Check out our latest issue below !
Issue 5
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
CCHS Follows the Superbowl
Opposing Forces Meet 
A Record Setting Offense Meets a Great Defense
On Sunday, February 2nd, Super Bowl XLVIII will take place in MetLife Stadium (home of the New York Giants and New York Jets). The number one team in the National Football Conference(NFC) will play the number one team in the American Football Conference(AFC). Both of these teams won their conference in the conference championship game(between the last two remaining teams from each conference) and were also the teams that had the best record in their conferences going into the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks were the best team in the NFC and the Denver Broncos were the best teams in the AFC. The Broncos had a historically good offense that set records. The Seahawks defense was very good and the team’s strength. The Broncos have a defense that is less skilled, but Seattle has an offense that is less skilled. The two teams are opposites in this way and which should make the game interesting.
The Broncos star offensive player is Peyton Manning, commonly considered to be one of the best quarterbacks ever. The Seattle Seahawks have a great running back named Marshawn Lynch. The Broncos defense has a player who could go into the hall of fame on defense named Champ Bailey, a cornerback. The Seattle defense has a younger cornerback who is now widely considered to be among the greatest playing right now, a cornerback named Richard Sherman.
This will be a game against two great teams to see who will win the Vince Lombardi Trophy and be considered the best team in the NFL.
- Rick Derfus (a hardcore football fan!)
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Basketball Update
The basketball season is going great this year! The girls' team is progressing. Destiny Smith, a sophomore, says “Our team is really strong and we come along together as one to make best of our team and we are communicating better as a team.” Claire Stephens, a senior, a captain of the team, states, “We played a couple tough games at the beginning of the season, which hurt our record but helped us grow more in our skills.”
The boys' team is doing well and staying strong. Nick Bonnema, a junior and one of the captains, mentions, “We're coming along as a team, I think we will be much better soon than we were a couple weeks ago.” Calvin Christian High School’s basketball teams are working hard, lets cheer them on and have a great rest of the season!
Picture Perfect: CCHS Welcomes Mrs. Trosen
Calvin has acquired a new art teacher for the month of January; new teacher, Ms. Trosen, desires to help students focus on design and photography. Her explains, “I would like students to compose better photographs, especially if they can learn to notice how light impacts the shadows and mood of their photos. I would also like them to have a greater understanding of how their cameras work.” Students for the past couple weeks have been getting hands on experience with cameras, heading outside, and learning all the aspects of photography and design. Students are also getting involved with design, training in how color, text, and line work together to make objects easy to use and more desirable. Students are having fun, so keep an eye out for their work!
Difficult, But Necessary: Stories from one of the worst times in history
On January 21, Calvin Christian High School was visited by a Erwin Farkas, a Jewish man who made it out of a concentration camp alive. He told the Twentieth Century Literature and Art students about his experience. He told of his childhood and later his time in captivity. He was able to show pictures of himself and others after they were rescued and told how he got to Minnesota. It was a sad and interesting story, but we need to remember that it is more than just a story, it was a life. If it were just a story, it would be much less important to hear it. Ian Erickson, a freshman who is part of the Twentieth Century Literature and Art class said “people later on won’t get to hear” and some people might “push it out of their minds.”
The Twentieth Century Literature and Art class also went to Bethel College for a “transferring of memories” display. There were pictures of people with their stories and there was also the testament of a woman who lived through the Holocaust. These were used to let more people know about what happened from those who experienced it.
As Holocaust Remembrance Day approaches, we must work on learning the experiences of those who went through the Holocaust if we get the opportunity. We must work to prevent holocausts from happening and remember what others had to go through because of our failure to stop the Holocaust.
Friday, January 17, 2014
CCHS Fasting: The Process of Giving Things Up For God
Calvin Christian High School and the CCHS Chapel Committee is trying to avoid too much dedication to unimportant things by providing opportunities for students to try to live differently. The Chapel Committee told the school about the plans to live "Seven Days Without", removing distractions in our lives that might get in the way of our time with God. This optional process began on January 10 and 7 days later ended.
"Seven Days Without" gave people the opportunity to spend more time considering God instead of being focused on themselves. On the 14th the school gathered for a meal and helped the people associate and let them give each other motivation. Those there were put into groups and then spoke about their experience. The gathering was ended with Biblical hope and reason to continue.
Nicole Schwartz, who is on the Chapel Committee, talked about fasting. Giving “secular” things less importance can help with the goal. The things that were given up are not necessarily evil but they can become distractions. Some things that students gave up were Facebook, T.V., Netflix, video gaming, and books. The student body had been less frivolous than thought and were willing to devote themselves to fasting. Fasting ended today as students had a chance to meditate and reflect. Ask some CCHS students about their experience. What will your "Seven Days Without" look like?
- Rick Derfus
Outdoor Education: Cross Country Skiing
One way CCHS makes learning for students fun and interactive is to get out in God’s creation; Outdoor Education allows many learning opportunities like this! Last unit, students learned all about the art of rock-climbing. Starting this past Tuesday, the class started a new unit focused on cross country skiing. The class, along with course instructor Mr. VandeGlind will be learning all about this fun winter sport at Elm Creek. Lydia Marcus, a senior, said she is looking forward to this unit because this’ll be a new experience for her and many fellow classmates. Some hopes for this class will be to get some exercise, enjoy the scenery, and celebrate winter.
