Their motto is, “Why not use Super Bowl weekend, a time when people come together for football and fun, to also unify the nation for a higher good: collecting dollars and canned food for the needy?”

For the past two years, CCA has been involved in the Souper Bowl of Caring, and this year, from January 17 to February 5, most of our teachers and over 100 students participated in donating and serving. We held the Souper Bowl of Caring Cook-off, where CCA teachers and staff made their best homemade soup to be voted on a tasting contest by CCA students. Mrs. Hendry won the contest, and was a given a golden trophy. Out of all donations by CCA students and staff, we raised hundreds of dollars and 625 can goods. Being a great success, the CCA community is proud to be a part of such a great movement, and will continue every year.

Yes, Miss Allison Stapleton may be CCA’s newest guidance counselor but it seems that she’s been here for years. Her ready smile is hard to miss and her friendly personality is already scoring high points with both students and parents alike that have been coming to her with a myriad of issues: from counseling issues to hard schedule conflicts, and college applications and planning, to name a few.

“I come to you from the other side of Florida,” she joked with the staff earlier in the school year, when she was first introduced at a staff meeting. By the “other side,” she means central Florida, where she worked as a college recruiter. Although Lakeland does seem like a faraway land, she says her job was and still is helping students find the right college, or with any other counseling needs.  At the time, she was a recruiter for Southeastern University, and although she enjoyed her job, she says the one thing it lacked was completion. “I never got to see how they (students) were doing after that first initial contact,” she explained.

As a college recruiter, she often wondered what it would be like to work for a high school. When that thought entered her head, only two Christian schools came to mind, and Calvary Christian Academy was one of them. “It was my college headmaster, Dr. Tony Bryan, who encouraged me to apply to CCA,” said Stapleton, who prayed about it hard and saw God tugging on her heart to work here. The next thing she knew, she was on her way down to the sunnier side of Florida—Fort Lauderdale.

Already she loves the CCA students and staff, and the sense of community. “Right away I sensed something different about the school,” she said. “What I like most about working here is the freedom to talk about God in the workplace. I plan to work here until God tugs on my heart and leads me elsewhere.”

But, what’s in the number? Curious minds wanted to know. “The purpose of the 100th day of school is to take time out to thank the Lord for His goodness to CCA for the past 100 days, to encourage the students to press through the third quarter, and to encourage our community to keep morale high by offering a day to express school spirit,” said Susan Alexander, elementary principal.

Just as a snippet of the excitement of the 100th day of school, here’s how some classes participated… Kindergarten put 100 random, wacky items on a t-shirt; second grade teachers dressed up like they were 100 years old, while some of their students dressed up like people who lived 100 years ago. Third grade wrote 100 prayers, created and decorated posters and T-shirts with 100 objects, as well as created a number 100 with the school desks. Fourth grade wrote “100 reasons why we love CCA” and “100 things to be thankful for.”

“I love CCA because I love God and I want to get closer to Him,” wrote a fourth grade student, displaying his “100 reasons why we love CCA” on a poster, as encouragement for all.  “I can’t believe we have completed 100 days of school,” said Third Grade Teacher, Dawn Vitulli. “It was great to see all the school spirit throughout the halls of CCA.” Overall, this event was enjoyed by all of elementary and was a nice escapade from the normal schedule.

The physical aspect is not where the excitement ends for Coach Cantrell, who feels his team is also a great group spiritually. They pray before and after each practice and work on various outreaches, such as collecting rice for Haiti relief.

Coach Cantrell has attended Calvary Chapel for the past 11 years, and has just recently retired from his business occupation. In the past, he has served in the U.S air force during the Vietnam War, as a medic on a helicopter. Then he later went on to coach three state champion hurdlers, and lastly made his track-coaching debut in 1968, going on to coach various teams such as St. Thomas and Coconut Creek high school.

The team’s first meet will be on February 16^th at Westminster. “We are working very hard to be in the best shape possible,” said Cantrell, who believes the best time to peak physically will be in the final months of the season where district and regional meets come around. The track team is very grateful for bringing Cantrell on board, and everyone is ready to give their best efforts and make it a phenomenal season.

I really don’t understand the problem with drinking. God created alcohol so it’s okay, right? Why is consumption of alcohol considered a sin? And why shouldn’t teenagers drink?

“Our body is a temple,” begins Miss Allison Stapleton, secondary school guidance counselor. Such a profound, five-word phrase has so much biblical truth, based on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Seventy-four percent of high school students nationwide have had one or more drinks of alcohol during their lifetime, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005. So, are we forgetting that drinking under the age of 21 is illegal? Well not anymore, according to the Alcohol Policy Information System. As of January 1, 2009, underage possession of alcohol is prohibited, but consumption is not explicitly prohibited in the state of Florida. But just because our state does not prohibit consumption of alcohol under the age of 21, doesn’t necessarily make it right.

