The Shield is an annual curated collection of features documenting the people, programs, and events at North Raleigh Christian Academy. This issue covers stories from August 2023 through August 2024. For current coverage of NRCA school news, please visit The Shield’s digital news platform, The Shield Online, and the School News feed at nrcaknights.com.
2023-2024
Izzie McLawhorn, Editor-in-Chief
Finley Huneycutt, Editor
Taylor Mills, Editor
Ella Weathers, Editor
Cami Wheeler, Editor
2024-2025
Izzie McLawhorn, Editor-in-Chief
Lawson Bowman, Editor
Presley Harrison, Editor
Taylor Mills, Editor
Sammy Mull, Editor
Ella Weathers, Editor
Advisers
Norma Weekman, Journalism Teacher
Abigail Linton, Journalism Teacher
Karen Blom, Graphic Designer
Stephanie Armstrong, Photographer
North Raleigh Christian Academy is a community Christian school assisting families by providing excellence in academics, fine arts, and athletics, while instilling biblical principles in students’ lives that they might impact their society for Christ.
The Shield and The Shield Online Production Staff
“As NRCA continues to build on the foundation that began in 1996, we remain committed to anchoring our ministry on God’s call to follow Him as individuals and as a community that partners with families and the local church to magnify the Name of Jesus in all we do”
North Raleigh Christian Academy has a rich history in Christian education. Rooted and established in the soil of the Kingdom education philosophy, NRCA has been a lighthouse of Christcentered equipping for nearly three decades. As we enter a new school year, it brings with it the excitement of reaccreditation preparation, strategic planning, and striving for excellence in a season of growth. Still rooted in Kingdom education principles, over the last three years, NRCA’s schoolwide themes have focused on key aspects of our mission statement:
North Raleigh Christian Academy is a community Christian school assisting families by providing EXCELLENCE in academics, fine arts, and athletics, while instilling biblical principles in students’ lives that they might impact their society for Christ.
Focusing on the aspect of being a “community Christian school” throughout the 2022-2023 school year, NRCA chose the theme of Love God & Love Others! The theme verse for that year was Romans 12:9-10, which says, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” God is the ultimate example of how to love others. The Word of God shows through the life and death of Jesus Christ what it means to love others first. Because of the love that God has shown us, we are called to love one another in the same manner. Through this schoolwide theme, NRCA focused on building a community that fostered many great relationships within our school family. God created all of us for community, and we have an innate desire to build relationships with one another. Our hope is that the relationships fostered on NRCA’s campus would be centered on knowing Jesus and making Him known to others.
NRCA embraced the theme of being Fully Known throughout the 2023-2024 school year while being inspired by the song “Fully Known” by Christian artist Tauren Wells. NRCA encouraged our school community to follow Psalm 139:1, which says, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” Fully Known entails both an inward focus as well as an outward focus. Part of being Fully Known is determining who we desire to be inwardly and,
in turn, who others know us to be outwardly. To that end, our focus for the year was discipleship, studying God’s Word to learn His Truth and asking the Lord to search our hearts and lead us in His everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24). As a Christian school, we embraced the necessity of our mission of “instilling biblical principles in student’s lives” and following the One who fully knows us, rescues us, and transforms us.
For the 2024-2025 school year, NRCA has chosen the theme of pursuing excellence. Most of us are familiar with the world’s definition of excellence, centered on perfecting plans and programs and achieving lofty, measurable goals. But we, as Christ followers, have a different paradigm, not based on our effort or accomplishments, but based on His. This is the gospel. NRCA is excited to embrace our schoolwide theme of excellence, not because we pursue the world’s definition or standards of excellence but because we pursue Jesus Christ. NRCA has also chosen John 3:30 – “He must increase, but I must decrease” – as our theme verse for this school year. Throughout this school year, NRCA will unpack what it means to pursue excellence in Christ, for Christ, and through Christ. NRCA desires to foster community centered on biblical discipleship in academics, athletics, and fine arts with the purpose of pursuing excellence by knowing Jesus and making Him known to others.
As NRCA continues to build on the foundation that began in 1996, we remain committed to anchoring our ministry on God’s call to follow Him as individuals and as a community that partners with families and the local church to magnify the Name of Jesus in all we do. Throughout this school year and season of reaccreditation and strategic planning for the next five years, our ultimate goal is that our school’s mission of community, discipleship, and excellence permeates all aspects of our school’s culture and that as a ministry, we continue to “Walk Worthy of our Calling” according to Ephesians 4:1, which says, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
By Dr. Kevin Mathes, NRCA Superintendent
By Josh Leonard, Dean of Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
It’s hard not to love a good question. They can help you to see things you may not have noticed at first or push you to engage more thoughtfully with the person in front of you. They can lay the foundation for great conversations or even help reshape the way we think about the world around us and our place in it.
In our house (where there are three children between the ages of 18 months and six years old), there is never a shortage of questions. There are the questions that happen every day, questions like: “What’s for lunch?” or “Can I go outside and play?” There are questions that are asked in constant repetition, such as: “What are you doing, Mommy?” and “Can I help?” Then, there is the question that is all too familiar to parents everywhere: “Why?”
For my oldest son, Liam, though, I have noticed a recent shift in some of the questions he has been asking me. In the middle of his latest silly dance routine that he cannot wait to show me, he will ask: “Did you dance like this when you were younger, Daddy?” There are nights where he and I may find ourselves in another father-son wrestling match (his favorite prebedtime routine), when he will ask, “Did you wrestle with your daddy when you were little like me?” He has always been a thoughtful child, but this trend in questions revealed something to me about his heart: he cares so deeply about wanting to be like his dad and he cares enough to ask!
It would be easy for him to just assume that whatever he does is a miniature copy of who I am or even to go about his day enjoying every second of life as it comes without a care in the world. But those types of questions speak to something different. They speak to a boy who values being like his dad so much that his mind naturally gravitates to asking what that might look like. He wants to make sure that he knows his dad. He wants to leave no doubt that his life is a mirror image of his father. And in this, the desires of his heart push his pursuit of understanding and his actions.
And so it is with all of us. There is a picture that each of us holds of the kind of life that we desire most, and this image pushes us to engage with this world and the people in our lives in a particular way. Perhaps the question for us in thinking about this isn’t simply to ask what this picture of life is; rather it is to ask, “What do the regular actions of my day say about the life that I am ultimately pursuing?”
Do my routine actions communicate a desire for control and to cultivate an environment that only moves in the direction I think is best?
Do I prioritize achievement and success, believing that once I reach a certain level of financial means, I can truly make an impact?
Am I constantly wondering how I am being perceived by those around me and making decisions that might gain me the most affirmation from others?
The enemy is so crafty in the ways that he subtly whispers falsehoods to keep our eyes fixed on things such as these. We can very easily articulate great-sounding reasons for “good” things that distract us from the ultimate thing—the life to which Jesus has called each of us. Paul wrote:
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)
Our culture is full of many pictures that it would like for our lives to be a mirror image of as we walk this earth. We are constantly surrounded with countless options to dedicate our thoughts, desires, and lives to pursuing. And the truth is that each of us will walk in a manner in pursuit of something. Yet, Paul’s words here to the church at Ephesus point us to the life to which we have been called:
A life centered on humility, occupying the very space that God has placed us.
Relationships that model gentleness, patience, forgiveness.
Community with believers unified with the peace that can only come from the Spirit.
But he doesn’t stop there…
There is a foundational pursuit as we seek a life centered on these very things. That pursuit is Jesus. There is one true hope on which we can live, “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” The pursuit of good things is ultimately meaningless without Him for “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The most beautiful things of this earth are simply a small picture of the beauty of our Creator. The majestic sights in this world pale in comparison to the greatness of our Savior. He is “over all and through all and in all,” and He loves you deeper than any mistake of your past, paid the very punishment we owed when He died in our place, and defeated death when He rose again making a way for us to be reconciled with our Creator.
This is the Jesus that we have the gift of knowing.
Without Him, the pursuit of the greatest things of this life ultimately falls flat. He is our greatest gift. The One whose rightful place is not simply a compartment in our schedule but the cornerstone of the foundation on which we are living our lives. And yet, our seeking to know Jesus does not happen by accident. It is not an inherent byproduct of faith. Like any relationship, it requires intentionality in our desire to know Him more.
This brings me back to the beauty of good questions. We know that relationships can certainly grow through watching the actions of those around us. We can learn much about people by their behavior in different situations. However, the depth of relationship so often comes through great questions. We desire to take the knowledge we have learned in interacting with someone and begin to seek their heart. Their motivations. Their why that drives their actions. And it is in these conversations that the opportunities begin to come where our lives are impacted by those around us.
And yet, so often the chaotic pace of this life pushes us back toward idols like achievement, control, and success. Somewhere along the way in our journey of faith, I think we often lose this willingness to ask questions like these— questions that reveal the desires of our hearts and the truth that we don’t always know the best next step. We stop asking questions of who Jesus is and how His heart for people drove Him to serve in the ways that He did. We fear showing our uncertainties and mistakes more than we desire growth.
We walk through life pursuing a portrait of perfection, rather than the One who is “the Author and Perfector of our faith” (Heb. 12:2).
Our Savior is not afraid of our questions. We read throughout much of the Psalms how David often cried out to God with the questions weighing heaviest on his mind. He sought the heart of our Creator because his desire was to align his heart with the One who made him. He wanted to make sure that he knew Him. He wanted to leave no doubt that his life was a mirror image of His Heavenly Father.
I think my four-year-old had it right all along. The way to truly know is to be willing to be vulnerable and intentional enough to ask questions. For us, it is to fix our eyes on the only true source of hope for eternity, asking the questions that weigh so heavily on our minds, for He has promised that “you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29).
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
He sought the heart of our Creator because his desire was to align his heart with the One who made him. He wanted to make sure that he knew Him. He wanted to leave no doubt that his life was a mirror image of His Heavenly Father.
