What’s that firm foundation, you ask? Christ, of course. He is our example of love, and His Word gives us a blueprint of what love is: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” –1 Corinthians 13:4-7

As we continue to pursue living in God, the relationships that have been built and centered on Him catch our attention, giving us a model of how pursuing His example of love can be accomplished through our relationships. 

The following couples caught our attention, for they are in every sense, a “model of love.”  

Josh Agarth and Kayla Ellis

He Said… (written by Dawson Allen)

How did you guys meet, and what started the attraction?

Josh Agarth: Kayla [Ellis] and I met in 6th grade when I first came to CCA, and became friends the next year. Over several years we became such good friends that we grew into a relationship. Our decision to “date” was defined with a whole lot of prayer and counsel from parents and church leaders.

Christian Sorjen: I started liking her [Katherine Burklin] for a while before asking her to prom. She was just so nice and kind hearted; I wanted to be apart of it.

What are the struggles you face in your relationship?

Josh: Kayla and I both agree that communication is the biggest struggle we face in our relationship. Sometimes it’s my fault, sometimes it’s both of us, but it is always my fault…

Christian: We also struggle with communication; when you’re upset, it’s hard to get your feeling and thoughts out.

What is the best thing about your relationship?

Josh: I know I have a solid best friend, and that Kayla is not going to get mad at me if I want to go hang out with a small group of guys instead of the two of us hanging out. She’s slow to anger, wise, faithful, and in some levels an example to me.

Christian: We’re able to tease and laugh with each other, as well as be serious when we have to be.

How do you keep God as the center of your relationship and what advice would you give to other Christian couples?

Josh: Keeping God at the center of any relationship is critical for it to be healthy. To have God at the center of your life, you need to have solid accountability with at least one other person that is wiser than you.

Christian: When both of you strive to grow closer to God, you will grow closer together as a couple.

What qualities should high school relationships have? What makes them a successful experience?

Josh: High school relationships, in my perspective, need to be approached with prayer and counsel from a mentor, some one who will give you accountability. Be respectful to feelings of others, and with the regards to the girl’s parents.

Christian: A successful relationship is not only trusting each other, but also trusting God to lead you in your decisions.

Christian Sorjen & Kathryn Burklin

She Said… (written by Jessie Gushue)

How did you guys meet? What started the attraction?

Kayla Ellis: We met in the 6th grade, and became friends a year later. As we got older, we started to like each other, but stayed focused on our relationships with God. We waited for about three years before dating.

Katherine Burklin: We first met in ninth grade, and became good friends during junior year. The attraction started after I began spending more time with him, when I realized how much I enjoyed being together.

What struggles do you face in your relationship?

Kayla: Whenever we have struggles, it’s usually because we aren’t communicating well.

Katherine: Communication. Sometimes, it’s hard to get your feelings and thoughts out.

How do you keep God as the center of your relationship? What advice would you give to other Christian couples?

Kayla: Christian couples or Christians who desire to be in a relationship should make sure that Jesus is truly at the center of their lives before they start dating anyone.

Katherine: Pray, and as you grow closer to God, you grow closer together.

What is the best thing about your relationship?

Kayla: We are best friends, and I know that I can confide in him. We’ve been able to set a good example for our peers, and prove that high school relationships can work well if Christ is at the center.

Katherine: Being able to laugh and tease each other through our friendship, as well as relationship.

What qualities should high school relationships have? What makes them a successful experience?

Kayla: There are three things that make for a successful relationship: 1. Be friends first, take things slowly. 2. Create boundaries, and do not cross them. 3. Make sure that your decisions would be pleasing to the Lord.

Katherine: You should be able to trust each other. And a successful experience is honoring God in your relationship.

What makes a best friend?
Jennie Wilkie: A best friend is the person you find yourself with at all times. When you aren’t together, you feel like a part of you is missing. They should bring out the best in you, and you can confide anything and everything in them down to the smallest detail, knowing they will never judge you; they’re someone who will stand up for you no matter how stupid you may have acted.

Christine Lakatos: They have to have a compatible personality with you, and the relationship has to be mutually trusting. Whatever you tell your best friend should be confidential.

What does a best friend contribute to a friendship, and how are they different from regular friends?
Jennie: True friends are those who are by your side through the “thick and thin,” but a best friend is the one who feels the pain in the thick, and the joy in the thin, as if it were their own.

