CHAMagazine Of f i c i a l Ma ga z i ne o f Ch ap e l H i l l Aca de my S p r i n g 2 015

P ub l i shed f o r Fa m i l i e s a nd F r i ends o f Cha pe l H i l l A c a dem y

B U I L D I N G A LEGACY OF FAITH

CHA Launches New Capital Campaign

SHAKESPEARE A Midsummer Night’s Dream

DOGSLEDDING A Minnesota Experience

SONRUN FESTIVAL 5K I 1M Fun Run I Family Carnival

Passion for Christ. Education for life.

SELECTED BEST OF

ELEMENTARY &

SECONDARY SCHOOLS!

Best of Chanhassen 2015

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

2 | CHA Magazine

Dear Friends,

The view from my office window at Chapel Hill Academy is a beautiful reminder of the perfection of God. Amid the

lush, green leaves of the trees, colorful birds bounce from branch to branch in playful dances. It is easy to get lost in

the simplicity of this scene when the outside world around us projects a very different tone. As I reflect upon what

God has created compared to what man has added, I am grateful to be here, at my desk, enjoying a brief peek at

nature while writing this piece about His ministry. I am grateful to have this quiet moment to pray and to feel His

presence in our school. Looking out the window provides an important reminder that unlike the world, what remains

constant is God. Sharing this truth and hope with children every day is a great blessing and an important

responsibility.

This spring, our 8th graders traveled together on their capstone trip to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and

New York City. While they were away, I received an incredible update from one of our chaperone teachers. The note

below reflects an experience God used to impact the hearts of our oldest students who will be leaving CHA to attend

high school in the fall. Clearly, He is using this time in their lives to prepare each one for His special purpose…

“There is no way I can sum up the effects of this trip. Nothing can compare to worshipping God on the street in front of the White House and the recommitment to Christ that followed in the hours after. I can't describe in word what took place, but I will try to give you a glimpse into the Spirit-lead events on Sunday evening.

After joining a group from South Korea to pray and worship on the street in front of the White House, the students gathered in small prayer groups praying for each other as they rededicated their lives to God. With arms around each other, small groups prayed for our country, their own futures, and asked for forgiveness of sins. It was so open and beautiful. Nothing like this could ever be planned except by our loving Father.

Back on the bus, the group erupted in worship song after worship song and a call to prayer had so many students walking down the aisle in the bus to pray with such open hearts for each other; most of us were in tears. “Amens” could be loudly heard while spontaneous clapping filled the bus as prayers were sent to our Lord. Upon arriving at the hotel, the students left the bus, but they did not enter the hotel as would be expected. Instead, they gathered in small groups, hugging and praying as brothers and sisters in Christ for an additional half hour. Only the lateness of the hour broke up the prayer time, or so the chaperones thought. During night checks, chaperones heard students sharing details of their faith, how they could make it stronger, and they talked of the love and thankfulness they had for their parents and for each other. So many of them continued to pray together; we witnessed group after group with tears streaming down their faces. Many said they were grateful for the peace of the Lord that they had never felt before, and now, their lives would be forever changed. What a gift God blessed us with on Sunday night. I will never be the same.”

~Mary Stude, STEM teacher / East Coast trip chaperone

Though our world is changing and the divide between a secular and Christian world view is rapidly widening, our

focus remains on God and making a difference for His Kingdom. From the 8th grade trip to a group of kindergarten

children praying with their teacher to accept Christ, it is inspiring to witness CHA staff and families working closely

together in this ministry. By leading children to the cross and by providing opportunities for the realness of Christ to

become theirs, our prayer is that our students begin to own their faith so they can be a witness to others.

As we look to the future we cannot help but see a reflection of our past. More than forty-five years ago, local families

recognized changes in the world and desired something more for their children. They worked tirelessly to establish

Chapel Hill Academy, a school where God remained the centerpiece, where He is constant. Since that time, great

sacrifices have been made by many to raise strong followers of Christ. Today, we continue the mission that began so

long ago by ‘building a legacy of faith’ and pressing on in His name, for His glory, for the years to come!

Photo by Rick Narvaez

Kassie Grosz, Ed. S.

The fifth Head of School of Chapel Hill Academy

952-949-9014

groszk@chapel-hill.org

Spring | 3

Spring 2015

CHAMagazine Annual Corporation Meeting 04 Our CHA families gather for a night of fellowship and updates.

Principal’s Corner 05 An inside view from Mr. Norman.

