PC Link
January 2016
Vol. 14 No. 6
The Vocation of Teaching
The vocation of teaching in our society may not
be held in the greatest respect. Doctors,
lawyers, businessmen, athletes and other
professionals seem to be held in greater esteem.
However, Christa McAuliffe, the teacher
astronaut said: “I touch the future. I teach.”
Henry Brooks Adams wrote, “A teacher affects
eternity; he can never tell, where his influence
stops.” Teachers are doing the work of what
Asaph wrote about in Psalm 78. “I will utter
hidden things, things from of old-what we have
heard and known, what our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we
will tell the next generation the praiseworthy
deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders
he has done.” Remember to pray for our
teachers as they tell the next generation the
praiseworthy deeds of our Lord through the
curriculum at Pella Christian High School.
Mr. Rinsema
THANK YOU!
The Legacy of Grace School Tuition Organization
(LOG STO) has collected the $570,000 we needed
by December 31. Your support is much appreciated.
The program will be available again in 2016 with a
need to collect $590,000. We look forward to your
continued support.
Parent of Juniors
The next Junior-Senior Banquet Parent planning
meeting is set for Monday, January 18, at 6:00 p.m.
in the high school library. We need your help to plan
this fun and safe event for our students. Please join
us!!
Music Department Great
American Sale
The Music Department is again selling items from
the Great American catalog for its annual fundraiser.
Talk with any music student or visit
www.gaschoolstore.com and click the “shop now”
link. Enter the school code: 2488377. If you lose the
school code, you can also search for Pella Christian
High School. The Music Department thanks you for
your continued financial support of the music
program. We as a school do not endorse all the
magazines and other items that are listed in the
catalog. Parents should offer their discretion and
discernment in making proper choices.
Homecoming 2016
Homecoming at PCHS is set for the week of
February 1-5. Each day that week the students will
be wearing attire appropriate for that day’s theme.
At 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, the afternoon
activities begin with a chapel followed by
competitions in the gymnasium that will conclude
with the presentation of the homecoming court. The
boys and girls basketball teams will be hosting
Knoxville that evening. The JV girls’ game will
start at 4:30 p.m. followed by the varsity girls at
6:00 p.m. and the boys’ game to follow. The public
is invited to attend any or all of the Friday afternoon
and evening events.
January 2016 PC Link
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We are pleased to welcome two new international
students to Pella Christian High for the third quarter:
Kotono Murakami and Saki Ueda are both 10th
graders from Japan. Kotono lives with the Curt and
Robin Vink family. Saki’s host family is Russ and
Lori Natelborg.
Spring Sports Parents Night
Mark your calendars for the Spring Sports Parent
Meeting tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March
22. All parents of spring sport athletes will meet
briefly in the gym and then be dismissed to meet
with their student’s respective coaches for valuable
information about their upcoming season.
Spring sports are permitted to begin practicing
on March 14, which is the first day of the PC Spring
Break. Sign- ups will be posted in the office very
soon so it’s important that students sign up so
coaches can communicate expectations prior to the
beginning of the season. Watch the Daily Eagle for
further announcements regarding spring sports.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 18 Board Meeting 7:00 p.m.
