2013 Fall NHS Blood Drive

Calvary Christian Schools will hold its fall blood drive on November fifth, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The blood drives are sponsored by the National Honors Society and are staffed by the NHS volunteers.

The CCS blood drives are an easy way to help our community and to make a difference in someone’s life. Did you know that one pint of blood can save up to three lives? With all of the recent national disasters, like floods and tornadoes, this is a way for all of us to help not only our local community, but our state and nation, all without leaving our own school.

The CCS National Honors Society, along with Mrs. Deb Stenberg, their advisor, put in many hours planning and staffing the blood drives. Along with gaining community service volunteer hours, the NHS senior members can earn scholarship funds. Our goal is to get twenty-five good donors for each blood drive, fall and spring. During our last drive, we actua

lly had fifty-six donors show up. We had more donors than the Red Cross could handle!

Help us surpass our goal again. Students sixteen years old can donate with parental permission, people seventeen and older can donate on their own. So please, ask your friends and family to help save lives by donating to the CCS National Honors Society blood drive!

You can sign up and get the donation time you want by contacting an NHS member, the CCS office or by registering online at http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation. By donating blood, you not only get the satisfaction of knowing you helped save lives and served your community, but also you get cookies! That’s right - Keebler helps sponsor the Red Cross and provides free cookies and juice to all who give blood.

Don’t forget, save the afternoon of November fifth to donate blood and save a life!

Cory Greeno, Junior

Oct 17 Volleyball Tri-Match

Thursday, October 17 was a fun day for the Calvary Christian gir

ls Varsity volleyball team. The Eagles played both Muskegon Heights Lady Tigers and Rivertown Patriots in a tri-match taking place in our own home gym. Even after Tuesday’s painful loss to WMC in boys Varsity soccer, the volleyball team played hard and pulled out a double win Thursday.

First, Calvary played Muskegon Heights. The Eagles easily beat them 25-5, and then 25-8. Both teams played hard and did their best but Calvary proved to be the winner of that match. Calvary has also previously played Muskegon Heights earlier in the season and won then as well.

In between Calvary’s game against Muskegon Heights and their next game, the Lady Tigers played the Rivertown Patriots. After some time, the Patriots pulled ahead and won.

While Muskegon Heights and Rivertown were playing, the Eagles enjoyed their own little “Harvest party,” complete with caramel apples, doughnuts, cider, and Coach Denger’s famous protein balls.

After that, Calvary played the Patriots. This game proved to be a bit more difficult. However, Calvary pulled out and won the first half 25-19, and beat them again in the second half, 25-21. Calvary had never played this particular team before, but nevertheless managed yet another victory.

At the end of the day, Calvary Christian School emerged victorious after the tri-match. All the teams played their hardest and did the best they could, but the Eagles worked hard and pulled out a win against the Muskegon Heights Lady Tigers and the Rivertown Patriots. No matter what happens, it is not the winner of the game that matters, but who played with their heart.

- Gabrielle Kuszewski, Junior

Boys Varsity District Game 2013

This past Tuesday, October 15, the Varsity Guys Soccer Team played their first district game. It was a gloomy afternoon anticipating the big game. The guys had a dress up day to remind students of the game as well as to look like a team. Stories were going around the school that the West Michigan Christian soccer team had shaved their heads for the big game. Everyone was getting ready.

After school got out, it began to rain. It went from blowing light rain to a downpour and blowing again. It wasn’t looking like there would be nice weather for the game. But the players were excited to have the game in the rain. It does always add another dynamic to the game.

As the 6:45 game time came closer, Mr. Maine drove the bus to Muskegon Christian’s soccer field with the team and a few fans riding. They all stayed in the bus because of the cold and rain outside. Mr. Maine then gave the team a talk, going over strategy and game plans. He told them to play smart not just skillfully. After hearing all he had to say, the team filed out of the bus to the soccer field. They began to warm up on the field. The field was soaked, and the corners were especially flooded.

Once the game began, WMC scored 4 goals pretty quickly. It was a discouraging blow but the guys kept working hard. They played to the best of their ability. The conditions were pretty bad - the fans were cheering in their raincoats and umbrellas. Some even made a sign for the team. Some players slipped on the wet grass and others squinted from the blowing rain. WMC scored 2 more goals in the first half. During the second half, each team scored a goal. Ililo Bisee scored the goal for the Eagles. The game ended with a score of 7 to 1. The guys played a great game. It was the last game of a good season.

- Michelle Postiff, Junior

What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year makes.

A year ago, my son, Matthew Bliss, told me how much he’d like to go to Calvary Christian Schools. At the time, there were a lot of hurdles in the way for that to ever happen, and so we put it in the ‘nearly disregarded’ dream pile.

I thought that as he got involved at his public school, made friends and fell into a routine that the idea would fade. Keep in mind, I was completely open to it, but there were some major things that had to fall into line for it to become a reality. These were things I prayed about, but never really expected God to change…because my imagination isn’t that big.

Obviously, God was working on the back end and moving everything around without us realizing it. He was answering prayer even though I had begun to accept the inevitability of the ‘reality’ that was last year.

