Government Speaker: Mr. Prichard

This past Wednesday, students in the Government & Economics class had the chance to be able to sit down with Tom Prichard, former lobbyist and current President of the Minnesota Family Council. Part of the MFC, Mr. Prichard spoke to the workings of the organization, the establishment of the family in the American culture, understanding Biblical principles in America’s roots, and governments involvement in religion and the family. Presenting his work and ideals, Mr. Prichard spoke about the family, with his core message being ‘The family is the foundation to a working and functional society society,’ establishing that the family should be headed by traditional marriage between one man and one woman. For his most recent issues, Mr. Prichard and the organization have been involved with arguing the recent marriage amendment. Alongside the family, he brought to the table was the idea that former American society has been damaged, and provided a number of examples or steps that need to be taken to mend the wounds.

Within Mr. Prichard's visit, he expanded on the values, the accountability, and the establishment of leaders to be salt and light in the world. As the MInnesota Family Council quotes, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

- Andrew Thomas

Experiential Learning: Faithworks Transformations

For their experiential learning project, Trevor Bartz and Jacob Koehler, seniors, made a website for their families’ non-profit organization: Faithworks Transformations. The vision for this organization was to let people with skills in things like home renovation, landscaping, and many other things help families in need by renovating their houses, to show God’s love to them. Trevor and Jacob talked about how their families wanted to leave a lasting impact on people’s lives. They try to renovate one house of a family in need a year. So far, they’ve been able to transform the homes of five families. They can be supported by donating, which is possible to do on their website. We hope to learn more about Faithworks as it continues to grow, and pray that they can impact the lives of many.

- Ava Krueger and Connor Bartz

The Duluth Geology Trip: A Chance for CCHS To Explore God's World

Every year at CCHS, the freshmen class takes a trip to Duluth to deepen their knowledge of geology with Mr. V. This year, students went with Mr. V on Tuesday, May 27th to Wednesday, May 28th. During this trip, students enjoyed doing many things outside in nature, like rock collecting, hiking, and rock climbing. One of the highlights of the trip was skipping rocks at Lake Superior by Leif Erikson Park. The students visited a variety of national parks, including Taylor Falls, Jay Cooke and Banning. To end the first day the students walked up the Enger Tower to get a great view of the surrounding city and landscape. They stayed in the gym of a local Christian School at the outskirts of the city. Even though they were bitten by mosquitoes and baked in the sun, they got to experience God’s creation in an important way, and the trip was worth inconveniences like these. They had a good time and learned more about Minnesota, it’s geology, and the Creator who made it all.

- Rick Derfus and Johnny Erickson

World News: Turkey

On May 13th, a Turkish mine exploded causing an uprising. Turkish police claim at least 301 confirmed deaths, over 100 injured and 200 plus still trapped after an electrical fire and explosion in the mine. The number of people that died, were injured, and still missing is rising. Protesters are very upset and are blaming Prime Minister Erdogan, as well as the government for the mine explosion, saying they lack in safety standards for miners. Riots have broken out in Istanbul by protesters; riot control has been containing the swarms of angry people with tear gas and water cannons. Turkey says that this was the worst mine related disaster since 1992.


http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2023708948_filizkahramanopedturkeymine28xml.html

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/13/world/europe/turkey-mine-accident/index.html?iref=allsearch


- Bob Allwine

Freshmen Earth Science: Trip to the Stone Arch Bridge

On Monday, May 19th, the freshman class took a field trip to the Stone Arch Bridge. They learned about the history of St. Anthony Falls and the area around it. They took the trip with the goal of learning why this statement was true “We cheer for the Minnesota Twins because of geology.” The class learned about how the Twin Cities area changed and how geology like St. Anthony Falls can change the way an area is developed. They learned about how the area looked over two hundred years ago, and why it changed so much. The freshmen also visited Hennepin Island which is right next to the falls and looked for fossils and looked at the rock formations and how they changed the city. John Erickson, a freshman who was on the trip enjoyed seeing the city in a new way, He said “ It was cool to see that there is still nature in the city and that it is not all buildings.” Overall many students enjoyed the trip and found it very interesting.

