season normally stay pretty close to the same each season. I want my guys to learn, in the course of playing a sport that they love, to grow closer to the Lord and to gain a greater understanding of what it means to be a responsible young man. That is why grades and attitude are so important to our team. I am only interested in being a successful basketball team if we are successful men first and foremost.” Coach Sims has high hopes for this basketball season and those to come. He is doing a great job creating fine young, Godly men. He wants to continue to grow closer with his players and his players to grow closer to one another. PFT

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Junior High Girls Basketball

JH Lady Lions Tearing Up the Court By Chandlyr Mickan Edited by Noah Lightfoot

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his year’s junior-high girls basketball team has started off fearlessly. There’s nothing like bopping your way to the top of districts, and our ladies are doing just that. Coach Audra May says that this season is going even better than she imagined. “I have only two eighth graders and the rest of the team are underclassmen. This young team is going to kick some tail and take some names both this year and next!” To get their heads in the game, the team does a lot of conditioning. Conditioning is a nice word for running, and running is a nice word for completing multiple sets of suicides (another nice word for running) with your team of sweaty girls. It is, however, an efficient way of preparing for basketball. “I do this to get them in good enough shape to play an entire game without a break,” said May. “I believe that every girl can hustle and play great defense, but they have to be in good shape to do that or they will form bad habits.” “This year's team is one year smarter!” said May, on how this years’ team differs from lasts’. “The girls have a little more experience since many of them have had at least one year of playing under me or someone else. They understand their responsibilities and know what to expect.” The start of something new this year was the addition of two co-captains. Congratulations to Anna Rosa Peterson and Madison Peters (7th) for receiving the positions. “I encourage my team mates to strive to be the best they can be, and have a good attitude whether in games or at practice.” said Anna Rosa. “I think it’s important to also remind everyone that we are playing for God, not just ‘for the win’.” Audra May has higher goals for the girls, wanting more than just the status quo for the team. “I want to see their individual skills improve and help them have a better understanding of the game. This has been a great time as we move past beginner ball, into competitive play. I want the girls to become more comfortable with contact on the court. Basketball is a very physical game. I also want to see them come together and work as a team. They are learning to depend on one another.” So, if you’re been looking for a night to remember, it’s now or never. It’s time to scream for your Legacy team, because after all, we’re all in this together. PFT

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Swimming & Diving

Legacy Prep Diving into Aquatics By Sarah Cruthirds

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hat do you consider a sport?’Baseball? Football? Basketball, maybe? How about swimming and diving? In addition to adding track last year, Legacy Prep also added a swim and dive team. The team began last year with just three girls. This year three more girls were added to the mix. Mrs. Bryant, the school’s dive coach, says, “There are three girls diving this year, Gabby Hogan (returning from last year), Jodilyn Marrs, and Meagan Fornero.” The dive girls have been participating in practices since the first of November. “The girls have ‘dry land’ practice every Tuesday and then in the pool on both Tuesdays and Thursdays,” says Mrs. Bryant. Meagan Fornero, a current freshman, describes dry land practice as “working on dryboards, trampolines, flips, abs, and plyos.” Jodi Marrs, a current sophomore, says this is her first year to participate in dive but, “I can do a front dive tuck and a front dive so far.” Marrs says that her favorite dive is the front dive tuck because the steps flow together and are easy to master. Meagan Fornero says, “I can compete in several dive categories including front, back, gainer (also known as a reverse), inward, and twisters.” Meagan’s favorite dive is a gainer one-and-a-half. Gabby, Jodi, and Meagan competed at the TAPPS state diving meet on January 30th, and represented our school with class. Although this was the only meet TAPPS offers, Mrs. Bryant says that, “Next year I hope to enter them in some area meets.” While dive season is wrapping up, swim is just beginning. Natalie Thibodeaux, Miranda Herman, and Chandlyr Mickan will be competing in swim for Legacy Prep this year. Mickan, a current sophomore, says, “When I was little I used to turn our sandbox into a swimming pool, so my mom decided to put me and my sister in swim lessons. I’ve always liked being in the water.” This is Chandlyr’s second year swimming for Legacy. Mickan will be competing in her favorite stroke, the 50m freestyle. Thibodeaux, a freshman at Legacy Prep, describes a typical practice as, “A 100m each kick, pull, swim, and then usually individual stroke drills, sprints, and flip turns.” The girls usually round out practice with a few relays and a cool down exercise. This is Natalie’s first year to swim for Legacy, and her favorite strokes are freestyle and breaststroke. The girls have been participating in practice since January 9th, and are looking forward to their meet on February 1st. “I’ve always had a heart for this sport!” says Thibodeaux. Still think swim and dive aren’t sports? Think again! These girls have worked hard to pioneer new sports teams at Legacy Prep. Good luck to our hard-working swim and dive athletes at the upcoming TAPPS meets. PFT FEBRUARY 2014

