Embracing Holistic Development: Unlocking the Potential of Student-Athletes

This year we celebrated the Academy’s 10th anniversary. Like many schools, our athletic program has played an important role in the lives of our students and seen some significant successes! Since our establishment in 2013, our school athletic program has produced championship teams, celebrated all-conference players and league MVPs, and garnered admiration from players, families, and fans alike. However, what truly sets us apart is our holistic approach to player development. “We are not solely trying to build athletes,” says head soccer coach, Jason Roufs. “We’re trying to build well-rounded individuals who enjoy sports, who aren’t afraid to engage in sports as adults, and who have the understanding, strength and coordination.” Our philosophy revolves around the belief that by encouraging student-athletes to participate in multiple sports until the age of 16, we foster comprehensive growth, strength-building, intellectual maturation, and the development of invaluable life skills.

Coach Roufs (far right) celebrates an incredible 2023 soccer season with his high school team after they finished as runner-up in the division tournament.

A key biblical passage for Coach Roufs comes from Ephesians 4:1-13. This text highlights the many various roles that are required for a well-functioning team. “Sports culture celebrates just a few positions. Look at the stats that are kept: most points scored, most assists, or most saves. But what gets overlooked is how every single player plays an integral part. The life skill to be learned is that the goal is not for everyone to become the highest scorer: the goal is to figure out your giftings and the role that you play best, and contribute that to the success of the team.” 

Phoenix athletes participate in cross-country, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. At the heart of all these sports are two key values: 1) giving one’s whole heart and energy to the learning process, and 2) embracing mistakes as integral to growth. We acknowledge the reality that sports are temporary. Even if a student wants to go pro, it will be a temporary season in their life. But what the students will always take with them is the attitude of approaching every practice time, every game, with focus and whole-heartedness. Mistakes are normal. Necessary, in fact. What is to be celebrated is the humility and resilience to push through mistakes and come out stronger on the other side. 

A great example of that this year was freshman Camden Cole, who nervously tried out for the Phoenix soccer team. Unsure as to whether or not he had the skills and experience to be on the team, coaches encouraged him to to try out, and he made the team. “At the beginning of the season I placed him all over the field, to figure out his skill set. He started out as an outside mid, then forward, then outside back,” Coach Roufs shared. “By the end of the year he was our starting goal-keeper, filling a crucial need on the team.” Camden’s coaches and teammates alike were impressed with his unwavering commitment and willingness to step into a very difficult position. “That’s the kind of person we need in our athletic program. People who are willing to give their all for the team, and trust their coaches to place them in whatever position best serves the team.”

Coach Olson instructs his high school volleyball team during a regular season match. Learning to trust the authority and direction of a coach is emphasized in our sports program.

Junior Moriah Olson says that sports have offered her valuable life lessons on leadership: “One of the key values I have learned through Phoenix sports is that leaders are servants. I have been playing volleyball longer than my other teammates and so naturally I have been put into a leadership position over the past 3 years. As a result, I have had to learn that being a leader is more than just instructing and correcting others, but it is about making sure your team is doing well as a whole (spiritually, interpersonally, interpersonally, academically, etc.). It’s about sacrificing your time and energy for the betterment of the team.”

Jr High basketball player, Nanozi Nyago, takes a free throw during a semifinal tournament game. Nanozi is learning to take lessons from her bible classes and apply them to her team dynamic and skill development as a basketball player.

Phoenix athletes also learn how scripture applies to every aspect of their lives, both on and off the court. 7th grader Nanozi Nyago says this has been the most valuable lesson she’s learned in her athletic experience with the Academy: “A valuable lesson I have learned playing with our athletics program that I have carried into other areas of my life is biblical application. Our coaches have taught me and my teammates how to apply scripture to any situation, good or bad. I’ve been able to apply this value to academic, social, spiritual, and emotional situations.” 

Moriah Olson further emphasized this point.  “A verse that Coach Olson often brings up on the court is ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭14‬. In volleyball, it is important that we have what’s called “a short memory”, where we learn and then move on from the mistake we made. It is a fast paced game and each rally ends in a mistake (made by your team or the opposing team). This verse is a great metaphor for the game of volleyball but it’s great for life too and I have learned to apply that “short memory” in school, at home, and with my friends. Mistakes are going to be made, it’s a part of being human, but when we can learn from them and then move on, it is going to do a lot more good than holding on or feeling shame for the mistake made.