Each year, students spend $5.5 billion on alcohol, more than they spend on soft drinks, tea, milk, juice, coffee or books combined. Clearly, alcohol has become an idol for students across the nation. “Our generation wants the numbness of a binge, not just fun,” states Miss Stapleton.

Mrs. Tina Reeder, CCA Health teacher adds, “Why do you think students can’t just stop at one drink? There’s a reason why alcohol shouldn’t be consumed under the age of 21. Emotionally, minors just can’t handle it. Small things lead to big things. Check the statistics of teen pregnancy related to alcohol.” Studies show that sixty percent of college women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease were drunk at the time of infection, according to the Advocacy Institute.

“An escape from life,” Miss Stapleton responded when asked why she finds most teenagers turn to alcohol in the first place. This is why consumption of alcohol is wrong; it is used as an escape, when Christ wants us to turn to Him as our escape. Turn to Him, for He is the only One who satisfies.

Mark Merril, CCA’s high school art teacher, held two oranges in his hands while talking to his small group about the covenant. He asked them to point out the differences between the two, and as students began to shout out trivial differences, Mr. Merrill confessed that one of the oranges was artificial. But from a distance, no one could tell the real apart from the plastic.

The reality lies in this: many of us have become masters at pretending to live for God. On the outside we may seem authentic, but on the inside we are empty. “If students follow Christ, they will be bearing real fruit, not just externally but internally also,” says Pastor Topher. Although we may be able to fool others, God knows who we are on the inside.  The real question is: how can we reach out to others and make disciples if our faith isn’t real?

Through this covenant, CCA is trying to pour into students and help them become solid Christians with a genuine relationship with the Lord. As Pastor Bob Coy said in chapel two weeks ago regarding the Covenant, “Our desire is just for you to read it, know it, and live it out.”

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and is the nation’s ninth college. Being one of the few students to have attended Calvary for all ten years, Pierre has certainly built up his own resume among the teachers, coaches, and classmates he has been with for so long.

“Dominick is a person who has always worked extremely hard with everything he’s done and the gifts and abilities that he has are going to be used to the fullest extent at this institution, so we’re very excited,” said Pierre’s Football Coach, Jason Kaiser.

Although this colonial-old school may have been founded on a familiar foundation of moral Christian principles, like many secular institutions, Dartmouth has been built up to become a school plethora of diverse religious and intellectual thought. With this in mind, Pierre is determinedly mindful of his mission. “I would like to turn things around and just make a difference,” he said.

Comparing him to the prophet Daniel, CCA Football Coach, Trent Gamble, hopes and prays that Dominick will not compromise but rather “change the culture.” Although Dominick may be leaving a lasting legacy of leadership behind at CCA, friends and family haven’t a doubt that this will continue as he seeks the fulfillment of Christ’s “Great Commission” and prepares to make Dartmouth disciples of Jesus Christ in New Hampshire.

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.

Each student was given a dollar in lieu of a Christmas present directly after Thanksgiving through a project called, “Seed Project for the Kingdom.” With the goal of donating to Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelical foundation that provides essential physical, as well as spiritual needs for those who are suffering, students began to work for their earnings.

The students used various methods such as washing cars, babysitting, reselling candy, and getting pledges of participating in physical endurance activities in order to add to their simple dollar. When the final count came in four weeks later, teachers, parents, and administrators at CCA were astonished at the students’ perseverance and assiduousness; the fourth grade students raised a whopping $2,859.62.

“It was evident that God’s hand was upon this project,” comments Pamela Zlachos, a fourth grade teacher at CCA. Representing each class as the top earners were Kelly Doyle, Brenden Morris, Savana Pettit, Carson Walcott, and Tiras Shashaty. “I didn’t know how much money we could raise by doing a little work,” comments Grant Walker, a fourth grader surprised at the outcome of the Seed Project.

In Acts 20:35, Jesus teaches that it is better to give than to receive. These fourth grade students truly learned to comprehend the Scriptures through this simple project with such a noteworthy outcome. “Because God has blessed us so much, it’s our turn to bless others,” comments another fourth grader, Nadia Laurovic, recognizing the significance of the Word.

This project started with young children who had the hearts to serve, one dollar, and diligence, now, it’s helping to change lives. Which just goes to show—you’re never too young to set a good example and do God’s work.

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” ~1 Timothy 4:12