News

Filter By:
Showing items filed under “Academics”

Making An Impact! PCA's New Student Led Chapels For Upper School

main image

Meet Impact, PCA's new upper school chapel concept, which is a student-led team who plans and leads each chapel, and most importantly helps spread God's love and joy to the student body. Quinn Disrud, Bible teacher, and Kathy Thames, choir director, worked together on creating the team and act as mentors and advisors to the strong, dedicated students with the ultimate goal - to make an impact. The team meets Mondays at lunch to go over the weekly plan, decide on worship songs, discuss potential speakers, and more.

Olivia Martin, singer and pianist, describes her goal for Impact by saying, "This year, being a part of the Impact team I want to accomplish what it means to not only worship God by singing songs but worship him in every aspect of my life. I hoep that I can grow in being a part of a team and what it means to help lead others in worship!" The hope is that students become emboldened in their faith and walk with the Lord.  Along with the re-introduction of student-led worship, the Impact schedule will add small groups every other week beginning on September 11. 

The goal of small groups will be for students to challenge, sharpen, encourage, and compel one another to keep pursuing Christ.  The journey itself is intended to be communal. As students become captivated by Jesus they immediately get immersed in a community of peers who are on a similar journey. The direction of the journey will lead them to become students who have encountered God's love so much that PCA becomes filled with transformed people - people shaped by love. 

"I think my peers are really glad that we have brought the music back to Impact. I think it makes a big difference; we have a lot of improvement with this being the first year, and us figuring things out along the way. We are working very hard to make Impact as awesome and beneficial as possible," describes Gracie Kammer, planning team coordinator, as she highlights the excitement of the student body and the work put into each Impact by the team.  The team is excited to have a key role in the spiritual life at PCA and to unify the student body through faith!

Posted by Ellie Nutt with

Lower School STEM Classes Explore Engineering Design

main image

We have had a fantastic start with S.T.E.M. (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) this year! Last week students were learning about the engineering design process; how to investigate, research, imagine, plan, create, test and improve upon a project.  The class is focused around team building skills and collaborative learning. Students in grades 2nd-5th were challenged with constructing a pipeline while Kindergarten and 1st graders built "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" trees to test how many letters their tree would hold. The students are wrapping up the month by focusing on variations of the Tower Challenge. They will create a tower from straws that will hold two ping-pong balls. Lower School STEM teacher Ellen Peek says it promises to be a great year of risk taking and growth!   

 
Posted by Myra Finneran with

12...41424344454647484950 ... 6364