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Dear NCS family,
It happened again yesterday at the Starbucks. I was getting out my wallet to pay too much in order to satiate my caffeine addiction and, after emptying my pocket, I noticed a horrified look on the cashier's face. I quickly looked down to see what had precipitated his shock and saw that his eyes had settled upon my phone. The cashier had realized my best kept secret: I am the last living person in North America with a 'dumb phone'. That's right, I said it. It's out there. Mr. Brown doesn't have a 'smart' phone.
The cashier, in a voice laced with sympathy for my obvious plight, asked, "What happened to your phone?" You see, in addition to my phone being 'dumb', it's also old. So old, in fact, that it bears all of the scars and cracks that the cruelty of time could inflict upon it. Culling all the dignity I could muster, I said, "I guess I just never upgraded." But, even after all of my explaining and excuses that afternoon, I just couldn't get the cashier to understand why I held on to this 'dumb' antique.
The worst of it, however, I didn't even admit to that horrified cashier. Yes, NCS family, it gets worse. Mr. Brown has no social media. Don't have it. Never did. That's right, I have inflicted upon my friends and family the worse sort of psychological abuse: if folks want to know what is happening in my life, they have to ask me and I will force them to hear my words. If they want to "follow" me, they cannot do it by wrapping a digital leash around me. Instead, they will need to engage in conversation.
Mrs. Maszton, our middle school principal, told me something the other day that floored me. We were talking about student discipline and she estimated that over three quarters of the student discipline that she has seen this year involved, in some form, students on social media or using smart phones. We're not exactly sure when it happened but somewhere in the last few years we have inadvertently allowed our children to wander blindly into the minefield of social media, meandering perilously through digital pitfalls of the worst type. Somehow, this year, the scales tipped: I just read that in 2015, social media on mobile platforms is now utilized by 51% of the global population. There are more people with social media on our planet than the number living above the poverty line. The same source indicated that 12 new active mobile social media users are added every second--more than 1 million each day. Pew Research indicates that 92% of American teens are online multiple times each day and 71% report updating more than one social media account each day. Further, 73% of these teens access their accounts through smart phones. The most popular apps currently--and this apparently changes by the minute--are Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Don't misunderstand where I am going here. I understand the advantages of properly educating students who are growing up in a digital domain. (We have iPads for every high schooler!) But, like every other facet of education, in order to be successful, the students that we're educating must benefit from a strong, fully aligned partnership between home and school.
To that end, maybe it's time to consider the following ideas in our homes...
Have your family consider a social media 'fast'. The BIblical discipline of fasting doesn't have to encompass just food. Consider what life would look like even for just a week with no social media happening in your home.
Don't define social media boundaries for your child, but with your child. Share your heart and concerns with your child and allow them to share their thoughts and concerns. Working together, come up with clearly defined boundaries you can both live with. Open dialog fosters trust and invites your student to consider keeping the channels of communication open and ongoing.
Purposefully engage your child's online community. More than monitoring, as parents we can't afford to allow our voice, or more importantly His voice, to be silent in any aspect of our child's life.
Why Snapchat? Last year, Snapchat conveyed over 700 million images between teens that disappeared forever in the span of 1 to 10 seconds. (Can someone explain to me how this is a good idea?) If your student has access to Snapchat, perhaps it's time to engage in conversation. Another app growing in popularity that causes just as much heartache is Ask.fm.
Make God's word the standard. Social media isn't evil--I'm confident that there are some very real benefits to using this digital tool. (Follow NCS @NCSCrusaders!) But, like any tool, proper use requires training and trust. As you train your student and develop trust, don't let human wisdom be your guide. Take your student to God's word where we see standards and guidelines established for the purpose of life and health. Consider, for example, talking with your child about how their social media use aligns with Philippians 4:8...
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.
,
Finally, and most importantly, pray for and with your child. These kids are not ours, they're not yours. They are His and His plans and His intentions for them surpass your wildest dreams. Praying for and with your child allows them to understand that you trust Him completely with their futures. And, following your lead, they might as well.
Grateful for the opportunity to serve this school and your family,
Geoff Brown
Superintendent
Northwest Christian School
(623)225-5573 (cell)
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Northwest Christian Embraces Sutton Project for Sixth Consecutive Year
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"Every year, God makes it happen" in a fresh and exciting way
For six years running, Northwest Christian students have embraced students and families in some of the neediest schools in Phoenix. And, every year, in new and surprising ways, God "shows up" to accomplish what Northwest Christian students thought might be impossible. "Every year," says senior Drew Inness, "we are asking, 'Are we going to make it?' And, then, in the end, God makes it happen."