- Connor Bartz and Rick Derfus

CCHS Looks Back at Memorial Day

Every year on the last Monday in May, Americans acknowledge those who have sacrificed their lives for their country. Most students in schools around America are excused from classes because of this event called Memorial Day. Most people take this day off as an opportunity for some early summer fun, but here at CCHS we want to understand what this day is really about. Soldiers die every day fighting for their various countries, and this day is a day to commemorate them. CCHS students should use this day as a chance to pray for fallen troops and their families. Many of the CCHS students have forefathers that did die for this country, and they are important to remember as well. More people in America need to remember Memorial Day as a day for our fallen troops and their families, and we as Christians should be the first to recognize them.

- Ava Krueger and Johnny Erickson

CCHS Prays for the Nations

This past Friday morning, joined by the Edina Calvin Campus, CCHS students participated in a prayer chapel, specifically focusing on countries in conflict The chapel committee worked to raise awareness of issues going on in several conflict countries such as Sudan, Syria, Kenya, Cambodia, Nigeria, and other  countries impacted by injustice and hardship.

Several of the Calvin's international students had the chance to pray for their country in their native language; prayers from students from China, Nepal, Kenya, Thailand, and the Philippines were given the opportunity to pray for their specific countries, and the wellbeing of the nation.

It was a great experience to come together as a school to pray for all of the nations under God's care.

- Andrew Thomas.

Computer Programming: Putting Data Into the Minds of Tomorrow

This year for the second and third trimester, CCHS has offered a computer programming elective taught by Mr. Smith. The class has been taught how to do two main things. The first thing they learned about in the class was how to use Java Script on Khan Academy which can be helpful for doing things like making and editing websites. They also learned about Python which is helping them learn about computer languages. and how to use a computer programming language called python. Junior, Nick Bonnema said that the class learned about the “language” of computers, and it was more complicated than he expected. His favorite part was learning how to animate things. In conclusion, computer programming has been a very helpful new class for several students. 

- Connor Bartz and Rick Derfus

Sudan Killings

The Islamic Sudanese government has been accused of killing the people of the Nuba Mountains, in a region that is 30 percent Christian. They have been accused of these systematic killings before, in the 1980’s and 90’s, and now they’re at it again. Although the U.S has been called in to help, there is still not enough awareness of the injustices going on. Brad Phillips, founder of Persecution Projects Foundation which has been working in Sudan since 1998, has had this ministry petition President Obama with something called Save the Nuba. They have been getting many signatures on their website for this petition to let the government know about the killings, so that they can protect the innocent people, both Christians and ethnic Nuba peoples being targeted. We hope that Phillips’ petition will come to the attention of the government, so that these people can be safe.

Ava Krueger

http://global.christianpost.com/news/us-asked-to-prevent-possible-genocide-of-persecuted-christians-in-southern-sudan-71164/

The Dancing Games: Party at the Capitol

Last Friday, May 9, CCHS held prom at the TPC Golf Course, with an all-new Hunger Games theme. The majority of the school attended, and it was a fun time. The food served was chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and rolls, with marble cake for dessert. After the meal, two juniors, Nick Bonnema and Sara Shields, read the senior wills and testaments, which were funny and enjoyable, lightening the mood. As soon as those were finished, most people were ready to dance. Halfway through the dance, the two tributes for the dance-off from each advisory entered the dance floor and performed their dances. It was a close match, but eventually Matt Johnson and Maddie Vande Kamp won the games. Mark Whitcomb, a sophomore, says, “Two memorable events from prom was the dance competition and Jeremiah’s song.”Many of the freshman attended, and enjoyed their first prom. Anna Smith, a freshman, says, “Being a freshman, I think that was great how they tried to make it memorable for us. It was a great first time.” Anna Bankes, a senior, says, “As my first[and last]prom, I liked it.” We hope the seniors all have great memories from their last prom as the year draws to a close.

School Girls in Nigeria Abducted

photo found here

Its been nearly a month since the abduction of an estimated 300 Nigerian girls. Yet, they are still being held captive and being threatened to be sold. Many of the girls have been forced to change religions, going from Christianity to Muslim. They are being taught parts of the Qur’an (the Islamic sacred book) and wearing traditional Muslim clothing. Even though this serious and horrible situation, it has also raised awareness for other countries that are being withheld from their education. Many other undeveloped countries restrict the right to education are women. On the following website, there is an opportunity to pray for a specific girl you can pray for:

http://achurchforstarvingartists.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/please-pick-one/#comment-4919

Angela Balboa

Independent Project Highlight: Is Beauty in the eye of the Beholder?