Off-season training has begun for the 2023-2024 year for Phoenix athletes! Students are preparing to take the court and field again, representing their school and the Lord. We hope to see you there cheering them on!

School Lunch Hero Day!

On May 5th we celebrate School Lunch Hero Day! School Lunch Hero day was started in 2013 by the School Nutrition Association. It is a way to celebrate those who make meals possible to students all across America!

Every day at the Academy we have a host of different people involved in ensuring our meals take place. Lunch Hero Day is a special day to recognize those who are involved in this process. We also love to highlight that we have a wonderful staff that includes both parents and grandparents and siblings of Academy students. Our students love seeing familiar faces of their family members in the cafeteria and we think it makes meal time extra special! 

For this Lunch Hero Day we are proud to honor Mr. Reyes who has been with the Academy meal program since 2017. He has 20+ years experience as both a chef and working in food service. Mr. Reyes manages the daily meal service and ensures all our workers and students have a fantastic experience. Even through the pandemic Mr. Reyes continued to work tirelessly, delivering meals to families in our neighborhood. He helped facilitate almost 6,000 meals to our community during that time. It was no small feat! 

If you visit our cafeteria, you may even catch Mr. Reyes greeting students in Spanish and helping them work on their Spanish salutations. We are so thankful for the years Mr. Reyes has dedicated to meals for our students. He is not only a fantastic chef but he strives to ensure everyone has the best quality service possible!

May God bless you for your service, Señor Reyes. You are a true School Lunch Hero! ¡Muchas Gracias!

Tools to Help Children Handle Anxiety

My name is Liz Kalama-Kagay, LMSW, and I work as the licensed school social worker at the Academy. I recently attended a training put on by the same counselors who have been helping families from the Covenant School move through their tragic experience.

Sissy Goff is a LPC from Daystar Ministries Counseling, and David Thomas, a LMSW who works with kids and families in counseling. The seminar at Christ the King school was geared towards helping parents raise worry-free children. A study by JAMA Pediatric showed that one in five youth worldwide now struggle with anxiety symptoms. This is not limited to teens; according to Mental Health of America, the average age of a child being diagnosed with anxiety is 6 years old. Sissy and David spent the evening educating the audience on what anxiety is, effective tools to help students name it, and grounding exercises to address it.

This year I had the opportunity to teach SEL lessons to our Ugandan International students. We discussed the coping skills we use to weather the storms that life throws at us, in a way that we can find the peace that the LORD promises.

The scripture they shared was John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” According to Ms. Goff, simply put, "anxiety is an overestimation of a problem." We learn from the Bible that anxiety is something that we all will contend with in this life, however the way we deal with it matters. We do not have to be overcome by it. 

Children present with anxiety on a continuum from ‘exploders’ to ‘imploders’. Exploders tend to be boys who will act out angrily and aggressively when feeling anxiety. Imploders (typically girls) tend to internalize the anxiety. They try to be perfectionists and instead report more somatic symptoms like headaches, stomach aches and other physical ailments. If you can view all behavior as communication, you can help your child recognize when they are feeling anxiety. Then you can then help them to develop the coping skills necessary to face their anxiety rather than just try to manage it. Some valuable tools are Box Breathing, 5-4-3-2-1, and Naming a Color. 

These are all very effective tools for helping the brain and body respond in a more helpful manner during an episode of anxiety. When a child is feeling big emotions like anxiety, their brain shifts into survival mode. Their body sends more blood to their bigger muscles and their heart starts beating faster as a way for them to prepare to fight or run away. However, our brains can be tricked to respond in a survival manner when there isn't a reason for that response. Therefore grounding exercises are very helpful in getting your brain to turn back on rationally, and think and reason through a situation. (see Dan Siegel on how the brain reacts to anxiety) 

Another tool the presenters offered as a way to deal with anxiety is to help students increase their emotional vocabulary. Children need to develop appropriate language to express themselves. The last tool was giving the students the opportunity to make social connections - essentially to learn how to have strong relationships. 

