Academy Field Day: A Demonstration of Who We Are
The morning of May 21 dawned bright on a cloudless sky. A blanket of heat promises summer is on the way - but first! A cool breeze flutters a web of streamers lining the G.O.D. Int’l pavilion, overlooking the soccer field. As the clock ticks toward 9am, parents begin to gather and Academy for G.O.D. staff, unified by rainbow tie-dyed tee shirts (Field Day on the front, This is Who We Are theme on the back) set up tents and stations on the field.
Field Day at the Academy for G.O.D. 2021 kicked off with a dance competition led by Trinity Thomas and her daughter, Ari. Parents watched, danced, and cheered for their kids from the pavilion overlooking the field throughout the whole event.
It means only one thing. Time for the 7th Annual Field Day, a much beloved event at the Academy for G.O.D., enjoyed by parents, staff, and most of all, students. The music fades in, DJ’d by Headmaster Gregg Garner, and students begin to stream on to the field, running to their team tent, denoted by color. Blue, turquoise, green, yellow, red, orange, purple - all decked out in face paint and tie-dyed tee shirts to represent. From 9am-12:30pm, the competition unfolds - a series of events including a traditional relay, Bible trivia, Heroes of Faith themed scrabble, and an extreme egg toss (read: water balloons launched at teachers, parents, and Principal Castro decked out as the school mascot, the Phoenix.)
When asked about her own experience of field day as a child, Celesta Bargatze, mother of four Academy students, said, “When I was in school, we had field day, but it wasn’t like this. It was a lot of races, the 5 fastest kids always won, and then there was a tug-of-war at the end. It celebrated athleticism, but it wasn’t fun for everyone. This is a completely different kind of field day. The kids look forward to it all year.”
This year, High School students were assigned the role of coach for their teams. Teachers stepped back and observed, only occasionally guiding the older students to be the example and give clear instruction to their teammates. Student leadership is a strong value at the Academy for G.O.D., and the upperclassmen know how much the younger ones look up to them.
Teams are made up of all ages from kindergarten to High School. Every activity is linked to an academic discipline (Creative Arts, Social & Emotional Learning, Language Arts and STEM) a goal (honesty, demonstration of skills and information learned, teamwork) and an opportunity to display team dynamics: selflessness, strategy, encouragement, unity, communication, obedience, cooperation, positivity.) Masters of Ceremony Craig Duffy (Elementary teacher) and Stephen Ownby (athletic director and High School teacher) monitor, award points, and encourage the kids throughout the day.
Field day is just as full of life for spectators as for the kids. Parents can watch the whole event while enjoying biscuits and gravy made by parent Missy Brooks, or volunteer to make snow cones from fresh juice or popcorn to refresh their kids. Students are ceremonially appreciated throughout the morning for outstanding participation on sports teams, extracurricular committees, and awards given throughout the year for character and outstanding performance. Every aspect of field day reflects something that is true about this school. It is an intentional event, meant to appreciate our students, our values, and to give glory to God.
Cloud of Witnesses Scrabble challenged students to first identify what Hero of Faith was being described, then work together to organize themselves with members of other teams to spell out the name of that individual. The first group of students to organize themselves with a correct spelling received the most points for their respective teams.
Heather Horst, mother to two students who have been at the Academy for three years, said of the event: “Field day was full of contagious happy energy, all the fun food like popcorn, fresh juice icees and corn dogs! Watching the kids and adults run around the field had me wishing I was a kid all over again! My boys were bursting with excitement! We are so thankful for this amazing school!”
When asked what Field Day at the Academy for G.O.D. is all about, Deputy Headmaster Corey Foster said, “Field day at the Academy is a snapshot into every aspect of holistic education that our students receive on a daily basis. From engaging challenges that require critical thinking, linguistic skills, social emotional awareness, and biblical knowledge to students knowing their strengths and the strengths of others. From God’s Word being highlighted to the values from it being implemented in the interactions of both students and staff. From kindergarteners to high schoolers displaying unity to the older serving the younger. Field day is a celebration of who we are.”
Oliver Sherrod (6) crosses the finish line to win the relay race for Purple Team, flanked by team members Justice Garner (15) and Leif Nadeau (16) who ran the final lap with him, encouraging him toward the finish line.
To all students of the Academy for G.O.D., congratulations on a year finished well. Have a great summer!