At Calvin Christian High School, sophomore Angela Balboa recently conducted a project about the standard of beauty. She was inspired by the attitude she saw in the media and among girls today about the subject. She said that she wanted to show them that what counted was what was beauty in “God’s eyes” and not what culture thought. She said that “society has distorted beauty”, and that what it considers to be beauty changes often.

Angela presented in front of the entire female student body and facilitated thoughtful conversation about body image, self-appreciation, and God's role in beauty today.

This is a good lesson can apply to boys also. Angela believes that today’s culture is very judgmental and idealized in several ways, and it can seem impossible to do everything the way it considers right. She reminds us that what matters is what God thinks of us, and that does not necessarily reflect the view of culture.

Thanks to Angela for starting the conversation!

- Rick Derfus

Washington DC: Exploring our Nation's Capitol

Every other year, Juniors and Seniors take the coveted trip of going to Washington DC to engage in both the political and historical significance of this country. This trip is always a highlight during the high school career for many students. Juniors and seniors are flown out to Washington DC for the week and engage in learning the story of America that Washington DC tells. 

Students visited many of the monuments such as the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. They visited many other monuments, Smithsonians and museums as well as meeting with two different Congressmen, Erik Paulsen and Keith Ellison. 

Students had the chance to be able to get away from the normality of Minnesota and experience a new setting and culture within the capital of the United States. Even when students were not out and about, they were busy building community with fun card games, board games, and enjoying one another's company.

Freshmen and Sophomores Go on Spring Trips!

Two weeks ago, students from Calvin Christian high school went on spring trips. The upperclassmen went to D.C. and the lower classmen to Iowa. The 9th and 10th graders trip was supposed to be a canoe trip, but that changed due to the unpredicted ferocity of the weather. 

After a day of planning, student were able to begin their endeavor the next day. On Tuesday, they drove about two and a half hours up to visit Mystery Cave in Preston, Minnesota. After touring the cave, they drove to their set campsite in Iowa, with a steady stream of rain all the while. Students slept in tents for the first two nights and slept at a Bible camp the last night. In between, the students visited the Effigy Mounds and Maquoketa caves. 

On Thursday, the students went canoeing for two hours on the Upper Iowa River.On the last day the group traveled to a Bible camp, where we stayed for the night. They enjoyed roasting marshmallows and bungee jumping. Friday morning, we split into two groups. 

While one group reflected on the trip, the other went on Iowa’s longest zipline, and the second longest in the entire Midwest. Overall students were very pleased with the outcome of the alternative plan. It showed the students that Iowa wasn’t the most boring state in the U.S.

A New Opportunity to Learn: A Plethora of New Faces Come and Gone

Calvin Christian High School has had the opportunity to host foreign exchange students for two weeks. Over the two weeks, they stayed with host families who attended the school and they had the opportunity to Minneapolis and St. Paul. During school they would often attend the classes and see what the school was like. This was possible because they had already learned about English, so they were able to communicate well, and the students were willing to be patient and cooperate.

It was a good experience for everyone involved, and everyone got to experience a new culture, whether by hosting or visiting. The students have now continued to other parts of the U.S., and thanks to the effort of all involved hopefully their experience will be remembered well. We might even see some of them again if they choose to come to our school, though wherever they go we hope the best for them.

- Rick Derfus

Calvin Christian High School Prom: The Dancing Game - The Reaping

This year, the theme for prom is: The Dancing Games; Party at the Capitol. On Tuesday, May 6, two tributes, male and female, from each advisory were reaped to participate in a dance-off (practically)to the death. The two remaining students will be pronounced as winners. From Miss B’s advisory, Rachel Anderson and Nathan Mulder were chosen. From Mr. K’s advisory, Sunnie Zhou and Bradley Mateer were reaped, but Destiny Smith volunteered to take Sunnie’s place. From Mr. Smith’s advisory, Marissa Lindsey and Jacob Allwine. From Mr. V’s advisory, Mollie Kelderman and Mark Whitcomb. From Miss Wheeler’s, Maddie Vande Kamp and Matt Johnson, who volunteered in place of Trevor Bartz. The Dancing Games are guaranteed to make prom more fun(for the non-tributes, that is). To the tributes, may the odds be ever in your favor.

- Ava Krueger