This year, CCA’s winter musical, The Wizard of Oz, was entered into the Cappies and received six different nominations! The nominees were: senior Kim Kelly for best supporting actress in a musical, junior Erika Toderic for best female vocalist, senior Shannon Anderson for best female dancer, senior Ben Sturman for best featured actor in a musical, Mike Hornsby, Kyle Lackore, and Pierce Gainey for lighting, and Robert diScipio, Esteban Dager, Mike Hornsby, and Cameron Kostoff for stage crew.

The gala took place on Tuesday, May 18, at the Broward Center for Performing Arts. The evening consisted of nominated performances for best musicals and the announcement of awards to winning nominees. “It was a great way to experience and appreciate all the hard work from other high schools,” said Oz’s Director, Mrs. Lisa Flay.

Next Monday, May 17, the Middle School Chorus and Band, together with the High School Band will be presenting songs from the past with changed lyrics that glorify God and present the gospel message of Jesus Christ to tunes such as Rockin’ Robin and Under the Boardwalk.

The singers and players will also perform music pieces that were adjudicated at the ACSI Music Festival and the District 15 Music Performance Assessment that earned both their departments a Superior ratings.  Finally, we will lift up new songs before our God as a fragrant offering to the One who is worthy of all honor and praise.  It will be a concert you and your family won’t want to miss!

The Fine Arts Endorsement Track is very artistically rigorous in nature, but it provides students with an extended course structure not offered to the average CCA student, and helps them to prepare for specialized studies in the area of interest. Increased potential for school to career course exploration, college admission, and scholarship opportunities are only some of the benefits.

The CCA Fine Arts Endorsement was created to do “a combination of three things,” says the Fine Arts Director Tim Flay. “When we looked at how God blessed CCA with outstanding facilities, talented faculty, and incredible gifted students, it seemed obvious that God was calling us to do more with what He had given us.”

“Dance is my way of giving back to the Lord and worshipping Him for the talents that He’s blessed me with. It brings me so much joy to be able to use my gifts to glorify Him and share that joy with other people,” says dancer Kelsey Thomas.

She, as well as other dancers who are coming back, have a different perspective of the show.  “I am now an experienced dancer , but more than that, I can truly understand the meaning behind the dances and the power of the story it portrays about the creation of the world. We are a part of that creation,” says Thomas.

Creation is a breathtaking adventure through the book of Genesis that an audience of all ages will be able to enjoy! Come witness the excitement of a concert in dance at the Calvary Chapel Theater on Friday, March 19 at 7:30pm, Saturday, March 20 at 1:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sunday, March 21 at 3:00pm. Tickets range form $10, $15, and $20 and are on sale now at http://www.ccaeagles.org under Fine Arts.

From silly scarecrows, to less than flexible tin men, to cowardly lions, “The Wizard of Oz,” left its audience in a state of wonder. Even minutes after the first scene, when we were still in Kansas with its black and white theme, the audience’s reaction to the acting, the sets, and special effects was apparent.  “I can’t believe this is a school production,” said one spectator, while another didn’t miss the opportunity during the show’s 15-minute intermission to spread the word via text with four simple words:  “Come see the show!”

The land of Oz was expertly brought to the Calvary Chapel Theatre on January 28 through 31 to a sold out crowd.  Students worked hard before and behind the scenes, delivering the all-time classic lines, plus well designed, colorful sets, and special effects right on cue, including Toto, the adorable little dog played by Angel Vazquez. That took precision, but more than anything, it took collaboration from everyone involved in the show. “I think the way that the first and the twelfth graders worked together as one body to pull this off was the greatest part of the production,” said CCA Fine Arts Director, Tim Flay.

The story unfolds as Dorothy, played superbly by Junior, Erika Toderic, finds herself “somewhere over the rainbow” and into the new and exciting land of Oz, where she meets cute little munchkins (elementary/middle school students), the nasty Wicked Witch of the West (Kim Kelly), and her new friends: Scarecrow (Taylor Hecocks), Tin Man (Jordan Glindomrong), and the Cowardly Lion (David Greenberg).  Glinda, the Good Witch, (Suzi Trick) sends Dorothy on a quest to find the Wizard of Oz (Ben Sturman) in Emerald City, by way of the yellow brick road. But the journey is not without dangers; the Wicked Witch of the West makes sure of it.

The story has a happy ending though, as Dorothy discovers that the power to go home was always with her, in her red slippers. This musical was funny, colorful, excellently done, but more than anything, it was a great gospel message to all people. “I would rate this play five stars for the awesome talent of the performers, the creativity, and the biblical referencing. It was all amazing,” said Cathryn Knapp, a CCA student. “Dorothy was right, there is no place like home. Just like there is nothing like Jesus Christ. He is the one who takes us home, ” added Abby Summers, another CCA student.

