Basketball Tournaments Recap

ESK Varsity Girls' Team

All four ESK basketball teams competed in their post-season tournament last week. It was a great weekend of competition and a showcase of the talent and sportsmanship that we have at ESK. Congratulations to all the teams on a great regular season and a spectacular showing in the tournaments!

Holly (left) and Blair (right)

The Varsity Girls' basketball team advanced to play in the KISL Tournament Championship game Tuesday night after wins over Temple (36-8) and St. Joseph's (31-14) in the first two rounds of the tournament. ESK played a tough, physical game against Concord Christian in the championship but came up short, falling 40-26. Eighth Graders Blair Turley and Holly Batey were named to both the All-League and All-Tournament teams.

Ethan (left) and Riley (right)

The Varsity Boys' team opened the tournament with a 27-20 win over Maryville Christian on Saturday night, earning the Saints a matchup with tournament-host First Lutheran School on Monday. Down 10 points in the third quarter, ESK used a 20-8 run to pull in front 36-34 with 3:10 remaining. The game came down to the wire with FLS hitting four free throws inside of 18 seconds to edge out the 42-38 win. With the loss, ESK turned around to face Knoxville Christian in the consolation game Tuesday night. Eighth Grader Ethan Baughman was named to the All-League team with Seventh Grader Riley Schumaker earning a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Jackson (left) and Bailey (right)

Hannah

The JV girls' and boys' tournaments were played at St. Joseph's and Freedom Academy. The action got underway Saturday morning with the JV girls' team taking on First Baptist Powell at 9 a.m. The girls played tough defense and came away with an 18-6 victory. That afternoon, the boys squared off against Berean and earned a 35-17 win. On Monday, the JV boys' team returned to action versus St. John Neumann. The game was tightly contested and emotions ran high as St. John Neumann pulled out a 37-24 victory. The JV girls' played their next game Tuesday night against Sacred Heart, falling 23-16 despite a strong defensive effort. Sixth Graders Jackson Musrock and Bailey Musrock were named All-League. Seventh Grader Hannah Nye earned a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Holiday Bureau Drive Successful

ESK First Graders load the UHaul for delivery to the Holiday Bureau.

After four weeks of collecting used toys, books, bikes, games and much more, the First Grade students loaded their donations into a 26-foot UHaul and delivered the contents to the Holiday Bureau in Oak Ridge. First Graders, along with some help from teachers and parents, loaded and unloaded several hundred donations all by themselves Monday morning.

First Grader Chanel carries toys to the UHaul.

The Holiday Bureau will clean and repair the toys and distribute them in mint condition to needy Anderson County families next December. This is the 14th year that ESK has made a donation to the Holiday Bureau and thanks to the generosity of ESK families, this year's donation was one of the largest ever. THANK YOU!!

"Pennies for Pencils"  

Over the next two weeks, the ESK Interact Club will have jars in the Lower School supply store and in each Advisor's room in the Middle School to collect change for the "Pennies for Pencils" fundraiser. All the funds collected for this will go to Africa Education and Leadership Institute. This Institute, headed by Anita Henderlight, provides education to children in South Sudan. Please help us educate kids on the other side of the world by raiding your couches and change cups and donating to a wonderful cause.

Saints League Basketball

Fifth Grader Phil makes a move during a Saints League basketball game.

Last Friday, ESK students were treated to an afternoon of basketball as the four teams from the ESK Saints League squared off against each other in the Kline Gymnasium. The Saints League is an instructional basketball league for 3-5th grade students.

Upcoming Admissions Deadlines

A reminder to all families that several important admissions deadlines are coming up quickly: the application deadline for First Round Admissions Decisions is Friday, Feb. 14, and reenrollment forms, including deposits, are due back to the admissions office on Friday, February 21.

The ESK Admissions Application is available at esknoxville.org. If you have any questions regarding admissions, please contact Director of Admissions Susan Denton via email at denton@esknoxville.org.

Coffees for Rising Families

Parents of all rising Lower School students were invited to informational coffees this week in the Middle School dining hall. Thanks to all those parents who attended and to the Lower School and Middle School teachers for taking time out of their schedules to answer questions and share experiences with the parents. If you would like more information, please contact Lower School Director, Nancy Laurence, at laurence@esknoxville.org or Middle School Director, Kevin Foley, at foley@esknoxville.org.

PA News

February Meeting

The next meeting of the Parent Association will be Tuesday, February 25 at 8:15 a.m. in the Bishop Center Dining Hall. Please come to hear the latest from PA President Debbie Martin and for a special financial seminar. See details below.

PA Sponsors Upcoming Financial Seminar

Helping your children pay for college is one of the biggest and most important challenges that you will face; however, many parents fail to develop an effective plan. Families who start a college savings account have more options when determining how to pay for their children's education. This seminar will address some of the most important elements of sound college financial planning:

• Identifying the college savings options
• Clarifying the role of 529 Qualified Tuition Plans
• Determining how much to save each year
• Applying sensible principles to college fund investing
• Balancing college savings with retirement planning

When: Tuesday, February 25th, after drop off (approximately 8:30am)

Where: Bishop Center Dining Hall at ESK (coffee and a morning snack will be provided)

Who is conducting: Cynthia Barreira (Gracie's - Kindergarten - mom) and Tim Mahoney

Please pre-register if possible with Cynthia at cabarreira@ft.newyorklife.com or 865-406-1605. Additional information may be acquired at http://www.ctimmahoney.com.

Used Uniform Sale

The Spring Used Uniform Sale is scheduled for Friday, February 28 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. You may always donate any clean, gently used ESK uniforms outside the Kline Gymnasium. Stay tuned to Headlines in the coming weeks for more details.

Art News

Kindergarten Works With Clay

Nora (left) and Wyatt (right) work with clay during art class.

In Lower School art with Mrs. Gibson, Kindergarten students have been working with clay over the last few weeks. They started by making coil pots and are now manipulating the clay to make teddy bears. Many of the same techniques used to create the coil pots are now being applied to the bears. Students formed each part of the bear (arms, legs, ears and nose) out of clay and then attached the pieces using water. The students will then fire the bears in the kiln.

Summer Camps

Theater Camp

ESK summer theatre camp with Dr. Sousa will be held June 9­13 for rising First through Sixth graders. Watch next week's Headlines for more information.

Minecraft Camp

This summer's camps will be held at ESK the week of June 9-13. A morning session, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., will be held for beginning players, and an afternoon session 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. for intermediate/advanced skills. Campers are welcome to sign up for both sessions, but afternoon attendees will want to have basic game skills already mastered. For more information, or to register, please go to www.techtutortime.com.