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Friday, January 22, 2010

Sharpshooter

“I dropped my option on low 8, which put me in a shoot off and in my shoot off I ditched my pair on 3 and I feel like a Helen Keller.” What in the world does this random compilation of words mean and more importantly who uses them? I’ll tell you of one person who does. Her name is Logan Brinkley, senior, and she knows her way around a gun.
So what exactly is that phrase? That is shooting talk in its essence. Well, more accurately skeet shooting. Many of you may not know this, but we have a young shooting champion in our school and her name is Logan. She may be too modest to tell you this, but she has accumulated a number of scintillating titles in her short amount of years such as 12 Gauge Junior Lady Champion of the nation at the Junior World Shoot in Mississippi and No. 2 Lady in California (she is ranked number 2 in California for skeet shooting). She has earned these great honors through winning numerous competitions that have taken her as far as Illinois, Mississippi, Texas, and Colorado.
As recently as August, Logan became the 12 Gauge Junior Lady Champion. If you didn’t realize from the title, that puts her in the top echelon of all young shooters. It wasn’t always this way though. A lot of hard work and dedication over the last eight years have gone into her becoming the shooter she is now.
She got interested in shooting through her father. “My dad was a hunter safety instructor, so I was pretty much always around guns.” That love of firearms grew and grew, and she eventually became very serious about shooting shotguns around the age of thirteen. This is where she began to work with coaches including Olympic shooting coach Dan Carlisle.
Shooting is not work for Logan. She still loves playing this sport she has become so deeply entwined with, challenging herself over and over again to get perfect scores. She has met some of the best people she knows through shooting and every experience proves new and exciting.
Some might say though that skeet shooting should be a sport only reserved for males. Logan confidently and succinctly begs to differ, saying, “It is proven that women have the ability to be better shooters. You will never know until you try.” If you need any more proof than that, just come and watch her shoot.
As for the future, Logan is keeping her options open, but her aspirations high. While the Olympics are definitely a possibility, she is taking things one step at a time starting with college. She will be attending Schreiner University in the fall and become a part of their shooting team.
By Mark Medina, 9th grade

Elementary Corner-Jan.

Spelling Bee-
Congratulations to the AVC students who represented our school at at the ACSI District 4 Spelling Bee in Fontana in January.
1st grade- Matti Losch
2nd grade- Haley Richart
3rd grade- Liam Ackerman
4th grade- Brooke Fisher
6th grade- Zach Richart
7th grade- Brittany Richart

Elememntary Honor Roll-
Congratulations to the following students who made the 2nd quarter Honor Roll.

High Honors:
3rd grade- Ryan Boggs, Breck Buccola, Zachary Frye, Jonathan Housatchenko, Sara Richmond
4th grade- Annika Losch, Alex Richart
5th grade- Brooke Fisher

Honors:
3rd Grade- Liam Ackerman, Jacob Cervantes, Hunter Kennedy, Wyatt Myskow, Sydney Ricker, Kamaryn Walker, Xander Witt
4th grade- Madisyn Dondelinger, Sydney Murphy, Ashley huff, Jessica Furia
5th grade- Tyler Belvin, Aubree Conrad, Zak Hodhod, Noah Leslie, Ryan Renfro, Jacob Rice, Valerie Torres, Alexis Zavala

Honorable Mention:
4th grade- Autumn Pickens
5th grade- Josh Berry

A Note From Pastor John

Happy New Year! I trust that you and your family had a great Christmas and a happy New Year and were able to relax and enjoy your break. I don’t know about your family, but my family enjoys taking a little time at the beginning of each New Year and talking about some goals- specifically spiritual goals. We talk about the past year, but really spend time looking forward to the future.

I love that about the New Year; it feels like a fresh start! Perhaps some of you enjoy that as well- a fresh start and focusing in on the future. I’m not talking about your typical New Year’s resolutions- you know, those goals that last only until January 3rd. I’m talking about ideas that you have put thought into and require a plan to accomplish those goals throughout the year.

We, as a staff, are in the midst of this process of setting goals as a school. We have been setting our eyes on the future of AVCS and looking toward what God may have in store for us. I am so excited with what God is doing now and can’t wait to see what He will do in the future. Even as I type this letter, there are four new students planning to enroll in the next couple of weeks! God is good! In October, God provided an opportunity for us to work alongside a consultant who is going to give us a report of possible ways to increase enrollment and donations. He has already interviewed a number of families, and we look forward to the results of this study.

Paul talks about “straining toward what is ahead” in the book of Philippians, and I totally agree with that. We are excited for the future of AVCS and continue to praise God and ask for His continued provision and blessing on our school!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Harvest Festival

The little boy in a tiny polyester Superman suit winds up, gripping the giant neon softball in his tiny paw. Pastor Nate Garn braces himself against the tiny strip of wood separating him from the cold water below. The little Superman releases the ball with unexpected force. Pastor Nate prepares for the worst as the ball sails through the air. The ball connects with the target triggering the bottom to drop right out from the victim. The little Superman squeals with joy as Pastor Nate plummets into the icy tub.

