Paws for Thought February 2015 by Legacy PCA

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

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FEBRUARY 2015 • VOLUME VIII • ISSUE VII

A Message from Mrs. May

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Cruthirds Ready For Future By Manolo Lamuno

he school year is almost over and many seniors here at Legacy are getting prepared for their futures. Sarah Cruthirds has already made plans for what she wants to do in the next few years. Even though Sarah is all ready to go to college, going to Legacy has made an impact on who she is. “Attending a school like Legacy has given me confidence about moving forward. I know that I can effectively manage my time and that I can function and even succeed under pressure and stress. These skills will be quite valuable in college, as there will be no one to make sure I’m up for class or completing my homework on time,” she said. Selecting a college is one of the hardest steps for many, but Sarah makes it look easy. “I have been accepted at Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas. I was also interested in University of Texas at Dallas (and Austin), but ultimately decided to only apply to Baylor,” she said. Many people choose colleges because of their popularity, but others like Sarah make wiser decisions. “I chose to focus on Baylor because of the beautiful campus, their rich Christian foundation, high academic standards – and let’s be honest, I look good in green,” she said. The summer after graduation is one of the busiest for high school graduates. Sarah’s summer is no exception. “This summer is filling up really fast with things to do. I will attended orientation, Line camp – which is a special five day camp for incoming freshman who will be a part of the Baylor Line at football games, and I will be in Puerto Rico for 10 days on a church sponsored mission trip. I will also be working as a lifeguard again this summer.” PFT

To Be Noble-Minded

ne of the most enjoyable things I have the privilege to do is coach the junior high and high school girls’ basketball teams. With a house full of stinky, sweaty boys, I definitely enjoy my girl time! Although most of the time, they’re stinky and sweaty, too! I am a lover of the game of basketball and all that it teaches the girls. But, because it is a contact sport, the players can sometimes resort to unsportsmanlike tactics. While teaching the girls the game of basketball is an important part of my “job,” my first goal is to teach them about life and how to deal with adversity. This year, the girls and I are learning that the game of basketball is a lot like real life. It’s full of obstacles that we must be prepared to overcome. Most things in our path are really just distractions – things put in our path to prevent us from accomplishing all we are capable of. In basketball, the girls have to overcome issues like slippery floors, hot gyms, angry opponents, and unruly fans. In life, those “things” can be gossip, envy, or anything that causes us to sin. As both athletes and Christians, we can’t get caught up in focusing on things that are unfair – or, as we say on our team, petty. We are called to be noble-minded; to focus on things that are really important and that help us accomplish the task at hand. As we are learning, it’s harder than it sounds. (May continued on p.2)

Hoops Update p. 8

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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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Paws for Thought The Official Student Newspaper of

FEBRUARY 2015 VOLUME VIII • ISSUE VII www.legacypca.org Audra May Executive Editor amay@legacypca.org Daron Jones Managing Editor djones@legacypca.org

Mrs. Moore’s first graders celebrated a recent beautiful day in what is really the truly best way to enjoy this gift from God: SILLY FACES!

Michele Kuykendall Associate Editor mkuykendall@legacypca.org EDITORS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

(May continued from p.1) But, reward comes when we are able to rise above, which, by the way, is our them for this year. How do we rise above petty things? We turn them over to God. As Christians, we are told that challenges will come. And we are to hand those challenges over to God and let him take care of them. Simple, right? Sure it is. It’s at this point we have to ask ourselves what our expectations are once we have delivered our concerns over to the Lord. One of my favorite authors is Bill Hybels. Here’s what he says about prayer. “If the request is wrong God says, ‘No.’ If the timing is wrong God says, ‘Slow.’ If you are wrong God says, ‘Grow.’ But, if the request is right, and the timing is right and you are right, God says, ‘Go!’ During the times we get the word “Go,” we rise pretty quickly and are thankful God has answered our prayer. The harder issue is when we don’t get the green light. Then, we have to go back and determine if the timing might be off, or if we’re asking for something that goes against God’s will. Perhaps, we are focusing on things that are petty, or worldly. This is when we have to choose to rise above and sometimes, that means we have to wait or grow. And, as my girls are learning, these ARE answered prayers, too. We would probably all agree that the most unforgettable and poignant lessons we’ve learned in our lives were born out of overcoming something that, at the time, probably didn’t feel overcome-able (is that even a word?). Definitely not enjoyable, but that thing that you thought would kill you not only made you a stronger person, but also grew your faith far more than a mountain of successes. Time in the midst of these trials teaches us a lot of things about ourselves, namely, just how fragile each of us really is and just how badly we need Jesus. But, these times also remind us that what we thought was important, really wasn’t. And, we begin to be more purposeful about the things in our lives that really ARE important. In other words, we become more noble-minded and hopefully, eternity-driven. Since declaring that our them for this would be “celebratelegacy” it’s been a real struggle to do so. Many petty obstacles and issues continue to rear their ugly heads and we must be diligent and wise enough to know which ones are distractions and which ones really have eternal importance. We have to rise above our annoyance at the inconvenience of a petty distraction and continue to focus on those things which are pure and lovely and righteous. When we do, our outlook changes. We begin to see, not just the bigger picture, but the better picture. My husband and I recently saw the movie, “American Sniper,” about a war hero named Chris Kyle. During one of Chris’s training exercises his commanding officer tells him to close his non-shooting eye so he can see the target more clearly. Chris replies, “But then I can’t see the dangers that are lurking on the sides.” The officer, in so many words, tells Chris there’s nothing lurking in the background and that’s when Chris shoots a rattle snake several feet away from the target. This sixth sense that Chris possessed saved many American lives. He was able to visually remove things that were distractions and focus on removing elements that might be dangerous to his friends. In our daily walk, we have to be able to see the things that are petty and yet focus on the things that are noble. God gives us that ability through the Holy Spirit and when we are able to weed out those things that distract us from our goals, great things can be accomplished. God has called us to be noble-minded. He has called us to “Rise Above” and live a life that is eternally focused. So, in the spirit of our motto, Here we are. Send us!PFT Serving Him and You,, Audra May amay@legacypca.org February 2015