Blog written by: Sara Davis
Manager of Communications for G.O.D. Int’l
STEM Comes to Life Through Integrated Learning
Jr High and High school STEM students explore how science, math, and technology span a variety of their courses to produce chemical reactions, flight paths, wave pools, and more!
Written by Ms. Rebekah Davis, M.S.
Spring is officially here and STEM teachers are taking it to the next level with experiments that get students up, active, outside and shooting things off into the sky!
Every good STEM teacher strives to help their students understand the application of their discipline -- to witness how scientific and mathematical principles don’t exist in a vacuum, but when integrated and applied to the real world, they unlock the potential to create! Teaching STEM in an engaging way is no easy thing. We are so proud of our Jr. High and High School teachers who work hard to make integrated learning happen.
Last week at the High School level, Ms. Castro (Math) and Ms. Hartnell (Physics) collaborated on a rocket ship project which had the students creating and launching bottle rockets across the field. In planning their rockets, each student had to consider drag, lift, thrust, center of gravity and center of pressure when designing a flying craft. They also learned how to calculate velocity and acceleration to build their quadratic equations.
LEFT: Ms. Hartnell guides students through the process of building rockets. Students had to consider drag, lift, thrust, center of gravity and center of pressure when designing a flying craft.
MIDDLE: High School Math teacher Ms. Castro looks for every opportunity to engage young bodies along with their minds. Coming back from Spring Break, she put chalk in the hands of Pre-Algebra students and turned them loose to review linear equations on the basketball courts. Students loved it!
RIGHT: After launching their rockets, students used the time and distance from their flight paths to build quadratic equations which mapped the trajectory in a parabola.
Meanwhile inside with the Jr. High students, Mr. Aaseby was making magic happen with a chemical experiment involving “elephant toothpaste”. Students analyzed the chemical reaction and pinpointed variables of the reaction, then changed those in order to produce a new hypothesis with a new result. 8th grader Blessing Davis says, “I learned how important it is to be really specific in predicting outcomes when the variables change.”
Jr. High Science teacher Skylar Aaseby is known for ensuring his students truly understand even the most challenging topics. He was inspired to build this wave pool to demonstrate to his students how transverse waves are additive and subtractive when they interact together.
Not only were students applying the scientific method, the experiment also gave significance to the concept of exothermic reactions as the beakers were warm from the produced heat. One student who is reluctant when it comes to science shared, “Mr. Aaseby works so hard to make a difficult thing like science make total sense! I don’t really like science, but I’ve actually really enjoyed his class because he makes it easy for me to understand. He is most definitely a top example of what a teacher should look like.”
Bravo teachers, here at The Academy and all over our nation this year, who work so hard to provide an engaging learning experience for the students. We appreciate you!
Fall 2021 Enrollment & Prospective Family Events
Sign up today for your tour this spring! Applications for campus and homeschool programs are now released. We look forward to meeting you!
Spring 2021 is the time to learn more about the Academy for G.O.D. through a tour or open house. We hope you’ll plan your visit today!
At the peak of the 2020 global lockdowns imposed to counter the spread of COVID-19, 1.6 billion children were out of school.(1) Families immediately began experiencing the effects of having to care for their children, facilitate virtual schooling (if available), and maintain their own jobs. Despite being mandated to close our campus in March 2020, Academy students remained connected to their teachers and classmates, and 100% of students finished the spring 2020 semester in full. As we’ve moved into the beginning of the spring 2021 semester, our campus is open with over 230 students enrolled on campus or online, and our programs are thriving!
Our faculty and staff are committed to the best practices to promote the health and safety of each individual on our campus each day. With policies and prevention plans in place, we will continue to keep our campus open. However, the Academy also continues to offer programs for homeschool families in the Nashville area, the United States at large, and international students. If you have questions about which program would be the best fit for your family, please reach out to our admissions department. We also invite you to visit our campus this spring and learn more about who we are. All guests must RSVP to attend events this spring, so don’t miss your opportunity to sign up today!
The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively
8-10th grade students collaborate on a one-act musical to close out their performing arts course in the fall 2020 semester. The result was funny, thought-provoking, and impressive as they showcased their work before their classmates and teachers.
High school performing arts teacher, Mr. Ownby, with Esther Bargatze, playwright, and songwriters and musicians, Justice Garner and Kiah Roufs.