Then things got hard. Really hard. There is nothing as frustrating as being aware of potential harm, trying to move to protect your child and being blocked at every turn. There is nothing as sad as a parent who is forced to return a child to a dangerous situation day in, day out, and all you can do is pray a hedge of protection and ask God to shield innocence.

Suddenly, events reached a critical mass last spring. Suffice it to say, panic, concern, rage and conviction all played a role as I responded to the scenario and prayed for wisdom. I asked God to make the impossible happen and allow me to protect my son and keep pointing him to Christ. I reminded God that Matthew (whose name means ‘gift of God’) was my Samuel, and that I was committing him, but that God needed to intervene and move mountains.

So He did. We sat as a family, my husband Warren, myself and Matthew, and asked God for delivery, for protection, for favor and for wisdom. He granted all that and opened new doors besides.

In late July, Matthew asked me once more if we could consider a transfer to Calvary Christian Schools. He outlined his reasons why he wanted to be part of the CCS family, and why he believed it would be beneficial for his spiritual walk as well as for the academics.

I think safety is a big part of what has allowed him to blossom this fall. Prayer warriors held up our arms as God made a way, when there seemed to be no way. He changed hard hearts, provided the favor needed to overturn legal decisions, granted us the ability to protect an innocent through full custody, and allowed us to begin a new chapter in our lives.

My imagination was not that big, but, in the innocence of a child, and in trusting his dearest hope to God, Matthew’s was.

What a difference…this year has made.

- Ruth Kramer, parent

Pink Out 2013

Tuesday, October 9, 2013 was a special day at Calvary Christian Schools. That day was a pink out for the whole school. Pink shirts, pants, socks, ribbons, and face paint could be found all over the school. This was because of the games that night against Freedom Christian Schools.

These weren’t just any games though. Last year our beloved teacher and friend Mrs. Meyer passed away right before school started. Everyone who had known her was heartbroken. During the 2012 volleyball season, we decided to have a pink out night in honor of her. Last year the JV and varsity teams got special jerseys. They also gave out pink bracelets that said, “Mrs. Meyer” and “Sweetie Poo Pie,” a name she called everyone. This year the tradition was continued. The JV and varsity teams got pink jerseys, and everyone remembered our friend who was no longer with us.

At 5:30 the JV game began. When it first started, it looked like Freedom would win the first game. They pulled ahead, and we couldn’t stop them. Point after point they got ahead. And then the momentum switched sides. We started working together better and slowly gained back those lost points. Eventually we brought it back for a win. Then there was the second game. The momentum was still with us and we got a quick win. That was the end of an exciting match for JV. Varsity played a great game as well. Freedom was no match for them. Our Eagles finished the match fast with only three games.

Their last game ended our day of remembrance at CCS that Tuesday. I really hope next year the tradition will be continued. It is definitely something that you do not want to miss. Between the pink out honoring our friend Mrs. Meyer, the great games, and Calvary’s family atmosphere, it was an awesome night to be a part of.

- Megan Mitchell, Sophomore

Algoma Games - October 4th

Then Junior Varsity played at 5:30. We ended up winning the match but it was a very long match. We lost the first game by quite a bit then went on to a second game and won it and we finished off the  ame with an awesome third game and won the whole match. We played good as a team the second and third game. Montana finished off the third game with some nice serves. Kyleah had her first back row hit which is exciting and Emily had some nice digs. It was also our first time on the new rotation so that was a challenge but we pulled it together.

For my blog I am going to write about the recent Algoma soccer game and volleyball matches. The middle school volleyball team started us off with a loss but that’s ok because they played well as a team and ended up getting into a 3rdgame and lost the last game. They played fantastic and they will get them next time.

Next the Varsity guys soccer played. They played amazing and didn’t end with a loss or a win but a tie. Brendan had some nice saves. He played very well and is a good goalie. The defense played outstanding and did a good job defending the goal. Carson and Joel each had a goal. Jeff Britton played very well and took a lot of hits from the Algoma team. The game got intense and went into double overtime. The second overtime got cut short because it was getting too dark to play so they called the game and we ended up with a tie which is good because last time they played Algoma they lost so it’s nice that they pulled it together and played hard and didn’t give up. 

Next the Varsity girls played their volleyball match and won all three games. Sophia Zelenka played a good game even though she was injured. Brianna of course played amazing. Ally played well as a 9th grader I’m proud of her for doing so good.

After all the games the bus went to Mcdonald’s. We had a great time. Ally, Sam Nesbitt, Katie, Emily, Kyleah and I all bought a bunch of French fries and succeeded at eating the whole pile of fries. It was a lot of fun and makes me love my school that much more and makes me grateful for my Calvary family. I don’t know where I would be without my friends. I am so proud of everyone last night for having good sports about the games. So overall yesterday at the games we all played to the best of our abilities and for the Glory of God. We are all thankful for our coaches who put in the time teach us. I hope next time we play Algoma we all come out with a win.

