With our hearts eagerly anticipating the moment where we will finally toss our caps up in the air and receive our diplomas, CCA’s fourth graduating class will soon set foot on the fresh, unmarked soil of new territory.  After one year, or even ten years, of having attended Calvary, each senior will have left their own footprints of legacy. Some of us might be remembered as having been a star athlete, an honor roll student or a gifted thespian. But some of us might be hesitant to glance back over our shoulder and see the footprints in our past. As seniors, we desire and hope to be remembered as . . .

“Someone who glorified God by using the gifts He gave me, like dance. . .”

“Someone who worked hard in school but still tried to find time to reach out to younger students. . .”

“Someone that people could look up to. . .”

“Someone who not only had a voice, but someone who used it. . .”

We want to be known as people of honor who bring smiles to the faces of people when they remember our legacy.  But maybe we didn’t leave the legacy we hoped we would. As one anonymous CCA senior said, “I wish I had made more of an impact.” Many of us have regrets about our high school years, about what we did or did not do. But thankfully, it has now become a part of the past, and Christ promises us hope for tomorrow.

College isn’t about our majors, our careers or about meeting our future spouses. It is an opportunity, a gift from God where we can start afresh and create a new set of redemptive footprints. This is our chance. What will we do with it? There are two options: One is to try our hardest to walk in a perfect line, and simply hope that somehow we’ll get it right. The other is to admit that we cannot do it alone, and then watch how Christ will guide our every step when we have surrendered to Him.

Take hope in the fact that He says to “forget the former things and do not dwell on the past,” for He is doing a “new thing,” a new work in our lives. Yes, we will fail daily, but we can trust in His mercies that are made new to us every morning. As we venture out into new territory, remember that this is our opportunity to, with His help, leave a new legacy of footprints behind us.

From elementary school to middle school
For those of us who have seen the progression of elementary students crossing the bridge to the “other side of the campus,” perhaps you are likely to view this experience not as a train ride but as a step—taken from one side of a bridge to the other. As you cross it, you find yourself on secondary school terrain. Scary?  According to Secondary Principal, Rob Lofthouse, moving up grades isn’t meant to be scary, but exciting. He says, “Be confident and enjoy the year, it is just a small steppingstone to middle school.”

From middle school to high school
Now, if you are an eighth grader, the adventure you’re about to embark on is not just a step, but a giant leap! Don’t be afraid. That leap certainly sounds much higher than it really is. For one thing, your days of poster projects are behind you. But then again, your days of writing papers have just increased! Papers, papers, papers. Did we say papers? So, sharpen your writing skills over the summer. You’ll be glad you did.

Sign up for a writing class over the summer, where you will learn writing techniques, practicing the craft in a multitude of forms. Check out the Creative Writing class insert in this publication for more information. This class, as well as other similar ones, will be extremely valuable as you take your SATs, PSAT’s, and begin applying for colleges and universities during your senior year. Yes, that sounds like millions of years away, but four years go by rather quickly while you’re busy having fun. For your high school years will be that. They may be challenging, but they may be some of the best years of your life.

KEY LESSONS: take the clutter out of your life. Learn to prioritize. Sharpen your study skills. Write well, write often! Not just for school but rather, for fun! Learn to be true to your word. Don’t over-commit yourself. When you commit, let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no. Say what you want to say, but learn to think first. Place God in the center of all things. Be bold. Share your faith. Love unconditionally.

Should eighth graders get excited about high school? Absolutely! Should fifth graders cross that bridge with their eyes wide open. Oh, yeah! Clearly, graduation is a big but exciting step or giant leap, depending on how you look at it. But whether you’re going from elementary to middle school or from middle school to high school, there are four key things you must remember:

Change is certain.

You will be challenged.  So, stay focused.

Loving God over all things is not just the smart thing to do, it’s a commandment.

Loving others like yourself is not just a good phrase—it’s God’s Word. Keep it. Learn it. Apply it.

Success. Kaley Groeneveld, Danielle Germaine and Alex Garcia see their hard work paying off.

What do a track and field athlete and a film enthusiast have in common? They both received the Principal’s Honor Roll, the President’s Academic Award of Excellence, and the Citizenship Award at CCA’s High School Awards Night on May 4, in the Calvary Chapel Theatre. Like seniors Tina Carberry and Daniel Poeana, many others received similar awards,  showing us that believing in achieving academic excellence certainly reaps huge rewards.