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Baseball

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Article By Tray Wright Editing by Anna Catherine Holcomb

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nother Legacy first this year is the new baseball team, sadly only for high school right now. Coach Witcraft and Coach Tarbutton will begin practice with the new team on February 12th, the day after the last scheduled basketball game. Also, the home field will be located at the Carl Barton Park in Conroe. A new member to the Legacy family is Coach Witcraft. Coach Witcraft used to be a baseball coach for Mrs. May’s son, Jared May. “I am very excited about the upcoming inaugural baseball team, and the students are also. We will establish a benchmark in teamwork, skill development, sportsmanship, and competitiveness, while incorporating a foundation of personal faith and character,” says Coach Witcraft. The first scheduled game is on Tuesday, February 25th, in Sugarland against Logos Prep. Hope to see you there if you would like to cheer on the team as they kick-off Legacy Prep’s first-ever season on the diamond. PFT

Coach Freeman Looking Forward to 11-Man Football Article By Emily O’Donnell Editing by Sarah Cruthirds

not by wins.” In addition to changing our game, Legacy football is undergoing staffing changes. Coach Freeman is moving from Head Junior High coach to Head Varsity Coach. Coach David Bargainer has our years ago, 17 Lions blazed a trail on the gridiron, becomagreed to pioneer LPCA’s scouting program, and Coach Brandon ing the first ever football team in Legacy history. It was a big May and Anthony Curl will step for the school. However, Lions huddles will be a little more assist in areas such as special because of Legacy’s small size, crowded this coming season. teams and recievers. we’ve only played six-man footPlayers, parents, and ball for the past four years. coaches alike are excited for That is all about to change. this change. Not only will five This year our varisty more players be on the field, football team was made up of Legacy will be playing against 16 boys. Next year the team is more competitive teams in expected to nearly double with other districts. the addition of our 8th graders Coach Freeman says, “Its a and new students. Because of new group of teams, an eight this rapid growth, the adminteam district.” Legacy has istration and football coaches agreed to a two year contract have decided that Legacy’s with this TAPPS district. Over football program will be going the next two years LPCA will 11-man next year. play each team twice, once at Head Varisty Coach Miles home and once away. Freeman’s plan for Legacy football to go 11-man is in motion. Work on Legacy’s football field is already undeway. Bulldozers “It was set up with a lot of thought,” says Coach Freeman. “We have already cleared the land of trees and leveled the dirt, and the started planning in November and are still planning.” The junior high team played 11-man football in a couple of spe- money is being raised to put in a field house, bleachers, parking, and lights. The field is expected to be done in time for the 2014 cial games this past season. The coaches believe the varisty boys will have no problem adjusting to the style of play. Coach Freeman football season. Coach Freeman is looking forward to it, saying, “This is a big transformation. There’s no going back.” PFT says, “We are basing our victories on drift factors, sets, players,