23 District Large Group Speech Contest
28 City-Wide Speech Festival 7:00 p.m.
29 ASVAB Testing for sophomores - AM
29 Career Fair – Afternoon Classes
Feb. 1-5 Homecoming Week
3 1:30 Dismissal: Teacher In-Service
4 SC-ICDA Honor Choir at PCHS
6 State Large Group Speech Contest
8 LHC Honor Band 7:00 p.m.
15 No School: President’s Day
20 All-State Speech Large Group at ISU
22 Board Meeting 7:00 p.m.
25 Speech Peer Critique 5:30 p.m. at PCHS
25 Winter Music Concert 7:00 p.m.
27 District Speech Individual Contest at ISU
29 Girls State Basketball Tourney Begins
Spiritual Renewal Days
Axis will be presenting The Grid on March 2-3. This
event will help students own their faith and stop
renting it from their parents. The Grid unpacks the
truth claims of three worldviews and their impact on
our lives if we choose to live by them. Students are
forced to answer the questions, “Do I live as if God
does not exist?” and “Do I live my life solely by my
emotions and feelings, rather than according to
wisdom?” When comparing the three worldviews, it
becomes apparent that Christianity provides the best
explanation for reality and that the Gospel provides
incredible hope for the world. During The Grid,
students are introduced to the 6 biggest questions
they will ever ask:
Reality: What is real?
Origin: Where do I come from?
Identity: Who am I?
Ethics: What is right and what is wrong?
Purpose: Why am I here?
Death: What happens when I die?
LHC Honor Band Festival
DCG (Dallas Center Grimes) will host the Little
Hawkeye Conference Honor Band festival on
Monday, February 8. Band students from 7 schools
will be participating in rehearsals starting at 10:00
a.m. and ending with a 7:00 p.m. concert. The 9th10th band has 76 members and is led by Christian
Carichner from Iowa State University and the 11th12th band has 70 members and is led by Robert
Meunier from Drake University. Come and support
our high school musicians and enjoy an evening of
fine instrumental music.
Track Meet Helpers Needed
PC is hosting two track meets this spring. A small
boy's meet is scheduled for March 29, and our
annual Coed Invitational is scheduled for April 12. If
you are willing to assist with field events, moving
hurdles or various other duties at either event please
contact Mr. Engbers.
Save the Date
The annual Shine Drill
January 2016 PC Link team camp & show is
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scheduled for Saturday,
March 5. Registration forms will be available in
early February.
City-Wide Speech Night
This year the annual City-Wide Speech Night with
Pella Community HS will be held at the Pella
Community High School. The event, featuring the
speech teams of both Pella Christian HS and Pella
Community HS, will be held Thursday evening,
January 28, at 7:00 p.m. Performance events include
readers theatre, choral reading, one-act play,
ensembles, musical theatre, improv and film. Both
schools will be performing all of their events at
IHSSA competitions on Saturdays, but this evening
is simply a night for both schools to showcase their
pieces to each other. The public is invited and there
will be a free-will donation for both schools' speech
programs. Among the events Pella Christian students
will perform include the Readers Theatre in One
Lane Bridge, the Choral Readers in Once Upon a
Playground, the student-written and produced
film The Dreamer, and two improv teams. In
addition, a Musical Theatre entry will reprise
some songs from West Side Story and PC's OneAct will be performing The Giver, using color and
dance to depict the hypocrisy of a Utopian society
which has eliminated pain and strife by converting to
"sameness." The PCHS forensic students are
coached by Marlo Van Peursem and Lisa Van Gilst.
Sheds for Sale
The Building Trades class has 8'
by 10' yard sheds for sale at
$1,450 each. Please contact Paul
Monsma if interested at
monsmap@pceagles.org or call
the school office at 628-4440.
ASVAB Testing and Career
Fair for Sophomores
Teacher? Diesel Mechanic? Social Worker? Flight
Attendant? The Military? Graphic
Designer? Farmer? Lawyer? On Friday, January
29, the sophomores will spend the day with activities
designed to help them think about their future
careers. In the morning, they will take the ASVAB
battery of tests to measure vocational skills and
aptitudes. In the afternoon, they will attend career
seminars presented by members of the
community. Each student will be able to attend four
seminars. Students will use the information they
glean for career papers that they will be writing
during the 3rd quarter. Each student will select one
career on which to focus. This project gets the
sophomores thinking about the future and how they
will fit into God's plan to bring hope and healing to
His world through work and vocation!