HIGH SCHOOL Amber Condley Jake Dye Manolo Lamuno Ryan May Ryanne Sartin MIDDLE SCHOOL Sam Bargainer Bailee Cano Cole Carrico Taylor Davies Noah Lightfoot Reagan Mace Jack Regh Sydney Rush Harrison Shook

National Youth Theater Comes To Houston Written by Taylor Davies Edited by Bailee Cano

ave you ever heard of Christian Youth Theater, or CYT? Now, there is a similar group called NYT, or National Youth Theater. NYT was started last year by Justin Stone and his wife, Rachel, while they lived in Chicago. It was designed to be adopted by any group in the United States. The first group to adopt NYT was led by Jennifer Chidester, Melissa Jacobs, and Jane Hallford, in the Houston area. NYT consists of classes and shows about once every ten weeks. There are classes for children aged five to seven, eight to 12, and 12 to 18. Classes are once a week for nine weeks. The classes last around two hours.

There are also many different types of classes, like junior music theater, dance, and improv. Certain classes are actually hosted at Legacy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. NYT has already done Peter Pan, and Godspell is being rehearshed right now. “I enjoyed the singing, but dancing wasn’t my favorite. I would consider attending again this year,” said Legacy’s own Gracie Jeffus, who has acted in the program. “NYT was started because we all felt God leading us to do a new work in the realm of youth theater,” said NYT creator Justin Stone. There were three theater camps here in Houston, one teen camp and two lower school Frozen-themed camps. I attended the five-day long teen camp and I

loved it. If they do it again this summer, I would love to do it again. The teen camp was an overnight camp for four nights and it was hosted at Freedom Fellowship Church, which is in Magnolia. At the end of the five days, there was a showcase. The showcase consisted of theatrical songs, 50s style dances, and other types of dancing, like hip-hop. The dances were choreographed by Becca Cary, Ashlyn Jacobs, and Erin Hallford. The camps were attended by around 140 campers with amazing results. They also produced their first full-scale musical this past fall with Peter Pan at the Nancy Bock PAC. It was a blast and thousands of people attended. PFT

Pre-K Poll by Reagan Mace

What is your favorite Disney character? Teague Brown Whinnie the Pooh

Timothy Freevol Scar

Blaise Martin Woody

Sky Morse Doc Mcstuffins

Kinsley Taylor Ariel

Katie Colwell Elsa and Anna

Hudson Herridge Woody

Molly McFarland Ariel

Sydney Oosthuizen Ariel

Michaela Schutz Elsa

Makenzie Eggers Cinderella

Riley Johnston Elsa

Colsten Moede Buzz Lightyear

Campbell Petters Doc Mcstuffins

Bronson Teutsch Cars

Henry Freevol Mike

Bryleigh Kennedy Elsa

Allison Jane Moore Cinderella

Mateo Rivera Vega Hulk

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February 2015

Bargainer’s Love Of Horses Makes Her Jump For Joy Written by Reagan Mace Edited by Bailee Cano

enth-grade student Becca Bargainer has been riding horses since she was six years old. She rides at Tally Ho with her horse, Scarlett. Becca rides English style and shows her horse about four to five times a year in the Division Show Jumpers. “I have always had a love for horses. When I was younger all I wanted was to learn how to ride, so my parents signed me up,” Becca said. “Riding is something that I genuinely enjoy doing. I really like the technical aspect of the sport because it’s always challenging me and pushing me to get better,” she said. “Although it likely won’t happen,” she said, “going to the Olympics is definitely a goal of mine. It would be incredible to get a chance to do something like that.” Becca would love to make a career out of riding. If that is not in her future, she would love to continue riding throughout her life anyway. PFT