From Classroom Walls to City Hall 06 CHA student wins Arbor Day art contest.

Building a Legacy of Faith 07 Meet the CHA Capital Campaign Chairs.

Capital Campaign 08 CHA launches new capital campaign.

Supporting Education for Life 11 CHA hosts successful gala to fund new Multi-purpose Room.

STEM at Chapel Hill Academy 12 A recap of the year in STEM.

Shakespeare at CHA 14 A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed by the eighth grade class.

Alumni News 15 See how CHA has influenced the lives of some Alumni.

Music Program 16 The Holy Spirit continues to guide the growth of our music program.

Band Program 17 CHA students receive recognition.

Camp Extreme 18 CHA hosts summer camp programs.

Minnesota Experience 19 Sixth grade class visits Wintergreen Lodge in Ely, MN.

Athletics 20 Cougars basketball teams make it to the SSYO championship.

Admissions Corner 23 CHA releases new informational videos highlighting our school.

ON THE COVER:

CHA students enjoying a beautiful spring day at the CHA playground.

Photo by Rick Narvaez

Passion for Christ. Education for life.

Page 10

Page 19

Page 8

Page 20

CHA Hosts Annual Corporation Meeting On May 5, we held our Annual Corporation Meeting. The evening

began with a special community meal. After the meal, we came

together to worship our Lord before the children were dismissed to attend a special STEM program presented by the Science Museum of

Minnesota while the CHA parents attended the corporate meeting. The

meeting featured a presentation recapping the year at CHA and the vision going forward. It was also a time to honor long-time board

members and welcome new board members. The evening was a

blessing of fellowship and community.

annual corporation meeting

4 | CHA Magazine

S erving as the Chapel Hill Academy Principal is a fascinating adventure. An area of that adventure that

presents a great challenge is teacher observation and evaluation. Observations can be stressful for

teachers as they know their work will be critiqued and so many uncontrollable elements go into a lesson.

It’s a challenge for observers in that we feel like we need to be an expert in everything from kindergarten

language arts to exponential properties and irrational numbers in 8th grade math. However, it is an incredibly

rewarding experience to be in our classrooms watching teachers with students.

In each round of observations we examine a couple of important elements of Charlotte Danielson’s, Framework

for Teaching. The Framework is a well-respected, research based observation system that is used by many

school districts across the country and here in Minnesota. I could write pages of great stories about what I have

observed in my years here but I will limit it to just a few highlights from this last round of observations.

I’m very proud of our teacher’s creativity and the trusting and transparent approach they bring to our

observation process. Three teachers invited me to see lessons they had never taught before. Presenting a

lesson for the first time adds about a hundred additional things that could go wrong but our teachers are

willing to take that chance for the good of our students and to address the specific elements of evaluation we

are focusing on. To respond to the framework element, Demonstrating Knowledge of Students, one teacher

worked with me to plan an observation of her students presenting unique aspects of their family traditions.

She used it as an opportunity to get to know her students cultural background and heritage. I was

overwhelmed by the presentations and with the wonderful families we have at Chapel Hill Academy. It also

allowed me to glimpse a level of diversity within our school that you wouldn’t notice if you were just looking at

skin color.

Observations also let me see the biblical truth our teachers share in

class. In this round I saw a presentation on how the eruption of Mt.

St. Helen’s blew the evolutionist theories about the age of the earth

out of the water. Land developments that were said to have taken

hundreds of thousands of years to occur suddenly are seen to take

only a few years and in some cases only months. The teacher did a

great job of reinforcing the concept with the Biblical account of

creation. The same topic came to play in another class even though

the specific science subject being taught was a little different. In

this class the teacher not only refuted the “old earth” theory but

also brought John 1:1 into the lesson showing the class that Jesus is

not only our Savior but He is also the creator of the world. It is

compelling to an elementary student to know our loving Savior is

also powerful enough to create the universe. I wish I had been

taught that in elementary school.

We are blessed to have incredible teachers at Chapel Hill. Please

make sure you take advantage of every opportunity to encourage

and let them know how much they are appreciated. Teaching is

hard work and knowing the difference they make in your child’s life

will help them finish the school year strong.

Mr. Norman, Principal

principal ’s corner

Spring | 5

from classroom walls...

6 | CHA Magazine

F ifth graders at CHA learn about being God’s image bearers and reflecting His character. Sydney Underwood often bears His image by reflecting God’s artistic creativity. At any given moment, Sydney can be seen creating newspapers, writing books, or drawing pictures.