- Jordyn Hamilton, Freshman

Choir helps with the CCS Gala 2013

There was a good turnout for the CCS Gala 2013. Towards the beginning, the choir came out and sang Wade in the Water by Rhoda Scott. Mr. Kapanka interjected with some words, then the choir sang Revelation 19 by Steven Hurd. Taylor Richards one of the students at Calvary Christian Schools played the piano for Revelation 19.

Then the choir went to help with the banquet. Some of the choir would take care of dishes while the rest of the choir passed out the food. For dinner the guest enjoyed salads, pork tenderloin with apples on it, mashed potatoes, and green beans. For dessert the guests had chocolate brownies with cream filling and chocolate mint sauce. The food was catered by Above and Beyond and it all looked and smelled wonderful.

After dinner Joseph Stole, the President of Cornerstone University, spoke about the values of Christian education. Mrs. Byers played the piano for short period of time, then Mrs. Dickson, the choir teacher, joined her to sang In Christ Alone. I think the guests enjoyed the banquet. I know I sure did. I think it was good for the choir to help with the banquet, also for them to sing at the banquet.

- Lexi Chartrand, Freshman

Calligraphy with Mrs. Saum

This quarter, Calvary is offering three different electives and a fourth elective for the juniors and seniors. For the first time, Mr. Dykstra is teaching Scuba Diving. Due to popular demand, Mrs. Price is again teaching Trash to Treasure. Also, Mrs. Saum is again teaching Calligraphy class. Juniors and seniors have the chance to take a class from Cornerstone University called Preparing to Launch. I am excited to be in Mrs. Saum’s Calligraphy class.

Mrs. Saum has been doing calligraphy for many years. She has even written high school diplomas and wedding invitations with this special art. She uses a fountain pen, the ones writers dip in ink, for those special purposes. Mrs. Saum says you can even earn some money with this cool art.

She is teaching us a variety of different fonts, such as Rom

an lower and upper case, Bookhand, Formal Italic, and Uncial. (Uncial is also known as the Holy Hand which is commonly used in more traditional Bibles, such as the King James Version, as the first letter of the first word in each chapter.)

Each student in the Calligraphy class paid $2.50 for a felt calligraphy pen, so students do not have to worry about ink flow problems. So far, we have learned basic strokes, numbers, and punctuation. This week we will study the Roman hand and pen the following sentence. “Jack Van Glower may buy six dozen quarts of punch.” This sentence has all the letters of the alphabet for practice.

I am excited to learn as much as I possibly can about calligraphy in the few short weeks of this first quarter. I am looking forward to being able to sign and address envelopes in calligraphy. It will take time and a lot of practice to master calligraphy, but I am up for the challenge!

Rachel Postiff, Freshman

New Breakaway Chapels

On Thursday, September 26, Calvary Christian Middle School and High School had their first Breakaway Chapel. During these chapels boys and girls split up, each doing a Bible study geared towards their specific gender. There are seven of these chapels planned, one each month.

The girls met in the chapel with Mrs. Saum. We talked about how we are each beautiful not because of how we look or what we wear, but because we are made in the image of God. Our worth is determined by the fact that God loves us and cares for us. We are all precious in God’s eyes.

That being said, we should treat each other as having worth and being a God-created being. We should encourage and edify each other, not tear each other down. If we determine our own worth by judging others, we will never be satisfied. The same applies with putting our self-esteem in our looks or what others think of us. There will always be one person that seems prettier or skinnier or who wears cuter clothes. But if we work to be who God intended us to be, then we show the true beauty of His creation.

All of the girls broke into groups after the main discussion. Mrs. Saum asked several Junior and Senior girls to lead these groups. We will be talking about the main discussion and how we can apply the lesson to our lives. We will also share prayer requests and discuss some struggles that we may be going through. Today, since it was the first of these chapels, we spent a few minutes learning names and getting to know each other. We took prayer requests and took turns praying for them, for our school day and for the success of the new Breakaway Chapels.

Anna Swanson, Senior

Interview with Mrs. VanTine

Mrs. Vantine was born on July 4th in Ohio. She grew up in the Chicago area until she was 13 then moved to Florida.

Her favorite color is purple.

Her favorite type of movies is Historical, and favorite book is The Barn by, Grace Livingston Hill.

Mrs. Vantine said that she had always wanted to be a teacher ever since she was little because she loves kids and she loves reading.

Mrs. Vantine attended Cedarville University in Ohio and met her husband at that University while she was doing summer school to finish early. She got married in 1988 and now has two kids and one dog named Buddy.

She described herself in one word as friendly and loving.

Mrs. Vantine heard of Calvary by a friend that she was staying with. She started teaching at Calvary Christian in 1991. Mrs. Vantine taught 1st grade for 6 yrs and 1st and 2nd grade combination for 3 years. She has been teaching at Calvary for 18 years.

The best thing about teaching at Calvary is the funny things the kindergartners say and do everyday.

Her favorite subject to teach is reading and phoenix .

Her most memorable moment at Calvary is being able to stay in the current building that we are in now.

Sarah Carlson, Sophomore

Why Calvary?

