Academic Achievements for Semester 1, 2023

It's time to celebrate the incredible academic achievements of our Junior High and High School students at the Academy for GOD for the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year! These students have demonstrated hard work and dedication in pursuit of academic excellence.

In Junior High, the following students achieved Academic Honors, which is awarded to students who earned all As and Bs during the Fall 2023 semester.

7th Grade

• Yonah Arroyo

• Olivia Brooks

• Brenton Buck

• Abram Davis

• Solomon Horst

• Charlee Kagay

• Jude Montgomery

• Phillip Motorny

• Landon Perryman

• Eve Willis

8th Grade

• Caden Aaseby

• Daniel Cameron

• Ruby Edmondson

• Eliana Galford

• Noah Galford

• Eden Loeffler

• Ajay Maute

• Nanozi Nyago

• Hudsyn Roberts

Also, in Junior High, the following students achieved Academic High Honors, which is awarded to Jr. High students who earned all As during the Fall 2023 semester.

7th Grade

• Judah Aaseby

• Isaac Muñoz

• Caleb Muñoz

• Abela Roufs

8th Grade

• Tobin Nadeau

• Stephen Ownby

In high school, the Principal’s Award was given to the following students students who achieved a Fall 2023 High School GPA of 3.5-3.86.

9th Grade

• Zuri Aaseby

• Caleb Lasater

• Joshua Lasater   

10th Grade 

• Malachi Aaseby

11th Grade

• Ethan Benoit

• Blessing Davis

• Tyler Worlow

12th Grade

• Tasha Andrews

• Kiah Roufs

Furthermore, the Headmaster’s Award is given to the following high school students who achieved a Fall 2023 High School GPA of 3.87-4.0.

9th Grade

• Evie Arroyo

• Adia Bargatze

• Esperanza Davis

• Owen Kagay

• Amani Kurtz

• Ethan Olson

• Shae Ownby

• Sailor Reichert

• Sarieli Reyes Sauls

• Jaelyn Roufs

• Jonah Willis

10th Grade

• Camden Cole

• Sophia Galford

• Luke Loeffler

• Joselyn Muñoz

11th Grade

• Ezrah Aaseby

• Esther Bargatze

• Mckenzie Castlen

• Eved Roufs

12th Grade

• Sawyer Cole

• Jackson Kurtz

• Luci Muñoz

• Zeke Nadeau

• Moriah Olson

Congratulations to all the students at the Academy for GOD for their outstanding accomplishments during the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year. Your hard work and dedication inspire us all!

Applying Theology to Graphic Design

This semester, 8th-grade students have had the opportunity to take “Intro to Graphic Design” with Mrs. Milliron, a local graphic designer with Genovations Media, who has taught with the Academy on a number of occasions. She brings her expertise to the classroom and encourages students to make conscious decisions about their visual efforts because design must be intentional. At the start of this course, Mrs. Milliron taught the students to consider their position as creative beings, created in the image of God. She exhorted them from the Word, helping them to understand why labeling and design matters. The following verses have been the foundation of all the work that students have put in this semester:

1. It allows us to properly label and bring order (and life) to our environment (Genesis 1).

2. It is a part of how we represent ourselves, and reputation is important (1 Peter 2:12).

3. It’s a way we can show hospitality to others, by helping them be represented well, too (Galatians 6:9-10).

Students have been challenged to work with multiple design programs requiring their own drawing skills while also learning tools to enhance their work as well. They have learned about the elements of design, principles of graphic design, color theory, color psychology, typography, layout, and composition. 

With all of these foundational skills in order, students were able to move forward by engaging in logo design for “Flamingo Airlines”, a fictional company, where they had to take the results of a creative brief and work through the steps of brand creation, including, research, brainstorm, conceptualization, refine, and finalize. When this process was finished after several weeks, the students had the opportunity to vote for their favorite final Flamingo Airlines logo among their peers. The winners were Caleb Lasater (3rd), Jonah Willis (2nd), and Sarieli Reyes (1st). See the pictures below for their logo mock-ups on airplanes! 

After the Flamingo Airlines project, students then moved into the final project of the semester, creating their own businesses! Students have worked diligently over the past few weeks to design a logo in multiple forms, create business cards, flyers, and various collateral. They have also done the hard work of giving each other constructive feedback. They will end the semester with a networking event where they will showcase their businesses to other classes and teachers throughout the school. 

The students have done an excellent job making consideration for the Word of God and those they intend to serve with their businesses. Some students have thought very practically about things they can do now, like babysitting, home organization, and guitar lessons. In contrast, others have thought about their future selves and the type of work they would like to get involved in like healthcare, counseling, sports companies for youth, healthy snacks for athletes, and many more. It's been a blessing to witness their future dreams through this project!

Thank you, Mrs. Milliron, for this wonderful introduction to graphic design for our students!

2023 Bible Retreat: In Review

Academy Headmaster, Gregg Garner, and Jr High and High Vice Principal, Ms. Mathews propose a question for students to answer in light of the weekend’s bible study: what is it about Jesus that you want the world to know through you?

This spring, Jr. High and High School students packed up and headed to Deer Run Retreat center, for two days of Bible study, worship and fellowship. 

