Norfolk Christian Schools AMBASSADOR MAGAZINE 2018

The

AMBASSADOR The Magazine of Norfolk Christian Schools

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN WRAPS UP / STATE CHAMP GIRLS TENNIS TEAM HIGHLIGHTS OF 2017-18 / ANNUAL REPORT / ALUMNI STORIES AND MORE INSIDE

2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

24 20 36

32

49

77

102

108

3

From the Head of School

35

Championship Banners Raised

4

Capital Campaign is Finished!

36

Stuck in the Middle: Life in Middle School

10

Homecoming 2018

40

12

Hobbs Family Athletic Complex Named

Beach Campus Spotlight: The Real Work of Deeper Learning

14

Carlson Strength & Conditioning Center Grand Opening

43

New Honor Societies

44

A World Apart: NCS International Program

16

Letter from John Dunlap

49

Alumni Spotlight

20

Parent Nigel Anderson Talks Hip Hop and the Heart of Christ

77

The 2017-18 Annual Report

24

The Room at the End of the Hall: A Visual Arts Showcase

101

Highlights from Spring 2018

102

Class of 2018

32

Girls Tennis Brings Home State Title

108

Baseball Brings it All the Way Home

2

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Welcome to the 2018 Ambassador magazine. Inside, you will see the best of 2018, along with highlights from the 2017-18 school year and our 17-18 Annual Report. These many different events, celebrations and achievements all combine to create the unique ambassador experience.

Our long-standing community, started by Dr. John Dunlap and carried on by multitudes of administrators, teachers, staff and board members over the last 66 years, is unified by the mission to equip students spiritually, intellectually, and physically to love God and to serve Him as Christ’s ambassadors in the world. You will see within these pages that this mission is alive and well, on our campuses and in alumni throughout the world using their gifts to serve Him. God continues to provide the increase as the organization grows - spiritually, intellectually and physically.

We see spiritual growth each year as students mature in the knowledge of the Word and practice living out the gospel in community - chapels, worship, small groups, community service activities, missions trips - not to mention the greater challenge of everyday living with one another in unity.

We see intellectual growth as students are mentored and challenged in the classroom, evidenced by the advanced critical thinking of Deeper Learning at our Lower Schools, academic enrichments in Middle School and the introduction of two new honor societies for High Schoolers. Colleges also recognize this growth as our students are repeatedly admitted to top universities.

During the past year, we were blessed to see physical growth in the completion of the major parts of the athletic field project. God enabled us to finish the $9 million capital campaign through the efforts and giving of fellow saints in Christ. As a result, NCS is now debt-free from our major facilities upgrade in 2007 and has transformed the appearance and quality of our Upper School campus with unmatched facilities.

As you read and enjoy the highlights of our year, I believe you will see the joy that comes from a community seeking to glorify God in all things. It is a joy only He can give. We are thankful for His continued blessing on Norfolk Christian as we carry out our mission to equip ambassadors for Christ.

Daniel Tubbs Head of School

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

3

Border art in the Features section designed by Graphic Art student Sammi Pasini, 11th.

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID! 4

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED!

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to and ever.

Amen.” the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by3:20-21 Christ Jesus to all generations, forever – Ephesians and ever. Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21

As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the PastAs. .of . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been and ourmoney capital debt paid!

Center been The work issecured finished. The is in has thebeen bank.

TheThe $1 Carlson millionConditioning matching gift has has been secured and our capital has beenequipment paid! The installed; Carlson the Conditioning Center has beenhas dedicated and debt state-of-the-art Hobbs Family Athletic Center dedicated and thenewly Hobbs Familylights Athletic beenstate-of-the-art named; our fieldequipment bleachers areinstalled; up, and our installed wereCenter shining has ever so been named;brightly our field bleachers are first up, evening and ourHomecoming newly installed lights shining everField, so as we enjoyed our on our ownwere turf, Moore Family brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings! on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to scholarships, enhance scholarships, aidfaculty and faculty benefits. to come school’s endowment to enhance tuition tuition aid and benefits.

StillStill to come in in the next are an official the Barnhart Field Entrance. an incredible the next year are anyear official press boxpress andbox theand Barnhart Field Entrance.

It is It anis incredible blessing tothis celebrate this milestone, something we not couldhave not have achieved without blessing to celebrate milestone, something we could achieved without thethe support of soAmbassador many Ambassador families. support of so many families.

The impact of Campaign has beenhas tremendous not only thetofamilies herehere at Norfolk Thethis impact of this Campaign been tremendous nottoonly the families at Norfolk Christian butChristian also to but thealso Hampton Roads Community at large.

More than 20 local schools, to the Hampton Roads Community at large. More than 20 local schools, colleges andcolleges community groups used the field their events and and communityhave groups have used thefor field for own their sporting own sporting events and hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

of Moore Family Field.

We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially are humbled byfor God’s finishing using HIS people formany HIS glory.

We are especially thankful toWe Frank Batten Jr. chairing thework campaign and to the volunteers who thankful Frank Batten Jr. foryou chairing the campaign andtotoHis the call many invested their time to and effort.

Thank for your obedience ofvolunteers financiallywho invested their timeinand Thank for and your tomorrow! obedience to His call of financially investing theeffort. students of you today

investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

“This campaign was completed through the work of many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many “This campaign was completed through the work of givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many position with no capital debt, while having added givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone with and no capital debt,towhile added involved shouldposition be excited thankful Godhaving for this valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone provision."

involved should be excited and thankful to God for this Frank Battenprovision."

Jr. Campaign Chairman

Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

5

BY THE NUMBERS

Capital Campaign Giving Unrestricted Gifts

$ 2,666,817

Restricted Gifts Matching Gift for Debt Reduction Athletic Field Field, Bleachers, Lights Endowment Scholarships, Teacher Benefits Fund For Excellence Projects* Hinshaw Technology Fund Fine Arts Legacy Walkway Naming Bricks Debt Reduction

$ 4,002,236 $ 1,331,575

TOTAL Remaining Pledges

$ 9,011,650 $ 81.393

TOTAL - ALL GIVING

$ 9.093,043

$ 467,388 $ $ $ $ $

412,260 85,725 18,190 17,455 10,000

* Special projects that qualified for matching funds under campaign policies

6

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED! 320

......................

BY THE NUMBERS

$9,093,043 RAISED

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever NEW and ever. Amen.”

COMPUTERS – Ephesians 3:20-21 ............................................................

As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

3,804 The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been secured and our capital debt has been paid! The Carlson Conditioning Center has been GIFTS dedicated and state-of-the-art equipment installed; the Hobbs Family Athletic Center has been named; our field bleachers are up, and our newly installed lights were shining ever so brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to enhance scholarships, tuition aid and faculty benefits. Still to come in the next year are an official press box and the Barnhart Field Entrance. It is an incredible blessing to celebrate this milestone, something we could not have achieved without the support of so many Ambassador families. 218

BRICKS

The impact of this Campaign has been tremendous not only to the families here at Norfolk PURCHASED Christian but also to the Hampton Roads Community . . . . .at. . large. . . . . . . .More . . . . . .than . . . . . 20 . . . .local . . . . .schools, ........ colleges and community groups have used the field for their own sporting events and hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

$4,400,000

DEBT PAID OFF!

We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially thankful to Frank Batten Jr. for chairing the campaign and to the many volunteers who invested their time and effort. Thank you for your obedience to His call of financially investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

$467, 388 added to ENDOWMENT ............

“This campaign was completed through the work of many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable position with no capital debt, while having added valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone involved should be excited and thankful to God for this provision."

Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

...........

956 SEATS .............................................................

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

7

The dreary sky could not contain Ambassador fans' excitement when equipment to place our lights rolled into the parking lot on October 16, 2018. An earlier decision to install a safer, organic field for student-athletes meant using rented lights and borrowed bleachers for our first home season. Thanks be to God and generous donors who completed our capital campaign in 2018, that was about to change. By the end of the day, four 70' lights by Musco Lighting, a world leader in field lighting for collegiate and professional venues, towered above Moore Family Field.

NCS is the first in Hampton Roads to utilize Musco’s recent Total Light Control ® LED technology, which was critical for us as part of a residential area.

This state-of-the-art system keeps the field well-lit while eliminating glare and spill for our neighbors. Why are there lights shining into the sky? Musco has found these upward-facing lights necessary so the bottom of high-flying balls - like kick-offs, goal kicks and punts - can be seen by players. Using fewer fixtures per pole, the new technology actually cost less than original lighting quotes and will continue to reduce ongoing electrical costs.

8

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

REISE | PAGE 4

Delivered earlier in the week was the other new star of Moore Family Field, 960-seat grandstand bleachers ready for fans. Still to come in 2019-20 are a press box with coaches' platform, as well as a Main Entrance Gate generously sponsored by the Barnhart Family in honor of their son Drew '09 and in memory of his grandmother, Katharine Barnhart.

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21 As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been secured and our capital debt has been paid! The Carlson Conditioning Center has been dedicated and state-of-the-art equipment installed; the Hobbs Family Athletic Center has been named; our field bleachers are up, and our newly installed lights were shining ever so brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to enhance scholarships, tuition aid and faculty benefits. Still to come in the next year are an official press box and the Barnhart Field Entrance. It is an incredible blessing to celebrate this milestone, something we could not have achieved without the support of so many Ambassador families.

Our Varsity Boys Soccer team christened the newly-lit field with a 4-0 The impact of this Campaign has been tremendous not only to theon families here20th. at Norfolk win over Christchurch October Christian but also to the Hampton Roads Community at large. More 20 local What a beautiful sightthan it was!

Oneschools, colleges and community groups have used the week field for theirHomecoming. own sporting events and until

hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

Freezing temperatures didn't keep Ambassador fans from packing their We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially new stands for our first Homecoming thankful to Frank Batten Jr. for chairing the campaign andour to the many volunteers who game with own lights and invested their time and effort. Thank you for your obedience to His call of financially bleachers.

investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

REISE | PAGE 4

Our football team left it all on the field that night with a fantastic victory over last “This campaign was completed through thedouble-overtime work of year's state championship many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many opponents. the Christchurch givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable Seahorses.

position with no capital debt, while having added valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone Final score: involved should be excited and thankful to God for thisAmbassadors 28 provision."

Christchurch 21 Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

9

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

REISE | PAGEÂ 4

10

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21 As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been secured and our capital debt has been paid! The Carlson Conditioning Center has been dedicated and state-of-the-art equipment installed; the Hobbs Family Athletic Center has been named; our field bleachers are up, and our newly installed lights were shining ever so brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to enhance scholarships, tuition aid and faculty benefits. Still to come in the next year are an official press box and the Barnhart Field Entrance. It is an incredible blessing to celebrate this milestone, something we could not have achieved without the support of so many Ambassador families.

Our Varsity Boys Soccer team christened the newly-lit field with a 4-0 The impact of this Campaign has been tremendous not only to the on families here20th. at Norfolk win over Christchurch October Christian but also to the Hampton Roads Community at large. More 20 local What a beautiful sightthan it was!

Oneschools, colleges and community groups have used the field theirHomecoming. own sporting events and weekfor until

hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

Freezing temperatures didn't keep Ambassador fans from packing their We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially new stands for our first Homecoming thankful to Frank Batten Jr. for chairing the campaign and to theown many volunteers game with our lights and who invested their time and effort. Thank you for your obedience to His call of financially bleachers.

investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

REISE | PAGE 4

“This campaign was completed through the work of many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable position with no capital debt, while having added valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone involved should be excited and thankful to God for this provision."

2018

11

Hobbs Family Athletic Complex Named

HOBBS FAMILY ATHLETIC COMPLEX Encouraging Strength and Fitness in Mental, Physical and Spiritual Achievement In appreciation to the family of C. Bradford and Molly Hobbs For ensuring that student-athletes are equipped to be Ambassadors for Christ

12

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED! “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21 As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been secured and our capital debt has been paid! The Carlson Conditioning Center has been dedicated and state-of-the-art equipment installed; the Hobbs Family Athletic Center has been named; our field bleachers are up, and our newly installed lights were shining ever so brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to enhance scholarships, tuition aid and faculty benefits. Still to come in the next year are an official press box and the Barnhart Field Entrance. It is an incredible blessing to celebrate this milestone, something we could not have achieved without the support of so many Ambassador families.

The impact of this Campaign has been tremendous not only to the families here at Norfolk Christian but also to the Hampton Roads Community at large. More than 20 local schools, colleges and community groups have used the field for their own sporting events and hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially thankful to Frank Batten Jr. for chairing the campaign and to the many volunteers who invested their time and effort. Thank you for your obedience to His call of financially investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

“This campaign was completed through the work of many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable position with no capital debt, while having added valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone involved should be excited and thankful to God for this provision."

Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

13

Carlson Strength and Conditioning Center Holds Grand Opening

14

OUR CAPITAL DEBT HAS BEEN PAID!

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

THE CAMPAIGN IS FINISHED!

Photos: Jason Axsom

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

– Ephesians 3:20-21 As of October 3, 2018, the Honor the Past . . . Secure the Future Capital Campaign was completed!

The work is finished. The money is in the bank. The $1 million matching gift has been secured and our capital debt has been paid! The Carlson Conditioning Center has been dedicated and state-of-the-art equipment installed; the Hobbs Family Athletic Center has been named; our field bleachers are up, and our newly installed lights were shining ever so brightly as we enjoyed our first evening Homecoming on our own turf, Moore Family Field, on October 25th. Praise be to God! We are so thankful for His abundant blessings!

In addition to the completion of these projects, the campaign added over $450,000 to the school’s endowment to enhance scholarships, tuition aid and faculty benefits. Still to come in the next year are an official press box and the Barnhart Field Entrance. It is an incredible blessing to celebrate this milestone, something we could not have achieved without the support of so many Ambassador families.

The impact of this Campaign has been tremendous not only to the families here at Norfolk Christian but also to the Hampton Roads Community at large. More than 20 local schools, colleges and community groups have used the field for their own sporting events and hundreds of people have been brought to Norfolk Christian's Upper School campus because of Moore Family Field.

We are humbled by God’s finishing work using HIS people for HIS glory. We are especially thankful to Frank Batten Jr. for chairing the campaign and to the many volunteers who invested their time and effort. Thank you for your obedience to His call of financially investing in the students of today and tomorrow!

“This campaign was completed through the work of many volunteers and the charitable spirit of many givers. Norfolk Christian now holds an enviable position with no capital debt, while having added valuable facilities for our student athletes. Everyone involved should be excited and thankful to God for this provision."

Frank Batten Jr. Campaign Chairman

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

15

Border art designed by Graphic Art student Jackson Creach, 10th.

"Disciples of Destiny" In a wonderful accident during the summer of 2018, Norfolk Christian's Advancement Department came across a letter written by the late Dr. John Dunlap in 1958. It could not have come at a more fitting time as we were then just weeks away from completing our capital campaign. Dr. Dunlap's community was also immersed in a campaign, his to build what would become Norfolk Christian's High School until it was renovated in 2002. His letter provided us a powerful example of the boldness that underscored the early years of NCS and the urgency with which Dr. Dunlap felt called to send Ambassadors for Christ into the world. To those who sat under his teaching, John Dunlap was larger than life, with dreams that were even larger. His passion for Christian education and daring ideas have shaped Norfolk Christian into the place it is today, a place he could not have imagined during his lifetime. Yet we are certain he would not be surprised at the abundant blessings of his God, whom he knew would not be contained.

This is our heritage.

We now share with you this reminder of where we are from and the unapologetic vision that brought us here. As Dr. Dunlap so boldly proclaimed in 1958: “We, to whom God has entrusted this vision, are Disciples of Destiny! We stand on ‘the edge of tomorrow’! We are investing in years we'll never see!”

Praise be to God for the faith, sacrifice and unwavering belief that brought us to all that Norfolk Christian is today. And thank you to all of you for walking the middle mile with us. We humbly and proudly carry on Dr. Dunlap’s work, as we urgently prepare Ambassadors for Christ to reach the world.

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NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

Dear Friends of the Cause:

October 10, 1958

It has been over a week since the first twenty thousand dollars toward Norfolk Christian High was complete. Quite frankly, it has taken me this long to figure out exactly how to accurately report its final phase.

As we approached the last Sunday of our allotted time, we were still $5,640 short of the $20,000 needed to begin construction on Norfolk Christian High. Some of us were abashed and ashamed to find within us the impossible mixture of “faith and fear” and yet the Lord kept saying, “I led you out to lead you in.” The Sunday offering was counted and $2,100 was received toward the high school project. When I arrived home after the morning service, I found a visitor waiting and was told that she had decided that her lovely car was a “luxury” when seen in the light of the current "need". She could not be shaken in her decision so it was taken down on Monday for appraisal. The appraiser assured us of $1000 equity after pay-off and then said, "Wait just a minute." He returned and gave me an envelope containing twenty twenty-dollar bills - his gift to the project. By this time, I was absolutely dazed. Several had chided me for closing the quarter before the "first Sunday in October" as

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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originally mentioned and their gifts which had been geared to that date brought in another thousand dollars. I was all ready to ask our church treasurer what amount he could designate “operational overage” in the church account, when the final provisions appear.

Two fine Christian fellows, who were already hard at work dredging the marsh around the high school lot, presented me with a bill which might well have been $1700; it was $400. I remonstrated, but they said, “Mr. Dunlap, we want a part in this thing too.” And so in “value received” or cash gifts the $20,000 was topped and the church’s “overage” can now be the first thousand toward the “middle mile.” Oh what a wonder and delight to be in league with Almighty God “who only doeth wondrous things.”

And so the Red Sea is crossed and we now face what may or may not be the mundane monotony of the wilderness journey. From the beginning I have known that the “middle mile” would be the severest test. The sprint at the beginning of the race and the burst of energy that comes when the finish tape is in view are not to be compared with the disciplined pacing of the “middle mile.” Let’s be realistic about the wilderness which is before us. Let’s call on God for a baptism of enabling grace, for when vigorous sacrifice is daily diet for a long span of time, our Adversary comes in and strives to make even the miracle of manna monotony!

We have only one question to ask and answer: HAS GOD LED US TO BUILD NORFOLK CHRISTIAN HIGH FOR HIS GLORY? If so, (and for most of us I think this is long since settled), the EXERCISE of prayer becomes an ATTITUDE that gets practical and sacrificial and stringent. We stand at the fountainhead of Divine Enterprise. The widening wedge of its influence reaches into the dark foreboding tomorrows. We, to whom God has entrusted

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NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

this vision, are Disciples of Destiny! We stand on the “edge of tomorrow.” We are investing in years we’ll never see! We’re providing a training center from which young stalwarts of the Christian faith will march into tomorrow to do battle with the secularism, materialism and humanism of a world gone mad.

The birth pangs of great endeavor are always severe. But when the thing is born and we see it grow and begin to do spiritual exploit, we forget the travail that was involved and we find ourselves humbly thanking God for “entrusting us with challenge.” Some can give out of their bounty; others will give out of poverty, but all of us can give out of love—and when love gives it pours itself out. If God leads some to give up their home for the enterprise of foreign missions, why should not some of us do as much for Christian education? The challenge is not to give of what we MAKE or what we can SPARE but what we HAVE and are willing to sacrifice for His glory. And so before us looms the “middle mile.” Let me invite you now to join us in great praise and thanksgiving at the Watch Nite Service, December 31st, when the second $20,000 will be in hand.

'He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.'

To see a full transcription of this letter, please visit our website at www.norfolkchristian.org/support

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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N A Connection With Hip-Hop

Renaissance Movement is Born

cont. on page 22 20

NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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Parent and Artist Nigel Anderson Talks About Relationship, Reconciliation, and the Important Conversation Christians Must Have

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cont. from page 20

The Letter That Changed Everything Shortly before Nigel had given his life to Christ at age 21, he had gotten a letter he never expected from his father wanting to make amends. The two met and talked but at the end of the day, Nigel wasn't ready to start over. It would take nine months and a new relationship with his Savior before Nigel made the call to tell his dad he was forgiven. The last thing he said to the man he had barely met was "I forgive you" and he felt the weight begin to lift.

Soon after, Nigel's father passed away.

Always an Ambassador

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The Intentionality of Jesus

At Calvary Revival Church in Norfolk and Grace Bible Church in Virginia Beach

Hear Nigel's music, spoken word and sermons at www.rmmusic.tv/legin NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

2018

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The Room at the End of the Hall Brennen Puckett

It's a familiar scene. Tucked away at the end of the 2nd floor hallway, in the room with the enviable windows and laid-back vibe, a quiet flurry of activity unfolds. A class sits around ushaped tables, beginning the day's task; others stop in during free blocks to add strokes to their latest inspirations; two students compare journals in bean bag chairs looking out on the water; a senior flips through her portfolio as Ms. Ray makes notes.

While in reality this is a room of concrete walls like all of the others, the Art Room feels like a world of its own. When you cross the threshold, the sense of sanctuary is overwhelming, of standing in a place where ideas are given form, where creativity collides with discipline and easels become portals to other worlds. This is a place where dreams come to life.

On a given day, dozens of students will come through this space, some with the epiphany to start something new, others ready to finish a project that has spanned weeks, and some just to chat about the day ahead, or behind. No matter what their agenda, each will find the advice, the idea, the encouragement, the motivation, the listening ear to leap the next hurdle.

And leap they will. Director of Fine Arts Claudia Nachtigal beams when she talks about our art program. "What I see coming out of our Art Department is astonishing.

It shows a Student Name level of training you don't usually see in high school artists.

Art Class We have kids to whom God has given amazing talent; then they meet our incredibly talented teachers and are mentored with a combination of care and professionalism that you just don't find in other places. When the time comes for them to move on from Norfolk Christian, they are far ahead of the game in both skill and confidence. Ms. Ray works with students for months, even years to create the kind of portfolios she knows colleges are looking for. Because of that, our kids are getting into the top programs; they're going on to Pratt and Moore and VCU and Ringling, not just because they're gifted but because they're also wellequipped. That makes all the difference."

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What Mrs. Nachtigal and the Fine Arts team are most proud of are the students they see excelling academically as well as in their craft. In early 2019, the second class of students became members of the Tri-M National Music Honor Society and the National Art Honor Societies, bringing the total students inducted into these Fine Arts Honor Societies to 69 in just two years. These hard-working ambassadors are selected based on character, service, leadership and excellent academic performance in all areas of study.

New inductees to the National Art Honor Society with Mrs. Rimmer and Ms. Ray

Elizabeth Rimmer, 11th

Matt Kidd, 12th

Elizabeth Rimmer, 11th

Enjoy some samples of recent work on the following pages from students in Art 1, Art II, Advanced Art, 3-D Art, Photography and Graphic Art. See their finest showcase at this year's Art Xpo on Saturday, May 11, 2019. We are proud of these young men and women for their dedication Brennen Puckett,their 11th craft and so thankful for the to learning mentorship and training that brings their dreams to life in the room at the end of the hall.

Madison Moreau, 12th Brennen Puckett, 11th

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ANNUAL ART XPO

In 2015, the first Spring Art Xpo was held, showcasing the work of artists from preschool through 12th grade, and a new tradition was born at Norfolk Christian. Each May, NCS hosts this visual spectacle with live art, live entertainment and a school-wide art show juried by local experts. Our Art department picks the annual theme and prepares for the event beginning in September, building backdrops and creating custom designs to highlight that year's focus. It takes the entire year to bring this event to life, as well as a full week of setup from Ms. Ray and her student crew to transform the Ambassador Gym into an art gallery. When they finish, the result is one of our favorite evenings of the school year. It offers the NCS community a wonderful family event while celebrating the incredible talent and creativity of our student body at every age level.

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An annual visit to Sandbridge gives our Advanced Art students the sensory experience of painting a moving environment in open air.

Regan Smith, 12th

Maya Vo, 11th

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Selena Liu, 12th

Adelaide Johnson, 10th

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Matt Kidd, 12th

Elizabeth Rimmer, 11th

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Regan Smith, 12th

Selena Liu, 12th

Andrew Allgood, 12th Britni Arrington, 11th

Elizabeth Dunton, 11th

Nathan Manning, 11th

Anyi Li, 11th

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PHOTOGRAPHY Digital photography students study master photographers as they learn the fundamentals of the art: line, shadow, shape, and light. They also study portraiture, architecture and urban art, like the fascinating street art found in Norfolk's NEON district.

A constant, ongoing focus is creation and its changing seasons, as cameras show a world that was amazingly hung in balance by our Creator. From summer to fall to winter, students turn their lenses to see all that God has designed for us. They got a wonderful surprise on the last day before Christmas break when giant, fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky during their class. Mrs. Rimmer wasted no time in getting cameras bagged, students bundled up and everyone outside to catch a rare snapshot of a snowy December landscape!

Sean Bell

Ryan Malana

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Julia Komarnicki

Jessica Ashe

Georgia Newman

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Grace Hernandez

Rachel Kastner

GRAPHIC ART New to the High School course list this year is a Fine Arts class in Graphic Arts. Taught by teacher and graphic artist Beth Heath, students are learning the basics of digital design as they use the screen to give form to their ideas. Projects during the first semester focused on visual definitions, word clouds, quotes and inspirations. Outside of class, we invited our graphic art students to create abstract art for use as a visual device in this edition of the Ambassador Magazine. We think they did a fantastic job. You can see their work throughout the magazine on page borders and accents.