Angela Balboa
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Chinese New Year: A CCHS Study
Annually, America rings in a new year in a variety of ways from the famous ball drop in New York to sitting with family in the safety and warmth of your own home. But America obviously isn’t the only place that rings in the New Year. Look overseas to countries like China, for example! The Chinese people will celebrate their new year on January 31st. Why do they celebrate then? For the Chinese culture, it’s known as Chinese New Year, also known as the "Spring Festival". They celebrate this holiday to signify the ending of the Chinese calendar which is in tune with the lunar new year, following the the phases of the moon. So when we ring in the New Year in America, China will ring in their New Year at the end of January. But what exactly takes place for their festival? Unlike the US where we celebrate for just one day, they celebrate for a little more than 2 weeks. This begins on the ‘New Moon’ and ends when there is a full moon. During that time, many of the days are in tribute to their gods, giving thanks to them. Though it’s the last day, the Lantern Festival takes place at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. So like our New Years Celebration, the Chinese New Year is just as diverse and traditional as ours. With many international students at CCHS, it is enjoyable to learn more about other traditions!
- Andrew Thomas
Super Shark Snow Sculpture: The Bartz Brothers Back At It Again!
Connor Bartz, a freshman and his brother, Trevor, a senior, along with their older brother Austin, have done it once again. What is it you may ask? After 100 hours of hard work, the Bartz brothers have built their third snow sculpture, this time it being in the form a giant shark.
The shark has gained fame, being discussed on Matt Lauer's Today Show, Fox News, and they now are even able to make profit for their work based on the number of their views on Youtube; this years has accounted to 300 dollars and rising. When asked about why they build it, it is clear it was not for the money. Connor replied, “...Because it is fun to just spend time with my brothers and it is fun to be outside and brings joy to others.” Their previous two years worth of sculptures were also impressive, including a walrus and a pufferfish. Now the brothers closely guard the secret of next year's project, waiting until winter rolls around once more.
- Gabe Modder
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Musicians blessing others with their gifts: Students from Dordt College perform
On January 9, students from Dordt College came and performed at Calvin Christian High School. An orchestra and a jazz band performed for first an audience of 3rd graders, 4th graders and 5th graders from the elementary school and the high schoolers. It later performed for an audience of anyone who wanted to come. They performed a variety of songs with different themes. Each band had the opportunity to perform alone and played different songs with different styles based on their instruments.
The high schoolers were informed about what they could do musically at Dordt college. This was helpful to those with musical talent who were going to have to go to college soon. Academic applications about the college were also referred to to help students with college planning.
It was a good experience for the bands who were able to perform and the audiences who were able to enjoy what they did. It is good to see students use the talents God gave them and hopefully future students will continue using what God has given them in whatever they do. When they do this, they can please audiences or teachers, but more importantly God.
- Rick Derfus
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Mayor Rob Ford
Even prior to May 17, the date the Toronto Star publicized footage allegedly showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine, Mayor Ford has experienced some unwanted publicity. However, Mayor Ford’s actions following the smoking scandal have received extra publicity, even from foreign countries. It is not often that regional Canadian politicians receive worldwide publicity, but, not surprisingly, many Canadians resent the notoriety Mayor Ford has gained.
Mayor Ford was elected to office of Mayor of Toronto on October 25, 2010 as representative of the Conservative Party. Since then, he has been accused of skipping council meetings to coach a high school football team, having an inappropriate behavior toward a female politician, and attending meetings while intoxicated. Mayor Ford has denied some of these accusations. Following the drug smoking accusation, some of Mayor Ford’s political powers have been removed. On December 16, 2013, Mayor Ford received more publicity when he accidently knocked over a female politician during a city council meeting. Mayor Ford sincerely apologized to the woman and to the press, but the event has only added to his infamy. At that meeting, Mayor Ford was stripped of much of his authority. Now Mayor Ford holds the position of figurehead of Toronto, rather than fully that of a fully functional mayor.
Many citizens of Toronto, as well as some fellow politicians, have begged Mayor Ford to step down, or at least seek help, but Mayor Ford has refused to abdicate, saying, “It’s a coup d’état, that’s all that is.” On an interview for the Sun News Network on December 16, Mayor Ford promised that Toronto would see him change for the better in the next few months. Many fellow politicians believe Mayor Ford’s recent actions and embarrassments are results of his addictions. If Mayor Ford demonstrates sufficient improvement, he may be able to salvage his mayoral career, despite the exponential increase in ignominious publicity he has received as of late.
- Lydia Marcus
- Lydia Marcus
Russian Bombings
December 30, 2013
On the 29th of December, 17 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a central station in Volgograd, Russia. The next morning, 14 people were killed in a suicide bombing on a bus in Volgograd. Many believe these attacks were part of an Islamist revolt against the Russian rule of Chechnya and Dagestan. Identical explosives were used in these two attacks, which “confirms the theory that the two attacks are linked,” says Mr. Vladimir Markin, a spokesperson of Russia’s Investigative Committee. Though no group has claimed responsibility, the attacks occurred a few months after a Chechen rebel leader, Doku Umarov, threatened to renew attacks on Russian civilians.
Volgograd is a hub for Russian industry and transportation. In addition, it was the location of the battle of Stalingrad—the bloodiest battle of World War Two—and thereby it holds symbolic and historical significance. The fact that two bombings took place there, just weeks before the opening of the Winter Olympics, has created tension across Russia. Russia’s foreign ministry equated the bombings to the attacks of radicals in the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere. It called for global solidarity to combat such enemies. President Putin has ordered security to be tightened across Russia.
The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks, and, as a National Security Council spokesperson stated, the United States offered its “full support to the Russian government in security preparations for the Sochi Olympic Games.” These tragedies provide an opportunity for nations to band together and support one another even before the Olympic Games.
- Lydia Marcus
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