“When I first entered the classroom in November, I noticed a hand drawn sign on the classroom wall soliciting writers to submit their ‘articles’ to Sydney for the classroom newspaper,” said fifth grade teacher, Tanya Logslett. “This was not an assignment, this was Sydney creating, just like her Creator, and compelling others to join her! Beautiful.” When the City of Chanhassen invited 5th graders around the city to create tree pictures for an art contest honoring Arbor Day, art teacher, Lisa Sweeney, saw this as a great opportunity to challenge the students to share Christ in creative and compelling ways. As she introduced this opportunity, a great discussion about trees ensued. In the art room, Mrs. Sweeney asked the students to list ways that trees help us, provide for us, and sustain us. It was easy to craft a list of the many things that trees provide both tangible and intangible. The students then linked their understanding of scripture to trees and God’s design.

They looked up passages that used the word, “tree.” She was truly inspired at how the students were able to articulate a Biblical worldview of how we as Christians should view creation and things like trees in their proper place. Students could clearly see that when our Creator is not in the picture, people begin to worship created things in His place as is popular in our culture currently. The assignment Mrs. Sweeney gave was a text and image composition in which students used text to create the image of a tree. Words that we commonly associated with trees were used as well as scripture and words that fit the theme of the contest. Pondering the challenging assignment, Sydney began creating. Her efforts resulted in a beautifully detailed drawing of a tree with scripture woven throughout. Sydney won the city wide contest! Her picture will be framed and permanently displayed at City Hall. Because she was willing to use the gifts God has given her, and bear His creative image in her artwork, God’s Word will be displayed on the walls of City Hall and God’s Word will not return void. Amen!

…to city hall

R eflecting back on the past 5 years, we are awed by God’s sovereignty and clear leading of our family to Chapel

Hill Academy (CHA). Back in July of 2010, we felt the Lord prompting us to make a change in the schooling for

our 3 children. Our family was experiencing a disconnect between the biblical instruction in our home and our

church, and the non-biblical worldview and influence they experienced at their school. As a result, our hearts were

burdened to have our children immersed in biblical truth in all spheres of their lives – in the home, at church and in

school. Our hearts desire was to raise up children who will pass on a godly legacy as one generation instructs the next.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 states:

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to

your children, and shall talk of them when you walk, when you sit in your house, when you lie down and

when you rise up.

As we continued to seek the Lord about the decision, He

confirmed in our hearts a biblical vision for our children and our

family which led us to make the move in faith to Christian

education at CHA.

We will never forget our first parent-teacher 2nd grade conference

at Chapel Hill. As we sat down, ready to jump into what we

thought would be a standard parent-teacher conference, our

daughter’s teacher smiled warmly and said, “Shall we begin in

prayer?” We were both taken by surprise and overwhelmed by the

honor and privilege to lift up our daughter, our family, the

teacher, her class and our entire school in prayer - TOGETHER! We

looked at each other in affirmation of why our family had made

the move to CHA. And this is just the beginning of the amazing

work that God is doing through the ministry at Chapel Hill

Academy! Time and again we are reminded of the verse from

3 John 1:4 which states,

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

We feel truly blessed to educate our three children at CHA, where the teachers, staff and parents share a love for Christ

and a passion to instruct and disciple our children to be godly leaders grounded in a biblical foundation. We are also

deeply grateful to those parents who came before us with the vision and passion to start CHA, a school centered on

biblical truth and instruction.

We feel passionately that now more than ever is the time to continue strengthening, reinforcing and building the

strong foundation for Christian education at CHA. As our culture weakens in character and ethics and continues to pull

away from biblical truth, we are deeply grateful to be at a school that partners with us to encourage our kids in their

walk with the Lord and affirms them in God’s call on their lives. We are committed to following the Lord’s leading to

solidify, build and grow the capacity for Kingdom impact through the school ministry of Chapel Hill Academy.

Subsequently, when we were approached to prayerfully consider co-chairing the school capital campaign we felt compelled to open our hearts to the Lord for direction about serving the school in this capacity. After time in prayer and in the Word, we felt the Holy Spirit leading us to step out in faith and obedience and serve as co-chairs of the CHA capital campaign. We step into this role with humility and excitement to serve, and anticipation for how the Lord is leading the CHA community to launch the “Building a Legacy of Faith” capital campaign for God’s school.