Student Leadership Academy Gatlinburg Retreat: A Life-Changing Experience
Picture this. It’s a cold night in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and I’m wrapped up in what feels like hundreds of layers. Sitting in the front, beside Peyton and Jonah, I hear Clayton King continue to say the same thing over and over again. “If you’ve been on the edge of accepting your calling, then let this be the push. Don’t keep fighting what God has called you to do.”
I’ve been to a lot of these conferences, and the speakers seem to say the same thing, but something about being surrounded by hundreds of youths from near and far spoke to me. As we gathered in the front for worship, I stood while others prayed. Within seconds, I was surrounded by strangers on fire for Christ, hugging me and praying for me in their group. Eventually, my friends and I were in a
group with dozens of kids as they prayed and worshipped. In those moments, I knew that this was my push to come forward—to finally “let go and let God,” as they say. Because of what Clayton King said about missions, my heart was sparked to do anything and everything in my power to further the kingdom of God even here in Raleigh and especially in my next big step of life called college.
There was a worship leader there, Charlee. In vulnerability, he shared with the audience his struggles and how he overcame because of Jesus Christ. Charlee made one of the biggest impacts on me for this reason. When I was talking to him at the end of the conference, I asked him, “How do you find such joy even after everything you’ve been through?” He smiled for a minute before answering. “Because, Ellie, when everyone around me turned away, God was calling out to me and holding me up. Remember that when everything around you fails, our God does not fail.” This conversation with the worship leader further reminded me that I am here for a reason, and that reason is to glorify God in everything I do, whether that be managing the varsity boys tennis team or facilitating our Thursday high school Bible studies at lunch. Whether it be engaging with others in the halls or engaging with complete strangers in the grocery store. As I head into college, the reminders that we have been called on mission continue to ring loud in my ears.
As we were getting ready for bed that Saturday night after hearing the dreadful news of having to leave early from the conference because of an approaching snowstorm, a good friend of mine, Peyton Seymour, and I sat on the bed and decompressed. When Peyton and I were talking, she looked at me and smiled. “You encourage me because when I saw you stand up saying that you were ready to take on God’s mission, it made me want to further pursue Christ.” This made me realize how much of an impact we as individuals can make in another person’s life. These words by my dear friend confirmed this push toward my mission. I once heard a pastor say, “You may be the only Bible someone reads.” This communicates the idea that we must draw close to Christ so that when others see us, they see Jesus Christ radiating through us.
I can’t emphasize enough how much of an impact this trip to Gatlinburg made on me because as I think about the time I shared with friends—early Starbucks
“If you’ve been on the edge of accepting your calling, then let this be the push. Don’t keep fighting what God has called you to do.”
-Clayton King
runs, T.G.I. Fridays, arcade games, and cold nights huddled in a conference room to worship—I remember how God moved in each of our lives. When I think back to the effort that our chaperones made, I remember how dedicated to Christ they were to take this trip with us so that we, as student leaders, were able to further pursue Christ. Because of these chaperones like Mrs. Karen Brown and Mr. Josh Leonard and because of this conference for the Student Leadership Academy, I have found myself closer to Christ. Because of how God moved that cold weekend in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I found the push to pursue God’s calling on my life: to bring glory to His name in everything that I do. I remember vividly the words spoken by Clayton King. He said, “Jesus Christ died for you, so the least you could do is live every day for Him.” This pushes me in my faith every day to be on mission for Christ Jesus, and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.
By Ellie Poteat (2024), Shield Contributing Writer
RCA high school students embarked on a trip to Thailand. We had no idea about the culture shock we were about
Our group had many meetings before takeoff, planning the days and schedules for the week we were there. On Friday, we started our adventure. We drove to school, said goodbye to parents, and started the three-hour bus ride to Charlotte. We picked up our chaperone, Erin, from Crossroads Ministry in Concord on the way to the airport and then left the Charlotte airport on our
The first flight jitters got to us, and most of us couldn’t sleep. We watched movies, did puzzles, and interviewed each other with a mini microphone instead. The seven-hour layover afterward was where the lack of sleep caught up to us, and we slept as much as anyone could in airport lounge chairs. The next flight on the itinerary was to Vienna, with a short layover, and then we arrived
When we arrived in Thailand, it was 2 am in our heads. We were all ready to sleep in a bed but were quickly reminded by the daylight that it was noon there. Eager to get where we were staying, we heard the worst possible four words, “They lost our luggage.” We left the airport without luggage and drove an hour to where we were staying. Seeing the sights on the way there woke us up. We were finally reunited with our luggage
For our first afternoon, we explored the area and played soccer at the school’s sports center. The next morning, we got ready for our first day visiting a school. Every school day went the same for the most part, with the exception of afternoon activities. When we got to the school, we would get everything together and introduce ourselves to the kids we were teaching. Afterward, we divided up into four groups: games, songs, crafts, and storytelling. In storytelling, the students reenacted “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” through a skit. Likewise, in crafts, they made lion masks to go along with the story. At most schools, we had four groups that would rotate through our four classes, each lasting around 45 minutes. All the students loved to be engaged and loved to
We got to connect with many different people, from kids our age up to grandparents, and have conversations with them, teaching things like tongue-twisters and common phrases. At a college we visited, we were given prompts that carried us beyond the language barrier to connect with the students on common hobbies and interests. We stayed at a K-12 school and connected with the kids our age very well. We played games together, went to the malls, and they showed us around a local Asian market. We became just as close with them as we were with our US friends.
We met a Thai friend named Nueng who shared his faith with us. He was a new believer and came to Christ through a club at his school. He explained to us how his parents are not Christian and don’t accept his faith. His story was eye-opening and shined a new light on how I viewed my support system around my faith. Seeing this made me realize that we are so lucky to have people encourage us in our walks with God. It can be easy to take it for granted, but Nueng’s experience reminded me that God can work regardless of circumstances.
Soon our trip came to a close. On Saturday, we went to a river market, where we rode on a little boat to the shops on the water. And on Sunday, we started our trip back home.
During this experience, I got to see God working throughout the world and not just in Raleigh. I was able to see that God’s power can reach the ends of the earth, and we have to be willing to share His Word. The greatest part for me was our ability as an openly Christian group to teach about the Bible in Buddhist schools. One of my best memories was that one of our teaching days was actually done in a temple while monks were sitting in the monastery. God moves in powerful ways, and I’m thankful we got to plant the seeds of the gospel in so many students for them to spread later.
By Grier Herring, Shield Writer
Five years ago, I was walking the halls of NRCA, preparing to graduate and leave many of my closest friends. If I would have seen a clip of my life now, teaching at an international school in Nairobi, Kenya, I would not have believed it. I am someone who craves comfort and safety—not being a thrill seeker in any way. However, God was slowly and graciously preparing and equipping my heart to obey what He would one day call me to.
After graduating from NRCA, I moved to Boone, North Carolina, to study middle grades education at Appalachian State University. Throughout my four years at university, I became involved in Appalachian International Ministry, AIM. This ministry seeks to welcome and support international students who have come to study at the university. We would do all kinds of activities together—things like Walmart runs, snowy hikes, and barbecue dinners. I absolutely loved my time with international students. I loved hearing about each of their home countries and cultures while getting to share bits of my own through our experiences. However, over time I started to become jealous. I wanted to be the foreigner. I wanted to be in a new place, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. This was just the beginning of God’s tug on my heart to move overseas after graduation.
In May 2023, I graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Middle Grades Education. The past few months before graduation had been one continuous prayer for God to be
Maddie Huffman:
glorified and for me to be satisfied in Him. I had no idea where that prayer would lead me, but He did. Through a series of divine events, I was hired to teach at a Christian international school. The school is part of ACSI, much like North Raleigh Christian Academy. Two months later, in July of 2023, I landed in Nairobi, Kenya. The moment I stepped off the plane was the first time I had ever been in Africa. I did not know another soul in the entire continent, but I felt peace beyond measure.
The past year in Kenya has been full of God’s abundant goodness. Living in a new country is much different than simply visiting a new country. I have learned how to do the mundane activities in a completely different place than my home country. When going to the grocery store, I drive on the left side of the road, enter through three different security checkpoints, make sure to get a parking chip to pay for parking, find new brands that I enjoy, and pay with M-Pesa (basically the Kenyan version of Venmo). What feels like it should be mindless and simple often feels exhausting and stressful.
It has been challenging yet beautiful to learn a new culture that is much different than mine in America. Kenya’s culture emphasizes relationships and community over time and efficiency. This has been quite beautiful to experience how people always have time for one another. I can show up unannounced at anyone’s house, and they will kindly welcome me in and offer me chai and any food they may have. If that person has a previously scheduled event, they will prioritize the present time with me before moving on to the next event. As beautiful as this mindset is, sometimes it
can feel frustrating when on the other side. When the electrician who was supposed to come to my house at two o’clock doesn’t come until four o’clock, my American mind feels frustrated and not prioritized. I feel like he was not valuing my time or my needs; however, he was most likely with another person before me and was valuing their time together as the current top priority.
Kenyan culture is also much slower than American culture. It almost felt like whiplash in the first couple of months. I was coming from college, where every second of every day was filled with activities. My life in Kenya is much different, but this has come to be my favorite part about living here. I used to be uncomfortable with quiet moments alone. However, I now crave quietness and simplicity. It is in these slow moments with the Lord that I process all that is changing in my life.
My relationship with the Lord has continued to deepen greatly through all of this transition. He gently reminds me that He is the solid foundation that I can always rely on. He is safe when my surroundings feel dangerous. He is constant when all is changing. He knows me when no one else does. He understands me when no one else can.
Moving to Kenya alone and starting my first teaching job in another country was beyond overwhelming and at times difficult. But through the past year, I have learned that there is much deeper peace to be found in obedience to Christ than in following my own desires. Even on the days that feel lonely or exhausting, I still experience abundant joy because I know that I am living the life that the Lord has graciously and humbly called me to live.