Top Row: Lucy Bokmiller, Gardner Meeks, Sam Weidmaier, Jackson Creach Second Row: Zack Johnson, Makenzie Boll, Emma Smith Third Row: Simone Yeboah, Sammi Pasini Fourth Row: Luke Ingram, Jonathan Broadnax, Libby Rex Page Background: Sammi Pasini Borders: (clockwise from top) Jackson Creach, Tran Hoang, Landry Johnson, Will Slopnick NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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Photos: Jason Axsom

The Making

It was destined from the beginning to be a year like no other. The NCS Girls Varsity Tennis team was just off a record-breaking season in 2017 where they came away as VISAA Runner-Up in the State Tournament for the first time in school history. It had been a long battle that day and they played their hearts out but the title was not to be theirs. Now in 2018, with five of the top six returning, this group remembered well how close they had come to the ultimate prize and they were ready for a new chance.

As the schedule had it, their first meeting of the season was a re-match of that state title game with the North Cross Raiders, whom they had lost to a year earlier. This year, things would go differently. Set after set, our Ambassadors came out on top and this group of girls walked away from the defending state champions with a 9-0 victory. The stage was officially set.

The rest of the season continued just like it started, with our girls rarely giving up a set and losing only one match all year. That loss came from perennial conference powerhouse and state Division 1 school Norfolk Academy, leaving them with an unbelievable 13-1 record for the season. When they met NA's Bulldogs

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of Champions

again in tournament play, they came within two points as a team of knocking off the top seed and brought home the trophy for 2018 TCIS Tournament Runner-Up. Seniors Virginia Hobbs and Jahveesha Combs came away as Doubles Champions and Juniors Catherine Hobbs and Adelle Yanez took second place in Doubles. But as quickly as the match was over, their sights were set on bigger things; the State Tournament was just one week away and they wanted to see a different title on their trophy this year.

After easily defeating teams in the quarter and semifinal state matches, our girls stepped onto the court on November 10th with every ounce of fight they had, ready to take on Steward School for the VISAA Division II State Championship. They brought it all that day and by the end, these young ladies became the first Girls Tennis team in NCS history to bring home a State Championship. Virginia Hobbs held onto her record of going undefeated in both Singles and Doubles all season long, making her the winningest tennis player ever at Norfolk Christian. The fighting spirit that had carried them through a nearly perfect season turned to celebration as it hit home that they had achieved everything they had dreamed about. Like the year before, Girls Tennis had made history at Norfolk Christian, with just one difference in 2018. This year, their plaque said "Champions" and that was the best feeling ever.

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Virginia

J a h v e e s h a

Catherine

Adelle

B r i a n n a

2018 Girls Varsity Tennis Team: Waverly Price, Eilene Pouliquen, Brianna Coffelt, Virginia Hobbs, Jahveesha Combs, Catherine Hobbs, Adelle Yanez, Lexi Hackbirth; Coach Brad Hobbs

VISAA ALL-STATE TEAM First Team: Jahveesha Combs Virginia Hobbs Second Team: Catherine Hobbs Adelle Yanez

VISAA 2018 COACH OF THE YEAR: BRAD HOBBS 34

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Lexi

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Accent art designed by Graphic Art student Tran Hoang, 12th

AND LOVING IT!

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Top and bottom: 7th graders see "A Christmas Carol" Top Middle: 6th grade trip to the Mariners' Museum Bottom Middle: 8th graders enjoy ice cream after Battle of the Books 36

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8th grade Drum Line performs at Norfolk's Grand Illumination parade

Exercising our understanding of the First Amendment with a protest march

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Writing stories after creating ugly paper sweaters in 7th grade English

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7th grade boys basketball team comes in conference runner-up for the season

Mining for gold in 6th grade History

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The doorway to Mr. Vaughan's Bible class

Mrs. Sandwell's 8th graders take their devotion time outside on a beautiful day

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The Real Work of Deeper Learning Norfolk Christian's two Lower School campuses have been pioneers of Deeper Learning, a framework that takes the best of Expeditionary Learning and adds the truth that we have a sovereign God with a plan for us. Instead of seeking only to train academically, it integrates the important understanding that God has designed us to play a part in caring for His world, the "real work" that is a pinnacle of Deeper Learning.

Our Beach Campus Lower School engages eagerly in this real work, as they carefully raise butterflies and marsh grasses and oysters to do important jobs in the environment. However, their greatest passion is the work they get to do for people. As Deeper Learning develops problemsolvers and critical thinkers, it also molds students who look at the world around them and seek God's purpose in every situation.

VIGILANT HOPE For each of the last two years, our older Beach Campus students have watched tragedies unfold in the country and been moved to get involved.

Last year, it was the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas.

This year, it was Hurricane Florence, which had wreaked havoc much closer to home in North Carolina. A new group of fourth graders asked the same question that last year's class had: "How does God want us to help?" Third grade teacher Mrs. Laxton called on her brother-in-law for advice. The Executive Director of a ministry called "Vigilant Hope", he was on the ground in Wilmington, North Carolina, one of the worst-affected cities, and he knew what was desperately needed - shower supplies. Vigilant Hope's mission is "to educate, equip and empower the body of Christ and to reach those in need through the hope of the gospel". After Hurricane Florence, one of the primary ways they did that was through a mobile shower truck.

Hearing the organization's need, these young ambassadors knew their purpose. This small class of fourth graders partnered with Vigilant Hope and organized a donation drive to bring in as many items as possible from the school

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community. In just a few weeks, their efforts collected over 500 towels, washcloths, shower shoes and gift cards to be used in ministering to the people of Wilmington.

LOVE OUT LOUD Another big day for giving back at our Beach Campus is Valentine's Day, which they have renamed "Love Out Loud" day. Instead of focusing on class parties, they turn their attention outward to how they can show God's love to others.

This year, second through fifth grades got involved, partnering with three local groups who provide food and supplies to our community. Our fourth and fifth graders visited the Eastern Shore Chapel Pantry, the JudeoChristian Outreach Center, and People In Need (PIN) Ministries to help prepare food pantries and personal supplies for the families served.

Second and third graders collected toiletries and attached handwritten encouraging notes before sending them to be used at the Judeo-Christian Outreach Center.

As Beach Campus students care for God's creatures during learning expeditions, they are also developing a heart for His people and seeing that they can make an impact on His kingdom from where they are right now.

Activities like Love Out Loud and the partnership with Vigilant Hope are not just a ministry to the people who receive our gifts; they are a blessing to our students as they experience the joy of serving others.

"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." I Timothy 4:12

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Early in the second semester, members of the new NCS Computer Science Honor Society wanted to share their passion with younger students. Splitting into two groups, the young ladies planned a special "Animation Coding Dance Party" event for middle school girls, where they hoped to pass on their love for coding with an up and coming group. Using animated characters from Code.org, the girls learned to add dance movements and their favorite songs to create fully-animated dancing robots! Pizza capped off the experience and our youngest coders left with awesome new skills that their mentors hope they will continue to develop.

Young men from the Computer Science Honor Society took a trip to the Beach Campus where they had been invited by second grader Thor Jones to teach his class about robotics. Our younger boys were able to program Junior Bots during the visit, teaching them to run in straight lines and make animal noises. They ended the afternoon with a lively robot race, plenty of laughter, and a group of young ambassadors who has a new fascination for computer programming.

We expect to see many of these young students in our Computer Science Honor Society when they reach high school!

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Two new Honor Societies were added in 2018, with our inaugural members being inducted into the Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica Spanish Honor Society and the Computer Science Honor Society. Membership to any Norfolk Christian Honor Society is based on excellent academic performance, service, leadership and exemplary character. Students must maintain at least a 3.5 gpa to be considered for membership. We are grateful for the work of Mrs. Valencia and Mrs. Oakman and extremely proud of these hard-working students.

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Photo: Amanda Rimmer

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Of

ong and

pectacle

Some of the biggest highlights of the school year are the choral performances put on by our Lower School, led by Fine Arts and Choral Director Claudia Nachtigal. The Christmas Pageant on the last morning before Christmas Break has become a favorite new tradition, as every Lower School student from both campuses joins on one stage to tell the story of the birth of Christ.

The 2018 program "On This Day" was a magnificent visual and vocal reminder of our greatest gift, the birth of Jesus, our Savior.

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ALUMNI SPOT LIGHT Events and Stories from 2018

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ALUMNI CELEBRATIONS HOMECOMING ALUMNI TENT November 2, 2018

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MOE'S AT THANKSGIVING November 20, 2018 MARK YOUR CALENDARS for 2019!

Tuesday, November 26th 11:30am Main Street

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ALUMNI DAY January 12, 2019 ALUMNI VS. STAFF BASKETBALL GAME

Kwontie Moore '12

Shelley Morrison '83 Mike Murray '12 Ben Stickley '13

Art Tate '85

Colin Jackson '14

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Zion Purvis-Allen '17

ALUMNI & FAMILY RECEPTION January 12, 2019

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for 2020!

Saturday, January 11th

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Alumni Road Trip:

Liberty

VA TECH

Longwood

VMI

VA TECH

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a New Tradition

JMU

Wheaton Mr. Gyorfi surprised our grads on a weekend trip to his alma mater!

UVA

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On January 12 , 2018, a new class of six all-star athletes was inducted into Norfolk Christian's Gary King Athletic Hall of Honor, the first to be added since the Hall of Honor was named for Coach King in 2017. Jim Hinshaw welcomed the inductees to their new positions of honor and reminded them of both victories and funny moments along the way.

Congratulations to the 2018 Inductees JENNIFER (MURDEN) ALLEN '93 Jen lettered in Basketball and Softball. In Basketball, she was part of the 1990 Tournament Runner-Up team and Co-Captain of the 1992 Tournament Runner-Up and Regular Season Runner-Up teams, as well as being named to 2nd Team All-TCIS in 1992. In Softball, she was part of the 1990, '91 and '92 TCIS Championship teams and the 1989 and '93 TCIS Runner-Up teams. She was named to the 1st Team AllTCIS in 1990 - 1993, 1st Team All-State in 1993, TCIS Tournament MVP in 1992, TCIS Player of the Year in '92 and '93 and in 1993 was the first NCS athlete to be named to the 1st Team All-Tidewater. Jen received the 1993 NCS Co-Female Athlete of the Year award and the 1993 Norfolk Sports Club's “Norfolk Softball Player of the Year” award.

BENJAMIN GILLIKIN '85 Ben was a three-sport athlete lettering in Soccer, Basketball and Baseball. In Soccer, he was named to the 1985 TCIS All-Conference team and held a top 3 school record for 24 goals in a season. In Baseball, he was named to the TCIS All-Conference teams in 1984 and 1985. In Basketball, Ben was named to the 1985 TCIS AllConference and All-Tournament teams and was MVP of the All-Conference All-Star game. In 1985, he was also named to the Delaware County Christian All-Tournament team and the Norfolk Collegiate Invitational All-Tournament team, where he made a tournament record scoring 94 points in 3 games. Ben held the NCS school record for 24 years for points in a single game (46) until broken by James McAdoo in 2009.

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LISA (PRUHS) HATCHER '84 Lisa was a 3-sport athlete lettering in Softball, Volleyball and Basketball. In Basketball, she was named to the TCIS All-Conference team in 1984, serving as Captain and holding the record for High Scorer and Most Rebounds. In Volleyball, Lisa was named to the TCIS All-Tournament team in 1983 and was Co-Captain of the 1984 TCIS Regular Season Championship team, also being named to the TCIS All-Tournament and All-Conference teams and leading the team in kills. As a senior in 1984, she received the Norfolk Christian awards for Female Athlete of the year, Senior Athletic Award, Ambassador Award and Coaches Choice Award.

JEFFREY SHOAF '80 Jeff lettered in Basketball and Soccer at NCS, starting on the Varsity Soccer team during his sophomore and junior years. In Basketball, Jeff was Captain during his junior and senior years and led the legendary 1980 team to the Delaware County Christian Schools Tournament Championship and the TCIS Regular Season and Tournament Championships before taking the 1980 State Championship title and ending the year with a 27-3 record. He was named the Most Valuable Player in 1980. After the 1980 season, he held the school records for Most Assists in a Single Game and Career Assists and still holds the record for Assists in a Season.

JOHN TRENCHARD '78 John was a three-sport athlete lettering in Soccer all four years of high school and Basketball and Baseball for three years each. He was part of the TCIS Runner-Up Soccer team in 1975 and the Championship team in 1978 and was named to the All-Conference teams from 1976-1978. In Baseball, John was named to the AllConference team during his senior year. In Basketball, John was named Tournament MVP for both the Norfolk Christian and Delaware Country Christian Invitationals in 1978, named to the 1978 All-Tournament team and given TCIS Honorable Mention for the 1978 season. As a senior, John was named the 197879 Norfolk Sports Club Outstanding Metropolitan Scholastic Soccer Player of the Year.

