Oh, the Places CCA will go!
Video Credit: Paris Trip with French teacher Matt Ozolnieks. Video shot by CCA junior, Andrew Davis.
Heather Wroth, Staff Writer/Photo Editor
September 22, 2011
Filed under Social Scene, Student Life, Top Stories, Video
In a typical high school, students take notes, watch a few PowerPoints and read textbooks all year. At CCA, high school students get to do that plus take what they’ve learned in the classroom into the “real world” through a series of class and missions trips that are offered to them every year.
For them, it is an extraordinary opportunity to put their knowledge and faith to the test. Whether it is in an orphanage in Mexico, a Broadway stage in New York, a trip to Paris, or a reef in the Florida Keys, CCA is making disciples in unique ways all over the world.
On June 5, five CCA students traveled to the City of Light, Paris with French teacher, Mr. Matt Ozolnieks, who led the expedition as they engaged the people and culture of France. “The week-long trip brought students in contact with history that dates back 2,600 years,” said Mr. Ozolnieks. “Our hotel was just a block away from the University of Paris and le Jardin de Luxembourgh.”
According to Mr. Ozolnieks, his students got to experience the sights, sounds, and aromas as they strolled through the city. They visited famous landmarks, such as the Louvre museum of art, Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris, The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower Napoleon’s tomb, and the Musée de l’Armee, among many other. Throughout their travels, students practiced their French by ordering lunch at such places as the famous St. Michel fountain, or while eating escargots at a café in a square near the Sorbonne. Before their seven-day expedition ended, they made their way to a bistro near the Eiffel Tower for dinner and then went over to the Champ de Mars to kick back and relax in the cooling evening. “The tower is an amazing sight, but at the top of each hour starting at 10 pm, it becomes something more,” said Mr. Ozolnieks, who together with his team got to see, “Twenty thousand strobes flashing in a random pattern that makes it looks like the Fourth of July!”
For CCA, mission trips have become a time-honored tradition. Students have been going out of the country and their comfort zones for years now, putting their faith in God and coming back with brand new perspectives—mainly, His. Many students fondly remember the 8th grade Bahamas trip, and were greatly affected by student leaders, who pushed them to see the reality of the world through a new set of lenses.
Now a whole new generation is fearlessly leading a group of eighth graders to the mission field. Mr. Martin Fanning, 8th grade Bible teacher says, “Student Leaders on the Bahamas trip train up eighth graders on how to reach the lost, love orphans, and care for widows. When you are a student leader in the Bahamas trip, you are building relationships with the eighth graders through small groups and outreaches the whole year.”
Another amazing chance to dig into missions is the 11th Grade Mexico trip. Mr. Leo Riley, 11th grade Bible teacher says, “The Mexico Missions trip is nonstop fun, sharing the Gospel and serving the Mexican people in the name of Christ. It’s unforgettable.” Both trips embark to change lives through the Holy Spirit on January 2 – 8, 2012.
You don’t have to travel far to see the world. Fine Arts students will be going to the Big Apple in February 2012 and learn from the pros. Mrs. Tami Pettingale, secondary Chorus Teacher, says “The New York trip allows our Fine Arts students to learn from the best and have experiences that they can’t get in Florida.” The trip includes incredible workshops, shows, and sightseeing that only New York can provide.
While Fine Arts will be catching the city lights, our Marine Science students will be reaping benefits from the Florida Keys. Mr. Matt Davis, Marine Science teacher, says “We take this trip to allow the students to see first-hand the ecosystems, organisms, and biomes that we have been discussing in class. We go kayaking through the mangroves and snorkel through some of the reefs in the area; we want to get the class outside and see what they’ve been learning about in real life instead of just in pictures.”
For those who love the stage, the ocean or the Gospel, CCA has incredible opportunities to learn more about students’ interests, world, and walk with the Lord. For more information on these trips, visit www.ccaeagles.org. Pray about whether God is calling you to spread your learning outside of the Calvary Campus because with Him by your side, the possibilities are endless.