“But through the past year, I have learned that there is much deeper peace to be found in obedience to Christ than in following my own desires. Even on the days that feel lonely or exhausting, I still experience abundant joy because I know that I am living the life that the Lord has graciously and humbly called me to live.” -Maddie Huffman, Class of 2019
From covering NRCA athletics to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ashley Humphrey, Class of 2021, has made an impact in the world of sports journalism. In 2021, Humphrey first heard about the opportunity to attend the Olympics with UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media, and she knew that this was something that she wanted to pursue.
“I was an assured admission student. So, my senior year at NRCA, I was accepted early to the [journalism] school so I could start taking classes there in the fall,” she explained. As a college freshman, this enabled Humphrey to transition straight into the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, where she is now a Media and Journalism major with a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) minor.
All four years of high school at NRCA, Humphrey’s choice of elective was journalism. “I really just started as wanting to do what my older sister was doing. I’m a younger sister, so I really look up to my older sister. I started freshman year, and [thought], this is really cool, and really fun. And so even when she graduated that year, I stayed [in journalism] sophomore year.” Doing what she loved, Humphrey spent two years as an editor, wrapping up high school as a coeditor-in-chief.
At NRCA, Humphrey was also a member of the Youth & Government club, which sparked her interest in political science and law. “Youth & Government—I absolutely loved that. I came into Carolina as a political science double major because of that,” Humphrey said. She was also an athlete at NRCA. “I played varsity volleyball and was lucky enough to win two state championships with them,” she said. Humphrey said that NRCA gave her a foundation in writing and sparked a passion for journalism. “I definitely came into UNC loving writing, but then I kind of ended up getting more into broadcast,” she said. Humphrey first discovered broadcast during her sophomore year at UNC. “I came into Carolina loving writing, and I took several journalism classes. One of them was a news writing and editing class.
And then it wasn’t until my sophomore spring semester that I got into a class called Sports Xtra, and so that entire class is just sports broadcasting,” she explained. Since then, she has worked as a field reporter, media analyst, and now anchor, for Sports Xtra, a live student-run sports show. Through the Hussman School at UNC, Humphrey, along with 20 of her peers, attended and reported on the 2024 Paris Olympics, an exclusive yet worldwide event. “I actually heard about the trip as a senior at NRCA, because I had a big group call of a bunch of seniors who were preparing to go into the journalism school.” The call was with Charlie Tuggle, the “Associate Dean of the journalism school at the time,” Humphrey said. “I knew about the trip, and I knew that—Dr T’s what we call him— was taking the trip. He’s the professor for Sports Extra, so that was partially also my motivation.”
The process leading up to the mid-July and early August events started about eight months prior. “I took an Olympic history class. We have a really great sport history professor at UNC, and I’ve taken almost all of his classes,” Humphrey said. For Humphrey, this lengthy preparation included researching and organizing information for the trip. “I officially applied in January and was accepted before the end of January, and then for seven to eight months leading up to the trip, we all were researching what North Carolina athletes were going to be at the games,” she said. The student journalists also compiled a list of nonathletes with North Carolina connections who were attending the Paris Olympics. Humphrey was excited for this trip, since it took from the end of her senior year at NRCA to the beginning of her senior year at UNC to happen.
Partnered with North Carolina media outlets, Humphrey was able to use her experience in print and broadcast to create content while at the Olympics. “I actually was assigned to two radio groups. One was Curtis Media Group. They do [94.7 WQDR]. They do FM and AM radio stations. So they were the bigger group I
was with, because my content was sent all around the state to their different stations. And then I was also working for Chapelboro and 97.9 The Hill, which is a UNC-specific, Chapel Hill-specific, radio station. And then they also post articles on their website,” she said. Collaborating with both organizations, Humphrey produced audio and written content on the Olympics through interviews and interactions with athletes, their families, and even some NC locals.
While covering the Olympics in Paris, Humphrey had the opportunity to connect with Rik Seymour, a former head basketball coach at NRCA and parent of NRCA alumni Ty (2014) and Kamryn (2019). Seymour was at the Paris Olympics with the International Mission Board, teaching missional basketball training camps, handing out Olympic pins with Scripture written on them, and connecting clinic participants with local churches.
Finding Seymour’s story came through a series of events related to Humphrey’s home church. One Sunday in July, her parents were at the beach and were watching The Summit Church online when they saw the church commission Seymour for his Olympic mission trip and suggested that Humphrey reach out to him.
“My professor, Charlie Tuggle, is a believer and goes to Summit, which has been really cool. He also watched that service. So he, before I even could, connected with Rik and put Rik on that list of nonathlete North Carolinians going to the games,” Humphrey said.
She did not realize the NRCA connection until she started to research his background before contacting him about doing a story in Paris. In her search, she saw a photo of Seymour on LinkedIn. “I’m like, ‘That’s Kam Seymour’s dad,’ which made me even more excited to reach out to him,” she explained.
The story caught the attention of a Raleigh media outlet, which meant their hometown people would get to see what both were doing at the games. “What was really cool about that story is WRAL
“Something
that’s been really cool and unexpected in the journalism field at UNC is that Christ has not been shunned in these areas, as I thought He would be.”
picked it up, and so the whole time editing and shooting it, I knew WRAL wanted it, so I was like, ‘I’ve got to make this the best I can,’” Humphrey said. “It was awesome. He was just so helpful to that process, and I was really grateful to get to shine some light on what he was doing.”
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Ashley Humphrey, Class of 2021
Being able to pursue faith-related stories in her journalism program has been encouraging. “Something that’s been really cool and unexpected in the journalism field at UNC is that Christ has not been shunned in these areas, as I thought He would be,” Humphrey said. “I’ve done stories on athletes who do Young Life for our sports show. I’ve done feature articles on people who work at churches. I’ve found that my professors and my peers have been open to me doing stories about that. So that’s been a huge blessing.”
Humphrey said that attending the 2024 Paris Olympics, “made me really excited to come back to UNC and keep doing what I’m doing. And now the class I’m in, we’re producing content for WRAL and Curtis Media Group, so it’s just been cool to do real world stuff.”
Humphrey’s career goal is to work in broadcast or print. With the experience she has gained while at UNC, Humphrey said, “I would love to shoot for the stars and try to land a job somewhere in the journalism field. But I also have worked for the business school and done marketing for them and taken a lot of business classes.” Humphrey plans to apply for jobs in journalism, marketing, and public relations and see where the Lord leads her next.
By Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor-in-Chief
Link to Rik Seymour WRAL story
On Feb. 23, Meghan Kidd, a second-grade teacher, decided to make her history lesson hands-on and put together a Market Day. “The Market Day was an economic marketplace where students were given the opportunity to become producers and consumers,” said Kidd. The Market Day project helped the students learn about producing an item, selling that item, and also being consumers of their classmates’ products. They had to figure out how to budget the money they were given and weigh out the cost of their products, while also being able to relate what they were learning in the classroom to a real-life experience.
Leading up to Market Day, all the students were given six weeks to prepare products they could sell to their peers. Each student chose one product to create using household items, and then they had to produce 10 for their inventory. Next, each student made a creative advertisement and a sign for their shop. On Market Day, all the students were given an hour to buy and sell products with their classmates.
The second graders also invited Lower Elementary Principal Joy Mathes and the enrichment class teachers to shop the students’ products. “I enjoyed seeing all of the creativity represented in each of the items the second-grade students sold,” Mathes said. She also said it was rewarding to watch all the students putting their knowledge of buying and selling goods into practice and see them get excited over the idea of making revenue from their creations.
By Finley Huneycutt, Shield Editor
MIDDLE SCHOOL PHOTOJOURNALISM KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATION
The middle school Photojournalism elective paired up with the kindergarten classes to help with the kindergarten graduation in the spring of 2024. The elective class spent the year learning how to take professional photos and how to use them in communications and marketing. One of the last assignments for the Photojournalism students in Quarter 4 was to take the kindergarten classes’ graduation photos for the kindergarten celebration at the end of the year.
A few other teachers helped out and talked to the kindergarten classes in preparation for their graduation. The photos of the kids were for parents of the kindergartners to enjoy receiving a special gift from their child to remember their first year of school. “This is our fourth year collaborating with Mrs. Garrett, Ms. Hodgson, and the kindergarten classes for the kindergarten graduation photos. The middle school Photojournalism class takes the photos and prints them for Ms. Hodgson so the kindergarten classes can incorporate their photo with their graduation project to give to their parents,” said Stephanie Armstrong, the Photojournalism teacher. Garrett teaches kindergarten choir and oversees the kindergarten celebration with the kindergarten teachers. Hodgson teaches the kindergarten students art.
Not only does this benefit the younger classes, but it is a big final project for the elective students at the end of the year. The middle schoolers prepare and learn the skill sets needed the first three quarters, and in Quarter 4 they put them to use for an important assignment. “We study portrait photography in Q4, so it’s perfect timing to put all they have learned into a real-life assignment. It takes about five class periods to complete. We photograph one class each period,” Armstrong said.
The students in Photojournalism look forward to working with the little kids and entertaining them while photos of their classmates are taken. The kindergartners have fun getting out of class for a little while and get to spend some time outside. “The kindergarten classes love interacting with ‘the big kids,’ and my Photojournalism students look forward to taking these photos all year!” Armstrong said.
By Ella Weathers, Shield Editor
Addis Jemari, also known as AJ, is a nonprofit organization that serves orphans, vulnerable children, and impoverished families in Ethiopia. NRCA student Anna Cate Badin (Class of 2025) first became interested in Addis Jemari when she was looking for ways to complete her community service graduation requirement. Addis Jemari’s core belief is that every child and family in Ethiopia has the right to thrive spiritually, socially, educationally, and economically.
Badin joined Addis Jemari, co-founded by Suzanne Ward and Cindy Douglass, in the summer of 2023. Since then, she has held a position on the AJ Teen Board, where she is able to use her passion and skills in social media to create content and marketing ideas to promote outreach both in the local community and in Ethiopia.