GEORGE WEIDMAIER '89 George lettered in Basketball and Cross Country. In Basketball, he was named to the 1988 and 1989 TCIS All-Conference teams and, in 1989, was the first NCS player in school history to be named to the 1st Team All-State.

George was the Basketball Leading Scorer in 1988 and was named MVP during his senior year. He was the fifth person to join the 1000 Career Points list at NCS. In Cross Country, George was third place in the TCIS in 1988 and named to the All-Conference team in 1989.

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Cathy Vail Britt AMBASSADOR ALUMNI Beach Campus Lower School

Jenna Satcher Porter Class of 2008 First Grade

Cindy Rhine Class of 1992 Kindergarten

Norfolk Lower School

Jane Gwynn Class of 1973 Librarian

Shelley Dozier Morrison Class of 1982 First Grade Aide

Bonnie Carter Sanford Class of 1998 Pre-K4 58

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Allison Linsz Mutsch Class of 1995 Kindergarten Aide

Blair Bean Tyler Class of 2011 Fifth Grade

Melton IN THE CLASSROOM

Meghan

Upper School

Cathy Vail Britt Class of 1990 Honors World Studies, AP European History

David Colonna Class of 2008 Geometry, Bible - Acts, Apologetics

Sue Crouse Class of 1969 Personal Finance, Learning Lab

Debbie Garrick Class of 1977 Choral Accompanist

Meghan Aldrich Melton Class of 1989 10th Grade English, Russian

Ben Mekkes Class of 2015 Drum Line

Brianna Posch Class of 2013 7th Grade English Middle School Intro to Foreign Language

Jeff Shoaf Class of 1980 Algebra II/Trig, Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB & BC, Math Department Head NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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Emily Mason Johnson Class of 1999

A River in the Desert Emily Mason had felt a leaning towards missions since she was a high schooler at Norfolk Christian. Also part of missions-focused Tab Church and a Navy family who had lived various places overseas, the idea of serving far from home had always seemed like a possibility. Yet when Emily left our hallways for Wheaton College in 1999, she could not have predicted the path God would lead her down.

THE CALL TO MISSIONS At Wheaton, she met Pete Johnson, who had also grown up in a missions-centered family and church. Pete had been highly impacted in high school through camping ministry and his youth pastor and they found that they were unbelievably like-minded. One of their earliest dating conversations was whether each of them would be willing to follow the Lord overseas if that was His call; the answer from both was a resounding yes. It was an Urbana Missions Conference that solidified their call to the mission field and they began praying more intentionally that the Lord would prepare them for whatever He had planned.

In 2003, Emily and Pete graduated from Wheaton, Pete with a BA in Christian Formation and Ministry and Emily with BA degrees in Elementary Education and Spanish. They were married that summer and excited to see where God would take them. They initially thought their place was with an overseas ministry but God led them back home to Hampton Roads, where they both pursued graduate degrees. Emily received her MA in Applied Linguistics from ODU and Pete an MA in Counseling from Regent University.

During grad school, Emily taught for three years in Norfolk Public Schools and later joined Pete in Youth Ministry at Tab Church, where they served as Youth Pastors for more than five years. Through those years, their focus on serving outside the US had not diminished but they knew God had called them to be still for a time. It was in 2011, when their senior pastor told them about a project in Mexico with the missions agency The Evangelical Alliance Mission, or TEAM, that the pieces started to fit together. The project was to develop a donated ranch into a place that could minister to at-risk youth in Mexico. As they researched, they learned of a huge generation in Mexico called the "Ninis, or "Neither-nors". These young people neither work nor study, often live in material poverty, and numerous societal factors have caused them to drop out of school after middle school. They are at very high risk for organized criminal activity, drug and alcohol abuse, and human trafficking. As Pete and Emily read about these kids, they realized how miraculously God had used their time working with youth in the States, their degrees,

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their jobs in Norfolk, and their passion for reaching young people to grow their hearts for Mexican youth. Emily remembers, "The Ranch combined so many of our passions from our professional ministry that we felt God had hand-picked a ministry just for us. We jumped in and said "Yes! We are so thankful God led us to eight years of ministry in the US after college to prepare us for what He had in store."

RANCHO EL CAMINO Rancho el Camino is a property in La Paz, Mexico, about 1000 miles south of the Tijuana/San Diego border and 3 hours north of Los Cabos. It is off the grid with no city services and is surrounded by unoccupied desert land; solar panels and a well provide electricity and water. The tourism industry and availability of land attract many indigenous people to La Paz to escape hardships in the interior of the country. However, they find a dry, barren desert when they arrive. "They're essentially squatting on unwanted desert land," Emily says. "Houses are built of cardboard or plywood with tin roofs and there is very little plumbing, running water or electricity. The only water supply comes from city trucks who fill homemade cisterns that families create themselves. The area is very economically depressed."

THE MIRACLE The Ranch was donated to TEAM in 2008 by a local Mexican who wanted to see the property bless the city and the community of God. Just a few months later, an earthquake occurred which split the ground open and the unimaginable happened water started flowing in a dry river bed behind the Ranch. "It is now the only green space in the middle of a vast desert," Emily tells us "It's literally an oasis. It's amazing how God has used this land to continue to provide water that's necessary to life in the desert. The local ranchers have concluded that God wanted His people to have the best land possible and they call it 'The Miracle'."

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE RANCH Because of that miracle, Emily and Pete have never had a problem attracting the community to their property. Working with three neighborhoods around Rancho el Camino, they minister in four specific areas: Camping/Adventure Ministry, Community Development, Traditional Church Planting Activities, and Missions Training.

Their Camping Ministry runs much like it would in the US and serves about 1500 children, youth and families each year. Evangelistic community BIble studies in the three neighborhoods they serve, along with transportation to church on Sundays, bridge the gap for worship and discipleship until God leads them to begin a church of their own.

The bulk of the Johnson family's time is spent on Community Development, as they create programs specifically for children and at-risk youth in the surrounding neighborhoods, encompassing 4000 residents. Kids are brought to the ranch each week for a variety of after-school programs like horseback riding, adventure programs, Kids Camp and Youth Camp. A higher-risk group comes every day Monday through Friday for intensive discipleship, counseling, therapy and school services. These are the Ni-nis who have dropped out of middle school and would normally be at a dead-end both educationally and in the culture. Instead, a government program allows Emily and Pete to administer middle and high school studies at the Ranch while students also receive emotional and spiritual support. A strong partnership with the local government also

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gives them the opportunity to offer classes at government centers in their target neighborhoods, in such topics as English, exercise and computers.

THE ULTIMATE MISSION The mission statement of the Ranch is especially important to Pete and Emily, as they seek to create others who will join them in the harvest:

"To be a place where people ENCOUNTER the presence of God, are EQUIPPED for the work of God, EXTEND the Kingdom of God, and EXALT the name of God." To this end, they are passionate about their fourth area of ministry, giving young people the ministry and missions training needed to step into the roles God has for them around the world. A summer internship program brings teens together from the US and Mexico where they learn to live crossculturally and serve intentionally while helping to provide programs at the Ranch. Emily and Pete are currently developing a semester program that would carry this into the school year and offer even broader training for those whom God is leading toward the mission field. In addition to their roles as 62

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dual Directors of Rancho el Camino, Pete and Emily are Field Directors for TEAM Mexico, providing encouragement, coaching and supervision of projects for all TEAM missionaries throughout the country.

A FAMILY ENDEAVOR The Johnson children have grown up learning to love serving, as they have developed hearts for the people around them.

The older girls have begun teaching children to read and the whole family is constantly in community with the families they serve. Emily explains, "We believe discipleship happens when we share our lives with those we work with, not just design programs for them, so we often have teens eating with our family, enjoying family activities with us, etc. Our children love their "big" siblings and we are modeling to these young people what a Christian family can look like."

Pete and Emily with daughters Kylah (8), Avalon (10), Aliana (11), and son Rowan (7)

STREAMS IN THE DESERT When asked if they have clung to a certain verse more than others on this journey, Emily says "Yes! The verses about streams in the desert have become much more meaningful to us as we have seen how very important God's provision of water has been in an arid environment. In particular, Isaiah 58: 6-14 has really meant a lot to us both in providing guidance in daily activities and hope in difficult times. Specifically Isaiah 58:11: 'The Lord will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.' " Emily could go on for volumes about the work they have seen God do in their time in Mexico. God has been so good and evident in every aspect of their ministry. "We have seen Him saving teens with whom we've shared the Gospel, and moms who see the very real difference in their teenagers; we've seen whole families come to Christ and marriages restored and the blessing that comes when a mom and dad raise their kids together in Christ. Through all this, we have been reminded over and over again that it will never be a program or our wise words or our own abilities that saves anyone.

It is God who saves people. In this spirit, we recognize that we have the privilege to be here sharing the Gospel and witnessing lives change, but those who have sent us have a very great privilege also, to be praying that the Lord would move. We do this together, trusting in the Lord to work in lives through His word."

Keep up with the Johnson family at www.ranchoelcamino.org and on Facebook at Johnson5Network.

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Lisa Pruhs Hatcher Class of 1984

GNO for God - Carrying on a Legacy Lisa was a 10th grader at Norfolk Christian when she heard about a new group through Tab Church that sounded like fun. Led by Jane Trenchard, "Gamma Girls" was designed to help teen girls go deeper in their faith and also offered Lisa a great excuse to see her friends on a school night with her mom's approval. But what she intended to be a social event quickly became one of the most meaningful experiences of her life.

Mrs. Trenchard knew teenagers, having raised six herself, and she knew the best way to help them desire spiritual maturity was to see it in older kids they admired. That's where the little group of girls who met in a living room once a week became much more. "I will never forget the feeling I had when Bissy Vail, who was a senior and the coolest girl at school, asked me if I wanted to do a Bible study during lunch. That a senior would make time for me was unbelievable," Lisa says. They began to meet and she and Bissy both grew as they delved into God's Word and applied it to the craziness of their teen lives.

In 2015, when Lisa's own daughter was a 7th grader at NCS, God began to gently nudge her about reaching middle school girls outside of school. She gave Him all the reasons there was no time in her life for a new ministry but He continued to say "Trust me with the details." Friends began to pray with her and soon it was clear that God had a plan, one 2016 GNO Leaders Retreat at Lake Gaston

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He had planted in Lisa's life many years before when a faithful servant had opened her busy home. She went back to Mrs. Trenchard's formula and found some high school girls who jumped at the chance to join in. The team decided on a name - Girls Night Out for God, "GNO" for short and, using handmade locker notes and flyers, they set out to get middle school girls excited for their first evening. Lisa had no idea if anyone would show up but she knew she had been obedient. If no one came, they would pray, eat a lot of pizza and plan for the next night.

On February 14, 2016 at 5:30pm, cars began to pull up to the Hatcher house and Lisa's eyes filled with tears. Twenty-four middle school girls came to that first GNO. In the following weeks, it grew to 28, then 30. In its fourth "season", GNO now packs 40 girls, plus an extra 20 high school leaders and a group of adults, into the Hatcher home, close to 70 bodies total. And Lisa couldn't be happier. "We have so much fun; the high school girls really plan everything, from games to leading worship to what to talk about in their small groups. It's hot and loud and there's not an empty corner in our house but I'm so grateful for that." Her favorite part is being the one who mentors older girls as they prepare for the next phase of life. "The high school leaders are phenomenal. They're so invested in pouring into these young girls and growing deeper in their own relationships with the Lord. As adults, we get to mentor them and watch God use them to reach our middle schoolers in a way we never could. We've done it long enough that now our middle school girls from 2016 are leaders and our original high schoolers come back from college to visit and speak. And this year, the Crigger family has started a new group for middle school boys with the same format. It's just incredible to see what God is doing."

Lisa still gets choked up watching girls bound into her house on Sunday nights, as the memories of getting to Gamma Girls each Wednesday come flooding back. "Mrs. Trenchard gave us a safe place to laugh and be goofy but also to cry and wonder why God allows what He does. She encouraged the mentoring relationships that really shaped me. In all of it, everything came back to the single truth that our identity is in Christ - not our parents or friends or circumstances. I pray that everything we do at GNO leads these girls to the same truth, that they are beloved daughters of the Most-High King. When they grasp that, it will change everything for the rest of their lives."

Outside of GNO, Lisa is Mom to Emily, an NCS 10th grader and Hanson '17, a sophomore at JMU. She and her husband Dean run a communications business out of their home and are huge fans of Ambassador sports. Lisa has coached NCS Girls Volleyball at various levels since 2014 and served as Varsity Girls coach for the 2018-19 season.