The 8th-10th grade performing arts students at the Academy for G.O.D. finished a semester of learning about performance related to theater and music. To end the course, students produced an original one-act musical titled “The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively.” The script, music, program artwork, and acting were all produced and performed by the students. I had the privilege of teaching and directing these talented students this semester as they accomplished this project and successfully performed their one-act musical on Friday, December 18th to an audience of their fellow students.
This class was such a joy as the giftedness and potential of each student was further unlocked as they responded to the challenges associated with producing this performance. It was a blessing to instruct the students and also be able to envision all of the ways that God will continue to use their skills for the world to better know and experience his goodness.
From Esther Bargatze, 8th grade student and lead playwright:
The play was written to give insight into what goes on in the complex growing minds of the young and lively, in a meaningful and comical way.
Life can be difficult no matter what stage you find yourself in, but being a teenager can be incredibly difficult as you try to navigate the world, figuring out how to be you while yet potentially so influenced by everyone and everything around you. “The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively” explores the tensions of being a young teenager through the main character of Camille Lively (Young and Lively) who gets bombarded by issues with her siblings, tensions with friends, and the various input she receives from her best friends that ultimately leads to her feeling misunderstood by everyone. Julian, Camille's best friend, offers the perspective of the young male teenager who also deals with the influx of voices from those close to him in his life that influence decisions he makes, good and bad. Ultimately, this is an exploration of the necessity for perspective-taking and communication. There's a lot to consider when navigating life, but these considerations are best made with a group of faithful friends surrounding you.
This musical production was written and produced by 8th-10th grade performing arts students at our school. The play is about a teenage girl, Camille, and all of her friends (Penny, Emily, Lucy, and Cassy) who have significant influence into the decisions she makes just by being themselves. Alongside Camille is her best friend Julian Barnaby, and his group of friends (Donald and Dan, Parry, Logan, Eddy, and Cory). Camile and Julian's friends are there to help communicate how much we can be influenced by our peers, but also to communicate thoughts and feelings that happen in teenage minds through each character.
As Camille continues to work through her feelings with the help of her parents, she learns the importance of considering others’ perspectives, and how to handle the strong emotions that can feel overwhelming.
Throughout the play, Camille faces challenges with her family, and when her emotions get ahold of her, it affects her behavior at school and her friendships. Camille is reminded that she is not alone and that she has friends, teachers, and her parents who love her and can offer her invaluable wisdom. When we were writing this play we wanted the theme to be about considering others’ perspectives, and not just thinking about our own. As teenagers especially it can be very easy to stop paying attention to the people around us because we're so caught up in our own feelings. We hope this production encouraged everyone to consider the interest of others a little more, to communicate, and to trust those around us who love us.
Exploring Solutions for Global Issues
As high school students learn about major global issues for their generation, they seek to find solutions to the issue on a smaller scale using tools from their STEM courses.
Written by Mrs. Rachel Hartnell, Lead Teacher
Students recorded the particulate matter collected from the air before and after their experiments to identify the effectiveness of their design. Particulate matter is too small to see by the naked eye making it the perfect size for us to breathe in!
This semester, our high school students were challenged to consider current global issues and design solutions for how to address these problems according to the word of God. In the Lab Science class, high school students have learned the process of research, experimental design, and data analysis. Utilizing these universally applicable skills, they were given various case studies on major environmental issues that are affecting their generation. After learning about negative outcomes to people both in the third world and here in the United States, they researched sustainable solutions and designed experiments in groups to prove a solution’s viability. Each lab group produced their own unique solution and competed with the other groups to see who had the most effective outcome.
The most recent environmental issue they addressed was air quality by looking at how air pollution has contributed to the spread of disease globally. Based on their research, students designed experiments to decrease indoor air particulate matter in order to slow the spread of bacteria and viruses. One group experimented with decreasing possible particulate carriers or emissions. Another group looked into how to make consideration for ventilation using dry ice. Others designed experiments that tested natural methods for air purification and the effects of plant life on reducing air particulates. Each experiment reduced the level of air particulates, and the group testing plant life reduced particulate matter by 100%.
After each unit, when students analyse and share their success, we celebrate as a class. We take some time to dream of all the ways we as a people of God can come up with biblically rooted, ethical responses to the issues that exist today. Students are inspired and ready to tackle the next issue presented to them!