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e m o i c l n e m W u l A The ultimate rescue mission The
The Official Newspaper of Andrews Academy 8833 Garland Avenue / Berrien Springs / Michigan / 49104 Volume 64 / No. 3 / Alumni Issue
Long before NASA’s 1976 and returned to speak to drill down a shaft into my life,” Phoenix capsule was rescuing AA students during Alumni Con- Schaller said. Chilean miners trapped 2000 vocation on October 15. In a His first Phoenix took feet beneath the earth’s surface, candid and personal testimony, the form of an Academy bible another “Phoenix” rescued Greg Schaller borrowed from the re- teacher. On a snowy Friday eveSchaller. cent rescue of Chilean miners to ning, Schaller was suddenly – “It was a living hell on tell the story of a far more impor- and overwhelmingly – convicted earth when I went to school tant rescue. that God was going to return here,” Schaller said. “It had nothing to do with school, but with my inner world as a teenager.” Dazed and confused by his parents’ divorce, filled with “grief and loss and pain,” Schaller began to question a God who would allow such things to happen to his family. He no longer saw God as kind and loving, but rather as distant, “mean and cruel,” he said. Schaller sought pleasure to fill his emptiness, turning to drugs, alcohol, Greg Schaller, class of ‘76, speaks for alumni convocation October 15. and rock and roll. In his own As a defiant teenager, that night and that he would be words, he was “caught down un- standing in the middle of a rock lost. In a fit of anxiety and fear, der earth in a living hell.” and roll festival, surrounded by Schaller called his bible teacher Schaller, Senior Pastor of people and yet completely alone, and asked, “Could I cut a deal the Kent Seventh-day Adventist Schaller realized that there was with God? Could I be good 25% church in Washington, gradu- no happiness in pleasure. It was of the time and God will cover ated from Andrews Academy in at that point that “God began to the rest?”
Alumni-funded projects and improvements
New wall pads.
“God doesn’t work that way,” the teacher responded. Schaller, dismayed but undaunted, tried again: “What if I’m good 75% of the time.” The response was the same: “God doesn’t work that way.” Desperate, Schaller promised to be good 95% of the time. This time the teacher’s response stunned him: “God doesn’t work that way,” he said. “Jesus makes up 100% of the difference; there’s no need for you to make up any of the difference.” Schaller has had other “Phoenixes” in his life – a loving wife, two children, education, and good friends – but he stressed that Jesus is “the only one who can satisfy.” It was God’s rescue mission that makes all the difference. “As one of your kind, a fellow seeker,” Schaller challenged the students, “put first things first. Choose Him. He’s already chosen you.”
The students of Andrews Academy continue to be influential even after graduation through donations as alumni. The most recent alumni New rock-climbing wall (above), various new exercise equipfunded project, the Envision campaign, lasted ment (below). spring 2007 to spring 2010. This campaign focused on raising money for three specific areas: the Annual Fund, Leaders on Leadership, and the Restricted Endowment Fund. Other alumni funded improvements include new exercise equipment for the gym, including a rock-climbing wall, and wall pads. The alumni office is now concentrating on raising money for the worthy student fund.
Reprinted from February 1996
Library gone cyber Welsey Wong
From the beginning of the 95-96 school year the library card files have no longer been in use. A new computerized card catalogue system has been adopted. The system simplifies the process of finding books on the subject that you need. It is the same as the one used in the Berrien Springs public school and public library. The librarian, Mrs. Clem Sheppard, says, “The new system is very user friendly. It would also make research easier.” Assistant librarian Mr. Rene Mattley says that overall he thinks the investment was worth it. Reprinted from June 1976
Senior Campouts Remembered
The senior class of ‘76 has set a new record at Andrews Acad-
emy. For what other class has had rain, snow, or some unusual experience EVERY class trip in its four year existence at Andrews? Remember our freshman year? We lost two kids in the Chicago museum, and it rained. How about our sophomore class trip? It was a 50-mile bike trip to Indiana State Dunes--and it rained. But, don’t forget, we were the first (and hopefully the last) AUA class to get kicked out of the park. Then of course, there was our junior class trip. Not only did it rain, but we had snow, hail, gale warnings, 10-foot waves, and the hope of being stranded on our own little island in Traverse Bay. By the way, it also happened to be the worst weather ever recorded in the history of that area. Our remarkable luck persisted as we rode the subways and walked downtown Toronto during our senior class trip. Following in the tradition of unusual experiences for the class of ‘76, even the flat tire on the way home could not unnerve us. Call it “senior immunity,” we seniors prefer to call it excitement,
fun--the true spirit of ‘76. So, when our senior campout rolled around, April 30-May 2, we were ready for anything! The senior campout was our last class outing together. Even though only nineteen seniors were able to attend, those who did go had a lot of fun. On Friday afternoon many seniors rode their bikes out to Warren Dunes with Miss Cavanaugh, while Mr. Newberry and the rest of the kids rode the bus to the campgrounds. After supper a game of keep-away football was started between the guys and girls. When evening approached, we hiked to the dunes and had vespers. As the sun dipped into the lake, we sang songs and shared Bible texts with one another. Sabbath morning Elder Conrad Gill joined us and had our church service. It was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day as we had church atop one of the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan. In the afternoon some of the kids did their “lay activities” while others rode their bikes to the dunes, and some even rode to Cook Nuclear enter.