The Addis Jemari Teen Board consists of high school students from around Wake County. Through the Teen Board, Badin has taken part in AJ Marketplace events, spirit nights, and shoe drives. The goal of these occasions is to raise support for the Teen Board education drive, a campaign in which all donations are used to supply school necessities, such as school shoes, bookbags, and school supplies for more than 100 students in Ethiopia.
During AJ Marketplace events, AJ sells its handmade and fair trade products from Ethiopia at community events that support artisans in Ethiopia while giving back to those in need in AJ’s programs.
AJ’s Teen Board events include a spirit night, a barbecue dinner, and social media campaigns to raise awareness for the education drive.
NRCA partnered with AJ for a shoe drive to engage the entire school in an annual schoolwide community service project. NRCA was able to donate 2,736 pairs of sneakers to AJ for consignment or recycling. AJ partnered with GotSneakers to recycle the old sneakers and raise money to purchase shoes for more than 100 students in Ethiopia.
The education drive is Badin’s favorite volunteer opportunity because it enables Ethiopian students to attend school and further their education. Badin said that supporting these Ethiopian students “would not be possible without Addis Jemari.”
Through new experiences like these, Badin and other volunteers have learned how to publicize, advertise, and market events using social media. Among other platforms, Badin uses TikTok and Instagram to promote events and news for Addis Jemari. She says
that by using social media, she is able to “share more about our amazing organization because if nobody knows about it, then how can there be any help?”
Badin has learned a lot about how a good business runs, how to manage fundraising and marketing campaigns, and how to progress toward generating the resources needed in Ethiopia.
“I have learned more not only about Ethiopia but about the nonprofit space in general. Our founders—Cindy Douglass and Mrs. Suzanne—give a lot of advice about not only running a company but also having passion behind it and sharing their message,” she said.
Addis Jemari is one of many organizations that NRCA students can work with to impact their community and fulfill their required volunteer hours. AJ has created a community filled with love that reflects Christ’s mission for people to serve others. Badin said, “I think going out into the community and sharing the message of Addis Jemari and why it’s so important is something that’s really impactful for me because I feel like I’m doing something with my gift of getting to know people.”
Badin has been inspired by her experience volunteering with Addis Jemari and looks forward to continuing to work with the nonprofit through college. Since being on the AJ Teen Board, Badin said, “I’ve grown as a person; I’ve really seen what space I want to work in. I’ve found that I actually, really want to open my own nonprofit.”
By Lawson Bowman, Shield Editor, and Shield Staff
“
A capstone project is a chance for the seniors to take something they love, a passion of theirs, and stretch themselves in a way they haven’t done before.
– Mitch Evans, Senior Bible Teacher
SENIOR CAPSTONE:
In 2023-2024, NRCA completed its third year of Senior Capstone. Students worked on the projects throughout the year, and Dr. Mitch Evans, senior Bible teacher, led the team of teachers who helped the Class of 2024 stay on track.
“A capstone project is a chance for the seniors to take something that they love, a passion of theirs, and stretch themselves in a way that they haven’t done before,” Evans said. He explained that with the capstone projects, seniors are “taking elements of what they’ve learned in all their classes and putting together a project that speaks for not only what they desire [to explore now], but possibly what they want to do in the future.”
The long-term project’s deadlines began early in the year. Explaining the process, Evans said, “They have to work a minimum of 15 hours on it, but we do it pretty much over the entire senior year.”
Past capstone projects have included building a wildlife shelter, cooking meals for people experiencing homelessness, and artistic projects in many different forms. While some students choose to write an academic paper, many others choose more hands-on projects. Evans explained that the assignment gives seniors an opportunity “to demonstrate how to use their gifts and talents in a way that advances God’s Kingdom. So, every project is unique.”
The students had a variety of reactions to the project over the course of the year. In the end, many of the seniors enjoyed creating the capstone project and all it did for them, allowing them to challenge themselves in ways they had not tried before. “They don’t like it on the front side of things because they’re so overwhelmed, but once they get done with it, it’s like, ‘This has been a cool experience. I learned a lot,’ either something about themselves that they didn’t know before, or it just proved, like, ‘Okay, this is the field I want to go into,’” Evans said.
Senior Capstone allows individuals to grow beyond the traditional high school academic curriculum. Evans said, “It shows how they can take their talents and stretch them but also use them in a way that demonstrates our understanding of how a biblical worldview is applicable in real-life scenarios outside of just a classroom.”
By Taylor Mills, Shield Editor, and Shield Staff
NRCA’s Squire Theatre performed the musical My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe on March 14-16 and March 21-23. The set had a lot of moving pieces and was highly detailed. The main setting of the play was Henry Higgins’ house, which was one of the biggest set pieces in program history. Inside and surrounding the house and other set pieces were details such as intricate painted designs on buildings and the artwork on display. Set Design and Advanced Placement Studio Art students worked together to bring the set and key focal points to life to help immerse the audience into the story of My Fair Lady. Even with building a big set, Tim Gardner, the teacher for Set Design, wanted to incorporate finer details into the set, so he asked if AP Studio Art would collaborate on the huge project. The art students waited until the major set pieces were complete and came in the week before the play opened to contribute to the
visual experience. “[Mr. Gardener’s Set Design class] had been working so hard on finishing some of the larger pieces. AP art came in to work on adding some of those finer details to give the buildings an aged look, as well as smaller details in the signs and flower cart. The students had so much fun going up on the lift to reach the tops of the buildings—who knew making brick look ‘old’ could be so much fun?” said Leisha Hodgson, who is the AP Studio Art teacher.
Students even added special details to the set. “Sarah Eyster enjoyed creating a special sign with handmade flowers in honor of NRCA’s Fine Arts Director Mr. Zachary Roberts’ wife for the flower shop, while others worked on painting small flowers and designs for Eliza’s flower cart. Mrs. Tatum and I enjoyed painting two of the signs for the buildings as well,” Hodgson said.
Hodgson explained, “Mr. Gardner came to the Art Extravaganza and selected pieces that he thought would complement the set. It was a great opportunity for some of our younger artists to have their work displayed. This is something we would like to continue in the coming years.”
To add more character to Henry Higgins’ house, Gardner chose student artwork to be displayed on the set in Henry Higgin’s house.
Collaborations between classes have provided other ways to share NRCA students’ talent. “I think it is important for students to see how art can be found in all subject areas as well as many different aspects of life. No matter what career path you choose, art can play a role, whether in advertising, social media posts, presentations, office decor—so many areas. I feel it is important to show students how God interweaves art within our daily lives,” Hodgson said.
The collaboration between Set Design and AP Studio Art intertwined multiple artistic gifts to help create one big, beautiful piece for all of NRCA’s community to enjoy. Hodgson said, “Helping with the set design was a great experience for my AP art students. It gave them an opportunity to share their talent with the Theatre Department and, ultimately, our students and families. I encourage them to always share their talent to honor God and give Him glory. I feel like they were able to do that.”
By Cami Wheeler, Shield Editor
Ella Laurel: A Summer [Intensive] in Boston
In July of 2024, most of North Raleigh Christian Academy’s students were enjoying the freedoms of summer, but one student was investing in her talents in the performing arts, growing skills and building confidence in her role as a performer. Ella Laurel, Class of 2026, attended the Musical Theater Acting Intensive (MTAI) at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she spent three weeks learning from some of the nation’s leading instructors.
Summer intensives are skill-specific college experiences, where students can experience the feel of a college while learning from high-level instructors to grow in their talents. To be selected for this program, Laurel submitted three audition videos: a 32-bar cut of singing, a one-minute monologue, and a one-minute dance.
“So basically, the summer intensive is a mix of two things. First, it is, when colleges do it, it’s to see if you like the college, if you like the way they run things, just seeing if you would like to go to college there. Then the second half of the intensive is actually growing and learning in the things they teach you, just you going to become a better student and benefiting from what they teach,” Laurel explained.
During the July intensive, Laurel worked from 9 am to 10 pm attending classes, learning from masters in the performing arts, and enjoying unique experiences. She returned to NRCA this year, summarizing the takeaways from her time in Boston. “I just know myself better, and I know I have a newfound confidence in myself, not only who Ella is, but also who I am in theatre,” Laurel said.
From the technical side of her summer intensive, Laurel learned a variety of traditional acting techniques. “I feel like I’ve taken away some key strategies and tools for acting... I learned about the
Laban Technique, Meisner [Technique], Alexander Technique—things that are really hard to learn when you don’t have it being spoken to you 24/7. Some of this was the first time I was hearing it,” Laurel said.
The intensive was not only beneficial to her acting, singing, and dancing skills, but also provided life lessons. In these lessons, Laurel learned the key to having confidence in herself and her acting choices. “What my main professor, Bevin O’Gara, said every day [was] ‘Fail big.’ So basically, making any [acting] choice, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It doesn’t mean that it’s not good. It just leads you to an even stronger, more confident one that you make,” Laurel said. “And so, that helps a lot, because I learned there’s nothing I could do that tarnishes who I am…where I could be like, ‘Ooh,
that was just an awful acting choice I made right there.’ It’s just, ‘No, I know that one doesn’t have my confidence in it. And I can find an even better one that fits me more.’”
Summer intensive students could sign up for elective classes on Saturdays. On these days, Laurel had dance classes to go with her regular acting and singing classes. She said her favorite was a class called Musical Theater Solo and Musical Theater Scenes. “I got to work one-onone with these professors with pieces of my choosing. [I got] to say, ‘Hey, I really want to work on this to use it in auditions or use it to audition for college.’ And they gave me points and tips [on] what they thought would do best. And they offered a lot of mock auditions. So I got to do a fake practice audition to see what it would be like to get into Berklee College.”
I just know myself better, and I know I have a newfound confidence in myself, not only who Ella is, but also who I am in theatre.
– Ella Laurel, Class of 2026
During the program, Laurel and the other students watched professional theatre companies perform Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and a musical based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby.