7th Grade Poll by Sam Bargainer

WHAT ONE WORD DESCRIBES YOU? Sean Aucion SugarGlider

Megan Gallagher Magnificent

Mia Martinez Beautiful

Taylor Sartin Fabulous

Tyler Auger Fisherman

Kayla Henson Nothing

Hayley Ming Cool

Harrison Shook Bruh

Sam Bargainer Fab

Kaylee Hill Fabulous

Grayson Murphy Cool

Katelyn Smith Sassy

Cody Calvetti Happy

Grace Lewis Fabulous

Ali Neuberger Flawless

Audrey Spinale Fabulous

Cole Carrico Electric

Mason Little Cool

Gracie Phillips Talented

Erin Taylor Enthusiastic

Justin Centilli Short

Presleigh Lopez Flawless

Jay Piotrowski Awesome

Joshua Vicknair Creative

AnaBelle Elliott Athletic

Reagan Mace Frivolous

Maddison Reid Awesome

Alice Wagner Crazy

February 2015

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Mrs. Ferebee’s art class

recently collaborated on this incredible painting of our school’s namesake, the mighty lion. Caroline Shook drew it, and the rest of the class joined in for the project.

Spreading the Word of Jesus Through Sports Written by Cole Carrico Edited by Noah Lightfoot

estiny Sports Association has had a huge impact on Legacy. Destiny is a positive sports league where students can come and play for their school in a Christian environment and receive training athletically, socially and spiritually. “Destiny Sports Mission INC is a non-profit organization that uses sports as a vehicle for the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Ryan Highly, founder of Destiny Sports. “We do so by partnering with other Christian organizations to provided sports camps, sports based mission trips, various other sports based ministry venues, and the Destiny Sports Association.” Destiny is a non-profit program that relies on the generosity of families and individuals for support. Destiny charges minimal fees for www.legacypca.org

its camps, trips and league to cover basic costs. It is a non-denominational ministry and not a part of any denominations or churches grant fund. Destiny receives donations on its secure donation site www.destinysportsmission.com. The number of participants varies on the

needs of the host organization and how many sports offered at that particular event. Our largest camps are around 720 kids and offer up to 12 sports. With Destiny Sports Association we have averaged around 100 kids per sport. “Destiny Sports is an organization focused on evangelism. Our purpose is to spread the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ,” said Ryan. 5

The ministries are directed by Ryan Highley, and run by qualified and dedicated volunteers. Ryan is passionate about supporting Christian education. He wants to strengthen Christian schools in anyway that he can. Also, providing this avenue for Legacy and other local Christian schools was a natural first step for our ministry. Destiny Sports Association offers baseball, softball, soccer, flag football, volleyball and basketball. Their camps and mission trips include sports and athletic activities such as: baseball, softball, soccer, football, volleyball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, cheer, drill and dance, and basic athletic training (such as crossfit). Destiny sports is a friendly environment in which your child can play sports in the authority of the wonderful volunteers. Sign your kiddo up. Email ryan@destinysportsmission.com for details. Little lions now have a way to be like our big lions. PFT February 2015

February Character Trait:

Eighth Grade Students Help Homeless Written by Noah Lightfoot Edited by Sydney Rush

ere at Legacy, our school likes to show care for others. A few of our eighth graders recently displayed this care by handing out clothes to the homeless. Students Jack Regh, Noah Lightfoot, Rylan Walters, Kyle Harrison, and Sydney Rush were able to experience this great opportunity. “I thought it was very interesting giving the warm clothes out to the homeless. It made me realize how blessed I am,” said Jack Regh. All of the homeless men and women expressed so much gratitude for items as simple as a pair of gloves. All of the eighth graders handed out scarves, gloves, hats, and socks. Compassion United, an organization to help the needy, hosted breakfast for the homeless that morning at the Conroe House of Prayer. This organization hosts breakfast six days a week. While Compassion United held the breakfast, they allowed us to come and help give to the poor. The atmosphere was outstanding. Everyone expressed the highest level of joy receiving clothes. God definitely had his hand on this event. PFT

Humility

n February, we show our love for others by giving candy, flowers, and cards. We can also 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. This month, we’re also Celebrating Service! We’ll kick off our focus on serving others in Elementary Chapel, Middle School Rebelution, and High School Morning Pronouncements. High School will lead the way with several service projects and we’ll have opportunities for Middle School and Elementary to participate. We’ll be putting our character trait into action by “thinking about others before ourselves” and 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). PFT

Laycock Enjoys Role as Technical Puppetmaster By Ben Bargainer

enth-grade student Jason Laycock has found a great way to spread the word of Christ. Jason began serving as the technical operator (lights, sound, video) for the Jungle Jam ministry in 7th grade. Jungle Jam is the large group worship/lesson time for the kids through kindergarten at WoodsEdge Community Church. He has been serving weekly ever since. The Puppet Pals ministry started this summer. Jason volunteers as the technical operator for that ministry, as well. His mom, dad, and sister serve as puppeteers. The Puppet Pals help with Jungle Jam twice a month and do special performances, as well. For example, on December 13, their church hosted Love Fosters Hope, a Christmas gathering for foster children. Approximately 550 kids from birth through age 19 were present for the festivities. Puppet Pals had three performances to entertain the children and communicate the message of Christ’s birth. PFT