Sponsors remember “They were freshmen when I came, “ said John Reichert of the class of 1991. “That was the first class I followed through senior year. I learned a lot from them.”
1991
David Sherman commented on a number of students in the class of 2006. “Eric Mitchell was one of the funniest kids I ever taught . . . Saldia was one of the most creative . . . Jason Griggs never drove the speed limit. That kid was always speeding . . . Lorraine Park was an incredible writer. She just wrote and wrote and wrote while she was here . . . Saldia and Walangitan did a beautiful job on the Expo . . . Andrew Jones broke his ankle in the extreme sport of miniature golf.” (At this, Butler chimed in, “Sherman got beat in mini-golf on senior class trip, by Butler.”)
2006
Thomas Baker remembers going to Covenant Harbor Christian Camp and painting Adirondack chairs for senior class trip with the class of 1996. “Jeff Klam brought rollerblades on the Austria-Germany trip and was going up and down escalators with them . . . Jodi Stout went on the AustriaGermany trip. She was a sweet-natured kid; I don’t think she had an enemy in the entire school.” “Sarah and Rachel Wegner were really smart. (I had them in many an English class.)” commented Baker. Steven Atkins said that, in his geometry class, he told these girls, “’If you guys keep talking you’re not going to get an A.’ Then they took their first test and got high A’s. My first impressions were wrong.” Atkins also remembered that James Crounce helped him move in.
“The class of 2006 was not afraid to challenge the cultural status quo, but in a thoughtful, deliberate manner that lead to some wonderful, deep discussions and close relationships with each other and the teachers,” said Sari Butler. “They were not afraid to listen for the harder answers. Several of them have made us proud by what they have already done.” She added, “I’m glad they’re gone, because it means they’ve made appropriate progress . . . They were a fine and dandy class.”
1996 2001
The class of 2001 will always be special to me because they were my first “graduating class” after I began working at AA. I remem-
ber them as funny, clever, loud on occasion but capable of great introspection, articulate, helpful and just plain wonderful. To this day, I still own and cherish the “Jeeves and Wooster” DVD series they gave me as a parting gift at graduation.
After sundown Saturday night we built a huge fire and sat around it together, sang songs, played games, told “tales” and generally reminisced until 3:30 in the morning. But we must have reminisced too much because, sure enough, Sunday morning it began to rain. The steady downpour caused us to cancel the day’s activities, hastily break camp, and head back home. We had fun, though, drinking rain water with our hot chocolate, eating our pancakes mixed with campfire smoke. It was a typical trip so why shouldn’t it rain? It just wouldn’t have been right otherwise! However, we must commend our two class sponsors, Miss Sandy Cavanaugh and Mr. Doug Newberry, P.E. instructors at the academy. together with the great class of ‘76 they have weathered the four years of unique class trips and through all the excitement and adventure they managed to keep some semblance of order and organization. We, the senior class of ‘76, salute them!
I’ve used that series at some point in virtually every class to teach students the fabulous complexities of irony and the English language. I also fondly remember watching them grow as a team during their Senior Class trip--what an honor to
get to be a part of even a tiny portion of their lives. God bless you, class of 2001, and thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to serve, learn, and grow with you! --Ms. Wright