“Worship music is vital to our growth with God, and Oceans Edge offers the opportunity to grow not only musically, but also spiritually,” said OE director, Doug Farrar.

Students have noticed the difference. “I have really been stretched in who I am as a leader, as an individual, and spiritually,” said Christine Moua. Zac Cider agreed: “I came here originally for music, but the way I grew spiritually was incredible. I am more thankful for that now than how I grew musically.”

Of course OE stands out from secular schools, but it is even different from other Christian schools. For one thing, it’s a relatively small school, allowing more ministry amongst students, and more one-on-one coaching from teachers. In addition, students have more opportunity for ‘hands-on’ leadership.

“Some of the other schools I looked into didn’t put as much trust in their students as they do here,” said Zac. “Here we get the chance to lead worship, to step out of our comfort zone and do what God has called us to do.”

Being set apart for God and from others is an intentional strategy. “We don’t want to be a typical college,” Farrar said. “We think and teach out of the box, and we don’t just read a book about it—we actually do it, because we’re here to take students where they’re at and make them what God would have them be.”

“It starts, like so many wonderful stories do, with a discovery,” said Director, Mr. Tim Flay. “In a lost, almost forgotten corner of a room not often ventured into, a young, innocent little girl discovers a magical portal,” one that leads into a grand realm that nearly exceeds the imagination. Playing the leads were high school students, Christian Sjogren (Aslan), Kristen Jones (Jadis, the White Witch), Katherine Burklin (Susan), LJ Dutton (Peter), Matt Schieffer (Edmund) and Susanna Quinn (Lucy) as their respective roles, joined by a talented and creative cast and crew.

“It was absolutely amazing,” said an spectator from the audience. “Everything was tremendously professional, the sets were beautiful, and you could tell that the students worked hard to put this show together.”

Worth mentioning was the intricate set of the Beavers’ Dam, the forest including The Lamppost, and Mr. Tumnus’s Home. The characters were personified perfectly with the phenomenal makeup artistry by professional make up artist, Cliff Turner. He designed, airbrushed, and applied prosthetics to the main characters and forest creatures. With the capable actors and technicians—all CCA students—the Calvary Chapel Theatre was transformed into “a world full of adventure, peril, wonder, tragedy, hope, and victory. There were the villains, the unlikely heroes, the wise guides, and a large host of followers—both good and evil,” said Mr. Flay.

C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has profoundly influenced its audience since it was first released in October 1950. Not even Lewis had any idea how the story came about in his mind; it just did. “I don’t know where the Lion came from or why he came,” Lewis said in an interview. “But once he was there, he pulled the whole story together, and soon he pulled the six other Narnian stories in after him.” What’s even more remarkable about this tale is that it mirrors the “greatest story ever told,” about the most incredible Man that ever lived, who made the most incredible sacrifice for mankind.

At the end of each show, both cast and audience were seen leaving the building, and one could wonder if the picture in their minds was of the great Aslan still walking among us.

Our Band and Chorus students are thoroughly and enthusiastically preparing for performances, concerts, and auditions for solos and ensembles. So, please read the list below and help support your peers by attending some of these events.

For the Middle and High School Chorus:

All-State – Performance in Tampa, Florida
January, 2012

Night of Hope – Band and Choral Christmas Concert
December 15-16, 2011/ Calvary Chapel Theatre

Performance in Carnegie Hall
February 25-28, 2012/ Manhattan, NY

Band and Choral Spring Concert
April 26-27, 2012/Calvary Chapel Theatre

For the Middle and High School Band:

All-State – Performance in Tampa, Florida

Night of Hope – Band and Choral Christmas Concert  December 15-16, 2011/ Calvary Chapel Theatre

High School and Middle School Band Outreaches
Spring of 2012 (exact dates are to be decided)

Band and Choral Spring Concert
April 26-27, 2012/Calvary Chapel Theatre

What’s more troubling than that is the subtle messages being sent to society, which tend to go unnoticed. For example, there are film directors that produce films that change societies attitudes and opinions on certain subjects: gay relationships are okay or having an abortion is a woman’s right. There are other influences that are even more sinister. Like, entertainers who claim to be Christian, while they are a part of occult groups, such as the Illuminate—an evil force whose main goal is to corrupt the minds of the next generation.

