Congratulations to graduated senior Elliott Frey (DMC '12)!  Elliott has been named Second Team All-State Catcher for Class 2A by the Iowa Sports Spotlight (formerly Iowa Sports Connection). What a prestigious honor for a fine young man and great representative of Christ! To see the full listing of All-State teams, visit the Iowa Sports Spotlight website.

How about another introduction of a new DMC staff member for 2012-2013?! MANY of you already know Ric Radcliffe, because he has served as an assistant coach for the varsity football team, assistant coach for our junior high track team, and choreography coach for the show choirs! Now, he will be joining us as a part-time history teacher! He's a Renaissance Man - scholar, athlete, and dancer! Ric was the starting quarterback on the Wheaton College football team. Most recently, he has served as an Iowa Area Director of K-Life Ministries, an arm of Kanakuk Kamps of Missouri. His college football coach enthusiastically told me, "Any school would be fortunate to employ Ric!" Another reference told me, "In the teaching environment, he will thrive. He loves coaching. He loves being with kids. He's a kid magnet. Kids love to be with him. Teaching is the right direction for him." Yet another reference stated, "Spiritually, Ric is solid. He has a huge heart for kids and to serve. He wants to see kids grow. He cares about people. He has a great personality. He's fun to be around. He's a man of integrity. Ric would do really well in a teaching environment." Still another reference told me, "Ric is very faithful to his belief and convictions in the Lord. It doesn't matter who is around him. I would have no hesitation about his character. He's got a very true relationship with the Lord. He values that relationship above all things, and that relationship determines what he does. He's an outstanding teacher. He's always well prepared. He's very faithful. He's very teachable. He's one of the most confident guys I know; that's a big strength of his; it's something you don't find in a guy very often - both confidence and teachability." And another: "He's constantly in the Word. He's memorizing the Word. He has a heart for the Lord and for His people. He has great character. I have found him to be extremely knowledgeable. I enjoy listening to him teach Socratically with students. It's not just downloading. He engages students. He talks with passion about history. He loves history. That excites me! That motivates me!" And a final reference told me, "He's a leader. He shows conviction. Kids really like him. He's a good communicator." Wow. Can he also leap tall buildings in a single bound? Just kidding. The interview team, which included junior high and high schools students, had the following to say about Ric:

• Great
• Awesome
• Humble
• Loving
• Servant
• Heart for God
• Knowledgeable
• A good fit
• Discipler
• Disciplined
• Coach
• Approachable
• Sincere

As long as I am telling the stories of new staff members, I think it's about time I introduced all of the veterans of this staff. By so doing, I can help you understand the heart and soul of the school, because a school is not the buildings and campus; a school is THE PEOPLE. First, think about a man who does know every nook and cranny of these 26 acres - Cliff Anderson, Supervisor of Buildings, Properties, and Grounds. (Quite a title, eh?!) Cliff is a jack-of-all-trades and master of all! His history is long with DMC. He was actually a School Board member when the school navigated extremely turbulent waters in 1998-1999. His rock-solid faith and dedication to the founding principles of DMC made him a VERY steadying influence at that time. I am so pleased to report that Cliff was on the Board which hired me as Superintendent, so I owe him a great debt of gratitude for helping to bring me here - and now as one of my most trusted and joy-filled colleagues. He loves the Lord. He's got a keen intellect. He's a team player who wants the best for the school as a whole. Cliff owns his own remodeling business, recently winning the Greater Des Moines Homebuilders Council Remodeler of the Year! But he spends most of his time at Des Moines Christian. He is skilled with all trades and has a great sense of systems, given his training as an Engineer from Iowa State University. Another thing you should know about Cliff is that he writes EXTREMELY well for an engineer. No offense, engineers, but writing skill does not always positively correlate with the science, math, and technology abilities. Another thing you should know about Cliff is the Lord recently put him in remission from a very deadly throat cancer; as a result of multiple surgeries and treatments, Cliff has lost the richness of his voice, but, praise the Lord, he has not lost his voice completely! Please show your appreciation to Cliff when you see him at the start of the new school year, because he and his co-workers - Brian Bailey, Teresa Degner, Marshall Henderson, Jack Stuart, and Mary Stuart - have the building spic-and-span! No one has more pride in the maintenance and improvement of Des Moines Christian School than Cliff Anderson. You should also know that Cliff loves it when volunteers help with projects. You don't have to be skilled to be a grunt worker for Cliff.   I am a perfect case-in-point, since I'm non-mechanical. I share Cliff's love for the school property, and I help him when I can. Would you like to do so, too? Call him at 229.2482, and he'd love to put your skills and attitudes to use! Thank you, Cliff Anderson, for everything you do at DMC! We want to assist you with the efforts, so you can enjoy more time with your lovely bride, Carol, also one of the most wonderful people I know!

I kicked off a new 6-week teaching series in CrossTrainers on August 8^th. The topical series details the Christian's role in positively calling the American culture to a more positive model of athletics. Following my time before the men in the morning, one of the guys - a DMC Dad - came up to tell me that he is so impressed that graduated senior Annette Bosman ('12) has been willing to coach his young daughter in softball. Such is a core difference of Des Moines Christian as a school. Older godly students disciple younger students, perpetuating a positive witness for Christ through athletics! Praise the Lord for that distinct difference with DMC!

How pleased I was to see that Senior Josh Rowley ('13) had been featured in a recent Des Moines Register article! Praise the Lord for Josh's heart and the work the Lord is doing in Mongolia!