All for His Glory,

Todd and Krista Anderson

Campaign Chairs

building a legacy of faith

Spring | 7

T he theme for the “Building a Legacy of Faith” campaign stems from the biblical mandate found in Psalm 78:4b

which speaks to the heart of educating and raising up future generations of Christian leaders who will boldly

make an impact for Christ in the world! Psalm 78:4b states,

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,

His power, and the wonders He has done.

We have faith that God has the school in the palm of His hands and He has great plans for continued Kingdom work at

Chapel Hill Academy. We are thankful for the Lord’s sovereignty and provision for our school over the past 45 years

and are excited for the opportunity to grow and expand CHA’s ministry impact for future generations to the glory of

God!

As CHA grows, there is a need to address an aging building and increase capacity in the facility. The current school

facility was originally constructed in the 1950s and is in need of repair and enhancement to effectively meet and grow

CHA’s school ministry. In an effort to be good stewards of what the Lord has provided and also looking to the future,

the “Building a Legacy of Faith” capital campaign includes 3 initiatives to repair, transform and enhance the current

school facility.

The 3 key initiatives include:

1. Transforming our current campus (classroom updates, exterior updates, roof and flooring, kitchen, lunchroom, maintenance and mechanical)

2. Completing our unfinished projects (locker rooms, restrooms, new entrance, administrative offices relocation, safety and security)

3. Enhancing our academic programs (fine arts, health & fitness, STEM, Junior Kindergarten, general classroom space)

While much of these projects involve brick and mortar, the heart behind the capital campaign centers on maintaining,

enhancing and growing the capacity for Christ-centered education and discipleship at CHA. We are expectant and

excited to see how the Lord leads and directs as we move in faith with this initiative.

The Lord has blessed us with guidance and Biblical mentorship from Kent Vanderwood of the Timothy Group

consulting firm as we plan and coordinate the capital campaign logistics. We are also blessed with great committee

chairs as well as Chapel Hill leaders and families who have stepped out in faith to serve, and are passionate to help

launch and execute the “Building a Legacy of Faith” campaign to the Glory of God!

capital campaign

To get involved in the Capital Campaign

financially, as a volunteer, or both,

contact Todd and Krista Anderson at

tkanderson12@comcast.net

8 | CHA Magazine

The capital campaign process is underway and we are

committed to seeking the Lord and covering the initiative in

prayer each step of the way. We are humbled and honored

to have the privilege to come together in prayer as a body of

believers each Friday morning at Parents of Prayer (P.O.P.)

meetings, at weekly school prayer walks by groups of both

men and women, through offsite prayer groups, and also at

monthly community prayer nights. A group of CHA parents,

students and staff came together on our knees at a

community prayer night on Sunday, April 19th to offer up a

sacrifice of praise to the Lord through a time of worship and

corporate prayer on behalf of our families, our school, our

teachers and leaders, our community and the capital

campaign initiative. We firmly believe that, “With much

prayer there is much power, with little prayer there is little power, with no prayer

there is no power.” (E.M. Bounds) We place this capital campaign firmly in the Lord’s

hands as we continue to seek His face and His leading for our school.

Will you please join with us to solidify and grow the ministry impact through Chapel

Hill Academy by asking the Lord how He is calling you to be involved in the

Kingdom work at our school? First, please be in prayer for our families, our school,

our teachers and our leaders and the capital campaign initiative. The various

corporate prayer opportunities for our school community are listed in CHA Weekly

Update and the desire of our hearts is that we will pack the room and saturate our

school in Holy Spirit led prayer each week! Second, please consider how you can

give of your time in the various volunteer opportunities at our school including the

committee openings we still have on the capital campaign. Finally, prayerfully

consider how the Lord is directing you to support our school ministry financially

through the capital campaign initiative. We are committed to “telling the next

generation the praiseworthy deeds

of the Lord, His power and the

wonders He has done (Psalm

78:4b)”. Please join us as we come

together as a Christian school

ministry to continue “Building a

Legacy of Faith” for our children

and for generations to come!

