With Buddhism cloaking Thailand in hopelessness and secularism combined with refugees dotting the streets of Hungary, Calvary Chapel Liquid Ministries has felt the call to send spiritual aid to these locations through high school students. From June 5-15 students along with Calvary Chapel attendees will be administering to the lost in Bangkok and Udon Thani. Closely following is the Hungary excursion from June 22- July 4, which will be visiting Budapest, Hungary and Serbian cities including Cantivar and BachaTopola.

Within Hungary, there is a prolific refugee crisis. Many immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and North African countries arrive without money, nor possessions and lack a knowledge of English or Hungarian. Current Missionaries to Budapest spend time evangelizing to refugees and prostitutes.

Calvary Chapel has also established a Bible College in the heart of Hungary, which provides abundant resources to local pastors and missionaries, it has even become home to former CCA teacher, Mr. Mark Dinnen. Students going on this trip can expect to talk to full time missionaries during the Calvary Chapel Foundation’s Conference targeted to refresh Pastor’s and Missionaries in Eastern European locations. “It is just a great time for our students to meet missionaries that have given their lives to serve the Lord in their mission field.” Says youth leader and former missionary to Russia, Christabel Chuah. Following their time doing children’s ministry and outreach to refugees and the homeless alongside Calvary Chapel Budapest Missionary and Pastor Phil Metzger and his family, the team will venture to Serbia. They will be visiting Cantivar and BachaTopola during their stay and focusing on preforming and coordinating VBS for gypsy children.

But, as Stark finds out, Evil cares little for his personal problems. Iron Man’s latest foe is the Mandarin, a terrorist, decked out with rings and shrouded in mystery. The Mandarin commandeers America’s airwaves, promising the destruction of America and its people. He is credited with numerous bombings around the nation, responsible for the loss of countless lives. Although Stark wishes to help with apprehending the Mandarin, his friend Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine (Iron Man 2), and the Iron Patriot (Iron Man 3), convinces him to leave the manhunt to the government.

However, everything changes when a Chinese theater is bombed. Stark’s long-time bodyguard, Happy Hogan, is severely injured, and ends up in a coma. A furious Stark delivers a challenge to the Mandarin through the media, calling the terrorist a coward, and embarking on a harrowing quest to fight for justice and protecting those closest to him. In this journey, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has haunted him in his dreams: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

In the end, Iron Man 3 provides lots of high-flying fun thanks to the script written by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon) and the immense charisma of the quick-quipping Robert Downey Jr.

Positive Elements
When all his technology is taken away, Stark is forced to use several of his less-frequently used attributes: his brain, his ingenuity, and his relentless drive. The underlying message in the film is that technology is only as good as the people operating it.

Negative/Violent Content
The Lord’s name is taken in vain several times throughout the film.

The first of the Mandarin’s acts of terrorism we see takes place in a Chinese theatre, and most of the victims are utterly vaporized (their shadows are seen burned into the walls). The Mandarin’s bombers actually don’t use bombs: instead, they are injected with a compound that causes them to heat up from the inside until they physically explode. Heat radiates from their eyes and mouths, and bones are outlined by the intense light from within. An arm is sliced off. A man is apparently shot in the head on national television. Pepper is nearly strangled.

Sexual Content
Stark and Pepper live together, and they share a bed. A flashback shows Stark’s womanizing past, including a night with Maya Hansen, a promising young scientist.

When David, with a façade of aloofness masking his inner turmoil and conflicts, meets Lisa, seemingly innocent in her rhyming conversations and bubbly manner, slowly the walls guarding his heart crumble until he realizes that he truly cares for her, and makes his ultimate sacrifice—the decision to trust.

It is not unlike our own struggles to accept what is freely given to us: the greatest love of all. And not the song by Whitney Houston. It’s the ultimate gift Christ gives us that makes the pain and the struggle of life worthwhile.

This play’s ardent emotion moved its audience to think. It propelled us to believe that if we can change, other people can change.  Sometimes it takes courage, sometimes it takes love and sacrifice, but in all cases, it takes a step of faith.