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Isaiah Thomas

Isaiah left NCS for the College of William and Mary, where he graduated with a BS in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health Sciences in 2016. While there, he got involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and found a passion for ministry, as he had the privilege of leading college small groups for IV, then branched out to high school and college groups at his local church. Those experiences made it clear that God had a different direction for him than he had originally planned. When Travis Scott, pastor of Williamsburg Community Chapel, approached Isaiah about applying for a pastoral internship, he knew that was where he was being called.

Rather than pursuing an immediate Doctorate in Physical Therapy, he took a role as a pastoral intern and later became College Ministry Associate for WCC, spending two years in ministry there.

In 2018, God opened the door for Isaiah to join Northside Church of Richmond, where he currently serves as Pastoral Intern overseeing College Outreach and assisting with High School Outreach. He is also pursuing a Masters of Arts in Biblical Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

In May of 2018, Isaiah married his best friend Abbey Sams and they are loving life in RVA. He looks back at what he thought he would be doing with his life and is so thankful for the unexpected path God led him down. It has been a wild and exciting ride following the Lord into ministry and he and Abbey can't wait to see how God uses them in the future.

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Connor Clark

Connor graduated from the College of William & Mary in 2016 with a BA in Theater and Marketing. After graduation, he joined the staff of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where he had been active since his freshman year.

Having developed his faith at NCS, Connor knew getting involved in a fellowship when he first got to campus was crucial. InterVarsity had deeply impacted both of his parents' faith journeys in college so it was a natural choice. During his sophomore year, he took a leadership role on the Executive Team of William & Mary's IV group as the Large Group Coordinator and by the end of his junior year, he started to hear the Lord calling him into ministry. At IV's 15 Urbana conference, he responded to a call to faith, accepting the call to follow Jesus into full-time ministry. He had no idea where that would lead but it quickly became clear that the Lord was nudging him to join the IV staff. After graduating, he started as a campus intern at Washington and Lee University, then planted an IV chapter at Virginia Military Institute before accepting his current position of Campus Staff Minister at his alma mater, William and Mary. In that role, Connor not only cares for students at W & M but throughout Virginia at conferences, retreats and summer missions. He also teaches a Gospel of Mark track at summer camp, training college students in manuscript inductive Bible study.

Why IV? That's an easy answer for Connor: "College is such a critical time in students' lives. They are often asking the questions, “Who am I?” “Who is God?” “Does life have a purpose?” I had friends who were strong in their faith in high school walk away from Jesus in college because they had no community encouraging them. I also saw friends make first-time decisions to follow Jesus in college. I knew this mission field was so crucial that it was worth giving my time and energy towards. My life some days feels like C that of a missionary, showing up to campus and following where the Lord might lead me."

Connor is thrilled to be marrying his fiancee Tess Folsom during the summer of 2019.

Connor with William & Mary's IV group, including Ambassadors Izzy Tan '18 (front row, 3rd from left) and Brian Boyd (back row, 2nd from right)

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Becky Sporhase Owens Although Becky Owens spent 30 years teaching art in Virginia Beach Public Schools, you may be surprised to learn that her biggest passion is baseball. It has been the thread weaving her family together for nearly two decades. When their son Kyle was diagnosed with autism back in 2000, Becky and her husband Gary started looking for activities that he would enjoy and could participate in. What they found was the Challenger Baseball League in Ocean View. Challenger Baseball is a division of Little League that allows boys and girls with special needs to play at their own ability levels. Kyle started playing with the Challenger League at age five and two years later, Gary and Becky were starting their own team. They haven't looked back since.

The Owens family spends their springs and early summers at the ballfield, while the rest of the year is spent gearing up for the season. This year, Gary and Becky are coaching three teams, with players ranging from fouryears-old to fifty-four. Gary says "Becky won't tell you this but she is the one who has really developed our Challenger program. She speaks at service clubs like Lions and Kiwanis, visits sponsors and works to raise our budget so players won't have to purchase equipment or pay high fees."

Becky also coaches for Special Olympics and is involved with Norfolk Therapeutic Rec and Triple R Ranch's Special Equestrian program, all things she got involved in with thanks to her sidekick, Kyle. Those are a few of the reasons that the Ocean View Little League president nominated the Owens last April for a volunteer award from News Channel 3, earning them WTKR's "People Taking Action" award. But you won't hear that from them.

What Becky will brag about are her kids. Their daughter Laurel graduated from NCS in 2009, then did undergrad at JMU and took graduate classes at N.C. State. Laurel is now in Nashville on staff with Capernaum, the Young Life division that ministers to Special Education students.

NCS softball players volunteer at the 2018 Jake Hardison Challenger Jamboree.

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Then there's Kyle, the one who got them started in Challenger to begin with. Now 24, Challenger baseball still gives Kyle a place to belong. He loves hanging out with friends and his favorite position to play is catcher because he gets to wear the best gear. If you ever need a pick-me-up, Becky says she can always use more buddies on the ballfield. There are no requirements except a big heart and she promises you will leave with a smile.

Kerriana Moore

Kerri has been busy since she left Norfolk Christian in 2016. Offered a full academic scholarship as a freshman, Kerri is now a junior at Pennsylvania State University who is not only balancing four majors - Political Science, Criminology, African-American Studies and African Studies - she is the President and Founder of the growing organization Hope Here Hope Now. HHHN's mission is "to bring an end to the issue of sex trafficking by empowering students of Penn State and the surrounding cities through education, awareness, and raising funds." It is the first student-led, on-campus organization dedicated to fighting sex trafficking ever to be recognized by Penn State.

Kerri was still in high school when she heard a speech given by a victim and was first burdened to become an advocate; she wasted no time starting the conversation with her new friends at Penn State. After researching the statistics, they realized that their large college campus gave them the perfect launchpad to bring sex trafficking into a more purposeful conversation. Now, when she's not studying, Kerri is planning fundraisers for victims, raising awareness on social media and appearing at any event that will allow her to get out the organization's vital message. Hope Here Hope Now's goal is to educate women to recognize the warning signs of would-be traffickers and to fight for victims who have no voice themselves. Her dream would be to end this modern form of slavery and build safe houses across the country that give former victims a new place to call home. Follow HHHN on Facebook at hopeherehopenow and join Kerri in the fight.

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Melanie Reiss Krallinger

After graduating from NCS, Melanie attended Old Dominion University where she earned a BS in Civil Engineering and a minor in Engineering Management. She took the Fundamentals of Engineering exam in November 2016 and earned her E.I.T. certification upon graduation from ODU. Melanie now works as an Engineer 1 at AES Consulting Engineers in Williamsburg.

Melanie has plenty to say to younger students about how to succeed in the work force.

"When people find out that I'm a Civil Engineer, they think I must be really smart or naturally good at math. But I tell them it had much more to do with work ethic than intelligence. I took every college math class twice, starting with Calculus 1 (AP Calculus AB) with Mr. Shoaf and finishing with Ordinary Differential Equations at ODU. With all of that practice, I can now confidently say that I am good at math but I had to work hard for it. I even helped many of my friends study for the math portion of the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. Don't underestimate the role work ethic will play in getting you where you want to go."

Melanie also believes that not fitting the usual mold has its benefits and opportunities.

"It's true that I do not have the typical engineering personality but I think that's a good thing. I would encourage anyone considering a field in which they are not "typical" for any reason to pursue it. Sometimes, an employee with an atypical perspective or skill is exactly what a company needs." She is a huge advocate of women pursuing STEM field careers and sees the impact of many of those classes, especially physics, on her daily life. If she could send a message to our young ladies, it would be to go for it! The future will be increasingly science and technology-focused and the world needs what women have to offer in all of the STEM fields.

Melanie and her husband Joseph were married in August of 2018 and now live in Williamsburg. One of their favorite things about married life has been tackling many projects, from floors to shelves to painting, to fix up their first home. When she's not working or replacing flooring, Melanie finds time to teach Zumba classes twice a week for James City County.

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Joshua Rowe

Josh made his way to West Palm Beach, Florida after graduating from Norfolk Christian, where he attended Palm Beach Atlantic University. There, he earned a BS in Biology with concentrations in Environmental Science, Field Biology and Botany. In the short time since he left NCS, he has had a chance to use all of those specialties.

The first came in college when a professor needed info for an article in a scientific journal. He and another student jumped at the chance to comb through mountains of research on sediment transfer stations and beach erosion, then compile a synopsis of what they had found. They did such a good job that the professor used what they had written and made them co-authors of the article. So at the age of 20, Josh became an expert on beach erosion, then a published author. But his true passion was for living things.

Josh had always been interested in animals and plants but he credits his love for science to Mr. Gorman and Mrs. Royster. "Mrs. Royster really kindled my love for biology specifically because she gave it a heart instead of it just being facts," he says. During his senior year of college, he began volunteering at a local state park, then was given an internship serving as an Animal Care Specialist. For the next year, Josh took care of sea turtles, aquariums and snakes, while also coordinating a speaker series for scientists to share their research. In 2018, he began working for Americorps, which is the domestic Peace Corps, at the same State Park he was already so invested in. Now, his job is Non-Native Plant Terminator, which means he tracks and kills invasive plants that would harm the park's environment.

After five years of enjoying the amazing eco-system and nature of South Florida, he can't imagine leaving. He's very interested in Conservation Biology and would one day like to help solve some of the problems plaguing the Everglades. "They're a national heritage and they're disappearing," he says. "I would love to help save them." We believe he will.

Until then, Josh fights invasive plants in Douglas MacArthur State Park and couldn't be happer. Recently, he had the privilege of helping to release one of the sea turtles he had worked with into the ocean (right). These are the things that make him certain being a biologist is the best job in the world.

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Holly Seltzer Fregin Matt Fregin Matt left NCS for Tidewater Community College, where he received an AS in Criminal Justice. Holly attended Old Dominion University, receiving her BS in Recreation and Tourism Management and later an MS in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. She and Matt were married in 2004 and have lived in Florida for 12 years. Holly provides therapy for kids placed in foster care with 4KIDS of South Florida and Matt is a police officer with the City of Hollywood where he has been honored as Officer of the Year. Their lives are busy with three children Cayden (11), Karsynn (6) and Charleigh (4) but they love South Florida and wouldn't have it any other way!

Judy Harnagel Pauley

Judy still remembers seeing Norfolk Christian's graduation in 1964 and begging her mom to switch schools. She can't believe how much it has continued to be part of her life since then.

After getting married and staying home with their children Lori and Rick until they went to school, she started working 2 days a week at Talbot Park Baptist Church's day care, just to have something to do. More than 30 years later, she is still there. When their daughter Lori graduated from NCS in 1997, Judy thought her days here were finished. Then ten years later, grandson Liam got involved in the spring play as a second grader and it has turned into a whole family affair. Lori convinced her mom to audition for the role of the grandmother in Into the Woods back in 2016 and Judy found a new love. She has since been in Fiddler on the Roof and The Secret Garden and will appear along with Liam and her husband Rick in the 2019 production of Oklahoma!, where Lori is helping backstage. Her favorite thing has been getting to know the students. "They still call me 'Granny' because of Into the Woods and I love that. They have been so gracious to me while I learned the ropes."

Judy and Rick are proud to be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 2019.

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Mike Murray

Mike left NCS for Hampden-Sydney College where he stepped straight onto the basketball court for the Tigers and was soon making the same impact he had in his Ambassador uniform. A three-year-starter, member of the 1000 point club, and team captain, Mike now holds the record for career assists at Hampden-Sydney. Off the court, he was equally involved, serving in the Big Sibling program, on the student body executive board and in the distinguished university group the President's Men. After earning his BS in Economics in 2016, Mike was trained in the mortgage loan business by a fellow Hampden-Sydney alum and got his NMLS license. He is now a Mortgage Loan Officer with OVM Financial and is passionate about helping people get into new homes. Mike and his wife Amanda were married on November 10, 2018 and live in Virginia Beach.

Abbey Chaplain

Abbey is a sophomore in the Honors College at James Madison University majoring in Media Arts and Design. In addition to being students, Abbey and a friend at JMU recently launched their own clothing store on Instagram called "Well Clothing Co.". Well Clothing repurposes the best thrift store finds by updating them with rips, dyes, painted designs or whatever the item seems to call for. They then market them on Instagram at @wellclothingco, offering buyers edgy, economical and sustainable styles designed for trendy young adults.

The name "Well Clothing" came from "It is Well With My Soul," a phrase that has been meaningful for both young ladies. When people ask about the name, it's a chance to share the hope they have in Christ no matter their circumstances. As she designed the company's logo of a crescent moon overlapping a sun, Abbey says: "We really wanted to capture both the good times and the bad times because that is completely what that phrase is about. It's not just on the mountain tops that you're well; it's all throughout life."