Spring | 9

CHAPEL HILL

ACADEMY

G A L A 2 0 1 5

10 | CHA Magazine

See more photo highlights online at chapelhillacademy.zenfolio.com

Spring | 11

W hat a blessed year we have had! To God be the glory! With the fundraisers of this past year, we have been able to move forward in blessing the teachers, staff and our children in great ways! The latest

blessing raised enough money to complete one of the projects presented to us from the capital campaign. With the re-purposing of some key spaces in our building last fall, the lunchroom was moved to our old-gym area. While that provided a much larger place to have lunch, the walls and doors that once contained the extra noise were now missing. Additionally, the one space that teachers could bring larger groups or larger projects together to enhance their teaching was no longer available. The vision of the Gala Committee was to give this teaching space back to the students and staff by simply completing and updating a larger space making it much more than a lunchroom. Our new Multi-purpose Room will now have floor-to-ceiling walls, doors, windows, and enhanced a/v equipment. The new space will not only contain noise within, but keep surrounding noise out. Thank you for your help and support! We are excited to have this space available at the start of the new school year. Teachers and students will be blessed with this new space that came about from your support.

God Bless you all,

Heather Torgerson and the Gala Committee

T H A N K YO U

For Supporting

CHA Through

Our Annual

Fundraisers!

supporting education for life

SATURDAY , SEPTEMBER 26 , 2 01 5

c h a p e l h i l l a c a d e m y

REGISTER TODAY!

SIMPLY SCAN THIS

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5K RUN l 1M FUN RUN l CARNIVAL

S cience, Technology, Engineering and Math are not new

components to education, nor new to Chapel Hill Academy.

STEM is an integrated approach to teaching and learning that

utilizes collaborative problem solving techniques designed to equip

students with 21st century skills. However, CHA teachers add a fifth

content area to STEM instruction by putting all subjects in the

context of biblical truth. Students uncover the Creator’s perfect

design in science using technology, engineering, math and the

Bible.

Our eighth grade honors class just finished a new first year STEM

project designing and engineering roller coasters using

mathematical principles. The key objective was to keep a marble

accelerating down the path without falling off the apparatus. They

constructed roller coasters with twists, turns, curves, high and low

points. Mathematical concepts included kinetic and potential

energy, acceleration and velocity. Success was met

after many trials. The students presented to the

kindergarten class who voted on their favorite 8th

grade roller coaster.

As the students struggled with keeping their marble

moving without falling off, they also found verses

that highlighted how we struggle to stay on God’s

path and the fear that is sometimes found in our

lives. The discussions first occurred in their small

groups and then became a class topic highlighting

ways to keep on God’s path despite the turns in the

road. Verses discussed and presented include Luke 3:5

“Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill

made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the

rough ways smooth” and Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong

and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of

them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never

leave you nor forsake you.” (NIV)

12 | CHA Magazine

stem at chapel hill academy

Spring | 13

Throughout the 8th grade science class units on chemistry and

physics, students learn the order of God’s world and His wisdom.

Key verses include 1 Corinthians 4:20 “For the kingdom of God is

not a matter of talk but of power” (NIV) as they continue to

marvel at God’s perfect order and infinite wisdom. Discussion and

laboratory experiments include The Law of Conservation of Mass

and Energy. They learn energy and mass can be neither created nor

destroyed, only rearranged, highlighting the creative power of

God. As they conduct experiments, students work within the laws of God defined by math concepts and

formulas. This group of eighth graders designed ramps showing the co-efficiency of friction as well as

motion of objects. They also graphed distance and displacement of the trials using physic principles.

The seventh grade curriculum highlights the study of God’s creation. During the third quarter, the focus is on

Genesis 1, with additional details from Genesis 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the

ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” as well as Luke

22:44, “And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the

ground.” (NIV) The students learn about God’s design of the human body through STEM activities that

include forming a heart out of clay showing the atrium and ventricles, the many blood vessels and the

sophisticated pattern of the valves. The students have the special opportunity to study a pig heart, as

experts, including parent, Aaron Wilson, guide small groups through dissection. The seventh graders also

dissect frogs which displays God’s unique and complete design of the different organs and systems studied

throughout the year. In addition, they perform a laboratory experiment with dialysis tubing showing the

function of the nephron tube and

use mathematical principles to

show the diffusion that occurs in

the human kidney.

I praise You, for I am fearfully and

wonderfully made; my soul knows it

very well.

Mrs. Stude

S T E M S C I E N C E TEC H NO LO GY ENGINEER ING M ATHM AT ICS

shakespeare at cha

O n January 23, 2015, the 8th grade class performed a version of

Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The students performed a

shortened version of the play as the capstone of a multi-part

Shakespeare unit. First, the students learned about Shakespeare’s unique

language, then read and listened to Midsummer. They followed this challenging

reading with a lively formal Socratic seminar in which they discussed the themes

and biblical worldview of the play and its characters. The most vigorous part of

their discussion was about the nature of love which ranged from whether love

caused by a potion (or hormones!?) is truly love, to how love in the Bible

compares and contrasts with love depicted in the play and many movies.