But don’t let their easy stride fool you. As a high school student, it isn’t easy to consistently maintain a standing on the honor roll. And even though teachers and family play a large part in your academic achievements, it’s ultimately up to you to keep your grade point average on the rise. This is what opens doors to scholarships, college acceptances, and future careers. It won’t stop there, though. Next, you’ll encounter a series of goals to reach—learning to master your career and God-given talents; building good relationships, and growing into the person God has called you to be. Although you may experience some challenging times along the way, the effort you place in academics will greatly help you later on in life.  In this exclusive interview, Tina and Daniel reflected on their academic journeys here at CCA. You’ll find their words of wisdom to be of great value. Read on…

CCA Weekly (CW): How exactly did you acomplish your achievements?
Tina Carberry (TC): By studying and working hard. I learned a lot about priorities this year. After the Lord, schoolwork comes first and then everything else, like watching TV or hanging out with my friends. It’s a good work ethic to have, especially before starting college.

Daniel Poeana (DP): The Principal’s Honor Roll is a testament to God’s blessing and all the hard work I put in this year. I became more serious about prioritizing—knowing what I needed to do in order to get to where I wanted to be. The President’s Award was given to me as an overall award for everything I’ve done throughout high school.  I achieved the Silver Nights Award nomination for Social Studies because it’s a subject I’ve always excelled at, especially in Mrs. Perrin’s class. History isn’t just about the people and the dates; it goes beyond that. It’s understanding how these events link together to bring us here to this point in time.

CW: What advice can you leave CCA students so they too can achieve similar awards?
TC: Don’t give up before trying.  God can and will take you places you could never even imagine.
DP: Keep your goals in the front of your mind or else you’ll get lost.  Come home, turn off the TV, push all the distractions aside, and then sit down and do what you have to do.

Mrs. Sandy Perrin, Daniel Poeana’s History Teacher for the past four years, gave us a few words about Daniel’s character:

CW: What kind of student is Daniel?
Mrs. Sandy Perrin (SP): Absolutely awesome. He was always ready for class every day and handed in extremely thorough, in depth work. His knowledge in history is absolutely incredible.

CW: Why did you nominate him for the Silver Knight Academic Award in Social Studies?
SP: Because I rarely meet a student like Daniel who has such a good grasp of the big picture of history. Global history marks his thinking. He understands the fine points of history. He’s also done very well for me in government honors classes, two college level courses, an Advanced Placemebt U.S. course, and a Western Civilization course.  Out of all the students I have taught this year, he has the best grasp of history.

CW: What makes a student succeed in academics while others fail?
SP: They have to want to do well. And they do it by setting their own pace and understanding that they’re doing it for themselves.  They have to want it— to be able to make sacrifices in order to get good grades. Daniel is willing to go for it. He sees the big picture and strives for excellence. He wants more, for life, for when he graduates, and his goals for after his graduation are phenomenal. He wants to be the influencer, and he influences well.

CW: What advice can you give to CCA students so that they can achieve accomplishments throughout their high school careers and beyond?
SP: You have to want it, realize it takes work, and be willing to put in the time. I would challenge students to decide what they really want in life, to discover their passion, and then go for it with everything they’ve got.

The bottom line is this— if you want something bad enough, go for it.  Whether it’s in academics or any other area, first seek God’s wisdom and be willing to give everything you’ve got—time, effort, sacrifice—to reach that goal, no matter what. God will lead the way and He can certainly take you anywhere. But a desire to do something, it’s simply not enough.  Action is required.

“These students are incredible. But I hope they leave the legacy that you might not always be the most talented group, or you might not have the best voice, but hard work can get you where you want to be.”

That parent nailed it. I think if we had had time, I would have offered this reply:

Hard work can definitely get you far. And every person who hopes to leave a good legacy should also know that the effort doesn’t stop once a high achievement has been attained or once their high school career is done. The rest of that person’s story, of course, evolves over time. Successful high school students, who are now CCA alumni, will tell you that a good legacy, just like a good book, takes time to write, with a good dose of perseverance, tenacity, effort, and the willingness to be corrected by God and those people He’s placed in your life. But
unlike a book, a person’s life is not meant to be simply read lightly, lest we miss that person’s heart as we flippantly turn the pages over a hot caramel latté.  No, a person’s life is meant to be studied carefully, because there may be hidden lessons between the lines that could offer us a chance to edit our own lives.

In years to come, when we look at the CCA alumni from the Class of 2010 and ask, “So, what’s your story?”  We hope each of them has a good story to tell, because we expect good things from each and every one of them. We pray their hard work turned into bestsellers, unencumbered with unnecessary re-writes or unfinished drafts that were left collecting dust on a cluttered desk in an unused room; a book filled with good words strung together by seasoned wordsmiths, whose works prompted us to spread the word that it was a good read.

As I listened to the beautiful voices and music coming from the stage, that parent’s comment resonated in mind. I looked over. She smiled. Little did she know how her words had inspired me to write this editorial note to you. After all, Legacy is the theme of this Graduation Issue. Just then, my daughter’s beautiful singing voice interrupted my thoughts. I was blown away by her performance, knowing full well all the hard work that she had poured into that song—all the days—all the seasons—that had led to that night. It had not been in vain. And now, she, along with her peers was glorifying God with eyes closed and hands held high!