March 14, 2013 marked the start of something special, and Coach Laura Torres couldn’t be more proud, saying, “It was awesome. We have ‘Making History’ on the back of our shirts and we went out there thinking ‘this is the start of something amazing,’ knowing that we were going to be able to say we were the first ones to do it. I think there was some intimidation, because people were coming out to see what girl’s lacrosse was and the team didn’t want to let the school down.”

The girls played perennial powerhouse, West Boca, a nine-year standing program, in their home opener. The Lady Eagles came out with a high energy and had the crowd’s support right from the first face off. With strong play early in the game from sophomore Allison Blazs, the girls kept their high-powered offense running.  However, several penalties in the first half gave West Boca the spark they needed to stay in the game. It was back and forth from the beginning; Heather Hall came up big time in the goal posting double-digit saves in the home opener; and Taylor Wheeler generated early offense, seemingly scoring at will.

Despite tremendous effort and phenomenal play by the Lady Eagles, the girls fell short in the final minute with a final score of 6-7. The girls set a strong foundation in their first year of varsity play. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls for a first year team,” said Coach Torres. “They are all so encouraging to each other. And in the end, we were all just focusing on learning the sport, having fun, and taking the steps to become an even better team next year.”

As part of the summer sports training, football players like Norkus, will be able to attend the Counter Culture Leadership Football Camp. But CCLFC is more than just your usual football camp. Coach Hoza, a former defensive coordinator at FAU and current CCA Varsity head coach, has seen too many athletes come to college ready physically, but lacking the social, emotional, and spiritual tools to succeed when away from home. CCLFC was organized to supply these athletes with the proper tools for success, and to influence these football players in a positive light with the hope that they go out and do the same to the rest of the world. The camp will be held June 17-22 at our West campus. For more information you can go to www.counterculturesports.com.

CCA Athletics is also offering sports camps for cheerleading and volleyball, providing opportunities for their athletes to improve during the “off season.” CCA is the host site for Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders. The camp begins on June 24 and wraps up on the 26 on our West Campus gym. The cheerleading team, coached by Susan Paolillo, will also be attending a one-day camp focusing on elite stunts and pyramids. This camp is hosted by UCA (Universal Cheerleaders Association) in July as the cheer team hopes to improve on this year’s accomplishments and be even better next year.

In addition, there is the annual JV and Varsity volleyball program that hosts an annual Gold Medal Squared Volleyball Camp, held July 29 – August 2. GMS camps are an intense skills and training camp for all returning JV and Varsity players, as well as girls who played on the middle school team and are entering 9th grade this coming fall. For more information, contact Coach Dean Barboza at d.barboza@mac.com.

Bobby Bemis
(Worship Team Leader):

Q: How were the members of the worship
team chosen?

BB: Over previous years, we’ve used an audition process to select the team. Part of the selection process included seeking students who were actively serving at their church. We try to target students who have a heart to worship the Lord and have been dedicated to their instrument.

Q: How is it different from how chapel has been done in the past?

BB: More recently, we’ve been trying to get feedback from students to see how we can make Ascent a more interactive and fruitful experience. We’re purposing to keep God’s Word as the priority, while still utilizing things like videos, lights, and personal challenges to make the experience more engaging.

Q: How have you been preparing each week
for chapel?

BB: After practicing at home leading up to it, we have rehearsal on Thursdays after school. We run over the song list and what the next day’s chapel is going to look like. The next morning, we meet earlier to sound check. And that’s it!

Q: What have been some of the highlights of being on the Ascent team this past year?

BB: The whole year has been a highlight, really. I think the entire group would agree with me that the best part of being on the team would be hearing the theater filled with song. There’s nothing like singing at the top of your lungs with the rest of the student body.

Matthew Rodriguez
(Keys Player):

Q: How is Ascent different from how chapel has been done in
the past?

MR: This year, Pastor Bob Coy, as well as CCA, made an effort to take advantage of some of the features the theatre has, such as lighting, videos, and graphics. Bobby Bemis has also made an effort to provide a full band for each chapel.

Q: How have you been preparing each week for chapel?

MR: I prepare by checking to see what songs we have scheduled, and then connecting with Bobby to see how he would like some of the songs played, while trying to incorporate more loops and tags of pieces of both songs and hymns into worship.