“We have little directors notes in everything that we do, and in those directors notes, we write what the story has been about from our Christian perspective,” said Tim Flay. “The truth is we are not in Kansas anymore; we are in the real world. But for Dorothy, that journey home is what it is all about. And for most of us, that voyage home is what it is all about. When Dorothy found herself in Oz, she had a path that she had to take. It was quite a journey, and on that journey she encountered many dangers, and many perils. But no matter what she did, even if it was to try to find her way home in a wizard that was a fraud, she found her way home—in a pair of ruby slippers. And for many of us, we have found our journey, on that red, ruby blood that was shed for us so that we could know of our eternal home sweet home.”

At the end of the last act, the audience was left with a simple message: home in Jesus Christ is not far, not far at all. We just have to know where to look.

For details on showings and tickets, please go to www.ccaeagles.org/finearts.

FADE In: FOCUS.

FOCUS is a monthly show provided by the Digital Video Production classes here at CCA, which are taught by Secondary Media teacher, Rick Negron. The show spotlights five areas of the school each month, allowing us to experience those things the student body missed or didn’t even know about. Each episode is composed of short video clips, outlining the five major stories, including special reports and interviews.

Negron oversees the production, but it is the students that run the show from pre-production to post production.  A lot of work goes into an actual episode, and Negron makes sure his class is equipped with all the basics, teaching them all the production elements: lights, cameras, pictures, reporting, interviewing, and editing.

Each story is developed by three or four students, and they’re given a package with most of the things they’ll need to cover each segment or story. On an average, it takes about four to eight hours to produce a segment, which is equivalent to about two weeks in class. Post production comes next, and according to Negron, they spend about four hours editing and slicing the stories, completing the whole picture or episode.

Each package has its own system, and the three to four students take on different roles. There is the producer, who is the organizer in the group that arranges the interviews, comes up with pictures, and provides any extra information to the story, sometimes even acting as the reporter. There is also the camera person, who does the entire camera work for the story, taping the reporter as he or she narrates the pre-written story. Then there is the editor, who puts the whole story together with any effects that are needed. With everyone’s roles filled out, the segment is done and perfected long before it airs.

It’s not only the digital video production class that makes an episode though—anyone else can get involved. The show needs hosts to name the top stories that are going to be shown in the episode, or help out in any way they can. But they will need to be shown how to do things before they can get involved and get some experience before they get in front of the camera.

This will be the second year of FOCUS, and the first year of it standing alone. FOCUS grew out of the CCA show E.T.V, which was an all-school show for grades K-12. E.T.V went on for three years, and excited the younger kids at CCA.

“It was quite funny having E.T.V when the smaller grades were put in because they would come home and tell their parents, thinking they were on live broadcasted television,” adds Rick Negron.

E.T.V’s last production was last year alongside FOCUS, making FOCUS now the main show of secondary CCA, only broadcasting and spotlighting on the high school. According to Rick Negron, it has become a lot more organized since last year, with less chaos involved and a more evenly-spaced pace and system.

FOCUS is a great way to update the CCA high school, and is shown once a month during Friday Chapel. It can also be viewed on Facebook, along with all the previous episodes on the CCA FOCUS page.

Don’t forget to check out this amazing show and to keep yourself updated with your school!

“No matter how hard the enemy will fight against what we are doing for the Lord’s message, we will fight back harder. As long as Satan is trying to twiddle his way into our plans for performing a show that will enlighten, and possibly save, those in the audience watching, we shall thank God for it, for nothing so far has gone wrong, and we’re still standing.”

The students walked out of the Black Box, feeling empowered by their director’s encouraging words. They will not back down, and they will succeed in living through Christ and performing for Him. Tim Flay and the cast of the well-anticipated Wizard of Oz is ready to fight back against the enemy and whatever he has up his sleeve. Now, get a glimpse of who Tim Flay, the director of the Fine Arts department, really is—in his own words.

CW:  How long have you been in the CCA family?
TF: This is my fourth year of being within the CCA family.

CW:  What is your role here and what exactly do you do?
TF: I’m the Director of the Fine Arts. I oversee all of the CCA’s Fine Arts teachers from Pre-K through 12th grade, and I also oversee all curricular and extracurricular Fine Arts programming, productions, and clubs.

CW: When did you realize that your passion was within the fine arts?
TF: God intervened in my life.  I was heading to the United States Military at West Point when my High School guidance counselor realized that I was missing a Fine Arts credit to graduate.  I took Drama because a friend of mine was in it.  I got hooked on it, God started to move in some crazy ways in my life, and the next thing I knew, I had a fully paid scholarship to study Drama and was medically unable to attend West Point due to a medical rule from the Civil War.  His ways are not our ways.

CW:  What are the rewards and struggles of being head of the Fine Arts?
TF: The rewards of being Head in the Fine Arts:  getting to see God’s hand in all the behind-the scenes-things and seeing the gifts and talents of the students explode artistically as they discover what skills God has blessed them with. The Struggles include moving God’s plan for CCA Fine Arts ahead while navigating the inherent pitfalls and struggles that can often occur in the Fine Arts. The enemy will attack whenever the Gospel is going forward.