The dunk tank came back strong this year and is a huge success at this year’s Harvest Festival. It is easy to see what is so exhilarating about knocking people into the tub, but what about the brave souls who volunteered to be violently thrown into a vat of water on a blustery October night? We grabbed a few of these daredevils and grilled them on the ins and outs of this seemingly deranged experience.

So, what persuaded you to do this in the first place?
Pastor Nate Garn (NG): “Logan Brinkley yelled at me and said, ‘You will be doing this!’ So I really had no other choice.”
Senior Bryce Ely (BE): “I was just asked the day of, so it was a spur of the moment decision.”

Tell us, was the water as cold as it looked?
NG: “No, it wasn’t, it was actually kind of warm after awhile. But at first it was cold….man, I hated that thing."
BE: “It wasn’t bad at all, I had a wetsuit on so I was pretty warm."

What kind of things would you say to persuade people to knock you down?
NG: “I said, ‘You throw like a girl!’ and ‘I’m not even scared because I KNOW you won’t be able to hit it!’ I even told some kids they could move up if they wanted; I didn’t care because I was so confidant they wouldn’t be able to hit it"
BE: “I said things like ‘I’ve seen better arms on a chair!’ and ‘Prove you’re a man and knock me down!.” I also would call people out like, ‘Hey you in the blue, I know you can’t knock me down!’"

How many times would you estimate that you were dunked?
NG: “Maybe thirty, it was crazy. It was like every other throw I was getting dunked. I think one kid spent like twenty bucks on me!”
BE: “I would estimate twenty-two times, exactly.”

What was going through your mind when the kids were getting ready to throw the ball? NG: “I was thinking about how much I didn’t want to hurt my pinky toe again. I got knocked down on one of the first tries, and I jammed it, and it was hurting the whole time. That thing hurt bad, and that’s coming from a true manly man. “
BE: “Don’t hit the target!”

All that being said, would you ever do it again?
NG: “ Umm…..No. (laughs), But yeah I think I would.”
BE: “Yeah, it’s really fun, as long as I have my wetsuit on!”


By: Ashton Buccola, 12th grade

November- Elementary Corner

End of the Quarter-
After our Thanksgiving Break, there will be only three weeks until the end of the 2nd quarter. The last day for AR reading is Wednesday, December 16th. Friday, the 18th will be a 12:00 noon dismissal. Check with your child's teacher about classroom Christmas parties.

Christmas Plays-
The K-3rd grade Christmas program will be on Tuesday, December 15th at 6:30pm in the church sanctuary. They will perform it again the next day, December 16th, for Elementary Chapel at 2:00pm. The Elementary Choir (comprise of 4th and 5th graders) will perform with our middle and high school choirs on Friday, December 11th at 7:00pm.

Nov/Dec. Secondary News

Dates and events to remember:
· November 1-November 30th is the deadline for University of California applications for all seniors interested in attending one in the fall. This is also the recommended application deadline for the Cal State colleges.
· The PSAT results will be in December for all 9th through 11th graders who took the test in October.
· Report cards will be mailed home after Christmas break – but as the teachers complete grades for the semester; however, you will be able to access them on Edline prior to that time.
· Parents of seniors will want to plan to have their taxes done early this year if at all possible for the filing of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which will have to be completed by March 2nd, 2009. On this form you can estimate your tax information if need be, but it is a smoother process if you have them done. Watch for the FAFSA worksheet that will be sent home this December.
· Senior parents please be sure that your senior has ordered their cap and gown. The prices will all increase at the end of November, so please have all orders completed by our deadline of December 1st.

November-Pastor John

“Blessing” and “Provision," those are the words that I would use to describe what is going on at Apple Valley Christian School. As it is closing in on one full year as the administrator of AVCS, I have been reflecting on this ministry of Apple Valley Baptist Church.

The first is “Blessing," it is a blessing to be a part of AVCS. I am totally blessed to be able to work with the students and staff. It is no secret to anyone that we are in the midst of a challenging economy, and this has had an impact on our budget. In the midst of all of this the staff has been amazing, realizing that they truly are serving the Lord, and it is a blessing to do so. This brings me to my second word, “Provision”. Without a doubt, we have seen God provide faithfully throughout this year. At the present time we are still short of our budgeted number of students, and yet God has been providing. We know full well that the school, as well as the church, is the Lord’s and we are called to be faithful stewards!

As we are in the midst of this holiday season, I encourage you to take time and reflect on how God has blessed you and your family and how he has provided for you this past year. I also encourage you to reflect on how AVCS has been a blessing to your family and in what ways our school has provided for you.

I look forward to many more years of blessing and provision!