Q: What have been some of the highlights of being on the Ascent team this past year?

MR: Some highlights for me have been getting to know the other worship team members, and also seeing how the students have grown in their spiritual walk through worship.

The International Thespian Society is a high school honors society that recognizes excellence in theater arts. It is open to any public school, private school, charter school, or religious school that has a troupe that has chartered. CCA’s Thespian troupe formed in 2004, and has since inducted over 100 members.

At the competition, “We took 5 superiors, the maximum number, in the theater category, and 3 superiors in technical theater.” Said Mrs. Flay.

Hailey Tweed got a superior in costume design. Lindsey Tweed also got a superior in costume design after receiving a superior and Critic’s Choice at districts. Michelle Mihalko got a superior in solo musical. Andrew Davis and Emily Frazier got an excellent in duet acting. Cassandra Cammarano and Diana Poeana got an excellent in duet acting. Samantha Coto and Samantha Johnson got an excellent in duet acting. Esteban Dager, Andrew Davis, Daniel Del Pozo, Matt Schieffer, and Alex Joyel got an excellent rating for small group musical.  Kyra Nguyen received an excellent in playwriting.

“The overall experience at these competitions is amazing, exhilarating, overwhelming at times.” Said Mrs. Flay. “We view the theater world as our mission field. We believe that, since we’re in theater, God has gifted us with communication. Our main reason for being there is to share Jesus with people.”

The music industry has progressed far beyond the stone amphitheaters and simple instruments of old. According to middle school and high school chorus teacher, Mrs. Tami Pettingell, “The Internet has changed music to a degree where people have the opportunity to put their own music online, rather than just listening to a few popular groups. They have the ability to create their own music, upload it, and get feedback from other people directly after posting. It gives people a chance to listen to a creative variety of music that hasn’t been heard before.” However, with this advancement have come positive and negative results.

“There is an easy access for musicians in getting their stuff out there, but it is not necessarily good quality material,” said CCA band director, Mr. Jim Mullen, and music technology teacher, Miss Rochelle Frederick agreed. “For the good, you can easily access it and for the bad, you can easily access it, even pirate it.”

Music and the Internet are two of the most influential components in society and popular culture, and with a tremendous dominion over teenagers. “In the music industry there is a certain look for you to be successful, and this proves to be a negative influence amongst the youth. Whether it’s outlandish makeup, even more outlandish costumes, or being a certain weight, you see teenagers today trying to look like that, which, in a way, is not so different to how music has been for the past few decades,” said Ms. Frederick. “The music glorifies things: people, places, sex, our bodies, or drugs. It sets up things to be idolized that we would not normally glorify,” added Mrs. Pettingell.

We wouldn’t walk around saying half of the lyrics to our friends that we very easily find ourselves singing, or dressing the way they dress, or even styling our hair the way an artist does. The danger is that the music and their music videos might be so desensitizing that you are thinking about the image they portray instead of the actual content. With the rise of Youtube and MTV, as well as iTunes, and a slew of other sites and digital programs, music itself in popular culture has stopped being about the art of one’s musicianship and talent; it’s about the look, and who can stand out over the others.

On the flip side, the Internet has introduced an entire pool of diversity in genres of music for the viewing public to access that had not been available before. “It has allowed me to hear a variety of music that I would not have listened to ten years ago. Many of the bands I am into now I would have never heard about if it weren’t for the Internet,” said Ms. Frederick. “It gives you the opportunity to find music from other cultures. Also, for new artists, it gives them the chance to get their stuff out there with less expense.” In the past, one had to sign a contract to even get into a studio and record, spending an exorbitant amount of money and time. Now you do virtually everything on your own computer. The Internet has facilitated the discovery and spread of music in ways a mere thirty years prior, would have been nearly impossible.

Showcased this past April 30, its diversity and style has surpassed previous years, utilizing renditions of classic pieces, such as the opening number, “Songs of Joy,” arranged by Justin Williams and performed by the High School Chorus and Band, as well as the Middle School Chorus; “Chronicles of Narnia,” (Gregson-Williams and Murtha) performed by the High School and Middle School Advanced Bands; as well as similar classical pieces, “Inscription of Hope” (arranged by Z. Randall Stroope), “Praise His Holy Name” (Kieth Hampton), and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” (Peter C. Lutkin), performed by the High School Chorus.