The biggest question that is currently on our school website says this: Why Calvary? Well I’m going to answer that question for those people who read our student blog, and are considering Calvary Christian not only as a school, but also as a second home for their children.

First off you should enroll you children in this school because Calvary Christian has both a wonderful administration staff and outstanding teaching staff. From what I can tell the elementary teachers do a wonderful job of teaching the children to love and obey Jesus. Speaking from experience the high school teachers do a really good job of guiding you on a Christian path, and challenging you academically also.

The administration staff at Calvary has definitely been specially hand-picked by God for this school. People like Mr. Maine and Mr. Kapanka are great to talk to if you ever feel down or have a problem because they always tell you how to solve the problem, read you a Bible verse to you, and pray for you. If you ever need to talk about anything in general or your classes we have our wonderful and new school guidance counselor Mrs. Postiff, she is really good at helping you with anything you need. If your child ever needs to make a phone call, take medicine, get a Band-Aid for that paper cut, get a tardy pass, or check what class they are going to go to next, you go to the office’s front desk and talk to the wonderful Mrs. Lhan.

My second reason that you should enroll your children in Calvary Christian is because of the great family atmosphere. Your class size is so small that it feels like you are a part of another family when you are traveling from class to class. The same could be said for the sports teams that you can play on in middle school and high school. The advantage you have is getting to know the names of everyone, and getting to know personally the other students at school.

The thing that I love the most about Calvary is this: you worship God freely, talk about God freely, and read the Bible freely. Calvary Christian is a school that will guide your sons and daughters on a straight and narrow path so that they will grow up to be men and women with a strong faith in Jesus Christ.

I hope that I helped answer the question: Why Calvary? If you are considering enrolling you sons or daughters in Calvary Christian, you should. This is an environment that you won’t get in a public school or anywhere else.

Will Lipscombe, Sophomore

Alka-Seltzer Lab

On Thursday, in Mr. Muri's Biology class, we were give a flask, some water, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. We all knew a lab was coming and a few groans were muttered. This lab was to show us how the scientific method works.

Something was different about this particular lab. In groups, we were to make up our own question and experiment. It was cool to decide what you wanted to know, instead of just following directions on a piece of paper. There were six different groups and each group had three people.

During the first week of school, Mr. Muri had us write our names on a piece of paper. He uses that to determine groups so it is completely random. My group members were Elise Maine and Michelle Postiff. All together, we came up with the question, “Does the temperature of the water effect the speed at which the Alka-Seltzer dissolves?” We had to do research to see if anyone else had asked this same question, and we found a few people who had also tried it.

Next, our group was to make a prediction, compose a hypothesis, and conduct an experiment we had made up ourselves. Elise, Michelle, and I used hot water, warm water, and ice cold water. We found that the hotter the water, the faster the tablet dissolved. It was quite fun to do this experiment on our own and see what other groups came up with.

To introduce this lab, Mr. Muri had us measure the drop in temperature of the water when the tablet was fully dissolved. This lead one group to ask, “If we use more tablets, will that make the temperature drop more?” Another group asked, “Does the surface area of the water effect the speed in which the Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolves?” All in all, it was a fun lab and we all learned a lot about using the scientific method.

- Brook Sigler, Junior

Highway and Beach Cleanup Fall 2013

On September 25th the freshman and sophomore classes did highway clean up! They go on the highway and clean up all the trash they could find for community service hours. Everyone loves it because we get out of school!

September 27th the juniors and seniors are going to do beach clean up! They are going to Maranatha and cleaning up the trash around their beach. Right after lunch everyone who is doing highway or beach clean up has to watch the highway clean up video about safety. They have to watch it every year, every time they do highway/beach clean up.

After they watch the video, they get bright yellow vests and gloves to wear when picking up the trash! Then they load up the bus and get dropped off at their location! Each class gets dropped off at a different location and they have a chaperon with them, it is usually one of the teachers. They pick up trash for the rest of the school day, which is usually about 2 hours and those go toward their community service!

Calvary high school students do beach/highway clean up 2 times a year! The best part about it is getting out of class, and of course, all the weird things that people find! There have been many hilarious things that people have found throughout the years like high heel shoes, phone numbers and even underwear! I am sure if you asked, every high school class would have multiple stories of something that they found on highway clean up. Students enjoy this time to be able to clean up and do community service for our area. It is not only fun but it is something that pleases people around us and most importantly, it pleases God!

- Morgan Rude, Senior

1st Quarter Electives

Wow! I can't believe school is here already, it feels like just yesterday we were bathing in the sun and sleeping in until 12:00! I'm going to miss it, a lot, but I really missed being with all my friends and I missed the teachers picking on us!

One of the things I was most looking forward to is the electives. There are three to choose from for the first quarter: Calligraphy, Scuba Diving, and Trash to Treasure. My first pick was scuba diving because I thought it would be so interesting to learn how and what equipment they use! Even though my mom does teach trash to treasure and it would be really fun, I decided I spend enough time with her at home anyways.