Later that night, I thought of a friend long gone. Her hard work took her far. And it was her reliance on God that carried her to her eternal home. And so, I thought: God takes your hard work and your willing heart and takes you to places you never imagined or hoped for.  I’ve seen it in my class, with my awesome band of journalists! This past year, there were times when deadlines were tough to meet. When stories were hard to write and interviews were harder to conduct. Sometimes circumstances made us re-think an issue that we had already “put to bed” (journalism talk for “sent to print!”). But tenacity and willingness to bend to God’s will was key. Lazy people quit. Successful individuals don’t. That’s a lesson I hope my students learned this year. Yes, I know… that’s a hard lesson to learn at such a young age. But that’s life.  Better they learn it now in the comfort of a light-touch school newsroom than later, under the hard city lights.

In this special edition of The CCA Weekly, we’ve brought together some of the best voices from the Class of 2010 that have appeared in our publication the last three years, and many others from different grades. Their stories are not finished, so don’t forget to write their names and store them in your heart. And as you pray, lift them up! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and provision. Give Him thanks for our incredible kids and for the time that He’s given us with them.

In the meantime, enjoy a good read.

Grace & Peace,

Maritza Cosano Gomez
Editor-in-Chief

There is a long history between Calvary Merida and Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, but no one trip is the same. I cannot tell you what to expect because I really don’t know. God is creative, and He will find a place in His plan for your class. We cannot fit God into our plan as well as He can fit us into His, so let flexibility and spontaneity rule. For a week, you could be an actor, a singer, a basketball player, a painter, but it’s guaranteed that whoever you were when you left, you won’t be any more. The God that is crucified, risen, and living in His followers is not status quo. Neither is His Body.

Ultimately, it’s simple: you cannot prepare your mind. There are names, faces, and places that will be revealed to you, every detail adding another color to the mental picture of Mexico you won’t be able to forget. But you can prepare your heart.

How can anyone understand a legacy they have not yet inherited? The richness, the fullness of a gift still to be received? There is nothing I can tell you but this: be ready, but even that won’t be enough. No one can truly “be ready” for the unknown, and I promise, you will be thrown wildly off course.

You are going to see a different country, culture, and people. You are going to speak another language, eat different foods, do things you never thought you could, but none of it changes the God who sent you. Nothing else will make sense but Him. You will be forced to leave every barrier behind, any comfortable limit, and it will feel as natural as breathing.

In a world you cannot recognize, the God you thought you fully understood is going to show you how little you understood even about yourself. Did you know that you can pet an alligator? Did you know that you can hold a conversation in awkward Spanglish and still get your message across? Did you know that you can fall in love with a family it took you seventeen years and a missions trip to find? Did you know that the God you serve has no borders, no boundaries? Guess what? Neither do you.

So be ready.

Taylor Gushue. Breaking records and creating a legacy of his own at CCA.

With each graduating CCA class, there’s another year marked with memorable and powerful legacies left behind by CCA senior athletes. With God’s strength and wisdom, and with their coaches’ direction, these athletes have helped defined what athletics at CCA truly is—a program that measures success, not by a line of scores, but by looking at how they [players and coaches] effectively shared the gospel after each win or loss.

Our senior athletes have also helped raise the competitiveness of the teams, handing off the baton to the next player in line—mentoring them and equipping them for the next season. At the same time,  the new and current athletes have taken off running towards the goal, expanding the athletics program to new heights. And through each step, giving all the glory to God.

Senior, Kaylee Groeneveld said, “I am so proud of the graduates this year. The volleyball team for one, had a great season and our younger players will rise up next year.”  To sum up the senior accomplishments, Coach Barry Cantrell said that his senior track athletes have “put together a tremendous example for the potential our team has in years to come.”

The “years to come” can have spectacular results in store, as each member of the next incoming classes has the ability to continue the winning nature of athletics, and make the Eagles exponentially stronger in competition. The view for all sports next year is highly optimistic, and the story will continue!

And now, as I write my final contribution to the paper and count down the days until I walk across the stage on May 28 to receive my high school diploma, I remember alumnus and former staff writer Laura Foreman’s words that preceded our very first edition of our online paper, The Messenger: “The CCA Weekly has come a long way!” From those stapled, pictureless, letterhead handouts to an online, internationally accessible high school paper…this newsroom is not only expanding, but also revolutionizing the legacy of once-boring, “has been” high school papers. Even more impacting is our purpose: “Writing His Message.”