CW:  When did you get saved?
TF: I got saved when I was twelve by my youth group pastor. I was raised in a Christian home, but it wasn’t until then that it really crystallized for me what it meant to be a believer.

CW: Whats the best advice you think you can give to the students of CCA?
TF:  I gave this advice to a departing senior going to college, but I think it’s helpful for all of us: Do not become complacent (not work too hard, just sit back and relax, unworried, smug, lazy, feel that everything is done for you and you don’t have to do anything) in any area of your life spiritually, relationship-wise, and in your work. Whenever complacency creeps into our lives, we find ourselves wholly unprepared for the consequences.

CW:  Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to add?
TF:  Working here has been my third profession. Before I worked in education, I had a short stint as an actor, and then in television media production.  I have been married to Mrs. Flay for 17 years; we met in college.  We have two wonderful children: Timmy, 10, and Lindsey, 6.

To read or not to read… yes, that is that proverbial question students often ask themselves, only to find that reading is much more than a consistent exercise to gain knowledge. It is a window to other cultures, people and environment, and a way to increase their vocabulary.  To some, reading is a task, while for others it is an art—an enjoyment that can be learned just like music appreciation. 

“Reading fantasy, poetry and novels gives us an appreciation of God-given talents in others,” says Kathryn Nguyen, CCA’s library media specialist. “Reading is important as a primary source of communication, and of course, God’s Word is the most important of them all. To enjoy reading in all its forms leads to a greater love and understanding of God’s written word.”

While God’s Word is a manual, a love song from our Creator, what do other books offer? And, what makes one selection better than the rest?  It’s the opinion of some educators and the like, that the question is not found in a particular selection or genre, but within a variety of choices. “In reading different genres, we can discover more about ourselves and more about the world around us,” explains Mary Kavanaugh, CCA’s elementary librarian, who says that what you read affects the kind of person you will be in years to come. “Reading is foundational for life and extremely influential. I love to foster a love for reading, so that students will then in turn love to read the Word of God.  If they don’t like reading, they probably will not be thrilled about reading their Bible.”

Good point, and yet, even though librarians and teachers have done their best to make reading more enjoyable for young readers by providing them with a good variety of books, they have noticed throughout the years that students like reading less and less. “What would make students read more is deciding on something they were interested in and that they can read without it being required. That way they can enjoy (reading) and not think about grades,” says tenth grade Bible teacher, Mr. Bill Schott. “Some students hate reading because they got too accustomed to watching TV and getting information without having to invest themselves. In the age of computers and the Internet, it’s a lot harder to read books.”

On a national survey taken last week by the New York Times, most of the results said that teenagers dislike reading text books, but enjoy reading novels and magazines. “You can learn different life lessons from reading novels,” says CCA Junior, Kelly Binder, who enjoys fiction over other types of books. But, for the average teenager who is still stuck on that proverbial phrase—to read or not to read—here’s a challenge for you: next time you wish to go on a lively adventure, don’t just play a video game or chat on the Internet… open a book. Whether it is a biology text book or a Frank Peretti novel, you’ll never know where a book can take you. Give reading another chance and learn of the magic and power of words. Rediscover material you never knew.

For some cool reads, check out your school or local library, or browse the Internet, where you’ll find places like Amazon.com and Teenreads.com with great selections. And remember: make wise choices, because reading is a key to understanding, and a step to intellectual growth.

Write to us at themessenger_editor@ccaeagles.org.  Tells us what you and other teenagers are reading!

Mr. Boone, high school Radio teacher, has been dreaming of making this a reality for several years. And now, the seventeen students in his class will have the opportunity to put to practice everything they have learned. They will record radio commercials, broadcast sports games, and have live talk shows. The students will also select the music and news while learning to use their gifts and talents to grab the ears of their listeners and clearly present the student body with up-to-date information.

The school announcements will be broadcasted daily, so parents can listen in and get caught up on their child’s school life. Everything from sermon clips to whether school will be canceled or not because of hurricanes, will be announced on the station.

Initially, the station will only run during school hours, but the goal is to have it running 24/7. Though there is no official air date yet, it is anticipated that the station will be hitting the airwaves sometime in October. Mr. Flay, CCA’s Director of Fine Arts says that, “This will be something the whole school can embrace; everybody can get involved in some form or fashion.”

Not only will this be a big splash in the CCA community, but Mr. Boone has another motive. He says, “The ultimate goal is to be an outreach to the community; to be impactful.”

 Through the radio, CCA will have an amazing, spirit-filled opportunity to reach out to the community because of its public accessibility through ITunes and the CCA website. As we celebrate the tenth year anniversary of the birth of CCA, we will also be riding the radio waves of technology into a new outreach ministry.