News

PCA Student Selected To All State Choir!

Congratulations to Senior Olivia Martin who was selected this year for the prestigious 2021 South Carolina All State Choir. Hundreds of talented students from across the state auditioned for a spot in the All State Choir. The audition included learning and performing the vocally challenging song, “Honor and Glory”, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Normally, students do a live audition in front of a panel of judges, but this year, due to COVID, students were able to submit a recorded audition. “I am so proud of Olivia”, says PCA Choir director, Kathy Thames. “This is one of the most competitive choirs in our state which means that Olivia is one of the top singers in our state. She worked very hard for this honor.”

The All State weekend had been scheduled for May 2021, but unfortunately the event was cancelled due to statewide COVID concerns.

In addition to singing classical music, Olivia continues to use her vocal talents to sing in the PCA High School Choir and to serve as our Impact Worship musical director. Olivia also sings on the East Cooper Baptist Church worship team. We are so thankful to see how Olivia uses her gifts to honor the Lord and bless others.

Wagon Wheels Keep On Rolling!

The Oregon Trail came to life in second grade! Learning about the Westward Expansion took a fun twist for our second grade students with the addition of a fascinating project. Their teachers anchored this social studies unit with a historical fiction book titled Wagon Wheels, which tells the first-hand story of a family traveling west and the hardships that occur.  

In order for the students to get an understanding of what it might have been like to live during that time, the second-grade team put together a hands-on activity where students used what they learned from their reading and then put themselves in the Pioneers’ shoes. 

“The students worked with a partner to create their own wagon,” Jessica Hanzsche said. “They were responsible for filling it with a limited number of items and agreeing on what they thought was most important. Afterwards they presented what they came up with and it was interesting to see what the different partnerships valued and the reasoning behind their items!”

Braydon Albrecht partnered with Asa Beckett and they had quite the list of essentials, “We had medicine, coffee to keep us awake, Blacksmith tools to fix wheels, gun powder, and bacon!”

Next up, second grade will dive into learning about the Pony Express and how the Pioneers communicated as the country began to expand.