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Lions Excel at Spelling Bee

Legacy’s best spellers recently competed in the district spelling bee in Hunstville. Amaya Harrell won first place in fifth grade. She and Logan Cox even made it to the spell-off, which is a great accomplishment! 2014 SPELLING BEE COMPETITORS 3rd Grade Sam Harrison Georgia Freeman Rebekah Fleming 4th Grade Brandon Davies Jackson Phillips 5th Grade

Amaya Harrell 1st Place, went to spell-off Logan Cox 3rd Place, went to spell-off

6th Grade Grace Lewis Mason Little 7th Grade Benjamin Sealy Allison Byrd 8th Grade Isaac Beeman Malik Manning FEBRUARY 2014

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Mrs. Hill’s kindergarten class enjoys a lesson on money and buying groceries.

Lions Win Souper Bowl of Caring Written by Noah Lightfoot Edited by Chandlyr Mickan

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egacy’s seventh-grade leadership class recently participated in a special event, The Souper Bowl of Caring. This involved youth across the nation working to fight hunger and poverty in their own communities during the weeks leading up to Super Bowl. The idea of contributing in this event was from Tamara Brooks, the seventh-grade leadership teacher. “I’ve been great friends with the director of the Mission Centers of Houston, Ginger Smith. She and I had been emailing each other for ideas for an activity for my leadership class. She informed me in her email promotion to local ministers regarding the Souper Bowl. Knowing that the character trait for the

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month of January was compassion, I thought it fitting to challenge my students to participate,” Ms. Brooks stated. To contribute in this event, students were tasked to find creative ways to raise money for this event, such as washing cars, raking leaves, or any way to send one dollar donations to the Houston Mission Center. “My students all had great ideas to make donations. They all contributed greatly in this. Students had a great heart to give their own hard-earned money for the hungry and poor,” she said. This years Souper Bowl of Caring was successful. Many donations were made. Mrs. Brooks and students helped contribute in helping the poor and needy. Great job, Lions! PFT 15

Student Council Bulletin

In December, Student Council held a Christmas fundraiser party for the junior high. The party was a great success and lots of fun for everyone who attended. Student Council ended up donating the earnings from the party, $545, to the school. Thank you everyone who attended and made it such a success!

Help National Honor Society Support our Troops in Africa

NHS will be collecting items and monetary donations until Friday, Feb. 14, to put together care packages for our troops in Djibouti, Africa. Keep in mind that all items need to be suitable to be transported over there (no liquids, etc.). Examples of items needed include food, sunscreen, lip balm, and personal care items. We have a bin for collecting items in car line and at the Woodlands Place Campus front desk. We also will be doing a coin drive every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning at the new campus to raise money to purchase items for the troops. PFT FEBRUARY 2014


Humility February Character Trait of the Month

In February, we show our love for others by giving candy, flowers, and cards. We also can show Jesus’ love this month by walking in humility. A simple definition of humility is thinking about others before yourself. Jesus said, “I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). He is the perfect example of humility. Jesus warned us about the importance of humility and the downfall of pride when he said, “For those who honor themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be honored” (Matthew 23:12). We see this throughout the Bible. Joseph humbled himself and God honored him. Ruth humbled herself and God honored her. Haman’s pride led to his downfall. If we want to please God, a great place to start is to pray for a humble heart. God wants us to “wear” humility. 1 Peter 5:5 says, “Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” When others look at us, God wants them to see humility, not pride. This month, ask God to give you opportunities to put others above yourself. You can do this by: · looking for the good in others, · avoiding arguments, and · being willing to forgive. You will be reflecting Jesus to a world that needs to know him. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2). FEBRUARY 2014

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Scenes from this year’s Elementary School Parade!