Christine: Best friends both need to contribute an even amount into the friendship. It’s teamwork.  A regular friend will find out important things that happen to you after you have already told your best friend. You may confide in a “regular” friend once in a while, but overall, your best friend is the only person that knows everything about you.

What makes a best friend special, and what is special about your best friend?
Jennie: My best friendship with Chris is so special, because we came into each other’s lives at the PERFECT times—when we both were about to experience some of the hardest in our lives. We have gone through all of our own pains, struggles, and obstacles with the other by our side. I can confidently say that I would die for Chris…that, right there, proves that she is truly my best friend.

Christine: Jennie has been the one person in my life that has been through the worst of times, and the best times with me. She always knows the right words to say in any given situation, but also knows when I just need someone to listen. Jennie makes me laugh like no one else. I can’t imagine going through high school without her.

Tim Tebow, recently named  “America’s Favorite Athlete” in an ESPN survey, stated the above comments in an FRS energy commercial. With an estimated 1,695 professional NFL football players, 16,500 professional athletes in America, and probable four million professionals on earth, Tim Tebow was named the favorite.  From the survey it is evident that Tebow is an international role model for athletes of
all ages.

Born in Makati City, of the Philippines, Tim grew up a missionary kid to Bob and Pam Tebow, and was raised in a Christian home. The youngest of five children, he was homeschooled along with the rest of his siblings until high school graduation. Despite being homeschooled, he was allowed to play high school sports. He played football for Nease High School in Pointe Verde Beach, Florida, from sophomore to senior year.

After his high school career, Tebow continued on to get a Division One scholarship as a Gator at the University of Florida. While he was at UF, he led his team to win two NCAA National Championships, and was the first sophomore and homeschooler to ever win a Heisman trophy. After his time as a Gator, he was a first round draft pick for the Denver Broncos in the 2010 NFL Draft.

A firm believer in Christ, Tebow seeks to impact the world in more ways than just sports. In 2010, he established The Tim Tebow Foundation. His goal in the foundation is to utilize the platform God has given him to support and love others who are hurting.  In addition to his organization, every week Tebow selects someone who is suffering and flies them and their families to a Broncos game. He sends a car for them, sets them up in a nice hotel, gives them pregame passes and sideline seats, spends time with them and sends them off with gifts as they leave. Tebow is special because he genuinely cares about people and sets an example of how all Christians imitating Christ should behave.

“Tebow is much more than just a football player,” said junior football player, Jeremy Ramirez. “He inspires me by the way he handles the fame God has given him.”

Teammate, Doviglio Gamble agreed with Jeremy’s comments and considers Tebow a role model too. He said,  “He makes sure to give all the glory to God, and he is not ashamed of his faith. He is a disciple of Christ and a great leader to his teammates.”  Gamble continues,  “He inspires me because his work for the Lord is truly amazing. My dream has always been getting drafted to the NFL, and to be an example to fans and teammates. With that platform you can change the football culture because for some, football is a religion. Sunday is consumed by football.”

Tebow’s reliance on God allowing him to defy limitations is an inspiring testimony across America. With his constant desire to humble himself before the Lord, it is expected that God will exalt this son of His. Tebow is truly an inspiration.

When I began to formulate in my mind my ideal college campus, I thought it would be best to apply to several colleges, pray about it and then decide. Funny thing happened after I applied to FAU. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to apply anywhere else.

Still, for some reason, I kept praying about it and although part of me wanted to apply to at least three more colleges, I knew that wasn’t what God wanted. It was tough because I felt pressured to apply to more places. Everybody was writing their essays and applying to several colleges. At times I just wanted to ignore what God was telling me and do my own thing, what I thought was best. Yet although it was challenging I kept trying to trust that God would tell me exactly what I needed to do and when.

Sometime later, I got an acceptance letter from FAU that brought excitement to my family and I. Yet there was still a part of me that wanted to go somewhere “better” or more prestigious. I wanted people to be impressed by where I was going and my pride almost got the best of me. But after much encouragement from my family and close friends, I decided to keep praying to make sure that I would go where God wanted.

It was an ordinary car ride home from school and I was talking with my mom. I was frustrated and confused—I just wanted God to tell me what to do. I was tired of praying and waiting. I began to doubt if God had a real plan for my life or if everything was just a matter of chance and I had to decide what I thought was best.

In the heat of the conversation, I said, “I just want an e-mail from God, some sort of letter telling me what to do!”

“So, ask God for it,” my mom said.