February 2015

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Girl Online Gets Big Written by Taylor Davies Editing and Layout by Bailee Cano

outuber Zoe Sugg, also known as Zoella, recently released her first novel: Girl Online. Zoe is a British video blogger/beauty guru on YouTube. She has six, almost seven million subscribers on YouTube and is watched by many every day. The twenty-four-year old YouTuber has won numerous awards such as a Teen Choice Award, BBC Radio Award, and many others. Zoe also has a line of beauty products. This past year, she has a taken on a new talent, writing. Girl Online is a story about a young girl living in Brighton, UK, who runs a blog. The book’s moral is friendship and loyalty. Penny, the main character, has anxiety and has many anxiety attacks throughout the book. To vent about her life, she has a blog where she writes her stories anonymously. She has code names for her friends and shares her day. Her family gets an opportunity to move to New York and the family takes up the offer. In

New York, Penny meets a boy named Noah who becomes her guitar-playing best friend. I love the morals of this book, but the storyline is similar to almost every teen romance novel now. The girl has an anonymous blog, she travels, meets a boy, and falls in love. Even though Zoe is new to writing, I think the book could’ve done better. Some say Zoella “ghost wrote” her book. Although, I loved Penny. In fact, most of the characters were great. I went from loving some of them to hating them and then loving them again, which I liked. I also liked how the book showed that you can never know what situation someone is in unless you are the person, and you shouldn’t make assumptions. I would rate this book 6 out of 10, because the characters were developed really well, and I loved the morals. My problem is that the storyline is like most other novels right now. Zoe signed a deal to have two novels total in the next three years, so hopefully her second novel is a bit better. I cannot wait to see how it turns out. PFT

Mylee Cano, Athletic First Grader

Written by Bailee Cano Edited by Harrison Shook

atting, throwing, and scoring runs are just a few things Legacy first grader, Mylee Cano, has been doing for the past three years. She first started wanting to play when older sister, Bailee Cano, was playing. Because she was so young, she started learning the basics during squeak ball, which is a simplier version of softball with squeaky bases. She now plays coach pitch and in this coming fall season she will be playing slow pitch softball. “I’ve learned how to run really fast, how to throw and catch better, and how to get home runs. But my favorite thing to do is to bat because I’m so good at it,” Mylee said. “I really want to be able to play on school, so I hope Legacy has a middle school or high school team I can play on,” she said. Mylee just finished up her fall season at MASA (Magnolia Area Softball Association) and her next season will be in spring 2015, starting in February. Every year she has two seasons, each a few months long. She first started playing softball because her sister, Bailee, was playing. Now she hopes to play for a long time and grow up to be a softball coach. PFT

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February 2015

Boys Varsity Playing Hard By Sam Bargainer

he boys high school basketball team has had a great season. Ben Shardt and Joshua Michelitti, two key players on the team, had something to say about the how things are progressing this year. “Overall my basketball season

The most surprising thing has been the freshman contributions to the team. I love working out with them.” Micheletti agreed. “I think our basketball season has gone very well,” he said. “We have grown as basketball players and are continuing to get better everyday. We can work on playing

has been terrific,” said Schardt. “I feel like becoming more and more athletic in every practice and game is important. For me, personally, a lot of people have been saying I need to take more shots so I am currently working on being ‘selfish’ and finding that balance. Of course still improving my game overall as a whole is another need of mine.

more as a team and focusing on the task at hand. Nothing has been a surprise this season. We know what we’re capable of doing, but we have shocked every other school in our district. After two losing seasons, this year we have proved that we are a worthy opponent and that you can’t come lightly at us.” PFT

Junior High Boys Roar Written by Noah Lightfoot

he junior high Lions basketball team has achieved great things this season. The team has been winning game after game. Coach Greg Brewton's team is playing basketball very well. Recently, the Lions played in the district tournament, which was held at our home court. Our boys soared past all of the teams in the tournament and won first place. The Lions were crowned district champions. "Were doing really good this season. Our whole team plays well together. Everyone on the team passes often so a teammate can get an open look," said eighth grader Carter Capel. "I think we've done well this season. I think we're playing good defense," said Sam Bargainer. "I think we need to improve our three-point shooting before the season ends." The Lions haven't lost a single game qsince the Christmas break, and the streak continues every game. Everyone is playing together as brothers on the team. Everybody plays an important role in the victories. God has helped the boys prevail throughout the whole season. The Lion's season is almost over, so come out and support your junior high stars. PFT February 2015