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2018 Ambassador The Tiffany Family: Matt Tiffany '87 with wife Kelly and children Lauren, Class of 2019 and Jake, Class of 2023

The Posch Family: Dana Upton Posch '88 with husband Marc and children Brianna '13, Colin '17, Rachael '15 and Ashlynne, Class of 2020

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Legacy Families

The Kool Family: Ross Kool '86 with wife Kim (Murden) and children Kassidy '15, Makenzi, Class of 2019, Taylor '10 with wife Lindsay and daughter Kessa, and Jordan '11

Thank you to the Class of 2018 for their gift of entryway benches for the Main Entrance to Moore Family Field Given in honor of beloved NCS community members Mark Rodriguez and Dr. Doug Sandwell

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Class of '98 Celebrates 20 Years!

June 22 - 23, 2018 It was a weekend full of fun and memories as the Class of 1998 gathered to celebrate their 20th reunion. After a family evening on campus Friday night, the ladies enjoyed a Saturday morning brunch at the Strickland home. The whole crowd met again Saturday night at Supper Southern Morsels for dinner and one last chance to reminisce before the weekend came to a close. It is hard to believe this crew has been gone for 20 years but we love hearing the stories of their lives since they left.

A special thanks to the dedicated Planning Committee who gathered for months to organize these wonderful events! (pictured second from top)

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It is the mission of Norfolk Christian Schools to equip students spiritually, intellectually and physically to love God and to serve Him as Christ's ambassadors in the world.

II Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us; therefore, be reconciled to God."

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2018 Board of Trustees

C. Bradford Hobbs, President Jay Kenslow, Vice President Dr. Lisa Mazzio, Secretary

Franklin Allgood John Bishard Lisa Brinkley Donald Crigger Scott Mactavish Mary Beth Rickman Todd Savage The Honorable Tasha D. Scott-Beverly Donald Shearon Michael Teagle

It is my privilege to present the 2017 - 2018 Annual Report for Norfolk Christian Schools. As President of the Board of Trustees, I am witness to the determined commitment of those who lead and uphold NCS. Ours is a school community of Biblical stewardship, as instilled by our founding fathers, with an ongoing passion to elevate the quality of our academics, athletics and arts.

Our students continue to compete and achieve at high levels, demonstrated in conference and state championship sports teams, through exemplary Advanced Placement test scores, and student acceptance into prestigious college programs. The students and staff are supported by a committed Board of Trustees, highly qualified Finance Committee and an experienced group of school administrators. Parents have made it clear that their greatest concern is maintaining our exceptional faculty and hiring others of the same caliber, to which the Board responded with a 5% base salary increase for all faculty and staff.

The distinctive that continues to shine, and which I have witnessed in my own family, is the unwavering commitment to relationship that deeply impacts both students and parents at Norfolk Christian. As you read this report, praise God for establishing this school with its mission and thank Him for providing the collective NCS community, past and present, that is a vessel for eternal relationship in Christ.

Brad Hobbs

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MEET THE BOARD PLACEHOLDER

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FINANCIAL REPORT

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$9,578,078 $9,578,078 Gifts for for Gifts Tuition & & Tuition Scholarships Scholarships 1% 5% 1% 5% 5% 5%

Investment Investment Income Income >1% >1%

14.9% 14.9%

Programs Programs 15% 15%

Contributions & Contributions & Grants Grants 17% 16.8% 17%

Tuition Tuition 63% 63%

16.8%

62.4% 62.4%

Tuition Tuition Contributions & Grants Contributions & Grants Programs Programs Gifts for Tuition Aid & Scholarships Gifts for Tuition Aid & Scholarships Investment Income Investment Income

$5,990,673 $5,990,673 $1,645,092 $1,645,092 $1,442,885 $1,442,885 $458,918 $458,918 $40,510 $40,510

Total Support and Revenue Total Support and Revenue

$9,578,078 $9,578,078

63% 63% 17% 17% 15% 15% 5% 5% >1% >1%

** Financials audited January 2019

** Financials audited January 2019 82

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$9,723,906 $9,723,906

Technology Technology && Communications Communications 3%3%

Transportation Transportation 3% Transportation 3% Transportation

Fundraising Fundraising 2% 2%

Fundraising Fundraising 2% 2%

3% 3%

Other Program Services Other Program Services 9.9% Other Program 9.9% Other Program Services Services 10% 10%

Uncollectible Uncollectible Accounts Accounts 1% 1% Interest Interest Expense Expense 1% 1%

Other Other >1% >1%

Instructional Instructional 49.5% 49.5%

General & General & Administrative Administrative General & Administrative 15% General & Administrative 15%

Instructional Instructional 50% 50%

14.9% 14.9%

Operations & Maintenance Operations & Operations &14.9% Maintenance Operations & 14.9% Maintenance Maintenance 15% 15%

Instructional Instructional Operations & Maintenance Operations & Maintenance General & Administrative General & Administrative Other Program Services Other Program Services Transportation Transportation Technology & Communications Technology Fundraising& Communications Fundraising Uncollectible Accounts Uncollectible Accounts Interest Expense Interest Other Expense Other

$4,885,292 $4,885,292 $1,500,405 $1,500,405 $1,468,118 $1,468,118 $1,013,797 $1,013,797 $262,335 $262,335 $254,258 $254,258 $192,887 $192,887 $86,422 $86,422 $59,253 $59,253 $1,139 $1,139

Total Expenses Total Expenses

$9,723,906 $9,723,906

** Financials audited January 2019

** Financials audited January 2019

50% 50% 15% 15% 15% 15% 10% 10% 3% 3% 3% 2%3% 1%2% 1%1% 1% >1% >1%

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$1,490,809.33 $1,490,809.33 Endowment -Endowment scholarships & scholarships & teacher benefits benefits teacher Hinshaw Technology Fund Hinshaw Technology Fund <1% <1% 3.9% 3.9%

Fine Fine Arts Arts <1 <1%%

Hinshaw Hinshaw Technology Technology Fund Fund 4% 4%

Athletic Field - field, lights, bleacher Athletic Field - field, lights, bleac Athletic Field52.9% - field, Athletic Field52.9% - field, bleachers, lights bleachers, lights 54% 54%

Unrestricted Gifts Unrestricted Gifts 40.2% 40.2% Unrestricted Unrestricted Gifts Gifts 41% 41%

Athletic Field - field, bleachers, lights Athletic Field - field, bleachers, lights Unrestricted Gifts Unrestricted Gifts Hinshaw Technology Fund - computers Hinshaw Technology Fund - computers Endowment - scholarships, teacher benefits Endowment - scholarships, teacher benefits Fine Arts Fine Arts Bricks - Legacy Walkway Bricks - Legacy Walkway

$ 464,280.62 $ 464,280.62 $ 355,452.66 $ 355,452.66 $ 32,712.53 $ 32,712.53 $ 7,020.00 $ 7,020.00 $ 1,731.52 $ 1,731.52 $ 1,512.00 $ 1,512.00

TOTAL before matching gift TOTAL before matching gift

$ 862,709.33 $ 862,709.33

Matching gift * Matching gift *

$ 628,100.00 $ 628,100.00

TOTAL - ALL GIVING TOTAL - ALL GIVING

$1,490,809.33 $1,490,809.33

* A portion of matching gift for 2017-18 gifts was of received in 2018-19 fiscal year. * A portion matching gift for 2017-18 gifts

was received in 2018-19 fiscal year.

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Bricks - Bricks Legacy Legacy Walkway Walkway <1<1%%

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2018

54% 54% 41% 41% 4% 4% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1% <1%

$95,585 Total distributed to faculty and staff across their Christmas and June bonuses

$547,867 These directed gifts provided tuition aid to qualified families under Virginia guidelines for lowincome scholarships.

$718 total bonus for full-time staff 100% of the bonus derived from designated gifts

The Dunlap-Garrick Christian Community Foundation again provided significant support as a conduit for two Virginia tax credit programs

5 year average of annual total is $99,508 130 students received an average award of $4,214

$34,335 Donors to this fund, including founders John â&#x20AC;&#x2122;88 and Julia Hinshaw, recognize that access to current technology is absolutely necessary to the success of our students and faculty at all three campuses.

Included a $5,000 gift for new computers in the Makerspace class that expanded capacity to run more advanced software programs in keeping with the use of graphics software and 3D printers $20,000 of this total came from the players and sponsors in the John Elder Classic Golf Tournament

$50,000

$1,046,875

92 golfers, 29 sponsors and 2 matching donors teamed up for an all-time record in tournament proceeds.

To carry a strong Ambassador mission forward to future students and families, champions of Norfolk Christian have, in their wills, designated this total amount to the school upon their passing.

$20,000 used for new computers across the three campuses $10,000 matching gift given to the Worthy Servants Fund for faculty and staff bonuses

Through Norfolk Christianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s membership in the Barnabas Foundation, twenty-four friends of the school were provided confidential and personal estate planning counsel at no cost to them.

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Norfolk Christian has conducted three major capital campaigns since the mid 1990s totaling over twentyfive million dollars in giving for major facilities projects.

Tuition money has always been strictly held for expenses within the annual operating budget; therefore all building construction, whether new or renovation, is funded through these special campaigns with donations provided apart from other annual giving funds.

The cost to educate a student at Norfolk Christian is actually more than the amount we charge for tuition. In order to keep class sizes smaller while trying hard to keep tuition cost attainable, NCS raises a portion of the annual operating budget from fundraising sources outside of tuition and fees.

As a way to show their appreciation, parents started and still strongly support this fund which passes along 100% of the giving to NCS faculty and staff in the form of a bonus twice each year.

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The Annual Fund is used for classroom materials, technology, field trips, teacher development and many other basic daily expenses that contribute to the educational experience of every student at every campus.

An ongoing Norfolk Christian strength is a body of bright and motivated students from varied backgrounds. The Dunlap- Garrick Christian Community Foundation remains a vital partner in maintaining this strength by providing financial aid to families with significant need.

The foundation is accepted into Virginia scholarship programs that offer donors up to a 65% state tax credit towards gifts that benefit qualifying families.

A gift to one of the eight scholarships is a gift to spur on a motivated NCS student. Each scholarship provides financial aid towards NCS tuition for a high school student or college tuition for a graduating senior, with the recipient having fulfilled purposeful requirements that speak to the spirit of that scholarship’s namesake.

A planned gift is an ideal way to impact Norfolk Christian’s ministry for years to come and it’s as simple as a properly-worded will.

Norfolk Christian partners with Barnabas Foundation to offer our donors, at no expense to them, confidential estate planning consultation with Christian attorneys who view giving from an eternal and Biblical perspective.

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65th

Anniversary Anniversary

81 81

$2.3 $2.3 million

GRADUATES

million

GRADUATES

$1.8

1000

million $1.8

1000

million

7 88

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ST

ST

TCIS Regular Season and Tournament TCIS Regular Season Championships were andwon Tournament by an Championships were Ambassador Baseball won by an team since 1990.

Ambassador Baseball team since 1990.

High School choral ensemble "Windsong" was invited to perform at New York's Lincoln Center and sang live from the crowd on NBC's Today show in March 2018.

Norfolk Christian's full accreditation with the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) was renewed in April, with highest commendations given for the professionalism and mentorship of our teaching staff, our Early Childhood Program and the Expeditionary Learning curriculum at both Lower Schools.

Girls Varsity Tennis made school history playing in the VISAA State Championship game, finishing as 2017 State Runner-Up for Division II. Junior Jahveesha Combs was named TCIS Player of the Year.

Varsity Football went 8-1 for the season and played in the VISAA State Title Game on their new home field, finishing as 2017 State RunnerUp for Division II. Head Coach Tim Bender was honored as TCIS Coach of the Year and All-Area Private School Coach of the Year.

Junior Nate Scully won the 2018 TCIS Individual Wrestling Championship for the 120 weight class.

The Beach Campus Lower School was honored for the 5th consecutive year with the "Pearl School" award from Lynnhaven River Now, recognizing excellence in environmental education and improvement.

The Norfolk Lower school received the "River Star" award for the fifth consecutive year from the Elizabeth River Foundation, honoring the role our fifth grade has played in oyster restoration in the Elizabeth River.

Our High School had its largest class ever in Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus AB, the equivalent of first-year college Calculus, and collectively scored an average of 4.25 on the AP exam with 65% of the class scoring the highest possible 5.0.

Moore Family Field held its first full season of home football, soccer and lacrosse games. Additionally, the only organic fill artificial field in the area was used by 20 local community groups, schools and colleges for their own sporting events.

Global service trips were taken to Vietnam and South Africa in June. The annual Nicaragua trip was postponed due to unrest in the country but a scheduled 40 foot container with aid products was delivered and dispersed to hundreds of Nicaraguans.