The effort started in 2010 when Northwest Christian students embraced J.B. Sutton Elementary in the south Phoenix Isaac School District. That year, NCS committed to providing Thanksgiving meals and Christmas gifts for 125 of Sutton's most needy families. Additionally, Crusaders served the school through on-campus service projects--renovating an art room, replenishing a food pantry, providing sports clinics. Now, six years later, having seen God provide in ways both momentous and forever memorable, Northwest Christian's commitment has grown from one school and 125 families to five schools and 1,325 families.
Victoria Roe, who graduated from Northwest Christian in 2014 and who was part of the project in the beginning, says that her involvement forever changed her heart and the trajectory of her life. "Going there," Victoria explains, "I felt permanently changed after even my first trip. Every year, increasing the number of food boxes and gifts and the things that we're doing for these kids shows us how powerful God's work is and how the Holy Spirit works within us."
In 2013, the project took an exciting new direction as Northwest Christian partnered with Calvario, a Spanish speaking community church which is located right in the heart of the Isaac School district, central to all the schools being served. "That was the crucial link," explains superintendent Geoff Brown. "Now, with every food box, every Christmas gift, and every service project, we include an invitation to Calvario--a community of believers who are committed to sharing the good news of Christ with the students that we're loving in this effort."
In 2014, the Sutton project grew again through a partnership with the BHHS Legacy Foundation. The connection was the brainstorm of then-junior, now-senior Bryce Jones. Bryce approached the foundation and secured a partnership which enables Northwest Christian families who contribute to the effort to benefit from the working poor tax credit. "I'll never forget that moment," says Geoff, "it was a moment where the Lord grew my faith and understanding of His intentions for this project and our students. That year, we were wondering how we were going to raise the $15,000 we'd need for the 725 turkeys. After the connection with Legacy, that $15,000 goal was blown away in a single week as the Lord opened the floodgates of heaven and over $30,000 poured in."
"I love what this project does within these needy schools," says Geoff. "But, I also see what this project has done in the hearts of our kids at NCS. This campaign is transformative as our students see and feel God using them in ways that literally floor them."
Information regarding the Sutton project is coming home with students this week. If you are interested in joining the effort, please visit the following link:
NCS Sutton Project 2015
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NCS and ACSI Partner with PureFlix to Launch the 2nd Annual NXNW Film Festival and Student Film
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"The Substitute" premieres this week with student short films from four Christian high schools
For years, Northwest Christian has followed the pattern of many high schools--a fall play and a spring musical. Last year, however, saw the school take a new direction with some exciting results. Instead of a fall play, Northwest Christian partnered with a bonafide film production company and produced a film featuring the hard work and acting talent of Crusaders. The resulting film was "Screwtape Academy", a film that was premiered in front of a sold out crowd at the 600-seat Colossus theater at the AMC Deer Valley 30. The evening also included a mini-student film festival featuring digital shorts produced by Northwest Christian high school students. This year's film is titled "The Substitute" and it represents a big step forward in terms of the caliber of production. Similarly, like last year's film premiere, this year's film festival has also grown exponentially based on the strength of the school's first foray into short film festivals. The fest is now officially titled the "The PureFlix North by Northwest Film Festival" and is sponsored by PureFlix Entertainment. The fest has been joined by top talents from within the Christian film industry: David White (star and executive producer of "God's Not Dead" and "Faith of our Fathers"), Alex and Stephen Kendrick ("War Room", "Facing the Giants", "Fireproof") and many others. This year's eight student film finalists hail from Northwest Christian, Scottsdale Christian, Paradise Valley Christian, and Pusch Ridge Christian. The students' submissions will be judged by film professors from Arizona State University and Grand Canyon University, representatives from three different Christian film companies, a talent agency, and a nationally recognized film blog. Winning submissions will be awarded cash prizes.
If you are interested in attending, purchase tickets soon as that less than 100 seats of the initial 1,000 available in the two theaters are still available.
To see a trailer for "The Substitute", click on the video link below...
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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Middle School Students Pursue Multiple Service Opportunities
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Service learning allows students to grow academically, spiritually
Service learning combines classroom instruction with meaningful service opportunities, emphasizing critical thinking while allowing students to develop a fuller understanding of how they can show the expressed love of Christ to others. It's a considered part of the educational strategy at Northwest Christian, part of a guidance strategy called "Pursuing His Purpose". Over the last few weeks middle school teachers have been employing the strategy in spades.