Since Shakespeare wrote his plays for a live audience, I know that these plays

only excite students if they can see them performed. This year, we were able to

see Midsummer performed by professionals at the Park Square Theater, and then

each student auditioned for and was assigned a part in our class play. Ensuring

each student has a part that is available that they can both handle and desire is a

challenging jigsaw, especially when there are inevitably fewer female roles than

females who desire big roles, and when I posted the cast list, students were also

able to learn to handle disappointment, jealousy and fear. Thankfully, I’ve had

students perform plays for enough years that

I’m confident once they get into it, they will

embrace their part, and, as usual, they did.

All the 8th graders memorized their lines, be it five

or fifty, because memory work both makes the

play more interesting for the audience and helps

students internalize Shakespeare’s best phrases.

Finally, after 2 ½ weeks of rehearsal, students

overcame their stage fright and performed their

play. This year, the 8th grade class was so large

that I created an extra mini-play based on a

shortened, modernized version of Midsummer’s

most comedic scenes based on a particularly well-

written version by Erin Olson, a previous 8th grade

student. While the play the students

performed was far from expert, most

students leave Chapel Hill thinking

Shakespeare is interesting, engaging and fun.

Mrs. Pettit

14 | CHA Magazine

Congratulations to Dane (Ashley) Lundgren and Dana

(Tiffany) Hansen, CHA 8th grade graduates of 2000, on the

birth of their sons. Wyatt Dane Lundgren and Calvin

James Hansen born 1 week apart in November 2014. Dane

and Dana have been classmates through high school and

are now working together. The babies are wearing

matching outfits courtesy of Grandma Kim Lundgren.

cha alumni news

Spring | 15

Congratulations to Jake

Pettit, CHA 8th grade

graduate of 2011, on his

appointment to the US

Army Military Academy at

West Point. He received this

prestigious appointment

from US Representative,

Erik Paulsen and US

Senator, Amy Klobuchar.

Jake is a senior at

Southwest Christian High

School and a National Merit

Scholar Finalist.

Have CHA Alumni News

to share? Please submit

your news to us at

alumni@chapel-hill.org

Scan the QR Code to

watch CHA Alumnus,

Jason Carlson, share

about the significant

impact CHA had

on his life

G reetings CHA families and friends,

It has been a great year for us in the CHA music program. This past Christmas season we

had a blast putting on our musical, David’s Dynasty. Most recently, we completed our Fine Arts Night and I cannot fully describe to everyone how proud I am of the students. It was a beautiful night of music including instrumental soloists, vocal soloists, bands, and choirs. The visual arts portion was inspiring and a blessing to see a glimpse of the skill and artistic insight many of our students have here at CHA. Both evenings were fantastic to say the least. One of the most unique aspects and highlights of these nights is the gift of worshiping together to round out the evening. It is such an honor to be able to worship Jesus with the gift He has given us, and to have it led by the students no less!

After the Fine Arts Nights were completed I reflected on the program and explored where it can and should go. These past three years we have been working hard to continue a culture of musical excellence in the general music classes and choral ensembles. The choral program has demonstrated improvements each year and I’m looking forward to the next stages of growth in both quality and tradition here at Chapel Hill Academy.

We have also been piloting an innovative new way to teach music theory to our students. We have been exploring an app called GarageBand on the iPads. It has a wide variety of musical virtual instruments. This spring our students have been using these instruments to explore Blues and Jazz chord progressions. The 12 bar blues and ii – V – I jazz chord progressions have been a very engaging way to introduce musical theory to our students in what otherwise can often be a very dry subject to study. This hands-on, auditory, and visual approach to music theory allows students to follow a genre specific chord progression, in 4 person groups, on various virtual instruments, and record and play back their performance! The possibilities and potential applications are endless. I cannot wait to see where we take this new program.

The Holy Spirit is guiding the growth of our music program. I’m excited to see what it looks like in another three years. Thank you to everyone for your support these past three years! We have an exciting future in the performing arts here at Chapel Hill Academy!

Mr. Zink

music program

16 | CHA Magazine

band program

Spring | 17

T his has been a great year for our CHA band. Chapel

Hill Academy fielded 29 soloists and the CHA band

at contest on Friday, March 6, 2015. Twenty three

of the soloists scored "Superior" ratings and 6 scored "Excellent " ratings. Katie Nykanen and Ryan Barthelemy

were chosen by the Judge as Co-Best of Site this year.