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Norfolk Christian Class of 2018

81 students Children of NCS Alumni: 6 International Students: 12 Lifelong Students at NCS: 20 Academics 23 Graduating with High Honors, 26 with Honors Mean GPA: 3.55 / Top 25% GPA: 3.94 - 4.39 Mean SAT Score: 1166 CR/Math (best-test) Number of AP Classes Taken for College Credit: 177 College Matriculation Enrolled in College: 77 Attending Virginia Public Universities and Colleges: 39 Highest Matriculation: University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University Most Popular Majors: Biology/Healthcare/Nursing, Business, Engineering

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College Acceptances Norfolk Christian Class of 2018 American University Anderson University (SC) Barry University Belmont Abbey College

Marymount University Messiah College Methodist University Norfolk State University

University of North Carolina, Wilmington University of South Carolina University of South Florida

Bluefield College Boston University Bridgewater College Capital University Cedarville University Claflin University College of William & Mary Christopher Newport University

North Carolina State University The Ohio State University Old Dominion University Pennsylvania State University Radford University Regent University Richard Bland College Rose-Hulman Inst. of Technology

University of Tennessee University of Vermont University of Virginia University of Washington Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Tech Virginia Wesleyan College

Coastal Carolina University Cornerstone University

Rutgers University Saint Louis University

Wesley College Wheaton CollegeÂ

Covenant College Drexel University Eastern Mennonite University Geneva College George Mason University The George Washington University

Seattle University Wilson College Southeastern University Southern Methodist University Texas A & M University The University of Alabama University of California, San Diego

Georgia Tech Gordon College Grove City College Hampden-Sydney University

University of California, Santa Barbara University of Colorado University of Delaware University of Georgia

Hampton University High Point University Hofstra University Indiana University Indian River State University

University of Illinois at Chicago University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Iowa University of Kansas University of Kentucky

Istituto Marangoni, London James Madison University The King's College (NYC) Liberty University Longwood University Louisiana State University Loyola University Chicago Lynchburg College Mary Baldwin University

University of Maryland University of Massachusetts University of Miami University of Minnesota University of Mississippi University of Missouri Universita di Napoli Federica II, Naples University of North Carolina, Charlotte University of North Carolina, Greensboro NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR

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2017 - 2018 Scholarship Winners 2017 - 2018 Scholarship Winners Class of 2018 Class of 2018 Awarded at Commencement Awarded at Commencement

The Virginia Mae Midkiff Memorial Scho The Virginia Mae Midkiff Memorial Scholarship 2018 Recipient - Virginia Caravas 2018 Recipient - Virginia Caravas

Remembering a beloved mother and former Norfolk Remembering a beloved mother and former Norfolk Christian this college scholarship iswho awarded to a se teacher, thisteacher, college scholarship is awarded to a senior a Matthew life that5:16. lives out Matthew 5: demonstratesdemonstrates a life that lives out (Funded ongoing annual support) (Funded by ongoing annualby support)

The Jenni Prevette Memorial Scholars The Jenni Prevette Memorial Scholarship Recipient - Carson Coale 2018 Recipient2018 - Carson Coale

This college This scholarship wasscholarship started by classmates of 1991by classmates college was started graduate Jenni PrevetteJenni to honor the memory of her shortened graduate Prevette to honor the memory of her life and reward NCS senior who embodies Jenni’s love for the life an and reward an NCS senior who embodies Jenni’s fine arts and excellence Christian character. fine artsinand excellence in Christian charact (Partially endowed) (Partially endowed)

The Cathy H.The Turner Memorial Scholarship Cathy H. Turner Memorial Scholar 2018 Recipient2018 - KyleRecipient Edwards - Kyle Edwards

Established in 2009, this college scholarship honors the memory Established in 2009, this college scholarship honors t of beloved Choral Director Cathy Turner and is dedicated to of beloved Choral Director Cathy Turner and is ded fostering character and the spiritual attributes that Cathy fostering character and the spiritual attributes th championed in her students and her own personal life. championed in her students and her own person (Fully endowed) (Fully endowed)

The Douglas Sandwell Memorial Scholarship The Douglas Sandwell Memorial Scholars 2018 Recipient - Paul Kastner 2018 Recipient - Paul Kastner

This memorial college scholarship honors a student from each collegewith scholarship honors senior classThis who memorial lives a life consistent the principles Dr. a student senior livescancer a lifetook consistent Sandwell taught andclass lived who out before his life in with the prin Sandwell taught and lived out before cancer took 2016.

(Funded by ongoing annual support) 2016. (Funded by ongoing annual support 92

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Scholarship 2017Winners - 2018 Scholarship Winners derclassmen Underclassmen

ded Spring 2018

Awarded Spring 2018

The GraceScholarship Mutzabaugh Memorial Scholarship ace Mutzabaugh Memorial 2018 Recipient - Janet Gould 2018 Recipient - Janet Gould

A former student inspired by Grace Mutzabaugh established dent inspired by Grace Mutzabaugh established this scholarship to award NCS tuition aid to an underclass rship to award NCS tuition aid to an underclass pursuing studies in the teaching ursuing post-secondarystudent studies inpost-secondary the teaching vocation. vocation.

(Fully endowed) (Fully endowed)

Barb Thierry Honorary Scholarship e Barb Thierry Honorary The Scholarship 2018 Recipient - Rebecca Pegram 2018 Recipient - Rebecca Pegram

Barb legacy after years of teaching is honored by a s legacy after 42 years ofThierry’s teaching is42 honored by a former student with this award NCS tuition aid to a student nt with this award of NCS tuition aid toofa student Christian ministry and/or post-secondary stian ministry and/orpursuing post-secondary studies at astudies at a Christian college or university.

Christian college or university.

(Fully endowed) (Fully endowed)

The Visual Arts Scholarship The Visual Arts Scholarship Recipient - Elizabeth Rimmer 018 Recipient - Elizabeth2018 Rimmer

Thisalumna scholarship was created by an alumna to honor former arship was created by an to honor former NCSis Artgiven instructorto Sharon It is given to an NCS student structor Sharon Ewell. It anEwell.

NCS student with giftedness in the visual arts toward the pursuit of focused ness in the visual arts toward the pursuit of focused training before college. training before college.

The Mark Rodriguez Memorial Worship The Mark Rodriguez Memorial Worship Scholarship Scholarship 2018Alexander, Recipients - ElizabethZoe Alexander, Zoe Knox 2018 Recipients - Elizabeth Knox Inspired by the testimony of Inspired Mark by theRodriguez, testimony of Mark Rodriguez, an an NCS student who went to NCS bestudent with who the wentLord to be with in the Lord in 2014, alumni established this 2014, alumni scholarship established thisthat scholarship that encourages an NCS 10th-12th encourages grader an NCS 10th-12th to pursue grader to pursue the passion they share withthe Mark passion they in leading share with Mark others in leading others into worship. (Partially into endowed) worship. (Partially endowed) NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR NORFOLK CHRISTIAN AMBASSADOR 2018

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Golf Tournament

MAY 21, 2018 CAHOON PLANTATION

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A Look Back at Spring 2018

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PRESENTING the 56TH GRADUATING CLASS of NORFOLK CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS At 81 students, the Class of 2018 was the largest graduating class in Norfolk Christian's 66-year history. With 12 international students, they hailed from six countries and spoke 13 languages. An unprecedented 12 new seniors joined the Ambassador family for their final year, many coming through a partnership with a local Christian school who was not offering classes in 2017-18. New friends joined with those who had been together for life and others who came along the way, and a strong bond and unique personality emerged from this group of young adults who cared deeply for each other.

On June 2, 2018, this sea of ambassadors gathered one last time and Mr, Vaughan challenged them from Hebrews 12 to do three things as they set out on a new journey: travel lightly throwing off anything that would weigh them down; run enduringly - moving their feet no matter how difficult the terrain; and focus intently - keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus, our ultimate example. While no one can know the race God has marked out for them, Mr. Vaughan reminded our seniors that they do not run alone. We will continue to run alongside these bright, talented, hopeful young men and women as they embark on the journey of their lives.

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Accent art in the Class of 2018 Section designed

by Graphic Art student Tran Hoang, 12th

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THE BEGINNING

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OF THE END

Photos: Amanda Rimmer

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AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS Valedictorian: Alissa Sherrill Academic Departmental Awards English: Alissa Sherrill Social Studies: Caroline Marshall Mathematics: Alissa Sherrill & Caroline Marshall Science: Rui Henry Huang Technology: Luke Carlson Spanish: Josiah Gilbert National Society of High School Scholars Recognition: Tyler Thorogood Character Awards Bible Award: Carson Coale Citizenship Awards: Virginia Caravas, Alexis Coles, Paul Kastner, Italo Napolitano, Emma Slopnick Service Awards: Jerome Arrington, Weston Dove, Maxwell Johnson, Sarah Ludvik, Davey Pasini Leadership Awards: Luke Carlson, Rachel Pantangan, Alissa Sherrill 2018 Ambassador Awards: Julia Bondi & Caroline Marshall Athletic Awards Female Athlete: Caroline Marshall Male Athlete: Gage Elliott Female Scholar Athlete: Alissa Sherrill Male Scholar Athlete: Luke Carlson

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Salutatorian: Caroline Marshall Fine Arts Awards Choral: Zoe Ermen Theatre: Rachel Pantangan Visual Art: Lilah Carroll Instrumental: Paul Kastner Digital Art: Davey Pasini Overall Fine Arts Awards: Joshua Ennels & Emma Rimmer Scholarship Winners Dr. Douglas Sandwell Memorial Scholarship: Paul Kastner Jenni Prevette Memorial Scholarship: Carson Coale Virginia Mae Midkiff Memorial Scholarship: Virginia Caravas Cathy H. Turner Memorial Scholarship: Kyle Edwards Booster Club Scholarships Fine Arts: Carson Coale Athletic: Thomas Fox, Joseph Rhodes, Sarah Ludvik

Excerpted from the Commencement Speech by Class Valedictorian, Alissa Sherrill "Every person you’ve encountered, every lesson you’ve learned, and every memory you’ve made have all happened for a reason. As my dad likes to say – a lot – “there are no coincidences.” And all of your life experiences thus far – both the good and the bad – God has used to shape you into the person you are today.

So, never forget where you came from nor who got you here. It is your present that matters most, as how you live your present will dictate how you spend your future. In so doing, arm yourself with the Holy Spirit, surround yourselves with people who love you, and work diligently in all things “as working for the Lord.” In quite simple terms – make TODAY count!

Remember, there is a far greater plan and purpose for your life beyond what any of us can fathom at this point. Hold on to that as you go throughout college and then onto the next steps of your life.

And of course, be sure to make some new memories along the way.

As we graduate today, leaving our days at NCS behind us, I am reminded of the prophetic words that Max Johnson emblazoned on our fifth-grade class t-shirt – “our future's so bright, we need shades!”

And so, to my fellow members of the class of 2018, Congratulations!

The day is finally here."

So run the race with perseverance, Class of 2018. We will be running beside you, cheering you on, and praying diligently that you will always be ambassadors for Christ wherever He leads you.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."

Hebrews 12: 1-2a (NIV)

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NCS Baseball Brings It In 2018, Coach Mike Milligan was entering his ninth year with the NCS baseball program and he had a good feeling about this one. After a record season in 2017, where the program had broken into the area Top 10 for the first time, he knew his guys had the talent and experience to take it all the way. But he had scheduled a long, tough season for his team. NCS Baseball had not won a title since 1990 so there were high hopes and a lot of ground to be covered.

The team opened with what had become a new tradition, the Winter Break road trip. They took on seasoned programs in North and South Carolina and came away with three wins out of five.

When they returned, they went straight into battle at home, quickly racking up another five wins.

After two early losses in March, the Ambassadors went on a 12-game win streak, not giving up a game for the entire month of April, with five of those wins in a row being conference games where their opponents were held scoreless. By the end of the regular season in May, this group was 7-2 in the conference and 22-7 overall, earning them the TCIS Regular Season Championship. But they weren't finished. These young men had their minds set on one more TCIS title.

As tournament week rolled around, the Ambassadors handily defeated Norfolk Collegiate in the quarterfinals then won a re-match with Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in the semifinals, whom they had lost to earlier in the season. That left just one more game to be played. On Friday, May 11th, these young men walked onto Trant Field in Virginia Beach to play Steward School, with dreams of a title racing through their minds. By the top of the fifth, our Ambassadors were down 6-2 but they weren't giving up. They would score nine runs in the next two innings and hold Steward scoreless for the rest of the game. On this Friday night in May, with a final score of 11-6, the Ambassador baseball team accomplished something that had not been done in almost three decades they added TCIS Tournament Champions to their awards list, along with the Regular Season Championship. They fought to the finish and could not have made their Ambassador family any prouder. A Championship banner was hung in the Smith Gym on January 12, 2019.