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Written by Ryanne Sartin

Lady Lions Get After It

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s we all know, Legacy Prep athletes train hard. But this basketball season under head coach Audra May, the Lady Lions high school and junior high teams have taken that truth to another level. “My high school girls are looking forward to their first-ever playoff game. They are 5-2 district and are experiencing their first-ever winning season,” Coach May said. The girls have grown over the season tremendously and have learned to have confidence in each other. “This is the best season our high school girls have ever had,” said Coach May. “I am so blessed to be part of such an amazing team and I couldn’t be more proud of our accomplishments,” said Avery Jones, one of the key players on the high school team. The junior high team is excelling, as well. “The junior high girls are a ferocious group,” said Coach May. If you have not yet witnessed the junior high girls, you are definitely missing out on some ferocious play. Our girls recently came in second place at District tourney. “I feel this season has gone very good, and I cannot wait to see what the future has for our team,” said Taylor Sartin. “They are learning to lean on each other and this brings them together as a team,” said Coach May. Okay Legacy families, now it is your turn to come out and experience the love and passion for basketball that our girls have shown us. PFT

February 2015

Anderson Shares God’s Spirit, Knowledge with Students By Joshua Micheletti

egacy has drafted another teacher for itself and her name is Mariela Anderson. She now teaches 1100 History for Legacy and has proven herself as a great addition to the staff. Legacy welcomes Mariela Anderson and hopes she has a good experience impacting the younger generations. Anderson is from Venezuela, where her dad, brothers and cousins all worked in the oil industry. It was because of the oil industry there that she met and married her husband Mark in 2002. She loves teaching history. This passion for history most likely began from when she started hearing about her own family and her ancestors. Her grandmother was born in 1911 and used to tell Mariela many stories of their heritage. “My great grandparents arrived February 2015

in Venezuela from the Canary islands in the late 1800s,” said Anderson . Since coming to the United States, she has learned English in order to go to college to learn how to teach. She can now help her children with their homework and assist her students on a regular basis. Anderson loves spending time with her family and realizes that every moment counts because she once had cancer. “My husband, Mark and I have two lovely children. Matthew is eleven and Madison is five. Both of them are playing basketball. Matthew also likes to play football,” she said. Anderson has always enjoyed teaching. She views it as a responsibility to teach and inspire the kids. “I would like my students to know that they can do and achieve big dreams as long as they constantly work hard and

never give up,” she said. She has had her own back up against the fence, but never once did she think about quitting and giving in. Anderson teaches history for now. She is also very interested in psychology. She loves teaching high school and hopes to teach middle school along with it. Anderson loves when she is teaching and seeing smiles on the kids faces knowing that they are learning and being inspired for the future. “As a mother, I feel that when my students enter our classroom, they are like my own children.” She wants her students to succeed in life and to learn from history in order not to make the same mistakes. She attended college in Venezuela for two years, but was not able to transfer the credits when she moved to the United States. 10

Anderson then went to Our Lady of the Lake University located in San Antonio. After she completed college she then built up her teaching experience in the public schools before coming to Legacy. So far through her experience at Legacy she loves the fact that it is a Christian school. “I also like the idea that I am able to pray before starting our class and that God is present in everything we do at school.,” she said. Anderson has known God her whole life. “During the most difficult times in my life is when I felt closest to God.” She is enjoying all of God’s blessings and opportunities God provides for her, especially watching her kids grow up, her husband in his job, and for her own job that God has provided her with at Legacy. PFT www.legacypca.org

Remember The Alamo Story by Harrison Shook Edited by Taylor Davies

r. Huckaby’s 7th grade history class went on a field trip to San Antonio recently. The class is learning Texas History, so Mr. Huckaby took the students to one of the most important cities in the state of Texas. The class went on tours, explored the city, and did many other activities that really brought what they were learning to life. On the first day of the trip, the class went to Mission San Jose, a spanish mission built to convert Native Americans to the catholic way of life, and to expand the empire of Spain in new areas. Next, the students went to the Alamo. Seeing the important battle site brought a whole new perspective to what they had recently learned in school. The class also went to the

house of José Antonio Navarro, who signed the Declaration of Texas Independence, the Spanish Governors Palace, and San Fernando Cathedral, the oldest active religious community in Texas. Finally, they capped off their trip by eating at Big Lou’s Pizza, home of the 42 inch pizza. Mr. Huckaby said that he chose to have the trip in San Antonio for a few specific reasons. “There are many places we could visit in Texas, that is true. But, San Antonio is one of the oldest cities in Texas. It was the seat of government for the area under the Spanish back in the late 1700s. We actually visited that building. It’s about the only one of the old capital buildings still around. Due to its longevity, there are so many things to see and do in San Antonio, it

really wasn’t that hard of a decision.” “I really enjoyed the visit to Mission San Jose. It’s a beautiful park, and the park rangers there really do an excellent job of explaining the history of the area and making it entertaining.”, said Huckaby. Mr. Huckaby took the class to specific places to make learning more interesting than just reading a book. “I wanted them to get a first hand view of some of the places we’d talked about in the first semester”, said Huckaby. “It’s one thing to read about it in a book and look at pictures, and another to actually walk the area.” The 7th graders really enjoyed the trip, as it made what they learned seem real, and they hope to go on more trips in the future. PFT