I was so happy to reflect on how Academy students are being taught all of these SEL skills on a daily basis. Each morning in Beginnings class, Academy students get a theme to help root them in biblical perspectives on how to be a friend, how to maintain peace, and how to deal with conflict. Their classes help them with a developed vocabulary and they have learned about their brain and how to address emotions with breathing and grounding exercises.

Anxiety is real. In life we will be hit with different challenges and we will respond emotionally.  However, we do not have to let anxiety rule us. The way we walk through challenges should be different because we know God. He's given us each other and he’s given us his Word.

There are many scriptures that address this concept but I really like Philippians 4:4-7 in that it starts with a reminder to rejoice. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to everyone. The Lord is near. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When we are anxious it can be very challenging to see or feel anything other than our moment. This scripture is helpful because it makes us pause; grounding exercises make us pause. They allow us to connect with our very real human bodies and breathe. This verse starts with rejoicing, which is a tool to help us remember. We must reflect on what is going well, which helps us reframe our moment. 

This text goes on to communicate that we are engaged in relationships which is also a helpful tool in dealing with anxiety. When I am alone in my anxiety it can feel overwhelming but when I pause, take time to breathe, take time to rejoice and then take time to ‘let my gentleness be known to EVERYONE’, I know I have to engage in social relationships. I have to put myself near another person and together we can deal with my anxiety. Kids need to learn how to communicate this need and reach out to others. They need to know they are not alone, and the gift we have in a community of faith is that we don't have to walk through any storm alone. 

Finally, the text continues to say with "prayer", making your requests known to God and God will give you peace. Peace is the opposite of anxiety, and our LORD promises that to us.

In attending this seminar it was helpful to hear that what our students are getting throughout their education at The Academy is the best practice to help them navigate the inevitable storms that life throws at them. I hope these tips are helpful for parents and educators, in equipping our kids and helping them to walk in peace.

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.”

Ugandan Home Education Exemplar Testifies to Confidence

Victor Lubega, a 9th grade student in Uganda, was recently awarded Exemplar of the Quarter for the Home Education Program! Victor has been an outstanding student; taking initiative with his teachers, and approaching each class with joy and a strong work ethic. 

 Victor met twice with Academy staff during this process, and emailed back and forth throughout. From class assignments to awards like this project, Academy education incorporates soft skills like problem-solving and communication.

For Exemplar students who are international, we award them an online coaching session in a subject of their choice. Victor let us know that he had been curious to learn about building with cement. He had explored some cement work on his own, but asked for help in learning how to work with cement and create useful and beautiful objects. Academy teacher and parent Joel Olson volunteered to coach Victor through this project!

Over the course of 2 weeks Victor learned to work with a sand mold, and used some of the large, beautiful leaves available to him at home to create a cement caste leaf! Such artistic casted leaves can be both aesthetic and functional in a home garden, serving as a bird bath and attracting pollinators. Victor worked carefully with the leaves, learning the ratios of mixing cement, and making creative repairs along the way when a delicate leaf ripped or part of the cement chipped off. At the end of the project he joined Mr. Olson and AHE Vice Principal Hjalmeby on a call to show off his finished project! 

When asked what he learned through his project Victor said. “Being confident. I didn’t think that I could do this project, but I gained confidence and I did it well. I also learned that building good things can bring joy to others. I did this project and I showed it to my community.” He also shared about resourcefulness, and how it did not require fancy measuring tools to create something. His entire project cost about $7.95 USD. 

Throughout this project Victor displayed the same eagerness and ingenuity that he has shown in all his classes. “Victor impressed me from the very beginning.” said Mr. Olson, “His desire to learn such a practical skill coupled with his ability to implement the instructions really blessed me. This project allowed me to see Victor’s heart. He is going to be a real blessing to his family and his community.”

Sand mold - A sand mold gives structure to the leaf, so the natural shape and veins can be captured in cement. It is an economic way of casting cement and pairs beautifully with natural resources. 

Mixing Cement - Victor learned the 3-2-1 ratio of mixing gravel, sand and cement. This rule of thumb means the mixer doesn't have to have extensive equipment for weighing or measuring, but can use simple cups and scoops readily available to them.  

Finished Leaf - Victor was as proud of his project as we were of him! Victor is already planning his next cement caste and promises to send us pictures soon.