Senior staff writers, Joe Rogers, Rebecca Urrutia, and myself, may be leaving the paper behind, but our identity as His Messengers will remain intact. We have felt the burden of communicating God’s truths to our classmates and have even seen the impact it has made. But as we go off into the next chapter of our lives’ editions, the message of Christ stays with us, and the call to communicate it rings on. We are reminded, as our class verse Philippians 1:20 says, that we “will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

Thank you, faithful readers, for your prayers and support and we, as the CCA Weekly Staff, pray that you too will continue to advance His Message wherever you are.

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.

My trip to Israel wasn’t a missions trip, but a tour of the Holy Land. Before I left, I wasn’t sure if I would be “life-changed” as most are after such a trip, but I was hoping to find something—perhaps a change of heart, a better relationship with my Savior? I found both.

I also found myself fascinated by this country—with its rich history, bound not in scripts and scrolls, but in tangible places like the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed those who came to be cured; and actual artifacts left behind, as a testament that what’s in the Bible is real. And they are! The Bible stories that I had been reading for so long suddenly became real to me, and the settings were some of the most beautiful places I’ve seen.

The first day, we were taken to a place called Joppa, also known as Jaffa. It was a city with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. But that was not all, as the biblical reference to Joppa reminded me of Jonah 1:3, which says, “But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tar shish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tar shish to flee from the LORD.” After hearing that this was the port that Jonah sailed from, I immediately felt connected with God’s Word.

One particular place that affected me was the Garden Tomb. Although not completely proven, there was much evidence pointing to the burial of Jesus in this specific tomb. It really amazed me that our King was placed in just a stone cave. This was not a proper placement for a King. As I walked in the there, I was flooded with anger that my Savior was treated with so much disrespect.

When I returned from Israel, I was overwhelmed with questions from others wanting to know all about my experience in the Holy Land. I am still having a hard time to put it all into words. Israel was an incredible experience, no doubt, but I didn’t feel as if I was measuring up to everyone’s expectations of how I should be changed. I’ve soon realized that my experience hasn’t been completely “absorbed” yet. There were a few things that happened that stuck with me immediately, but I wonder… Will God use this trip at some point in my life to speak to me? I’ll have to wait and see, but this I know: my heart changed when I walked where Jesus walked.

“The best part is when you come off the field after a touch down,” says Javin Shashhatty, varsity football quarterback, who like most CCA athletes, has experienced that high. The kind that society tries to manufacture, while God gives it freely and naturally. High energy is fueled by hard work, determination, perseverance, and a willingness to do everything for the glory of God.  And Calvary Christian Academy athletes know that high well.  They train hard and pray harder. So, it’s no wonder that Coach Kaiser says,  “The future looks bright, they continue to get better.”

On May 11, CCA varsity athletes came out dressed in their best attire to celebrate together a great season. The Eagle Award, an honor that’s presented by a coach to the best athlete of the season in his or her sport was presented to: Avery Reeder, Lena Pettingell, Stephanie Nonnemacher, Noal Picinich, Dominick Pierre, Isaac Hoza, Spencer Saliba, Austin Veith, Adam Ridenour, Hannah Oilver, Jeri-Nichole Kendall, Emily Taylor, Matt Crilly, Danel Read, Andrew Boynton, Nicholas Read, Meagan Kreisel, Michelle Giambrone, Shelbye Fink, Sarah Hallas, Vin O’ Hare, Juan Fajardo, Carli Deibel, Claudio Conte, Ben Delez, Emilio DeSilva, L.j. Dutton, Sam Cudmore, Amanda Romagnolo, Allison Blaz, Caleb Couvertier, Isabela Umana,  Kyle Whitley, and Kelsey Thomas.

Following that was the Scholar Athlete Award, which is given to the athlete with the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) in his or her team. The winners of the “Scholar Athletes Award” were: Brittany Vasquez, Brittany Pendley, Thomas Ferrari, Daniel Middlebrooks, Hannah Oliver, Jenifer Wilkie, Andrew Anderson, Allison Ridenour, Alison Taylor, Gregory Bartos, Rebecca Urutia, Nathan Sherrer, Tyler Middlebrooks, Suzi Trick, Jason Day, Isabela Gomez, Josh Rich, and Allsioin Ridenour.

To finish off the night, the Athlete of the Year Award was presented to a female and male athlete nominated by a their coach and either the Sun-Sentinel or the Miami Herald.  The winners of this award were: Deborah Gordon for the girls and Dominick Pierre for the guys.

The night turned out to be a stellar occasion as CCA students, parents, teachers, coaches, and administration sat down together and enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Grill, treasuring funny and memorable stories that had God’s thumbprint all over them.  We heard the buzz all around the room—it was an amazing season, and indeed it was.  “Awesome,” it’s how Director of Athletics, Dana Ridenour described it. “The opportunity and the relationships with the kids and parents was a privilege, and to share excitement of wins and lose, as students rally together and mature spiritually and athletically…to God be the glory!”  What else is there to say?