Logan Freevol Rocks Written by Cole Carrico Edited by Manolo Lamuno

egacy sixth grader Logan Freevol is a musician. He plays several instruments, such as the guitar and drums. Freevol debuted his drumming skills last year in Legacy’s praise band. “School of Rock is where I go to take guitar lessons, but they also have drum lessons, keyboard lessons, and voice lessons,” said Freevol. “It’s a really cool place to take lessons, because you take a 45-minute lesson one day a week, you are placed into a band, and have a threehour band practice each week. All of the people in your band are on a similar ability level to you, as well, so it makes it really fun to go to band practice.” Every three or four months, School of Rock hosts a show at local places, like Dosey Doe, where all of the bands perform. Most of the bands play classic rock songs, but there are some that play pop music as well. Logan plays on Feb. 15 at 6:20 p.m. at Dosey Doe on 1488, and March 1 at Shamrock Pub in Humble, also at 6:20 p.m. He is in the Alice in Chains - Soundgarden band which is the headliner both of those nights. He has the lead on “Stone by Alice in Chains and will also be playing Spoonman, Black Hole Sun, and Got Me Wrong. Logan Freevol is a very big inspiration to our younger lions. If you want to play an instrument, look at Logan Freevol for an example. You can do anything you put your mind and effort to. PFT

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Logan Freevol (left) with his guitar teacher at School of Rock. February 2015

The Scoop on Legacy’sNew Bleachers by Jake Dye

n the summer of 2014, a new set of bleachers was christened into Legacy’s gym. But new may be the wrong word. They are actually more than 30 years old. They may not look very old now, but when Mr. Gibson and Mr. Bargainer first retrieved them, they were literally in pieces. They came from Louisiana. Mr. Gibson and Mr. Bargainer were on a mission to find some low-cost bleachers, and the task had taken them pretty far. “When we walked into the warehouse,” said Mr. Gibson, “It was like stepping onto the set of an A&E reality TV show. It was a cross between Pawn Shop, Hoarders, and February 2015

American Pickers.” Despite the cluttered warehouse, the bleachers were real and cheaper than dirt. “They were very inexpensive!” said Gibson, “Basically $2000 – so cheap that I was very skeptical they were real. New bleachers of this caliber can cost in the neighborhood of well over $50,000, and those are mostly plastic.” Their journey had clearly paid off, but the bleachers were in no condition for use. “The metal pieces were grungy – we pressure washed all the pieces out on the circle drive – but even after they dried, they still didn’t look much better. For 8 weeks or so, there was just a bunch of metal all around the gym – it took a while for the bleachers to shape up and look like a place worth sitting.” 12

The state of our new bleachers was pretty grim, but luckily Mr. Locke was in charge of restoration and had a plan to whip them into shape. “It took 2 full months to put them together – mostly nights and weekends. Brad Locke helped a ton! There was no conceivable way to put them together – there were hundreds of different parts, all different sizes and some that only had slight differences that I wasn’t sure why,” said Mr. Gibson. Everything started out a bit rocky, but by the end of a few months, Legacy had a new set of bleachers worth far more than we paid. We should be grateful for the parents and board members willing to sacrifice their time and money to make a better place for their children. PFT www.legacypca.org

Lions Ride Their Imaginations to Incredible Destinations

Written by Bailee Cano Edited by Harrison Shook

egacy students, ranging from pre-k all the way to eighth, have been stretching their imagination in the past few months with their after school Destination Imagination groups. There are four groups; two Rising Stars teams, structural, and service learning. Each group has their own name for themselves, as they will need it in the regional tournament on February 28th. The groups have been meeting since around September and have gotten together every, or every other, week. The goal for the groups is to learn to work together to complete challenges and create

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Like any good engineer, they must also keep the structure as light and inexpensive as possible, 75 grams being the heaviest and $150 being the most expensive. This is what they will perform at the tournament, along with a skit explaining it,” says Mrs. Christie Wingo, group leader for the structural group. “My favorite part of Destination Imagination is being able to be creative. I have learned to be a team with my friends,” said Legacy kindergartener, Mylee Cano. “Being able to build teamwork with your friends is probably the best part,” said Legacy eighth-grader, Ashleigh Miller. The groups have already begun creating their task and have

imaginative solutions for them. Each group has to present their challenge solution through a skit for judging as well as do an ‘instant challenge’, where they will be given a challenge and only have a few minutes to solve the problem. They have to complete all of this with no help or ideas from anyone else, the do it solely by themselves. “They will design and build a structure that will support a ten pound weight and design the structure so that elements from it can be removed while the weight is still in place. They will even design and build the device that will remove the elements from their structure, as their hands will not be allowed within six inches of their structure during testing.

learned things throughout the process. They have learned to plan and execute as a team, listen to each other’s ideas, and to speak up and let their ideas be heard. They will need these traits to be able to present and perform well at the regional tournament. “The main focus of Destination Imagination is developing imaginative ability. I would say that is occurring as they are developing and creating the challenge solution. But another huge part that we have seen is learning diplomacy, negotiating, and teamwork,” said Mrs. Andrea Moede. Make sure to wish these Legacy students good luck before regionals! PFT

