Annual Review 2012 - Christian Academy School System

David Arrell,Upper School PrincipalIndianaMiddle SchoolOur middle school studentsexperienced a wonderfulyear of growing spiritually,academically, and athletically.It is wonderful to see thetransformation that occurseach year as students seem togrow and flourish right beforeour eyes. The most importantarea of growth this year camein their spiritual development.The spiritual climate of ourmiddle school changed whenMr. Byrley challenged the students withthe chapel theme of understanding theiridentity in Christ. The topic was presented to the students from various viewpoints by area pastors andChristian Academy of Indiana faculty. One aspect of that topic was unpacked in detail by examiningauthentic worship. As a result, the students better understood who God is, who we are and how weshould respond to Him. Since then our middle school chapels have not been the same. It is such a hugeblessing to have participated in chapel where more than 140 students have left their seats and goneforward to worship the Lord together. The carryover effect was felt in the halls and classrooms of themiddle school.We fielded teams in eight sports this year, and competed successfully with more compatible schools,although we had to travel more to do so. Under the direction of Mr. Harper and our coaches, the studentslearned skills and strategies involved in playing their particular sport; more importantly, they learnedhow to honor God in every area of athletics. It was great to field two baseball teams in preparation toreinstate baseball at the high school level in the future.Fine arts are alive and growing as the sixth, seventh and eighth grades combined bands and choirsfor wonderful concerts throughout the year. Several sections of art were needed to accommodate theoutstanding interest in visual arts, and the middle school produced its own drama production in latewinter. This year the students performed a reflective biography of Hans Christian Anderson, and severalmiddle school students were also cast in prominent roles in Beauty and the Beast.Academically, the students had an excellent year. Our reading program is strong due to our belief inthe fundamental aspect of reading inherent in learning. Several of our students went above and beyondthe requirements of our rigorous program by participating in the Accelerated Reader program. Twentyonestudents read more than a million words this year with four students reading over two millionwords. The highest student reader this year read over 2.5 million words. We have witnessed steady andcontinued progress in our math department under the direction of Mr. Ferree and Mrs. Hamby. We hada record number of inductees into our chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, in which inductionis based on Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character and Citizenship.Annual Review 2012 17