Now, in an age where we have more contact with entertainers, we are faced with a question: what are the effects that Media have on us, and why? And why is the formula of teens and Media an explosive equation? We found our answer during an exclusive interview with Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale’s Senior Pastor, Bob Coy. Read the interview below and then watch the video interview online at www.theccamessenger.org.

C.M.: It has been said that entertainment has a big impact on teens, but how exactly can entertainment influence thoughts and actions in us?      
P.B.: It was a few years ago when the movie Broke Back Mountain was released, and it had a homosexual plot. You find yourself in the experience of the movie, really valuing the love relationship between two people. Now after that movie was released, I overheard a producer say, “we are going to change the way America feels about homosexuals one movie at a time.”
See, if we can take a character and build a sense of sympathy, what he believes, how he thinks… It’s the same case with the Philadelphia story. You have somebody with AIDs. We’re focusing on his homosexual behavior, we’re sympathetic about his sickness, and now it influences and affects the way we feel about that part of society.

C.M.  Usually things that teens see in movies and magazines, we expect for them to be the “norm”. So how does entertainment shape teen’s norms and habits?    
P.B. You would assume watching a lot of the movies about teenagers that everybody is a drunk and everyone likes to party. Statistically speaking, that’s not true at all. In fact, statistically speaking, it’s just the opposite. Fewer kids are getting ripped on weekends. So, see, it’s the way movies have shaped our view on society.

C.M.: From the 1950’s to the present, entertainment has changed drastically. How has the escalation of sexual innuendos, violence and bad language in books and films affected our society?
P.B.: It’s an odd thing, I was sitting at a traffic light just yesterday with my son; he’s 15 years old. And from the car next to me the song that was playing through his radio was very profane, a lot of curse words. And I didn’t pick up on it at first, but my son did, and he said, “Dad, did you hear that?” What was really interesting to me was the look on the guy’s face; probably a 40-something year-old-man was unchanged. When I looked and turned my head to—in a sense think visibly about his music—I think what is has done, it’s not only given us greater expression in profane ways, but it has also desensitized our reaction to it.

C.M.:  So is it naïve to say that the tolerance level has also been affected? 
P.B.: Absolutely! I see that in everyone’s language. In other words, that day when somebody says curse words aren’t curse words is the day that everybody is using curse words to describe everyday things. And in an everyday world that I’m living in, it’s happening everyday.

C.M.: Even though there are negative affects due to entertainment, are there any positive effects? What can teens learn from media and entertainment? 
P.B.:  One of the coolest things happening right now is Social Media. And if a kid can say something positive, powerful, or provocative, or practical, he can get out his message unlike any other time in human history. Obviously, you have a camera behind your head. It’s an SLR but has a video component to it. You have resources like you have never had them before, to access points
of life that have never been accessed before. So you
can change the way people see what they see
through Media.

C.M.:  How do you feel different book series such as Twilight and Harry Potter affect teens minds?   
P.B.: I think that the content of something that someone becomes a fan of, of course influences the way they feel about that content. As in the case of Harry Potter, I think I saw kids at younger ages playing with sorcery, magic tricks, and potions. I mean—it just became the norm. On Halloween, kids dressing up, casting spells…there is always an obvious result of whatever we see in Media, and although there will be some that say that Media reflects society, I tend to believe that it is shaping society. Because, sometimes it happens in someone’s mind first, and then it becomes the media of which we live later.

C.M.: What are your thoughts on entertainers such as Lady Gaga who proclaim to be a Christian, but are actually part of the occult groups, such as the Illuminate?  
P.B.: I didn’t know Lady Gaga claimed to be a Christian, first of all. I would like to know what church she goes to. I would like to call her pastor and talk about a lyrical content! Over the years, just so your generation understands, there has always been someone. And whether it be your generation, my generation, or the generation before mine, there has always been someone pushing the envelope. And saying or making claims about their faith that is in my opinion, the best attempt for the enemy to warp the shape that is defined by the Word of God.
So, if the Bible is our guide, whether Lady Gaga, or in my generation, Madonna, or whoever, they have opinions and those opinions we need to appreciate.  Recently, I did a little video blog about how much I like John Lennon’s music. I just don’t like his theology. “Imagine there is no heaven.”  No, there is a Heaven! So, I appreciate musicians for their music, and then I can choose lyrical whom I really admire. But when it comes to theology, I will stick with pastors and preachers that stick with the Word of God.