“Like He is going to send me mail,” I thought in the back of my mind. Yet I lifted up a silent prayer for God to send me a letter with my name on it that would tell me clearly what to do, because I wanted to be in the center of His will, not mine.

We pulled into our driveway and I went to get the mail. The first letter on the top of the pile was from FAU. I opened it right then and there. “Dear Susy,” it read . . . It was a scholarship for $2,000 dollars per year, with my name on it. “Hmmm…interesting,” I thought. As if that wasn’t enough, the very next day I received another letter inviting me to join their honors program. Later that night I heard a noise outside my window. At first, I ignored it, but it persisted and got louder. I turned on the light outside and opened the blinds to see a wide-eyed owl sitting in my yard, just staring at me. “I guess God really wants me to be an FAU owl!” I thought.

God couldn’t have been any clearer. It was hard to wait, but it was so worth it. High school teacher Mr. Kevin Groeneveld said, “The most miserable people in this world are Christians who somehow find themselves outside the will of God.”

I never want to miss out on anything that God has planned for my life. I hope and pray that everyone seeks God in the big decisions, and in the small ones too, and that God would show up in their lives like He did in mine. ast, not at first.

When I began to formulate in my mind my ideal college campus, I thought it would be best to apply to several colleges, pray about it and then decide. Funny thing happened after I applied to FAU. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to apply anywhere else.

Still, for some reason, I kept praying about it and although part of me wanted to apply to at least three more colleges, I knew that wasn’t what God wanted. It was tough because I felt pressured to apply to more places. Everybody was writing their essays and applying to several colleges. At times I just wanted to ignore what God was telling me and do my own thing, what I thought was best. Yet although it was challenging I kept trying to trust that God would tell me exactly what I needed to do and when.

Sometime later, I got an acceptance letter from FAU that brought excitement to my family and I. Yet there was still a part of me that wanted to go somewhere “better” or more prestigious. I wanted people to be impressed by where I was going and my pride almost got the best of me. But after much encouragement from my family and close friends, I decided to keep praying to make sure that I would go where God wanted.

It was an ordinary car ride home from school and I was talking with my mom. I was frustrated and confused—I just wanted God to tell me what to do. I was tired of praying and waiting. I began to doubt if God had a real plan for my life or if everything was just chance and I had to decide what I thought was best.

In the heat of the conversation, I exclaimed that I just wanted an e-mail from God, some sort of letter telling me what to do. My mom told me to ask God for it. “Like He is going to send me mail,” I thought in the back of my mind. Yet I lifted up a silent prayer for God to send me a letter with my name on it that would tell me clearly what to do, because I wanted to be in the center of His will, not mine.

We pulled into our driveway and I went to get the mail. The first letter on the top of the pile was from FAU. I opened it right then and there. “Dear Susy,” it read . . . It was a scholarship for $2,000 dollars per year, with my name on it. As if that wasn’t enough the very next day I received another letter inviting me to join their honors program. Later that night I heard a noise outside my window. At first I ignored it, but it persisted and got louder. I turned on the light outside and opened the blinds to see a wide-eyed owl sitting in my yard, just staring at me. I guess God really wants me to be an FAU owl.

God couldn’t have been any clearer. It was hard to wait, but it was so worth it. High school teacher Mr. Groeneveld said one day, “The most miserable people in this world are Christians who somehow find themselves outside the will of God.”

I never want to miss out on anything that God has planned for my life. I hope and pray that you would seek God in the big decisions, and in the small ones, and that God would show up in your life like He did in mine.

More than 30 seniors competed for the honor of representing CCA. Following an extensive review of applications, teacher recommendations and community service, those chosen included Jessica Byrd in art; Shawn Lashbrook, athletics; Suzi Trick, drama; Rebecca Vitkus, English; Juliana Matthews, general scholarship; Kristina Florio, mathematics; Johnny Jones, music;  Aaron Richter, new media; Hannah Carignan, science; Victoria Montesarchio, social science; and Katie Gottfried, world languages.

Each of them had a positive interview session and several were able to share their faith in very relaxed conversation, which was impressive to the judges. Our knights stood out among the other candidates, cheering for every name called for his/her interview, whether CCA or not—the waiting room was energized with their presence.

Silver Knight is a prestigious honor bestowed on high school students in Dade and Broward Counties by The Miami Herald.  Colleges across the country recognize winners for their scholarship, community service, leadership and character. The process includes extensive scrutiny of applications and rigorous interviews. A winner and three honorable mentions are awarded cash prizes and the distinction of being a Silver Knight.  Winners will be announced at a gala in May at the Knight Center in Miami.