In addition to integrating what she learned into NRCA’s Squire Theatre productions, Laurel plans to use these newfound skills to benefit her beyond high school. “I can’t wait to change people’s lives with the [confidence] that I was given that changed mine,” she said.
By Presley Harrison, Shield Editor
You're go but... you through a to really give up if You’ve go make you
– Walker
Making The Leap From High School To College Track And Field Walker Norris: Walker Norris:
All-American athlete Walker Norris was a student at NRCA for 13 years. Since graduating with the class of 2024, he now attends East Carolina University, where he committed for D1 track and field.
Norris has been participating in track and field since elementary school. In fifth grade, Norris began running competitively with North Wake Track Club. In sixth grade, he joined NRCA’s middle school track and field team, where he showed immense potential. Since seventh grade, Norris has been on the varsity track and field team as one of the highest achieving athletes in the program’s history.
Holding three school records—long jump, triple jump, and 400-meter dash—Norris went to the TISAC Championship meets and NCISAA Track and Field State Championships all four years of high school. Norris has been named Most Valuable Player, as well as Most Valuable Field Athlete. He was also selected as Athlete of the Meet during the 2022 and 2024 TISAC Championship meets. During his 2022 outdoor season, Norris attended the Adidas Outdoor Nationals, where he placed 10th in long jump, competing against athletes from many other states. Along with long jump, Norris has also dominated triple jump and high jump.
On the track, Norris has excelled in sprinting events like the 100, 200, and 400 meters. Throughout the entirety of his high school career, he has placed first in the 4x100 and 4x200-meter relays 21 times, first in triple jump 32 times, and first in long jump 44 times.
From 2022 to 2024, Norris ran on NRCA’s varsity indoor track team. During these seasons, he competed in the 55- and 60-meter dashes, long jump, high jump, and triple jump. In 2023, Norris was invited to the Nike Indoor Nationals and placed fourth in long jump and 11th in triple jump. Again in 2024, he was invited to the New Balance Nationals Indoor, where he won second place in long jump. Norris was named Athlete of the Year by the Triangle Independent Schools Indoor Track Athletic Association.
Norris capped off his senior year with a state championship in long jump, with a distance of 23-09:00. He also made the podium in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, placing third in both.
Continuing his athletic career at East Carolina University, Norris first knew that he wanted to go D1 for track and field in eighth grade. He said, “Coaches started to reach out to me after my indoor season in 11th grade when I jumped, I think it was, 23 feet 10 inches.” Norris chose to commit to ECU because “I still had my options open, and then I took my visit, and I really liked all of the coaches and the whole team, so it was really just the team and coaches aspect.”
Norris said that running at NRCA has “really made me work harder and realize that for everything I need to do, I need to work hard just to be able to do it well and succeed.” He added that Coaches Young and Jeffers have both had a significant impact on helping him succeed and get better in all his events.
One piece of advice that Norris would give to a young athlete is this: “You’re going to hate it some days, but I mean, you’ve just got to go through adversity, and you’ve got to really dig deep. You can’t just give up if you hate one workout. You’ve got to keep doing it. It’ll make you better.”
By Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor-in-Chief
I think th sports is j can be co good. You a home ru Sometime it to first. in, even i you're sti consisten going.
– Tyler Surface
CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPION Tyler Surface: Tyler Surface:
Finishing off his final cross country season, senior Tyler Surface was named the NCISAA State Champion. Following his senior cross country and track & field seasons, Surface will attend North Carolina State University to run Division 1.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, Surface signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his athletic career at NC State, which he says has “always been the plan.” While at NCSU, Surface plans to major in general design studies, hoping to specialize in architecture.
Currently holding the NRCA school record for the 3000, 3200, and 5000-meter races, Surface has been awarded the Most Valuable Player award twice, once during his 2022 cross country season and again in 2023. He also holds the Independent School Indoor Championship Meet record for the 3200. Along with these accomplishments, Surface was awarded Most Valuable Runner during his 2023 outdoor track season.
With multiple conference titles in both track and cross country, Surface has been running for over 12 years. “I ran with my dad, and then around six [years old], I started running with Coach Young at North Wake Track Club.”
Surface came to NRCA in his junior year and joined the track and field, cross country, and indoor track teams right away. His practice schedule is rigorous. “I run twice a day. I do it before school and after school. Usually, I do the longer run in the morning, and then I’ll just do a short shakeout, like 20 or 30 minutes in the afternoon,” he said.
Leading up to the cross country state championship meet, Surface felt confident that he would win and continued to practice consistently. Racing conditions were not as the team had hoped, with high temperatures causing the men’s race to be postponed for half an hour. “It was brutal. But afterward, winning states—it was really rewarding. And all the work paid off,” Surface said.
He won first place at the 2023 TISAC Cross Country Championship meet, running a 15:13. He then proceeded to the NCISAA Cross Country State Championships, where he ran a 15:21, winning first place once again.
Surface’s favorite cross country meet this year was the Great American XC Festival, Presented by Garmin. He had two main goals for this season: break 15:00 in the 5K and win states. At
Great American, Surface broke his personal record, setting it at 14:56, and just two meets later, he won states.
As Surface headed to his indoor track and field season, he credited his coaches, Alan Young and Tim Surface, with preparing him to succeed. “Coming to NRCA allowed me to be coached by Coach Young and my dad. And that’s basically a family. Coach Young’s known me since I was a kid. I’ve grown up with him. He’s pretty much a grandfather to me. So, it was just a really nice environment where I knew the coaches cared about me a lot. They cared about my health and my growth,” he said.
Coach Alan Young established the North Wake Track Club in 2007 and has also been coaching at NRCA since that time. “I’m very thankful that he’s been a part of my life,” said Surface.
During Surface’s indoor track seasons with NRCA, he was invited to both the 2023 and 2024 New Balance Nationals Indoor Track and Field Championships, where he ran the 5000 meters. In 2023, at the NCRunners Independent Schools Indoor Championship, Surface placed second overall in the 3200-meter race. Surface won first place at the NCRunners Independent Schools Indoor Championship in 2024, running a 9:20 3200.
Advancing to his final outdoor track & field season, Surface ran the 800, 1600, and 3200 at the TISAC Championship. He finished fifth place in the 800, third in the 1600, and second in the 3200. Surface then proceeded to record solid performances at the NCISAA Track and Field State Championships, winning fifth place in the 1600-meter run and second place in the 3200-meter run.
Surface said that the best athletic advice he could give is this: “I think the biggest thing with sports is just consistency. If you can be consistent, then you’ll be good. You don’t always have to hit a home run every single day. Sometimes, you just have to make it to first. But, if you put the work in, even if it doesn’t go great, you’re still getting better. So, just consistency. You just keep on going.”
By Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor-in-Chief
SOFTBALL SOFTBALL LADY KNIGHTS
The Lady Knights softball team had an outstanding season, winning the NCISAA 4A State Championship. After dropping the first game of the championship series to Cannon School by a score of 6-1, the team rallied on Saturday, May 18, winning Game 2 by a score of 5-2 and Game 3, 4-1, to capture the state title. The softball team worked hard these past few months with the coaching staff pushing them to complete their goals. With the season ending 16-4, they achieved those goals with God and a good mindset along the way.
Senior Ava Hodges helped carry the team to the championship win. Hodges plans to play at the University of Virginia next year.
“We had Ava, who is the most dominant pitcher in the state, and a very good defensive team behind her. Mix in some power in the lineup with timely bunting and hitting, and that was our formula for success,” Head Coach Chris Rivera said.
The team had standout players who gave the extra boost and skillset needed to pull the wins through the playoffs and into the state championship series. “Our leaders are Ava Hodges, Mercer Gill, Megan Jacobs, Cora Harmsen, and Kelsey Knox,” Rivera said.
The team spent the entire season practicing for the playoffs. Spending every day with each other practicing could be part of their recipe for success. “Our regular season served as great preparation for the playoffs. We were able to learn to play and develop chemistry and how to hang together when times are tough,” said Rivera.
The team was guided by their faith, focusing on playing for not only themselves or the team but for the glory of God. “Our playoff journey was truly a testament to our team being faithful, knowing God was in control and that they just needed to focus on honoring Him with their talents,” Rivera said.
“Our season culminated with winning the last game we played and being crowned as state champions for 2024. We could not have scripted this any better,” Rivera said.
Rivera coached the team to have the mindset that their hard work and efforts are to honor God. He said, “People should know that God is the Waymaker, that He is the God of new days, that He is to be honored and praised for who He is, win or lose. Our girls never wavered in their desire to please Him with the way they played and interacted with each other. They weren’t perfect, but they always bounced back to praise Him in good and bad times. The Lady Knights were truly awesome representatives of NRCA as well and have been a blessing to coach.”
The end of the season went as they had hoped. They made it to the state championship series and pulled out an incredible victory against Cannon School. This win was also special because it was the first state championship NRCA softball has ever won.
By Ella Weathers, Shield Editor
Our playoff journey was truly a testament to our team being faithful, knowing God was in control and that they just needed to focus on honoring Him with their talents.
– COACH CHRIS RIVERA
The Impact of Speech & Debate
For Ellen Robinson and her Honors
Competitive Speech & Debate students, building the program is about building the people. The collaborative culture they have created boasts accomplished seniors mentoring novice public speakers.
Students are eligible to try out to take the class during their sophomore year, but with the program’s reputation and the prominence of speech as an intentional unit of study in middle and high school, the NRCA Speech and Debate program is an aspirational goal long before students meet its requirements to join.
The class meets during zero hour, which means that students have to arrive on campus before sunrise during the winter months for the 7 am start time. Competitive Speech and Debate team members must participate in five meets, on average, each season. Meets are mainly on weekends, and some require overnight stays.
Lynn Kim (Class of 2024) came into the program with the idea that she would thrive on the research side of the class. Although she knew she was required to participate in the tournaments, she did not envision herself as performing at a high level. A transformation took place. She shared, “As I went through the class and went through all the highs and lows and understanding what I was arguing for and what I was really going for during debates, I improved a lot, becoming more confident in myself, as well as doing better in tournaments and eventually going to Nationals last year.”