Ethan Blomgren performed two solos and received "Superior on both solos. Several soloists missed a

perfect score by one point. The soloists receiving

"Superior" were: Ethan Blomgren, alto sax and piano;

Bennett Beckering, trumpet; Caleb Beckering, snare drum; Olivia Schultz, clarinet; Josh Boen, drum set; CJ

Velgersdyk, clarinet; Joseph Larson, trumpet; Rachel

Jaeger, clarinet; Katie Nykanen, alto sax; Lars Johnson,

trumpet; Josh Manion, trombone; Kale Winship, drum set; Ryan Barthelemy, tuba; Hudson Brama, piano;

Robbie Pettit, marimba; Will Scheicher, marimba; John

Eckberg, marimba; Matt Brady, trumpet; Lily Schwen, flute; Luke Schwen, marimba; Jamie Meier, clarinet. The

winners of the 'Excellent" rating were: Noah Schultz,

trumpet; Lucas Barke, flute; Collin Bryhn, marimba; Asa

Smith, trombone; Lauren Phillips, euphonium, Michael Phillips, French horn.

The band performed three selections and received a

perfect score on two of them and was minus one point on the third selection for an overall "Superior" rating.

The year was capped off with a great showcase at the annual CHA Band Festival held in May.

Congratulations to all the participants of the 2015 solo

and ensemble contest! Mr. Runyan

C hapel Hill Academy is thrilled to announce our seventh summer of Camp Extreme!

Whether your child’s idea of fun this summer is sports, crafts, swimming, biking, science, writing, theatre, parks, fishing or painting, we have a camp where they can explore, create, move and learn -- all in the

company of friends and exceptional teachers.

We are welcoming back many of our wonderful teachers from previous years along with great new additions. Like our curriculum during the academic year, our summer sessions provide high-quality education and integrate Christian faith with learning. It is our goal and prayer that each summer camp at Chapel Hill Academy is characterized by quality teaching, fun & active learning, a nurturing environment, and a Christian perspective.

Camp Extreme is open for CHA students entering kindergarten-8th grade, and is open to the public as well. This provides a great opportunity for children to see their school friends as well as make new friends during the week.

Camp runs five separate weeks during the summer. Each camp runs for one week, Monday through Friday. There are morning and afternoon sessions available each week. If students want to participate in both a morning and afternoon session, we provide a supervised lunchtime to make a complete day of camp fun.

For more information and to register for Camp Extreme, go to chapel-hill.org and click on the “Camp Extreme” link.

We look forward to welcoming this year’s campers for “Extreme” fun and learning this summer!

2015 CAMPS OFFERED

Band Camp, Bead Animals & Lanyards, Biking (1&2), Boys Basketball, Clowning Around, Crafty Kids, Creation Foundations Camp, Creation Science Camp, Extreme Fishing, Games, Games, & More Games, Gym Games, I Can Quilt, Intro to Improv, Oil Painting, Once Upon A Story, Puppetry, Swimming (levels 2-3 & 3-4)-Backyard Games, Story Time, The Boys Are Back...In the Parks, Track & Field/Outdoor Games, World Passport

camp extreme

follow chapel hill academy online…

Website: chapel-hill.org

Facebook: facebook.com/chapelhillacademy

Twitter: twitter.com/chapelhillacad

Photo Gallery: chapelhillacademy.zenfolio.com

Video Gallery: vimeo.com/chapelhillacademy

18 | CHA Magazine

minnesota experience

S ixth grade students at Chapel Hill Academy “barked” these orders while dogsledding this past

February at Wintergreen Lodge in Ely, MN. From the start of the trip, students enthusiastically took

advantage of the opportunities to play with husky puppies in their cabins, learn about dogsledding

trails and tips from knowledgeable guides, and spend time with their classmates while attempting to

snowshoe, cross-country ski, and dogsled through snow-laden, preserved forests. Not only did students

participate in those planned and required activities, but some even got up extra early to help the trail

guides feed the sled dogs breakfast!