Katie Gottfried’s story about how her mother battled and defeated cancer and the loss of a close friend to the disease fueled Katie’s passion to participate in the nationally-sponsored Race for Life events to raise money and awareness to fight cancer.

Jessica Byrd
Judges not only wanted to know “how” Jessica Byrd had accomplished some of her special art techniques, they also stopped her mid-way of showing a short portion of the video she had prepared to raise awareness about trafficking, and wanted to see the entire presentation from the beginning.

Johnny  Jones
Johnny Jones shared his efforts for his Waterworks project that provides fresh water to communities in Rowanda. Judges were interested in his concert to raise money, his slogan to increase awareness, and his upcoming opportunity to earn money selling his CD’s from his opening act for Christian singer, Jeremy Camp.

Aaron Richter
The technology panel kept Aaron Richter sharing about how he repairs old computers for the Second Hand Thrift store for people who would not otherwise afford the technology; how he works behind the scenes solving tech challenges at CCA, and the fact that he earned a prestigious professional license usually earned by college graduates after they enter the work force.

Suzi Trick
Suzi Trick impressed judges when she shared that Christians do not judge; they love, in response to a judge who asked her if there was a challenge with the fact that she helped prepare a video that won an elementary school a $100,000 award from Ellen DeGeneres.  Over the years, Suzi has helped this Title I school with a uniform drive and book drive resulting in many students receiving books they could call their own.

Ms. Thompson, who’s been an athletic trainer for several years and who serves CCA athletes on most sports events,  was pleased to see her students bridging the gap between their high school medical knowledge to the requirements this field demands for college.

A sports injury management student, Verumika Brachmia said, “I got to hear about the classes required to take in order to get into medical school, and how it is a very competitive career.” Another student, Bobbi Darden added, “I’m glad I went. I know becoming an ATC is hard work, but this visit taught me that it’s also plenty of fun.”

Ms. Thompson hopes to make this an annual visit with her students to PBA’s Medical Fair.  “The coolest thing is that my students got to see that what we are learning in class is applicable to the medical field outside of school. Some of the students did biochemistry, some practiced fake IVs, and various other medical jobs.”  PBA gave good examples of taking foundational knowledge to the next level. Not only that, but because PBA is a Christian college, they took the information and correlated with how aspiring physicians can be used in the medical field to better show Christ to others.

Mr. Chambers, who has had a long history with electronics and programmable chips, spent a few years researching robotics in education, while teaching at the American School in Japan.  His interest for robotics as a teaching tool was the catalyst for a three-day VEX robotics seminar held in Tokyo in the spring of 2008. In his opinion, Robotics is “what schools need…they are good for any country whose students are involved.”

While discussing the purpose and tactics of robotics, Mr. Chambers expressed “Robotics is a big movement in education. This class is largely hands on; we build robots which includes the mechanics and electronics—very similar to a mechatronics class. It’s something that I think is very popular, we cover theory and go through the scientific principals. Students learn to act with science rather than just learn about it.”

Mr. Chamber’s goal for CCA Robotics is to get involved with the International Robotics Committee through VECS Robotics and The Marine Advanced Technology and Education (M.A.T.E.) program—an underwater robotics competition where American schools, as well as international schools from countries including Canada, Scotland, and Japan, come together and attempt to build the best underwater robot they possibly can. The CCA robotics class will be participating in an event like this on April 21.

Students are thrilled about the interactivity this new class provides. Robotics student Isaiah Zamora said, “It’s a very fun class. I love building and creating the robots, it makes learning fun!”

For students who are interested in a new taste of knowledge and desire to put their scientific skills to practical use, robotics is a perfect class to enhance these talents and satisfy the thirst for knowledge.

Each Monday after school, our high school students go and spend time with the Varying Exceptionalities (V.E.) students. They play games, tell stories, and talk to them.

“They have so much more character than we realize and their hearts are so much bigger than can we understand,” said Jean Teneus, one of the club’s members.  The club has been a huge success. “The heart behind this is to show the kind of love that Jesus shows to people, to give love to those who need a little more,” said high school teacher Mrs. Krissy Brown, who’s the club’s sponsor.

So how can you get involved? Small group leaders have been notified with information about how to get involved. Be the first to share Christ’s love with our special friends.