In the spring semester of 2023, Kim and Giovanni Thrasybule placed third and fifth, respectively, in eastern North Carolina in Congressional Debate, qualifying for the 2023 National Speech & Debate tournament. They were the second and third students in NRCA program history invited to attend.
“I think the most rewarding thing that’s come from this year and my most favorite thing about my last three years, in retrospect, has definitely been my year of trying to support my team a lot more. And because of that, I feel a lot more pride in my class because the wins feel a lot more like a community [accomplishment]. Their wins feel like my wins. Any kind of obstacle they’re having—they need some kind of help researching, or they need some ideas—I’m always trying to step up and help,” Kim said.
In his first year competing with the Speech and Debate team, Josh Brown (Class of 2026) was the first novice debater in school history to win the District Novice Congressional Debater of the
Year award. He credits Kim and Steven Messiah (Class of 2024) with helping him research and craft compelling debates. Other rookie Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class members echo the impact of finding community support on the team.
Meri Parker (Class of 2026) agreed with Brown on the importance of the community established by seasoned Speech and Debate team members. “My favorite part of being in this class was definitely the camaraderie and getting to know these people better and being able to say, ‘Hi,’ to them in the halls and just being part of a great community,” she said.
Reese Ritter (Class of 2025) added, “Not only do you get the experience of speaking in front of people and practicing skills like research, but you also build a team that is really just a bunch of friends. We are all so close, and I wasn’t expecting that on Day 1.”
For those who want to take part in competitions but find obstacles to participation in the class, a new pathway formed during the 2023-2024 school year: the Speech and Debate Club.
The club meets once a month, and one tournament of the season, usually in February, serves as their culminating experience. The club also works as a way for students who were previously Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class members to remain active in debate, as well as an opportunity for those contemplating going for a spot in the highly competitive program in the future to gain valuable information and practice. “A lot of freshmen are in the club, and it’s their first experience doing debate,” said veteran Speech and Debate team member Haley Lee (Class of 2025). “And Speech and Debate Club starts from the basics, like how you write the case, how debates are structured, what kind of options there are, and things like that.”
Messiah said his favorite tournament of the year was the Dogwood Speech & Debate League (DSDL) #5 at Apex Friendship High School. “I really loved that tournament because it was the first tournament where we had people from the Speech and Debate Club also join us.”
Based on their club experience, novice Speech and Debate Club members can decide whether they want to try out for the more rigorous level of the Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class.
Asked whether they would recommend taking the course, the resounding answer from the students in the 2023-2024 class was yes.
Howard Jenkins (Class of 2026), in his first year of the course, said, “This class is such an impactful class in aspects such as public speaking and research. I’ve learned that both are incredibly
important skills that work in tandem with one another. Getting to learn how to best use these skills for persuasion and be politically active with a team is something that I value so much in my school life.”
Lee added that Speech and Debate teaches students whether their arguments have “cogency” to certain people. “And what I mean by this is that you might think certain arguments or even the way you present those things is persuasive. But that’s not necessarily the case in every circumstance,” she said. “At the end of the day, it is about how your argument comes out and how people perceive those things and whether they find it persuasive. It is obviously the case in real life that those do not work perfectly. You might feel mistreated, but I think that reflects certain aspects of how arguments work in real life, and I think that is a valuable experience to have.”
Brown pointed out the intellectual growth students experience in the class as a chief reason for taking Honors Competitive Speech & Debate. “I think it’s a good way to not only make friends and grow in your debate skills but also get involved politically. It allows you to open up your ideological mindset to other things and introduces you to concepts that you didn’t really think about before,” he said.
Drew DiMeglio (Class of 2025), North Carolina Youth & Government youth governor for the 2025 conference, pointed out the benefits of Honors Competitive Speech & Debate beyond the class itself. He said, “I think Speech and Debate has really helped me in different avenues like Youth & Government and other things that I’m doing, so I’m definitely glad that I did take this class.”
Growth in public speaking skills, intellect, community, and character are inherent in Competitive Speech and Debate. Curtis Ko (Class of 2025) summarized the voices of many in the class, “I would definitely recommend this class to other people—not just people who are interested but also people who think that taking this class would be too much of a burden or think that they’re not good enough. Even if you think that you’re not able to take the class, you are. I didn’t think I could take this class and handle all of its challenges, but eventually, it became easier, and with the help of teammates and my teacher, I was able to overcome all obstacles.”
Sweepstakes Surprise
One of the best surprises for NRCA’s Competitive Speech & Debate team during the 2023-2024 season was getting second overall sweepstakes at the first tournament of the season. Sweepstakes points accrue when students place high in their competition categories, and larger teams usually have the advantage.
“That never happens for us because we’re such a small team that when they go to add sweepstakes points, we just never make the cut,” Coach Ellen Robinson said. “But because they had novice divisions at that tournament, and we brought in new debaters who were really top-drawer congressional debaters, we did score
To the team’s surprise, their success at the tournament chased them down at the post-debate team dinner. “The hilarious thing is we left before the sweepstakes awards because we never win. And we received a phone call at a Mexican restaurant from the tournament director, telling us that we won, and I thought it was a joke. So it was a lot of fun, and it was a great, rewarding experience for them, at the first tournament, to come back a secondplace sweepstakes. That was very exciting!” said Robinson.
District Novice Congressional Debater of the Year
“I knew I had done well for being a novice, but I did not think that I was going to get the award. I was really happy, but I was also pretty shocked.”
— Josh Brown, Class of 2026
Josh Brown has always loved public speaking. As a sophomore, he excelled in his first year of participating in NRCA’s Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class. During the 2023-2024 season, Brown became the first NRCA student to be awarded District Novice Congressional Debater of the Year.
Within the Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class, Brown was involved in Congressional Debate, where he and his teammates wrote and chose bills to debate. “We take bills, choose pro or con, and then we’ll debate what side we want and do questions and all kinds of things like that,” Brown said. The debates took place in the Dogwood District, which covers a wide swath of North Carolina and includes both public and private schools. Throughout the competitive season, students had the opportunity to earn points based on the results of debates they completed.
The District Novice Congressional Debater of the Year Award is given to the rookie with the highest point total in the district. Brown was both proud and surprised to be the first NRCA student to receive this award. “I knew I had done well for being a novice, but I did not think that I was going to get the award. I was really happy, but I was also pretty shocked.”
Thinking about how he earned this award, Brown said, “I don’t think there were any key moments where I felt like I stood out, but I guess it was just the continuation of hard work and staying motivated even when it got monotonous.”
His motivation to do well during the season was encouraged by his classmates and coaches. For his success, Brown credits “the help from other class members, like Steven [Messiah] and Lynn [Kim]. I think that they really helped. They were a big assistance in information and really learning how to set it up.” Brown said his class pushed him to do well in debate.
Reminiscing on his accomplishments during the 2023-2024 season, Brown said, “You didn’t have to be the best, but you had to make sure that you knew what you were doing, and you felt happy with what you did.”
Brown and many of his classmates prize the skills and opportunities they have been exposed to as students in NRCA’s Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class. “One big reason to join Speech and Debate is it gives you a good understanding of argument,” he said.
Prospective students should know that the class teaches abundant listening and learning skills, along with how to base arguments on factual information. In addition, Brown said students also learn “really good speaking skills. You have to learn how to do that well, and I think the class does a really good job of teaching that.”
Many alumni of the Honors Competitive Speech & Debate class have gone on to study medicine, law, business, and other professions at top universities. Brown says that it “just really shows that in any field that you want to go into, Speech and Debate will help.”
When describing his experience during his first year in the class, Brown said, “It’s a fun class. People are so nice in the class, and it is a really good environment.”
By Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor-in-Chief
Creating Confident Communicators
Every year, NRCA’s English teachers come together to hold the middle and high school speech meet. The meet showcases interpretive performances and original expository and persuasive speeches by students in grades 7 through 12.
The academy’s “administration and teachers want students to have the opportunity to practice public speaking skills in an academic environment. NRCA believes that students should have public speech skills before entering college or the workplace,” said ninth-grade English teacher Blake Lee.
Teaching students how to speak in front of their peers at a young age allows them to come out of their shell and realize they are capable of doing more than they think they can. “We have often heard from students in college and beyond how valuable this yearly assignment is to them. They are often asked by other students in their college classes how they are so good at public speaking. Their answer: ‘We did this every year at my school,’” said seventh-grade English teacher Amy Lilly.
Preparing for the speech meet can be a very nerve-racking time, but at NRCA, teachers try to ease all the nerves they can by allowing students to practice reciting their speech in front of the class to let them know everything will be fine and that there is nothing to worry about.
“Students deliver their speeches in class after weeks of practice and preparation. They are required to dress for the occasion. Students who earn As on the classroom speech are invited to attend a schoolwide meet. Students from seventh and eighth grades deliver their speeches to the middle school English department, and the top students from this competition are selected to compete during the ACSI Fine Arts Festival,” Lilly said.
High school students must first tell their English teacher they are interested in participating. The teacher will then help students prepare for the tryout process, which includes presenting the speech or interpretive piece in front of a panel of NRCA English teachers. Students who perform well advance to the speech meet.
The speech meet is held every year at NRCA on the same day as the ACSI Fine Arts Festival. Although the meet is not association-sponsored, the middle and high school event follows ACSI standards. Lilly said, “Our grading and scoring rubrics are written by our accrediting body, ACSI. They are stringent and have high expectations, but the students always rise to the occasion.”
NRCA’s speech meet allows students
Speech and Debate Club Launches
The club expands opportunities for more students to participate in competitions
The high school Speech and Debate Club was created in 2023-2024 to help keep up with the growing popularity of students wanting to participate in the Speech and Debate program. Micha’l McCoy, a high school science teacher, oversees club meetings.