C.M.: How should young people empower themselves to guard their lives from this evil influences?   
P.B.:  I think first of all, see it as an opportunity to expose yourselves to what is happening in the real world. Don’t taboo it, and stay so far away you’re not aware of what’s happening amongst your peers and in your own generation. Be very, very careful how you digest it, though. I would look at media at the same way that I look at food. There are some rich foods; there are some sour foods. And then, there are some poison foods. Be careful… I don’t want any poison in my life, so I’m very careful not to digest a whole lot of poison media.

C.M.: Is there anything you would like to add?
P.B.: Only I would say to this generation of media believers, there has never been a time like this before. Use it to the best of your ability to glorify God. Because I think the church and the real world beyond the church is looking for inspiration. They are looking for creativity. As Christians, I believe we’re so close to our Creator, that we’re the ones that should be coming up with fresh ideas, innovative thoughts, new ways to communicate truth. That is my prayer for your generation!

A curtain-raiser CCA Video Production—Five Years of Memories, edited by Edgar Torres—set to a live musical performance of “We Will Rise,” by Taylor Hecocks preceded the first short films from the Digital Video Production 1 class: “There’s Gnome Place Like Home,” by Dawson Allen, Aaron Richter, and Phil Kalicharan, and “Countdown,” by Andrew Davis.
These were followed by Digital Video Production 2 offerings, “Pizza Day,” by Chris Crilly; “On the Inside,” by Trevor Viner; “Trapped,” by Jose Ordonez; “The One Who Redeems,” by Ryan Arnst. Digital Video Production 3 brought “Masterpiece,” by Kyle Lackore, who won best film. Finally, from Digital Video Production 4, student films, “The Perfect Self-Deception,” and “.COMmunication” by CCA alumnus, David Vendrell, finished out the pre-intermission lineup.

Winners presented by Doug Scott, CEO of United States Media Television, and followed by a September 11 Tribute performance of “God of the City” (Chris Tomlin) by Johnny Jones. The show closed with feature presentations of “The Sound of Midnight,” by alumnus Jacob Kaufman, from Digital Video Production 4, and “Operation 15:13,” by the Media Endorsement class.
Mr. Rick Negron, high school video production teacher, helps students with their projects, and guides all four production classes. He encourages not only his students, but kids who are not in the Digital Video Production classes, to be involved.

“Whether you act or help on crew, you can contribute to the process. It’s a team effort, and takes a lot of people and resources,” he said. He sees the Film Festival as an event no student should miss—full of laughs, perhaps a few tears, and some great fun, as well as an opportunity to support their peers.
“God does unique things with kids at CCA, and other students, families, and the community should come to view the talent that their peers have,” he said.

The Mirror is an adaption of the famous prodigal son parable told by Jesus Christ in the book of Luke, revamped to a modern scenario. The story begins with a mixed family and a young teenager (Rebecca Quinn), who feels isolated because of it. Her feeling of acceptance drives a wedge between her family (Christian Sjogren, Kristen Jones and Keely Mason) and her.

The plot thickens when she receives an acceptance letter from a pristine dance studio in New York City, and her parents don’t let her go. In a daze of rage due to the evil tricks of the devil (Bailee Cudmore), the young dancer leaves her family to follow her dreams.

The tumult begins with this runaway being late to her first dance class and amplifies into a broken life of parties and drinking. At her lowest point, she is passed out on the street, finding that the things she strived to attain left her with nothing. She resolves to return home, but not without a final battle with the devil. She slays Satan and is accepted into her home once again.

In an interview before the show, dancers Bailee Cudmore and Rebecca Quinn were asked how people will react towards the dance concert, Rebecca Quinn said, “I believe people will have a positive reaction toward the show and my character personally (the prodigal daughter/ young dancer). I believe that the spirit of God will defiantly move the audience.” Bailee Cudmore responded, “We have been rehearsing since the very beginning of August to ensure that the dance concert is all it can possibly be, and I believe we all have done our best and I feel the audience will love every second of the show!”

After the show, many CCA students were moved deeply.  Senior Cristina Pimenta said, “I thought it was very powerful, and sad. I think people will be able to relate to it well.” Also Sophomore, Chris Vendrell said, “I think the dance concert is a very good performance that really enlightened us and let us have hope that anyone can come to Christ no matter what you’ve done!”

In closing, the dance concert was a wonderful performance with a wonderful message. Congratulations to the cast and the crew on a job well done.