February 2015

Lions Brainiacs Strut Their Stuff at This Year’s Science Fair By Jack Regh

n January 23rd, the Legacy 7th graders competed in the annual science fair. This year’s event was once again held at Lone Star College. One of the 7th graders, Cole Carrico, did an

SAT Prep Courses Lift Off Written by Ryan May

or the 2014-2015 spring semesters Legacy is offering Sat Prep Courses to students in grades 10th-12th. The class is offered to prepare LPCA students for the SAT. It is offered as an elective for the fifth and sixth period. The students learn test taking strategies for the PSAT and the SAT. Some of these strategies are learning acronyms, math vocabulary, and using critical thinking skills. Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Bunnis are the teachers for the elective. “The SAT prep course is preparing me for the actual SAT thoroughly. I learn in detail about the in and outs of taking the test,” said Junior Brady Harvey. The SAT prep course will be offered as a full year elective in 2015-2016 and will be offered to the same class. PFT February 2015

experiment called “What Makes a DNA Fingerprint Unique?” Carrico said about his project, “This experiment had me create a random sequence of DNA, cut it – run it through a gel matrix, and then look at my bands for certain levels of certain enzymes. I was to do this five times. Then, I compared my bands.”

Cole enjoyed the variety of experiments. “I thought it was cool to see all of the other kids’ projects,” he said. Another 7th grader, Reagan Mace, did the experiment, “What is the fastest way to cool soda?” Mace said, “In the end, the science fair was kinda fun.” PFT

Loach’s 8th Grade Lions Get All Experimental Written by Sydney Rush Edited by Cole Carrico

ands-on learning is very effective in a science classroom. It gives students an opportunity to see the concepts in action, and gives them a true understanding of what science can do,” eighth grade teacher Kara Loach said. For the past two weeks, Mrs. Loach’s students have been conducting multiple experiments having to do with toy cars. The objective of the “Speed Lab” was to learn to measure speed and interpret motion graphs. Students measured the time it took three remote controlled cars to reach several distances, then graphed the data and compared the speed of the three cars using the graphs. The objective of the Hot Wheels Track lab (A.K.A. “Best.Lab.Ever.”) is to get a Hot Wheels car to travel farther. Students applied their knowledge of velocity, acceleration, and force to affect distance. No instructions were given, so the students were challenged to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions. 14

The next lab challenged students to use the scientific method to design a paper airplane with a longer flight time. Students explored how to use a control, how to use graphs to analyze data, and using data to draw meaningful conclusions. “Hopefully, they make great memories in the process,” said Loach. “Kids will benefit from this because different labs serve have different purposes,” she said. “Some labs demonstrate a concept we are studying. Some labs are designed to challenge students to come up with creative solutions. So labs are designed to have the students practice using the scientific method for problem solving.” Students may not remember how calculate force or graph speed after graduation. But they will be better equipped to approach problems strategically and creatively. “Most ideas for labs originate from other teachers, books, or the internet. I enjoy adding my own twist to make labs more fun,” she said These labs were very fun. Some students get really excited about trying to figure out a puzzle. “The eighth graders are very bright and creative, and had some really innovative ideas,” Loach said. PFT www.legacypca.org

Spelling Lions

ome of our lions did very well at the District Spelling Bee, held Friday, Jan. 16, 2015 in Huntsville, Texas at Alpha Omega Academy. “We had 11 students represent LPCA,” said Jenny Holcomb, Legacy’s Reading Specialist. “The experience was good and the environment was exciting.” In order to go to the district bee you had to be the winner among your Language Arts or English class. The winning student of each class was eligible to attend the bee. Congratluations to these Legacy students: 3rd grade - Jonathan Bundy, Wesley Wingo, Levi Brown 4th grade - Rebekah Fleming (6th place), Shanie Spinler 5th grade - Kylee Curl (5th or 6th place), Brandon Davies (16th place) 6th grade - Michael Carlson, Amaya Harrell (5th place) 8th grade - Bailee Cano (9th place) Brooklyn Bryant (10th place) PFT

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February 2015

We’re All Mad Here Legacy Prep Thespians Preparing for Alice in Wonderland Written by Amber Condley

his year Legacy’s high school teacher, Mrs. Evans, decided to put on a play. “I decided to put on the play because I thought we desperately needed a fine arts department. Our athletic program has really taken off and has parental and student support, which is wonderful, but conversations with students led me to believe that there were students feeling left out or frustrated by the lack of offerings in their areas of interest. I did theatre (primarily musicals) as a student, and so hoped I could learn enough about directing one on the fly to make a successful first venture,” said Mrs. Evans. Director Mrs. Evans, and