Senior Day 2018 was the last home game at Lakewood Park for these Ambassadors: Kyle Edwards, Joseph Rhodes, Thomas Fox, Gage Elliott, Brock Short, Tyree Kelley, and (not pictured) Braden Gilbert

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All the Way Home

THE 2018 TCIS CHAMPIONSHIP BASEBALL TEAM FRONT ROW: Gardner Meeks, Gage Elliott, Baraka Florence, Grayson Ingram, Sebastian Silva, Kyle Edwards SECOND ROW: Coach Mike Milligan, Carlos Bland, Ty Johnson, Brock Short, Thomas Fox, Luke Short, Joseph Rhodes, Tyree Kelley, Braden Gilbert, Andrew Allgood, Luke Ingram, Phillip Crawley, Assistant Coach Bobby Coley BACK ROW: Nathan Edwards, Garrett Gartrell, Aiden Dieke, Cole Powers, Xavier Chevrier, Elijah Coley

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Madrigal Dinner - A Gala Affair January 19, 2018 The second annual Ambassador Gala to benefit the Fine Arts offered guests a traditional Madrigal experience with dinner, music and rousing entertainment performed by our music and drama students, all to help send our choral ensemble to NYC.

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Windsong Sings at Lincoln Center!

March 19-20, 2018 Our High School Choral Ensemble Windsong had the privilege of performing at Lincoln Center in March and was featured live from the crowd on NBC's Today show singing an excerpt of the South African freedom song "Shosholoza"!

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EXPEDITIONARY LEARNING NIGHTS In early May, both Lower Schools held their first "Expeditionary Learning Nights", allowing students to show off their critical thinking skills and information they had mastered during learning expeditions throughout the year. "Ask me" tags encouraged parents to engage with our young ambassadors about their discoveries, prompting discussion of guiding questions, wonder questions and learning targets, all of which tie expeditions in with rigorous curricular standards. What makes Norfolk Christian's experience unique is the addition of the faith-based perspective of Deeper Learning, which takes Expeditionary Learning and underscores it with the truth that God created all life and has a unique purpose for each of us in caring for it. Viewing His world with that mindset molds students who are constantly seeking to help others using the resources and talents God has given them.

B E A C H

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Accent art in the Expeditionary Learning Section designed by Graphic Art student Emma Smith, 11th

A DEEPER LEARNING SHOWCASE

N O R F O L K

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THE END OF THE EXPEDITION One of the best things about Lower School is caring for God's creations during interactive learning expeditions. One of the hardest things is letting them go at the end of the year. Every spring, baby chicks go back to the farm, tadpoles become froglets and are released into the river, butterflies leave their habitat for pollinator gardens, bees adapt to their new hives, plants and wetland grasses are carefully placed where they will thrive, and oysters are delivered to their new home in the Chesapeake Bay. It's a great feeling helping them grow but it's always hard to say goodbye!

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SPRING MUSICAL Charlie & Friends

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MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREATS SIXTH GRADE - WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Accent art in the Upper School Section designed by Graphic Art student Will Slopnick, 10th

MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREATS SEVENTH GRADE - ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPING TRIP

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GREECE AND ROME WITH MRS. SANDWELL It's a 7th Grade tradition, ending the study of Greece and Rome with a toga party and the creation of Greek architectural projects, preferably edible and made of desserts. Who says there were no Krispy Kreme donuts in Ancient Rome?

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ACADEMIC ALL-STARS ACADEMIC AMBASSADORS A new program at our High School recognizes students who excel academically and have a heart for service. After conducting interviews, the Academic Ambassadors program selected its inaugural group of 18 members in April 2018. These ambassadors are held to the highest academic and behavioral standards and are members of the National Honor Society and/or Honor Council. They meet regularly to provide tutoring for peers and younger students who would benefit from extra support in academic classes.

AP STUDENTS SOAR PAST AVERAGES AP students excelled on their national exams in the spring of 2018 with two classes gaining particular attention. Our new AP Computer Science class scored significantly higher than the international average and earned teacher Regina Oakman the invitation to an exclusive training event with the College Board at Facebook Headquarters in Menlo, California, Seventeen AP Calculus AB students took the May 2018 exam and scored a combined average of 4.25 on this difficult test. By comparison, the national average for this exam is a 3.03. A staggering 65% of our students scored the highest score of 5.0, with the national average for this "A" score being only 8%! Under extraordinary teacher Jeff Shoaf, this group will make up the largest AP Calculus BC class (College Calculus 2) ever at NCS in 2018-19.

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HIGH SCHOOL TRIPS Oceanography

Upper School Chorus

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SUMMER SERVICE South Africa Team

Nicaragua Team Retreat

Vietnam Team

Worship Team Camp

Service doesn't stop when school lets out for our ambassadors. In 2018, about 30 students, alumni and staff joined service trips to Vietnam and South Africa, where they were playmates and caregivers for children in orphanages, and helped with ministry programs offered through our South African partners, Abba's Pride. Our High School worship leaders came together for a week of training and worship in preparation for the year ahead, and our Nicaragua missions team used their unexpected time at home doing service projects for our local community.

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MISSIONFOR FOR NICARAGUA NICARAGUA 2018 MISSION 2018 When senior Caroline Marshall asked to organize donations for the school's annual Nicaragua tripsenior as her Caroline Senior Project, she had no to idea the events that would unfold. After three years When Marshall asked organize donations for soon the school's annual Nicaragua on the missions trip, she knew how much the people there needed, and it would take a miracle trip as her Senior Project, she had no idea the events that would soon unfold. After three years to do all our team hoped to do for them. She was prepared to spend dozens of hours asking on the missions trip, she knew how much the people there needed, and it would take a miracle for, organizing and packing the clothes and toys we usually take. She was prepared to bag to do all ourofteam hoped to to dobe forcarried them.through She was prepared spend dozens of hours asking pounds beans and rice airports.

She to was prepared to solicit and expect for, bigger organizing and packing the clothes and toys we usually take.

She was prepared to things than ever before. But she was not prepared for the line of miracles God had bag waiting for her and Jeff the team's 11-year leader. pounds of beans rice Shoaf to be '80, carried through airports.

She was prepared to solicit and expect

bigger things than ever before. But she was not prepared for the line of miracles God had The first miracle came in the fall of 2017 in the form of a donated 40' container that could be waiting for her and Jeff Shoaf '80, the team's 11-year leader.

packed at school and sent ahead. It would allow them to carry larger items and keep each of the 60-70 team members from dragging an extra suitcase full of donations. But that brought Thethe firstissue miracle came in the fall of the of a donated 40' container that could of how to get it there.

An2017 NCS in dad in form the shipping industry knew it would be next tobe impossible to find empty spot Itonwould a vessel at the righttotime butlarger he was ready to see what packed at school andansent ahead. allow them carry items and keep each of would The Nicaragua team started for another and in But November, an the God 60-70 teamdo.members from dragging an praying extra suitcase full miracle of donations. that brought open spot was found that would take the container from Norfolk in March and deliver it to the issue of how to get it there. An NCS dad in the shipping industry knew it would be next to Nicaragua exactly one week prior to our arrival in June. The timing could not have been more impossible to find anrisked empty spot on athere vessel at the right but he was ready to see perfect; any later it not being in time and any time earlier would create issues in what Godcustoms. would do. started praying miracle in November, All The that Nicaragua was left for team Jeff's team to do was fillfor it, another which would takeand yet another miracle.an Clothes and toys were coming in but nothing close to what they needed to occupy 2500 open spot was found that would take the container from Norfolk in March and deliver cubic it to feet. Jeff began one to worry they would be arrival sendinginan empty container on thenot journey hemore Nicaragua exactly week prior to our June.

The timing could haveuntil been reminded himself who was in control. Then everything changed. An NCS dad who works for perfect; any later risked it not being there in time and any earlier would create issues in Leesa Corporation secured the donation of 200 boxed mattresses. It was an unbelievable customs.

All "You that just wascan't left for Jeff'show team to do was fill it, which take of yet another miracle. blessing. imagine incredible a mattress is forwould the people Nicaragua," says Clothes and toys were coming in but nothing close to what they needed to occupy 2500 cubic Zulaika Garzon, co-leader of the group. "We will often see whole families sleeping on one rotting mattress. havebe new, comfortable mattresses is life-changing."

A plea feet.paper-thin, Jeff began to worry they To would sending an empty container on the journey until to he the NCS community brought in more than 200 mattress pads and sheet sets to send with them reminded himself who was in control. Then everything changed. An NCS dad who works for and another NCS family delivered ten new washing machines to add to the effort. Suddenly, Leesa Corporation secured the donation of 200 boxed mattresses. It was an unbelievable the problem became packing to fit it all in. On loading day, in the middle of NCS' Winter Break blessing. justcouldn't can't imagine incredible mattress theFormer people of Nicaragua," week, "You Caroline believehow the people who ashowed up is tofor help. team members, says Zulaika Garzon, co-leader of the see familiesleft sleeping one teachers, even families who hadgroup. never "We madewill theoften trip. As thewhole full container the NCSon parking lot to loud cheers of celebration, thenew, teamcomfortable could not have known it was the last time they paper-thin, rotting mattress.

To have mattresses is life-changing."

A plea to

the NCS community brought in more than 200 mattress pads and sheet sets to send with them and another NCS family delivered ten new washing machines to add to the effort. Suddenly, the problem became packing to fit it all in. On loading day, in the middle of NCS' Winter Break week, Caroline couldn't believe the people who showed up to help. Former team members, teachers, even families who had never made the trip. As the full container left the NCS parking lot to loud cheers of celebration, the team could not have known it was the last time they

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MISSIONFOR FOR NICARAGUA NICARAGUA 2018 MISSION 2018 When senior Caroline Marshall asked to organize donations for the school's annual Nicaragua trip as would gether to Senior see it. Project, she had no idea the events that would soon unfold. After three years on the missions trip, she knew how much the people there needed, and it would take a miracle to do all our team hoped to do for them. She was prepared to spend dozens of hours asking Justfor, a few weeksand later, Nicaragua was swept upwe in civil unrest it unsafetotobag travel and organizing packing the clothes and toys usually take.that Shemade was prepared confined residents toto their homes.through After much prayer andprepared pleadingtowith theand Lord, the trip poundsmany of beans and rice be carried airports.

She was solicit expect bigger things than ever before.

But she was not prepared for the line of miracles God had had to be canceled. Caroline was heartbroken. Not only had she and so many others put their waiting her into and Jeff Shoaf '80, the team's 11-year leader. hearts andfor souls preparing over the last six months, she loved her Nicaraguan friends and

wanted to see them. But then she realized how perfectly God had orchestrated every detail. Any The first miracle came in the fall of 2017 in the form of a donated 40' container that could be other year,atif school the NCS team up allow in June, hundreds of people have to go packed and sentdidn't ahead.show It would them to carry larger itemswould and keep each of without all we provide for them.

Not this year.

In God's perfect plan, our 40' container would the 60-70 team members from dragging an extra suitcase full of donations. But that brought theas issue of how toand get still it there.

An NCS in the shipping industry knew it would be next toarrived arrive scheduled do His workdad even though we could not.

When the container impossible to find an empty spot on a vessel at the right time but he was ready to see whatthe lifein June, our dear friends and ministry partners were able to take receipt and distribute God would do. The Nicaragua team started praying for another miracle and in November, an giving shipment throughout the Managua area. It was a blessing to hundreds of Nicaraguans open spot was found that would take the container from Norfolk in March and deliver it to andNicaragua a welcome contrast to theprior turmoil happening around exactly one week to our arrival in June.

Thethem. timing could not have been more perfect; any later risked it not being there in time and any earlier would create issues in customs. thatwatched was left for Jeff'softeam to do was fill it, carried which would another miracle. food As the teamAll here videos mattresses being awaytake andyet families receiving Clothes and toys were coming in but nothing close to what they needed to occupy 2500 and clothes, Caroline knew that God had done something even bigger than she couldcubic have feet. Jeff began to worry they would be sending an empty container on the journey until he dreamed. "I was really disappointed not to go but then so humbled at what God did without us. reminded himself who was in control. Then everything changed. An NCS dad who works for Each miracle along the way was all part of to let the container stand in our place Leesa Corporation secured the donation ofHis 200bigger boxed plan mattresses.

It was an unbelievable for blessing. the people ofjust Nicaragua.

His way always better than isours."

"You can't imagine howisincredible a mattress for the people of Nicaragua," says Zulaika Garzon, co-leader of the group. "We will often see whole families sleeping on one paper-thin, rotting mattress. To have new, comfortable mattresses is life-changing." A plea to the NCS community brought in more than 200 mattress pads and sheet sets to send with them and another NCS family delivered ten new washing machines to add to the effort. Suddenly, the problem became packing to fit it all in. On loading day, in the middle of NCS' Winter Break week, Caroline couldn't believe the people who showed up to help. Former team members, teachers, even families who had never made the trip. As the full container left the NCS parking lot to loud cheers of celebration, the team could not have known it was the last time they

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255 Thole Street Norfolk, VA 23505

757.423.5770 www.norfolkchristian.org