“This club stemmed from Ms. Robinson’s Honors Speech and Debate zero-hour class. The club is a way to extend what the class does as well as allow freshmen and others who cannot take the zero-hour class to participate. The club was Ms. Robinson’s idea and was approved by the administration,” said McCoy. Robinson teaches the Honors Competitive Speech & Debate course at the high school level and eighth-grade English during the rest of the academic day.
Speech and Debate Club was created to expand the popular program to all high school students interested in participating in Speech and Debate. “The club has about 24 students, and the
goal is to share the different types of debate, which are LincolnDouglas, Congressional, and Public Forum. The club students can observe any debate the class attends, and the club members also have the opportunity to attend and participate in a debate, which is on Feb. 10 [this year]. The honors class attends several debates throughout the year, and members must audition and be at least sophomores. The club is open to all high school students, with no audition required,” McCoy said.
During club meetings, members of Speech and Debate Club do a lot of preparation for competition. Speech and Debate Club meets on Thursdays of Club Week during lunch. There have been other lunchtime meetings to prepare for the upcoming debate as well. McCoy explained, “The students [who have experience from being in the honors class] work with the club members to make sure they are prepared for their debate. The debate topics are given out in advance by the National Speech & Debate Association [NSDA]. All debates are required to use these topics within the timeframe allotted. They are changed every month or two by the NSDA.”
McCoy has taught at NRCA for the last nine years and currently teaches high school CP Biology and CP Anatomy after having taught eighth-grade physical science. Prior to helping run the Speech and Debate Club, McCoy was involved in running other clubs. “I have led the middle school STEM club for eight years, and I facilitated the STEM camp for the international high school students who were here for winter camp from China. I volunteered to be the high school Speech and Debate Club leader this year because I have helped judge tournaments in the past with Ms. Robinson, and she cannot meet with them during lunch since middle school and high school do not have the same lunchtime each day.”
By Cami Wheeler, Shield Editor
Alumni voices
Sarah (2015)
Commercial Real Estate Attorney
My favorite class memories involve the camaraderie between all the teammates and Ms. Robinson. We formed a little family going from tournament to tournament. Something that has also stuck with me is how much Ms. Robinson pushed each of us to expand our skills in areas we struggled with. She has a knack for seeing a student’s potential and making them feel confident in doing things outside their comfort zone. In my case, I was vehemently against debating. I was terrified of going “off-script” and having to argue off the cuff, so I was committed to doing only oratory and interpretation speech events. But we needed an additional debater to complete the team. Ms. Robinson encouraged me to overcome my nervousness by emphasizing aspects of debate I felt confident in, like research and writing. I ended up loving debate and have even been able to participate as a debate judge after I graduated from NRCA. More importantly, with her support, I realized how rewarding breaking out of your comfort zone and pushing past your fears can be. Now, I deliberately seek out opportunities to do difficult things because I know growing as a person requires a little bit of discomfort. Ms. Robinson and NRCA’s Speech and Debate program were essential in providing the guidance, support, and encouragement I needed to take risks and discover abilities I never knew I had.
Felicia (2016)
P
hD Candidate in Genetics and Genomics
During my junior and senior years (2014 – 2016), I had the privilege of being part of the NRCA Speech and Debate class, an experience that has left a lasting impact on me. Starting each school day in Ms. Robinson’s classroom was a daily highlight. Looking back, I realize the immense freedom she granted us to unleash our creativity. Ms. Robinson would sit and watch as we crafted outrageous yet factual arguments to tear apart cases with innovative ideas that ultimately led to trophies at tournaments. In a world where creative and extroverted individuals often feel
the pressure to conform, Ms. Robinson allowed us the freedom to express ourselves.
The skills I developed in the Speech and Debate program have proven invaluable in my academic and professional journey. As a graduate student, I frequently give talks and presentations, and I credit my ability to command a room and speak clearly to the foundation laid during my time in Speech and Debate. Moreover, the program honed my ability to write scientific papers, providing evidence and explaining its importance—a skill I continue to utilize.
Reflecting on my time in Speech and Debate, I am grateful for
Gabe (2016)
Neurosurgery Resident
[Speech and Debate] gave me a jump-start in college. I felt ahead of the game going into the majority of my classes, whether it be literature or biochemistry, due to both the comprehension skills and reasoning expertise I learned and practiced at NRCA. It also became a regular talking point during medical school interviews, especially considering I went back to judge tournaments as an undergrad. It gave me new experiences and passions that strengthened my CV and applications.
Speech and Debate was one of my favorite classes during my time at NRCA. I fostered friendships in that class that persist today and became a stronger student and person because of the training and experiences during that class. Not to mention Ms. Robinson is one of the best teachers I have had the honor of learning under.
Isabella (2016)
D Student in History
I rarely enjoyed waking up in time for a 7 am class but always looked forward to seeing Ms. Robinson and my classmates, spending time together developing fake pitches for Shark Tank and prepping for tournaments. I remember feeling totally at ease in Speech and Debate. The class was my favorite part of my last years at NRCA.
Speech and Debate was the first space in my young adult life where I spent time seriously considering my own beliefs. I was lucky enough to go to a few
big conferences and camps in high school—things like Youth & Government, Girls State, and HOBY—but I only found a community I trusted to rigorously debate my values and ideas of justice in Speech and Debate.
I want to be a historian because I believe a rigorous commitment to pursuing truth in history is how we can begin to imagine a more just world. In Speech and Debate, I first started to imagine my own values and hear back, from Ms. Robinson and my classmates, serious considerations of my ideas—whether through agreeing with me or, more often than not, disagreeing and arguing these ideas. Some of the things I value most now as a historian—the pursuit of truth, the belief that justice requires sacrifice and work, that it isn’t the inevitable moral arc of the universe—I first spoke about in Speech and Debate.
I want to add, too, that going to [the University of Alabama]— probably the best, and certainly most important, decision of my young adult life—wasn’t a given. I received offers from technically more prestigious universities, but none felt like the right fit. A lot of the adults in my life told me to go with the “best” school—easy decision! I talked to Ms. Robinson about my college decision anxiety regularly, almost daily by spring of my senior year. She was one of the few teachers I spoke with who encouraged me to go where I was called, regardless of prestige or external pressures. Her guidance gave me the push I needed to choose my alma mater, where I’ve learned more about myself and my calling than 17-year-old me could’ve imagined. Thank you, Ms. Robinson!
Jack (2016)
Food Manufacturing Vice President of Sales Credit Facility Founder
The memories I have are the public forum debates, getting put in a corner and having to defend your way out of it. Some of my favorite memories are the times in between the debates when we all were comparing notes and comparing case briefs. We had a lot of talent in our class, and it was always a lot of fun to debate.
Speech and Debate was very beneficial for me as I work in sales, and a lot of sales is selling your reputation. It allowed me to be put in situations where I had to defend ideas as well as others, and that has served me well over the years.
Without Ms. Robinson, the Speech and Debate class would not have been what it was. With her guidance and leadership, it was one of my favorite classes I took at NRCA. I have a lot of friends who were in debate classes and did not get the same results that we did, and I believe that was truly due to Ms. Robinson‘s care and understanding of the curriculum that we went through. She really cared about not only our learning but also about us. It was one of the few times in my life when I felt like I was part of a family outside of my own.
Sydney (2017)
Case Manager for At-Risk Youth
We always had so much fun. The class was a great way to bond with people in other grades. I remember feeling so proud of myself and my classmates when we did well at tournaments, but also never feeling ashamed if I didn’t do so well. The dinners and bus rides after tournaments were always the best memories.
It really helped me get over being afraid of failure. I’ve always been terrified of public speaking, and Speech and Debate more or less forced me to get over that fear (in a good way). Even though public speaking isn’t a part of my career, I know that I have so much more confidence in myself because of my time in the class.
Casey (2018)
AI Engineer
I have the best memories of bus rides to and from tournaments and dinners afterward, where we always told the waiter it was Ms. Robinson’s birthday, and I still remember winning some intense debates. I can still remember the incredible feeling of walking out of debates with my partner and good friend, knowing we absolutely CRUSHED it! I made some incredible friends through the program that I still stay in touch with today and really discovered and grew my love for debate.
Speech and Debate was instrumental in forming my ability to articulate myself powerfully. Let alone the massive advantage these skills provided me for job interviews, now being in a customer facing role in tech, I am able to present myself intelligently and gain trust as the “AI expert” from customers who are much older and more experienced than [I am]. This has been invaluable in my career, and I attribute so much of my success that these skills have given me in this area to Ms. Robinson’s Speech and Debate class.
Nia (2020)
Graduate Student
Speech and Debate gave me invaluable skills in government, political science, and the art of rhetoric. I have used my skills in several of my classes and even in my internships. [In the summer of 2023], I had the opportunity to intern for Rep. Wiley Nickel on Capitol Hill. My skills from Speech and Debate allowed me to communicate effectively with an open mind to different opinions and perspectives.
Matthew (2022)
Undergraduate Student
I’ve always been a “Chatty Cathy” (I could talk to a rock if I had to), but it was Speech and Debate that taught me how to talk with a purpose. It was Speech and Debate that taught me how to talk so that others would want to listen. And it was Speech and Debate that helped me impress my Campbell Public Speaking professor Day 1 of class when everyone else was too nervous to even introduce themselves.
Even though Speech and Debate built and benefited my oratory abilities greatly, nothing I ever learned in that class can compare with the people I met from that class. The relationship we had as a team made us more than a team: it made us a family. And that same sense of family was what made me come back to the course every year [through high school]. I always felt seen, known, and loved by my teammates, and we always knew that we could count on each other for anything.