This is the second year the Academy has held a Bible retreat. These times serve as an opportunity for students to step back from their daily lives and responsibilities. They take focused time in God’s Word, developing the spiritual and social aspects of their holistic education. 

This year’s theme was ‘World Renown’, taken from John 13:34-35. “A new command I give you: love one another just as I have loved you. This is how you are to love one another. By doing this, the world will know you learn from me but only if you have love for one another.” In considering the question of how to love one another well, students were pointed to the whole of Jesus’ life and teachings. If you are going to love as Jesus did, you will need to study and understand his life. Such a weekend retreat is not an ‘end’ but just the beginning of a deeper dive into lifelong biblical education. 

Headmaster Gregg Garner was the main speaker, joined by a power team of other faculty and administrators who spoke on panels, led worship and facilitated small group discussions! Saturday night was an especially powerful time of worship. Many students and faculty testified to the presence of God moving so strongly that night. 

“I have always had this sort of wall inside of me. It specifically has put a cap on my worship and relationship with God,” says 10th grader Ethan Benoit. 

“During the worship time on Saturday night, I was trying my hardest to get past this gate, but I couldn’t. There was a limit to my worship. I prayed and I cried out but I could get no further. Then I saw Leif on the ground praying with his family and a few others. I felt compelled to go pray for him, so I did. I went to him and knelt beside him, and as soon as I touched him to pray over him, that wall, that very thing that had been blocking an emotional side of me that I have never seen, disappeared. 

I had never felt anything like it. It was this new sense of freedom and love that washed over me. The moment my hand touched Leif’s shoulder I broke into tears of joy.”

Vice Principal Meg Mathews, who organized the retreat, also testified to the willingness and initiative of the students to engage the Lord in times of worship and Bible study: 

A retreat is never absent of good times of fellowship with one another promoting unity, teamwork, and lasting friendships.

“Our Jr. High and High students do not wait to be entertained or facilitated; they are proactive in their faith and take the opportunity to engage God’s Word. I am so proud of our students as they have persevered so much through adversity and trials and yet they are still standing firm in their decision to follow Jesus and emulate him to the world.”

Students were also blessed to have parent chaperones join them in ensuring a smooth time. Academy parents had been helpful in volunteering for the two Parents Night Out events which gave students the chance to fundraise for retreat costs. Thank you, parents!

In between worship and times in scripture, the students played soccer, enjoyed the wildly popular zip line and navigated a climbing wall and high ropes course! 

Senior Leif Nadeau shared after the retreat,

“Before I went on this Bible retreat, I had a conversation with my mentor, Mr. Aaseby, who challenged me to approach this weekend with an open mind and fully participate in all the activities. Let me tell you, everything I did during this retreat was way out of my comfort zone. From sitting at a table that was already crowded, to talking with people I don't usually interact with, riding on a zipline, playing by the real rules in sports, raising my hands in worship, and giving a testimony — it was all new territory for me.

What I discovered by pushing myself out of my comfort zone was truly eye-opening. Through this openness, I was able to fully embrace the spirit of God during worship in a way I had never experienced before.”

Times of worship and bible study characterized the weekend as students were challenged to consider what it meant to make Jesus known in the world.

The weekend was a power-packed, rich time of encountering the Lord, growing in relationships with one-another, and having a ton of fun! Vice Principal Mathews reflects with conviction,

“I have no doubt these students will be World Renown through the ways in which they care and love one another and those in need one day as they continue to become these young men and women of God.”

Can Enough Sleep Really Improve Grades?

To wake up or sleep in? That is the question. Of course, if your teenage student has class, they better not be sleeping in too late. However, you should be making sure they are getting enough sleep, as research shows it can make a big difference in classroom performance. Lack of sleep contributes to poor concentration, which is an essential component if one expects to excel academically.   

While we may sometimes complain about teenagers being lazy and sleeping too much, studies reveal how important sleep actually is for optimal brain function. After all, the brain of a teenager is still developing. In fact, it typically doesn’t even reach full maturity until the mid-twenties. Thus, sleep for teenagers is not just for their growing bodies, but also for their developing brain. Sleep deprivation is a hindrance to healthy brain development and could potentially be a contributing factor if you notice a decline in your teen’s academic performance. 

In 2023, the Sleep Foundation found that later school start times support the biological needs of adolescents; they increase the amount of sleep adolescents get. Other benefits of later start times include: improved attendance at school, decreased tardiness, fewer occurrences of falling asleep in class, reduced irritability and depressive symptoms and fewer disciplinary issues.

Studies have shown the sleep patterns of teenagers differ from children and adults, and in most cases, they need more than those who are in other stages of life. Also, when it comes to sleep, teenagers experience phase delays which cause them to more easily stay up later than younger kids or adults. The levels of the sleep hormone melatonin usually don’t decline until later in the morning as well, which goes to explain why they may sleep later. 