In sixth grade, the service opportunities are themed around environmental stewardship and the school's partners are Waste Management and Hope House Farms (an extension of Neighborhood Ministries). Sixth graders are in charge of the school's recycling program, a commitment that they keep each week around campus. Additionally, the students take four trips to Hope House Farms, a community garden where they participate in composting, pulling weeds, and they participate in efforts to further grow the community garden.
The seventh grade service partner is Feed My Starving Children and students work throughout the year--as part of two distinct initiatives--to assemble funds to provide meals through this Christian non-profit. Students will travel twice to FMSC throughout the year to pack the meals that their efforts purchased.
In eighth grade, students begin tackling global missions as they partner with the Kids Kingdom orphanage in Imuris, Sonora. For five years, students have travelled to the orphanage developing profound relationships with the orphans there. This past weekend, for example, 32 high school students--who started going to Kids Kingdom in eighth grade--participated as guests of honor at a quincinera for two of the young ladies who live at the orphanage. The next eighth grade trip to Kids Kingdom leaves Thursday, November 18th.
For middle school students who are looking for even more ministry opportunities than provided through the Pursuing His Purpose program, the option exists to join the AAA program's "Barnabas Club". So far, this year, students within the Barnabas Club have been very busy. The group hosted a backpack and blanket drive for the homeless through Andre House--delivering over 100 backpacks and blankets. The students have also served at St. Vincent de Paul where they have assisted elementary-aged children with homework and served food in the dining hall. This past week, with the kick-off of the sixth annual Sutton project, the group raised $450 and purchased food for the Sutton Thanksgiving Food Drive.
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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Make Plans to Attend the Annual Veterans Day Chapel Celebration
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This year's theme: "An Old Fashioned Hymn Sing and Ice Cream Social"
"I grew up in a small town in Iowa," reflects superintendent Geoff Brown. "And as much as I love contemporary worship and the modern flair that we've brought into our worship services, there are times when I miss the old-fashioned hymns and patriotic sing-alongs. And, hey, adding ice cream into the mix certainly didn't hurt anything."
This year's Veterans Day observation will take an unexpected twist as Northwest Christian works to emulate some of traditions of a simpler time. The theme for this year's Veterans Day chapel will be "An Old Fashioned Hymn Sing and Ice Cream Social". "I want our students to experience how the heart can swell when you sing some of the old hymns and patriotic standards that we don't sing often enough," says Geoff. The school will be hosting The Master's Quartet, a Phoenix-based southern Gospel group with national acclaim. "I think it will blow our students' minds," says Geoff. "I'm certain that there's a whole group of our students who have never experienced a southern Gospel hymn sing. They're going to begin by honoring the veterans by leading us in some of the great patriotic standards. Then, we'll visit some of the great hymns and enjoy a time of worship."
The event will be kicked off by Paul Boyer, an Arizona state representative in legislative district 20, which includes much of Glendale and North Phoenix. He is the Chairman of the House Education Committee and is a member of the House Health, and House County and Municipal Affairs Committees. Paul attended Northwest Christian early in life, before his family moved to Tucson.
Once the event has concluded, all attendees will be invited to enjoy a free, old-fashioned ice cream social. "Hymn sings and ice cream," says Geoff. "I grew up thinking they were one in the same! How exactly we'll get over 1,000 sundaes out to everyone, well, we're still working on that part. But, we're Crusaders...we'll find a way!" The 2015 Veterans Day Observation Chapel is schedule for Wednesday, 2:00pm, in the Don Sanderson Gymnasium. Please make plans to attend!
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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Afterschool Christian Warriors Martial Arts Program Participants Do Well in State Tournament
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Christian Warriors remains immensely popular
On Saturday, September 26th, members of the NCS Christian Warriors group, led by John Fagen, participated in state tournament at Sunnyslope High School.
Competitive divisions were based on age and belt. Several Crusaders fared very well--some placing as best-in-state. Both Tanner Irwin and A.J. Ammon (pictured left) won either first or second in the sparring and forms competitions. Not to be outdone by her son, NCS middle school teacher Sara Irwin also competed, winning her division as well. (Rumor has it there's a video out there, somewhere, featuring Sara sparring!)
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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Fifth graders visit Junior Achievement's BizTown
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