News

A Noteworthy Challenge-Helping Others

For the last few years, trendy "challenges" have come and gone. From the Mannequin Challenge in 2017 to the Yoga Challenge today to the timeless Don't Laugh Challenge which never gets old, there's a challenge for anyone looking for something fun to do. But can there be a challenge that is about more than just having fun? Can there be one that focuses more on doing something for others than bringing attention to oneself? PCA 2nd grader, Ella Bursich, has the answer.

Although this "challenge" may not be original, it is being brought to life in a way that glorifies the Lord through serving others. While Christmas shopping in downtown Charleston, Ella and her family noticed a man outside of the restaurant they were exiting. He approached them and asked for food so the Bursich family met his request by buying him dinner and a gift card for breakfast the next morning. But the interaction didn't stop there...Ella took time to pray with the gentleman as her parents stood with her!

This was just the beginning. Ella now has the desire to help each hungry, homeless person she sees. To tackle this goal, Ella and her mom, Courtney, keep gallon-sized bags filled with healthy snacks, toiletry items, and $5 in the car to have ready to go at a moment's notice. Now, whenever the family comes across someone who's hungry and homeless, they can show that person a glimpse of Jesus by gifting them a gallon goody bag. Are you ready to join Ella in spreading the love of Jesus?

Second Graders Take a Deeper Look at Colonial America

The second grade classes have been studying the original thirteen colonies in their classrooms; furthermore, because the children enjoyed what they were discovering so much, they just finished a project on Colonial America where they were each assigned the job a colonist would have. Mrs. Hanzsche told me her "students were interested in what life was like back then, what it looked like, what people did, how they did it, etc.  They were curious if we still had or used certain materials and objects that they did back then."  Mrs. Hanzche said that having the students research a particular Colonial job, students were "able to bring their learning to life" and that by "having [students] research, present, and physically touch, feel, and experience the basis of the lesson, teachers are able to address each type of learning style."

I spoke with a few of Mrs. Hanzche's students:  Emerson, Luke, and Amelia, all of whom loved the project.  Emerson researched the life of a joiner, who "makes wooden window frames, and who built other wooden things and toys."  Emerson also enjoyed working with her mom on the book she made. Luke did his research on the life of a Colonial cobbler. He told me that cobblers could only fix shoes but not make them because someone else made the shoes. Amelia studied what it was like to be an apothecary who made medicine mixtures out of plants. She liked sharing what she learned with the class. Mrs. Hanzche said that seeing the teamwork her students exhibited, the pride they took in their work and how they shined in their presentations to the class made the project completely worthwhile.