Legacy’s New Home: An Update

Seniors Learn Life Skills

By Jacob Campbell

By Emily O’Donnell

egacy Prep’s new home has been coming along very well and we are excited to finally move into the new building. The building is set to be ready for students when they return from break on February 24th. All the carpet has been installed and the tile work is complete. The much anticipated entrance to the new campus off of Research Forest Drive was finally completed at the end of January. It is not yet known what will become of the Coe Lane entrance. This is such an exciting time for all the Legacy families. When asked if there were any additional needs to help the big move go smoothly, board of director chairman Mike Schardt said, “We are so richly blessed to be able to build this school. God has led the way and opened so many doors by faith through this process. We ask for continued prayers for the move - that it will go smoothly, for patience through the process of the move and settling in, while we acclimate to the new surroundings.” The majority of the moving from the Woodland Place Church campus will be done on Saturday, February 15th. Any and all JH/HS boys and their dads are welcome to help. There will be many areas that may need assistance during this transition to ensure this midyear move goes smoothly. PFT

hree of the 12th graders recently did a budgeting project to be prepared for what the the “real world” holds. Raymond Camara, Colby Herman, and I were each given a budget of $1,320 for a month. We had to pay rent, utility bills, groceries, and any extra things we chose to buy. We each picked a place to live and had to plan our lives according to the budget. I have to admit, this was much harder than I ever imagined it would be. The rent took most of my money away from me. “Do you know how many Oreos I can buy with this?” Was the first thing Colby asked when Mrs. Hulbert assigned us this project. Mrs. Hulbert truly succeeded in showing us how difficult the world can actually be. Especially for a college student. PFT

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Students to Observe Open Heart Surgery By Harris Tucker Edited by: Jaron Spinler

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Water Wheels for Third Grade By Alexandria Wynn

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fter spending 10 weeks studying a water module in third- grade science, Mrs. Pollak’s students finished up with a creative and fun activity, water wheels. A water wheel is a machine that uses water to provide energy. “Students were given a basin full of various items such as plastic disks, binder clips, and a towel rod to design and construct a waterwheel that could be used to lift objects,” Ms. Pollak said. At first the children didn’t know what to do with these items, but once they had an idea they let their imaginations run wild. “Although many students were not sure where to begin, we had talked about how God can make all things to work together just right (Job) and how He tells us that people are smart and creative (James),” she said. Soon, after a few trial and error constructions, they had working water wheels that were able to lift a pencil off the floor by squirting water over the water wheel paddles. Despite getting wet, the children had a lot of fun testing their inventions. PFT

natomy and physiology students are about to learn what it means to literally have an “open heart.” The students have been studying the Cardiovascular System recently, and they will see how this knowledge they have learned is used by observing an open heart surgery at the Methodist Hospital in downtown Houston. Mrs. McNeil, one of Legacy’s new teachers, has arranged for this event to happen on February 13. “In our class we cover the makings and workings of the human body in a system-by-system approach. The point of this lesson is to allow my students the opportunity to see how this knowledge is applied in the real world.” she says. Mrs. McNeil’s class has been studying the skeletal system and the muscular system. This has led up to this semester, where her class is studying the five human senses, hormone regulation, and the cardiovascular system. The information learned will not only give the students an idea of what this is used for, but it will also expose inspiration to make better decisions regarding their health. “I pray that as we study any aspect of anatomy and physiology, my student’s faith will strengthen in our God who has arranged the human body perfectly and skillfully,” she says. PFT

Ninth Graders Study Diseases By Austin Bennett

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rs. Bryant’s ninth-grade science class had a lot of fun this month learning about diseases. They learned about diseases many different diseases. “They learned about diseases ranging from influenza to herpes to Ebola and many others” said Mrs Bryant. The students also found out where the diseases originated, as well as signs, symptoms, vaccines, cures, and other interesting details. Each student made their own power point presentation to present to the class. “This was a large research project jointly between science and English,” she said. PFT FEBRUARY 2014

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Together the 5th grade and 8th graders raised over $2,700 for the Boys Home in Africa. This amount of money lasted the boys about two months and the 5th grade girls are still raising money. You can donate too, just email Mrs. Wenstrom at cwenstrom@legacypca.org. www.legacypca.org


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