It can be difficult to make sure a teenager gets enough sleep, but with too little sleep, it could negatively impact a student’s grades. Whether it’s implementing bedtimes or curfews, making sure gadgets are turned off a while before going to bed, or developing a “pre-sleep” routine to help your body prepare for resting, there are rules we can try to teach our teenagers to implement to ensure they are sleeping enough. Cognitive function, attentiveness, and memory are improved by getting enough rest, and it has the possibility to significantly help their classroom performance. For more information on this topic, check out some of the sources below:

Sources: 

“The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know.” National Institute of Mental Health.

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know#:~:text=Though%20the%20brain%20may%20be,the%20mid%2D%20to%20late%2020s. 

Sifferlin, Alexandra. “Why Teenage Brains Are So Hard to Understand.” Time. 8 September 2017 (visited 15 September 2022).  

https://time.com/4929170/inside-teen-teenage-brain/ 

“Poor sleep can negatively affect a student’s grades, increase the odds of emotional and behavioral disturbance.” American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Updated 7 Nov. 2017 (visited: 5 Sept. 2022) 

https://aasm.org/poor-sleep-can-negatively-affect-a-students-grades-increase-the-odds-of-emotional-and-behavioral-disturbance/ 

“Sleep and Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Reviewed 29 May 2019 (visited 5 Sept. 2022)

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sleep.htm#:~:text=Adequate%20sleep%20contributes%20to%20a,concentration%2C%20and%20improve%20academic%20performance. 

Walton, Alice G. “7 Ways Sleep Affects The Brain (And What Happens If It Doesn't Get Enough). Forbes. Visited: 16 September 2022.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/12/09/7-ways-sleep-affects-the-brain-and-what-happens-if-it-doesnt-get-enough/?sh=5f98c3fe753c 

Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J.R., Dave, N. et al. Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. npj Sci. Learn. 4, 16 (2019). Published 1 October 2019 (visited 5 September 2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-019-0055-z 

Merriman, Kate.  “School performance can be improved with a good night’s sleep.” WMBF News. 19 Feb. 2021 (visited: 5 September 2022)

https://www.wmbfnews.com/2021/02/19/school-performance-can-be-improved-with-good-nights-sleep/ 

Suni, Eric. “How Lack of Sleep Impacts Cognitive Performance and Focus.” Sleep Foundation. Updated 29 April 2022 (visited 5 September 2022)

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-deprivation/lack-of-sleep-and-cognitive-impairment 

Locker, Melissa. “Let Your Kids Sleep More For Better Grades.” Time. 13 January 2015 (visited 5 September 2022).

https://time.com/3663796/for-better-grades-let-your-kids-sleep-more/

A Prayer to Be Enduring Problem Solvers

On Monday morning this week, my 7th grade Mixed Media Art class began with a student led prayer that has impacted me all week. The words of this student’s prayer included, “Lord, give us the patience to be effective problem solvers. Help us to not get down on ourselves when we have to try something again, because we are students and we are still learning.”

Sit with that. Read it again. Think about a 13-year-old student asking for this type of help from the Lord for herself and her classmates.

Natania, a senior at the Academy, joins us for a portion of each art class for her Teaching Practicum course. This course is designed to give seniors practical skills related to teaching concepts to younger students. She is learning to communicate with students in a way that effectively helps them think through visual art processes and encourages them towards good work. She is pictured above helping a student talk through the process of making a brown paint color for the skin tone of a girl from India. It's been a blessing to have her join us.

These words are profound for a few reasons. First, teens today are faced with all kinds of social media that promotes fast paced pressure for them to have an appearance that they have things figured out. This prayer directly opposes what the culture they are living in demands and instead, sticks closely to God’s hopes for them. Second, our values here at the Academy resonated in this student’s prayer. She not only acknowledged herself and her classmates as students, but took the humble position that they are in need of continued growth because they are learning. Finally, she acknowledged that this would take patience and isn’t something that can be faked (James 1:22).

To make God proud (Law #3 - Exodus 20:7), these students are implementing what it looks like to uphold God’s reputation. They are learning to recognize that their efforts to become effective problem solvers can only come from God’s presence in their life, their knowledge of the word of God, and their ability to walk it out in obedience. Their hard work and faithfulness to the tasks and projects given to them is a sign of their obedience.

After the class collectively said “Amen,” I was able to encourage the students that learning to be effective problem solvers according to God’s word is a lifelong practice. The adults around them engage in problem solving every day and we are prayerful in our considerations along these lines as well. I pray that they can continue to hold this type of reliance on the Lord as they are becoming the people that God needs in the world.

After this wonderful moment, students dove into their art workshop developing class murals. Their first quarter project is to collectively create a mural that expresses a value that they chose from God’s word that has been highlighted during their time at the Academy. One group chose the theme of “Unity” with an emphasis on people from around the world working together. The other group chose the theme “Rise Up” and are working through the resurrection motif that comes with our school's mascot, the Phoenix.

Students are engaging in higher order thinking skills related to creating artwork that communicates a theme or concept based on their knowledge and ability to apply and analyze it. This project has required students to problem solve with measurement (more math than they would have imagined fitting into an art class), color mixing, and painting. Students are also engaging their SEL skills of teamwork and communication to effectively problem solve their project as a team. I’m seeing wonderful fruit during this first quarter of Jr. High!