<strong>Virginia</strong> Kids Did It!Congratulations to Caela Mc-Carthy (Roanoke), who has been raisingmoney for the Sonrise Orphanagein Rwanda, Africa, ever since she hadheard about it at her Vacation BibleSchool last summer. She and her familyhave spent the last year raising $23,000!Caela made announcements at church,spoke to the Anglican Mission in America(AMiA) winter conference, put togetheran art contest, and producedcards from the artwork. Caela has alsoinspired the formation <strong>of</strong> an organization called Children forChildren (www.coths.org/childrenforchildren) that helpssupport Sonrise Orphans’ ministry, bring awareness <strong>of</strong> theneed in Rwanda, and inspire other children to help childrenaround the world.Congratulations to recent high school graduate BenjaminTaylor (Gainesville), who won several scholarships.The first was a $2,000 college scholarship from the Lee-Jackson Foundation <strong>of</strong> Charlottesville for his essay entitled“The Sublimest Word: Robert E. Lee’s Life <strong>of</strong> Duty.” Ben’sessay was chosen best among private and homeschooled studentsin <strong>Virginia</strong>. Ben also received an Exxon-Mobile Foundationscholarship at Northern <strong>Virginia</strong> Community Collegefor an essay that was “notable for its strong opinion andeffective supporting evidence.” He won a Hedy King RobinsonPrize for Theory <strong>of</strong> Music, which is a monetary prizefor passing the level-six piano-theory exam with a mark <strong>of</strong>distinction. Ben received an additional scholarship given tostudents who will participate in the honors program at LibertyUniversity.by the U.S. Army. Student teams are encouraged to identifyand solve problems in their communities. This team <strong>of</strong> boysrecognized motorcycle accidents in Rappahannock Countywere increasing, and sought to reduce the rate at whichthese accidents are occurring.Using science, math, and technology applications, theyprovided motorcyclists with information to prepare themfor their rural county’s specific road conditions, anticipateproblematic areas, and help them maintain better control <strong>of</strong>their motorcycles. They developed a Motorcycle Safety Map,which is now published on the county’s web site. With thisaward each student received a $3,000 EE savings bond.For more information, visit www.ecybermission.com.Congratulations to former homeschoolerMorgan Levy (Newport News), who at age19 received her BA magna cum laude fromBelmont University in Nashville, Tennessee,in May. She is the youngest <strong>of</strong> this year’s 560graduates, as well as one <strong>of</strong> the youngest everto graduate from Belmont University. Signup for a FREE subscription to theHEAV Update at www.heav.org!Congratulations to Aidan Demolli, Austin Burdick,Tyler Burdick, and Joseph Heinzelman, who were theeighth-grade second-place winners in the national eCY-BERMISSION competition. eCYBERMISSION is a webbasedscience, math, and technology competition sponsored6 l The <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Home</strong> Educator
From the director<strong>of</strong> homeschool support Yvonne BunnWhat a terrific convention!It was great to see everyoneand to hear the encouragingstories <strong>of</strong> your homeschoolsuccesses. I was thrilled to meet and talkwith parents who are ready to step outinto the new world <strong>of</strong> home education.What a blessing to see homeschoolerssharing with homeschoolers!I am always amazed at the way the Lord brings everything togetherafter months and months <strong>of</strong> preparation. More than 300 volunteersworked tirelessly in all areas <strong>of</strong> the convention—many <strong>of</strong> them teensand young adults who enthusiastically volunteered alongside their parents.Thank you, volunteers!Ten Years <strong>of</strong> Service!This was Flo Feldman’s tenth year as HEAV’s convention director—whata blessing her leadership has been to this organization andto thousands <strong>of</strong> homeschooling families who have benefited from convention.During the past 10 years, we’ve seen tremendous growth inconvention attendance, as well as in convention programs and services.Thank you, Flo!Wildly Successful Used Curriculum SaleThe new, streamlined Used-Curriculum Sale included more than30,000 books. Thanks to our newly developed bar-coding and scanningsystem, plus the additional cashiers, the 3,500+ shoppers whopurchased books quickly moved through the lines. Michael King, ahomeschool dad who is a pr<strong>of</strong>essional programmer, saw the need andvolunteered to develop a bar-coding program for us! What a difference!And, we expect more improvements next year. Thank you, Michael!MP3s, Tapes, and CDs are Still AvailableThe taping company sold more tapes than ever—but withoutlong lines! This year, for the first time, we have MP3s <strong>of</strong> the convention!They were a great hit—parents bought more than 400 <strong>of</strong> themat convention, in addition to tapes and CDs. I’m sure you couldn’tpossibly go to all the workshops you wanted to attend, but now youcan order the recorded sessions online from www.bestchristianconferences.com.Take advantage <strong>of</strong> the “After-Convention Special” andGET 86 WORKSHOPS ON MP3 FOR ONLY $79! For as little as92 cents per session you can hear Jeff Myers, “Little Bear” Wheeler,Valerie Bendt, Scott and Marcia Somerville, Rick and Marilyn Boyer,and many, many others.Legislators Put a "Face" on <strong>Home</strong>schoolingWe were honored to have former <strong>Virginia</strong> Governor and nowU.S. Senator George Allen address homeschool parents at the Fridayafternoon keynote session. Senator Allen has a long history <strong>of</strong> supportinghome education—from proclaiming the first <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Home</strong>Education Week to participating in our annual Day at the Capitol. Hisenthusiasm for homeschoolers now extends to the federal level wherehe protects parents’ rights and homeschooling freedoms in Congress.Another highlight was the introduction <strong>of</strong> Delegate Rob Bell (R-Charlottesville), who was one <strong>of</strong> the patrons <strong>of</strong> HEAV’s homeschoollegislation. HEAV presented Delegate Bell with a plaque <strong>of</strong> appreciationfor his efforts in successfully changing the homeschool statute. Wewere delighted when he introduced his mother and father. Mrs. Bellhad homeschooled Delegate Bell’s brother in the 70s and 80s beforewe had a homeschool law. She testified before the Senate Health andEducation Committee in 1983 when the homeschool law was beingconsidered for passage. Mrs. Bell was one <strong>of</strong> the early champions <strong>of</strong>home education in <strong>Virginia</strong>. The audience gave her a standing ovationas she graciously acknowledged her son’s achievement in homeschoollegislation in the General Assembly. Thank you, Mrs. Bell!It is important our state and federal legislators see and know theface <strong>of</strong> homeschoolers. Without their support <strong>of</strong> homeschool legislation,we would not have the freedom to teach our children.The 2MOMs Reach Every HeartThe 2Moms blessed everyone with their sweet spirits and gentlereminders <strong>of</strong> the importance <strong>of</strong> the parent/child relationship. Theybeautifully shared in story and song what it was like to grow up underthe loving care <strong>of</strong> godly parents. Their dad had been saved at an earlyage from a life <strong>of</strong> many difficulties. The sweet stories they shared reflectedhis commitment to the Lord and to his children. After the lastsong, to the audience’s surprise, the 2Moms’ dad walked on stage togive his two girls a hug. He then gave a closing prayer and blessing tothose in the audience.What a precious reminder <strong>of</strong> the goodness and gentleness <strong>of</strong> ourHeavenly Father who encompasses us with His loving arms and gentlycares for us and leads us. Thank you, Jesus! The <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Home</strong> Educator l 7
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