“The community will probably remember the play, but we can do it again now that we have our own space. It’ll be a completely different show,” says high school drama teacher, Lisa Flay, who will be directing the cast and crew along side secondary vice-principal, Tim Flay.

The show opens Friday, November 11 at 7:30pm, with a Saturday with a matinee showing at 1:30pm, and a final show at 8 that night. Tickets will soon be available for purchase! So bring your friends, bring your family, and get ready for what will be a spectacular production.

Music teachers Mr. Joey Baham and Mrs. Tammi Pettingell

Toward the middle of the school year, God has called Mr. McCaw, previous middle and high school Chorus teacher,  over to Ocean’s Edge School. So, who would be teaching the CCA chorus classes? Students wanted to know. We went behind the scenes and deep into the CCA Performing Arts arena to find out.  The following is an exclusive interview with CCA’s new music teachers,  Mrs. Tami Pettingell and Mr. Joey Baham.

Interview with Mrs. Tami Pettingell

AKG: Did you study music in college, and if so, where?

TP: I went to BCC for two years and then spent three years at Palm Beach Atlantic University. I started as a music major and took all my singing classes, ensemble classes, music theory classes, and all my teaching classes. But I developed nodules on my vocal cords, and I had to go on vocal rest for three months. That made it hard to be a singer/music major, so I figured that God had another plan. I changed my major from music to education, since I had been planning to use my major and finished most of my music degree as well.

AKG: How did music start becoming a part of your life?

TP: Well, I took chorus classes all the time, I sang in church choirs and music choirs, and everything about it appealed to me; the friendships, the camaraderie, all giving me new words to worship the Lord. It gave me a new appreciation for the words, the beauty of the melody and of intricate harmonies.

AKG: How did God lead you to Calvary?

TP: When she was still in middle school, my oldest daughter transferred from Bethany, and went to Pine Crest. She wanted to leave that school because she really wanted to go to a Christian school. Because her best friend, Grace Tacquard, was a student here, we toured the school and absolutely fell in love with it. She said that in two months here she made more friends than she ever did in her five years in Pine Crest. And when the rest of my kids outgrew Bethany, since it stopped at middle school, I came back and toured again. Five minutes within the tour I knew that God wanted all of us here at Calvary. And eventually we moved all four of our remaining kids here.

AKG: What were you doing before you made the crossover to teaching middle/high school chorus classes?

TP: I was working in the Fine Arts Office assisting Sheri Hecocks with productions. I was the musical director for Annie, I directed a kids choir for church at Christmas time, as well as the kids choir for Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. I did shopping for props and costumes for plays, kept the budgets for the plays, and I was a substitute teacher for music classes.

AKG: What exactly are you doing in the high school classes?

TP: I’ll be working on the music theory and the advanced music theory in class, as well as teaching the parts. Meanwhile, Joey will be working on more of the performance aspect of it; the conducting, and the polishing of the songs.

AKG: Will this be the same set up next year?

TP: Yes, it will. We really enjoy working together and it seems like a good use of both our talents. We have a different set of strengths and different musical abilities that we bring to the table.

AKG: Anything you would like to add?

TP: Well, I wasn’t expecting this. When I first got a job here, they offered me a teaching position because of all my teaching credentials. I said no, because I didn’t feel called at all to the classroom. I didn’t understand why, since I love it so much. But looking back I realized that if I had taken a teaching job, I would have been far, far removed from this.

Interview with Mr. Joey Baham

AKG: Where are you from?

JB: I am from Carson, California.

AKG: Did you study music in college?

J.B. No, I actually was never formally educated in music through college, even though I’ve been doing it all my life. It’s more of learning by experience.

AKG: How did God lead you to Calvary?

JB: I got tricked into coming to Calvary on a Wednesday night. A friend of mine asked me what I was doing, and me thinking that we were going to head to a club, I said, “no I’m not doing anything, let’s go hang out!” It was back when we were doing late night services here, so at eight thirty and night I ended up at a warehouse. I saw this guy who looked like Martin Short, up there preaching, and I was like, “whoa, this is kind of funny!” But I enjoyed the service and the music, and I’ve been here ever since—about eighteen years ago.

AKG: What were you doing before you made the crossover helping high school chorus classes?

JB: I am the choir director at the Calvary Chapel church. I just brought that over to the high school and started helping out. So I went from teaching adults, to teenagers.