Taking some out of their comfort zones, the trip required a bit of physical labor and at times an intense cardio workout from students (and chaperones alike!); luckily, our students had oodles of energy to burn! One of my personal favorite times during the trip was when Mrs. Paine, the middle school Spanish teacher at CHA, shared an evening devotional about perseverance through challenging circumstances. For many of the students, this trip was a bit strenuous and adventurous, and sometimes students were challenged to persevere while participating in the outdoor activities. As Mrs. Paine used Scripture (along with a personal story about

falling off her dogsled and making the decision to get back up) to remind us of the importance of persevering and trying new things, my heart swelled with pride for our students. As a person who grew up on a farm in Montana and who looks forward to camping and “roughing it” in the great outdoors each summer, I didn’t realize how much it took for some of our students to have the courage to try something so new and adventurous as dogsledding in the cold North.

Mrs. Freitas

“Hike!”

“Gee!”

“Haw!”

“WOOAAHHH!”

Spring | 19

20 | CHA Magazine

W e love our sports at Chapel Hill Academy!

Basketball at Chapel Hill Academy has

recently wrapped up after a fantastic

season! We had 9 basketball teams this year for boys and girls in grades four through

eight. Our teams competed in the South Side Youth

Organization, which is made up of about 20 private schools in the metro area.

A couple of highlights this year include our 7th/8th boys

and girls basketball teams making it to the championship games for the SSYO tournament! The boys

took first place and moved on to play in the Twin Cities Championship game against St. Marks from St. Paul. The girls took 2nd place in the tournament and also had a fun season. We also had a great time

during Spirit Week when we had our annual basketball games between parents/teachers and our 7th/8th

grade teams. “Pack the Gym Nights” were also a huge success during Spirit Week. We had so many fans

come and support the Cougars, we truly packed the gym! We had home games that week for our 5th-8th grade teams. Each night included games, prizes and announcers. It was great to see the support of

all the CHA families as they showed their school spirit and cheered for our teams!

Chapel Hill Academy has a high expectation for our players, coaches and parents to represent our school in a way that is honoring to God. Basketball has been a great teaching tool for our athletes. The athletes

learn many life lessons as they play throughout the year. Each coach was asked to honor 1 player from

their team to receive the “Cougar Award”; a player showing great character, respect, and effort

throughout the season. The following players received the “Cougar Award” this year: Ty Watchorn, John-Lukas Erickson, Morgan Payne, Brooke Warnert, Sarah Johnson, Jack Widdifield, Caden Winters, Daniel

Bozanich, Matthew Payne, Sophia Sorci-Heles, and Piper Stafford.

We had our third year of basketball for our 2nd and 3rd graders called “Hoopsters”. This was an in-house

basketball skills program for boys and girls in 2nd and 3rd grade. We had 5 weeks of skill development and we ended with a small tournament with another SSYO school. Our girls took 1st and 2nd place in the

3 on 3 tournament and our 2nd grade boys teams took 2nd place in the tournament. It was a great

opportunity for all the kids who participated in the Hoopsters program this year.

Our track team is in their 5th year of competition. We have another great group of kids in grades 4-8

training hard and learning about everything that track and field has to offer, thanks to the leadership of

Coaches Robert Jones, Jay Scott and Cheri Dobbs.

Mrs. Santjer

athletics

Spring | 21

Congratulations to Chapel Hill Academy for being selected the

2015 Best of Elementary & Secondary Schools i n Chanhassen!

alumni & families love cha “Chapel Hill has become our

family of families.. It’s so

much more than just a school .

It is such a community of

believers. Teachers and staff

will come alongside you and

your family. The teachers are

there to minister to your

child’s heart. There They want

to know what’s going on in

your child’s life. That’s why

we love Chapel Hill .”

Marcee, CHA Parent

"Chapel Hill Academy had a

profound influence on my life...so much of who I am today

is directly related to the foundation that I was given at

Chapel Hill Academy.”

Pastor Jason Carlson CHA Alumnus 1979-1989

BEST OF ELEMENTARY

& SECONDARY

SCHOOLS!

Best of Chanhassen 2015

22 | CHA Magazine

Spring | 23

admissions corner

For more information and to learn how your family can experience Chapel Hill Academy call

952-949-9014 or email admissions@chapel-hill.org

STUDENTS LOVE CHA!

Scan the QR Code to watch students share why they love CHA

Scan the QR Code to watch an overview of CHA

NOW ENROLLING

FOR GRADES K-8

strong core academics

stem

fine arts

team athletics

All Infused with a Biblical Worldview

P a s s i on f o r C hr i s t .

Ed uca t i on f o r L i f e . To access the above videos on your browser visit

vimeo.com/chapelhillacademy

306 West 78th Street | Chanhassen, MN | 55317

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