Back to the scuba diving class! I'm really exited for this! We started like a week ago and I've already learned so much! There are two guys, instead of just one teacher, that come in and show their equipment, and lots of pictures of ship wrecks they have been to! I'm really exited to learn more about the ship wrecks and the marine life. Also it's a bonus because our teachers are so nice and hilarious! They try and make everything fun and I appreciate what they're doing for our school this year! I can't wait to learn more!

Madison Price, Sophomore

Varsity Volleyball Tournament - September 28

On Saturday the twenty-eighth, the Varsity Girls had a tournament at home. First of all, I want to explain to you how great our team is! Honestly, I wouldn't trade this team for the world. These girls are like my sisters and always encourage me to do my best! And they always cheer me on even if I make stupid mistakes.

There are six teams that were in the tournament: North Muskegon, Hesperia, Potters House, a home schooled team, West Michigan Lutheran, and one other team that I forgot the name of! All in all we did pretty great on Saturday! Our first game we played was against Heritage and we ended up tying that one. Then I think our second game was against North Muskegon, and we tied that one too! Then we took a break and chilled a bit, and then we played Lutheran, and won that game! Then we played the home school team and beat them too! We made it in the finals!!!!

In the finals our first game was North Muskegon, which over all was probably the best team there (other than us). We beat them in the first game, lost the second, and came close but lost the third too. It wasn't all bad though because we got third place overall! Overall I am really proud of how my team played Saturday, and I am looking forward to a great rest of the season! Also, I want to make a shout-out to Becca Wolffis,she is such an amazing person and awesome at volleyball! I am so glad she chose to come to Calvary! She makes volleyball all the more fun and I'm really glad she's playing with us! :) ALSO, I am so glad that Arisa is on our team! She's so sweet and a great addition to the team! :)

- Madison Price, Sophomore

Cornerstone Dual Enrollment Class

Calvary Christians School Junior and Senior students in high school get an amazing opportunity this school year, that CCS has never had before. Most of the CCS Junior and Seniors are dual enrolled in a Cornerstone University class. Every Wednesday for two hours starting at 1:30, a Cornerstone professor takes time out of her very busy schedule to drive from Grand Rapids all the way to Fruitport Calvary Christian Schools.

All of the students enrolled in the Cornerstone dual enrollment class are official students at Cornerstone University. We take this class very seriously - it’s no easy class to blow of

f. Being a student in this college classroom, I know it will be very beneficial to me in the future. This class is preparing and shaping CCS students for their future after high school. Some examples include how to become a better and active student in class and learning great tips on how to stay engaged and focus on our studies. We learn the secrets of being good note takers, how to understand the teachers on what they think is important, how to read and pick out important information in a textbook and how to stay focused in class.

We also learned what kind of learners we are. Whether we are visual learners, kinesthetic learners or auditory learners. I never really have thought about what is my best way of learning new material. I have really applied many of the things we have learned after only three weeks toward the rest of my classes at Calvary. I really enjoy going to the Cornerstone class in different ways. Our professor only wants us to call her by her first name, Shannon. She is a very smart woman and really knows and understands how students like us think. She teaches extremely well and keeps us interested in the topics we are learning about.

When I first signed up for this dual enrollment class I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was super excited. Now that I am learning what the purpose of the class is, I know that it is all business. Shannon tells us how it is and how we won't have our parents to hold our hand every step of the way throughout college. I feel like I will have a step up from other students to my future now that I have learned some critical things that will be extremely beneficial.

- Brianna Zehr, Senior

Games against Heritage Kalamazoo

Thursday, September 19, 2013, was a busy evening at Calvary Christian Schools. Four home games and the yearbook signing party took place. The middle school, junior varsity, and varsity volleyball teams played many intense games. The Varsity boys soccer also played a tough game. And from seven to nine o’clock, the yearbook signing party was open.

The middle school volleyball team started the evening with a game at 4:30 against the Potter’s House Pumas. CCS won the first and second game to win the whole match. The second game was finished with a 25-21 score. Audrey Vereeke helped finish this game up with a few great serves. This match was the 4th in their current winning streak. They are hoping to continue this streak with Tuesday’s home match.

The junior varsity volleyball team was next on the floor with a match at 5:30 against the Heritage Eagles. Both games were very close but Calvary’s team could not pull out a win. The serve kept going back and forth but in the end Heritage came out on top. The first game ended with a score of 26-28 and the second game ended with 24-25.

The varsity boys soccer game also began at 5:30 against the Heritage Eagles. This was a very tough game. They gave it their best but could not gain on the other team. The final score of that game was 0-6.

Finally the varsity girls volleyball team got their chance to take on Heritage at 6:30. It was a rough game. Calvary did win one game but Heritage won 3 finishing the match. They gave it their best. It was an intense game with many great dives and spikes.

The evening closed with the yearbook signing party. Students were able to purchase a 2012 – 2013 yearbook for $10. This year’s yearbook theme was candy and each page was themed after a different one. During the party, the students were able to get their friends to sign their yearbooks and grab a snack. Everyone had a good time sharing the memories from last year. This was a great way to close the evening’s activities.