AKG: So, what prompted this crossover?

JB: One time I was asked to take over a class while the teacher was going out of town. So, Pastor Clay and I went down and just worked on a couple songs with the kids and I ended up really enjoying it. Later I was asked if I wanted to take over for the teacher, since he was going to be working full time with Ocean’s Edge. It just worked out that I was able to fill in and teach the high school classes.

AKG: Will this set up continue next year?

JB: Most definitely. I plan on teaching as long as God allows.

AKG: So you’re teaching all the high school classes along with Mrs. Tami?

JB: Absolutely—not like math or science, but Chorus high school classes.

AKG: What exactly are you doing with them? Like teaching different styles and genres and stuff like that?

JB: I am trying to bring more of worship songs into what we’re doing, as well as music theory and choral type of stuff. But believing that our mission statement is to make disciples, I believe that we can do that through music. That’s an area that everybody listens to, and everybody is captured by. So I think that if we incorporate some of the choral stuff, get in some worship and gospel, we can break out of the four walls of the campus and reach more people. We can capture them with music, and give them the Gospel through music.

Spring Choral Concert

By Alexandra Gomez

On Friday, May 13 CCA presented the “Spring Chorus Concert”, an evening of worship and music that featured our middle and high school choruses showcased original work by high school Endorsement students. Twenty-six songs were performed, including the songs of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice in “Disney Dazzle,” an arrangement of nine Disney favorites performed by the middle school chorus and dancers. Other performances included various solo pieces, ACSI Superior-rated songs, and four worship songs performed with the worship band made up of Joey Frevola, Stephen Peters, Josh Agarth, L.J. Dutton, and Taylor Hecocks.

In addition to the musical items, “Alive,” a student film written, directed, and edited by Jacob Kaufman was also presented. “Alive” was awarded “Best Film” and “Best Director” in the CCA 2010 Film Festival, and second place in the Student Film category at the Palm Beach International Film Festival earlier this year.

“I think the concert was a huge success,” says Sheri Hecocks. “The students were able to use their gifts and talents to not only entertain the audience, but to glorify God.”

The audience responded with thunderous applause and standing ovations as the concert closed with the four worship songs. “Any time we are able to lead the people back to Jesus we have done what He has asked us to do,” she said.

Spring Band Concert

by Austin McBride

This past May 17, in the Calvary Chapel theatre, CCA showcased the middle and high school Spring Band Concert. There were multiple performances including solos, ensembles, and full band pieces.

The highlights of the night were “Bashin’,” a high school percussion ensemble by Chris Crockerell, “Cliffs of Doves,” an electric guitar solo by Eric Johnson and played by Joey Frevola; as well as “Leave That Thing Alone,” an electric guitar and bass duet by Rush and played by Joey and Jon Frevola, “Venice” by Chris Botti and played by David Salvatelli on trumpet, Mike Havens on electric guitar. And finally, “Furioso and Valse in D Minor,” a marimba solo by Earl Hatch, played by Taylor Hecocks.

The curtain opened on a Sunday school class who received an incredible lesson on the life of Joseph. The narrators were actually dressed as Sunday school teachers who guided the class on an amazing journey. Through song, the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat told the story of Joseph’s life, and how God was with him the whole time.

Michelle Mihalko, sophomore at CCA, said: “I thought that Johnny Jones did a tremendous job, he’s just so great vocally and choreographically. You can tell that God has really blessed him in this area.”

I agreed with remarks as people exited the theatre, like “I didn’t expect it to be a comedy.” Neither did I! But as I left my sides were still hurting from laughing so much at some over-the-top costumes and hilarious songs. There were songs of all genres, from “One More Angel in Heaven” which had a country twang to “Benjamin Calypso” with a Jamaican theme.

When I woke up the next day, the disco vibe song “Go, Go, Go, Joseph,” was stuck in my head. I was not alone.  “Joseph is a play that makes you want to get up and dance!” said Sarah Florio, a fourth grader at CCA.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat set out to impress, and the performance was spectacular. There was a new surprise in every scene, the vocals were impressive, and the lines were surprisingly funny. Mr. Tim Flay, the director of the show says, “I don’t know who had more fun during Joseph, us or the audience. It was a very difficult production, but we had a lot of fun as a family putting it together. It was also great fun working with such a talented creative team. I was very proud of the cast and crew.”