WINTER WEATHER
REMINDER
When winter weather impacts our school schedule,
we typically will follow the Pella Christian Grade
School & Pella Community Schools with closures
and delays. Parents who live outside of the Pella city
limits should always use your best judgment in
determining whether or not it is safe for your
son/daughter to drive to school. Students living in
outlying school districts may always follow their
local district’s schedule. This includes early
dismissals due to bad weather. We encourage
students to ride the bus as much as possible since
this is the safest form of transportation to and from
school. Be sure students give themselves extra time
to get to school on these mornings. School delays
and cancellations will be announced on all local
radio and TV stations. You can also be contacted
directly via text by joining our PC Text Club.
Simply text to 36000 and type ‘PCEAGLES’ for
the message.
WINTERIM 2016
The fourth annual PCHS Winterim is now history.
Over 40 students had the opportunity to take trips,
ninety juniors and seniors were involved in
internships and the remaining students participated
January 2016 PC Link
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in
morning and afternoon classes on a wide variety of
topics. Turn to page 4 for some samplings of what
took place over this seven school day period.
PET
PET stands for personal energy
transportation. These "off road" wheel chairs are
made in Leighton by volunteers and shipped all over
the world to make the lives
of disabled people
better. Nine students from
PCHS were able to assist in
making parts to help with
PET's efforts.
Jacob Kelderman (left) was
able to spend some time
working with his
grandfather at the PET
woodworking shop in
Leighton, Iowa.
Movies That Matter
Do you like movies that teach you more about the
world and how people treat each other? Do you
think of movies as visual parables that help us cope
with life? That is how the students in Movies That
Matter were challenged to watch movies in their
Winterim class. They watched movies that brought
the civil war in Sudan, the racism of the 1940s,
Native Americans in the Southwest, and issues of
apartheid and immigration right into the classroom.
Each day Mrs. Luhrs asked students to think about
how Christians are called to live in this world with
others.
Just Roll With It
Twelve students with the help of outside speakers
planned and rolled out tasty treats such as Cinnamon
Rolls, breads, pies, Saucijzes Broodjes, Dutch
Letters, Bitterballen, ice cream cones and caramels
in chocolate. We learned how to roll some delicious
appetizers as well. A tour of Frisian Farm Cheesehouse proved
interesting and
the students
picked up some
Gouda cheese for
our "wheely"
good Macaroni
and Cheese. Great
class of students who were always ready to roll up
their sleeves and make some irresistible recipes!
Inventions
Twelve freshman boys spent the afternoons of
Winterim studying inventions and working on a
Rube Goldberg project. YouTube videos featuring
inventions of the 20th century were used to explore
the progress we have made in transportation,
communication and entertainment over the last 150
years. A field trip to the Vermeer Museum
highlighted the history of local innovation and
provided students the opportunity to better
understand product development and the patent,
copyright and trademark process. The majority of
our time was spent working on a Rube Goldberg
project where teams were assigned the task of
producing a 10-step process for popping a
balloon. Students quickly recognized that
innovation often requires willingness to fail and
perseverance to make modifications and
improvements.
7 Musicals in 7 Days
Students participating in "7 Musicals in 7 Days"
looked at the history of Broadway and the musicals
that made it great, many of them that also had ties to
London's West End theatre district. Students studied
Broadway's Golden Age, Pop-Culture Age, and the
Mega-Musical Modern age by looking at such shows
as "King and I," "Pippin," "Hairspray," and "Les
Mis." Students studied the shows and then were able
to watch them perform.
Costa Rica: A Science and
Spanish Aventura!
During Winterim, a group of eight students, parents
and teachers traveled to Costa Rica to experience
God's amazing creation. Their adventures included
educational tours of a coffee plantation, a chocolate
plantation, hikes in the
rainforest, zip lining, a city
tour with a visit to the Gold
Museum, snorkeling, and
more. It was a valuable
experience to use Spanish in
an authentic setting. The
group was blessed to be
able to work at Mansión de
Luz church and paint the windows and doors of their
building as a service project. It was an even greater
blessing to worship with them on Sunday and help
with their Sunday School. We serve a BIG God,
whose love extends through the entire world.
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