- Michelle Postiff, Junior

Yearbook Signing Party 2013

On Thursday, September nineteenth at Calvary Christian Schools middle and high school students gather for a once a year exciting event. The yearbook signing party. At this event student receive their year books from the previous year. Each year the yearbook is a different theme. The theme of the yearbook matches the decoration and atmosphere of the party. This year the theme was candy. The yearbook was centered around different types of suckers, chocolate and hard candies. At the party there is also food. Student bring or make sweet and snacks for students to enjoy.

At the yearbook signing party you receive your yearbook and then the signing begins! Your fellow peers and friends can sign your yearbooks or write personal notes. Tables are set up so you can sit and pass around your yearbook if you so wish. This event is a very fun and social time to not only have fun remembering memories but meeting new students.

This yearbook signing party occurs after the soccer and volleyball games. The guys have their soccer game at 5:30 and the girls play their volleyball game from 4:30-6:30. The games are always an exciting time to cheer on your team and have school spirit! This event gets the Calvary students very pumped about their team. This allows for an even better time at the party.

At the party many memories are brought back. Some good and some bad. People are talking about fun times, events, and games. This times is really a bonding experience for students. It makes students feel welcome and invited. It helps them realize that Calvary is like a family and that the students stick together. This event is one that no one should even hesitate to come to. It is an experience that you do not want to miss!

- Lyssa Byers, Junior

High School Retreat 2013 - Spring Hill

About two weeks ago, my class, along with the rest of the high school went to Spring Hill camp for our annual high school retreat. At this camp we had a great speaker, Calvin Wisen, and an equally great worship leader, Chris Moeller, to guide us and encourage us for this coming year of school.

Calvin, also known as Cal, touched on many deep subjects during our chapel se

ssions.  His content included trust, admitting our sin and most importantly the status of our relationship with Jesus. After hearing Cal’s message I felt an urgency to go and be bold for my savior.  Along with building our relationship with our savior, we also built relationships with our friends while we tackled each other in water polo, sank three’s in basketball, spiked it hard during ping pong, and screamed while going down the water slide. Personally, my favorite activity during retreat would have to be water polo. It was fun trying to fight through the water with people on your back and trying to focus on scoring, all while laughing and cheering.

The meals at retreat were not as bad as to be expected. Actually, the food was among the best camp food I've ever had. It tasted fresh and was bursting with flavor. Bursting. The beds were just as I expected though, not exactly luxury king sized beds with memory foam pillows. No, the luxury beds were for the higher powers at our school. I think Mr. Kapanka got one and maybe Mr. Maine. 

The last full day at camp was the best because at night we had a campfire with hotdogs, s’mores, mallowdogs and cookies. We then all sat in a circle around the campfire and took turns standing up and sharing a encouraging thought or story from our life. Overall retreat was a great way to grow in Jesus and get ready for this coming school year!!

- Gage Berg, Junior

More about our Flag Display

Click on the image above to see the video on MLive

(http://videos.mlive.com/chronicle/2013/08/state_flags_on_display_at_calv.html)

CCS Students visit Civil War Muster with Mr Marshall

On September 7th and 8th, the Holland Museum had its annual Van Raalte Farms Civil War Muster and Heritage Days Festival. They feature highlights from the Civil War and life in those times. Many people attended to see the reenacted battles that the 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry unit and the Confederate 33rd Virginia Company E unit participated in.

What makes the Muster special for students at Calvary Christian Schools is the fact that our own history teacher, Mr. Brent Marshall plays the role of a Union Soldier. In addition to participating in the battle, this year Mr. Marshall had a special performance as an amputee in the medical scenario. The surgery was successful!

Since this was my second year going, my favorite part was the battle. At 2:00 the Battle of Gettysburg began. The battle consisted of Union infantry, cavalry, and artillery units, squaring off against Confederate infantry and artillery units. They skirmished for a while in the battlefield, both sides fighting for the middle of the field. The Union infantry sustained heavy casualties and the confederate infantry chased them out, but the Union cavalry came in to take back the fight.

Next was the Battle of Little Round top. The Union infantry and artillery held the top of the hill while the Confederate infantry and artillery tried take the hill from the Union forces. The Confederates pushed and pushed but in the end were slaughtered by the Union troops.

After the battle finished, the reenactors shook hands and entertained the crowd by pretending to bayonet charge the spectators. Then, President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address to all in attendance.

The Units were then dismissed and went back to their camps to pack up after the weekend’s festivities. I then visited the civilian camps where I found Shannon Arens, who was teaching a few kids how to make lace. I spoke to her and asked her a few questions about reenacting and said that she loved to do reenacting because she loves and appreciates history. She loves to live the way it used to be. Her favorite thing about reenacting is being able to dress up and cook period appropriate meals. She makes pies in a Dutch oven over the fire with coals and makes venison stew.


The Heritage Days festivals allowed people to do candle-dipping, see old-fashioned woodworking, and historic photos and medals of the civil war.

The crowd seemed to have a great time, as did I, and loved all of the history involved in it. The reenactors had a great time as well in their battles. All in all the weekend was great and full of many new things to those who don’t know much about the Civil War. I can’t wait for next year and I am hoping that I will be able to reenact as well!

- Cory Greeno, Junior

CCS Flag Display on WZZM

Click on the image below to see the news cast about our flag display!

Unity 2013 Raffle Prize Winners

Thank you to all the visitors, friends and alumni who came to visit us at our Unity Booth and filled out entry forms for our giveaways. It was so much fun meeting with you! Unfortunately, only six of you from the 760 entries could be winners. And the winners are....!!!!!

Gina L. Bulson from Whitehall, Michigan wins our Kayak! 

Nicholas Anderson from Muskegon, Michigan wins our $30 Gift Card from Curry Kitchen! 

Jodi Shackelford from Brooklyn, Michigan won our $20 Gift Card from Olive Garden! 

Cheryl Sladick from Muskegon, Michigan won our four steak dinners at Brann's! 

Melanie Latin from Freemont, Mighicah won our 3 CD Worship pack from Family Christian Bookstore in Muskegon! 

LindaSue Treeza from Muskegon, Michigan won our 4 Lumberjack Tickets for Opening Night!

4th Annual CCS Eagles girls Basketball Camp

Over forty campers worked hard and had fun at the 4th Annual CCS Eagles girls Basketball camp.  There are many very good players with much potential coming up in all grades, according to Coach Richards.  Great job, girls!

End of Girls Soccer 2013

The varsity girls soccer team has had a wonderful soccer season. It started off a little bit difficult. For about the first month the team had to practice in the gym. But we made do and got a lot of conditioning and ball control practicing in the gym. Also this year we had a hard time getting girls to come out for soccer. The team ended up getting two eighth graders to join the team. Needing eleven girls to play, they ended up having thirteen girls for the team. Despite the weather, injuries, and numbers, they ended up having a fantastic season.

Our conference record is twelve wins, zero loses. Our toughest composition we played was against Algoma Christian. The first game we beat them one to zero. The second game started off as a beautiful day, when the time ran out, the score was three to three and it was rainy and windy. They could not end in a tie so they went into over time. For over time they would play two ten minutes with a three minute break in between. In the over time, Calvary scored two goals and Algoma scored one goal. After what ended up to be a one-hundred minute game, we beat Algoma. That game was pretty much what determined the first team in Conference. Calvary Christian girls varsity soccer team 2013 ended up winning first team in conference. This is the first time the Calvary girls varsity soccer team won conference.

It has been a great season, but the girls still have to play in districts. The first game they play is on Tuesday, May twenty-seventh against Muskegon Catholic Central. This will be a very difficult game. But they are preparing very much for this difficult game. They will need all the fans and support they can get.

Lastly, this weekend May twenty- fifth they are doing a car wash to raise money for the video tower that was built. The team is a great group of girls and have a lot of fun together. Everyone is excited to see what happens in the rest of their season.

- Elise Maine, Sophomore

CCS Track 2013

This year’s Varsity Track team had a great run. We had many new people in track which made it even more fun! Everyone did really well and we had a number of people beat personal records and school records! This was such a fun year even with the difficulties of weather and cancellations.

This year we had two eighth graders, five freshmen, ten sophomores, three juniors, and two seniors. The seniors were Josh Hatfield, Aaron Ebeling, Hayley Mohr and Shymari Harris. We will miss the seniors greatly in the upcoming years of track. Shymari had a great track career, earning many medals and even breaking a few records! She was our “fast girl”. Aaron also had a great career and holds two school records in the relay events. He continued to improve until the last track meet.

We are so glad that Allyson Richards and Zeri Zelenka joined track this year even though they are eighth graders. They competed with all the schools no matter what how old the other team was. The freshman did outstanding as well. Erica and Montana were in several relays and sprints while Will and Alex did some races themselves! I will not mention all of the sophomores because there are so many, but I will mention Cory Greeno who broke his personal record in shot put at regionals! Many of the Sophomores continued to break personal records as the meets went on.

The junior class was a huge success this year. Morgan consistently made it to the shot put finals and Kayla always looked good even while jumping. For both of them this was their first year in track! Jefferson Britton’s race is not yet finished. Calvary Christian will for the third year in a row, have a competitor representing the school at the State Finals. Jeff Britton has really stepped up to the plate this year and found his wings. He has broken multiple school records with his blazing speed! We are so excited to see what he will accomplish at state, and his Senior year of track!

Thank you for all your support this year! Thank you to all the coaches who helped us become the best we can be! Mr. Langdon was head coach along with Mr. Marshal, Mr. Stenberg, and Mr. Maine driving the bus! Although the meets ended up taking place over a time span of three weeks, we all had a blast and can not wait until next year!! 

- Taylor Richards, Sophomore

Girls Varsity Soccer @ Potters House

On Tuesday the girls varsity soccer team played Potters House Christian Schools at the Salvation Army field in Grand Rapids. The field looked nice from far away but when the girl's got up close to the field they realized that the ground was hard and bumpy with some big divots in it. There was no middle school game before the varsity game so they warmed up right when they got to the field. Madison Price was not able to play because of problems with her leg so Bria Hinken took

her place as stopper.