Caroline Shook, Molly Jacobs, Malik Manning, Harris Tucker, Brennan Cone, Gabe Locke, Taylor Murphy, Cole Howden, Meagan Fornero, Branson Fredricks Jacob Campbell, Megan Morrison, Chandlyr Mickan, and Maddy Locke. With make-up by Samantha Furber, Becca Bargainer, and Sarah Cruthirds; set design by Tray Wright and Caroline Shook; sound by Jason Laycock, and costume management by Mrs. Elliot. The actors and actresses are currently rehearsing in Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Evan’s rooms, and meet on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 7:45-8:30. “Some of the students have also really enjoyed organizing lunch rehearsals for extra practice, which I think is awesome! We will have one

assistant director, Mrs. Bryant, put together a whole audition process, script, and rehearsals, and are putting on Alice In Wonderland. To audition for the play, “The students were asked to sign up in advance with a list of the roles they were interested in. They were also allowed to leave it open-ended. They then chose a monologue from one of the characters they were interested in to memorize and then perform in front of Mrs. Bryant and me. We ranked students according to stage presence, voice projection, acting, etc. The students did extremely well and we had a difficult time assigning parts, but I think we’ve got a winning line up now,” she said. The cast includes Kyra Wright, Emily Slater, D’Artagnan Elliot,

Thursday morning rehearsal the day before the final play so that we can do a full dress rehearsal,” said Mrs. Evans. The play is currently set to be held on Friday, March 6 in Legacy’s gym, but the date and location are subject to change. Mrs. Evans is hoping to nail down location and time in the next week or so. We are all very excited to see the outcome of all the hard work that has been put into the making of this play, “Although the process has been a little bumpy because it’s our first attempt to do something like this here, I have been really impressed with the student’s dedication and their acting skills! You’ll have to ask D’Artagnan about his schizophrenic acting - it’s impressive,” said Mrs. Evans. PFT

Parents Sing Legacy’s Praises sure that Kyle was appropriately prepared for college, in the right environment. Legacy afforded Kyle that opportunity. The college-prep curriculum and the UMS format are the obvious benefits. But in addition, Kyle enjoyed wonderful teachers and faculty that he was able to form relationships with. He was also able to enjoy a variety of extra-curricular activities, including playing starting quarterback on the six-man varsity football team during his sophomore year (something he relished for years). All of these and other benefits helped prepare Kyle for his admission to Baylor. And while his grades and GPA are very strong, the Maizes hold that coming from a UMS offers another edge in the admission process that helped Kyle find his way into the college of his choice. SICEM! –Jim Maiz

We are inviting Legacy parents who wish to share what a blessing our school has been to their kids to email their thoughts to djones@legacypca.org. We’d like to share them in upcoming editions of Paws for Thought. Our first submission comes from Jim Maiz, father of Legacy senior, Kyle.

yle Maiz, Legacy Senior, is heading to Baylor University this coming Fall. Kyle currently plans to major in geology while also following a pre-med track, with an intention to attend medical school after he graduates. Kyle came to Legacy in the middle of his eighth grade year. Immediately prior to that he briefly attended The Woodlands Christian Academy, and prior to that he had been homeschooled since elementary school. The move from homeschooling to Legacy was to en-

February 2015

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Saluting the Legacy Prep Board of Directors

Legacy’s Board of Directors works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that our school’s administration and student families have everything they need for the best possible Christian education experience. They give of their spirit and effort, through countless hours working at home or with contractors and suppliers, to shepherd Legacy through the trials and tribulations facing private institutions today. Let’s meet them: David Bargainer

Paige Jones

Dan Condley

Mike Schardt

Gary Gibson

Brandon May

Chairman Board Service: 2 years At Legacy: 3 years Lions: Ben (11th), Becca (10th), Sam (7th)

Secretary Board Service: 6 years At Legacy: 9 years Lions: Jamie (6th), Kasen (11th)

Vice Chairman Board Service: 2 years At Legacy: 9 years Lions: Amber (11th), Hannah (6th), Will (4th) Been at LPCA 9 years

Treasurer Board Service: 1 year At Legacy: 4 years Lions: Ryan (11th). Alex (10th). Christian (8th).

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Director Board Service: 7 years At Legacy: 8 years Lions: Rebecca (12th), Ben (9th)

Trustee, Co-Founder Board Service: 10 years At Legacy: 10 years Lions: David (4th), Jared (9th), Ryan (10th), and Travis (11th) 11

February 2015

Legacy Students Spread God’s Word in Haiti

Coreluv is an international minstry group that runs mission trips to Haiti. Legacy is well-represented in the latest group to travel to the underprivileged country. Kyle and Tara Hutton, with their sons Brooks, Casen, and Carter, joined Kasen Jones and former Legacy students Makaila Bender and Laurel Bankhead in spreading God’s word to kids orphaned by the Haiti earthquake. Troy and Nicole Bender organized the trip with Coreluv. For info on future trips, visit coreluv.org.

In yet another way our school spreads blessings around the world, Legacy Prep’s three kindergarten classes pray for a different missionary family each month. “In December we prayed for the Bakhtadze's, who are in the Republic of Georgia, their home country,” said kindergarten teacher Debbie Pirkle. “They had a baby in November, their third child. Our kindergarten has been collecting much needed baby clothes for them as a mission project.” Gia Bakhtadze visited Mrs. Pirkle’s church on February 1, and two of her students who attend the church presented him with the clothes. God truly works through Legacy students. February 2015