However, CCA’s music department is well known for its modern spins, including Music Endorsement pieces: “Medley,” an original arrangement of popular favorites by McKenzie Campbell, Alyssa Wiles, Melody Cuccia, and Jenna Cox; “Silhouettes,” performed by Simon Gosselin, Chris Milenkovic, Mauricio Joyel, and Jenna Cox; and “Chasing Cars,” (by Gary Lightbody) performed by Macy McDonald, Isabelle Medina, Alyssa Wiles, McKenzie Campbell, Melody Cuccia, Jenna Cox, Mariah McConnell, and Daniel Rubin.

Other favorite included “Disney on Stage” (arranged by Ed Lojeski), performed by the Middle School Chorus; “Lean on Me” (Bill Withers), performed by the High School Chorus and Jazz Band (with soloists Matthew Adams and Alexandra Gomez in the first show and Jonathan Fergusson and Melody Cuccia in the second); and a praise and worship set led by the High School and Middle School Choruses, and the Worship Band.

“This can be such uncharted territory since most students—let’s be honest—are fearful of dealing with their future. Most would rather head to the beach, pick up some subs and eat Froyo, you know? They want their summers to be relaxed, and I get that,” said high school guidance counselor, Allison Stapleton. “But you have to understand what your goals are, and if your goal is to go to a competitive college (and let’s face it, most colleges are; the average GPA of a student admitted to FAU is a 3.4), you have to make yourself even more competitive.”

Meaning, you have to make the most of your summers and take advantage of the free couple of months. As tempting as it may be, you don’t have to spend the entire two and a half months at the beach. While it’s good to give yourself some down time alternating between hanging out with friends and sleeping, it’s equally beneficial to do the things that show college representatives you’re serious about your schooling, your career field, and your goals.

As insane as the weather and the traffic is, we are actually blessed to be in South Florida. According to Miss Stapleton, “It’s an international hub and we have everything at our disposal, as opposed to a student living in Idaho wanting to be a businessman; where would he go to find something like that? Unless he wants to get into the potato business or something.” Finding a job or internship corresponding with your interests is almost literally at your fingertips—there is a multitude of websites, and you know people within the school and church you attend; don’t be afraid to ask! And don’t let your parents do the talking, YOU develop that connection and call, write a letter, even bake some cupcakes and drop off the note, something.

“Say, ‘I love what you do, I’m thinking of possibly doing the same thing because I’ve been so impressed by watching you in your career field. Would there be any available opportunities this summer?’” said Miss Stapleton. “Be professional: dress up in a suit or nice clothes, make an appointment and sit down with them, make a résumé, show them your transcript so they can see that you are a hard worker; an internship or job is competitive, don’t just think you’re going to get one because you asked.”

Likewise, be dynamic. Perhaps there isn’t a formal internship program at the company. How about we make one up? You may have to propose this to the contact and ask whether they think there is a need for someone to be an assistant, to file papers, to accompany them to sites, and much more depending on your interest. The worst thing they can say is “no.” And in that case, move on and talk to the next person on your list. These are things you will be exposed to within a job: proposing ideas and solutions. Some may work, some may not, but it’s the process of trying that is essential.

If you are not sure what career path is right for you, utilize the resources of My College Quickstart, such as personality profiles that link you up to different career choices, others based on your answers on the PSAT, and there may even be choices you’ve never thought of before. Taking a chance on an internship or job may also help you realize your calling, or just rule out things you definitely don’t want to do with your life.

Making yourself available as well as honing in on the areas that you feel God is calling you is a good way to start. If you’re interested in more than one field, you can do multiple internships over the course of a summer, not just one for the entire time. According to Miss Stapleton, “Whatever becomes available to you, take advantage of it, because those opportunities are better than any recommendation letter,” and the experience, whether positive or negative, is more valuable that anything you could do within an in-school setting.

For this reason, preparation cannot end within a classroom, just as life does not end when the final bell rings. That’s only where it starts.