The first goal of the game was off a free kick taken by Samantha Rasmusen from about ten to fifteen feet outside of the eighteen box. Her shot was placed perfectly in the upper right corner of the goal. From there there was one more goal in the first half, scored by Bria Hinken, making the game two to zero. The girls played a solid first half.

During half time coach Zehr told the girls not to let up because even one goal can change the makeup of the game. The second half started and Potters House got a goal about five or ten minutes into the second half. This goal didn't stop the girls from doing what they knew they could do. The next goal was scored by Brianna Zehr, it was a beautiful goal. The next goal was scored by Britney Zehr. The last goal that was scored in the game was by Sophia Zelenka as a penalty kick. The reason she got the shot was because one of Potters House's defenders tripped her in the box.

The final score of the game was five to one with the Calvary Eagles coming out on top. The Eagles are undefeated in their conference so far.

- Sophia Zelenka, Junior

Sports Banquet 2013

The annual Calvary Christian Sports Banquet was held Tuesday night, May 14^th. The night featured the usual awards for student athletes, but this year there were a few changes as well as a few surprises!

The night started out with a new desert bar! There was everything from cookies, cakes and pies to cheesecake and fruit with chocolate sauce. Yum!

Next, Coach Maine started out with a new award. It is called the “Sixth Man” award and is given to those people who go above and beyond to make the sports teams at Calvary Christian Schools the success they are today!

The first award went to Mr. Paul Greeno for all of his volunteering at the soccer and basketball games doing states and running the clocks. Next, Mr. Duane Smith (Mrs. Smith’s Husband) received an award for running the clock at basketball games. Mr. Dan Hamilton was the third winner for helping coach everything and starting the new concession area. The final award went to Doctor Watkins for being “The Voice of CCS” at all of the basketball games. These new awards were a great surprise to all in attendance.

Next, the elementary and middle school teams received recognition and awards for soccer and basketball for both boys and girls teams.

The Junior Varsity teams were honored next. Both boys and girls soccer and basketball teams were given certificates and recognition.

During the Varsity section of the Sports Banquet, individual teams were introduced by their coaches and the students received certificates and those that lettered in their sports were given pins as well. Several students in each sport were given trophies for things like “Most Improved,” Most valuable Defense and Offense player,” and the “Eagle Awards.” The best in each sport were given the Calvary Legends award. Their names go on a plaque that stays in the sports case forever! Awards were also presented for students in athletics with top G.P.A.’s as well.

The night ended with the student athletes of the year awards. This year’s recipients were Hayley Mohr and Mark Carlson.

Congratulations to all student athletes and all the award winners! It was a great night!

- Cory Greeno, Sophomore

Junior Senior 2013

Saturday, May 4th, was the Junior/Senior Banquet. This banquet is often more casual than the homecoming banquet and it is only for the Juniors and Seniors, obviously! Juniors always plan the Junior/Senior banquet. This year we had it in Grand Rapids at a hibachi grill called The Wild Chef.

The Wild Chef was amazing! Watching the chef cook in front of you and seeing all of the cool tricks he could do was a lot of fun! We got a choice of either beef, shrimp or chicken along with rice and veggies! The food was very good. After the Wild Chef we went to The 3 Mile Project, which is a big building with basketball, volleyball, re-ball, skateboard ramps, foosball tables, pool tables, rooms to watch movies and a little lounge area where you can get food and drinks. They even let you do karaoke, which was a lot of fun! It was a cool place and I would definitely go back!

I think the most popular thing that everyone loved was re-ball. Re-ball is basically like air soft but the pellets that you shoot people with are bigger than air soft pellets, about the size of a mini gum ball. People really enjoyed reball. Some said it was painful and others said it didn't hurt too bad but many people ended up getting welts on their skin. Over all it was a really fun night. Both the Juniors and the Seniors had a great time! I am glad the Juniors were successful at planning Junior/Senior. It came by and went so fast! I'm sad it's over! I am glad we were able to pull off a really fun night. It was a good way to spend the Seniors last Junior/Senior banquet. We will miss the seniors dearly!

- Morgan Rude, Junior

Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Algoma

 We had no idea what to expect from Algoma this year. Some people were saying that they were good, and some people were saying that they were not. But even if we knew, we would still have to play with the same intensity we normally do. So when the day game when we finally got to play them, we were all pretty nervous even if we didn't want to admit it. But that didn't sop us from playing our game!

When we got there the weather was acting a bit funny so we went inside until the storm passed. So we went in their gym with everybody else and just waited. But while we waited, we were getting a bit bored...so what do we do? We started to sing! That was probably one of the best times of my life! Just being with the girls I love and not caring whether people think we are total idiots or not! I love those girls and I always will! We ended up staying in there probably for a half an hour and we were so ready to play some soccer! So we went out there, gave it our best, and won 1-0!!! They were a pretty tough team, but we pulled it off and next time we play them, we'll be ready!

- Madison Price, Freshman