Lauren (2022)
Undergraduate Student
Through my sophomore and junior years, I was fortunate enough to spend two years under the mentorship of Ms. Robinson through the Speech and Debate program. While several memories stand out, the most significant were daily classroom interactions. Ms. Robinson cultivated an environment where we were encouraged to challenge ourselves and each other. As I progress in my education, I realize how valuable and rare that is. Speech and Debate provided a platform for me to practice my public speaking and critical thinking skills, which have absolutely impacted my confidence and given me an edge in the competitive environment of UNC. The course instilled a deep love for writing and led me to work as a sportswriter at The Daily Tar Heel. Currently a sophomore at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, I am working towards a career in the consulting field, specifically focusing on a clientfacing role. I attribute much of my confidence to the growth I experienced over the two years spent in Speech and Debate. I cherish so many memories from this course—it truly was a highlight of my time at NRCA.
DREW DIMEGLIO ELECTED YAG GOVERNOR
Drew DiMeglio was elected the 33rd North Carolina Youth Governor at the 2024 Youth & Government Conference. He ran on a platform to make Youth & Government (YAG) more accessible for everyone to participate by decreasing pressure on delegates and increasing outreach efforts by getting support from local, state, and national levels to grow YAG’s program. DiMeglio said he would also connect internships, page programs, and volunteer programs to help participants find their passions through YAG.
DiMeglio first joined YAG after gaining interest in government from his middle school Young Patriots Club and hearing about YAG from his then eighth-grade math tutor, 2021 YAG governor, Connor Cabot. DiMeglio has been a part of YAG for three years. He first got started his freshman year, writing a bill on
take it to a new level, but larger than that, I would like to keep what makes YAG special intact—I want to continue to cultivate a strong community, and I am so excited to get to work!” DiMeglio said.
DiMeglio credited support from NRCA’s faculty as key to reaching his goals in Youth & Government. “Not only has going to NRCA given me the opportunity to participate in programs like YAG, but our advisor, Mrs. Bailey, has been so supportive of not only me but everyone who is in this program,” DiMeglio said.
DiMeglio was the eighth NRCA student elected to serve as North Carolina Youth & Government governor since 2013.
By Cami Wheeler, Shield Editor
YAG ELECTIONS & BILLS 2024
Elected to Office
Six NRCA students were voted into office. In the judicial branch, Josh Brown, sophomore, was elected to serve as associate justice, and Emma Mathes, junior, was elected to serve as district attorney for the YAG 2025 conference. In the legislative branch, juniors Robbie Burns and Taylor Ward were elected to serve as presiding officers for the next conference. In the executive offices, junior Jinhee Frecker was elected lieutenant governor, and junior Drew DiMeglio was elected the 33rd North Carolina Youth Governor.
Signed Into Law
NRCA students also crafted successful bills, and out of 63 bills that made it to the Governor’s Cabinet (“Gov Cab”), 11 of those were from NRCA. Thirty-six bills passed “Gov Cab,” and six passed bills were authored by NRCA students. They were the following:
Bill #SB13
Summary: To make a DMV app so that DMV appointments (for example, getting after-nines) can be done via a virtual appointment to prevent backlog in DMV and decrease stress on DMV
: Will Benthall, Chris Gomez, Nik Young
Bill #SB35
Summary: Require college campuses to begin locking doors to protect college students and decrease violence
: Alexa Seymour, Kate Stevens, Taylor
Bill #SB05
Summary : To facilitate public-private partnerships (P3s) as a means of funding new capacity expansion in ports
: Haley Lee
Bill #SB08
Summary: To educate high school seniors on the dangers of Fentanyl
: Merideth Connell, Cassidy Coutts, Mathis Meares
Bill #SB06
Summary: All public classrooms would be required to have a door security bar accessible in case of a lockdown.
: Sarah Mason and Caroline Newell
Bill #FB06
Summary: To ensure that all low-income public school students do not go hungry over the
: Lia Foster and Cece Gue
The 2024 Youth & Government Conference, run by the YMCA, marked the 32nd conference in North Carolina.
By Izzie McLawhorn, Shield Editor-in-Chief
NRCA YOUTH & GOVERNMENT MEDIA Behind the Mic: My Experience with YAGCAST
The NRCA delegation participated in the North Carolina Youth & Government (YAG) Conference on Feb. 15-18, 2024, in downtown Raleigh. At this conference, the students were either a part of the legislative or judicial branches or assigned a specialty role.
Students either apply for specialty roles at the beginning of the school year or are voted into those positions during the YAG conference the year before. One of these specialty roles is the organization’s very own media team. From NRCA, Izzie McLawhorn, Taylor Mills, and Georgia Scisciani all applied and were accepted to be a part of the team. They participated in different media programs.
Junior Izzie McLawhorn, Editor-inChief of NRCA’s Shield print and digital media, worked on the YAG print media team. “This is a position I applied for about four months before YAG. It was right around when the club was starting, and I knew I wanted to do media because it’s something I’m really interested in, and I think it’s really fun,” McLawhorn said.
The current student editors of the North Carolina YAG media team review the large number of applications sent in and carefully pick incoming staff.
YAG media has different options for student participation—print, photo, social media, broadcast, and brand-new this year, YAGCAST, the conference’s podcast. NRCA Shield Editor Taylor Mills was selected to be on the inaugural YAGCAST team for the 2024 conference. The five media groups
worked together to provide the content needed for the organization.
“On the print media team, part of my job was to go around YAG and figure out what was going on and then write about it. The things we wrote about were posted on socials, talked about in broadcast, and photographed,” McLawhorn said.
All YAG media worked to ensure their content was accurate and informative. In addition to writing about all the things occurring at the YAG conference and making sure the other media teams got the information, the print media team had a newspaper waiting for the delegates at the morning session with all the information they would need for the day.
The photography team consisted of high schoolers who all had experience with a camera. During the conference, they made sure to capture the best moments throughout the day. Once they took those photos, they had to make sure to get all the lighting right and then submit their photos to be used in things like slideshows and Instagram posts.
“I was a photographer. I went around and took photos of what was happening, edited them, and submitted them,” sophomore Georgia Scisciani said.
The media contributes greatly to the democratic process, and that is why it is included in Youth & Government. It is important to keep people informed about current issues, and the media provides information to the public to help them stay engaged.
By Taylor Mills, Shield Editor
I was part of the YAGCAST podcast, which was new to the conference this year. I was one of three members, and our job was to interview delegates, create content for the podcast, edit, and manage the filming equipment. Throughout the weekend, we produced two separate podcasts that were uploaded onto Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other listening platforms. Video versions of YAGCAST were uploaded to YouTube.
On the first full day of the conference, we were assigned to interview the six youth governor candidates for 2025 YAG. We interviewed two candidates each and asked them a couple of serious questions, but mostly fun questions to get to know them. The following day, we were free to decide what we wanted to record and publish for YAGCAST. After much thought and discussion, we decided to set up a table with a poster labeled “YAP FOR YAG.” We encouraged anyone who walked by to come and “yap” about things like the bills they liked, the bills they didn’t like, their favorite YAG activity, and anything on their minds. The goal of this episode was to show the personality of the delegates and incorporate everyone into our podcast. This episode was super interactive, and we had a lot of fun filming it. After filming, we would go back to the media room, pull the videos we wanted, and edit them.
Being a part of YAGCAST was so much fun, and I am so excited to have been asked to manage the podcast at next year’s conference.
By Taylor Mills, Shield Editor
THE LASTING IMPACT OF YOUTH & GOVERNMENT
Youth & Government serves as a bridge between high schoolers and their voluntary participation in mock government. The experiences and lessons that each student learns at the weekend conference are invaluable, something you won’t find anywhere else. My experience as the 29th Youth Governor of North Carolina was one of great challenge, growth, and excitement.
I served as governor during the COVID pandemic, marking the conference’s firstever virtual session. It was a different experience than what I was used to in my previous three years at the in-person conference at the downtown Raleigh Convention Center. Despite the online conference, it was my favorite year of YAG. We were able to meet as an officer team and facilitate the conference in an engaging manner. Overall, the conference was successful thanks to the incredible staff, Governor’s Cabinet, and directors at NRCA and the YMCA.
Truly, the success of NRCA students in their participation in Youth & Government is nearly entirely because of our dedicated and loyal teachers who serve as the advisors for our school’s delegation. Frequently the largest delegation, NRCA’s numbers are a testament to the organization, communication, and engagement from the teachers. Mrs. Melissa Bailey served as a sounding board for discouraged students, a motivator for the students running for positions, and our chief encourager.
Along with the teachers who make the event possible, the alumni volunteers help with the myriad details and planning to tie a bow on the weekend at the convention center. These volunteers are former YAG program participants and usually in college
or post-graduate life. Despite aging out of YAG, they return each year in order to help facilitate the conference for the current students and give them the best experience possible.
After high school, most YAG attendees participate in personally and intellectually enriching experiences in college. Whether they decide to major in political science and international affairs or join student government at the university or serve as interns on Capitol Hill, the skills and interpersonal communication skills they learned as Youth & Government delegates provide a solid platform for their further participation and activism on college campuses and beyond.
The underlying lesson I learned from my time in Youth & Government is the possibility of connecting with thousands of people different from myself and how to learn together, generate ideas together, and foster friendship together. The beauty of these lessons is that they transcend the Raleigh Convention Center.
Whether in my classes at Baylor University or in the community of Waco, I have learned how to engage with others different from myself and work toward a common goal together. Ultimately, the bedrock of changing someone’s life is friendship. From serving in student government to working with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I am still reaping the benefits of my involvement in YAG. I hope to continue to develop as I enter into the education field upon graduating from college.
Youth & Government served as an integral part of my high school career. Democracy dies in darkness, so I hope the student involvement in YAG at NRCA never diminishes.
By Connor Cabot (Class of 2021), 29th North Carolina Youth Governor
PODCAST
The Rooted Rhythms podcast, hosted by Josh Leonard, invites guests to the show for conversations that encourage listeners to sit in as the host and guests tackle tough questions or engage in discussions surrounding our culture today. Whether you are a student, parent, or community member, this podcast provides a great launching point for further discussions with your circle of people as we seek to encourage our community to establish life rhythms rooted in the truth of the gospel and point others back to Jesus. Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts
