Congratulations to the Des Moines Christian varsity softball teamand Coaches Howard Harris, Doug Glade, and Britt Schoon for qualifying to compete in the State Softball Tournament next week! Praise the Lord for their abilities!  Check out the positive press on the game which catapulted DMC into the state tournament!

Come one, come all to a send-off pep rally in the softball parking lot at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, July 16^th! Let's enthusiastically show our support for the Lions softball team and coaches!

Follow the Lions' progress in the 2012 Class 2A State Softball Schedule here. 

For updates throughout the game, follow DMCS on Twitter.

In order to refresh the content of summer newsletters, I have decided to regularly "introduce" the new 2012-2013 staff members to you. Meet the new junior high science instructor, Jason Parmerlee! Jason attended Christian schools as a K-12 and college student. He most recently taught at Ankeny Christian Academy. One of his references, a Christian school administrator, said, "He is phenomenal. . . . He was on our building leadership team. He's led his grade level team. He has great leadership skills. He's steeped in the Word of God. He's done well with differentiation; he recognizes the unique needs of all students. He works well with students and families. His love is science. I was impressed by him right away. He's very polite and very respectful; he has social graces. He has poise. He brings a lot of biblical integration to the classroom. He wants to learn. He implements good suggestions. He's prompt with assignments. All-around, he's a top-notch candidate. The kids respect him; they look forward to his class. He's discerning. He's very well spoken. His writing skills are awesome. He has extremely high vocabulary. He challenges students. . . ." Another reference stated, "He's such a godly man. He always does what's right. His love for kids is amazing. He's a great role model for students. A lot of kids really look up to him. He does really well with kids. He wants to help them spiritually, however he can. He wants to help students become like Christ. They can see Christ in him. Jason is the type of person who is never satisfied. He's open to what authority has to say about his teaching. He'd always want to know what he can do better. He wants to do the best for the Lord all of the time. His motive in teaching is serving the Lord. I'd hire him in a heartbeat!" Our interview committee pointed out the following strengths of Mr. Parmerlee:

• Approachable
• Discipler
• Able to bridge the curriculum from elementary through junior high to high school
• Open to learning
• Energetic
• Understands and lives-out biblical marriage
• Role model
• Carries burden of mentoring and teaching struggling students
• Hands-on with labs
• He'll take ownership of the position.
• He understands stewardship of God's creation.
• Gifted for his age
• Asked good questions

Looks like the junior high science students are going to have some excellent educational, relational, and spiritual experiences! Welcome, Mr. Parmerlee!